Robot goes deep

The deepest part of the ocean is the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean's Marianas Trench. At a depth of 11km and over 1000 ATM pressure it has only been visited by humans once, in 1960 by Jacques Piccard and Don Walsh in their bathyscaphe.

I'm unaware of any serious plan to send humans down but the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution a robot down to explore this remote part of Aquatica.:

A robotic sub called Nereus has reached the deepest-known part of the ocean.

The dive to 10,902m (6.8 miles) took place on 31 May, at the Challenger Deep in the Marianas Trench, located in the western Pacific Ocean.

This makes Nereus the deepest-diving vehicle currently in service and the first vehicle to explore the Marianas Trench since 1998.

The unmanned vehicle is remotely operated by pilots aboard a surface ship via a lightweight tether. Its thin, fibre-optic tether to the research vessel Kilo Moana allows the submersible to make deep dives and be highly manoeuvrable.......

"With a robot like Nereus, we can now explore virtually anywhere in the ocean," said Andy Bowen, project manager and principal developer of the sub at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI). The trenches are virtually unexplored, and I am absolutely certain Nereus will enable new discoveries. I believe it marks the start of a new era in ocean exploration."

Ocean Odyssey: An Adventure into Leviathan’s Realm

It is a tale reminiscent of Homer and a voyage worthy of Odysseus himself. Today on Discovery Enterprise we will undertake a sperm whale's-eye view of life under the sea and an extraordinary journey that will take us from the Grand Banks and into the abysmal depths of the ocean into a realm where perhaps Jonah and few other intrepid explorers have ever dared venture forth. Ocean Odyssey takes us on an adventure spanning eighty years deep into the world of this planet's largest living mammal, exploring the vast undersea landscape from which all life once emerged.

We have named our planet the Earth, but our world is truly an Ocean planet. Those of us currently involved in the Atlantica Expeditions have named this vast new and uncharted kingdom – Aquatica.

Aquatica is a world covered in water, and hidden beneath the waves is a dominion far richer and mysterious than any found on land. Here we can find magnificent mountain ranges higher than the Himalayas, chasms deeper than the Grand Canyon and vast plains broader than the Serengeti.

Those of us involved in the Atlantica Expeditions are committed to the long term goal of maintaining the health and vitality of this planet in all its realms – land, air and sea. Each of these realms is integral to the future habitability of our world. Vital in meeting this end is our commitment to the permanent settlement and continual monitoring of the health of our planetary ocean.

The dream of exploring and permanently settling Aquatica is the central vision of our undertaking, with the immediate, global commitment to extended ocean monitoring and the sustainable development of its immense resources for all humankind. We also seek to venture there to teach every culture innovative and powerful systems of thought, carved from a profound visionary environmental philosophy – to preserve and protect this vast ocean realm. It is a philosophy vital to our species’ long term survival on this planet and wherever else humanity will one day settle in this vast Cosmos.

So, after viewing today’s video feature please take a tour of the Atlantica Expedition’s website and learn more about our project.

Ocean Odyssey is one documentary you will want to add to your collection and is available on DVD from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk.

This video can also be seen on Megavideo and YouTube:

Ocean Odyssey Part One on Megavideo





Ocean Odyssey Part Two on Megavideo

Ocean Odyssey Part One on YouTube

Ocean Odyssey Part Two on YouTube

Future Fusion

I have been hearing about the promise of nuclear fusion all my life, but it still remains a dream. Thats why I'm a supporter of the much more practical nuclear fission as a replacement for fossil fuels.

However at least one form of nuclear fusion may provide commercial electricity in our lifetime and open up the solar system as well. The Polywell Fusion Reactor was invented by the late Dr Robert Bussard and shows some promise. M Simon gives the current status here.

The project has received shoestring funding but there's enough money to go to the next stage. Hopefully in a couple of years time we will know if it really does work .

The video below describes the reactor.

Hitler Victorious

It is perhaps one of the greatest “what ifs” and “might have beens” of history. What if Hitler succeeded in winning the Second World War in Europe? What if Hitler’s Luftwaffe had won the Battle of Britain in September, 1941 and over the succeeding weeks Britain fell under the Nazi jackboot?

Today on Discovery Enterprise we take a voyage through Alternate History and explore the world of Hitler Victorious with our three full length video offerings.

Hitler's Britain Episode 1

An alternate history of Britain under the Nazi jackboot.





Hitler's Britain Episode 2

The Brits Fight Back in Churchill's Secret Army.




Fatherland

All parts in order of 'Fatherland', the 1994 TV movie based on the alternate history novel by Robert Harris where Nazi Germany is the victor of the second World War in Europe.

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Army Astronauts - Soldiers move from the battlefield to NASA

The Astronaut Corps has within its ranks astronauts not just from the traditional armed services of the Air Force and Navy but also the Army. And, they are not our vanguard defense force ready to defend humanity in the face of an alien invasion. But, its great to know that are boys in green are expanding their presence out onto the ultimate high ground just in case.

HOUSTON -- Several soldiers are trading in the gritty battlefields of the Middle East for the glorious majesty of outer space.


In what is already an exclusive club of American astronauts they are an even rarer breed.

There are only four soldiers in the Army-NASA detachment.

They're trading the boots and guns of the "green Army" for the back rooms at Johnson Space Center.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Floyd's Journey - 2001: A Space Odyssey - Orbiter Space Flight Simulator

"As far as he knew, it was the first time that an entire mission had been set up to take a single man to the Moon." -- From Arthur C. Clarke's '2001: A Space Odyssey', Section 2 'T.M.A.-1', Chapter 7 ' Special Flight'

Today on Discovery Enterprise I would like to direct your attention to another fantastic Orbiter Space Flight Simulator add-on entitled “The World of 2001” which brings to life the 2001 Universe of Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick.

Today’s Orbiter video offering depicts Heywood Floyd's Journey from the Earth to Clavius Base on the Moon. You can download a better motion picture quality version of this video from the video section of the “World of 2001” website.

I am looking forward to the day when a RAMA add-on is created for this fantastic spacecraft simulator.

Eyes in the Sky

Today on Discovery Enterprise we focus on those ever present orbital sentinels and eyes in the sky that have become the indispensable tools of our technological civilization – the artificial satellite. Earth observation satellites constantly monitor our world’s weather, environment and human activity (both civilian and military). Telecommunication satellites are the nerve cells of the twenty first century’s telecommunications network.

Since October 4th, 1957, with the launching of Sputnik I, satellites have transformed our world into a global village. As we enter the second phase of the Space Age we can expect satellites to play an ever increasing role in serving and maintaining human civilization in the areas of long term weather forecasting, global surveillance and perhaps even in controlling the world’s weather and climate.

To explore the role of the artificial satellite in our modern world we look back in time to the dawn of the space age with two very informative documentaries.

Disney's Eyes in Outer Space (1959)

This is a rare Walt Disney Space documentary that speculates about the possible future of satellites and technology in controlling the weather Remember, when this documentary first aired, Sputnik had just gone up only two years earlier.

Nova’s Sputnik Declassified

The world changed fifty years ago, on October 4, 1957, when the U.S. public heard the shocking news that the Soviet Union had successfully launched the first satellite, Sputnik I. Why didn’t the U.S. beat the Soviets in this first crucial round of the space race? NOVA reveals an astonishing behind-the-scenes story of the politics and personalities that collided over the earliest efforts to get America into space, long before the founding of NASA. With help from Walt Disney, von Braun’s vision of future space travel swiftly captivated American TV viewers. But, even as he became the first media star of the Space Age, von Braun’s attempts to build space probes were hobbled by inter-service rivalries. In Sputnik Declassified, NOVA details the previously untold story of the technological and political missteps that made the U.S. lose out to the Soviets bleeping electronic silver basketball.

Wingsuits

Is it a bird? is it a plane? No! its Ueli Gegenschatz in his wingsuit!

This is amazing stuff and much more uplifting then the last post.

Robots and war

Alex recently posted a video on robots. Here is another showing the dark side or robotics:

America's next spaceplane

The Space Shuttle is on its way to retirement to be replaced by expendable rockets and capsules but the USA will still be flying reusable spaceplanes although they will USAF's not NASA's:

It has been a long haul to the launch pad, but the U.S. Air Force and Boeing are gearing up to loft the X-37B – an unpiloted military space plane, SPACE.com has learned.

Tucked inside the shroud of an Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV), the winged craft will be boosted out of Cape Canaveral, Florida, orbit the Earth and then make an auto-pilot landing in California.

The X-37B OTV-1 (Orbital Test Vehicle 1) is currently on the launch manifest for January 2010, explained U.S. Air Force Captain Elizabeth Aptekar, who works in media operations for the Secretary of the Air Force Office of Public Affairs in Washington, D.C.

"The vehicle is ready for the shipping process, which includes minor close-out activities," Aptekar told SPACE.com. "The vehicle will ship at the conclusion of the pre-ship activities ... which should be approximately 60 days before its launch date."....

Remember the Shuttle program was partly funded by DOD so its not surprising the Air Force is still interested in spaceplanes. Its seems strange to me that the US government would let go to waste 30 years of spaceplane experience. Although on second thoughts, maybe I shouldn't be surprised .

Evolution - The Mind’s Big Bang

How and when the human mind emerged is the most profound question facing science today. The appearance of human sentience has transformed the landscape of our planet and has propelled evolution into realms which transcend the very limitations of genetics. What forces contributed to this breakthrough? Where might the power of the human mind and intellect ultimately lead humanity?

The human mind has allowed the human species to transcend its physical limitations and has made humankind pioneers of a whole new form of evolution which is distinctly non-biological. This new realm of evolution is Cultural Evolution. It is this new dominion of evolution that has made us the most dominant life form on this planet and has set us on a trajectory that will one day take us out amongst the stars. What then? How will the human intellect continue to evolve amyst the starry ferment?

Today join us on Discovery Enterprise as we continue our year long celebration of the life and work of Charles Darwin and explore the origins of the human mind and human consciousness with the sixth installment of the landmark PBS television series “Evolution” – The Mind’s Big Bang.

Evolution - The Mind’s Big Bang

Moon – The New Upcoming Sci-Fi Thriller Film

Here is an exclusive clip from the upcoming sci-fi thriller film - Moon starring Sam Rockwell.

The Duncan Jones-directed film centers on a solitary astronaut stationed on the moon to mine the precious gas that holds the key to reversing the Earth's energy crisis. He slowly begins to lose his grasp on reality as his assignment nears an end. The film also stars Kevin Spacey, who provides the voice of a robot companion, and Kaya Scodelario as Rockwell's wife, Eve.

Sony Pictures Classics will release Moon in theaters on June 12.

The Moon will one day play a major role in our energy future by providing humanity with a rich supply of Helium – 3 for Nuclear Fusion and also a rich abundance of Solar Energy. My hope is that by that time we will have adequate measures in place to safeguard the mental and physical well being of our future lunar miners.

Where’s My Robot

Nothing highlights the stupendous marvels of the human brain and mind then when we try to replicate them in computers and robots. In today’s video feature “Where’s My Robot” we follow British filmmaker, comedian, writer and presenter Danny Wallace in his quest to find a robot that walks and talks like him. But, the question remains – will it think like him and be self aware?

Where’s My Robot

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