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Re:wishing for news by timster · 2006-08-17 02:54 · Score: 4, Informative · on Backward Sunspot Heralds Next Solar Cycle

Inside the article there is a link to an article about why they are planning for a more intense solar cycle. It's not "purely conjecture".

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2006/10mar_stor mwarning.htm

Re:Where do scientists think the edge is... by paynesmanor · 2006-08-16 13:22 · Score: 2, Interesting · on Voyager 1 Passes 100 AU from the Sun

They don't think there is a edge. Think of it like being inside a large box full of space. Well whats on the other side of the box wall? A larger box?

The nearest star is 4.2 light years away.

A light-year Light moves at a velocity of about 300,000 kilometers (km) each second. So in one year, it can travel about 10 trillion km. More p recisely, one light-year is equal to 9,500,000,000,000 kilometers.
The AU is defined as the average distance between the Earth and the Sun. It is approximately 150 million km (93 million miles). Mercury can be said to be about 1/3 of an AU from the Sun and Pluto averages about 40 AU from the Sun.

9,500,000,000,000 km Light year
150,000,000,000 km away

So it will take it, Approx 7,988 more years to get to the nearest star.

Check this Nasa pic out....
http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap060807.html

Re:Great by slew · 2006-08-16 12:55 · Score: 1 · on Voyager 1 Passes 100 AU from the Sun

not so fast, it could well be that it is already 100 AU from earth depending ont the geometry at the moment.

According to this document, at 8/8/2006, voyager 1 was 99.91 AU from the sun with heliographic intertial longitude of 172.8 degrees and 34.2 degrees latitude. On the same date, earth was 1.014 AU from the sun with heliographic intertial longitude of 239.3 degrees and latitude of 6.2 degrees longitude.

Confirmation of the fact that it's already passed 100.7AUs is of course is left as an exercise for the reader... ;^)

Re:On the rebound by zakezuke · 2006-08-16 12:03 · Score: 1 · on Voyager 1 Passes 100 AU from the Sun

Wouldn't it really freak out the scientists if Voyager disappeared from 'view' and then later started to come towards us again from the opposite direction!!!

Voyager I does not contain an AOL CD.

Here is what it is still doing? by Anonymous Coward · 2006-08-16 11:58 · Score: 0 · on Voyager 1 Passes 100 AU from the Sun

Here are areas of investigation:

* Magnetic field investigation
* Low energy charged particle investigation
* Plasma investigation
* Cosmic ray investigation
* Plasma wave investigation

These five instruments are:

* MAG Magnetic field investigation
* LECP Low energy charged particle investigation
* PLS Plasma investigation
* CRS Cosmic ray investigation
* PWS Plasma wave investigation

In addition, there are data being collected from two science instruments that do not have official science investigation teams associated with them. These instruments are:

* PRA Planetary Radio Astronomy Subsystem
* UVS Ultraviolet Spectrometer Subsystem

Source:
http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/science/index.html

Re:What's it doing exactly? by Zarhan · 2006-08-16 09:44 · Score: 4, Informative · on Voyager 1 Passes 100 AU from the Sun

Damned near everything is dead, and it's sending back only the most basic scientific information to conserve energy levels that are already well beyond their expected date of exhaustion.

Umm, no.

I read an article not long ago (that I can't be bothered to find again) stating that only a small percentage of its original devices of science have worked at all since the 80s.

The Scan platform was turned off in the early 21st century. That's when cameras were turned off to save power.

See http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/science/thirty.html and scroll to the end of the page.

VOYAGER 1

1998 DOY 316 - Reduction in Scan Platform power - preserve UVS and Elevation Actuator temperature (+11.0 W)

* WA Vidicon Heater OFF (+5.5 W)
* NA Vidicon Heater OFF (+5.5 W)

2002 - Terminate UVS operations - turn-off all Scan Platform loads (43.9 W). Date expected to change.

* WA Electronics Replacement Heater OFF (+10.5 W)
* IRIS Replacement Heater OFF (+7.8 W)
* NA Electonics Replacement Heater OFF (+10.5 W)
* Azimuth Actuator Supplemental Heater OFF (+3.5 W)
* UVS Power OFF (+2.4 W)
* UVS Replacement Heater OFF (+2.4 W)
* Azimuth Coil Heater OFF (+4.4 W)
* Scan platform slewing power OFF (+2.4 W)

So, until 2002, V1 was used for searching UV sources among the stars, among other things. However, that doesn't tell much, since most of the work is done with particle, plasma and wave detectors and those will be working well into the 2020's.

Re:Can we still ping it? by andrewman327 · 2006-08-16 08:42 · Score: 5, Informative · on Voyager 1 Passes 100 AU from the Sun

I don't know where you are getting your data, but it takes substancially longer than 29 minutes! From NASA:

So how far are the Voyager spacecraft from Earth? The answer could take the form of miles or kilometers...billions of miles or kilometers. To put this large distance into a different prospective, as of January 5, 2004, a command signal sent from one of the DSN antennas, traveling at the speed of light towards Voyager-1, takes about 12 hours and 39 minutes, to reach Voyager-1's receiver. Compare this to sending a signal to Mars, a command going to the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, in orbit around Mars would only take about 15 minutes.

Considering the original expectations of the probe, we are getting amazing data! When launched, no one expected there to be any signal at all being transmitted after this long. This is a major feat of engineering.

Technology is interesting. It has taken 30 years to move a record this far into space. Compare that to an MP3, which can be streamed that same distance in only half a day!

Re:Can we still ping it? by andrewman327 · 2006-08-16 08:42 · Score: 5, Informative · on Voyager 1 Passes 100 AU from the Sun

I don't know where you are getting your data, but it takes substancially longer than 29 minutes! From NASA:

So how far are the Voyager spacecraft from Earth? The answer could take the form of miles or kilometers...billions of miles or kilometers. To put this large distance into a different prospective, as of January 5, 2004, a command signal sent from one of the DSN antennas, traveling at the speed of light towards Voyager-1, takes about 12 hours and 39 minutes, to reach Voyager-1's receiver. Compare this to sending a signal to Mars, a command going to the Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft, in orbit around Mars would only take about 15 minutes.

Considering the original expectations of the probe, we are getting amazing data! When launched, no one expected there to be any signal at all being transmitted after this long. This is a major feat of engineering.

Technology is interesting. It has taken 30 years to move a record this far into space. Compare that to an MP3, which can be streamed that same distance in only half a day!

Re:Many people with MBAs by pyite · 2006-08-16 01:12 · Score: 1 · on The M.S. Degree vs. Everything Else?

In most cases, engineers with MBAs are engineers who sold out and/or couldn't cut a real Master's degree in engineering. Note, I said *most* cases. Not all MBA engineers are like this, but it's far too often what I see. Done appropriately, yes, the two could be a valuable pair. But it shouldn't just be a second choice degree.

That's just how it is--unless you're this guy.

Michael Griffin holds the following degrees:

bachelor's degree in Physics from Johns Hopkins University
master's degree in aerospace science from Catholic University of America
Ph.D. in aerospace engineering from the University of Maryland
master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California
master's degree in applied physics from Johns Hopkins University
master's degree in business administration from Loyola College
master's degree in Civil Engineering from George Washington University

Yea, he has an MBA, but I think he leverages it with everything else.

Re:Open source,patent free frontier development zo by MichaelSmith · 2006-08-16 00:09 · Score: 1 · on NASA Learns Anew From the Apollo Program

The 1960s space program was only possible because of the freely cooperative relationship between the organizations and businesses involved

You might want to read the apollo 17 ALSJ. The gravity wave detector deployed on that mission was an exact prequel to Hubble. The device was designed wrong and could never have worked. NASA were prevented from testing it because doing so would have revealed nasa trade secrets.

Re:Space Cowboys by GreggBz · 2006-08-15 14:40 · Score: 1 · on NASA Learns Anew From the Apollo Program

We've thrown tens of billions of dollars on a pride issue, and what have we gotten in return? How much more do we know about the universe?

Have you not been paying attention?

What do you want to know about the Universe or the Planets? Ask a question and I bet NASA the ESA or the Russian Space Agency has answered it, or attempted to. NASA has filled more books with knowledge and science for those universities you wish to fund then any other one agency or government organization. Really.

Everything that we know about the outer solar system, which is a library full, is almost entirely thanks to Voyager 1 & 2. A great number of the things that we know about deep space and how stars are born is thanks to Hubble. What we know about the Ozone Layer, Global Warming, CFC's (Russian Venus Probes, planet side observations and later science funded by NASA) Van Allen Radiation (Explorer Probe) Solar Flairs (The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) and the composition
of our own planets atmosphere is thanks to the planetary science that NASA has funded or championed. I'd say that our knowledge of the planet Mars and it's unique dynamics has shed a lot of light on our own atmosphere thanks to, NASA. There are volumes of information on the geology and composition of Mars now. Thanks Mars Rovers. How was the moon born? Well, Apollo and the open disclosure of Moon rocks to scientists around the world has likely given us the correct answer. Thanks again. Just read the press releases at NASA.

Here is an interesting thing we learned yesterday.

Your tax dollars, friend, learn us some fantastic, inspirational things. Sure it could be better. But I feel good making the investment to what might be an imperfect organization, because I can see the value and learn something new whenever I try.