[X] My Assistant

[RedSky]

Here, supposedly, is a sneek peak at the upcoming... not yet released... report on the CEV/ Return to the Moon architecture:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/media/graph...07/18731963.jpg

Here's the full article:
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/custom...=orl-home-promo

Look familiar? Basically an Apollo CSM (=CEV), a beefed up LM (4-man... but I'm sure due to budget and weight... will be cut back to 3 or 2 person).

Instead of one launch on a Saturn V equivalent, there is a crew launch CEV on a single SRB "stick" configuration, and the S4B-LM piece on the shuttle-derived vertical in-line cargo launcher... Seen here, for those who haven't run across this site yet:

http://www.safesimplesoon.com/media-images.htm

[Rob Pinnegar]

Yeah, there's still plenty left on the Moon -- just determining how the heck it got there in the first place is still a big unanswered question. Right now, the giant-impact theory is the leading one, but (last time I checked) it still had some kinks that needed ironing out. There's a whole graveyard of theories of the Moon's origin so Giant Impact could, in theory at least, end up there as well.

The nearside/farside dichotomy also needs addressing -- another big question mark.

[Jeff7]

Yeah, there's still plenty left on the Moon -- just determining how the heck it got there in the first place is still a big unanswered question. Right now, the giant-impact theory is the leading one, but (last time I checked) it still had some kinks that needed ironing out. There's a whole graveyard of theories of the Moon's origin so Giant Impact could, in theory at least, end up there as well.

The nearside/farside dichotomy also needs addressing -- another big question mark.

As I see it, the dichotomy could be explained by the Giant Impact theory. The side facing Earth may have been the section that was closest Earth's core. It was molten or gooey when it was blasted away, and it remained hot for some time, giving the "seas" visible on the near side.
The far side is more heavily cratered, because it faces away from Earth all the time, and is thus always directly exposed to a shower of interplanetary debris.


Concerning AI, I saw something in Scientific American recently concerning some new development - a kind of circuit whose "transistors" are capable of both processing and storing information. I saw that as being very important, as that's what human brains seem to do. Neurons can both store information, but also transmit and process it. This technology, along with a good quantum processor (needed for better parallel processing capabilities) should allow for new programming types to take advantage of the power available. Granted, I believe that programming true intelligence will take either a lot of complex programming, or just a few simple, but very clever commands. For instance, how does a rover know what to remember and what not to? Our brains use VERY lossy compression. Look at a parking lot sometime. Now close your eyes. What color was the car nearest you? How many cars are in the parking lot? Where is your car parked?
How would a computer know what data to store? If it remembers everything, its storage media will be full in a few seconds. So it must know what is relevant, and to what it's relevant.

Yes, much work to be done, but I do think that these hurdles will be overcome. Maybe not within 20 years, but likely by the turn of the century. Technology is advancing quickly. Even 20 years is a long time.

[dvandorn]

As I see it, the dichotomy could be explained by the Giant Impact theory. The side facing Earth may have been the section that was closest Earth's core. It was molten or gooey when it was blasted away, and it remained hot for some time, giving the "seas" visible on the near side.
The far side is more heavily cratered, because it faces away from Earth all the time, and is thus always directly exposed to a shower of interplanetary debris.

I used to think that, too. But models show that debris would tend to hit both near and far sides of the Moon equally -- Earth slingshots debris into the near side as often as the Moon gets in the way of things headed for Earth. As evidence, basins are distributed fairly evenly across the entire Moon, near and far sides.

As far as the Moon's near side containing more of its mass than the far side, because of the Earth's gravity, as was once thought -- not true, either. The Moon's center of gravity (and mass) is actually a slight bit farther towards the farside surface than the nearside surface.

I imagine that the flooding of the nearside maria with basaltic lava flows had more to do with a short period of time defined by the dynamics of tidal lock than with the overall structure of the Moon. But, of course, I could be wrong... especially since laser ranging studies suggest strongly that the Moon's core is rotating at a slightly different speed, and at a slightly different inclination, from the rest of the Moon...

-the other Doug