DickMcMahon 0 #1 August 2, 2004 With all the VIDEO equipment aboard the Mars landers, etc., has anyone ever thought of putting microphones on board? It would be interesting to hear the wind, or whatever other sounds there might be. Maybe crickets chirp at night. Just a thought ... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
PurpleWill 1 #2 August 2, 2004 If they did they would probably hear the footsteps of the group of odd little green men following the lander just outside of it's field of vision.There is a lot of stuff worth doing but then there is a lot of stuff worth doing instead. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tink1717 2 #3 August 2, 2004 Actually, they did. They were on a probe (the name escapes me right now) that crashed. The purpose was to test whether or not an atmosphere as thin as the one on Mars would transmit sound.Skydivers don't knock on Death's door. They ring the bell and runaway... It really pisses him off. -The World Famous Tink. (I never heard of you either!!) AA #2069 ASA#33 POPS#8808 Swooo 1717 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest #4 August 2, 2004 QuoteActually, they did. They were on a probe (the name escapes me right now) that crashed. The purpose was to test whether or not an atmosphere as thin as the one on Mars would transmit sound. The microphone aboard the Mars Polar Lander was suggested by astronomer Carl Sagan. The composition of the Martian atmosphere was already known - the microphone was purely an esoteric effort; the amplifier circuitry was tuned to pick up the faint winds...too bad. One wonders if the current mission will make an attempt to locate the Mars Polar Lander. It's a needle in a haystack, but given that the Global Surveyor orbiter spotted Spirit's jettisoned heat shield, back shell and parachute assemblies on the surface, as well as the bounce marks it made when it landed, it doesn't seem out of the question that the MPL's cratered remains could be found...but it's a big hassle to change orbits, especially from 100M miles away... mh ."The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnRich 4 #5 August 2, 2004 QuoteA question for NASA While we have the attention of the rocket scientists... What I want to know is: if I'm flying through space at the speed of light, and turn on my headlights, what happens? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildblue 7 #6 August 2, 2004 QuoteWhat I want to know is: if I'm flying through space at the speed of light, and turn on my headlights, what happens? First of all, you wouldn't exist. Let's say you were really really really close to the speed of light and turned your headlights on - you'd witness the light exactly the same as you would if you were stopped in a parking lot.it's like incest - you're substituting convenience for quality Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cajun 0 #7 August 2, 2004 Except that your head lights would appear to be red, and that you would be able to see your own tail lights while looking forward and they would be bluish. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildblue 7 #8 August 2, 2004 QuoteExcept that your head lights would appear to be red, and that you would be able to see your own tail lights while looking forward and they would be bluish. To a stationary observer, yes. To you, everything would look normal except everything you passed would look really small, rotated, and objects that your lights hit would be doppler-shifted. Maybe. it's like incest - you're substituting convenience for quality Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Icon134 0 #9 August 2, 2004 Quote What I want to know is: if I'm flying through space at the speed of light, and turn on my headlights, what happens? from your perspective it would appear normal (i.e. you're headlights would leave you're car at the speed of light as they always do (because you are only conserned with you're reference frame)... outside of your reference frame it would look a bit different... (to determine the exact picture you need to use a number of complex equations.) Scott I am the center of my universe... I can make you (or anyone else) the center of my universe but that requires complex mathematical equations and I'm too lazy to do that. (If you are ever pulled over by the cops for speeding try to convince them that you weren't actually moving that instead everyone else is moving around you and you are standing still... on sencond thought maybe that isn't such a good idea.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cajun 0 #10 August 2, 2004 I believe this is incorrect because the speed of light is a constant that is independent from the speed of it source. You can not add your speed to the speed of light (I think Einstein said this), therefore if you're traveling near the speed of light you'll be compressing the light waves as you catch them causing a red shift. I could be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lawrocket 3 #11 August 2, 2004 So, if you could travel at the speed of light, and your buddy asked you for a lift, could you say you'll get him there in "no time?" My wife is hotter than your wife. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wildblue 7 #12 August 2, 2004 Quoteyou'll be compressing the light waves as you catch them causing a red shift the light reflecting off of objects you're passing, yes. But if you're brave enough to crawl across your hood and look at your lights, they would appear normal to you. A stationary observer on the other hand would see your lights doppler-ized.it's like incest - you're substituting convenience for quality Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BeattheDrums 0 #13 August 2, 2004 QuoteI believe this is incorrect because the speed of light is a constant that is independent from the speed of it source. You can not add your speed to the speed of light (I think Einstein said this), therefore if you're traveling near the speed of light you'll be compressing the light waves as you catch them causing a red shift. I could be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time. Actually the speed of light was recently (within the past 3 years i think) shown to slow down or speed up depending on the medium it was traveling trough. In fact in one experiment that was performed light was slowed to almost a standstill. There was an article in popular science about it.... Ill see if i can find it... A thunder of jets in a clear blue sky, a streak of gray and a cheerful "Hi" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 2,146 #14 August 2, 2004 QuoteQuoteA question for NASA While we have the attention of the rocket scientists... What I want to know is: if I'm flying through space at the speed of light, and turn on my headlights, what happens? You run the battery down.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Cajun 0 #15 August 2, 2004 I was assuming that we're shooting light in an absolute vacuum with no gravitation pull for anything, including your own pull which would be quite great at near the speed of light, but just the same, if you can find that article I would enjoy reading it. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skiskyrock 0 #16 August 2, 2004 Quote Actually the speed of light was recently (within the past 3 years i think) shown to slow down or speed up depending on the medium it was traveling trough. In fact in one experiment that was performed light was slowed to almost a standstill. There was an article in popular science about it.... Ill see if i can find it... That has been know for at least a century. The refractive index of something is the ratio of the speed of light in the something to the speed of light in vacuum. The speed in the medium is always less than that in vacuum. This causes a beam of light to bend at a sharper angle when it goes into water at an angle. What they've discovered recently is that things can have a negative refractive index, so the light beam tends to bend at a shallower angle than it went in at. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
