It is my understanding that a faulty computer chip had a bug in it that caused a cover over the dewer to be released too early during launch. This unfortunately, heated the dewer and the hydrogen cryogen then vented at a relatively extreme rate. Since the cryogen is completely vented, the detector cannot be cooled. The detector must be cooled in order to measure the low amounts of radiation that it is intended to measure.
I don't know if their web page is official or not, but it has many pictures. Actually, I could have saved the typing as the first entry (1999 March 29) describes the failure. So read it there.
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
This is an obvious plug. We're a small company and don't have our named mentioned all that often. The star tracker (as it is really called) was built by Ball Aerospace. It is the Ball CT-601 model tracker with a 7.5in shell and 92mm lens, so I'm told.
Our trackers are used all over the place, so perhaps other spacecraft can be used similarly.
Needless to say, our star tracker folks are excited.
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
There is a new article at CNN regarding investing in IPOs and mentions the fact that individual investors do not usually have the opportunity to invest until several days after the IPO when the stock is usually over valued.
Check out some pictures of the Deep Impact mission including a model of the spacecraft and impactor. Nothing revealing, but interesting. Imagine the pictures from the high resolution camera on the impactor as it hits the comet.
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
These spacecraft are part of the Discovery class of spacecraft. This was started to achieve the "faster, better, cheaper" goal that Dan Goldin has preached about. The total cost of Discovery missions cannot be more than $299million which is a far cry from the billion plus dollar pricetags of the huge inter-planetary spacecraft missions from a few years ago (Cassini, Mar Observer, etc.).
The actual price tag of Mercury is $286million and for Deep Impact $240million. Check out the press release.
It's exciting that these scientific missions, with advanced technology, can be accomplished with money that is less than the earnings of many blockbuster movies.
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
Some cool facts. There will be no harpooning of the comet. A 1100lb (yes, 500kg) copper projectile (or impactor, as it is called here at Ball) into the comet, to measure the constituents of the debris and find out what makes up the interior of a comet. None of the copper tipped bullet, that the article aludes too. Imagine slamming a 500kg projectile into the surface of the comet!
This particular project (called Deep Impact, BTW) is about $240million. My company, Ball Aerospace, is contracted to build it. Our part I guess is $200million. This comes at just the right time when people are scrapping for work. This is the first time we will build an inter-planetary spacecraft, so it will certainly be exciting.
I don't know much about the Messenger project. Check the press release mentioned above for more.
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
On page 9 of the ps version (third to last paragraph of section 5.2) is the following quote:
Many customers (including Sun's largest customer) insist on source access. NASA coined the phrase: "if it isn't source, it isn't software." It is possible that, in the future, a system will not be considered viable unless source is available.
How close we are! I just like the NASA phrase.
Okay, back to work....
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
I agree completely. I couldn't have said it better myself. All through school, I kept promising myself nothing longer than 8hrs (plus 1/2 hour lunch) at work.
It is nice to forget everything at work when you leave and have a mental break. Do hobbies and relax at home.
Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way for me. I am beginning next week 24/7 hardware testing (I work in the aerospace industry) for three weeks. It is rewarding since it is a change in pace, but least it's only temporary.
I could not work at home (or bring work home) or work 40+ hours a week for anything longer than a few weeks.
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
The anti-bloat whiners would have you believe that Microsoft is coercing them into using our extralarded software products! I call their bluff. The elegance of the Windows 98 operating system is that it runs practically every application from the DOS days and all those goofy Windows 3.1 programs.
If you want to run unbloated legacy programs such as WordStar for Windows or Bitcom for DOS instead of new applications, be my guest. (Also, you lovers of legacy applications should know that one of the reasons Windows 95 and Windows 98 are so "bloated" is so that they can run the old applications.)
Emphasis is mine.
Well, the he negated his own comment, so I call his bluff. I don't think the arguement should be between old and new, it should be between bloat and non-bloat.
New applications are all bloated, so therefore, I have to use the bloated software. How else will I get the bug fixes? If I am not forced to buy the new bloatware, why can't I load a Word97 document with Word95 if none of the cool features are used?
I also like a previous comment. Where can I buy the old non-bloated software? Therefore, my conclusion is that purchasing nonbloat is not an option.
Then again, there's open source....
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
What I want is for my VCR to figure out when shows are delayed, and delay taping until the program starts.
Lately, TNT has delayed the Crusade episodes because of drafts and other programming. So I missed the last 10/15minutes of the show. Same goes with any other network where news/games pre-empt regular programming.
So if the machine would keep a realtime schedule and record only when the show is acutally on, this would be cool.
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
Of course, Goldin hasn't cut Al Gore's pet satellite, Triana.So, in exchange for bailing on new, potentially exciting planetary science, we are going to get a screensaver of the Earth and a few rich Russian cosmonauts.
Amen. I couldn't have said it better myself. I'm involved with several experiments scheduled for ISS, so I personally see the effects of CHEAPER part of Goldin's mantra.
Fortunately, NSF is finding some real science to add to Triana (GoreSat). I still personally don't see the justification.
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
Go to a web page and see that the current temperature is 32(deg). So, is someone at that location wearing sunscreen and shorts or a down jacket and hat?
I see that the web page was updated 1/2/99. So, was it Jan. 2 or Feb. 1?
And cut that out with the a.m./p.m. I use 24-hour clock (has NOTHING to do with militaries) for a nice organized list of times instead of extra character fields for a.m./p.m.
I'm an enginer and I hate dealing with slugs, foot-pounds, pound-force, let alone inches/feet/yards and Btu's. Ugh.
Why couldn't Congress have the guts to join the rest of the world with standards of meaurements?
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
"I'm not going to try to sort through this today," Dole said. "I'm talking about the use of the Internet. Almost any time you use the Internet, pornography is bound to come up."
Dole said that during her meeting with Gates, she complimented Microsoft executives for creating filtering software. She also told Gates she wants to make permanent a high-tech research-and-development tax credit.
She discussed legislation that would establish a 90-day "cooling-off period" after Jan. 1 to help waylay lawsuits that may stem from problems with Y2K computer viruses.
While she held off criticizing the Clinton Justice Department for pursuing antitrust charges against Microsoft, she thinks antitrust laws should be "reviewed with regard to the Information Age."
Well, I can't seem to get the link to copy into this post. Try: http://archives.seattletimes.com/cgi-bin/texis.m ummy/web/vortex/display?storyID=3778e8d554 &query=Dole
Or look for the article titled "Dole is upbeat despite trailing in polls, money, attention" at the Seattle Times Archives. The article is dated June 29, 1999.
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
I've tried notifying Slashdot about this last week. The House of Representatives ALREADY APPROVED this legislation and is waiting on a vote from the Senate.
(1) IN GENERAL- An elementary school, secondary school, or library that fails to provide the certification required by paragraph (2) or (3), respectively, is not eligible to receive or retain universal service assistance provided under subsection (h)(1)(B).
...and this is retroactive, which means that the libraries must refund the discounts received during this past calendar year I believe.
So if anyone in your library finds information on breats feeding, breast cancer, Dick Simon Trucking, or whatever else, your library will be poor. That's how I view it.
Please write your congress persons. Check out Vote Smart for a place to start for contact information.
Let's stop this madness and educate the lawmakers that any limits to information should be evaluated by the local communities and NOT be federally mandated, especially on such misinformation.
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
I followed the " Read more about Digital TV" link and the subsequent link to the article " A Frim Grip on Digital TV". It discusses a Gore Commission and it's recommendations that the Federal Government regulate what is shown on the air.
The best quote is near the end: "Although the Media Institute knew Gore's handpicked panel members might be inclined to endorse regulation, it found the final report particularly disappointing. The institute hoped the commission would look at the original basis for government regulation -- spectrum scarcity -- and decide it doesn't apply to digital TV."
An interesting side note, if I understood it correctly, Gore does not recommend allowing free air time for political candidates. I can't decide if this hurts or helps him.
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
Why not go straight for the safe to find the message? Isn't this how many codes are cracked? Then we can use the computations cycles for other things....
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
If Qwest buys USWest, then maybe I'll get DSL. It's been two years and it is still not available in my neighborhood yet. I wish there were alternatives in the Denver area.
Maybe some suggestions?
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
At least wear the bunny suite properly
on
Cool PC Cases
·
· Score: 1
At least the Bunnypeople(tm) could wear the bunny suites properly. The hoods should be tucked into the suit and not hang on the outside of the suit. Defeats the whole purpose of wearing it. Unless they're trying to hide the models....
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
Uh, what we learned from Mir is that we do not know very much about the long-term effects of microgravity. Mir is old and does not provide the research space and other resources needed for the types of studies required for research.
Mir provided a platform for asking new and bigger questions that ISS will hopefully be able to provide answers to.
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
I'm working on two different experiments scheduled to be installed on the space station. I'll tell you that my motto is that the space station is for human (biological) science and not physical science. There are so many problems with trying to make everyone's experiments co-exist; it's a nightmare.
I support human spaceflight and think it is very necessary. We are learning a considerable amount by researching biology in a new evironment (with microgravity). That's how science is supposed to work. There was a great program on the Discovery Channel last night (The Invisible Force, check it out) that addressed this.
However, somehow during the politics, the space station was viewed as the end-all solution to putting experiments into space to support all of the funding. After all, the more customers you have, the more support you get in Congress. Now it's this big complex structure that's made it even more expensive.
I wish it was scaled back for the sole purpose of biological/human research and not this complicated experimental facilicity that's supposed to satisfy everyone. Then more money would be available to experimenters for their research.
~afniv "Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
Slashdot Mirror
It is my understanding that a faulty computer chip had a bug in it that caused a cover over the dewer to be released too early during launch. This unfortunately, heated the dewer and the hydrogen cryogen then vented at a relatively extreme rate. Since the cryogen is completely vented, the detector cannot be cooled. The detector must be cooled in order to measure the low amounts of radiation that it is intended to measure.
I don't know if their web page is official or not, but it has many pictures. Actually, I could have saved the typing as the first entry (1999 March 29) describes the failure. So read it there.
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
This is an obvious plug. We're a small company and don't have our named mentioned all that often. The star tracker (as it is really called) was built by Ball Aerospace. It is the Ball CT-601 model tracker with a 7.5in shell and 92mm lens, so I'm told.
Our trackers are used all over the place, so perhaps other spacecraft can be used similarly.
Needless to say, our star tracker folks are excited.
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
Latest subcommittee markup for NASA's budget can be found at:
http://spacescience.nasa.g ov/announce/housefull2000.html
Unfortunately, some of my potential work is on the list. Ugh.
Science isn't profitable in and of itself. It's the application of those sciences that creates the useful products we depend on today.
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
....you can't use the freeway (Interstate) because you don't drive on the backroads where there are many businesses starving for your attention.
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
There is a new article at CNN regarding investing in IPOs and mentions the fact that individual investors do not usually have the opportunity to invest until several days after the IPO when the stock is usually over valued.
/q_ipos/
Check out the article at:
http://cnnfn.com/1999/07/13/investing
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
I think the product name must be the best product name in quite a while, espcecially with the example mentioned at the end of the article.
I want to know who came up with the name Swiffer. Ugh.
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
Check out some pictures of the Deep Impact mission including a model of the spacecraft and impactor. Nothing revealing, but interesting. Imagine the pictures from the high resolution camera on the impactor as it hits the comet.
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
These spacecraft are part of the Discovery class of spacecraft. This was started to achieve the "faster, better, cheaper" goal that Dan Goldin has preached about. The total cost of Discovery missions cannot be more than $299million which is a far cry from the billion plus dollar pricetags of the huge inter-planetary spacecraft missions from a few years ago (Cassini, Mar Observer, etc.).
The actual price tag of Mercury is $286million and for Deep Impact $240million. Check out the press release.
It's exciting that these scientific missions, with advanced technology, can be accomplished with money that is less than the earnings of many blockbuster movies.
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
A better article can be found at NASA. If that doesn't work check out the list of press releases.
Some cool facts. There will be no harpooning of the comet. A 1100lb (yes, 500kg) copper projectile (or impactor, as it is called here at Ball) into the comet, to measure the constituents of the debris and find out what makes up the interior of a comet. None of the copper tipped bullet, that the article aludes too. Imagine slamming a 500kg projectile into the surface of the comet!
This particular project (called Deep Impact, BTW) is about $240million. My company, Ball Aerospace, is contracted to build it. Our part I guess is $200million. This comes at just the right time when people are scrapping for work. This is the first time we will build an inter-planetary spacecraft, so it will certainly be exciting.
I don't know much about the Messenger project. Check the press release mentioned above for more.
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
How close we are! I just like the NASA phrase.
Okay, back to work....
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
I agree completely. I couldn't have said it better myself. All through school, I kept promising myself nothing longer than 8hrs (plus 1/2 hour lunch) at work.
It is nice to forget everything at work when you leave and have a mental break. Do hobbies and relax at home.
Unfortunately, it doesn't always work that way for me. I am beginning next week 24/7 hardware testing (I work in the aerospace industry) for three weeks. It is rewarding since it is a change in pace, but least it's only temporary.
I could not work at home (or bring work home) or work 40+ hours a week for anything longer than a few weeks.
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
Well, the he negated his own comment, so I call his bluff. I don't think the arguement should be between old and new, it should be between bloat and non-bloat.
New applications are all bloated, so therefore, I have to use the bloated software. How else will I get the bug fixes? If I am not forced to buy the new bloatware, why can't I load a Word97 document with Word95 if none of the cool features are used?
I also like a previous comment. Where can I buy the old non-bloated software? Therefore, my conclusion is that purchasing nonbloat is not an option.
Then again, there's open source....
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
What I want is for my VCR to figure out when shows are delayed, and delay taping until the program starts.
Lately, TNT has delayed the Crusade episodes because of drafts and other programming. So I missed the last 10/15minutes of the show. Same goes with any other network where news/games pre-empt regular programming.
So if the machine would keep a realtime schedule and record only when the show is acutally on, this would be cool.
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
Of course, Goldin hasn't cut Al Gore's pet satellite, Triana.So, in exchange for bailing on new, potentially exciting planetary science, we are going to get a screensaver of the Earth and a few rich Russian cosmonauts.
Amen. I couldn't have said it better myself. I'm involved with several experiments scheduled for ISS, so I personally see the effects of CHEAPER part of Goldin's mantra.
Fortunately, NSF is finding some real science to add to Triana (GoreSat). I still personally don't see the justification.
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
Look at the WWW:
Go to a web page and see that the current temperature is 32(deg). So, is someone at that location wearing sunscreen and shorts or a down jacket and hat?
I see that the web page was updated 1/2/99. So, was it Jan. 2 or Feb. 1?
And cut that out with the a.m./p.m. I use 24-hour clock (has NOTHING to do with militaries) for a nice organized list of times instead of extra character fields for a.m./p.m.
I'm an enginer and I hate dealing with slugs, foot-pounds, pound-force, let alone inches/feet/yards and Btu's. Ugh.
Why couldn't Congress have the guts to join the rest of the world with standards of meaurements?
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
The relevant quote from the article is below:
Well, I can't seem to get the link to copy into this post. Try:
http://archives.seattletimes.com/cgi-bin/texis.
Or look for the article titled "Dole is upbeat despite trailing in polls, money, attention" at the Seattle Times Archives. The article is dated June 29, 1999.
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
Please check out the Thomas Register (where many bills can be viewed). Check specifically H.R. 1501 and the specific Amendment (Title XIV) that:
...and this is retroactive, which means that the libraries must refund the discounts received during this past calendar year I believe.
So if anyone in your library finds information on breats feeding, breast cancer, Dick Simon Trucking, or whatever else, your library will be poor. That's how I view it.
Please write your congress persons. Check out Vote Smart for a place to start for contact information.
Also check out the American Libraries Association (ALA). They have a Legislative Issues page which says that a Senate committee even already approved the bill.
Let's stop this madness and educate the lawmakers that any limits to information should be evaluated by the local communities and NOT be federally mandated, especially on such misinformation.
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
I followed the " Read more about Digital TV" link and the subsequent link to the article " A Frim Grip on Digital TV". It discusses a Gore Commission and it's recommendations that the Federal Government regulate what is shown on the air.
The best quote is near the end: "Although the Media Institute knew Gore's handpicked panel members might be inclined to endorse regulation, it found the final report particularly disappointing. The institute hoped the commission would look at the original basis for government regulation -- spectrum scarcity -- and decide it doesn't apply to digital TV."
An interesting side note, if I understood it correctly, Gore does not recommend allowing free air time for political candidates. I can't decide if this hurts or helps him.
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
Why not go straight for the safe to find the message? Isn't this how many codes are cracked?
Then we can use the computations cycles for other things....
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
If Qwest buys USWest, then maybe I'll get DSL. It's been two years and it is still not available in my neighborhood yet. I wish there were alternatives in the Denver area.
Maybe some suggestions?
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
At least the Bunnypeople(tm) could wear the bunny suites properly. The hoods should be tucked into the suit and not hang on the outside of the suit. Defeats the whole purpose of wearing it. Unless they're trying to hide the models....
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
Uh, what we learned from Mir is that we do not know very much about the long-term effects of microgravity. Mir is old and does not provide the research space and other resources needed for the types of studies required for research.
Mir provided a platform for asking new and bigger questions that ISS will hopefully be able to provide answers to.
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
I'm working on two different experiments scheduled to be installed on the space station. I'll tell you that my motto is that the space station is for human (biological) science and not physical science. There are so many problems with trying to make everyone's experiments co-exist; it's a nightmare.
I support human spaceflight and think it is very necessary. We are learning a considerable amount by researching biology in a new evironment (with microgravity). That's how science is supposed to work. There was a great program on the Discovery Channel last night (The Invisible Force, check it out) that addressed this.
However, somehow during the politics, the space station was viewed as the end-all solution to putting experiments into space to support all of the funding. After all, the more customers you have, the more support you get in Congress. Now it's this big complex structure that's made it even more expensive.
I wish it was scaled back for the sole purpose of biological/human research and not this complicated experimental facilicity that's supposed to satisfy everyone. Then more money would be available to experimenters for their research.
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
Yes, but HAL was "born" last year. So we are certainly playing catchup.
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"
~afniv
"Man könnte froh sein, wenn die Luft so rein wäre wie das Bier"