I myself once performed a demonstration in my physics class where I compared a Helium filled balloon to a Carbon Dioxide filled balloon. Of course, one floats and the other falls to the ground (faster than a balloon filled with room air).

I then showed how my voice sounds higher when I inhale Helium due to the fact that the speed of sound is faster in Helium than in air, and the waves pile up as the slow down at the Helium-Air interface.

To be clever, I asked my students what happens when you breathe in Carbon Dioxide and try the same trick. Your voice should sound far lower. What I didn’t count on was that when you breathe pure Carbon Dioxide, it combines with the water in your lung membranes and forms Carbonic Acid. I almost coughed to death during the demo.

Next time Michelle Bachmann says that CO2 is harmless, have her take a breath out of a CO2 balloon!

Kevin Knuth
Albany NY

On Thursday October 16th at 7pm PST, JPL will host a webcast of a lecture on the new Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Rover. This webcast will require RealPlayer—the free RealPlayer 8 Basic can be downloaded from RealPlayer.
More info can be found here at JPL.

This talk is part of the JPL von Kármán Lecture Series.
Here is the Summary from the JPL Website:

New Wheels on Mars: The Mars Science Laboratory
Dr. Richard Cook
Mars Science Laboratory Project Manager

Building on the success of the two rover geologists that arrived at Mars in January, 2004, NASA’s next rover mission will depart for the Red Planet in 2009. Twice as long and five times as heavy as the Mars Exploration Rovers, the Mars Science Laboratory will collect Martian soil and rock samples and analyze them for organic compounds and minerals which demonstrate that Mars can or did support life. This sophisticated science laboratory will be delivered to the Martian surface using an innovative new landing system. The spacecraft will start by steering itself through the Martian atmosphere in a fashion similar to the way the Apollo entry capsule controlled its entry through Earth’s upper atmosphere. This approach will allow the spacecraft to fly to a desired location above the surface of Mars before deploying its parachute for the final landing. Then, in the final minutes before touchdown, the spacecraft will activate its parachute and retro rockets before lowering the rover package to the surface on a tether.

If you are local, you may be able to attend the talk:

Thursday, October 16, 2008, 7p.m.
The von Kármán Auditorium at JPL
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Pasadena, CA
+Directions

Friday, October 17, 2008, 7p.m.
The Vosloh Forum at Pasadena City College
1570 East Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA
+Directions

I have just launched a new blog that focuses entirely on advances in robotics.

This blog will provide information about research-quality advances and links to the more technical aspects, such as journal papers, computer code, and other resources.

Please visit Robots Everywhere!

Kevin Knuth
Albany NY

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) captured for the first time ever an avalanche in progress on another world! 

These images were taken with the Hi Resolution Imaging Experiment (HiRISE) flying on the MRO.  This image was taken at 34° latitude and 235.8° longitude, which is in Mars’ north polar region. The geology of this region is that of a layered dome of material, and this cliff is located at the edge of it. The cliff is about one half of a mile high! (70 m = 2300 ft) and is incredibly steep with slopes as great as 60°.  The cloud of dust is about 590 feet across and extends about 625 feet from the base of the cliff.

This image was taken on February 18, 2008 at 1:05pm Martian local time. In the northern hemisphere of Mars, spring began on December 10, 2007, and the Carbon Dioxide ice (seen in the left side of the image at the top of the cliff) is beginning to thaw in the spring “heat”.  The Carbon Dioxide ice does not melt, instead it sublimes (turning from a solid to a gas).   As it does sediments and ice in these steep cliffs give way to avalanches. 

The scientists have been watching these particular locations with the hope of catching one in action.  They have succeeded!

Here you can compare before (PSP_007140_2640) and after (PSP_007338_2640) photos.

Kevin Knuth
Albany NY

This is potentially an exciting new medium for the exchanging of ideas.  However, in a world where we have come to believe that everyone’s opinion is somehow worthwhile, this could also be a disaster.  They have imposed some structure which will most likely avert the problems I anticipate here (with only 5 minutes of thought).

BigThink.com has experts providing their opinions along with a set of unanswered questions.  It will be very interesting to see how this progresses—especially in the areas of hot debate.

Kevin Knuth
Albany NY