Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
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Space shout

In case you need somebody to hear you scream.
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The problem with shouting in space is that there is no medium to conduct vibrations. The Space shout apparatus corrects this, allowing one to converse freely with someone floating in space meters or kilometers away.

As you speak (in space) the space shout projects a laminar stream of gas at the speed of sound towards the remote listener. In the vacuum (of space!), the advancing column of gas remains coherent and carries with it your shouts, screams, love poems, or sage advice. One must aim carefully because the gas column must impact upon the head of the listener to be heard. It is only gas, so no damage will be done, though the listener may be blown back by the force of your words.

Poorly aimed gas columns carry your words off into space indefinitely, possibly to be intercepted and deciphered by distant aliens.

bungston, Apr 21 2006

Mars Microphone http://sse.jpl.nasa...lay.cfm?News_ID=806
Mic to Mars [csea, Apr 14 2009]

Mars Microphone update http://www.planetar...s_OK_to_Listen.html
Phoenix Mission - nothing yet... [csea, Apr 14 2009]

[link]






       //advancing column of gas remains coherent and carries with it your shouts ... sage advice//   

       Unless led astray by gravitationaly forces in case you're close to a large celestial body like a planet, moon or something. If the gas is being sucked-in by a black hole or something, I don't think telling your buddy all the sage advice in the universe is going to save you from impending doom.
Letsbuildafort, Apr 21 2006
  

       //As you speak (in space) the space shout projects a laminar stream of gas at the speed of sound towards the remote listener.// How does this work? Magic?
silverstormer, Apr 22 2006
  

       //possibly to be intercepted and deciphered by distant aliens.// Makes me wonder, do any of "our" space probes carry suitable microphones? Should we listen for aliens? Are some aliens yelling at us to get the @#$% out of the way because their reverse thruster are all &^*) up and they can stop their space ship?
kbecker, Apr 22 2006
  

       The gas would expand and disapate rather quickly. It isn't like a laser bean, you know.
DesertFox, Apr 22 2006
  

       I'm trying to picture a laser bean. Are those like really, really big photons? And you thought bright lights hurt your eyes...
NotTheSharpestSpoon, Apr 22 2006
  

       //Laser beans//
Well now we know where the gas comes from.
  

       As I started to read I suspected that you were going to suggest a long length of cord, connected to some tin cans...
Jinbish, Apr 22 2006
  

       To prevent disapation you are going to have to contain the gas in some way, perhaps a metalic tank. Oh, and "the speed of sound" in vacuum is zero, so you need to be more clear on how fast we should be throwing tanks of compressed shout at each other.
Galbinus_Caeli, Apr 22 2006
  

       I wonder if one could actually project a laser-like stream of non-turbulent gas and have it remain coherent as it moved thru the vacuum.   

       I was hoping someone would point out that regardless of how fast the gas in moving relative to me, the sound will move within the gas column at the speed of sound relative to the gas. The only solution I can come up with to this problem is to make the leading and trailing edges of the moving gas column reflective, to contain the sound within the column in definitely. For all I know a gas/vacuum interface might already be reflective - where else is the sound energy going to go? Using reflection to maintain the sound runs the risk that the recipient might hear a reversed version of your signal, and puzzle over your plea for pleh.
bungston, Apr 24 2006
  

       Can't you just take two cups and a piece of string...?
DrCurry, Apr 24 2006
  

       So how does EM radiation propagate in a vacuum then? Ether?
mecotterill, Apr 14 2009
  

       //Makes me wonder, do any of "our" space probes carry suitable microphones? //   

       See Mars Microphone [link].
csea, Apr 14 2009
  
      
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