The Troubadour

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Renaissance Academy and Farpoint Get Their First Ship. Construction Completed Saturday. Space and Science News. The Imaginarium

Hello Troops,
It took most of Saturday morning to complete. It was confusing at times and frustrating throughout. It took patience, perseverance, steadfastness and imagination. There were good times and bad. There were happy moments and sad, but throughout the entire experience - our spirits were high in the knowledge that we: the few, the proud, and the chosen brought the first simulator to Renaissance Academy. Troops, I present to you today Farpoint's first ship: Our Tardis!

Bill Schuler and I are seen assembling one of the ship's outer walls and deflector SpaceTime shielding.
Many on the staff recognized the look on my face. The contortions are caused by extreme concentration and confusion at the task before us.

Building a Tardis is exhausting work. One mess up, one screw left untightened, one stray wire, one tab not inserted correctly could cause a ripple in space time. Any one of you could have disappeared from existence in the blink of an eye because of one of Mr. Schuler's Big Bang sneezes and the exposure of the ship's sensitive environment to copious amounts of spittle.

I'm photographed adding the last piece of equipment to the Tardis. With the beacon firmly secured, the Tardis sprang to life. Five minutes later she was purring like a kitten.

Mark Daymont was our quality control engineer on this project. He is seen just after completing his last inspection of the ship's inners and outers. He looks please and rightfully so. The ship was running within normal parameters and ready for fueling. This ship is far beyond anything ever built at either space center. It chews right through dilithium crystals. It scoffs at anti-matter. This ship is light years beyond all of that. Farpoint's Tardis runs on Imaginite.
Mark handed me the key to the door. "All that's left is to take it for a spin," he said with a smile. He and I were thinking the same thing. The Tardis couldn't pass inspection without proving it did what it was designed to do, navigate space and time in an efficient, thoughtful manner.
"Let's go." I opened the door and the three of us stepped in.

We took our positions and began reading the readout displays on the control surface. "OK gentlemen, where do we want to go?" I asked with hand on the space/time capacitor.
"Surprise us," Bill answered while fumbling with a stuck therum modulation interface.
"You're wish is my command." I turned the dial and pulled the large lever. The Tardis shuttered, spat, growled and moaned before executing the order. Space and time was answerable to us. The power rush felt real good! I maneuvered around the surface and announced our destination. "Let's go to lunch."
"Using a Tardis to go to lunch is a bit overkill isn't it?" Mark questioned.
"Not if its at the end of the universe?" I pushed the lever back into position, primed the fuel injectors, released the brake and pushed the big read button. "I know this awesome cafe right at the edge of the universe you've got to try." And with that introduction to the day's outing, we were off! The clock on the classroom wall showed 12:18 P.M.

It took some time to get to the cafe at the end of the universe, but considering what they have on the menu, the trip was well worth it. Several thousand calories later we were back in the Tardis and heading home. The journey was uneventful, except for the bumpy part near the unexpected supernova.
The classroom's clock showed 12:19 P.M. when we stepped out of the Tardis and back into my classroom at Renaissance.
"That was fun," Bill commented while working on a piece of stuck roasted Denebian Slime Devil with a toothpick. We gathered our tools and walked toward the classroom door. Mark stopped to take one last picture of Farpoint's first ship before I turned the lights out and shut the door.

You will all have to stop by my classroom and let me take you for a spin sometime. Please have a destination and time in mind to save time.

Mr. Williamson

Space and Science News

Russians, Japanese keeping Expedition 36 Supplied

By Mark Daymont

Farpoint Educator

Japan's H-2 rocket stands on Pad 2 at Tanegashima.

These are busy times for space enthusiasts, even without an American manned spacecraft of their own. Not only are rockets launching around the world to place satellites in orbit, rockets are also launching to keep our only manned outpost in space supplied with food and equipment. This afternoon, Japan's Space Agency launched an H-2 heavy rocket from Pad 2 of the Yoshinobu Complex on Tanegashima Island. Lifted into space was the HTV-4 (H-2 Transfer Vehicle #4) carrying 3.6 tons of supplies and equipment on course to rendezvous with the ISS next Friday.

H-2 liftoff from Pad 2. HTV-4 coverage by JAXA and seen on SpaceflightNow,com

On board the cargo spacecraft is a new robot: Kirobu. The little human-shaped robot is being called a "robot astronaut" and will perform a Japan-to-ISS conversation with astronaut Koichi Wakata, due to come aboard the ISS in November. Kirobu is programmed with voice-and-face-recognition systems. Japan's roboticists hope to learn how to make robot helpers that will accompany astronauts on long space voyage missions.

Kirobu experiences a moment of microgravity on a parabolic jet flight. Credit: Kibo robot project.

This is the fourth mission of the HTV cargo program. The first HTV was launched in 2009. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) handles rocket launches from its Tanegashima Island Space Center. After the cargo is removed from the HTV-4 over the next couple of months, ISS crew members will eventually fill the container with trash and disposables, undock the module and direct it to burn up over the ocean. Currently, only SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft is capable of returning to Earth with cargo.

JAXA mission control center for HTV launch.

Station POV: Progress 50 undocks from ISS.

Russia has also recently resupplied the ISS. After undocking the Progress 50 robotic cargo ship from the station (which will also burn up over the ocean), astronauts of Expedition 36 began preparations for another supply effort from Russia. The Progress 50 (designated by Russia as Progress M-18M) included a big piece of equipment from the ISS: the TVIS (Treadmill with Vibration Isolation System), which was replaced recently by a new model BD-2 brought aboard by Progress 51 (M-19M), Up until now, every ISS crew has used the treadmill as part of their physical health program. Some of us who have a love-hate relationships with treadmills on Earth might smile at the thought of the treadmill burning up over the Pacific Ocean.

Astronauts Parmitano (L) and Nyberg practice spacecraft docking procedures.

On approach: Progress 52 heads for a docking. ISS POV.

On July 27, the Russian spacecraft Progress 52 (M-20M) blasted off from Baikonur Cosmodrome on a direct-to station orbital path. Instead of the normal multi-day approach, the launch window allowed for a 6-hour short trip to the ISS. With Ground flight control maneuvering the Progress spacecraft, the docking occurred at the Russian-built Pirs Module. On board the cargo, NASA and Russian controllers placed some tools which will be helpful in analyzing what may have gone wrong with astronaut Parmitano's EVA suit earlier this month when water began flowing into the space helmet.

Crowded parking space at the ISS. HTV is on its way as well.

Front view of Progress 52.

July 16: EVA. Astronaut Cassidy replacing equipment.

Engineers are still working out the glitches that occurred when the water leak began only an hour into the EVA on July 16. If they cannot determine the exact cause on the station, they may have to wait for the next SpaceX Dragon flight so the suit can be sent home to Earth. The urgency to discover the problem's cause is due to the unknown nature, which could affect other NASA spacesuits that the astronauts depend on. As for astronaut Parmitano, he weathered the incident well and continues his mission challenges very well on the ISS.

I
talian Superman: Parmitano flies through Japan's Kibo module entrance in a familiar pose.

Japan's robotic vision: Robot Astronauts as long-duration mission companions?
Kirobu is just the start it seems.

The do it yourself sandwich

A creative way to advertise toilet paper

At least the kid was honest

One creative ice sculpture

Wow, if it hadn't been for that one cone I think I would have
walked right into that sidewalk hazard.
Risk Management at work for you

Awesome bookstore

I think they need a worker or two.

Perfect license plate

Fido like to take himself for walks

One family's creative way of letting the cat back in

naughty children.
Punish them all!

You haven't got long to make your mark before you join the green pool

Is this proof of marshmallow cannibalism?

When a jawbreaker isn't enough

What it takes to shield an oceanic cable.

What we get out of one tree

A sign for every manager

Breakfast anyone?

The NSA is at it again

A sign in a nursing home for Alzheimer's patients

Thinking ahead

A creative child's car seat

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Answers to Your Questions. The Sun's Magnetic Field is Changing. Japan Launches Robot into Space. Could We Build Elysium? The Imaginarium

Hello Troops,
We start today's post with answers to questions sent in by our readers.

Question 1:

what universe is farpoint going to be in? It seems the star trek universe is dyeing off with only one space center still supporting it :(

I too am a huge fan of Star Trek, which is why my space center at Central School was set in the Star Trek universe. I have different goals for Farpoint. Farpoint needs a different universe from which we can build a good solid curriculum to enhance student learning. We want to take our curriculum and use it in other schools. We couldn't do that with Star Trek because of copyright issues.
Do I wish we could build Farpoint in the Star Trek universe? Yes. Will the new universe be as good. Of course, we have a great team of sci-fi nerds (like myself) working on it. I think you'll be pleased.

Question 2:

I noticed in one of your recent posts that you used the new logo for Farpoint that I had posted about. I just posted a little bit more about the design choices I made, and I posted a few resources just in case you want to recreate my work for Farpoint. Feel free. :)
I'm curious to know what you think about it. Thanks for at least paying attention!
http://spaceedventures.blogspot.com/2013/07/elaborating-on-new-branding.html

Dear person who asked Question 2. You didn't include your name or an email address so I'm writing a response to your comments here. You did a great job with the demo Troubadour site. I like much of what you've done.
The one downside is the title photos. I enjoy The Troubadour's title photos. I enjoy changing them on a regular basis. Other than that, I think your blog suggestion is plausible. Let's see what others think of it.

Do You have this Young Man's Drive? It's needed for Today's economy.

Troops,
This is an example of putting yourself out there to get what you're looking for. Would I hire this young man? Maybe, if his qualifications and skills were useful to me. But, he definitely would get me to stop and talk to him strictly out of admiration of what he's doing. It shows self confidence, guts and tenacity; which is one reason why I always try to buy something from the valley's young entrepreneurs and their roadside lemonade stands.

A tipster sent us this photo of an enterprising young man outside the Battery Park ferry terminal near Goldman Sachs and the NYMEX giving out free donuts and coffee so he can get hired.

His name is Michael Penn and he's 23 years old.

We caught up with Penn over the phone moments ago.

He told us that he wants to get into the investment banking industry in any type of business development role. Read More

Space and Science News

Meet Kirobo: Man's new best friend?
On Saturday, August 4th, Japan launched a standard rocket to deliver supplies and equipment to astronauts on board the International Space Station (ISS). But this rocket also carried a very non-standard piece of kit...
Enter Kirobo.
Kirobo is approximately 0.34m tall, weighs 1kg and speaks Japanese. Yep, you read that correctly. This is part of the Kibo Robo Project, Japan's mission to create a robot which can interact with humans in space. "I want to help create a world where humans and robots can live together," the diminutive figure stated at a press release in June. Hardly Skynet.
Kirobo is also not alone. There is also a ground based back-up called Mirata who, like Kirobo, was built by the University of Tokyo's Research Centre for Advanced Science and Technology.
Both robots are equipped with voice and facial recognition technologies in addition to cutting edge emotional recognition software. They represent the latest in the search for Artificial Intelligence and are also avatars of Hope for long missions where the psychological state of human crew members could be harmed by prolonged periods of solitude.
Kirobo, a merging of robot and the Japanese word for "hope", will serve as a friend and partner to Japanese astronaut Koichi Wakata, who will join the ISS in November.

- Samuel (From From Quarks to Quasars)

Jupiter, as Envisioned from Europa

The top priority of a robotic lander mission to Jupiter's potentially life-supporting moon Europa should be investigating the composition and chemistry of its subsurface ocean, scientists say.

Such a mission should also aim to determine the thickness and dynamics of the moon's ice shell and characterize the surface geology of Europa in detail, a NASA-appointed "science definition team" reports in a new study in the journal Astrobiology.

"If one day humans send a robotic lander to the surface of Europa, we need to know what to look for and what tools it should carry," study lead author Robert Pappalardo, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., said in a statement. [Photos: Europa, Mysterious Icy Moon of Jupiter]