A team including scientists from the DOE demonstrated an "Accelerator on a Chip" that is 10 times more efficient in accelerating electrons than the current method used in the SLAC accelerator.
Not sure if those two articles fit here or in that real aerospace thread. However, as they are about nuclear batteries, their safety and plutonium, I think its more fitting to post them here.
Arioch wrote:I'm not sure what practical use this would have, but it's cool.
(video)
By all that's holy, we've invented REPLICATORS!!!
Nah, but it's an interesting concept. Maybe they can be used in construction somehow? Self-building cranes and whatnot
I remember theses, the History Channel`s The Universe speculates that that a more advanced version of these will one day be Humanity`s explorers, when they can be made to build more of themselves.
Arioch wrote:I'm not sure what practical use this would have, but it's cool.
Portal room?
Charlie wrote:I remember theses, the History Channel`s The Universe speculates that that a more advanced version of these will one day be Humanity`s explorers, when they can be made to build more of themselves.
Isnt that the main plot of X3:reunions? Humanity send those ship to explore and build jump gate, but they keep replicating and went to war with other species who saw them as treat, with a reason, disassembling a ship full of people to replicate yourself is quite a diplomatic faux pas.
Let's not confuse modular robotics (individual robots assebling a bigger unit) with self-replication (most likely to implemented using 3D printing as a major technology), shall we? Creepy critter cubes those.
Edit: typo
Fandom established 2004*. (*Official records lost) Sometimes I haveatwistedmind… ¿What could possibly be better than giant robots fighting with knives? ¡Giant robots fighting with swords, of course!
I wonder if you can use this modular, reconfigurable concept with sensors? It'd cut down on the number of probes we'd have to deploy (unless the area we want to explore is just too far out of range of previous probe launches).
Jakelope13 wrote:I wonder if you can use this modular, reconfigurable concept with sensors? It'd cut down on the number of probes we'd have to deploy (unless the area we want to explore is just too far out of range of previous probe launches).
The number of probes? What kind of probes are you even talking about? Satellites are usually launched when an old one dies/is likely to die, or coverage needs to be increased. Units that travel beyond geosynchronous orbit are relatively few, often unique, and aren't likely to have the ability to go anywhere other than where they've been shot off towards. Were you talking about interstellar probes? Those will either be crewed, "one-time use", or include automatic factories and refineries.