Cognitive Labs

Due to budgetary constraints, NASA is projecting that the contemplated missions to return to the moon, establishing a moonbase, and sending astronauts to Mars may be off the table. And it may be that by viewing a mission to Mars as 'routine' that it will never be accomplished, due to the costs. Either the perspective must change so that such a mission is viewed as essential for the species - a point Stephen Hawking has often argued, or, significantly different means of planning, funding, developing, and executing the missions must be advanced.

Labels: hawking, nytimes

According to NASA, U.S. astronauts are scheduled to return to the moon in the year 2020, if all goes well, 48 years after the last visit in 1972.

Those in pre-school at the time, if you were even born yet, will be technically senior citizens according to AARP by the time this happens. Amazing.

In contrast, the gap between the Wright Brothers' first ever powered flight and Werner von Braun's V2 rocket (the father of the Atlas and grandfather of the Saturn V) was only 36.5 years.

The Ares rocket is slated to replace the almost useless Space Shuttle and once again provide necessary lift for longer missions.

However, a group of 57 maverick engineers (including some NASA staffers) have dreamed up a competing rocket, the Jupiter, that is purportedly far more efficient than the authorized Ares' design, which is being designed by a cast of thousands through the existing contractor system.

Why not create some competition? NASA should offer a cash prize (in the tens of millions, including personal awards) to whichever team demonstrates the working prototype faster. Contracts for future missions would be linked, pari-passu to degree of success in the endeavor. Thus, a measure of 'equity' is created for financial backers *such as contractors* to take a risk - otherwise, the effort is no more efficient than building a pyramid over the course of decades with nothing but copper chisels, wooden rollers, and the effort of thousands of Nile flood-idled farm laborers. Actually this insults the pyramid builders who built pyramids still around after 5,000 years with their bare hands, while the erstwhile rocket builders, with booku ongoing government funding and processing power 1000x more powerful than the late 60's/early 70's, have accomplished nothing in the manned spaceflight category.

Sure, the first few shuttle flights were interesting (along with the song by Rush) but by 1986 the project had reached apogee. Should have created a Saturn V successor while the top gun teams that built it were still around or available in retirement, instead of running a lame duck program for another 22 years. Now, it's like learning to ride a bicycle for the first time. It's not really resources - I read somewhere that the time-adjusted budget of NASA in 2006 was 80-85% of what it was in 1968 in its year of biggest spending. Tens of Billions of dollars are spent every year, but the only consistent return over the past two decades is knowledge gained from smaller scientific projects that typically cost a few hundred million.

After all, it's only about the future of humanity and is probably the most important achievement that could be delivered; but don't take our word for it, just google Stephen Hawking and see what you find. With this alternative management structure, let's see if it takes 48 years to reach the next milestone.

Labels: ares, hawking, jupiter, rocket, V2, vonbraun, wright

ZeroG Corp - which operates zero-gravity simulators out of a retrofitted commercial jet, gave astrophysicist Stephen Hawking the time of his life.

In all, the professor received 4 minutes of weightlessness, separated by instances of 1.8 G during ascents up to 28,600 feet.

read more from the BBC.

related: Hawking test

Labels: hawking, zeroG

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - Renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, who authored the best-selling book, "A Brief History of Time," soon will experience a brief history with weightlessness. (Don't miss the Hawking brain test, below)



Hawking, who uses a wheelchair and is almost completely paralyzed by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease, plans to go on a weightless flight on April 26, officials at the flight operator said Thursday.

The flight, operated by Zero Gravity Corporation, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based space tourism and entertainment company, will take off and return to a landing strip at the
Kennedy Space Center.

"As someone who has studied gravity and black holes all of my life, I am excited to experience first hand weightlessness and a zero-gravity environment," Hawking said in a statement.

The modified Boeing 727 generally soars to 32,000 feet at a sharp angle and then plunges 8,000 feet so passengers can experience 25-second snippets of zero gravity during the descent. As the plane climbs, passengers experience 25 seconds of being pushed down hard, as they feel 1.8 times the normal pull of the Earth.

Zero Gravity CEO Peter Diamandis said assistants will be onboard to help Hawking.

"The key thing here is that weightless and personal spaceflight is something available to everyone, even someone like Prof. Hawking," Diamandis told The Associated Press. "This something that almost everyone can now experience."

Zero Gravity will pick up the bill, which normally is $3,750...

(AP article - no video/test, (c) cognitivelabs.com

Labels: diamandis, hawking, test, xprize, zerogravity

We just noticed that the Stephen Hawking test and Hal9000 'game' had gone somewhat quiet, that was due to a directory path change that happened without our volition on the servers - that has been rectified so that those assets are properly called within the application.

Much better.

Hal 9000
Stephen Hawking talk

Labels: Flash, hal9000, haldron, hawking, heuristic

Stephen Hawking, who asked Richard Branson for a ride to the stars (or at least near-earth orbit) now has a second offer from Zero-gravity Corp., which operates 727's that let experiencers enjoy 30 seconds of weightlessness. He's considering the offer, according to Cosmic Log.

He also will be among the notables who get their DNA sequenced in the Genomics X-prize. For now, take this test, combining some recent pics of Hawking with a memory algorithm that tests your mental acuity, that is whether you can acknowledge something you have just seen. To signify that, you will need to press the spacebar. In the meantime, here is what Dr. Hawking says - as this is a "talking" memory test

Labels: branson, cosmiclog, hawking

Humans must colonize planets in other solar systems traveling there using "Star Trek"-style propulsion or face extinction, renowned British cosmologist Stephen Hawking said on Thursday.


Try the Stephen Hawking test (right here)

Referring to complex theories and the speed of light, Hawking, the wheel-chair bound Cambridge University physicist, told BBC radio that theoretical advances could revolutionize the velocity of space travel and make such colonies possible.

"Sooner or later disasters such as an asteroid collision or a nuclear war could wipe us all out," said Professor Hawking, who was crippled by a muscle disease at the age of 21 and who speaks through a computerized voice synthesizer.

"But once we spread out into space and establish independent colonies, our future should be safe," said Hawking, who was due to receive the world's oldest award for scientific achievement, the Copley medal, from Britain's Royal Society on Thursday.

Previous winners include Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin.

In order to survive, humanity would have to venture off to other hospitable planets orbiting another star, but conventional chemical fuel rockets that took man to the moon on the Apollo mission would take 50,000 years to travel there, he said.

Hawking, a 64-year-old father of three who rarely gives interviews and who wrote the best-selling "A Brief History of Time", suggested propulsion like that used by the fictional starship Enterprise "to boldly go where no man has gone before" could help solve the problem.

"Science fiction has developed the idea of warp drive, which takes you instantly to your destination," said.

"Unfortunately, this would violate the scientific law which says that nothing can travel faster than light."

However, by using "matter/antimatter annihilation", velocities just below the speed of light could be reached, making it possible to reach the next star in about six years.

"It wouldn't seem so long for those on board," he said.

The scientist revealed he also wanted to try out space travel himself, albeit by more conventional means.

"I am not afraid of death but I'm in no hurry to die. My next goal is to go into space," said Hawking.

And referring to the British entrepreneur and Virgin tycoon who has set up a travel agency to take private individuals on space flights from 2008, Hawking said: "Maybe Richard Branson will help me."

Labels: brain, branson, colonizing, hawking, planets, test