Fixed the Safari bug, replaced CSS transform-origin (broken in Safari on SVG) with native SVG animateTransform which works everywhere.
Also, you can now drag the "Year" slider on the main table to see how the periodic table looked at any point in history. Undiscovered elements fade to near-invisible. Ancient elements (no known discovery date) stay visible.
I also like the Optica! It somehow has a lot of space vibes from Freelancer and FireFly. Shame of the large toy like duct indeed. But I suspect it works!
I disagree. Driving a small dish antenna only requires a couple of small electric motors. The receivers would be more expensive, and require more power, but they would still be affordable enough.
but what about the interruption when the satellite crosses over the horizon? you would then need a 2nd antenna that was ready to take over, or tolerate several seconds of lost signal.
Some people who actively seek positions of power are terribly unqualified or have other discommending properties, as well. This does not seem too great an impediment to their success.
Also, i think in the timeline you should show a summary of the discovery on hovering over the element, so you don't have to click then go back.
Otherwise — nice!