We all love the space program and grew up with it. But no significant science is being gained from continuing to send man into space. Having to send man into space is a cold-war relic of the space-race. And so for the cries "we need to send man back to the moon" or "we need to send man to mars" is looking for something for man to do in space, not accomplish science. Because that science can be accomplished with unmanned probes just as well.
I am not saying kill the space program. I am saying that a major reorganizing is appropriate. And I am not saying stop space science. I am saying that spending billions on continued shuttle flights and space station to achieve it is not justified and fiscally irresponsible. NASA would get far better science by increasing probes to the planets.
It's so irrelevant that the general public never notices the shuttle program unless there is a disaster. That was same in 1986 and its true this past weekend.
The statement by NASA administrator O'Keefe that "We will find out what is wrong, fix the problem, and continue flying" particularly saccharin. Is everybody's eyes so glassed over with the idea of a man in space that they are willing to go forward until this tragedy repeats itself for a third time, and another seven astronauts die?? What then? Is spider's spinning their webs and ants digging tunnels in weightlessness worth seven men dying? Doesn't the technology exist that this could be done on an ummanned rocket?
From a scientific perspective that NASA seems to sorely lack, the Space Shuttle is something that needs to be retired now.
Normlly that would be the case. But isn't the purpose of the heat shield to radiate heat away from the shuttle and keep the shuttle at a constant temperature?
As other posters have pointed out, they did not notice the foam falling off the shuttle until they would review the tapes and Columbia was already in orbit.
After that, there is no way to get them down. Even if they new that there was damage to the tiles. The only way they can get back is to re-enter the atmosphere on the planned flight path. It's either this one way or no way at all.
I expect there are going to be many questions in the coming weeks surrounding this. This is truly an achilles heal to the shuttle design.
The tiles (thermal protection system, tps) has to be one of top weak links to the shuttle design.
The local news reported on skywatchers in Southern Utah who video taped the Shuttle as it crossed the southern part of the state.
What is interesting (no link yet, I'm surprised that the national news doesn't have a copy yet) is that in a certain place in the video you can see a very slight trail very close to the shuttle. In another video you see a very small blue dot pull off from the shuttle and follow it (after enhancement).
Also very interesting is this report that an eyewitness decribes the shuttle changing color from "orange-yellow" to a "white with a purplish color".
This is speculation, but I think what is being described here is the flight surface being peeled away.
The sensors in the tire compartment that showed heating was probably because it was exposed to the air at mach 18.
By time it reached Texas it was already a fireball.
Would be computer programming books from that era that cover cgi, perl, html and web programming. They're bound to have examples that describe this process.
So this is a good time to go through your library and send museumtour computer books that have prior art in them.
Bill Moyers and his program NOW that will air on PBS stations 9:00 pm ET will talk about copyright, and Siva Vaidhyanathan is going to be on it as well.
The British could shut down sealand in an afternoon if they so desired and got tired of it. If not by British special forces landing helicopters on the pad there and dismantling the dish on top then by cutting the pipe where it _must_ come ashore on the island.
Most likely both. Don't think that they wouldn't do it either if Sealand ever became a nuisance.
The arguement can be made that due to the extensive DRM incorporated and incompatible file formats among readers that eBooks are just not as convenient as a regular book.
One thing can be said for sure. Consumers did not see enough value in eBooks to purchase them.
From the article; The new shelter will not "contain" the core's radioactivity but will be weatherproof.
So the idea is to make it "weatherproof"
The article is very vague as to how much of the sarcophagus they are going to deconstuct, or how they are going to "stabalize" the core for the long term.
I think that a cogent arguement has been made in other posts that the end goal of Microsoft discount deals is to more effectively control market share.
Make a user pay a little now to get hooked, charge alot later down the road when he has to make another buying decision. Crack dealers operate the same way.
Also, by forcing all computers to have a microsoft os on them, there will be no incentive to pay for another operating system (even if it is linux).
Microsoft does not want to see linux make inroads in the educational arena, because then those same linux people take linux with them when they go to work for big business.
We will know not what other manipulative goals microsoft has as long as these contracts are allowed to remain secret.
I am sure that they are pulling the same stunts that they pulled with the OEM contracts when they were allowed to be secret too.
To review what that was, look at the lawsuit that Caldera had against microsoft (and microsoft paid somewhere between 150 - 450 million to settle. Probably a good deal to avoid all of the bad publicity and spotlight they were headed for).
I think that the friction of the atmosphere would have played a role and would have prevented an orbiting manhole cover (it was four inches thick too). Also, that could have affected the trajectory too so that the manhole cover didn't go straight up but had a parabolic course.
It's understandable that they wouldn't find the object though. They should have put a direction finding transmitter on it though.
So did I. Years ago. I never had the where withall to put together something. In my gut I new they would go over big.
I cringed when I read that they are about to get patents on them. Surely there has to be some prior art on them, as I bet others had the idea long ago too.
I am sort of kicking myself too.
They are sort of a "hot toy" fad and probably won't be around that long. As another poster suggested, real RC cars are more fun.
Slashdot Mirror
They need to cancel the shuttle program and replace it.
Here is an article from 1980
And here is an article from this same author this last weekend.
We all love the space program and grew up with it. But no significant science is being gained from continuing to send man into space. Having to send man into space is a cold-war relic of the space-race. And so for the cries "we need to send man back to the moon" or "we need to send man to mars" is looking for something for man to do in space, not accomplish science. Because that science can be accomplished with unmanned probes just as well.
I am not saying kill the space program. I am saying that a major reorganizing is appropriate. And I am not saying stop space science. I am saying that spending billions on continued shuttle flights and space station to achieve it is not justified and fiscally irresponsible. NASA would get far better science by increasing probes to the planets.
It's so irrelevant that the general public never notices the shuttle program unless there is a disaster. That was same in 1986 and its true this past weekend.
The statement by NASA administrator O'Keefe that "We will find out what is wrong, fix the problem, and continue flying" particularly saccharin. Is everybody's eyes so glassed over with the idea of a man in space that they are willing to go forward until this tragedy repeats itself for a third time, and another seven astronauts die?? What then? Is spider's spinning their webs and ants digging tunnels in weightlessness worth seven men dying? Doesn't the technology exist that this could be done on an ummanned rocket?
From a scientific perspective that NASA seems to sorely lack, the Space Shuttle is something that needs to be retired now.
Normlly that would be the case. But isn't the purpose of the heat shield to radiate heat away from the shuttle and keep the shuttle at a constant temperature?
Actually I think that the tires show an increase in pressure before they go offline. This could be due to heating as observed here
As other posters have pointed out, they did not notice the foam falling off the shuttle until they would review the tapes and Columbia was already in orbit.
After that, there is no way to get them down. Even if they new that there was damage to the tiles. The only way they can get back is to re-enter the atmosphere on the planned flight path. It's either this one way or no way at all.
I expect there are going to be many questions in the coming weeks surrounding this. This is truly an achilles heal to the shuttle design.
The tiles (thermal protection system, tps) has to be one of top weak links to the shuttle design.
An observer in southern Utah described the color of the shuttle changing from a "yellow-orange" to a "white-purple"
Also, video from southern Utah shows a very small blue dot separating from the shuttle and then trailing right behind it.
I think what happened is the flight surface was doing just that - peeling off.
The increase in the tire pressure was probably due to it heating up.
It landed alright. Over three states.
The local news reported on skywatchers in Southern Utah who video taped the Shuttle as it crossed the southern part of the state.
What is interesting (no link yet, I'm surprised that the national news doesn't have a copy yet) is that in a certain place in the video you can see a very slight trail very close to the shuttle. In another video you see a very small blue dot pull off from the shuttle and follow it (after enhancement).
Also very interesting is this report that an eyewitness decribes the shuttle changing color from "orange-yellow" to a "white with a purplish color".
This is speculation, but I think what is being described here is the flight surface being peeled away.
The sensors in the tire compartment that showed heating was probably because it was exposed to the air at mach 18.
By time it reached Texas it was already a fireball.
Would be computer programming books from that era that cover cgi, perl, html and web programming. They're bound to have examples that describe this process.
So this is a good time to go through your library and send museumtour computer books that have prior art in them.
is here
the non-profit group takes over you!...Oh..wait...
Bill Moyers and his program NOW that will air on PBS stations 9:00 pm ET will talk about copyright, and Siva Vaidhyanathan is going to be on it as well.
For an interesting story about Mickey on the side of a daycare center see here.
There is another story with more examples here.
After reading this you can see that the chances are indeed very slim, if not outright bleak.
They just published an op-ed piece that pretty much says we have arrived at the perpetual copyright.
Also, your elected officials are happy about it.
Folks, this is what we are up against. The House Judiciary applauds the supreme court decision.
At least now you know who aren't your friends.
The British could shut down sealand in an afternoon if they so desired and got tired of it. If not by British special forces landing helicopters on the pad there and dismantling the dish on top then by cutting the pipe where it _must_ come ashore on the island.
Most likely both. Don't think that they wouldn't do it either if Sealand ever became a nuisance.
The arguement can be made that due to the extensive DRM incorporated and incompatible file formats among readers that eBooks are just not as convenient as a regular book.
One thing can be said for sure. Consumers did not see enough value in eBooks to purchase them.
Not a surprise really, given the circumstances.
From the article; The new shelter will not "contain" the core's radioactivity but will be weatherproof.
So the idea is to make it "weatherproof"
The article is very vague as to how much of the sarcophagus they are going to deconstuct, or how they are going to "stabalize" the core for the long term.
of the clone baby here
I think that a cogent arguement has been made in other posts that the end goal of Microsoft discount deals is to more effectively control market share.
Make a user pay a little now to get hooked, charge alot later down the road when he has to make another buying decision. Crack dealers operate the same way.
Also, by forcing all computers to have a microsoft os on them, there will be no incentive to pay for another operating system (even if it is linux).
Microsoft does not want to see linux make inroads in the educational arena, because then those same linux people take linux with them when they go to work for big business.
We will know not what other manipulative goals microsoft has as long as these contracts are allowed to remain secret.
I am sure that they are pulling the same stunts that they pulled with the OEM contracts when they were allowed to be secret too.
To review what that was, look at the lawsuit that Caldera had against microsoft (and microsoft paid somewhere between 150 - 450 million to settle. Probably a good deal to avoid all of the bad publicity and spotlight they were headed for).
dude, get some sleep. This has been asked and answered in at least two other posts already.
(No, the agreement covers OEMs only)
Earlier post asks this same question. The settlement only affects OEMs, doesn't apply to anyone else. Needless to say MS would take advantage of that.
I think that the friction of the atmosphere would have played a role and would have prevented an orbiting manhole cover (it was four inches thick too). Also, that could have affected the trajectory too so that the manhole cover didn't go straight up but had a parabolic course.
It's understandable that they wouldn't find the object though. They should have put a direction finding transmitter on it though.
I guess this means that the MPAA boycott is off....
So did I. Years ago. I never had the where withall to put together something. In my gut I new they would go over big.
I cringed when I read that they are about to get patents on them. Surely there has to be some prior art on them, as I bet others had the idea long ago too.
I am sort of kicking myself too.
They are sort of a "hot toy" fad and probably won't be around that long. As another poster suggested, real RC cars are more fun.