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Spitzer Telescope Sheds Light On Colony of Baby Stars
astroengine writes "NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope had the unprecedented opportunity to observe the heart of the Orion Nebula for 40 days, returning 80 images of the star-forming region. In doing so, the observatory has been keeping track of 1,500 young stars as they undergo rapid variations in brightness, caused by large 'cool spots' on the surface of the stars and obscuring dust. However, the high resolution images Spitzer is returning take center-stage, showing a tight cluster of stellar birth amid the nebulous clouds of dust. This is an incredible achievement considering its primary mission is over (after using up all of its liquid helium coolant in May 2009) and only two instruments are still working."
The United States used the rest of its technology as resourcefully as NASA. Perhaps a Beowulf cluster of 4004's, some IR arrays, and some old DVD-Burner lasers, and you might have a great mosquito defense array (MDA, tm).
I'll tell you what, the first company that pays you for your electronic junk, in a streamlined manner, say, flat checks or cash, and then turns those old products back into reusable things, for say, kids toys, education, impoverished folks, charity, simple embedded systems, science, and sells it cheap, well that may be a good venture indeed. Sure better than letting all our old hardware seep component chemicals into the environment.
The real question is, could this theoretical company do it cheaper than China?
'We are trying to prove ourselves wrong as quickly as possible, because only in that way can we find progress.' RPF