Astronaut Application Update

I'm finally finished with the astronaut application and NASA has acknowledged the receipt of my college transcripts.  Do I really think I have a chance?  My professor last semeter at FIT has a doctorate from MIT, was former Navy captain, helps train astronauts, and still hasn't been selected.   So I really don't think I have a chance, but I have to try.  I meet the qualifications for mission specialist (not pilot), but obviously the competition is fierce. 

 

If I make it to the next round the e-mail I get should be inviting me to Houston.  I think it'll be a few months before I find out for sure.

 

Stay tuned.  Updates will follow as soon as I hear anything.

Blogged with MessageDance using Gmail | Reply On Twitter

the positive side to high fuel costs

I've been doing a lot of business over WebEx lately.  I noticed the other day in the lower left of the main window it now says "Thank you for working green."  I can't say I've noticed a huge increase in airline fairs, but yesterday United Airlines announced they're pulling out of West Palm Beach and Ft. Lauderdale airports.  I'm sure the trend will continue.  For most meetings, WebEx/SharedView/Skype is all I need. 

Hopefully, WebEx meetings (and other remote sharing applications) will become the norm and reduce travel.  The older I get the less I can put up with the hassle of travel ;)


Blogged with MessageDance using Gmail | Reply On Twitter

Another overachiever

A while back I blogged about the astronaut Story Musgrave and the fact that he as more degrees than a thermometer.  Apparently the current head of NASA is in the same league.  The following is from Florida Today's "The Flame Trench" blog about space about Michael Griffin, current NASA administrator:

A registered engineer in Maryland and California, Griffin holds a bachelors degree in physics, five masters degrees and a PhD. in aerospace engineering. He was the lead author of a textbook on spacecraft design, served as chief engineer and head of exploration at NASA during the early 1990s and also was the deputy for technology at the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization. He's the smartest guy in whatever room he walks into.

Sometimes when I feel all smart because I'm getting a master's degree in engineering I think about these guys who are much more smarter.  It's amazing what some people can accomplish when they cut out TV watching in their lives ;) 

Blogged with MessageDance using Gmail | Reply On Twitter

Senate hearing about Kennedy Space Center workforce

My wife says I should write more of my own entires instead of just slapping a few sentences on an article I find of interest.

Fine...here goes.

While at work this morning I tuned into the live stream of the special Senate hearing dealing with the downturn of the workforce at the Kennedy Space Center after the shuttle is retired in late 2010.  Of course, I was working so I couldn't pay complete attention, but I did catch some interesting tidbits.

First, people who work in the space industry aren't in it for the money.  (Duh)

Second, the phasing out of the shuttle will bring about the loss of jobs. Although, the phasing in of the next programs may help to keep those folks around.  One of the interesting things noted is that the new spacecraft coming after the shuttle will be assembled at KSC.  I was a bit confused by this because normally the components of a rocket are brought together in the mighty big Vehicle Assembly Building.  I'm thinking they were talking about more assembly of the individual components at KSC.  This includes the new space capsule, rocket, and lunar lander.

Third, Congress is currently trying to get a bill passed to give NASA more money to speed the transition up and add another mission to the shuttle, but the current administration has vowed to veto any bill.  The current administration says it wants to see the shuttle retired first and the new systems come online.

Finally, other county leaders testified about the current plans to offer training and help to those who will be let go in the short term.  Senator Nelson did make an interesting plea to anyone watching who works at KSC to take advantage of the training being offered through state and county grants to help transition into new jobs.  I wonder if this fall my class at FIT will be packed to the walls. 

Overall, I was encouraged about the "long term" possibility at KSC.  It will be rough for the immediate future, but for true space geeks I'm sure they'll find something to do in the interim.

So, how's that Danielle?




Blogged with MessageDance using Gmail | Reply On Twitter

The Italian Way

Check out this funny Flash animation on the difference between Italians and the rest of the EU.

Blogged with MessageDance using Gmail | Reply On Twitter

Sixteen-day window to see twin shuttles

I plan on going to KSC and get my picture taken between the two shuttles during the window of time described in the window below...

via FLORIDA TODAY Space Team Blog by SpaceTeam on 6/20/08

NASA this September will have fully assembled shuttles on both of its Kennedy Space Center launch pads for the first time since 2001 and for only the 17th time in more than a quarter-century of shuttle fleet operations.

The relatively rare sight will come after the planned Aug. 29 rollout of shuttle Atlantis to launch pad 39A in preparation for NASA's fifth and final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.

The agency now aims to move shuttle Endeavour on Sept. 23 to pad 39B, where it will be poised to launch on a rescue mission in the unlikely event that Atlantis sustains damage that would endanger the crew during atmospheric reentry.

The rollout dates are planning dates and could change. But there should be about a 16-day window for people to see shuttles on both pads -- likely for the last time before the fleet is retired in September 2010.

The best public views would be afforded to people driving out to Playalinda Beach and those taking bus tours offered by the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

You can see a list that details all previous instances when shuttles were perched on both pads by clicking HERE.

In the wake of the February 2003 Columbia accident, NASA decided a second shuttle always should be ready to roll out for a rescue mission should one of its winged orbiters sustain critical damage during a nine-minute climb into space or orbital operations.

Shuttle crews typically would seek safe haven on the International Space Station and remain there up to three months until a second shuttle could be rolled out to pad 39B and launched with a rescue crew.

But the Hubble telescope is in an entirely different orbit, so its crew would not have enough fuel to reach the station in the event of an emergency. A rescue mission would have to be launched within weeks rather than months. So the second shuttle in this case must already be on pad 39B in order to carry out a rescue mission in a timely enough manner to save the Atlantis crew.

- Todd Halvorson

Reblogged with MessageDance using Google Reader | Reply On Twitter

Orion Landing Airbag In Works | AVIATION WEEK

The link at the end of this entry will take you to an article about airbags for the capsule that will replace the space shuttle. The design for the capsule has been changing. At first it was going to touchdown primarily on land. After they crunched the numbers they concluded that the airbag system to cushion the landing weighed too much so they switched to landings in the ocean. It looks like they were able to cut down the weight of the airbag landing system so touching down on land is now an option again for emergencies and maybe they can rework things to make land the primary touch down method.

Personally, I think touching down on land is better than the water to keep the costs down. The Russians have been doing it forever, but the new Orion design is going to be a bigger capsule. I wish I could experience the design process these guys must be going through. All engineering geeks want to be in on these ground floor discussions ;)

via www.aviationnow.com on 6/20/08

The system would protect astronauts if the capsule is forced to return to Earth on dry land instead of in the ocean.

Reblogged with MessageDance using Google Reader | Reply On Twitter

West Palm Beach from the air

Blogged with MessageDance using Gmail | Reply On Twitter

$4/gal Gas Makes Hybrids Worth the Money (Finally)

The link below takes you to an article that shows the break-even points of several hybrids.

via EcoGeek.org by Jaymi Heimbuch on 6/16/08

How quickly you realize your gas savings is the ubiquitous debate over buying a hybrid versus gas-powered vehicle – among the average consumer, that is. With the price tag of hybrids higher than gas vehicles, it can take quite awhile. However, when you factor in the high prices we’re paying at the pump, hybrids are quickly becoming the better deal.

 

The Wall Street Journal posted an article analyzing hybrids against their gas-powered counterparts, and declared hybrids the winner for financial efficiency. For example, the Prius beat out the Camry after only 3 years of ownership, though the Camry has a few selling points the Prius doesn’t have in that it is a larger and somewhat more luxurious car. But still.

 

Quick-payback hybrids are in the 4-5 year range for seeing the fuel savings pay off the premium spent on the hybrid version versus the gas powered version. They include the Nissan Altima (taking about four years), GM Yukon, and the Mercury Mariner (each taking about five years), according to Edmunds.com.

 

Conversely, the Toyota Highlander, Chevy Malibu, Saturn Aura and Lexus LS60H have big price tags with relatively low mileage improvements. In fact, Edmunds calculated the Highlander takes about 18 years to see a payback, and – I about choked on this one – the Lexus LS600H would take about a century to break even! And because the gas-powered versions of the Malibu and Aura already have decent mileage, the hybrid versions only get drivers a couple miles per gallon farther – not much of a fuel savings.

 

Edmunds uses the sticker prices of the vehicles, a $4.02 average gas price per gallon (which is ridiculously cheap gas for my neck of the woods), and federal tax credits to make the comparison calculations. Not factored in are insurance costs, repair costs, and replacement part costs. Those are some significant features that need to be weighed in when doing your own comparisons, along with how and where you’ll drive your car.

 

With how rapidly gas prices are rising, improved technology, and wider selection thanks to the growing competition among hybrid makers to make affordable vehicles, hybrids are sure to have nearly instant payback rates in the next few years. But until that point, and probably long after, I’ll stick with my zero emissions bike that costs me $0.00 0/10 per mile.

 

 

 

 

Via WSJ; Header photo via CanadaCow

Reblogged with MessageDance using Google Reader | Reply On Twitter

A Hollywood couple

Who's that great looking couple in front of the Hollywood sign?  It's none other than this blog's author with his beautiful wife.

I told the paparazzi not to follow me around ;)





Blogged with MessageDance using Gmail | Reply On Twitter

Virginia 1, Florida 0 for space launches

Looks like Virginia moves one step closer to having a launch complex. Too bad Florida couldn't woo them over.

via Space Politics by Jeff Foust on 6/10/08

Outside of New Mexico, which is putting nearly $200 million of state and local money into a new commercial spaceport, no two states have been more active in space policy and related economic incentives than Florida and Virginia. For the last few months, the two states have also been competing against each other to win the launch business of Orbital Sciences Corporation, which was considering both Cape Canaveral and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island as the launch site for the Taurus 2, its planned medium-lift launch vehicle the company is developing as part of its COTS cargo system.

Yesterday, Orbital made its decision, picking MARS over the Cape, much to the glee of politicians in both Virginia and Maryland. The announcement merited a press release from the office of Virginia governor Tim Kaine (a person, incidentally, touted as a potential running mate for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama), with quotes from a number of local officials in both Accomack County, where MARS is located, as well as Loudoun County, where Orbital is headquartered.

The announcement also triggered an enthusiastic press release from Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), a supporter of government and commercial activity at Wallops (in part because many of the people who work there actually live across the border in Maryland.) How enthusiastic? “This is the biggest thing to hit the Eastern Shore since Captain John Smith’s anchor!”

The announcement triggered some soul-searching from Cape supporters, like Rep. Tom Feeney (R-FL). Feeney thanked state officials, including Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp, for putting together an incentive package to try and lure Orbital to the Cape. “Today’s disappointing announcement highlights Florida’s need to redouble our efforts to attract space business to Cape Canaveral.”

Reblogged with MessageDance using Google Reader | Reply On Twitter

650 Miles Per Tank

And continuing with our hydrogen thread...

This car gets 650 miles per tank!

via EcoGeek.org by Andrew Williams on 6/6/08

Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have revealed that they have driven a car 650 miles on one tank of liquid hydrogen. In a recent test, the team installed a super-insulated hydrogen gas tank in a standard Prius hybrid that was able to keep a full load of the liquid without evaporating for six days, setting a new world record.

The 300-pound tank removes a lot of obstacles to the development of hydrogen-powered cars. Current versions, such as the fleet of hydrogen-electric Toyota Prius’s used by various city governments across Southern California, run on compressed hydrogen gas, and have a limited range of around 80 miles between fill-ups. Even a fairly modest three-gallon tank fills the entire trunk of a Prius, but still only allows a range of around 200 miles, not really enough to compete with gasoline-only vehicles. One way to overcome this limitation is by using liquid hydrogen, which takes up around a third of the volume of compressed gas. However, it is much more difficult to handle, mainly because it must be kept at very low temperatures (around -420oF) and extremely high pressure to prevent it from evaporating as the engine heats up.

Speaking about the breakthrough, Livermore Lab engineer Salvador Alceves said, “We think if you have the cars, and the technology for the cars, the infrastructure will follow. The cars are the hard part.”

The tank can also hold less expensive compressed hydrogen, enabling users to use it for shorter journeys with the option of switching to liquid to triple their range for longer drives. It can also withstand crashes and fires without exploding. The team apparently even shot one tank with a gun without blowing it up – that must have been an exciting day at the office!

Livermore Lab estimates that we could see prototype cars in 2012. Lead technician Tim Ross said, “We will get there, I truly believe I will see this in my lifetime.”

See the full press release and video

Via Mercury News

Reblogged with MessageDance using Google Reader | Reply On Twitter

Toyota Unveils Fuel Cell Hybrid with 500+ Mile Range

A thought came to me as I read this. If fuel cells can deliver 500+ mile ranges then trips to the "gas" station would decrease. Would this mean we would need as large an infrastructure of hydrogen stations because of fill-up frequency?

via EcoGeek.org by Andrew Williams on 6/9/08

 

Toyota has unveiled its new FCHV-adv, which it says can travel 515 miles between refuels, more than double the previous record for this type of vehicle. In tests, the car, which has just received vehicle-type certification from Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, smashed the 205 mile range achieved by its predecessor.

The FCHV-adv (standing for Fuel Cell Hybrid Vehicle-advanced), combines on-board high-pressure hydrogen tanks with advanced fuel-cell stack technology. According to the Toyota researchers behind the breakthrough, 25% of the advance in range was achieved through a combination of improving fuel cell performance, playing around with the regenerative braking system and minimizing energy consumed by the auxiliary assemblage.

Ignition performance, an issue that has often plagued fuel cell development, has also been tested successfully by the Toyota team. The new core fuel-cell stack has an improved membrane electrode assembly (MEA), which means that the FCHV-adv can turn over in temperatures as low as -30 degrees C. This was achieved by preventing internally produced water interfering with electrical generation within the MEA at low temperatures.

There is no news yet on a potential release date or price for the FCHV-adv. However, Toyota is said to be working closely with governments and energy companies to see how it could best bring the vehicle to mass production. For now, if you want a fuel cell car, you'll want to look towards Honda.

Via Motortorque and Automotive Business Review

Reblogged with MessageDance using Google Reader | Reply On Twitter

With U.S. in slump, dual citizenship in EU countries attracts Americans

Interesting article below. My parents have mentioned this to me before. Since they were born in Itay (but now are Americans) I could still apply for EU citizenship.

via PalmBeachPost.com - Treasure Coast headlines on 6/7/08

For millions of Europeans who braved the Atlantic Ocean for a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty and dreams of a lavish life, there was little thought of ever emigrating back.

Reblogged with MessageDance using Google Reader | Reply On Twitter

Excuse me, are you a rocket scientist?

Today I was flying back from Los Angeles to Miami non-stop.  Since it's a five hour flight I thought I'd take advantage of the time and get ahead on my grad school homework.  My class this semester is on rocket propulsion systems.  The textbook has a picture of the space shuttle with engines at full blast.

I'm flipping around in the book and writing down some equations for some of the problems when someone from the row behind me asks, "Excuse me, are you a rocket scientist?"  At first I thought how observant this person was.  I explained to him that I'm working on a master's in space systems and he explained that he's a writer in Los Angeles working on a story set in the future about the need to go to the moon.  I'll leave it vague because it's his idea.  I can tell you that I think his plot is very plausible in the near term with all that's going on in the world and the space program.  I gave him my card and told him to contact me if I can help with his ideas.

Also, at the conference this week I met up with the guys from Blue Origin (that's the space tourism company started by the founder of Amazon.com).  We had a nice chat about what's going on there.  It's been a great week for this fan of the space program.

Now I wish I could go to sleep....


Blogged with MessageDance using Gmail | Reply On Twitter

Shuttle Launch Pad Damage

Interesting pictures of some damage at the launchpad from last weekend's launch.

via How I Am Becoming An Astronaut by Damaris B. Sarria on 6/2/08

Well here's something we don't normally see after a launch. Numerous concrete blocks and bricks from the flame trench were blown away during the STS-124 launch and ended up damaging some of the surrounding fence and were scattered throughout the launch site. We're not sure yet what caused this to happen, but it will be fixed in time for the next launch of Atlantis on October 8th. The pictures below are amazing. Be glad you were not on the launch pad when this happened!

You can read a little more on Spaceflight now: http://www.spaceflightnow.com/shuttle/sts124/080601pad/

Reblogged with MessageDance using Google Reader | Reply On Twitter