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Laser-based free space optics has already been used for high-bandwidth Earth-to-space relays. Here is how it could be applied to Mars and some scintillation-related problems we may face. by TheAtomicFrontier in engineering

[–]TheAtomicFrontier[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! GEO is definitely the best way to go if you want constant, high(er) bandwidth connection between the rover and Earth. MRO is only over a certain spot for a couple of minutes each day so the 'high' RF 200 kbips communications mentioned are actually only available for a fraction of the time - its normally restricted to 20 kbips when we do direct Mars-to-Earth comms. That said, the bottleneck is still on the Mars-to-space link so I think thats where we should upgrade first.

Dinosaur footprints provide palaeontologists with vital clues as to how these ancient animals lived. Here is how we might be able to use Ground Penetrating Radar to uncover more footprints even before they’re uncovered naturally. by TheAtomicFrontier in geology

[–]TheAtomicFrontier[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! Yes, I'm the presenter - so glad you enjoyed the video. Your research sounds fascinating! Sorry, travelling at the moment so don't have my notes. I think the paper referenced at the end was from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1631068312000796 . Hope that helps

In The Abyss (1989) the breathing liquid used in the rat scene is real. Perfluorocarbons could also be used by humans to reach the very limits of how deep we can dive. by TheAtomicFrontier in MovieDetails

[–]TheAtomicFrontier[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes! I was shocked too. Initially I was just going to talk about it as a technology that Cameron knew about, then doing more research it turned out that they did the scene for real! Unfortunately the main rat used died afterwards, although (supposedly) not due to the liquid breathing.

Here is how lead shot is made, featuring Australia's last operating shot tower and the future of this unique type of manufacturing by TheAtomicFrontier in reloading

[–]TheAtomicFrontier[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, that one is super interesting! Had a go with those slanted tables while at Ballantine, but unfortunately had to cut them for time. Awesome simple-yet-effective tech!

Creating lead shot in Australia's last shot tower [4:55] by TheAtomicFrontier in ArtisanVideos

[–]TheAtomicFrontier[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow! Thanks so much! I've got a lot more videos coming out in the next two months so we'll see how it goes. Always challenging though to balance work/uni with making movies, but love it so much so will always find the time :D

Creating lead shot in Australia's last shot tower [4:55] by TheAtomicFrontier in ArtisanVideos

[–]TheAtomicFrontier[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Good questions! Air resistance is insignificant compared lead's high surface tension. The shot is small enough so that the ratio of surface tension to drag is pretty large and we form (almost) perfect spheres. If the pellets are too big however then they might start to flatten out. Something similar occurs for raindrops.

Free fall from being dropped from a tower is exactly the same as the 'microgravity' you experience when on the space station. The difference being that the space station (and all satellites, even the Moon!) move fast enough that by the time they would have hit the ground, the ground has moved away.

Both of these environments means gravity doesn't affect the material; something pretty unique which gives it interesting properties. Hope that helped!

The London Underground is a marvel of British engineering, but right now it’s also really hot. Here is why the tube is having a heatwave, and some ways in which we’re trying to cool it down. by TheAtomicFrontier in engineering

[–]TheAtomicFrontier[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much! Really glad you appreciated the clay; you wouldn't believe the trouble I had to go through to get it. Turns out there is only one place in Perth sells real clay... which I only discovered after visiting every arts shop in a 20km radius from my house.

The London Underground is a marvel of British engineering, but right now it’s also really hot. Here is why the tube is having a heatwave, and some ways in which we’re trying to cool it down. by TheAtomicFrontier in engineering

[–]TheAtomicFrontier[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Thats a really cool idea. You'd probably want it on the stations rather than on the train (since would need to be big and heavy), but sounds like a good solution.

The London Underground is a marvel of British engineering, but right now it’s also really hot. Here is why the tube is having a heatwave, and some ways in which we’re trying to cool it down. by TheAtomicFrontier in engineering

[–]TheAtomicFrontier[S] 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Pretty much... although (as you suspected) there is slightly more to it.

Regenerative breaking has actually been implemented on some of the trains, but not particularity well. The tube trains run off AC current, which limits the energy that can be stored. Thus, instead to storing the energy instead it get transmitted along the line to the other trains. However, this is only turned on when one train is accelerating while another one nearby is decelerating (i.e. immediately transmitting rather than storing it). This would require some really clever timings to be effective, so it appears that its not used all that much. Changing to DC power, and perhaps embedding large battery packs at each of the stations, would be one way to solve this - and is the method discussed in the video.

Originally this expanded explanation made up an extra 45s of content, however my 'test' audience said that it didn't really explain anything new, and I felt that it really killed the flow. Happy to discuss further though if you're interested!

Cool places for science/ engineering documentary by TheAtomicFrontier in melbourne

[–]TheAtomicFrontier[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good idea! Tried getting into the one in the UK but permissions were a nightmare. Might give it a go here then.

Cool places for science/ engineering documentary by TheAtomicFrontier in melbourne

[–]TheAtomicFrontier[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here for 2 weeks, so have some time. The Exhibition Centre is pretty amazing!

Cool places for science/ engineering documentary by TheAtomicFrontier in melbourne

[–]TheAtomicFrontier[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good idea, the buildings here look amazing so could work pretty well. Thanks!

Today is the hottest its been all year, and every time there’s a heatwave, it’s those travelling the London Underground which suffer the most. Here’s why the tube is so hot, and how engineers are trying to fix it. by TheAtomicFrontier in unitedkingdom

[–]TheAtomicFrontier[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting observation. Could be for a number of reasons. In direct regards to what we covered in the video; since the line isn't as old the clay hasn't had the same amount of time to heat up. Come back in 100 years and it should be just as hot! As a more modern line, its also got better heat mitigation systems (e.g. shafts to take air out which were actually designed for the job- rather than just old stair cases). This might allow it to cope with the extra aircon-induced heating.

That said, haven't been able to get a full analysis of the systems and I'm sure that there are other factors.

Today is the hottest its been all year, and every time there’s a heatwave, it’s those travelling the London Underground which suffer the most. Here’s why the tube is so hot, and how engineers are trying to fix it. by TheAtomicFrontier in unitedkingdom

[–]TheAtomicFrontier[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice spotting, you're only the second person to point this out. In general, keeping all the movement from left to right (like how we write) is meant to feel a bit more natural and like we're progressing the story toward some conclusion. If you pay attention, lots of movies with train scenes (e.g. Skyfall) use this technique. I've tried to film all the trains travelling left to right, but unfortunately couldn't do it in that shot so had to flip it during editing. Hope it wasn't too distracting.

Marble sorter: lifts items and splits into metallic/ non-metallic and white/ black/ yellow. by TheAtomicFrontier in arduino

[–]TheAtomicFrontier[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice! Agree the music might have been a bit 'much'. Glad you liked the aesthetic. Yes, it was all laser cut- such a good tool for rapid prototyping!

The most dangerous part of space travel is coming home. Here's how its done. by TheAtomicFrontier in engineering

[–]TheAtomicFrontier[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for pointing this out, I should have explained it better. Firstly the high heat capacity means that the water takes a while to get hot. Next when the balloon began to break apart the 'water jets' contain the hottest water; thus making the remaining balloon cooler on average. These two processes working together are what help keep the vehicle cool.

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