I just finished the book "Sojourner" by Andrew Mishkin who headed the Sojourner rover operations team. Because the mission was in 1997 the information is a little dated, but still fascinating. The book doesn't really cover in detail the science related to the mission such as the results of the Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer, but focuses more the engineering aspects of the rover design including automated navigation. I also found stories of the interpersonal relationships between project engineers and scientists very interesting.
I'm hoping there is a follow up book that describes the design and operation of the Spirit and Opportunity rovers.
I thought others reading this thread may be interested in this book as well.
with a few strings attached, such as launching from a submerged sub.
Actually, IIRC modern missiles are designed to be cold-launched from a submerged submarine. Compressed air forces the missiles from the silo and the engine is not ignited until the missile breaks the surface of the water. The earliest generation missiles were hot-launched with the engine ignited within the silo, but tended to cause a lot of damage making for expensive repairs. I'm assuming the same goes for Russian submarines.
But none of this answers the question of WHY they are living like that.
I think the parent post answered this question nicely. They live like that because they don't have a choice.
For one thing, the remaining communist countries are struggling after the collapse of the Soviet Union meant less trade. The US had a direct hand in that collapse. So, by definition, the problems of communist countries are, if only in part, actually capitalist flaws.
(Rolling my eyes) With logic as twisted as this I certainly hope you aren't supporting yourself as a programmer. I would hate to see what your code looks like.
Are you about Dell not selling any desktop systems without Windows? From their web site:
The n series features select popular models from the DimensionTM , OptiPlexTM and Dell PrecisionTM desktop lines sold without a Microsoft® operating system.
We bought a couple of these a few months ago. They came with FreeDOS and they work fine for doing FreeBSD development. I believe we found out about them on/.
"Our bottom line is that if we can put millions of joules of energy onto a target, something will happen." Hell Yeah!! Lets line up Osama and his cronies.
TARKIN: You're far too trusting. Dantooine is too remote to make an effective demonstration. But don't worry. We will deal with your Rebel friends soon enough.
For those interested this article from BusinessWeek has an update on DARPA's goal of funding the building of a petaflop (quadillions of calcuations a second) computer. This and other BusinessWeek articles indicate that while Asia may have the lead on the US now, the US will likely take back the leadership position by the end of the decade.
I tend to agree with you. If anything, the site should be encouraged to raise their advertising rates to see just how much Microsoft will pay for their silly ads slamming Linux on a Linux advocacy site. I wouldn't be surprised if Linux Today isn't leaving money on the table.
Recharge time of an electric car is an obstacle with consumers, but I also believe range is just as much an issue. Even if an electric car can be recharged in 10 minutes or so (I'm not sure it would be possible with this battery given the current requirements and number of batteries in an electric car), the ability to drive a relatively short range (typically 50 to 75 miles) on a charge remains a problem. If the consumer fails to charge the batteries and gets stuck it probably involves getting a tow rather than a gallon a gas.
However, as others have pointed out these batteries may be well suited for electric hybrid vehicles where you want to the ability to quickly charge and discharge a battery several times a day.
Some other people pointed this out and I did some research and only a half dozen or so other states require fingerprints to obtain a license. California has had this requirement since 1982 and I was assuming that other states had similar requirements. Obviously a false assumption on my part, but I'm happy to be corrected.
I stand corrected. Teaches me to assume that just because California is doing something, all the other states must be as well. However, since I've had always carried a California license it must explain why I don't think giving a fingerprint is that big of a deal.
One of the objectives of this security measure is to help cover people from friendly countries who can enter the US for up to 90 days without a visa. Requiring EVERYONE from Europe to get a visa before entering the US would be much more of a hassle than spending 60 seconds to get fingerprinted and photographed at the airport.
Hey, fingerprinting is something that I associate with being done just before you're marched into jail, not otherwise.
Do you have a drivers license or state issued ID card in the US? I believe all states require a fingerprint (but I could be wrong). The department of motor vehicles is typically a pretty unpleasant place, but I wouldn't exactly call it a jail...
In California everyone must submit to giving a fingerprint and photograph when getting a drivers license or state issued ID card -- I believe the same goes for all other 49 states as well. Therefore, 95% or more of the adults in the US (those that care to drive or carry an ID card) already submit to a form of compulsory fingerprinting. It's been this way for decades and I have not problem with this.
As far as I'm concerned, if a foreign visitor doesn't want to give a fingerprint or photograph when traveling to the US without a visa, then fine, don't come. I would have no problem complying with such security measures if implemented by a country I was visiting. After all, I'm a guest and it's their business how they want to go about protecting their country and the safety of their citizens.
Another way of looking at this is that the diameter of Earth's orbit is on the order of 190 million miles or so. The current distance from Earth to Mars is roughly in this same range and it can be reasoned that the change in the appearance of constellations from Earth and Mars would be no different than they appear from Summer to Winter on Earth (from one side of Earth's orbit to the other). In other words, no difference in the constellations would be visible to the human eye. They are just too far away -- as the parent post indicated.
Slashdot Mirror
I just finished the book "Sojourner" by Andrew Mishkin who headed the Sojourner rover operations team. Because the mission was in 1997 the information is a little dated, but still fascinating. The book doesn't really cover in detail the science related to the mission such as the results of the Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer, but focuses more the engineering aspects of the rover design including automated navigation. I also found stories of the interpersonal relationships between project engineers and scientists very interesting.
I'm hoping there is a follow up book that describes the design and operation of the Spirit and Opportunity rovers.
I thought others reading this thread may be interested in this book as well.
with a few strings attached, such as launching from a submerged sub.
Actually, IIRC modern missiles are designed to be cold-launched from a submerged submarine. Compressed air forces the missiles from the silo and the engine is not ignited until the missile breaks the surface of the water. The earliest generation missiles were hot-launched with the engine ignited within the silo, but tended to cause a lot of damage making for expensive repairs. I'm assuming the same goes for Russian submarines.
Few people today realize the danger and risk that was involved in the moon missions.
Some of us do. This picture puts it into a little more perspective.
Replacing "neocon" with "conservative" would have get it +5, Insightful in half the time.
Replacing "neocon" with "Microsoft" would have get it +5, Insightful even quicker.
Finally "Microsoft" with "SCO" would have get it +5, Insightful the quickest of all.
But none of this answers the question of WHY they are living like that.
I think the parent post answered this question nicely. They live like that because they don't have a choice.
For one thing, the remaining communist countries are struggling after the collapse of the Soviet Union meant less trade. The US had a direct hand in that collapse. So, by definition, the problems of communist countries are, if only in part, actually capitalist flaws.
(Rolling my eyes) With logic as twisted as this I certainly hope you aren't supporting yourself as a programmer. I would hate to see what your code looks like.
Woops. Here is a better (hopefully working link) to the Dell n series desktop systems without Windows.
Are you about Dell not selling any desktop systems without Windows? From their web site:
/.
The n series features select popular models from the DimensionTM , OptiPlexTM and Dell PrecisionTM desktop lines sold without a Microsoft® operating system.
We bought a couple of these a few months ago. They came with FreeDOS and they work fine for doing FreeBSD development. I believe we found out about them on
Unixycle?
Ouch! There goes my karma...
I like your idea, but perhaps to get things started NASA can put a smaller amount in orbit...
"Our bottom line is that if we can put millions of joules of energy onto a target, something will happen."
Hell Yeah!! Lets line up Osama and his cronies.
TARKIN: You're far too trusting. Dantooine is too remote to make an effective demonstration. But don't worry. We will deal with your Rebel
friends soon enough.
For those interested this article from BusinessWeek has an update on DARPA's goal of funding the building of a petaflop (quadillions of calcuations a second) computer. This and other BusinessWeek articles indicate that while Asia may have the lead on the US now, the US will likely take back the leadership position by the end of the decade.
I tend to agree with you. If anything, the site should be encouraged to raise their advertising rates to see just how much Microsoft will pay for their silly ads slamming Linux on a Linux advocacy site. I wouldn't be surprised if Linux Today isn't leaving money on the table.
Of course. The Internet is based on AlGorethms, isn't it?
of drivers that think a turn signal is a deflector shield rather than a tool to show "intent" to change lanes -- thus the word "signal".
Gee, and if it works with chimps and dolphins we can move to other species like rats, sharks and ants...
Recharge time of an electric car is an obstacle with consumers, but I also believe range is just as much an issue. Even if an electric car can be recharged in 10 minutes or so (I'm not sure it would be possible with this battery given the current requirements and number of batteries in an electric car), the ability to drive a relatively short range (typically 50 to 75 miles) on a charge remains a problem. If the consumer fails to charge the batteries and gets stuck it probably involves getting a tow rather than a gallon a gas.
However, as others have pointed out these batteries may be well suited for electric hybrid vehicles where you want to the ability to quickly charge and discharge a battery several times a day.
Some other people pointed this out and I did some research and only a half dozen or so other states require fingerprints to obtain a license. California has had this requirement since 1982 and I was assuming that other states had similar requirements. Obviously a false assumption on my part, but I'm happy to be corrected.
I stand corrected. Teaches me to assume that just because California is doing something, all the other states must be as well. However, since I've had always carried a California license it must explain why I don't think giving a fingerprint is that big of a deal.
One of the objectives of this security measure is to help cover people from friendly countries who can enter the US for up to 90 days without a visa. Requiring EVERYONE from Europe to get a visa before entering the US would be much more of a hassle than spending 60 seconds to get fingerprinted and photographed at the airport.
Dude, I think he was being sarcastic.
Hey, fingerprinting is something that I associate with being done just before you're marched into jail, not otherwise.
Do you have a drivers license or state issued ID card in the US? I believe all states require a fingerprint (but I could be wrong). The department of motor vehicles is typically a pretty unpleasant place, but I wouldn't exactly call it a jail...
Maybe the whole point of this is to reduce contact between US and non-US citizens.
/.
Maybe this really is just about keeping track of who is entering and leaving the country to increase security.
Nothing like a topic such as this to bring out the "black helicopter" conspiracy theorist and "tinfoil hat" brigade out on
In California everyone must submit to giving a fingerprint and photograph when getting a drivers license or state issued ID card -- I believe the same goes for all other 49 states as well. Therefore, 95% or more of the adults in the US (those that care to drive or carry an ID card) already submit to a form of compulsory fingerprinting. It's been this way for decades and I have not problem with this.
As far as I'm concerned, if a foreign visitor doesn't want to give a fingerprint or photograph when traveling to the US without a visa, then fine, don't come. I would have no problem complying with such security measures if implemented by a country I was visiting. After all, I'm a guest and it's their business how they want to go about protecting their country and the safety of their citizens.
Alright, who modded this nutcase "Insightful". Sheesh.
Another way of looking at this is that the diameter of Earth's orbit is on the order of 190 million miles or so. The current distance from Earth to Mars is roughly in this same range and it can be reasoned that the change in the appearance of constellations from Earth and Mars would be no different than they appear from Summer to Winter on Earth (from one side of Earth's orbit to the other). In other words, no difference in the constellations would be visible to the human eye. They are just too far away -- as the parent post indicated.