Testing on the ground removes all the characteristics of space that make eddy-currents and other exotic actuators useful there. Specifically, friction (with air or a surface) often overwhelms the small forces of spacecraft actuators that aren’t rocket powered. So, low friction test beds are necessary to experimentally verify things meant... [Read More]

A description of the latest research rabbit hole over at SSDS: where could you put a ping pong ball on the outside of the ISS, let go, and have it stick thanks to orbital mechanics? There is math and pretty pictures. It's also a test of $latex \LaTeX$  equations in... [Read More]

Sometimes, it feels like non-computer technology has kind of stagnated. Then you see Laser guns...  Robot police in Africa... and Fantasia in real life My analysis? Most of the hardware innovation doesn't permeate our everyday lives the way software does. Instead, it's working behind the scenes to make the same... [Read More]

Today I inadvertently ran a human toxicity trial with N = 1 data points. I’m calling it ‘the effects of way too much black pepper on human physiology.’ The conclusion is that you should ALWAYS make sure you have the side of the the pepper container with many little holes,... [Read More]

A snippet from an abstract I'm working on - further details about 'falling up': Although they have many advantages over present technology, eddy-current actuators are not a killer app for generating 6-degree-of-freedom forces. Eddy-current forces are small and drop off quickly with distance. The necessary electromagnets and motors both generate... [Read More]