Recent content by Kelson Adams

During the Cassini mission they used multiple radio telescopes on Earth to listen to and to track the 10-watt signal from Hugyens directly, despite it being 750 million miles away. http://www.nrao.edu/pr/2004/huygens/ Perhaps you could use the same method (involving multiple 3D laser scanners...

I did take that into consideration. But I still don't see why it couldn't be used on satellites that are relatively nearby celestial bodies within our own solar system. Also, I am not sure of the margin of error you would get if you had to wait 20 years for the light to return to the 3D...

True. However, I don't believe that the margin of error would be great enough to neglect all the data that would be collected. I can imagine that 3D laser scanning would be optimal for automatic feature and object extraction for satellites that are orbiting various celestial bodies or even for...

Mobile, airborne, and terrestrial 3D laser scanning gives an unprecedented amount of data to companies, organizations, and governments. However, I am wondering whether or not 3D laser scanners have ever been used in astronomy, astrophysics, and in astrocartography... If they haven't, I believe...

I'm actually just curious what people think will be the most important industries that develop on Mars once we colonize it. It's not for any particular reason, it's just a question I've been thinking of lately and I'm curious as to what other people's thoughts are on the topic. Many private...

Let's say we colonize Mars today. What will some of the leading emerging industries be? I can imagine the energy sector (nuclear power, etc.), heavy materials sector (mining, etc.) and communications sector (internet, etc.) will be robust. What emerging industries could you imagine forming on...

Thank you so much for the thorough explanation! That is really incredible how much Venus's rotation is slowing down... Is it due to tidal locking with the Sun or some other factor? Thanks again for the informative response :)

Thank you Greg! I was actually thinking of analyzing the rotation of the planets to date them (similar to your stellar age estimation article you shared), though I think we would have a problem with Uranus and its extreme tilt.

I understand that it's possible to calculate the age of terrestial planets through radioactive dating their soil. However, the gas planets present a different challenge since we cannot currently land on them. Any ideas on how to calculate their ages in a different manner?

What are the best telescopes for amateur astronomy? I realize that there are many differences between telescopes, but let's face it. If I'm going to invest in a great telescope, I want it to produce a high-resolution image and to survive for a significant amount of time. -- and I absolutely do...

I've seen an interesting film lately on a guy who believes that the Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactor is the best nuclear reactor to be created -- http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/thorium-energy-solution/ I'm curious to know both the advantages/disadvantages of LFTRs and the technology that still...