Activity for Christmas Snow
| Type | On... | Excerpt | Status | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question | — |
Would time dilation alter apparent mass observed from outside time dilation zone? A familiar scenario in scifi: a bubble of space is isolated artificially from the outside world by means of time dilation: time inside the bubble moves more slowly than time outside it. Assume that the boundary is blurred. Time dilation gradually increases as you approach the center. This is similar ... (more) |
— | over 4 years ago |
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Would that heat-engine provide power to the colony on Titan? I have an idea for an energy source for a colony on a cold world with not enough solar power. Is my idea workable, or is it debunked as perpetual motion machine? Here is the set-up and my plan: Scenario: Humanity has made giant steps since the landing on the moon. Better and faster space-travel allo... (more) |
— | over 4 years ago |
| Question | — |
Plants accidentally exposed to vacuum of space - Will the settlers save them on time? A newly-built base on the moon has the first two compartments of a pressurized greenhouse farm. An airlock system automatically seals one compartment off the others when pressure sensors indicate a pressure drop is caused by failure, including that of meteor impact. The airlocks allow the settlers ... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Enclosed space colony and spread of common viruses Cold and Flu, are common viruses which normally infect us in the cold of winter. Ironically, those people who always keep themselves warm, stay less out-of-the-house and office, keep their windows shut, and don't venture out beyond essential travel seem the most affected. I usually prevent those inf... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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Aliens in a 4D universe try to explore our 3D spacetime fabric: How can they do it? They do not necessarily meet humans and try to interact with them. This question is more about the technical possibility/impossibility of 4D aliens being able to "analyze" the inner structure of our universe, mapping the galaxies, stars, planets, understanding what makes it expand, and search for sig... (more) |
— | about 5 years ago |
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Can black algae promote a global warming on a cold planet? My world is at the outer edge of the habitable zone. There is enough heat and geological activity to start life, but a snowball earth is looming and threatens to freeze it all. There is some spring thaw at the equator, allowing some simple algae to multiply. The carbon dioxide is not sufficient to ma... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Gravitational anomaly (Mascons) creating water-hills A scenario in the far future -- The moon has been successfully terraformed. All problems have been worked-out, from flinging volatiles into collision course with the moon, up to creating and retaining a stable and breathable atmosphere. With state-of-the art technology, an artificial magnetic field s... (more) |
— | over 5 years ago |
| Question | — |
Can a "dune" worm actually swim in sand? I watched this video. A network of pipes blows air at the bottom of a bathtub filled with sand. The sand behaves just like water. Objects can float or sink in it. Children can play in it. So, my creature is worm-like. It has a snorkel which it holds above the sand to suck air. The creature has many ... (more) |
— | about 6 years ago |
| Question | — |
Artificial sky and sun for underground and remote colonies I has this idea for quite a while. I searched for information on the internet but I could see no reference. All searches gave results on the same idea but the effect was not what I'm looking for. The constraints: a space colony on a planet away from its star, an underground colony or a hostile clima... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
| Question | — |
Biochemistry of Plants harnessing heat-energy when blue-shifted light is scarce What biochemical reactions might be employed by plants to harvest heat energy when light energy is scarce or even missing? What is the temperature range over which this biochemical reaction can work? Background: A red-dwarf M-star, emitting most of its energy in the red and infrared side of the spec... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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How would a colliding binary affect its planetary system? The scenario is based on the fact that a tight binary of two neutron stars does not hold for long: The two bodies lose energy in the form of gravitational waves and they spiral towards each other and then collide. My question comes in two related parts. The first part is whether this can happen to... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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How to make my humans more cold-resistant? The world consists of actual humans who were moved to another planet by aliens, during biblical times, hence having an influence on their religion. The planet is terraformed with earth-like conditions, inhabited with Earth creatures. This has given those humans another motive for a second Noah's ark ... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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Saucer-shaped airship: Is it stronger lighter and better? The classical rigid airship uses a heavy envelope which accounts for the large buoyancy balloon. This comes on account of aerodynamics. My first concept was a thin and long "cigar" where the cockpit, passenger compartment and cargo room are located at opposite ends for balance. A "fishbone" skeleton ... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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Silicon based life in Earth-like condition? Bamboo, horsetail and many grasses incorporate silicates into their tissues to protect themselves from grazers. Diatoms use it to build a glassy outer shell. Carbon is still the choice for metabolism, but I can see that life could have switched towards more silicon in cell walls and body structures. ... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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Using particle accelerator in place of ion drive In ion drive, we use ionized gas. With particle accelerators, we use high-energy particles. Given that colliders expend huge amounts of energy to propell a handful of particles, I speculate the particles can be used as propellant just like with an ion drive. Given the higer energy output compared to... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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Harvesting solar wind particles for atmospheric accretion on the moon I got inspired by a recently posted question dealing with an artificial magnetosphere to protect Martian atmosphere during and after terraforming. Earth's magnetic field does funnel solar particles to the poles, creating the auroras when charged particles hit the atmosphere. A similar system devise... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
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What fossil fuel may be found on a carbon planet? My scenario is a civilization on a carbon-rich planet. The planet has a hydrocarbon atmosphere, oceans and clouds. Most rocks are carbides. The only flammable substance in such an atmosphere is oxygen. A society undergoing an industrial revolution may find ways to extract oxygen from minerals and use... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |
| Question | — |
Do rats have the potential to become sentient? My experience with mousetraps has intrigued me to think that way. They exploit every flaw again and again to get the food out of the trap. Once a trap holds on to one they all learn to avoid it. They can easily detect flaws and parts that can be moved while they should not. Scientists researching on ... (more) |
— | over 6 years ago |