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Technology
Topics about the technology of the future
Japanese Bullet Train SHINKANSEN 500 NOZOMI in Action! VIDEO
Apr 4th
Japanese Bullet Train SHINKANSEN 500 NOZOMI designed to achieve 320km/h, but currently operating around 285 km/h (176 mph).
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Testing the curves with the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory)
Mar 14th
Ripples in spacetime. This is what the joint effort of the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are trying to gather experimental evidence for, with the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO).
As we all know, curved spacetime is one of the direct observable effects of big chunks of matter and/or energy; this fact is theoretically explored by Einstein’s general theory of relativity, which states that matter and energy are alike, and one of the primary consequences they have on the world around them is that they bend or curve the spacetime fabric in their relative near vecinity.
A distinct category of this type of curved spacetime, which LIGO is trying to prove, is a kind of variable bending of space, one that is modified or propagated in a wave-like manner, like the ripples you would see when you would throw a pebble into a pond. Of course here we’re not talking about ripples in a pond, but big ripples in the fabric of spacetime. What is spacetime? Imagine it as a mental construct, a model that presents space and time as one whole system, for which all equations known in the theory of relativity and all the data obtained from scientific experiments fit 100% perfectly. So, imagine it as a mental tool that helps us bind the theoretical and experimental data perfectly. Bare in mind though, that this mental concept of spacetime is a direct reflection of how time, matter and space are mysteriously interconnected.
What are the ripples in spacetime caused by? By neutron stars orbiting each other, that is by the remnants of the gravitational collapse of massive stars during supernova explosions. Neutron stars are so heavy than when orbiting one another, they cause such powerful gravitational ripples in spacetime, that as far as from 70 millions of light years away, a installation like LIGO could easily detect them. Other causes might be colliding black holes, the explosion of a big star (supernova), and maybe a very special kind of phenomenon which was generated in the beginning of the universe which might validate some predictions of the Big-Bang theory.
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Explaining the search for EXOPLANETS
Mar 12th
430! That’s the number of exoplanets we discovered until the beginning of 2010. How did we do it? With the help of state-of-the-art spectrographs, interferometers, earth based or space telescopes, top-notch software and of course long hours of carefully examining the skies hopping to find planetary prospects for life’s development.
First of all. it’s important to state that the planets were not observed directly; we didn’t yet invent a telescope that could delve its way with enough clarity and magnification capabilities through the tens of light years of distance away, so that it could offer us a compelling and clear picture of an extrasolar planet. At least not yet.
All planets thus detected were observed by indirect means. By taking advantage of the prospective extra-solar planet’s effects on the star which it orbits, effects that manifest themselves by affecting the movement, brightness and characteristics of the light spectrum of that star, scientists have thus far discovered a myriad of exoplanets, even though the majority of them are massive gas giants like Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The most known four general methods used to detect exoplanets are: (1) The Doppler Shift (or Radial Velocity) Method, (2) The Transit Observation Method, (3) The Astrometric Measurement Method and (4) The Gravitational Microlensing Method. Beside these we will talk about (5) The Direct Detection Method, (6) The Nulling Interferometry Method and (7) The Polarimetry Method. Let’s begin!
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Want some wings? Roger that, baby! Here’s the Martin Jetpack!
Mar 11th
The Ultimate Personal Flying Machine! That is how Glenn Martin presents the first commercial Jetpack in history. In 1998 Glenn founded the New Zealand-based Martin Aircraft Limited Company with the specific goal of researching and developing a jetpack that could fly 100 times longer than the Bell Rocket Bell, that is 2600 seconds. What was his ace of spades? The 1981 jetpack concept that Glenn developed and was verified by the University of Canterbury, Mechanical Engineering Department from New Zealand.
In 2005 the innovative team of engineers produced Prototype 9 that achieved sustained flight times and laid the foundation for a feasible and successful pre-production prototype to be developed. So, in 2008 the Martin Aircraft Limited Company launched the first soon to be commercial Jetpack, the Martin Jetpack. It is estimated that the first models will be delivered to heir now eligible future owners in the first quarter of 2011 for the price of $75,000. Of course, Glenn promised as soon as the production volume will increase the cost of the aircraft may decrease to that of a mid-range motorcycle or car.
The 5 feet high, 5.5 feet wide and 5 feet long aircraft can hover its 250 lbs (~114 kg) and the prospective pilot’s 280 lbs (~128 kg) to a mind boggling, for this kind of aircraft, 8000 feet (~2438 meters) for 30 minutes. The jetpack has a fuel capacity of 5 US gallons (~19 liters, as required by FAA Part 103, Ultralight Regulations), the same one used in cars, and a range of 31.5 miles at the maximum speed of 63 mph.
