More A.I. for the Police!

 Robotic K-9's and Robotic assisted car drivers?

Tech is now moving very fast across the globe in relation to security, military and the police and within the next twenty-five years we will see the introduction of the robot K9 and the police robot driver, as well as a host of tech in the vehicles that is connected to drones and other flying devices!

This is to be a revolution in its own right, as the helicopter may become obsolete over the next 75 years for a drone and robotic model? 

With the expansion into Mars and other mining colonies across our solar system the helicopter may be an essential craft, for transporting people and machinery, if not rescue and the possibilities are to be endless with A.I!

The motorized Sled.

 Huskies only for short Trips?

Today most of the northern peoples of the polar regions, Russia, Canada, the U.S. and Denmark, apart from Norway, Finland and Japan rely more on the speed now of the motorized sled than that of dogs, and they may still be used in a traditional way for short trips!

For some time the military of the above nations have also used various vehicles for operations in snow conditions and this now includes Australia and China and a few other countries with research also being undertaken in a fast moving vehicle that is now the subject of the green revolution and conversion to both electric power and bio fuels?

What does the future hold is perhaps more of a return to the husky and reindeer to cut down on pollution for civilian operations, but not so for the military and scientists, meanwhile space exploration will need to develop a platform for robotic sleds visiting the Ice moons of the gas giants in the near future?

New Mission to Pluto?

A proposed paper is underway at NASA!

Pluto is intriguing in that it is an active world on the known edge of our Solar system, New Horizons proved that with cold volcanism and an atmosphere! It would be interesting to return there with a robotic craft and stay in orbit, while also sending a rover to explore the surface?

Microbial life could exist on most planets that are active in some way, wither anything larger has developed will probably one day be discovered? Within our Solar system there remains many mysteries in relation to all the planets and Moons, humans will have to go and find our what is what?

The Moon, Mars and Titan are the next targets for NASA and a new Space station known as Gateway to orbit the Moon. 

Water ice is the target to sustain our life on any of these bodies and Space travel too, it will take time since we are only sixty-two years old when it comes to this field of aeronautics and science!

Rumbling MARS?

Something Different!

Two recordings of so called Mars quakes have been released by NASA from their static probe, but both give the impression of trains running deep under the surface of what appears to be a dead dry cold world!

But it is reported that some scientists are now in discussion to find a way to explain the possibility that life has been found on another world in our Solar system and this may not be revealed for at least two years?

Meanwhile China claims that it has been successful in growing a root vegetable on the Moon designed to deal with the conditions of 1/6th gravity and if this proves true the possibilities for Mars is very high!

What humanity is after with both the Moon and Mars and further afield is minerals that are rare if not totally new to the Earth, so that we can replace plastic which remains an essential part of all robotic craft and spaceships?

Six years to MARS?

Orion, Dragon and Other!

The  design and construction of several parts of a New Space ship and its launch system is well underway, as it is claimed we will have humans on the planet Mars in six years time? 

The new U.S. administration is pushing private investment into NASA and this is producing some wonderful results with the first commercial flights to and back from the International Space Station (ISS).

Today or rather now Mars is suffering a long spell of a planetary dust storm, which as yet does not seem to be improving and the discovery of water on the South-Pole has sped up the next lander programme which will be made two years before humans arrive with their own pre-built Mars base!

Life is the big pusher for these types of programmes, but also minerals that are rare on Earth and plenty elsewhere? There is also the possibility of new materials that can be worked to improve our lot down here?

NASA also wants Russian cooperation for a Moon Base and other ventures, with the new commercial re-usable  U.S. systems, this does not mean that the Progress robotic ships will not be used!

Submariners. Part-One.

Submarines, and Drones.

Many nations around the world still build, buy and use the submarine, technology has moved on with computing, nuclear power and drone ability? The early vessels were cramped and many crews on board died from fumes poisoning. The U.S lead with the first Holland Class vessels, which the British and many other nations copied and adapted.

But it was Imperial Germany that made the advances in the submariner world, with their own design which remained effective into the 1920's. With the advance of National-Socialism in Germany a new improved class of boats came into effect that was well ahead of all the nations.

Britain and the U.S. did catch up quickly during the second world war (1939-45), while others lagged behind such as Italy. It was the development of Sonar from Radar that gave Britain and the U.S the advantage of knowing where the enemy was. Many other nations opted for the Midget subs along with Britain and these small boats if they survived their missions could be quite effective, but they were really very limited?

From the Cold War era (1948-1994) it was the Soviet Union and the U.S.A that have dominated the design and construction of some seriously advanced vessels, while Britain and France have not been left out of the picture with their own. Nuclear powered vessels do not need to surface to be refuelled, they can remain hidden for months at great depths.

Advancements in miniaturization has allowed for drones of various type and robotic subs to be put into service doing dangerous work, without the cost of human life and losses.

Stagecoach to Automobile.

The design of the Car.

The origins of the motorcar began with a steam version of the stagecoach minus horses, but it was not popular at least 60 years before the car was conceived? The public in London were scared of this way ahead concept, because it sometimes ran out of control.

Today the car has not changed in its layout since 1890, various chassis and body shells expanded it from a four seats to seven, anything after that is considered to be a mini-bus. Fast cars have come and gone, engines, materials have changed and improved? While fuels have moved from steam to petrol, diesel to LPG and now we are entering the age of electric, bio and hydrogen?

Cars without drivers in the idea of the Android is being developed, but the design of these new types are still based on the original layout? Perhaps some bright spark might come up with a round car in this new field, so people can relax and rest in the open planned vehicle?

Rocket Deign. Part-One.

Russia leads in the Field.

Getting into space is the most expensive thing that humanity has undertaken, in its known history. The rocket at the moment or since 1957 has been the only way to get outside the earths gravitational field!

America had to play catch-up to the Russians in the 1960's but made it to the Moon, which many scientists believe was the biggest waste of resources? Since then America built the Space shuttle, which did a fantastic job, apart from a few losses?

But President Barak Obama cut the programme on two accounts, one cost and two old technology. There may be many other reasons in relation to its bad fire tiles safety record? Meanwhile the U.S has to share with Russia it Kazakhstan facility, to get their crews up to the ISS (International Space Station).

Half of the ISS is made up of the latest MIR sections, while the U.S. and Japan have their various modules and ESA may have one or two attached.

Russia has lead in rocketry from 1926 and its ideas on Spaceships, it has just kept on improving what it has and despite its many other developments such as the Progress Robotic modules and Mir Components both have again improved with time and reliability.

What does the future hold?

The development of a reusable plane concept has ben on the books, since the 1960's, but only up until recently was a new type of non-rocket development in the U.S. by NASA which is the first Electro Engine?

The Typhoon Class.

Worlds largest Submarine.

Soviet Russia was one of the most ambitious nations in the history of the world, especially in the last one-hundred years of civil engineering and the invention of machines. They launched the Space race with the Sputnik and Gagarin and by their fall they had the largest aircraft ever built the Antonov An-224 Miry (Dream), the Buran Robotic Space Shuttle and the elusive Typhoon Class Submarine.

After the fall of Communism came the dismantling of the largest stockpile of nuclear weapons on both sides and there were many cutbacks of fighter bombers and submarines, and other military equipment. 

It is not known, if all as claimed how much was actually cut back, because today it is estimated by N.A.T.O. that Russia is as mighty as it ever was!

The Typhoon was designed to carry the largest number of multiple Inter-continental ballistic missiles that was possible to get on a (36) Submarine, meanwhile each missile was capable of having 12 to 16 warheads!

It was also the first of a new generation of robotic operated systems, with less crew (125) than would be required normally. 

Russia like many nations had discovered that the submarine was one of the most effective weapon systems to have, because they can go undetected for months under the sea.

Engineering, Maintanance and Building. Part-Two.

Differing Requirements?

Because there are so many different gauges around the world and types of systems from mainline, to metro and tubes there is need for the same types doing the same jobs at differing scales. This has been tried on the London Underground, who purchased smaller Class 66 locomotives.

In days gone by steam cranes and open waggons carried material and crew gangs to build, but today a whole section can be laid by machine as we have already seen. It is the complex electrics overhead that cause expense and delays, computer systems have to be accurate with signal commands.

This new requirement when in place allows high-Speed travel and less point switching for passenger trains, but freight remains a different matter. Most recovery over the last forty years has been carried out by a second locomotive, but in the years to come this with under floor motors as on both tube and metro stock will overcome all of the old problems.

Much of the maintenance of the old days may be carried out more by robotic controlled vehicle based on the current stock with video equipment. Not every nation will be able to afford this so depending on where they are many older methods will remain.

Unmanned Craft. Part-One.

At Sea.

We tend to quickly forget that when we come to discuss unmanned its either in the air such as the U.S. Reaper or the Israel Scout drones or other Robotic devices used on land?

But there are as many equally strange under-water counterparts also and many of them have still never been seen from mini-subs (Midgets) to remote torpedoes?

In fact the first remote Torpedo was a development by a man called Brennan at the Chatham British Royal Naval yard in Kent, SE-England. U.K. From the expertise gathered by manned mini-subs during World War-II (1939-45), remote devices have proved very successful ever since.

Many more countries have developed their own types from the major powers, some are simple while others expensive and very complex.

Space Exploration. Part-Two.

2015 A great Year.

A British man in Space, the July Pluto flyby, Pictures from a Comet and Mars seen from three views. Most people don't even bother looking up at the sky, day or night. Sometimes its the occasional drunk who claims to have seen more than one Moon!

But for may others it is the closet that we will perhaps for some time yet get into space? Just a pair of Binoculars and you open your eyes to see ponderous things, from nearby planets to distant stars and galaxies.

One may also see the International Space Station and other man made objects. The Moon is the nearest object to view, we only see one side of it  because it does not rotate. Venus and Mars are next, followed by the gas giants, Jupiter, and Saturn. 

Other wise we can visit the Indian, European, Russian and NASA websites to see the feast of what these many robotic craft are doing in space and on Mars.

Space Exploration. Part-One.

New Discoveries.

I don't know about you! But I am fascinated by Space exploration from the Moon landings to this day I like to follow all the press releases from NASA, the Russians and the Europeans ESA. plus now we have the new additions of China and India to also view.

Since July Pluto the furthest out planet has been reclassified as a planet, after it was discovered to have a 80 km thick methane atmosphere by the New Horizons probe. The plutonian system has also five moons, while on Pluto moving ice shelves were also discovered.

Ceres in the asteroid belt has some strange bright spots and a pyramid shaped mountain. Recent closer flybys have revealed more of them, but still no explanation to what they might be? 

Meanwhile ESA images from Philae on a hurtling comet has revealed mass water ejections, as it nears the Sun. The Mars Rover Curiosity has discovered silica deposits and has had to back track its route up Mount Sharp.  This discovery rises the possibility greatly in the search for fossils

Last of all Russians trusted Progress robotic supply ship has softened relations between it and the United States. because there is now no other alternative way to supply the ISS, International Space station.

Space..

The Final Frontier.

These are the famous words of a popular Science-Fiction series 'Star Trek. But from 1957 an onwards this is a ever expanding truth for humanity. We spend more money going up into space, than we do on feeding the millions of starving people on our planet.

All modern communications from the Internet to GPS, TV to the weather is part of gathered and transmitted information hubs located in near Earth-Space. Robotic probes have now been sent to nearly every part of our solar system, both near and far.

With these ships we have discovered our near by planets and their moons are just as active, with volcano's and other seismic activity as here on Earth. Our own Moon is made predominately of Ice, rather than cheese. Meanwhile we are learning more about Mars daily, than we have tried to map our own Oceans.

Submarines.

Under water vessels and craft.

Before Irishman Hollande invented the Submarine with finances from the Irish Republican brotherhood, a fore runner of the IRA. The diving bell was really the only viable sub and we can only guess how long ago it was invented. Early records suggest the Greeks were the first, but we now understand that ancient Greek technology was only an advancement on existing ideas.

Today the Submarine in its many forms from warship to robotic craft has become an invaluable tool into research of the worlds seas, oceans and lakes. Man has gone to the Moon, planets, Mars and yet we still know very little of what lies at the bottom of the seas of our own planet.

Robotic technology was used first on the discovery of the wreck of the Titanic, the submarine has gone from the two barrel concept of Loch Ree in County Tipperary to the former Soviet class Typhoon the largest nuclear ICBM capable submarine in the world.