“The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of starstuff.” ― Carl Sagan Looking at the Stars by Mike Macartney One of the best things about camping out is to lay in … Continue reading »
When it comes to spaceships, who does the rebuilding? And how much does it cost? Looking at stars costs billions and billions…have a look at an engineer’s view on space news, in Mike Macartney’s new post. Sick Satellites and Occam’s Razor by Mike Macartney The huge ENVISAT spacecraft is failing according to the BBC. But, did … Continue reading »
For some of us, skepticism has almost become a religion. After I read each new science report, I often find myself wondering what I believe. Engineer Mike Macartney’s new article plays with the two ideas that I sometimes think of as fighting siblings, belief and science. Carl Sagan said, “Science is a way of thinking much … Continue reading »
Is there a limit to how fast we can go, how much space we can cover over a unit of time? Take a look at the speed of thought, speed of light, and sound with engineer Mike Macartney in his new guest post. Speed Limits by Mike Macartney If you accept that time is an … Continue reading »
Science and engineering together are a big, fast-growing part of the US workforce – more than 5 million people. Yet, many people in the US are still left out of science and engineering jobs. A new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) looks at the gaps, and what to do about them. The report, … Continue reading »
Who is responsible for outer-space litter? And if you drop something when your out there in orbit, does it just float around? Or is it a loose cannon? Engineer Mike Macartney takes a look at technology to clean the heavens in this new article. Trash Day on Thursdays by Mike Macartney They make so much noise, the … Continue reading »
Being a lightweight is not necessarily a compliment. Unless you are a computer or phone, or maybe a bicycle, car or plane. A new report, on “Application of Lightweighting Technology to Military Vehicles, Vessels, and Aircraft” is just out. It is available free online at the National Academies Press, at: http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13277 . There, you can … Continue reading »
This week’s post is from enginer Mike Macartney, on particle physics and – not the universe – but Star Trek. Science fiction captures our imagination without the usual pain of formal science. Why do so many of us love science fiction, and yet fewer of us love physics? It may be partly a matter of the words we use … Continue reading »
Engineer and publisher Mike Macartney wrote this invited post on what he sees as the defining issue of the 21st century. Scale. When I think of the future of our cities, I think of layers of urban life in director Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, based on the Philip K. Dick novel “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” I wonder, what will the scale … Continue reading »
