official science and technology thread

[84Cat]

Although I'll never pay $3500 for one of these things, I find it fascinating. I wonder what comes next



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvkgmyf ... 8w&index=2



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtp6b76pMak

[ghostwhitehorse]

https://aviationhumor.net/timelapse-of- ... -museum-3/

[Carcassdragger]

https://aviationhumor.net/timelapse-of- ... -museum-3/

This is cool but it would be extremely awesome if visitors could have a look inside the cockpit.

I've been to several air museums but IMO the Pima Air Museum is the best. Just a fantastic museum which could be even better if there was more opportunity to see the inside of cockpits.

The B 58 Hustler is just a fantastic looking Buck Rogers ship. So is the F 14.

[Merkin]

I've been to several air museums but IMO the Pima Air Museum is the best. Just a fantastic museum which could be even better if there was

Was just there in early January. They had crewmember of a WW2 B17 there giving a talk about flying on them during the war. Fascinating, but I was with my grandkids and they didn't care to hear what he had to say.

My father in law was on a B17 during the war, and only talked about it once.

[84Cat]

Greg, what do you know about this?

Blue Origin has emerged as the likely buyer for United Launch Alliance

https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/02/b ... -alliance/

Bezos recently sold $2.4 billion in Amazon stock and, in securities filings, disclosed that he could sell an additional $8 billion to $9 billion in stock over the next 12 months. Although there are no confirmed values, there has been speculation in the launch industry that ULA may be sold for $2 billion to $3 billion.

[84Cat]

[azgreg]

Greg, what do you know about this?

Blue Origin has emerged as the likely buyer for United Launch Alliance

https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/02/b ... -alliance/

Bezos recently sold $2.4 billion in Amazon stock and, in securities filings, disclosed that he could sell an additional $8 billion to $9 billion in stock over the next 12 months. Although there are no confirmed values, there has been speculation in the launch industry that ULA may be sold for $2 billion to $3 billion.

Not a damn thing.

[UAEebs86]

Greg, what do you know about this?

Blue Origin has emerged as the likely buyer for United Launch Alliance

https://arstechnica.com/space/2024/02/b ... -alliance/

Bezos recently sold $2.4 billion in Amazon stock and, in securities filings, disclosed that he could sell an additional $8 billion to $9 billion in stock over the next 12 months. Although there are no confirmed values, there has been speculation in the launch industry that ULA may be sold for $2 billion to $3 billion.

If Blue Origin buys ULA (which is a consortium between Boeing and Lockheed Martin), almost all US launches will be basically Bezos vs. Musk. (until some of the newer/smaller ones like Rocket Lab ramp up)

Not sure I like that.

[84Cat]

I'm not an expert on the space industry but I do know that ULA is uncompetitive at the moment and Boeing is a mess right now. It seems no one else wanted to step up and buy ULA. Of course, the more competition the better

[azgreg]

We make thee "raceway covers" that are on the upper stage of the Falcon 9 (the part that doesn't land). There's three parts to the raceway. One of the parts takes 7 pieces. SpaceX has placed an order that will produce 115 of them a month for the next two years. That's enough for 16 launches a month.

[azgreg]

[84Cat]

[UAEebs86]

So that explains why I'm a moron:

Lead from gasoline blunted the IQ of about half the U.S. population, study says
Leaded gas was banned in 1996, but exposure to the poison cost people born before then several IQ points on average, researchers estimated.

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-n ... -rcna19028


By Elizabeth Chuck

Exposure to leaded gasoline lowered the IQ of about half the population of the United States, a new study estimates.

The peer-reviewed study, published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, focuses on people born before 1996 — the year the U.S. banned gas containing lead.

Overall, the researchers from Florida State University and Duke University found, childhood lead exposure cost America an estimated 824 million points, or 2.6 points per person on average.

Certain cohorts were more affected than others. For people born in the 1960s and the 1970s, when leaded gas consumption was skyrocketing, the IQ loss was estimated to be up to 6 points and for some, more than 7 points. Exposure to it came primarily from inhaling auto exhaust.

[84Cat]

[84Cat]

[azgreg]

[84Cat]

New company trying to go supersonic

[Merkin]

From the comments, this is extremely amazing in itself.

XB-1 uses the J85 engine which was designed in 1954, just 15 years after the first jet powered aircraft ever flew, the Heinkel He 178.

[UAEebs86]

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cicadas-zo ... a-cicadina

Trillions of cicadas will emerge across several U.S. states this spring in an event one expert dubbed "cicada-geddon." Not only are more cicadas than usual expected this year, but some of them will be "zombie cicadas" that are infected by a sexually transmitted fungus that makes them hyper-sexual.

Periodical cicadas spend most of their lives underground and only emerge after 13 or 17 years. This year, two broods of cicadas will emerge: Brood XIX, which comes out every 13 years, will emerge in the Georgia and Southeast, and Brood XIII, which emerges every 17 years, will appear in Illinois.

With this convergence, the bugs will arrive in numbers that have not been seen in generations.

[dovecanyoncat]

Hyper-sexual cicadas: sounds Woke!

[Carcassdragger]

Hyper-sexual cicadas: sounds Woke!

Anything to do with siense or the envi-ro-ment is woke. Dincha no that?

[pc in NM]

Here's a cool take on the eclipse!

[84Cat]

[Merkin]