Science is Drokking Fantastic Because...

[JayzusB.Christ]

That's amazing.  Love that we're now getting live tweets from Mars too, about the Perseverance finding its 'forever home'. 

Forgive me if I'm being horribly naive, but the Mars shots from that video are surely CGI recreations of the events, aren't they? 

[wedgeski]

Here's an up-FPS'd descent video, wonderful stuff. (The audio is fake, BTW.)

[TordelBack]

...the Mars shots from that video are surely CGI recreations of the events, aren't they?

Yup, that's just a snazzy CGI visualisation made in advance spliced into the timeline. No live footage for obvious reasons, but for the landing coverage they ran a live graphic simulation using the current data feed (speed, altitude, etc) which was really quite something. A 30 year lifespan on their nuke plant and the mission parameters are for 5 years of operation, which is kind of incredible.  It even has an oxygen generation experiment on board!

[The Legendary Shark]

Despite it all, it's a great time to be alive. More of this kind of thing!

[JayzusB.Christ]

...the Mars shots from that video are surely CGI recreations of the events, aren't they?

Yup, that's just a snazzy CGI visualisation made in advance spliced into the timeline. No live footage for obvious reasons, but for the landing coverage they ran a live graphic simulation using the current data feed (speed, altitude, etc) which was really quite something. A 30 year lifespan on their nuke plant and the mission parameters are for 5 years of operation, which is kind of incredible.  It even has an oxygen generation experiment on board!

Ah, I see. Thanks, TB

[paddykafka]

I found this most interesting.

https://www.livescience.com/proposed-lunar-ark-for-biodiversity.html?utm_source=notification

[The Legendary Shark]

If quantum computing delivers, they may not need samples at all - just raw data from which seeds and eggs can be printed.

[Mikey]

Got the first shot of my COVID vaccination this morning, after only having booked it last Wednesday.

I'm putting the event in this thread as it's truly something to consider just over a year ago this virus had everyone in the first lockdown and the numbers of hospitalisations and deaths were only increasing.

The fact we now have more than one type of vaccine available is definitely in the science is drokking fantastic category, as this has been possible due to the years of research into vaccines and epidemiology that the developers have learned from and built upon. This is a Good Thing that should be celebrated.

Also: how about that new eruption in Iceland, eh? It was brilliant being able to follow the events as they developed underground before the surface eruption even began.

[paddykafka]

Well, maybe "Fantastic" isn't quite the most appropriate word in this case, but I couldn't think where else to post  this story. All I can say is:"Yikes!"

https://www.livescience.com/satellite-collision-siberian-arctic.html?utm_source=notification

PS: Well done, Mikey, on getting your first Covid shot. Hope it all goes well for you.

[Funt Solo]

This article (Muons: 'Strong' evidence found for a new force of nature) suggests a fifth category of physical force to go alongside the four currently known. I had only heard of two of the four they already know about, so...

[Jim_Campbell]

I had only heard of two of the four they already know about, so...

Up, down, left, right, cheese and beer. That's it. Fucking physicists. What do they know...? Fuckers.

</withnail voice>

[Dandontdare]

I had only heard of two of the four they already know about, so...

Up, down, left, right, cheese and beer. That's it. Fucking physicists. What do they know...? Fuckers.

</withnail voice>

and fucking magnets. How do they work?

[TordelBack]

Out for a run with the eldest a few days ago, and spookily this was the actual topic of our "talk about absolutely anything that will distract from the hurting". Not muon oddities per se (who knew?), but the possibility of an undiscovered boson carrier for a 5th force that would account for expansion anomalies without (my pet hate, may as well just say "God did it") dark energy.

Lest we be viewed as visionary savants, the horrid uphill segment was less insightfully characterised by bitter argument on the possibility of a new massless particle with a different top speed than a photon. My argument was that general relativity simply didn't permit it, his was that that's essentially what Einstein (wrongly) said about quantum probability; and more convincingly "your mind became fossilised in the 20th C", to which I responded with a lively homily about the value of sanding down my shed door.

[sheridan]

Impressive.  When we go out (shopping, not for a run) we talk about what birds, cats, dogs and foxes we can see...

[Funt Solo]

I'm mostly aligned with Jim here, and often talk about cheese.