Living 200 Meters Under the Sea

Daily Upsider on December 8, 2023

Are you ready to live under the ocean? DEEP Research Labs, an international research and development organization, is driven by the goal to “make humans aquatic.” They believe that becoming part of the oceanic world is crucial for understanding and preserving Earth’s most diverse biosphere. Their website explains, “We create tools and practices for scientists, academics, and others who seek to do good through their interaction with our oceans.”

DEEP seeks to accomplish this amazing feat using their Sentinel System, a high-tech subsea habitat likened to an underwater International Space Station. It will allow researchers to live and work on the ocean floor, at depths up to 200 meters (656 feet), for up to 28 days at a time. The system is designed for a 20-year service life, and its modular design allows it to be reconfigured and relocated as needed.

Rick Goddard, DEEP’s product director, told Oceanographic Magazine, “We’re doing something new here at a scale never previously imagined outside of science fiction. I fully expect the equipment and technology we’re developing to be pivotal in enabling some game-changing discoveries and radically change the way we access and think about the ocean.”

I am not sure if I am quite ready to live 200 meters under the ocean, but still a fascinating endeavor.

NASA’s Gateway to Distant Worlds

Daily Upsider on December 6, 2023

Last week, we discussed the stunning images from the James Webb Space Telescope, including its discovery of a potential life-building block on Jupiter’s icy moon, Europa. However, to truly uncover distant life or delve deeper into the wonders of our universe we need to see much farther.

Slava Turyshev, a scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, is working on using the sun as a lens in a telescope. This concept is based on an effect known as Gravitational Lensing.

Gravitational Lensing happens when a massive object, such as a galaxy cluster, is positioned between an observer and a distant object, bending the latter’s light into an Einstein ring. This effect is caused by the object’s gravity, which warps and magnifies the images behind it.

Using the sun for this, which is called Solar Gravitational Lensing (SGL), could theoretically increase a background image by a factor of 100 billion. This would increase our ability to see distant planets and starts far beyond what we could conceivably do otherwise.

If this is not sci-fi enough for you already, SGL could potentially be used for interstellar communication. Signals sent through the gravitational field could much more easily reach nearby stars without degrading.

Here is a excellent video diving into the subject with much greater detail.

Amazon Buys Rocket Launches from SpaceX

Daily Upsider on December 5, 2023

Amazon has recently announced its decision to purchase three rocket launches from SpaceX for its Project Kuiper, which aims to establish a network of broadband internet satellites.

This is a surprising move, considering Amazon’s Kuiper is directly in competition to Elon Musk’s Starlink. Both Kuiper and Starlink are multi-billion-dollar ventures aiming to deploy thousands of satellites for a range of customers, from governments to individual consumers.

Earlier, Amazon had placed a significant order for launches with three competitors of SpaceX, including Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. This decision was later scrutinized in a shareholder lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that Bezos’ competition with Musk influenced the choice to bypass SpaceX.

SpaceX, known as the world’s most active rocket operator, has consistently maintained its openness to launching satellites for competitors of Starlink. It has already orbited numerous broadband satellites for various companies and has plans for more such launches.

I’m sure Elon is quite happy about this.

Punnuk Festival– A Celebration of Culture and Thanksgiving.

Daily Upsider on September 15, 2023

Despite rainy weather, the residents of Hungduan Ifugao, in the Philippines rallied to celebrate the Punnuk Festival with vibrant camaraderie and tradition.

The festival began with an announcement about the Dumupag, an important land tract for rice cultivation. Villagers, dressed in traditional attire, paraded along the riverbanks, proudly showcasing their cultural heritage by carrying Pakid, a hooked sapling, and Kinaag, a human-like figure woven from rice stalks.

Amidst the rain, laughter filled the air as the community enthusiastically participated in Guyyud, a jovial tug-of-war game that united the villagers in good-natured competition and highlighted their shared bonds.

The Punnuk Festival has earned international recognition, receiving the title of “Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity” from UNESCO in 2015. This honor emphasizes the festival’s role in preserving cultural heritage.

After the celebration, Mayor Casan Dumulag addressed the crowd, advocating for the Provincial Government of Ifugao to officially designate the Punnuk Festival as an annual event. This would memorialize the past and ensure the continuation of the festivities for future generations.

As the rain subsided, the festival’s triumph over the weather served as a testament to the community’s unwavering devotion to heritage. The raindrops could not dampen the radiant spirit that animates this cherished festival.

Energy of the Future: A Huge Step Towards True Clean Energy

Daily Upsider on August 18, 2023

For the second time in human history, a nuclear fusion reaction gave more energy than it took to create it.

U.S. scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have achieved a significant leap in nuclear fusion, surpassing their prior accomplishment. Their recent experiment yielded even more energy than a previous test in December, marking a crucial advancement toward the goal of obtaining clean energy through fusion. Although practical fusion application may be years away, this achievement emphasizes fusion’s potential as an abundant and eco-friendly energy source.

Fission versus Fusion

Unlike nuclear fission, fusion combines atomic nuclei. This creates energy through light and heat and is the process that powers our sun and other stars.

Fission, on the other hand, is the process of splitting atomic nuclei. This is what powers our current nuclear power plants, as well as weapons.

Why is this the Potential Future of Clean Energy?

If you dream of clean, plentiful energy without many of the complications of our current nuclear energy, fusion might be the answer. Fusion offers energy without fission’s drawbacks. It produces a lot less waste then fission. It does not require uranium-235 or plutonium-239, which are expensive, need to be mined, and leave behind radioactive waste. Instead, the most common material for fusion is hydrogen, which is plentiful and easily acquired. Once the energy equation is solved, it could help provide clean and abundant energy source that is more appealing then our current forms.

Energy of the Future… When?

Unfortunately, practical fusion energy remains a distant prospect. Fusion requires extremely high temperatures and pressures which have made it challenging to study and advance. The current energy produced is only enough to cover the energy used to power the lasers facilitating the fusion. Additionally, fusion reactions can occur only once a day due to the need for laser cooling and fuel target replacement. To be commercially viable, fusion plants must achieve rapid, repeated reactions several times per second.

In essence, this breakthrough underscores fusion’s potential for future energy needs, while acknowledging the hurdles that must be overcome for its realization.

Read more about Clean Limitless Power here.