curiousdroid

Telstar 1 - The Satellite That Changed the World - Patreon

It might look like a a prototype for the Death Star but Telstar 1 started the satellite TV age that we now have with the 24/7 rolling news and sports from anywhere in the world, so in this video we look at the 1st privately funded communications satellite and how it changed the world. All ad free of course :-)

How does Coronavirus (Covid-19) compare to Spanish flu?

A look at the similarities and differences between Covid-19 and Spanish Flu and why we wont have the same disastrous outcome that occurs in 1918.

What happened to the British aircraft industry?

Considering the UK was at the forefront of aviation, the fall and rise of the British aircraft and defence industry is one of the lesser-known subjects even to us Britain's who often see the fall of manufacturing as just one way, though the British government has sometimes made things much worse than they could have been. 

In this video, we look at the collapse of UK aircraft production and the missed opportunities together with the future possibilities now. 

Merlin - The Engine that Won the War

The story of how one engine changed the course of WW2 and world events and enabled a range of iconic aircraft in the process.

What Fossils Will We Leave Behind in 65 Million Years?

This is a thought experiment as much as anything looking backwards in time at the possibility of an advanced species evolving long before us and if there would be any evidence of there existence now. Then forwards if we were to be wiped out like the dinosaurs, and to what we might leave behind for a far-future intelligent species of earthlings to find.

Is this the fastest thing in the universe?

After doing a couple of videos that touched on radiation and particles i though it would be interesting to look at the OMG particle, the fastest physical thing other than light in the known universe.

Its also an an experiment in making shorter videos but with still a lot of information in them as i seem to have being getting longer and longer recently, which in turn means that they  are much slower to produce, this taking just 4 days, a minor miracle to me :-)

Apollo's Forgotten Computer - The LVDC

Although many think its was the Apollo Guidance Computer or AGC that did everything there was another, the Launch Vehicle Digital Computer or LVDC.

This controlled and flew the Saturn and was used right up until the vehicle reached the moon, in this video we look at the forgotten Apollo computer.

How safe are nuclear weapons?

Considering the number of nuclear weapons that have been created since 1945, it is something of a miracle that up to now there hasn't been a major nuclear explosion involving them, so how safe are nuclear weapons?

Why is Project HAARP so controversial?

This started out as a simple video but ended up one of the longest I've done and even then i've just scratched the surface but the research has thrown up several ideas for future  videos, so we'll see how it goes and which way any spin offs may go :-)

What does it take to land on a comet?

This has been a bit of a while in getting done but finally, it's here and my first one working with the European Space Agency (ESA) on an official level. Hopefully, it will be the first of many. 

What happens to old spacecraft?

What happens to old spacecraft?. We know when new ones are launched and sometimes when they don't make it to where they are going but after that, they just seem to go quiet.

From the very first man-made object to orbit the earth to the ISS we look at where do they end up.

You Won't Believe How the First Spy Satellites Worked

When the first Spy satellites were put into orbit they were a long way from the type of reconnaissance satellites and even Google Earth that we are used to now and you won't believe what they did to get the images back to Earth. This is the story of project Corona and how it changed the way we look at the world.

Why Did We Test Nukes in Space?

At a time when the game of nuclear chicken very nearly got out of hand the superpowers continued to test nuclear weapons in space with both surprising and frightening consequences. In this video we look at why we needed to test nukes in space.

What Happened to NASA's Gateway to Space - Launch Complex 39

Happy new year to everyone, this was a suggestion from our facebook group who wanted know more about the launchpads themselves. So here is a look at the most famous launchpads in the world at Cape Canaveral Launch complex 39, NASA's gateway to space.

What Were the Real Reasons Why We Stopped Going to the Moon?

New video time, this one looks at the real reasons why we stopped going to the moon.If you thought we sent Apollo to the purely to explore the moon and do the science then think again. 

Apollo was primarily a political tool for Kennedy to use against the Soviets. In this episode, we find out the real reasons why we stopped going to the moon.

The Rise and Fall of the British Rocket Jet Fighter - The SR-177

New video time, this one is about the british rocket jet fighter, yes rocket and jet powered and its fall from being the best to being forgotten.

Can We Save Hubble and Where is the James Webb Space Telescope?

The Hubble Space Telescope has given us some of the most amazing views of the universe for 25 years and although it could go on for many years more, things are starting to go wrong but without the shuttle, we have no real way the fix it.

But its successor the James Webb Space Telescope was due to have been in space years ago. However, now it isn't due to launch until 2021, so could we save Hubble and why is the JWST taking so long.

SLAM - America's Big Stick & Doomsday Weapon

In this time we are looking at America's cold war doomsday weapon SLAM AKA Project Pluto, the virtually unstoppable nuclear powered cruise missile that proved so controversial it was cancelled before it could be deployed.

Could We Launch Spacecraft with a Giant Space Gun?

Although it sounds like a crazy idea it has been tried on several occasions and is seriously considered to be a way to put the less fragile raw materials like fuel, food and water into orbit, so in this video we look at what the problems might be and some of the attempts to try in the past.

How Will We Save the Apollo & Other Lunar Landing Sites?

With the advent of a new wave of lunar explorers not so far off and probably not form NASA, how will we save the Apollo and other lunar landing sites from damage or treasure hunters in the future?

Why Can't we Remake the Rocketdyne F1 Engine?

Ever wondered why NASA dont just bring back the F-1 engine when they want a big dumb but yet reliable, tried and tested booster engine, in this video we look at what happened when they tried exactly that for the SLS.

The Real Soviet Rocketmen

In the days of the space race three men in the Soviet Union led the way creating cutting-edge rockets that would be the match of the US in many ways but for all their genius they were also flawed and bring about almost as many problems for themselves as they fixed.

This is the intriguing story of the three most influential rocket men in the Soviet Union if not the world.

NASA's Big Mistake - The X-33 VentureStar

The X-33 was the prototype replacement for the Space Shuttle and would feature a range of cutting-edge technologies that would make much cheaper to operate and quicker to turn around with much less personal, so why did it get cancelled at the last moment when it had so much to offer?

Why is NASA so slow?

How is it that we could get to the moon in just 7 years but now it takes 20 years the build the SLS, here we look at why NASA is so slow these days.

Questions for tomorrow's live stream

I've just setup the next live stream for tomorrow May 3rd at 2pm EST / 7pm UK time.

The subject is "The end of the Universe" with theoretical astrophysicist and science writer Ethan Siegal. 

If you have any questions please let me know before the show.

Guest Posters wanted

I have just finished bringing the curious-droid.com website up to date, something that has needed doing for the past two years and as part of this of is to open it up to guest bloggers to write articles on the subjects we cover. 

This will not be for video scripts but as stand-alone articles for the website only. I will be announcing this on the youtube channel soon which should bring in a lot more viewers but as you are part of the Patreon group, you're getting the heads up early. <...

Reusable Rockets & Flyback boosters

New video time and this one is about the reusable rockets not only by Spacex and Blue Origin but some of the others both past and present.

Wonder where we could use these two in a video

Prototype cybermen ??

What happened to the Ekranoplan? - The Caspian Sea Monster

This episodes video is looking at the Ekranoplan, more commonly known as the Caspian Sea Monster.

1st Live Stream, your views and opinions

Firstly I'd like to thank all thoses who were moderators for the show and those who posted questions, I hope we answered them to your satisfaction.

I would also like to hear your views and opinions on the show, what was good and what was not so good, length, content, look stream performance etc.

We have the next show in the planning stage and hopefully it will go out in 2 weeks time, I'm looking to do them on a weekly basis depending the availability of guest presenters.