Monthly Archives: February 2010

Waterproof, Shockproof and Crushproof: Olympus’ µTOUGH 8010 and 6020 Cameras [Cameras]

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Dan was lamenting the fact that Fujifilm's XP10 made him feel even more of a couch-potato than usual, but I've got to say, after owning one of Olympus' µTOUGHs before, there's a lot you can do with a waterproof cam.

If you're even remotely clumsy, then it's a practical investment. If you occasionally go boating, swimming or like partaking in shower-based photography, then the double waterproofing build of Olympus' µTOUGH-8010 and µTOUGH-6020 will come in use. Really, you don't have to be a rock-climbing steroid-pusher to appreciate a hardy camera model.

Both the 8010 and 6020 have 14-megapixel sensors and 5x optical zooms, with the only real difference being how far you want to test that hardiness—the 8010 can be dropped from 6.6-foot, resist temperatures up to -10°Ccrushed and crushed under 220 pounds of pressure and still survive. The 6020 is a little more weak-skinned, surviving under only a 5-foot fall.

Both models have 2.7-inch LCD screens and shoot in 720p resolution, with the 8010 containing 2GB of internal storage. On sale in February, for $399.99 and $299.99 each.


JPL Airborne Radar Captures Its First Image of Post-Quake Haiti

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False-color composite image of the Port-au-Prince, Haiti region False-color composite image of the Port-au-Prince, Haiti region, taken Jan. 27, 2010 by NASA's UAVSAR airborne radar. The city is denoted by the yellow arrow; the black arrow points to the fault responsible for the Jan. 12 earthquake. Image credit: NASA/JPL› Larger view
JPL's Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) captured this false-color composite image of the city of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and the surrounding region on Jan. 27, 2010. Port-au-Prince is visible near the center of the image. The large dark line running east-west near the city is the main airport. UAVSAR left NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif., Jan. 25, 2010, aboard a modified NASA Gulfstream III aircraft on a three-week campaign that will also take it to Central America.
Shortly before 5 p.m. local time on Jan. 12, 2010, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck southern Haiti. The earthquake's epicenter was about 25 kilometers (15 miles) west-southwest of Port-au-Prince, close to the west (left) edge of this image. The large linear east-west valley in the mountains south of the city is the location of the major active fault zone responsible for the earthquake: the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault. The fault extends from the western tip of Haiti past Port-au-Prince into the Dominican Republic to the east of this image. Historical records show that the southern part of Haiti was struck by a series of large earthquakes in the 1700s, and geologists believe those were also caused by ruptures on this fault zone.

Satellite interferometric synthetic aperture radar measurements show that the Jan. 12 earthquake ruptured a segment of the fault extending from the epicenter westward over a length of about 40 kilometers (25 miles), leaving the section of the fault in this image unruptured. The earthquake has increased the stress on this eastern section of the fault south of Port-au-Prince and the section west of the rupture. This has significantly increased the risk of a future earthquake, according to a recent report by the U.S. Geological Survey.

The colors in the image reflect the three different UAVSAR radar polarizations: HH (horizontal transmit, horizontal receive) is colored red; VV (vertical transmit, vertical receive) is colored blue; and HV (horizontal transmit, vertical receive) is colored green. Like a pair of Polaroid sunglasses, these images are sensitive to different parts of the radar signal that is reflected back from Earth's surface. The HV polarization is sensitive to volume scattering that typically occurs over vegetation-this gives hills a greenish color. VV polarization is sensitive to surface scattering such as that returned from bare surfaces or water-this gives water a bluish tint. Finally, HH polarization is sensitive to corner-like objects-this gives some urban areas and vegetated regions a reddish tint. The image is roughly 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) wide in the northwest-southeast direction. North is up and radar illumination is from the southeast.

This image will be combined with other images of the same area to be acquired later this month and in the future in order to measure the motion of Earth's surface during the time between images using a technique called interferometry.The interferometric measurements will allow scientists to study the pressures building up and being released on the fault at depth.

UAVSAR is a reconfigurable polarimetric L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) specifically designed to acquire airborne repeat track SAR data for differential interferometric measurements. For more information about radar polarimetry, see http://www.ccrs.nrcan.gc.ca/resource/tutor/polarim/index_e.php . The radar will eventually be flown aboard an uninhabited, remotely-piloted aircraft such as the Northrop Grumman Global Hawk. The radar was built at JPL with funding by NASA's Earth Science Technology Office. UAVSAR is managed and operated by JPL under contract with NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C.

For more information on UAVSAR, visit: http://uavsar.jpl.nasa.gov/.

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NASA’s Aquarius Gets a Presidential Visit

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Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (center in blue) was briefed Jan. 20.
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (center in blue) was briefed Jan. 20.
Photo: Argentine government
› Larger image
Argentine President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner (center in blue) was briefed Jan. 20 during a tour of the facility where the JPL-built Aquarius instrument is being integrated with the Argentinian satellite, called the Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas (SAC-D).

The visit took place during the kickoff of the satellite's system contractor new satellite integration facility in Bariloche, Argentina. The president met with Aquarius/SAC-D team members from NASA, Argentina's space agency, Comisión Nacional de Actividades Espaciales, and the contractor.

The primary instrument on the mission, Aquarius is designed to provide monthly global maps of how salt concentration varies on the ocean surface -- a key indicator of ocean circulation and its role in climate change. Seven Argentine space agency-sponsored instruments will provide environmental data for a wide range of applications, including natural hazards, land processes, epidemiological studies and air quality issues.

The minimum three-year mission is scheduled to launch this year from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif.

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The Fiscal Year 2011 Budget

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The Fiscal Year 2011 Budget
NASA enters this new era through new commercial partnerships and cutting-edge technology research designed to spark American innovation and enable us to explore new worlds, develop more innovative technologies, foster new industries, and increase our understanding of the Earth and our universe. NASA will pursue a more affordable and sustainable approach to spaceflight through the development of game changing, next-generation technologies and systems.

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NASA Selects Commercial Firms to Begin Development of Crew Transportation Concepts and Technology Demonstrations for Human Spaceflight Using Recovery

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NASA has awarded $50 million through funded agreements to further the commercial sector's capability to support transport of crew to and from low Earth orbit. This step is the first taken by NASA consistent with the president's direction to foster commercial human spaceflight capabilities.

"The president has asked NASA to partner with the aerospace industry in a fundamentally new way, making commercially provided services the primary mode of astronaut transportation to the International Space Station," said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. "We are pleased to be able to quickly move forward to advance this exciting plan for NASA."

Through an open competition for funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, NASA has awarded Space Act Agreements to Blue Origin of Kent, Wash.; The Boeing Company of Houston; Paragon Space Development Corporation of Tucson, Ariz.; Sierra Nevada Corporation of Louisville, Colo.; and United Launch Alliance of Centennial, Colo. The agreements are for the development of crew concepts and technology demonstrations and investigations for future commercial support of human spaceflight.

The Space Act Agreements are designed to foster entrepreneurial activity leading to high-tech job growth in engineering, analysis, design and research, and to promote economic growth as capabilities for new markets are created. Funding for these Space Act Agreements will stimulate efforts within the private sector to develop and demonstrate human spaceflight capabilities.

"These selections represent a critical step to enable future commercial human spaceflight," said Doug Cooke, associate administrator for Exploration Systems at NASA. "These impressive proposals will advance NASA significantly along the path to using commercial services to ferry astronauts to and from low Earth orbit, and we look forward to working with the selected teams," Cooke said.

All Space Act Agreements are designed to partially fund the development of system concepts, key technologies, and capabilities that could ultimately be used in commercial crew human space transportation systems. The selected teams also proposed matching funds from other sources that would leverage the taxpayer investment. The selected teams and awards are:

  • Blue Origin will receive $3.7 million
  • The Boeing Company will receive $18 million
  • Paragon Space Development Corporation will receive $1.4 million
  • Sierra Nevada Corporation will receive $20 million
  • United Launch Alliance will receive $6.7 million
The signed Space Act Agreements will fund performance milestones beginning in February 2010. The aggregate value of all of the Space Act Agreements is approximately $50 million.

The Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston is managing this effort.

For more information about NASA's Commercial Crew and Cargo Program, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/offices/c3po/home

For the most current information about NASA's use of the Recovery Act funds, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/recovery

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M51 Hubble Remix

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M51 Hubble Remix
The 51st entry in Charles Messier's famous catalog is perhaps the original spiral nebula--a large galaxy with a well defined spiral structure also cataloged as NGC 5194. Over 60,000 light-years across, M51's spiral arms and dust lanes clearly sweep in front of its companion galaxy, NGC 5195. Image data from the Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys was reprocessed to produce this alternative portrait of the well-known interacting galaxy pair. The processing sharpened details and enhanced color and contrast in otherwise faint areas, bringing out dust lanes and extended streams that cross the small companion, along with features in the surroundings and core of M51 itself. The pair are about 31 million light-years distant. Not far on the sky from the handle of the Big Dipper, they officially lie within the boundaries of the small constellation Canes Venatici.

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Less Than One Week to Launch

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At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, prelaunch activities are in full swing this week with the official launch countdown to space shuttle Endeavour's STS-130 mission set to begin at 2 a.m. EST Feb. 4.

Teams at Launch Pad 39A will be packing the astronauts' spacesuits into Endeavour today.

Meanwhile, the six STS-130 crew members who will fly to the International Space Station entered quarantine yesterday and now are on a sleep schedule to match their evening and overnight work hours during the mission. They will conduct final integrated ascent training in the motion base simulator today at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston and will be flying to Kennedy tomorrow night.

Last week, a water suppression system pipe leaked at Kennedy's Launch Control Center and workers have made progress during the weekend drying walls and carpets. This leak is not expected to hamper the liftoff of Endeavour at 4:39 a.m. EST Feb. 7.

Space Shuttle Mission: STS-130

STS-130 crew in training
Image above: STS-130 Pilot Terry Virts (left) and Mission Specialists Kathryn Hire and Stephen Robinson participate in a training session in an International Space Station mock-up trainer in the Space Vehicle Mock-up Facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center. Photo credit: NASA/JSC
› High-res image


› Meet the STS-130 Crew

Endeavour's STS-130 Mission
Commander George Zamka will lead the STS-130 mission to the International Space Station aboard space shuttle Endeavour. Terry Virts will serve as the pilot. Mission Specialists are Nicholas Patrick, Robert Behnken, Stephen Robinson and Kathryn Hire. Virts will be making his first trip to space.

Shuttle Endeavour and its crew will deliver to the space station a third connecting module, the Italian-built Tranquility node and the seven-windowed cupola, which will be used as a control room for robotics. The mission will feature three spacewalks.

Liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida is scheduled for February 7, 2010, at 4:39 a.m. EST


Additional Resources
› STS-130 Press Kit (8.4 Mb PDF)
› STS-130 Mission Summary (448 Kb PDF)
› Reusable Solid Rocket Motor and Solid Rocket Boosters
› Fact Sheet: Remaining Shuttle Missions (1.3 Mb PDF)

Orbiter Status
› About the Orbiters

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Olympus’ SP-800UZ and SP-600UZ Have New Background Defocusing Feature For Fake SLR-Trickery [Cameras]

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If you've got your heart set on a new bridge camera from Olympus, here are the decisions you need to make—would you prefer a 15x or 30x optical zoom, and 12 or 14-megapixels?

If you think you can be quite comfortable with 15x optical zoom and a 12-megapixel sensor, then the SP-600UZ is the mystery camera hiding in the big black box. The screen is a 2.7-inch LCD screen job, and it's capable of shooting in 720p resolution.

As you will have guessed, the more spec'd SP-800UZ is the 30x optical zoomed, 14-megapixel'd model, and has the same 2.7-inch LCD screen as the lesser-named model from before. Both cameras have a new 'background defocusing' feature for defocusing the background, which is a trick stolen from D-SLRs.

US pricing has been announced, with the 600UZ coming in at $249.99 and the 800UZ for $349.99, with both swinging their ways onto store shelves in March.


Sony Ericsson Adds Windows Mobile 6.5.3 To Eco-Friendly Aspen Phone [Phones]

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Sony Ericsson's image has been given a lift with the Aspen smartphone—which they're billing as the "latest addition to Sony Ericsson's Greenheart portfolio." But that's now what's piqued our interests—this baby's packin' Windows Mobile 6.5.3.

It's the first handset to run on the latest version of WinMo, and it's surprisingly a huge step up over anything we've seen in Microsoft's OS previously. It's more intuitive to use, and supports capacitive screens with multitouch.

Moving onto the hardware however, this QWERTY dude has a 2.4-inch QVGA TFT touchscreen display, A-GPS, 3.2-megapixel camera with 4x digital zoom, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. What makes the Aspen eco-friendly? The power-saving mode, eco mate application, GreenHeart panel and the charger and box are made from recycled materials.

Coming on iconic black and white silver, the Aspen will be sliding down the slopes in the second quarter of 2010.


Do Cell Phones Prevent Alzheimer’s?

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Scientific studies are not meant to be amusing, but I laughed out loud when I heard about this one. After all the concern about possible adverse health effects from cell phone use, this study tells us cell phone use can prevent Alzheimer’s, treat Alzheimer’s, and even improve cognitive function in healthy users.

They studied transgenic mice programmed by their genes to develop Alzheimer’s-like cognitive impairment; they used a group of non-transgenic littermates as controls. For an hour twice daily over several months they exposed the entire mouse cage to EMF comparable to what is emitted by cell phones. They tested cognitive function with maze tests and other tasks that are thought to measure the same things as human tests of cognitive function. The authors claim to have found striking evidence for both protective and disease-reversing effects.

EMF exposure was found to have cognitive-protective and cognitive-enhancing effects in both the normal mice and the Alzheimer’s-prone mice compared to non-EMF-exposed controls. EMF exposure raised body temperature and brain temperature by about one degree Centigrade. It also reduced the deposition of beta amyloid in the brain. Beta amyloid deposits are a pathognomonic finding in Alzheimer’s, although it is not clear whether they are a cause or a result of the disease. EMF exposure also increases cerebral blood flow and glucose utilization. It does not appear to increase oxidative stress.

This doesn’t mean we will all be smarter if we spend more time talking on our cell phones. It is a small preliminary trial that has no clinical implications as yet. It has not been replicated… although there is one intriguing epidemiologic study associating heavy cell phone use with better performance on a word interference test. Mice and humans may respond differently. Whole body exposure may not be comparable to exposure from typical cell phone use. I question whether typical cell phone use would raise brain temperature that much.

If temperature is important, are patients with elevated temperatures from other causes less susceptible to Alzheimer’s? Could supplying heat by other means work as well? Are sauna users less likely to develop Alzheimer’s? Would an electric blanket have a greater effect than a cell phone?

As cell phone use goes up in a community, does the prevalence of Alzheimer’s drop? Is the overall prevalence of Alzheimer’s greater today than it was before the invention of cell phones? If we found that cell phone users were less likely to have Alzheimer’s, that might only mean that demented people are not as capable of understanding how to use cell phones.

It’s way too early to speculate. Nevertheless, this study could be very useful as an arguing point. When technophobes and Luddites worry about possible dangers of cell phones, we can point to this as evidence of health benefits. Even if cell phones did cause a slight increase in brain cancers (the current weight of evidence indicates they don’t), at least some brain cancers are curable; Alzheimer’s is not.

Cell phone advertisers might want to incorporate these findings into new commercials. “Can you hear me now?” “Can you remember who I am?”


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Pressure refueling

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hi friend,

could you help me out how to analyse the effect of venting system on fuel transfer while doing pressure refueling in aircraft?Means how the improper venting leads to increased time for refueling?how to analyse this fuel and air interaction dynamically?& how to arrive the max pres

Steve Wozniak Explains That Faulty Software Caused His Car Troubles [Cars]

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Uh oh. Steve Woz is having some "very scary" trouble with his 2010 Toyota Prius. At a recent event in San Francisco he went off topic and talked about how faulty software is to blame for his car's accelerator troubles:

Toyota has this accelerator problem we've all heard about. Well, I have many models of Prius that got recalled, but I have a new model that didn't get recalled. This new model has an accelerator that goes wild but only under certain conditions of cruise control. And I can repeat it over and over and over again—safely. This is software. It's not a bad accelerator pedal. It's very scary, but luckily for me I can hit the brakes.

Toyota's reponse? They're looking into it:

We're in the business of investigating complaints, assessing problems and finding remedies. After many years of exhaustive testing we have not found any evidence of an electronic [software] problem that would have led to unwanted acceleration.

I hope things get figured out soon, otherwise Woz might have to switch to a Segway as his main mode of transportation. [CNET via Jalopnik]


In Which the Fujifilm XP10 Toughcam Mocks My Sedentary Lifestyle and I Tell It What’s What [Cameras]

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Mountain climbing. Cliff jumping. Cross-country skiing. Those are the kinds of activities the XP10 would be great at capturing. But I stay in my pajamas until 4:00 PM and do not appreciate the XP10's implicit condescension.

Who do you think you are, XP10? Just because you're a 12MP point-and-shoot capable of withstanding 3-foot drops, 10 feet of water and 14-degree temperatures, you think you're better than me? Well, how about that 165-shot battery life, huh? Not much endurance there. Maybe you should work out a bit, get those numbers up. One-touch tagging for Facebook and YouTube? Oh, you mean for when you're plugged into a computer, indoors, while sitting still, just like eeeeeverybody else? That's not very active, now is it? And that fancy-sounding 5x periscopic internal zoom—we'll just wee how good that is when you're released this month. Your price is okay, at $200, but just don't start thinking you're such hot stuff. Because I can work out, and then we'll see. Then we'll see, XP10 Toughcam from Fujifilm. [Fuji]