Monthly Archives: September 2011

Found Tatooine, We Have

Posted on by

From Star Wars to Science Fact: Tatooine-like Planet Discovered, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

"Although cold and gaseous rather than a desert world, the newfound planet Kepler-16b is still the closest astronomers have come to discovering Luke Skywalker's home world of Tatooine. Like Tatooine, Kepler-16b enjoys a double sunset as it circles a pair of stars approximately 200 light-years from Earth. It's not thought to harbor life, but its discovery demonstrates the diversity of planets in our galaxy."

Tatooine-Like Planet Discovered, Carnegie Institution for Science

"A planet with two suns may be a familiar sight to fans of the "Star Wars" film series, but not, until now, to scientists. A team of researchers, including Carnegie's Alan Boss, has discovered a planet that orbits around a pair of stars. Their remarkable findings will be published Sept. 16 in Science."

NASA's Kepler Discovery Confirms First Planet Orbiting Two Stars

"Unlike Star Wars' Tatooine, the planet is cold, gaseous and not thought to harbor life, but its discovery demonstrates the diversity of planets in our galaxy. Previous research has hinted at the existence of circumbinary planets, but clear confirmation proved elusive. Kepler detected such a planet, known as Kepler-16b, by observing transits, where the brightness of a parent star dims from the planet crossing in front of it."

Senate Approps Cuts NASA Budget, Boosts Webb

Posted on by

FY2012 Commerce, Justice, Science Appropriations Subcommittee Mark - NASA Excerpt

* The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is funded at $17.9 billion, a reduction of $509 million or 2.8 percent from the FY2011 enacted level.

* The bill preserves NASA portfolio balanced among science, aeronautics, technology and human space flight investments, including the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle, the heavy lift Space Launch System, and commercial crew development.

* The bill provides funds to enable a 2018 launch of the James Webb Space Telescope.

Will The Webb Money Sponge Drain Funds From The Rest of NASA?

Posted on by

Webb telescope gets rescued in the Senate, Nature

"At the subcommittee meeting today, the Senator said the beleaguered mission would get $530 million in 2012 -- much more than the $374 million that had been asked for in the president's budget request. But the agency as a whole would get $17.9 billion -- half a billion less than it received in 2011.'"

Hope, With 'Stringent' Orders, for NASA's Webb Telescope

"In remarks delivered at the markup today, Mikulski noted that although her panel wanted to continue funding for the telescope, it also wanted NASA to be more accountable in executing the project. "We have added stringent language, limiting development costs" and insisted on "a report from NASA senior management, ensuring that the NASA has gotten its act together in managing the telescope," she said."

Keith's note: I have to wonder why yet another report from the same people who have botched JWST managment is going to be any more accurate or reliable than what they have reported or said thus far. Oh yes - adding $156 million to one project (JWST) while cutting NASA's top line by $500 million is just going to exacerbate trench warfare between NASA's space and planetary science community. Do the math: NASA overall gets $500 million less than 2011 and yet JWST gets more than the President asked for. NASA has to deal with that $500 million cut plus the additional $156 million that JWST has sucked up out of NASA's reduced budget i.e. NASA has $656 million less to work with - according to the Senate - so far. Stay tuned.

DOL Starter or a Star Delta Starter

Posted on by

Dear All,

Kindly suggest which starter would be more beneficial technically and cost wise for a 500 KW Induction Motor -

To use a DOL Starter or a Star Delta Starter .

I heard that a Star Delta starter is not available for a 500 KW motor as the motor rating is high. Is it true? Can anyone suggest

Downlight

Posted on by

hi friends

i am designing one downlight.It is having one diffuser disk.But i dont know its absorptance Or extinction coefficient.I am having its data sheet.

Can anybody explain how to calculate that!

here is data sheet

I am using trace pro for its analysis.

Dodge Charger Police Cars – The Best Yet?

Posted on by

When they first started using Chargers as highway pursuit cars, I though they were just about the meanest looking things on the road. But with the swoopy-doo styling of the second-gen new Charger, is it still intimidating?

It's trying to be: Dodge just announced new Mopar packages for its p

Say Goodbye to Incandescent Light Bulbs

Posted on by

As an energy-saving measure, governments all over the world will soon severely restrict the manufacture and sale of conventional incandescent light bulbs, a technology that has endured for more than 125 years,. Controversy surrounding the move centers on a continuing resistance to the available alte

Who's Running the Space Station?

Posted on by

Some astronauts are scheduled to leave the space station this month with the remainder leaving in November. As an automation expert, do you have any recommendations for ensuring the safety of the station in the absence of its crew? If the space station starts to lose altitude, what recommendations d

Bones Made Of Wood

Posted on by

= Bone Made Of Wood? =

When you think about it, bone made of wood makes sense. They're both hard, solid, living elements with a porous interior that support a growing, living system. The continuing need for materials to aid in bone regeneration has encouraged a group of scientists from the Ins

Considering Design for Disassembly…

Posted on by

Typically, products that require periodic servicing/adjustments or upgrades need to be accessed, and perhaps products at the end of their life-cycles. One industry expert believes generic electronic parts should be reused in future devices. What types of products do you believe should adapt Design f

The Next Big Tech?

Posted on by

Google has a young venture arm devoted to funding other tech companies. Only a few dozen people work in it, in contrast to the 28,000 or so in the mother company. But these few are intently looking for the next big thing in design, engineering, and other fields — and shelling out $200 million

Commercial Spaceflight Federation Supports Letter on NASA Space Technology Funding

Posted on by

Washington, D.C. – The Commercial Spaceflight Federation is pleased to support a letter on NASA Space Technology funding, signed by 45 companies, nonprofits, and research universities, which was delivered to Congress last week.

The letter states, “The Space Technology program is a critical investment in NASA’s future, our nation’s future in space, and America’s technology leadership position in the world.” The letter notes, “We write in support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Technology program for fiscal year (FY) 2012. We urge you to support the program at a level of at least $535 million plus costs to cover the NASA labor transition. … As recognized by Congress in the America COMPETES Act, our nation’s economic competitiveness and high standard of living are based on decades of investment in innovation, research, and technology. Through space technology, NASA will stimulate the economy and build America’s global economic competitiveness through the creation of new products and services, new businesses and industries, and high?quality, sustainable jobs across NASA Centers, universities, and both small and large businesses.”

The full text of the letter can be found at:
http://commercialspaceflight.org/Other%20Content/NASA%20Space%20Technology%20Letter%20of%20Support,%20Senate.pdf

Copies of the letter were sent to both the House and Senate.

About the Commercial Spaceflight Federation
The mission of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) is to promote the development of commercial human spaceflight, pursue ever-higher levels of safety, and share best practices and expertise throughout the industry. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation’s member companies, which include commercial spaceflight developers, operators, spaceports, suppliers, and service providers, are creating thousands of high-tech jobs nationwide, working to preserve American leadership in aerospace through technology innovation, and inspiring young people to pursue careers in science and engineering. For more information please visit http://www.commercialspaceflight.org or contact Executive Director John Gedmark at john@commercialspaceflight.org or at 202.349.1121.

# # #