Well, the avalanche of new science just keeps on rolling in…
First off is the news that they’ve run the first test to get nuclear fusion working at Max Planck Institute in Germany. See here for details. This is still at the experimental stages, bit so far so good. Of course there are other hot fusion experiments being done and prepared around the world. It’s now a case of who gets there fast enough to corner the market in the technology. But the bottom line is that the use of fossil fuels will be consigned to history within this century.
Then there’s those bright spots on the dwarf planet, Ceres.The scientists say they are due to salts. Most likely salt is the magnesium sulphate.
Not sure what the implications are of this (except this will disappoint those who were hoping it was an indication that aliens exist).
NASA has put together a visualisation of the space weather that New Horizons had to pass through to get to Pluto. By all accounts it was a stormy ride. See here for details.
The Japanese probe, Akatsuki, has finally made into orbit around the planet, Venus. (Which given other circumstances, is rather appropriate timing, but more about that in a future post.) See here for details.
And finally for this post, comes that news that Tesla’s boss, Elon Musk, along with Linkedin co-founder Reid Hoffman and Paypal Co-founder Peter Thiel, are creating OpenAI, a nonprofit organisation devoted to “[advancing] digital intelligence in the way that is most likely to benefit humanity as a whole, unconstrained by a need to generate financial return.” Of particular interest is the idea that AI should be used to save the world from advanced AI. See here for details.
Does this last item sound familiar? If not let me give you a clue:
As you know from my previous post, I’m working on the C.A.T. novel. (C.A.T.’s still purring about the Honourable Mention in the Writers of the Future contest for his 5th C.A.T. story by the way…). And yes, the theme of AI protecting humans from AI is going to developed further in that novel, but it is not the major theme, though if does have significant consequences in the novel… Hey… maybe I ought to… well I’ll leave your imaginations to finish the sentence.
Rosie Oliver 
I’ve nominated you for The Infinity Dreams Award sjhigbee.wordpress.com/2015/12/13/the-infinity-dreams-award/
Welcome to my blog, Sara, and thank you for the award. I shall be responding before the end of the year – but heck – Infinity Dreams sounds like an awesome title!
You’re welcome. I always enjoy reading your blog:).
Thanks for your great blogs, Rosie. It’s good to be kept up to date with developments during this exciting time in space exploration! How long before we set up a colony on Mother Moon?
Hello Bob,
Many thanks for your kind thoughts.
As to when we’re going to set up a permanent colony on the Moon? Once they work out how to make a profit from going to the Moon. With the helium three needed for nuclear fusion, I reckon it’s going to be within twenty years.
Brilliant! I do hope you are right. It seems to me that a base on the Moon is the obvious stepping stone to Mars and beyond. There’s so much we could learn there, and maybe an international colony, such as ESA envisages in their ‘Destination: Moon’ video would be the way to achieve it?