that other guy’s thoughts

Do you tip professional moving people? How much? On both the pickup and delivery? Why don’t they teach you things like this in school?

A wee bit of engineering reality force-fed to the scientific world.

Editor’s note: I’ve dumbed down this explainer a large amount, rest assured I’m well versed in the theories and numbers behind what I say. I am an aerospace engineer after all

I thought we were done with this space elevator thing. Not now, not ever, not with the elements available on this planet.

For a full explanation of how it would work in theory is available here

Here’s the fundamental problem. The only way this works is if we use a material with the strength and weight of nanotechnologically arrange carbon. In theory this stuff is the shiznit; by arranging the strongest bonding element atom by atom in a geometrically efficient manner, you can get a material that is both stronger and lighter than anything on the planet. The scientific and small-scale applications of this are unlimited. HOWEVER, you run into a bit of a problem when producing 20,000 pounds of the stuff. If you rely on the outstanding properties of properly atomically arranged carbon structures you can make them really thin. But what happens when your pretty little nanotube gets blasted with the loads of radiation that hangs out in space and instantly disbonds a few of you atoms from one another? Or what happens when the trace chemicals present in our atmosphere invite themselves into your perfect union of carbon? The real world happens that’s what. Your gloriously efficient structure is now a floppy unknown organic noodle. Fracture city my friends.

We in the aerospace industry know all about these wonder materials that will ‘revolutionize’ the way things are made. Aluminum, alloyed aluminum, titanium, composites, each made it’s debut in the aerospace field and was set to slash the weights of all airplanes, make them go 10 times a fast/high/far. It never quite pans out, sure they all improved existing airplanes, but they sure didn’t instantly change the way everything works. Why? Because of the environment, regardless of how awesome something looks in the laboratory you have to use it in some environment, which means all sorts of things will be touching your finely honed material, making it not so finely honed.

Yes, nanotechnology rules, yes it will effect the fields of science, medicine, and engineering in a very real and positive way, but lets not hit the top floor button of the space elevator quite yet…at least until we can get this stuff out of the nanoscopic lab and into the macroscopic world.

I’ve said goodbye to Lawrence, and the College lifestyle, and I’ve gone through all my personal goodbyes save one. The ducks appear to all be in order. Funny thing though, I don’t FEEL particularly different than I did two weeks ago, or even six months ago. Its probably got something to do with how ingrained the idea of looming work is in my brain.

For four full years there has always been something bigger/badder/tougher waiting on the horizon; it was so commonplace that the mere idea of another shoe hanging there waiting to drop is subconsciously assumed. So even though I’ve got nothing due, I still feel like I do. It’s a weird feeling…very weird.

Well, we’re coming right down to it then, aren’t we?

Less than 1 week until I move to Wichita.
Less than 2 weeks until I start my 1st full time for real job.

All the arrangements have been made, and everthing is set. I guess all that remains is to wait for the passage of time.

wait…

and wait…

AND wait…