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Probes containing mathematical formulae, and other scientific data have already been launched into deep space, but every one that I have seen has been as dull as dishwater.
I'd like to send a Mini in the same direction, but one that was specially built so that it could be driven by a fly.
The
car, because it's simple technology in one way, but in other senses it contains a huge range of diverse materials, and processes. The fly, because we don't want to give away all our secrets to any pesky aliens - best to keep them guessing as to how a comparatively complex item of equipment, such as a car, could be built and operated by something like a house fly.
What_is_the_Lifespan_of_housefly
http://wiki.answers...ifespan_of_housefly
2-9 days [csea, Oct 12 2010]
How far away is Andromeda?
http://answers.yaho...070515051357AArLHM4
~2.5 billion light years [csea, Oct 12 2010]
https://www.theguar...r-mars-falcon-heavy
[xenzag, Feb 08 2018]
Stupid Americans...
https://www.youtube...watch?v=Z_kfM-BmVzQ
...paving the way for the rest of mankind. Again. [doctorremulac3, Feb 09 2018]
Another view.
https://www.youtube...watch?v=u0-pfzKbh2k
Seriously, no matter where you're from, as a human being you have to be deeply moved by this. [doctorremulac3, Feb 09 2018]
"The Future of Satellite Maintenance"
https://www.popular...-maintenance-raven/
The first step is to rendezvous with it. [Wrongfellow, Feb 10 2018]
Failures are the cobblestones we use to pave the road to success.
https://www.youtube...watch?v=bvim4rsNHkQ
[doctorremulac3, Feb 10 2018]
Spaceman driving convertable in space.
https://www.youtube...watch?v=t_KXgFpguE0
Probably the inspiration for Elon's stunt. [doctorremulac3, Feb 10 2018]
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I'll see your mark and raise you a bun for deceiving
alien species* (this comment not safe for the
consumption of a pedant. void where prohibited by
law. This comment was written by an expert
halfbaker on a closed anno box. don't try this at
home. Do not remove bun under penalty of law. Side
effects may include confusion, drowsiness, or light-
headedness. Call your doctor if erection persists for
more than four hours. Not to be taken internally.) |
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//everyone that I have seen has been as dull as dishwater.// |
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It's a fair bet that flies ARE an alien species. Even the producers of Starship Trroopers though so, and they were deep-thinking intellectuals, right? |
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First one would need to ensure the car was drivable by a fly. That would entail test drives. That would be fun. |
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But...we'd have to send more than one or they'd be all alone. They have to have some companionship.
These dis-tended tsetses must be played with I say! |
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Flies don't live very long. Arguably a robotic fly would be better on all counts. |
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[infidel], I'm surprised by your knee-jerk reactions! |
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Minis can certainly fly, given enough acceleration. And I've not seen any proof that flies can't mini. |
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Some data [links] may help to answer the lifetime problem. |
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It the acceleration is provided by an attached device
it's no longer a "mini." but a modification thereof.
And if the acceleration is not provided by an
attached device the mini can only be hurled. |
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The shipping weight for a toy minicooper is 1.8
pounds. Have you considered the energy required to
accelerate a 1.8 pound object to a speed that will let
it get there before the sun runs out? |
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Yes. Have you? Or, more to the point, have you calculated
the required energy? |
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You really, really don't want to send it to Andromeda, leaving the fly with the dilemma of paying a fortune for secure parking, or coming back half a local time unit later to find the hubcaps gone ... |
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I wonder what they call Andromeda. I bet it's something
way cooler. I dunno, something like 'The Milky Way'. |
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Also, a little standing water, a bag of poop, and a means
to train the offspring on flying minis and the idea is a go
[+]. |
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I'm rather convinced they'll be confused as to how we ever invented fire. |
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//I'm surprised by your knee-jerk reactions! // |
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Well, since I've copped at least one and often three or four spurious MFDs for practically every idea I post, I figured it was good for both goose and gander. This idea is substantially more "magic" than an idea for a robot in a gorilla suit. |
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Flies don't drive cars, including Minis. A Mini, launched into space, would be a lump of frozen space junk in a matter of seconds. It will need a nuclear power source, radiation shielding, propulsion system, atmosphere recycling (even for a fly), backup electrical systems... |
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Before you know it you'll have a Hummer or a Ford Expedition. |
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//Well, since I've copped at least one and often three
or four spurious MFDs for practically every idea I
post// |
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Ah, there's your problem [infidel]. You thought they
were spurious. |
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[infidel] Let me help you out a little with some explanation that seemed to be too obvious to include: |
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The fly is not alive and does not actually drive the car. The car is not "flying", and is not powered in any way. It is just on a trajectory that takes it in a direction for a few billion years. It should be fairly well preserved, unless it experiences a serious impact. |
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Regardless of its condition if ever discovered, it will be of immense interest to those finding it, who should easily determine that the preserved remains consist of a once living organism placed at the controls of a mechanical device. This means that it is in some ways the complete opposite of your good self, who appears to be a rather simple mechanical device operating controls of a living organism. ha! |
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Rather than being confused, the alien recipients of
said practical joke will likely respond by returning to
us a giant can of Raid insecticide. |
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Idea could be tested using a bee flying a drone with a
container on its back designed to accommodate it. |
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For me, the problem with this Idea is a lack of self-
consistency. For example, if we want those who find
this
space vessel to think the fly was part of a species that
built
it, then the fly needs a space suit. Also, why put the fly
in
a car, when there was a rocket it could appear to have
controlled, instead? |
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Next, if the finders do a thorough inspection, wouldn't
they discover various remote-control devices, giving the
lie to the illusion? So, we need to take a page from the
past.... |
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I have some old old computers, from before the IBM PC
era began, and one of the features of those computers
was the ability to plug a game cartridge into it. The
entire "system bus" of the computer was exposed at the
cartridge port, allowing the cartridge full control. |
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So, our space vessel needs an equivalent cartridge port.
All the remote-control equipment would be located in a
module aft of the fly-holding part, and would be
unplugged from the port, the entire module getting
discarded after the vessel is on its final trajectory. We
might even blow the module to bits (sideways, by
shaped charges), after it
separates
far enough, to ensure no evidence of its existence
follows the course of the primary vessel. |
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So, even Musk gets his best ideas from the HB. The fly was
inside the helmet, but of course this information is never
going to be made public. (see last link) |
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To get this or any other space related job done,
you'll want to hire SpaceX. See link for where we
are in the next step of of space exploration: the
Model T of spacecraft. Affordable and
practical due to being re-usable. |
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All thanks to the amazing ability of the Socialist
Global Network of Politically Correct Anti
Capitalists to get things done! |
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What's that? This was accomplished by a private
company in the United States Of America? I
thought those guys we a bunch of dummies with
bad breath? |
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Technically, the narrative is that they are a small coterie of evil
geniuses, manipulating a much larger number of dummies with
bad breath. So, any impressive outcome can be ascribed to that
leavening of evil geniuses. Trust me, I understand this narrative; I
was brought up on it. |
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Well, as long as the narrators get their dummy quota
into the story and I get my progress in science in
technology, I'm fine with it. |
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By the way, how come you never hear the term "evil
dummy"? Lot more of those than evil geniuses. |
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The rockets that can land are an incredible achievement, but the thing
about "we aimed for Mars, but we kind of missed, so it's going to the
asteroid belt instead" suggests that it might be a bit early to hire
SpaceX for anything outside Earth orbit. |
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Yes, but remember, they know why they missed
now. That's data and data is progress. The first
Model Ts probably had some issues as
well, but the breakthrough here is that this is the
first practical spaceship. |
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To stick with the car analogy, the old system was
like having your car incenerate after you drove it
to work in the morning requiring a new car for
each trip. |
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This is the system we'll use to colonize Mars. |
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And remember how many misses it took before we
hit the moon. |
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An interesting idea I read was to consider landing
on Phobos before attempting to traverse the
atmosphere and gravity of Mars. This would
require a much simpler landing and return launch
system. We could iron out the kinks of the trip to
and from Mars which is no small feat in itself. We
made several trips to the Moon before actually
landing on it. |
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I'm assuming you're being satirical, but it brings up
the thing I like to say to Moon landing deniers. (I
understand you're not one, just making the point)
The hardest part of putting a man on the Moon or a
car into the asteroid belt is getting an object the size
of a skyscraper flying at over six thousand miles per
hour. That's the hard part. Then you have to land on
the Moon or orbit Mars. |
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That's the hard part too. |
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//Yes, but remember, they know why they missed now. That's data
and data is progress.// |
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Of course. I'm not denying that this is a fantastic achievement and
I'm sure they'll learn everything they can from it. I expect their next
interplanetary jaunt will be far more accurately aimed. |
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I just don't think it's ready for the commercial "big time" just yet. If I
wanted to launch a satellite I'd certainly give their sales team a call,
but if I wanted to launch a car driven by a fly to Andromeda, I'd hire
the Borg instead. |
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Hmm, here's an idea for SpaceX's next stunt: pick an old, broken
satellite. Choose any one you like; there are plenty up there.
Launch a robot to repair it. |
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//the level of fakery now far exceeds what NASA did back in the
60s// |
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I've never seen the 60s - only recordings of it. I think it must have
been faked. |
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I should have Googled it first, because it turns out they're already
working on it! [link] |
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Say anything you want, but the fact remains: I posted an
idea for a car being sent on an interstellar journey 8 years
before Musk. Thank you Mr Musk. |
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Pretty sure the intro to this movie from 1981 was
the inspiration. (see link) |
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Regarding failures being the cobblestones on the
path
to success (oooh, poetic) see the link for an
amazing
collection of failures leading up to where we are
now. |
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The most frustrating would be the one where it
landed successfully and one of the legs simply
broke,
but they're all pretty fascinating. |
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A housefly neural network and logic, simulated of course, would make quite a good universe investigating probe. The buzzing bit has to be worked out, though. |
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