>Dasani, water by the Coca-Cola company to make you thirsty and sick?

>I hate Dasani bottled water.  “Das” in German means “the” and “ani” means “citizens” in Serbian, but “ani” sounds to me like the plural of anus. I’ve avoided this Coca-Cola water for years because I find the taste foul. But the problem is, now places I’ve been getting my bottled water for years have started carrying it exclusively.

Dasani (pronounced /dəˈsɑːni/) is a brand of bottled water from the Coca-Cola company, launched in 1993, after the success of Aquafina (produced by Coca-Cola-rival PepsiCo). It is one of many brands of Coca-Cola bottled water sold around the world. … Coca-Cola uses tap water from local municipal water supplies, filters it using the process of reverse osmosis and adds trace amounts of minerals, including magnesium sulfate (Epsom salt), potassium chloride and table salt (sodium chloride).

Here are some comments about Dasani:

I’m not sure about you, but I prefer not to drink salt water (Dasani). Water should not have a flavor. ITS WATER! You can’t purify water by ADDING minerals. That’s why I’ll stick with drinking AQUAFINA.

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Dasani is hands down the worst water on the market…as mentioned previously it ADDS SALT, they purposefully put this in to keep you just a little bit thirsty (great business plan) and you never fully have your thirst quenched. Hands down Aquafina is the best water available (even as compared to Evian, Fiji, and the more exotic brands.)

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Do you know the truth about Dasani? its nothing but ‘purified ‘tap’ water treated with minerals. The cost of manufacturing a one liter bottle is just 0.03p and they sell it at 95p, this means a mark up of over 3000%. Lets not be foolish..they got nicely whacked and kicked out from the UK market. I sometimes wonder how big MNCs like coke have such low ethical values. They are just squeezing out our pockets

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Dasani Casues Cancer … Dasani is just lefover water fromt their soda, has Brominate that is cancer causing,

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i was drinking dasani.for the good taste awhile detoxing. i never pissed,and when i did it was dark yellow..i thought my kidneys were shot from the drugs i was detoxing from.but it was from the dasani my doctor said. … .you just should not pee dark yellow after drinking 4 dasani;s. ..also i would like to add .i had severe chest pains.when i gulped alot of dasani down. if you have a choice and you need alot of pure water dont do dasani. either get it out the tap.or get pure water

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did you know that the minerals in Dasani can cause deposits in the kidneys therefore leading to very PAINFUL kidney stones later on? Minerals such as calcium cause kidney stones and since Aquafina is purified and “free” of these minerals, it is the safer, less painful choice. Tap water is also free of these minerals. If you don’t believe me then google “does bottled water cause kidney stones.”

– via expotv

What is this about  “Brominate”?

On 18 March 2004, UK authorities found a concentration of bromate, a suspected human carcinogen, in the product that could be considered harmful if consumed in large quantities. Dasani was thus potentially carcinogenic. Coca-Cola immediately recalled half a million bottles and pulled the “Dasani” brand from the UK market.^[1] Shortly after, plans to introduce the brand to Continental Europe were announced to have been canceled as well. Ironically, bromate was not present in the water before Coca-Cola’s treatment process. During that process the bromate was produced from the water’s bromide. – wikipedia

Jesus. I knew my body was right when it was telling me this stuff was evil. But to be sure… has anyone had a bottle or two of this stuff tested in the US for bromate?

In testing by one independent lab, 1 out of 2 bottled waters tested above the EPA/FDA 10 ppb limit for the carcinogen bromate.  … The FDA in the past found bromate at concentrations of up to 40 micrograms/l — which is 4 times the present federal standard. Food safety agencies should do testing for bromates around the world. In the US, the tests commonly cost $20 to $40. …

If the NYS Department of Health learns of an unflavored bottled water testing over 10 ppb for bromate, it will require a recall. But did you know that to avoid any reporting requirement as to bromate to the NYS Department of Health, all a company has to do is add a flavor to the water? If the state agencies like the NYS DOH won’t make the reports available (by uploading them) — and if legislators won’t protect consumers by having the regulations apply equally to flavored water — then consumer groups or media outlets should test the waters for bromate and publish the results. – foodconsumer

I won’t go as far comparing Dasani with lethal injection, and I’m not suggesting the potassium chloride they add is causing people panic attacks and heart trouble, but do test your Dasani and make a BIG fuss about it in the local papers if the lab finds anything in quantities that are dangerous.

>Lowering sodium consumption could save US $18 billion annually in health costs, study finds

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Reducing Americans’ average intake of sodium to the amount recommended by health officials could save the nation as much as $18 billion annually in avoided health care costs and improve the quality of life for millions of people, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

The study estimates that meeting national sodium guidelines could eliminate 11 million cases of high blood pressure nationally and extend the lives of thousands of people each year. The monetary value of the improved quality of life would be an estimated $32 billion annually, according to the findings published in the September/October edition of the Journal of Health Promotion.

“This study provides an important first step toward quantifying the benefits of reducing the intake of sodium by the American public,” said Kartika Palar, the study’s lead author and a graduate fellow at the RAND Pardee Graduate School. “These findings make a strong case that there’s value in pursuing a population-based approach to reducing sodium intake among Americans.”

The study is one of the first to estimate the economic benefits of lowering sodium consumption among the American public.

Excessive consumption of sodium is a persistent health problem in the United States, causing increased rates of high blood pressure and related illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases. The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day, with lower amounts recommended for older adults, black patients and those with high blood pressure — groups that are at higher risk.

Researchers from RAND Health analyzed information about Americans’ blood pressure levels, use of antihypertensive medications and sodium intake from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a federal study that routinely assesses the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The study is unique in that it combines interviews and physical examinations.

Palar and study co-author Roland Sturm, a RAND senior economist, using a cross-sectional simulation model, calculated that lowering sodium intake would trim a sizable portion of the $55 billion spent nationally each year to treat high blood pressure. About half of the $18 billion in annual health care cost savings would accrue to public sector health spending. Researchers say their estimates are conservative because they were not able to calculate the savings for illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases where sodium consumption plays a less-defined role.

via Lowering sodium consumption could save US $18 billion annually in health costs, study finds.

Tell this to Coca-Cola, makers of Dasani water with added sodium… and sometimes the known carcinogen bromate.

>Lowering sodium consumption could save US $18 billion annually in health costs, study finds

>

Reducing Americans’ average intake of sodium to the amount recommended by health officials could save the nation as much as $18 billion annually in avoided health care costs and improve the quality of life for millions of people, according to a new RAND Corporation study.

The study estimates that meeting national sodium guidelines could eliminate 11 million cases of high blood pressure nationally and extend the lives of thousands of people each year. The monetary value of the improved quality of life would be an estimated $32 billion annually, according to the findings published in the September/October edition of the Journal of Health Promotion.

“This study provides an important first step toward quantifying the benefits of reducing the intake of sodium by the American public,” said Kartika Palar, the study’s lead author and a graduate fellow at the RAND Pardee Graduate School. “These findings make a strong case that there’s value in pursuing a population-based approach to reducing sodium intake among Americans.”

The study is one of the first to estimate the economic benefits of lowering sodium consumption among the American public.

Excessive consumption of sodium is a persistent health problem in the United States, causing increased rates of high blood pressure and related illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases. The Institute of Medicine recommends that adults consume no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium each day, with lower amounts recommended for older adults, black patients and those with high blood pressure — groups that are at higher risk.

Researchers from RAND Health analyzed information about Americans’ blood pressure levels, use of antihypertensive medications and sodium intake from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a federal study that routinely assesses the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States. The study is unique in that it combines interviews and physical examinations.

Palar and study co-author Roland Sturm, a RAND senior economist, using a cross-sectional simulation model, calculated that lowering sodium intake would trim a sizable portion of the $55 billion spent nationally each year to treat high blood pressure. About half of the $18 billion in annual health care cost savings would accrue to public sector health spending. Researchers say their estimates are conservative because they were not able to calculate the savings for illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases where sodium consumption plays a less-defined role.

via Lowering sodium consumption could save US $18 billion annually in health costs, study finds.

Tell this to Coca-Cola, makers of Dasani water with added sodium… and sometimes the known carcinogen bromate.

>Biologists discover ‘death stench’ is a universal ancient warning signal

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The smell of recent death or injury that repels living relatives of insects has been identified as a truly ancient signal that functions to avoid disease or predators, biologists have discovered.

David Rollo, professor of biology at McMaster University, found that corpses of animals, from insects to crustaceans, all emit the same death stench produced by a blend of specific fatty acids.

The findings have been published in the journal Evolutionary Biology.

Rollo and his team made the discovery while they were studying the social behavior of cockroaches. When a cockroach finds a good place to live it marks the site with pheromone odours that attract others. In trying to identify the precise chemicals involved, Rollo extracted body juices from dead cockroaches.

“It was amazing to find that the cockroaches avoided places treated with these extracts like the plague,” says Rollo. “Naturally, we wanted to identify what chemical was making them all go away.”

The team eventually identified the specific chemicals that signaled death. Furthermore, they found that the same fatty acids not only signaled death in ants, caterpillars, and cockroaches, they were equally effective in terrestrial woodlice and pill bugs that are actually not insects but crustaceans related to crayfish and lobsters.

Because insects and crustaceans diverged more than 400-million years ago it is likely that most subsequent species recognize their dead in a similar way, that the origin of such signals was likely even older, and that such behaviour initially occurred in aquatic environments (few crustaceans are terrestrial).

“Recognizing and avoiding the dead could reduce the chances of catching the disease, or allow you to get away with just enough exposure to activate your immunity,” says Rollo. Likewise, he adds, release of fatty acids from dismembered body parts could provide a strong warning that a nasty predator was nearby.

“As explained in our study, fatty acids—oleic or linoleic acids—are reliably and quickly released from the cells following death. Evolution appears to have favoured such clues because they were reliably associated with demise, and avoiding contagion and predation are rather critical to survival.”

The generality and strength of the phenomenon, coupled with the fact that the fatty acids are essential nutrients rather than pesticides, holds real promise for applications such as plant and stored product protection or exclusion of household pests.

via Biologists discover ‘death stench’ is a universal ancient warning signal.

Attracts flies, though, right?

>Renters Insurance + Finding out you paid too much

>I’m moving. What to keep? What to give away?

For what I keep, I’m getting renters insurance.

(Just putting the words “insurance” or “mortgage”  in a post on your blog is like putting a plate of raw meat out for spam bots, so I’m sure this post will be flooded with comment spam, but I still think this is an important topic.)

I found a policy at Farmers Insurance for $500,000 of personal liability and $100,000 personal property coverage with a $1000 deductible for under $250/year.  ( When you buy Insurance be sure to get “the declarations page”. This explains what they really cover. Are there limits they cover for certain kinds of items, for example?)

Looking at the details is the only way to know if you are getting a good deal.

I should shop around, because as I now inventory my crap and find out how much it is worth, I see I’ve made some really terrible purchases. I’ve been ripped off for hundreds of dollars because I did not look up the price on line.

Anyway, do I need $25K, $50K or $100K coverage? could I have actually accumulated $100,000 worth of stuff?   They say it is possible.

Once I have sorted out what to keep, I’ll calculate the worth of my personal treasures. Have you ever done this?

I’ve known people who live out of a single suitcase while others have quite a collection of stuff. Here is how I’m breaking mine down. (Isn’t it interesting what “stuff” other people have?)

• Art Supplies
• Bathroom / Cleaning Supplies
• Books/CDs/DVDs
• Camping Gear
• Cash/Rare Coins/Stamps/Archaeological treasures
• Clothes/Shoes
• Computer Equipment
• Decorations/Statues/Paintings/Frames
• Electronics
• Furniture
• Guns/Amo/Swords/Body Armor/Security Systems
• House Plants/Garden Supplies
• Kitchen appliances
• Kitchenware
• Lamps
• Major Appliances
• Medicines/Vitamins
• Music Equipment
• Musical Instruments
• Office Supplies
• Rugs/Curtains/Linens
• Software
• Tools
• Toys/Gadgets/Sports Equipment/Weights

How do you decide what to keep? What if I need that _____ someday even though I have not used it for two years?

To calculate your values, I recommend using a spreadsheet. If you don’t already have one, get OpenOffice (free). OO  includes free  software similar to Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.

>Super-light sub has ‘capability greater than U.S. Navy’

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A new generation of deep-sea submarines light enough to launch from a yacht could open up the ocean’s depths to amateur explorers

The “Deep Flight” winged submersibles are experimental prototypes designed to dive to depths of up to 37,000 ft — almost four times as deep as a giant squid dives — descending at 400 ft/minute.

They are the brainchild of submarine designer Graham Hawkes who is in the process of building commercial models that can reach those depths.

Hawkes has been designing submarines since the 1960s, working initially with the British Special Forces and then for the oil industry.

He now sells his designs to wealthy sailboat owners as the ultimate yacht accessory.

“If you have the money for a mega-yacht and you’re just limited to the surface, then what a waste. That’s my perspective,” Hawkes told CNN in a telephone interview.

The late billionaire balloonist and adventurer, Steve Fossett, commissioned one of Hawkes’ experimental prototypes, “Deep Flight Challenger,” which can dive to 37,000 ft. The craft was four weeks away from delivery when he died.

Venture capitalist Tom Perkins has ordered one of Hawkes’ first commercially-available models, “Deep Flight Superfalcon” for his yacht “Maltese Falcon.” The $1.5 million sub is capable of diving to 1,000 ft and comes complete with air conditioning.

While price means these craft are out of reach for most leisure users, Hawkes denies they are simply rich men’s toys.

The “Deep Flight” winged submersibles are experimental prototypes designed to dive to depths of up to 37,000 ft — almost four times as deep as a giant squid dives — descending at 400 ft/minute.

via Super-light sub has ‘capability greater than U.S. Navy’ – CNN.com.

More info:

Link 1: pdf from Deep Flight: “The pressure hull is a thick wall carbon and glass/epoxy structure” and in another place it says, “Composites: E Glass, Carbon, Kevlar Fiber‐ Proprietary, Epoxy”

Link 2: Machine Design has this to say:

It’s taken Graham Hawkes more than 20 years to realize a lifetime goal: to build and “fly” an underwater vehicle, and possibly make some money doing it. He and his company, Malibu-based Hawkes Ocean Technologies, are now selling their fourthgeneration submersible, the Super Falcon. It’s a far cry from their first sub, Deep Flight I, but they both rely on the same principles to maneuver through and under the water.
…  Heck of a Hull
One of the most startling innovations in the Super Falcon is its hull. Pressure hulls in conventional submarines and bathyspheres have round cross sections because that shape evenly distributes the hoop stresses generated by outside water pressure. But if the hull’s circular shape deforms by 1 or 2%, water pressure instantly crushes the hull if it is deep enough.

The Aviator, the predecessor to the Super Falcon, has a cast-aluminum hull that conforms roughly to the pilot’s shape, but still has circular cross sections. “It’s a curved and tapered cylinder,” says Hawkes. “Sort of a banana with round cross sections.”

Super Falcon’s hull, a prebuckled pressure hull according to Hawkes, is made of a proprietary isotropic composite that is incredibly strong and relatively light. “We used the strength of the material to break the rule about round cross sections,” says Hawkes. “It let us build a shape that better fits a recumbent pilot. And compared to the Aviator, there’s more shoulder room and a few extra inches everywhere it matters for pilot comfort. And even if the hull deforms under pressure or impact, it won’t collapse.”

The pilot and passenger ride in a hull pressurized to within about 1% of normal atmospheric conditions and breath normal air. Outside metal panels make up the body or skin and they are attached to the hull. The body provides the aerodynamic form and covers most of the equipment, which is also housed outside the hull. But the outside skin is not watertight; rather it lets water in, keeping pressure equalized inside and outside the body. Of course, this means components have to withstand enormous pressures. (The Super Falcon is rated for 1,000 ft, where water pressure is 460 psi, but has a safety factor of two built in to the rating. So the hull should not crush until it gets below 2,000 ft, where pressure is 905 psi.)
…

Link 3: Video here at USA Today.

Link 4: Comment from the Yachtpals web site:

Deep Flight Super Falcon is the culmination of four generations of experimental prototype winged submersibles that have succeeded in proving the concept of underwater flight, and introducing the next generation of ultra-lightweight manned vehicles that can access the oceans at all depths. The Super Falcon is the first production-model winged submersible, and was originally commissioned by venture capitalist Tom Perkins for his yacht S/Y Maltese Falcon.

“When I was looking for a submersible, I wanted a fighter jet, not a blimp,” said Tom Perkins. “The Super Falcon is a resounding success and has exceeded my expectations. I believe the Super Falcon is the future for underwater adventuring.”

Video from CNN:

It seems doubtful that the Navy with its huge budget has been outpaced by a civilian.  I tend to think the US Navy has secret stealth submarines which surpass this in speed and depth, things even more stealthy than the Astute.

Wisegeek has some facts about deepest subs:

A small submarine, the bathyscape Trieste, made it to the deepest point in the ocean, the Challenger Deep in the Marianas Trench, a few hundred miles east of the Philippines, 10,916 meters (35,813 ft) below sea level. So clearly a submarine can make it as deep as it’s even theoretically possible to go. The water pressure at this depth is over 1000 atmospheres. Life does exist here, as well as a carpet of diatomaceous material that covers all the ocean floors of the world. As the Trieste has long been dismantled, there currently exists no manned or unmanned craft capable of making it to this depth.

Trieste was manned by two people and funded by the United States Navy. The pressure sphere used was 2.16 m (6.5 ft) across, with steel walls 12.7 cm (5 inches) thick, able to withstand 1.25 metric tons per cm² (110 MPa) of pressure. The pressure sphere of Trieste, which weighed 8 metric tons in water, was not neutrally-bouyant because the steel had to be so thick for a 2 m-sized sphere at that depth to withstand the pressure that it would have sunk like a rock on its own. Therefore Trieste’s pressure sphere had to be attached to a series of gasoline floats, accompanied by iron pellets for weight. Initially weighing slightly more than water, the craft descended 10.9 km below sea level. At the bottom, the pellets were ejected, and the buoyant gasoline floats carried Trieste back to the top.

This feat has never been replicated. The deepest-diving large, military-style submarine was the Soviet submarine K-278 Komsomolets, with a hull made of titanium, making it very expensive, but able to withstand significantly deeper dives than the best submarines made of high-grade steel, like American nuclear submarines. The Komsomolets was a nuclear powered submarine specially designed to make trips as far down as 1300 meters (4265 feet) below sea level, definitely less than the Trieste, but very significant because the Komsomolets had to “defend” a much larger air bubble against the encroaching pressure of the surrounding ocean.

Compared to the best American nuclear submarines, of the Seawolf class, Komsomolets had about 78% better diving capabilities. Seawolf submarines have an estimated crush depth of about 2400 feet (730 m). The Seawolf submarines are constructed of a high grade steel called HY-100, capable of withstanding 100 atmospheres of pressure. As a rule of thumb, the pressure increases by one atmosphere for every 10 m you descend.

>Guatemalan army stole children for adoption, report says

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The Guatemalan army stole at least 333 children and sold them for adoption in other countries during the Central American nation’s 36-year civil war, a government report has concluded

Many of those children ended up in the United States, as well as Sweden, Italy and France, said the report’s author and lead investigator, Marco Tulio Alvarez.

In some cases, the report said, parents were killed so the children could be taken and given to government-operated agencies to be adopted abroad. In other instances, the children were abducted without physical harm to the parents.

“This was a great abuse by the state,” Alvarez told CNN on Friday.

Investigators started examining records in May 2008 for a period that spanned from 1977-89, said Alvarez, the director of the Guatemalan Peace Archive, a commission established by President Alvaro Colom.

Of 672 records investigators looked at, Alvarez said, they determined that 333 children had been stolen. The children were taken for financial and political reasons, he said.

Alvarez acknowledges that many more children possibly were taken. Investigators zeroed in on the 1977-89 period because peak adoptions occurred during that time frame, particularly in 1986. They will investigate through 1995 and hope to have another report ready by early next year, he said.

A presidential ministry has determined that about 45,000 people disappeared during the nation’s civil war, which lasted from 1960 to 1996. About 5,000 of those were children, the ministry said. Another 200,000 people died in the conflict between the leftist guerrillas and right-wing governments.

The nation’s public ministry and attorney general’s office will determine whether anyone is prosecuted over the abductions, Alvarez said.

via Guatemalan army stole children for adoption, report says – CNN.com.

>Two whistleblowers independently report teleporting to Mars and meeting Martian extraterrestrials

>

Two whistleblowers, both formerly involved in secret research and development projects undertaken by US defense agencies, have independently verified their secret teleportation to US bases on Mars, and to meeting intelligent Martian extraterrestrial life. Their accounts are now available on the Internet, and can be seen below in this article.

One of the whistleblowers, Arthur Neumann, is a former employee of the US National Security Agency (NSA), who until recently referred to himself as Henry Deacon for fear of retaliation by the NSA.

On July 25, 2009, at the European Exopolitics Congress in Barcelona, Mr. Neumann publicly stated, “There is life on Mars. There are bases on Mars. I have been there.” The following day, Mr. Neumann participated in Futuretalk, a Project Camelot documentary interview, in which he provided details of his teleporting to a base on Mars and participating in a one-hour NSA project meeting, which was also attended by representatives of an intelligent civilization that lives in cities under the surface of Mars.

The other whistleblower, lawyer Andrew D. Basiago, is a former child participant in a secret time travel project launched by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). In a six-hour interview released August 31, 2009, Mr. Basiago “relates his experiences in DARPA’s Project Pegasus during the period 1969 to 1972, and describes probes to past and future events that he took via teleportation and chronovision during the early days of time-space exploration by the US government.

“He [Mr. Basiago] confirms that the United States has been teleporting individuals to Mars for decades and recounts the awe-inspiring and terrifying trips that he took to Mars in 1981 after he was tapped to go there because he had teleported as a child participant in Project Pegasus.”

via Two whistleblowers independently report teleporting to Mars and meeting Martian extraterrestrials.

>Two whistleblowers independently report teleporting to Mars and meeting Martian extraterrestrials

>

Two whistleblowers, both formerly involved in secret research and development projects undertaken by US defense agencies, have independently verified their secret teleportation to US bases on Mars, and to meeting intelligent Martian extraterrestrial life. Their accounts are now available on the Internet, and can be seen below in this article.

One of the whistleblowers, Arthur Neumann, is a former employee of the US National Security Agency (NSA), who until recently referred to himself as Henry Deacon for fear of retaliation by the NSA.

On July 25, 2009, at the European Exopolitics Congress in Barcelona, Mr. Neumann publicly stated, “There is life on Mars. There are bases on Mars. I have been there.” The following day, Mr. Neumann participated in Futuretalk, a Project Camelot documentary interview, in which he provided details of his teleporting to a base on Mars and participating in a one-hour NSA project meeting, which was also attended by representatives of an intelligent civilization that lives in cities under the surface of Mars.

The other whistleblower, lawyer Andrew D. Basiago, is a former child participant in a secret time travel project launched by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). In a six-hour interview released August 31, 2009, Mr. Basiago “relates his experiences in DARPA’s Project Pegasus during the period 1969 to 1972, and describes probes to past and future events that he took via teleportation and chronovision during the early days of time-space exploration by the US government.

“He [Mr. Basiago] confirms that the United States has been teleporting individuals to Mars for decades and recounts the awe-inspiring and terrifying trips that he took to Mars in 1981 after he was tapped to go there because he had teleported as a child participant in Project Pegasus.”

via Two whistleblowers independently report teleporting to Mars and meeting Martian extraterrestrials.

>Gravitational corridors could help spacecraft travel

>Spaghetti junction: A computer graphic depicting gravitational corridors that weave around planetary bodies. It is hoped spacecraft could travel along the currents as ships do on the ocean . Scientists in the U.S. are trying to map the twisting ‘tubes’ so they can be used to cut the cost of space travel

Depicted by computer graphics, the pathways look like strands of spaghetti that wrap around planetary bodies and snake between them.

The pathways connect sites called Lagrange points where gravitational forces balance out.

Professor Shane Ross, from Virginia Tech in the US, said: ‘Basically the idea is there are low energy pathways winding between planets and moons that would slash the amount of fuel needed to explore the solar system.

‘These are freefall pathways in space around and between gravitational bodies. Instead of falling down, like you do on Earth, you fall along these tubes.

‘Each of the tubes starts off narrow and small and as it gets further out it gets wider and might also split.

‘I like to think of them as being similar to ocean currents, but they are gravitational currents. If you’re in a parking orbit round the Earth, and one of them intersects your trajectory, you just need enough fuel to change your velocity and now you’re on a new trajectory that is free.’

Riding one of the gravitational currents was unlike exploiting the ‘slingshot’ effect of a planet or moon’s gravity, a routine space travel technique, he explained.

‘Its not the same as a slingshot,’ said Prof Ross. ‘Slingshots don’t put you in orbit round a moon, whereas this does.’

Just one U.S. mission so far has made use of the concept. The Genesis spacecraft was launched in 2004 to capture solar wind particles and return them to Earth.

Following the gravitational pathways allowed the amount of fuel carried by the probe to be cut 10-fold.

The mission ended in failure, but only because a parachute failed on landing.

The corridors were especially useful for voyaging between a planet’s moons, said Prof Ross, speaking at the British Science Festival at the University of Surrey in Guildford.

‘Once you get to another planet that has its own tubes you can use them to explore its moons,’ he added. ‘You could travel between the moons of Jupiter essentially for free. All you need is a little bit of fuel to do course corrections.’

The trade off was time, he said. It would take a few months to get round the Jovian moon system.

However, interplanetary travel would always require some fuel, Prof Ross pointed out. Attempting to get a free tube ride from Earth to Mars would take thousands of years.

via Highway in the sky: The gravitational corridors that could help spacecraft travel the solar system | Mail Online.