That guy sounds fascinating, the kind of driven individual to whom we owe credit for scientific advance. While mining lunar ice sounds a little loony if not unnecessary, I support this guy getting much funding.

I couldn't stick through the whole video, but I did bookmark it for later.

The monolith is going to be pissed.

I am impressed. I too will have to watch the whole thing later ;)

This guy's a bit of an underachiever, don't ya think?

FF Mac: This guy's a bit of an underachiever, don't ya think?

i think he had to pee

kronicfeld: The monolith is going to be pissed.


That's not a big deal. When it gets pissed it just starts with that crazy music...

Wonder how they're going to tunnel through that ice shell that can withstand meteor impacts and such.

... and how are they going to transmit signals through all that water and ice?

Sandwyrm: Wonder how they're going to tunnel through that ice shell that can withstand meteor impacts and such.

... and how are they going to transmit signals through all that water and ice?

Magic.

Sandwyrm: Wonder how they're going to tunnel through that ice shell that can withstand meteor impacts and such.

... and how are they going to transmit signals through all that water and ice?

Two cans with strind between them. Now where is my pez.

SilverDagger: Sandwyrm: Wonder how they're going to tunnel through that ice shell that can withstand meteor impacts and such.

... and how are they going to transmit signals through all that water and ice?

Two cans with stringstrind between them. Now where is my pez.

There's an ocean under Europe? Isn't the Atlantic enough for those greedy bastidges?

In a waterfalls?

/grammar light going off, head asplosion imminent

So where do I send my application to work with this guy?

It's going to be a very long, long time before we are prepared to explore Europa's subsurface.

Sandwyrm: Wonder how they're going to tunnel through that ice shell that can withstand meteor impacts and such.

Well, first, it doesn't so much 'withstand' as it 'absorbs'. A meteor hitting Europa will make a dent and melt a hole, but the hole will quickly freeze.

As for how we'd get a probe through, it's pretty easy. All it takes is a warm probe. It'd most likely be nuclear powered - all you have to do is heat the outside surface of the probe enough and it'll melt a hole. As the hole gets melted, the probe sinks until it hits ice again, which starts melting. After a while, you hit ocean.

... and how are they going to transmit signals through all that water and ice?

It'd be tethered to a base station on the surface. As it melts through the ice, it unrolls a cable behind it.

kronicfeld: The monolith is going to be pissed

I was gonna say, "I recall the last trip we took to Europa."

Sandwyrm

Wonder how they're going to tunnel through that ice shell that can withstand meteor impacts and such.

Melting it.

... and how are they going to transmit signals through all that water and ice?

Acoustic transmission.


/at least that's how we designed it in AERSP 402

ceejayoz: Sandwyrm: Wonder how they're going to tunnel through that ice shell that can withstand meteor impacts and such.

Well, first, it doesn't so much 'withstand' as it 'absorbs'. A meteor hitting Europa will make a dent and melt a hole, but the hole will quickly freeze.

As for how we'd get a probe through, it's pretty easy. All it takes is a warm probe. It'd most likely be nuclear powered - all you have to do is heat the outside surface of the probe enough and it'll melt a hole. As the hole gets melted, the probe sinks until it hits ice again, which starts melting. After a while, you hit ocean.

... and how are they going to transmit signals through all that water and ice?

It'd be tethered to a base station on the surface. As it melts through the ice, it unrolls a cable behind it.

Ha, I was right. Two cans with string between. AND WHERE IS MY PEZ.

ceejayoz: All it takes is a warm probe.

with a dimly-lit room and a few drinks.

Europa's sea people are going to come here and probe our asses.

Mine was, "What part of 'All these worlds are yours EXCEPT EUROPA' do these guys not understand?"

Silly man. Everyone knows the moon is made of cheese.

/Like Ali, I'm doin' the europa-dope

Sandwyrm: .. and how are they going to transmit signals through all that water and ice?

IIRC, the probe releases tiny self-powered pebbles that get suspended in the ice as it re-freezes. Each has enough power to transmit data to and from the next-closest pebble in the shaft.

UberDave: kronicfeld: The monolith is going to be pissed.


That's not a big deal. When it gets pissed it just starts with that crazy music...

Just watch out for monkeys. That music puts them in a bad mood.

It's things like this that give me hope for humanity. This is the very best of what we are.

I would totally have submitted this with "plans to go whaling on the moon."

/we carry a harpoon
//but there ain't no whales
///so we tell tall tales
////and sing out whaling tune

/weeee're whalers on...

Did we ever get told why Europa was banned?

Finished watching the video... interesting conjecture.

/I won't live to see it happen though
//carry on

For a moment I thought I accidentally logged in to Slashdot.

/Tis spiffy though...

Ted for President!

Ask: Did we ever get told why Europa was banned?

From the article "Jupiter's moons in fiction" on Wikipedia:

"...Super-advanced aliens aiding the development of life take an interest in the primitive life forms under Europa's ice and transform Jupiter into a star to kick-start their evolution. The aliens grant humans the other three Galilean moons of Jupiter to settle, but the humans are specifically instructed not to land on, let alone colonize, Europa in order to give the local life time to develop. There is an implication of unpleasant consequences otherwise. In 2061: Odyssey Three (1988), Europa has become a tropical ocean world..."

Watch an explorer rappel with a rope in a waterfalls several miles underground into a cave

FTFY. ("Several miles underground" is easily misread as meaning straight down. It'd be some new kind of record.)

CitizenjaQ: LEAVE EUROPA ALONE!
ATTEMPT NO LANDINGS THERE!!

This, for what it's worth, had me laughing better than I've done all day.

Ashtrey: So where do I send my application to work with this guy?

THIS

Oznog: I would totally have submitted this with "plans to go whaling on the moon."

/we carry a harpoon
//but there ain't no whales
///so we tell tall tales
////and sing out whaling tune

/weeee're whalers on...

This. I'm going to build my own fark. With hookers. And blackjack.

A robot that scans for life and collects it? You know who else built that kind of robot....

Sandwyrm: .. Wonder how they're going to tunnel through that ice shell that can withstand meteor impacts and such.

and how are they going to transmit signals through all that water and ice?

Jesus?

This would work just fine until the locals realize that they're going to run out of water. Then they start throwing rocks...

/TANSTAAFL

Greg Laden? His middle name better not be 'Ben'.

From website:

Fark.com has green-lighted a link to this blog entry.

/Summon Bevets.


Posted by: Some farker | January 13, 2008 10:48 AM

Wow, I've been farked. Is that good?

Posted by: Greg Laden | January 13, 2008 2:59 PM

Hope you have alot of bandwidth.

YES INDEEDLY DO!

Why can't we use water for energy NOW? I mean, I do not have to fly to the moon. I just turn on my sink and I get all the free energy I want.

Am I missing something?

Sandwyrm: Wonder how they're going to tunnel through that ice shell that can withstand meteor impacts and such.


send in the experts

WFern: In 2061: Odyssey Three (1988), Europa has become a tropical ocean world..."

You are mistaken. That book never existed. Arthur C. Clarke never wrote anything after "2010".

BlorfMaster: Why can't we use water for energy NOW? I mean, I do not have to fly to the moon. I just turn on my sink and I get all the free energy I want.

Am I missing something?

Umm, yeah. The water from your sink is not free. Unless you have a well, but you still need a pump.

theorellior: WFern: In 2061: Odyssey Three (1988), Europa has become a tropical ocean world..."

You are mistaken. That book never existed. Arthur C. Clarke never wrote anything after "2010".

Ask: Did we ever get told why Europa was banned?

Posting non-edited pictures to a Photoshop thread?
Posting potentially NSFW images?
Infringing on FARK's copyright of the term "NSFW"?

Well, Bucky Katt, I know for a fact there won't be anything by Gentry Lee on that cruise.

I saw the "Jim Cameron" movie he showed a clip from - they did say in it (and in his clip) that the missile that drills through the Europan ice would be nuclear powered.

His idea sounds pretty plausible to me - but then again, I'm not a rocket scientist.