Solar System Atlas

April 20, 2005 7:18 AM

Mathematicians are creating an atlas of solar system highways along which spacecraft can coast using no fuel. First stop: Mars, where new findings have revealed the locations red planet’s ancient poles. Onward to distant galaxies, and debate over whether a fundamental physical constant has actually changed over time.
posted by dfowler (17 comments total)

Heh, cool - love the cartoon picture in the first link...
posted by Chunder at 7:25 AM on April 20, 2005

I saw Jerrold Marsden talk about his "tubes" back in January. It's pretty astonishing that our computing power is sufficient now to use chaotic three-body dynamics instead of throwing up our hands and cursing Poincare.

Here's Marsden's writeup of his talk (in a booklet with the four other talks from the Current Events session) and Marsden's home page, which has some nifty demos.
posted by gleuschk at 7:31 AM on April 20, 2005

Holy shit. Just when you think you have a god rough idea of how things work. I mean, I've known of Lagrange Points for years, but I never got ths implication.

I love a post that makes me see old stuff in whole new ways. Another great post by dfowler.
posted by orthogonality at 8:08 AM on April 20, 2005

Yay! Interplanetary ley lines!

/unhelpful
posted by goatdog at 8:17 AM on April 20, 2005

john webb published something that got him loads of publicity but was't correct (last link)? i'm shocked! shocked, i tell you.
posted by andrew cooke at 8:18 AM on April 20, 2005

I will find my dream woman
using the mathematics of love
and navigate the interplanetary superhighway
to a new state of honeymoon matter
pausing only for molecular gastronomy
and digital sex.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 8:34 AM on April 20, 2005

weapons-grade, please report for duty at taz's metaiku blog, pronto, copy?
posted by dfowler at 8:38 AM on April 20, 2005

!!!!
posted by dfowler at 9:06 AM on April 20, 2005

"We're treating this just like we treat any type of roadside memorial," said IDOT spokesman Mike Claffey. "We have no plans to clean this site."

Shouldn't that be IDIOT spokesman?
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:17 AM on April 20, 2005

One analogy Marsden used in a talk a couple years ago, to illustrate that unstable processes can be efficient, was humans walking. At each step, you're in an unstable equilibrium, starting to fall down, but with a little push you right yourself.
posted by Aknaton at 9:24 AM on April 20, 2005

weapons-grade, please report for duty at taz's metaiku blog, pronto, copy?

MetaFilter sucks
all my available time
only stop to eat.
posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 9:42 AM on April 20, 2005

Neato. I just sent this to my brother and dad.
posted by docpops at 9:47 AM on April 20, 2005

Most excellent.
posted by grateful at 10:05 AM on April 20, 2005

One analogy Marsden used in a talk a couple years ago, to illustrate that unstable processes can be efficient, was humans walking. At each step, you're in an unstable equilibrium, starting to fall down, but with a little push you right yourself.

He used this in January too. I really liked his observation that "A human body walking is just an inverted pendulum."
posted by gleuschk at 10:33 AM on April 20, 2005

Fascinating article; thanks for the link.
posted by Dean King at 11:30 AM on April 20, 2005

dfowler, I thought your link was about an underpa*nts* stain!

Great stuff.
posted by notsnot at 3:52 PM on April 20, 2005

simply the best, dfowler!
posted by moonbird at 5:57 PM on April 20, 2005