/sci/ - Science & Math

It's hard to say. On one hand, the USSR doesn't even exist anymore, but on the other, USA is now using Russian launch vehicles for their own shit. I think everyone can agree we all lost out when the USSR collapsed and the "race" effectively ended. The rivalry was an enormous driver of science and space exploration. Makes me wonder what kind of crazy shit we'd be doing out there if we'd kept up the momentum that propelled NASA during the 50s and 60s.

Hi /sci/.
How does one choose between a whole range of subjects he's really interested in?
I love computer science, but I'm also very interested in getting educated and doing research in the (very different) fields that are quantum physics and astrophysics, neurochemistry, nanotechnology/materials science...

I'm not sure what I should do. I'm currently an undergrad (freshman) studying CS. Should I switch majors or anything? I do like computer science, but is it possible for me to get into some of the other fields I mentioned after finishing my undergraduate studies? Would a more general major be preferable?

I don't really know what to choose between all those fields, as I know I can't study all of them up to an MS/PhD.

How would you guys do if you had the same dilemna? Is it possible for someone to seriously get into all of those subjects? Either way, is there a more general field I can study to later get more specific in several branches?

Someone posted, awhile back, a critique of the Type 3 colonies. I believe they said it would have to weight 14 billion tons just for shielding. I believe the reason for all the shielding is for galactic background radiation. If it wasn't for that, the only other source of radiation is the sun when solar flares released a high dosage of low-energy (in relation to high-speed cosmic particles) ionized particles. These will cause acute radiation poisoning that is dangerous immediate health as opposed to galactic background radiation which more of a long term health risk. What if the type-3 colony uses an artificial magnetosphere to block GCB. In case the active shielding has problems,the colony will have passive shielding (mass) for ionizing solar radiation. 540 kg/m^2 should protect against solar flares. Galactic background radiation is long term and will not be a problem for the short duration of time the station loses its active shielding.

That should reduce the station structural mass to 488 million metric tons. Yeah air will add more mass to it (soil not so much since that can count as part of the passive shielding), but it's not the insane numbers offered by the poster a few days ago.

>>4969506
yes.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_habitat

>>3692781
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_habitat
go do some reading before bitching pls.

>>3493367
At tops that's 1,000 people.

>>3493374
>>3493327
:)

Torus habitat + antimatter containment field the size of a briefcase.

Torus habitat is 20km in diameter with an Earth, Mars and Lunar gravity level all with their own plant life and so forth.

>>3085440
All civilizations become spacefaring or extinct.

>>2968357
O'neill colonies address the issues of radiation and cosmic rays.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Island_Three#Atmosphere_and_radiation

It's tiny tincan spacecraft that have to worry about radiation.

Regarding how to keep gravity and such:

Could aritificial gravitiy be achieved somehow my "wings flapping" in space? Imagine a spaceship with the wings moving to create artifical gravity, would it work?

Why would a civilization waste resources building a structure to absorb solar energy when it could just as easily trigger said reaction in a controlled environment, without the wasted resources and area?

Planets are for filthy dirt monkeys.

>>1480354
Nope! No economic return actually planned, just the warm feeling of creating space Haiti.
inB4 grasps at Mars some how being involved in belt mining, sorry it isn't any better than supplying from earth, pic related to superior option.

sci-fi books that explore cool stuff like ringworlds or chirality.

Does rotational gravity actually work? Would it help alleviate muscle and bone loss in microgravity or space travel?

Why hasn't there been even the thinnest effort by the ISS to examine it.

The whole Linux thing would be not to explain that it's better than WINBLOW LAWL but to be showing that open technology and standards is healthy in promoting our culture while being effective. It has been done to death but its very important for our times of proprietary standards and threats to free anonymous web.

Terraforming Mars- I just slapped this down since I remember reading on Wikipedia that we have the tech to do it but no country is willing to commit resources. It just popped into my mind since I could mention cool scifi things like the stanford torus (in pic).

The Esperanto suggestion is GOLD!! I did not think of that- esp since I speak Esperanto :p Thanks! The triune brain while being outdated, makes for an interesting accessible model to psychology- esp since it follows chronologically from evolution. The Bicameral mind is also quite shaky. Universal Grammar is also not a solid theory- but I used to have a linguist friend who bought heavily into it and I find it very interesting. Psychology is a great subject for people but very hard to master.

The Dinosaur intelligence article basically boils down to this- people commonly misconceive that mammals somehow didn't evolve during the mesozoic. yet they did. mammals had 180 + 65 million years to evolve intelligence all the way from the therapsids.

also dinosaurs DID have feathers. its undisputed fact. And recent research suggests the full body colour of a few dinosaurs (i.e its not certain and still argued) based on the microstructes of the feathers.