Monday, June 27, 2011

Bend it Like Beckham! Small Asteroid to Whip Past Earth on June 27, 2011

My thanks to you folks for giving me a heads up when we have things coming our way.
- LRK -

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Bend it Like Beckham! Small Asteroid to Whip Past Earth on June 27, 2011

Don Yeomans & Paul Chodas
NASA/JPL Near-Earth Object Program Office
June 23, 2011
Updated: June 26, 2011




Trajectory of 2011 MD projected onto the Earth's orbital plane. Note from this viewing angle, the asteroid passes underneath the Earth




Trajectory of 2011 MD from the general direction of the Sun. 

Near-Earth asteroid 2011 MD will pass only 12,300 kilometers (7,600 miles) above the Earth's surface on Monday June 27 at about 1:00 PM EDT. The asteroid was discovered by the LINEAR near-Earth object discovery team observing from Socorro, New Mexico. The diagram on the left shows the trajectory of 2011 MD projected onto the Earth's orbital plane over a four-day interval. The diagram on the left gives another view from the general direction of the Sun that indicates that 2011 MD will reach its closest Earth approach point in extreme southern latitudes (in fact over the southern Atlantic Ocean). This small asteroid, only 5-20 meters in diameter, is in a very Earth-like orbit about the Sun, but an orbital analysis indicates there is no chance it will actually strike Earth on Monday. The incoming trajectory leg passes several thousand kilometers outside the geosynchronous ring of satellites and the outgoing leg passes well inside the ring. One would expect an object of this size to come this close to Earth about every 6 years on average. For a brief time, it will be bright enough to be seen even with a modest-sized telescope

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"The incoming trajectory leg passes several thousand kilometers outside the geosynchronous ring of satellites and the outgoing leg passes well inside the ring."
Any one's geosync satellite watching the passing?
- LRK -

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News and information about the Sun-Earth Environment

QUIET SUN: Solar activity is very low. Only one small sunspot group (AR1241) is crossing the visible face of the sun, and it poses no threat for strong flares.
ASTEROID FLYBY: Asteroid 2011 MD is flying past Earth today, Monday June 27th. At closest approach around 1:00 p.m. EDT the ~10-meter space rock was only 12,000 kilometers (7,500 miles) above the planet's surface. NASA analysts said there was no chance it would strike Earth, and indeed it didn't.
Astronomers around the world are monitoring the object as it flies by. Using a remotely-controled telescope in Cerro Tololo, Chile, Joe Pollock of Appalachian State University obtained this light curve:
http://www.spaceweather.com/swpod2011/27june11/Joe-Pollock1_strip.jpg

"Asteroid 2001 MD appears to be rotating with a 23.3 or 11.6 minute period," notes Pollock.
After closest approach to Earth, the spinning asteroid will recede through the zone of geosynchronous satellites. The chances of a collision with a satellite or manmade space junk are extremely small, albeit not zero. Stay tuned for updates.

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You may want to look at some other near misses and consider that sky may actually fall in every now and then.
- LRK -

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Near Earth Object Program


Trajectory of Asteroid 2011 MDBend it Like Beckham! Small Asteroid to Whip Past Earth on June 27, 2011 
June 23, 2011Near-Earth asteroid 2011 MD will pass only 12,000 kilometers (7,500 miles) above the Earth's surface on Monday June 27 at about 1:00 PM EDT. The asteroid was discovered by the LINEAR near-Earth object discovery team observing from Socorro, New Mexico.
Full Story




Trajectory of Asteroid 2005 YU55 - November 8-9, 2011Asteroid 2005 YU55 to Approach Earth on November 8, 2011 
March 10, 2011Near-Earth asteroid 2005 YU55 will pass within 0.85 lunar distances from the Earth on November 8, 2011. The upcoming close approach by this relatively large 400 meter-sized, C-type asteroid presents an excellent opportunity for synergistic ground-based observations including optical, near infrared and radar data.
Full Story





Trajectory of Asteroid 2011 CQ1 - February 4, 2011Asteroid 2011 CQ1 Makes Close Earth Approach on February 4, 2011 
February 4, 2011Asteroid 2011 CQ1 was discovered by the Catalina Sky Survey on February 4 and made a record close Earth approach 14 hours later on February 4 at 19:39 UT (14:39 EST). It passed to within 0.85 Earth radii (5480 km) of the Earth's surface over a region in the mid-Pacific. This object, only about one meter in diameter, is the closest non-impacting object in our asteroid catalog to date.
Full Story




Trajectory of Asteroid 2010 KQ - March-Oct 2010
Asteroid 2010 TD54 to Pass Within Earth-Moon System on October 12, 2010 
October 11, 2010A small asteroid will fly past Earth early Tuesday within the Earth-moon system. The asteroid, 2010 TD54, will have its closest approach to Earth's surface at an altitude of about 45,000 kilometers (27,960 miles) at 6:50 EDT a.m. (3:50 a.m. PDT). At that time, the asteroid will be over southeastern Asia in the vicinity of Singapore. During its flyby, Asteroid 2010 TD54 has zero probability of impacting Earth.
Full Story
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They don't always miss as you may remember the post from last year.
- LRK -


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Doctor's Office Hit By Meteorite in Lorton, Virginia

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http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/national/doctors-office-hit-by-meteorite-0121101264170289032
Doctor's Office Hit By Meteorite

Updated: Friday, 22 Jan 2010, 2:11 PM EST
Published : Thursday, 21 Jan 2010, 9:39 AM EST

By JOHN HENREHAN/myfoxdc

When Lawrence Reese was cleaning up his sub shop in Lorton, Virginia, late Monday afternoon, he heard a tremendous impact outside.

"Loud. Loud enough [that] you could hear it, maybe, a block or two away," recalls Reese. "I'm surprised it didn't break our glass. That's how loud it was."

Something had come hurtling out of the sky, and crashed through the roof of a nearby doctor's office, landing in an empty examination room.
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Any Fourth of July fireworks expected?
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE AND BELIEVE IT WILL ACHIEVE

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Thursday, June 9, 2011

Apple plans new ‘spaceship’-like campus

This reminds me of some who dream of ring cities in space.
In this case, the ring has landed and 12,000 crew members will infiltrate the local economy.  :-)
- LRK -

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Apple plans new ‘spaceship’-like campus

June 9, 2011Source Link: IT World


Apple plans to build a new campus with a circular building that looks like a spaceship, big enough to house 12,000 employees, scheduled to open in 2015. The campus, near Apple’s existing headquarters in Cupertino, California, will generate its own energy. It’s a former Hewlett-Packard campus.

http://www.kurzweilai.net/images/Apple_spaceship.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtuz5OmOh_M&feature=player_embedded
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The YouTube video (above/below) is of Jobs presentation to the Cupertino city council explaining what Apple would like to build.
When I got out of the Navy at Moffett Field in 1983, we lived in Sunnyvale, just north of the Hewlett-Packard campus.
I thought it would be nice to work there but never happened as we ended up supporting NASA at Moffett Field for 20 years.
- LRK -

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Apple plans new 'spaceship'-like campus

Apple wants to put up a single, circular building to house 12,000 employees on a new campus in Cupertino

By Agam Shah, IDG News Service |  IT Management/Strategy, Apple 1 comment

June 08, 2011, 6:43 AM — Apple plans to build a new campus with a circular building that looks like a spaceship, big enough to house 12,000 employees. The campus, near Apple's existing headquarters in Cupertino, California, will generate its own energy.
The single office building on the new campus will look "a little like a spaceship landed," Apple CEO, Steve Jobs told the Cupertino City Council in a presentation on Tuesday.


The company has 12,000 employees in the Cupertino area, in its headquarters at Infinite Loop and in other buildings, Jobs said. It plans to retain its existing headquarters building, but needs new office space to accommodate employees, he said.
The new office building will be of "human scale" size, about four stories high, Jobs said. About 12,000 employees in one building "sounds rather odd," Jobs said, but said that the campus is necessary to keep up the company's pace of growth.
"Apple's grown like a weed and as you know, Apple's always been in Cupertino," Jobs said. "The campus we'd like to build there is one building that holds 12,000 people."
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The first time I drove through Cupertino was back in the 60's and it was all orchards.
Now a mostly buildings and parking lots.  The new Apple campus will put back a lot of trees.
- LRK -

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Cupertino (play /ˌkuːpərˈtiːnoʊ/) is a suburban city in Santa Clara County, California, U.S., directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 58,302 at the time of the 2010 census.[1] Forbes ranked it as one of the most educated small towns. It is best known as home to — and worldwide headquarters of — Apple Inc.

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Toponym
Cupertino was named after Arroyo San José de Cupertino (now Stevens Creek). The creek had been named by Spanish explorer Juan Bautista de Anza's cartographer, who named it after Saint Joseph of Cupertino. Saint Joseph (born Giuseppe Maria Desa, and later known as Giuseppe da Copertino) was named after the town of Copertino in the Apulia region of Italy. The name Cupertino first became widely used when John T. Doyle, a San Francisco lawyer and historian, named his winery on McClellan Road "Cupertino". After the turn of the 20th century, Cupertino displaced the former name for the region, which was "West Side".

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It will be interesting to see the transformation take place.
Individuals with a dream and a concern can make a difference.
When I look up at the Moon I wonder who will be the one to make a difference.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.

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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE AND BELIEVE IT WILL ACHIEVE

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Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Photo Gallery: Endeavour docked at space station

Shuttle Endeavour has returned to Earth.  While at the ISS it was photgraphed from the departing Soyuz TMA-20 capsule.

I guess if you want pictures of the ISS from space it will have to be this way for awhile, just take a snap from a departing Soyuz capsule.
- LRK -

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Photo Gallery: Endeavour docked at space station


It was "the ultimate photo op" as Expedition 27 crew member Paolo Nespoli, inside the departing Soyuz  TMA-20 capsule, snapped pictures of the International Space Station with shuttle Endeavour docked at the orbiting complex. Photos: NASA

- LRK -
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The media post at NASA.
- LRK -

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MEDIA ADVISORY: M11-114

UNIQUE 'PORTRAIT' OF SHUTTLE AND INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION RELEASED

WASHINGTON -- Newly-released portraits show the International Space Station together with the space shuttle, the vehicle that helped build the complex during the last decade. The pictures are the first taken of a shuttle docked to the station from the perspective of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

On May 23, the Soyuz was carrying Russian cosmonaut Dmitry Kondratyev, NASA astronaut Cady Coleman and European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli back to Earth. Once their vehicle was about 600 feet from the station, Mission Control Moscow, outside the Russian capital, commanded the orbiting laboratory to rotate 130 degrees. This move allowed Nespoli to capture digital photographs and high definition video of shuttle Endeavour docked to the station.

The Soyuz landed in Kazakhstan and was taken to Moscow for routine post-landing analysis. NASA and the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, then processed the imagery as part of the standard disposition of spacecraft cargo.

Additional images and high definition video are being processed and will be posted on NASA's website. To view the still images, visit:
http://go.nasa.gov/stationportrait

For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about the International Space Station, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/station

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Just one more shuttle launch to go, then stick out your thumb for a lift to the ISS.
Is the meter running?  How much is the fare?  That much?  I thought it was only...
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.
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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -

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Thursday, June 2, 2011

KHAN ACADEMY an Interesting way to learn math

Your up and coming student wanting to work on the next mission to the Moon is probably going to want to have a good background in mathematics.
Math was not fun for me.  I kept asking WHY and not getting the answers I thought I needed.  Just memorize what was needed to pass the test.

A Facebook entry by PJ, alerted me to the KHAN ACADEMY, a free way to learn math and other subjects on the Internet.
I thought I would check it out as I learned that taking Calculus 1, some 27 years before Calculus 2 is not the best way to learn mathematics.
By the time I was taking Calculus 3 I felt like I was just getting more behind and the college I was going to wouldn't let me take Calculus 1 over again because their computer didn't show any entry for their general math prerequisite tests.  The fact that I had already had two later classes in Calculus from them didn't matter. Empty box on computer input for math test, no take Calculus 1. NEXT!

As a result I am definitely NOT a math whiz.

I viewed a number of the videos with Salmon Kahn explaining how he happened to start making YouTube videos to help his cousin learn math and finally giving up his day job to do this full time as a not-for-profit organization.  When you check out the link to Khan' web site you will see a number of videos given at various venues explaining how he got started.,  Check out the TED Talk (and then the others also)
- LRK -

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KHAN ACADEMY

Watch. Practice. Learn almost anything—for free.

What started out as Sal making a few algebra videos for his cousins has grown to over 2,100 videos and 100 self-paced exercises and assessments covering everything from arithmetic to physics, finance, and history.
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Help us change education

Our small team is on a mission to deliver a world-class education to anyone anywhere, and you can help. Take a second to get the word out, or read about how teachers, translators, donors, and everyone else can contribute.

Watch a video about the Khan Academy

[There are a number shown that you can select from.  I found them all interesting. - LRK -]
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A lot of topics that get harder or at least rely on an earlier understanding of basic math.
- LRK -

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Browse our library of over 2,100 educational videos...
Algebra


Topics covered from very basic algebra all the way through algebra II. This is the best algebra playlist to start at if you've never seen algebra before. Once you get your feet wet, you may want to try some of the videos in the "Algebra I Worked Examples" playlist.

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When you look down the list you may see these brain teasers.
- LRK -

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Brain Teasers

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If you want to do the exercises that go with the videos you need to sign up with a GOOGLE or FACEBOOK account.
That means you have to let the KAHNACADEMY have access to your account and then you will be presented with a web page that will present the problems you select or allow you to view the videos for a presentation by Simon Khan.   You also will earn badges and points like a video game which gives you feedback and incentive to do better and faster as well as just practice for speed.  The KAHNACADEMY is working with a Los Altos school here in Silicon Valley as a tool to help the students and teachers to best use their time.
- LRK -

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You need to login to access this part of the site.

Already have an account with one of these sites? Click the logo to use your account to login here:

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Why should you sign up?

When you login, we save all of your progress. Also, students and coaches get access to some cool tools

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I hope you are looking around their web site, in any case here is the link to their About page.
- LRK -

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A free world-class education for anyone anywhere.

The Khan Academy is an organization on a mission. We're a not-for-profit with the goal of changing education for the better by providing a free world-class education to anyone anywhere.
All of the site's resources are available to anyone. It doesn't matter if you are a student, teacher, home-schooler, principal, adult returning to the classroom after 20 years, or a friendly alien just trying to get a leg up in earthly biology. The Khan Academy's materials and resources are available to you completely free of charge
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A world of exercises, with help along the way

Practice math at your own pace with our adaptive assessment exercises. You can start at 1+1 and work your way into calculus or jump right into whatever topic needs some brushing up. Each problem is randomly generated, so you never run out of practice material. If you need a hint, every single problem can be broken down, step-by-step, with one click. If you need more help, you can always watch a related video.
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The Team
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OK, back to seeing what I can do.  I did get past 1 + 1 = 2  and got a Persistence Award for sticking to adding 4 digit numbers in my head until I could get 10 correct answers in a row.
Don't you just hate it when you get 8 correct answers and then type a wrong number.  Start over again.  :-) 
(You can bring up a scratch pad panel if you want to write to your computer screen.)

Thanks for looking up with me.
- LRK - 

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WHAT THE MIND CAN CONCEIVE, AND BELIEVE, IT WILL ACHIEVE - LRK -
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