http://www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/features/electron_beam.html

And…

I wonder how tha’ production designer thread got o’er a hundred posts and this here real science thread only gets 14? By Crom’s beard, mates! Kayla brings us these odd bits o’ news more important than Obama speakin’ in Cincinnati!

Thanke’ Kayla… if thar’ be water on Mars, I’ll make ye’ a BND Brand Gin and tonic… wit’ a wee spot o’ landing module dew as well fur’ tha’ lunar flavor…

(Oh, I kidz cuz’ I loves… I also moons cuz’ I loves)

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

Then water means basically cheap air and fuel. Always knew water on Mars, but getting easier to find, That makes the Mars Direct guy that use to work at whats now called Lockheed Martian back when the Vikings landed. This way we can make fuel for a return trip and not heed even a bigger ship to bring thr return fuel. That cuts the trip price by a 1/3rd to a half the cost.

But thats if we use Rocket fuel for Interplanetary travel, the other option is ION engines for Space travel, but you still need rocket fuel to land and take off the standard ways. There are other ideas but for now they are ideas. But in 20 to 30 years landings and take offs may be done in other ways.

Plasma may replace the heat shields and become a force field like protector. Aerodynamics needs atmosphere is needed. Rocket engines is the standard way but it is far from the best ways for Orbital Transitions.

Getting up and down from space is hard and needs much technology to be done, until a much easier way is found or created, most of earth’s people will be stuck on this blue marble in space.

And if you can create better ways you may become the next Ford or Wright Brother.

What a primitive, paranoid culture we live in…

They’ll find poo on Uranus next and no one will care… Gotta’ think outta’ earthly matters, me mates!

Now, whar’ be me sextant? Tonight I map Orion’s sack… errrrrrr… uhhhhh… I mean Cass’eee’opie’s crown? Hmmmmm… Best stick ta’ literature o’er space stuff…

Star light, star bright
Most beautiful thing that I see this night…
T-Tori me all away so
In yer’ fusion fray so as ta’ glow…

Me gin woulda’ not last a tic on tha’ hottest blue giant though…

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr…

As to water on the Moon… since the solar wind is constantly dumping hydrogen ions (protons) on the surface rich in metal oxides… those protons can easily reduce some of that and create OH- radicals, which can combine with another solar wind proton H+ to create H2O. Considering that process has run for 4.5 billion years, is it really any surprise to find water on the moon?

The unisegway could usher in a new era for paraplegics and other disabled people. There’s its use, #1.

Hey, for fun at home, just drop an Alka Seltzer in a flower vase, and put a balloon over the top. It’s a blast of gas in the making. :)

Agreed on both your points. I smiled upon hearing Don Pettit describe the experiment and the geeky humor he interjected. Full on science guy mode and there ‘aint nothing wrong with that.

You go with your nerdy science self, Don!

Also, the “alkaseltzer in space” video was cool. The guy doing the experiment sounds like the quintessential science geek, which makes it all the more fun.