Saturday, July 27, 2013

The Pioneer Detectives

Viktor Toth mentioned at his blog site a new eBook by Konstantin Kakaes about the Pioneer Anomaly.
Please excuse the plug for the book.

After reading Viktor's comments I had it down loaded to my Toshiba AT 300 Android tablet and had an enjoyable read with a free Kindle reader..
It brought back a lot of memories about the Pioneer 10 and 11 missions and conversations with Viktor Toth.
I must admit a surprise to see my name mentioned in print.  

Do read what Viktor has to say and some of the reviews at Amazon.com.
The story behind the story, told in an entertaining way, may interest you as well.
- LRK -

Viktor's blog
------------------------------------
I spent a part of yesterday afternoon speed-reading Konstantin Kakaes’s new e-book, The Pioneer Detectives. It’s a short book (still well worth the $2.99 Kindle price) but it reads very well and presents a fair picture of our efforts researching the origin of the anomalous acceleration of the Pioneer 10 and 11 spacecraft.

Yes, I was one of those “detectives”. (In fact, I still consider myself one, as I don’t believe our job is quite done yet; we still owe the community a detailed account of our research and an update of our Pioneer Anomaly reviewbefore we can move on with a clean conscience.) So I have an insider’s view of this very intriguing story.
snip
------------------------------------

The Pioneer Detectives
- LRK -

------------------------------------
The Pioneer Detectives
snip
------------------------------------

At Amazon.com
- LRK -

------------------------------------

The Pioneer Detectives: Did a distant spacecraft prove Einstein and Newton wrong? (Kindle Single) [Kindle Edition]

Konstantin Kakaes
snip
------------------------------------

A number of reviews. A snip of one for flavor.
- LRK -

------------------------------------
snip
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
The heroes of science are those who follow the evidence wherever it leads them. Scientists may be motivated by glory and fame, they are human after all, but the good ones are also motivated by a fundamental desire to understand. Those men working on the Pioneer Anomaly, which, if true, would upend Einstein's theory of gravity, were motivated by understanding. What force could be acting on a spacecraft that made its actual distance so much different than the distance it should be at under Einstein's theory?

"Detectives" was a great word to choose for the title. This short book reads like an unfolding mystery, and Kakaes holds the answer until the end. In doing so, you learn to appreciate the incredible amount of honest work done by the team at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (also known as the coolest place on earth) in the face of bureaucratic intransigence along with lost and fading data.

The pacing of the book is excellent, and while Kakaes expects a lot from the reader (he doesn't skip over the science, since it's the integral to understanding the issue), he's a more than capable guide and you need not have a previously strong understanding of general relativity before diving in. Still, I admire for Kakaes for trusting his audience's intelligence, which allows him to tell a story without reverting to gimmicky metaphors. For those dismayed by the current canon of science writing for general readers as too dumbed down and extrapolative, this is the book for you.

Kakaes ends with some big thoughts, ones that leave the reader thinking long after finishing.
snip
------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.  
- LRK -
 
============================================

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

============================================

Thursday, July 11, 2013

Easily track the activities of the United States Congress.

If you wish to continue looking at the progress of H.R. 2616
and H.R. 2617, this may be helpful.
- LRK -

Use GovTrack to keep tabs on your representatives in Congress or to research pending legislation that might impact your life or business.

------------------------------------

H.R. 2616: National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2013

Introduced:
Jul 08, 2013 (113th Congress, 2013–2015)
Sponsor:
Rep. Donna Edwards [D-MD4]
Status:
Referred to Committee
The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill.












STATUS
This bill was assigned to a congressional committee on July 8, 2013, which will consider it before possibly sending it on to the House or Senate as a whole.
PROGRESS
IntroducedJul 08, 2013
Referred to CommitteeJul 08, 2013
Reported by Committee...
Passed House...
Passed Senate...
Signed by the President...
PROGNOSIS
10% chance of getting past committee.
4% chance of being enacted.
Only 11% of bills made it past committee and only about 3% were enacted in 2011–2013. [show factors |methodology]
------------------------------------


------------------------------------

H.R. 2617: Apollo Lunar Landing Legacy Act

Introduced:
Jul 08, 2013 (113th Congress, 2013–2015)
Sponsor:
Rep. Donna Edwards [D-MD4]
Status:
Referred to Committee
The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill.











STATUS
This bill was assigned to a congressional committee on July 8, 2013, which will consider it before possibly sending it on to the House or Senate as a whole.
PROGRESS
IntroducedJul 08, 2013
Referred to CommitteeJul 08, 2013
Reported by Committee...
Passed House...
Passed Senate...
Signed by the President...
PROGNOSIS
21% chance of getting past committee.
7% chance of being enacted.
Only 11% of bills made it past committee and only about 3% were enacted in 2011–2013. [show factors |methodology]
------------------------------------

And if you have other Bills that interest you, check out the bills section and About Govtrack.us
- LRK -

------------------------------------

Bills and Resolutions

Around 10,000 bills and resolutions are considered by the U.S. Congress in each two-year session, but of those only about 4% will become law. The current two-year session is called the 113th Congress.

Search for a Bill

Search for bills using the search box at the top right of every page, or use the advanced search to screen by status, subject, and other factors.
snip
------------------------------------

Thanks for looking up with me.  
- LRK -
=============================================

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

=============================================

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

National park on moon proposed

William sent me a link to a recent proposal for a National park on the moon.  I have seen some recent news sound bites for it as well. I thought I would dig a little deeper and see what I could find.  I'll pass on a few links for your consideration. 
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/09/national-park-on-moon-proposed/?hpt=hp_t3
National park on moon proposed

snip
U.S. Reps. Donna Edwards of Maryland and Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas have proposed legislation that would designate artifacts at the site of American moon landings as comprising a National Historical Park, citing potential commercial traffic on the moon that could damage the areas.
snip
"As commercial enterprises and foreign nations acquire the ability to land on the moon it is necessary to protect the Apollo landing sites for posterity; and establishing the Historical Park under this Act will expand and enhance the protection and preservation of the Apollo lunar landing sites and provide for greater recognition and public understanding of this singular achievement in American history," the legislation reads.
snip
The bill specifies that only the artifacts left behind by NASA missions would be included in the park – not the lunar surface itself, which doesn't belong to the United States or any nation.
It also opens the door for corporate donations and contributions from foreign governments to maintain the proposed park.
Both Edwards and Johnson are members of the House Committee on Science and Technology.
snip
-------------------------------------------

So I am thinking about registered Trade Marks, you have to ensure you take action to protect them if challenged. Let's see what else is available. This is just a sound bite from Fox News but does contain a link to a bit more information which has a link to the actual bill. Our local news only had sound bites as well.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
House Democrats propose national park on the moon
Two House Democrats are proposing that the next national park be out of this world.

Reps. Donna Edwards, D-Md., and Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, propose in the "Apollo Lunar Landing Legacy Act" that a national historical park on the moon be created to ensure the American landing sites are preserved for future generations.

The lawmakers say the legislation is necessary to protect the Apollo landing sites for "posterity," as commercial space exploration increases and more foreign nations head to space.

The Hill reports the bill would allow the federal government to accept donations to help preserve the landing sites and would create visitor services and administrative offices "within reasonable proximity to the Historical Park."


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/07/09/house-democrats-propose-creating-national-park-on-moon/#ixzz2YhvhZf3q
snip
-------------------------------------------

The above link, copied below, is a blog for what is going on at the Hill. 
We finally get to the Bill H.R. 2617 and mention of Bill H.R. 2616.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/309829-dems-propose-historical-park-on-the-moon#ixzz2Ya11qkok

Dems pitch national park on the moon

By Pete Kasperowicz 07/09/13 11:45 AM ET

Two House Democrats have proposed legislation that would establish a national historical park on the surface of the moon to mark where the Apollo missions landed between 1969 and 1972.

The bill from Reps. Donna Edwards (D-Md.) and Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) would create the Apollo Lunar Landing Sites National Historical Park. The park would be comprised of all artifacts left on the surface of the moon from the Apollo 11 through 17 missions.
The bill says these sites need to be protected because of the anticipated increase in commercial moon landings in the future.

"As commercial enterprises and foreign nations acquire the ability to land on the Moon, it is necessary to protect the Apollo lunar landing sites for posterity," according to the text of the Apollo Lunar Landing Legacy Act, H.R. 2617.

Under the legislation, the park would be established no later than one year after the bill passes and would be run jointly by the Department of the Interior and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
snip
Edwards, the ranking member on the House Space Subcommittee, also proposed legislation on Monday to reauthorize NASA for three years. That bill, H.R. 2616, authorizes spending of $18.1 billion in 2014 for NASA, which rises to $18.9 billion in 2016.


Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/309829-dems-propose-historical-park-on-the-moon#ixzz2Yi5lovTb 
Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook
snip
-------------------------------------------

Direct comments as recorded in the Congressional Record for Hon. Donna F. Edwards.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
July 9, 2013 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD —Extensions of Remarks E1033

THE INTRODUCTION OF ‘‘THE 
APOLLO LUNAR LANDING LEGACY ACT’’ 
HON. DONNA F. EDWARDS 
OF MARYLAND
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
H.R. 2617

THE INTRODUCTION OF ‘‘THE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND 
SPACE ADMINISTRATION AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2013’’ 
HON. DONNA F. EDWARDS 
OF MARYLAND
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Tuesday, July 9, 2013 
H.R. 2616
snip
-------------------------------------------

Here is a link from Thomas Loc with larger font for the talk about "THE APOLLO LUNAR LANDING LEGACY ACT"
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
THE INTRODUCTION OF ``THE APOLLO LUNAR LANDING LEGACY ACT'' -- (Extensions of Remarks - July 09, 2013)
[Page: E1033]  GPO's PDF

SPEECH OF
HON. DONNA F. EDWARDS
OF MARYLAND
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
TUESDAY, JULY 9, 2013
snip
-------------------------------------------

It has been suggested before that these Apollo sites should be conserved but I don't know how you will be able to enforce the actions. If you get a UNESCO buy in maybe the suggestion would be honored. Will have to wait and see if China respects the keep off the foot prints suggestion.

Thanks for looking up with me.  
- LRK -
 
============================================

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

============================================

Sunday, July 7, 2013

Moon dust a threat to space exploration

Bob sent me a link to a warning about the problems that could be had with Moon dust for returning lunar missions that land.  


What caught my attention was that there is still an interest in landing on Moon and understanding what can make the dust levitate.

The topic of levitating lunar dust has been mentioned before.  A Google search found several blogs at Lunar Networks on the topic as well as one I also posted back in 2009.about volcanic dust and its similarity to lunar dust. Lunar Dust & Mt. Redoubt

Even more exciting is that Adrienne Rathert Dove submitted Experimental investigations of the lunar photoelectron
environment and related dust dynamics for his degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences 2012. Interesting 140 pages.  So much I don't know.

All of this continues to add more questions as some are answered. It would be nice to see some of the Lunar X Prize entrants to launch to the Moon. How many more degrees would come as a result of the interest generated by the Lunar X Prize and Education?  
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
Moon dust a threat to space exploration, Britain's Royal Astronomical Society hears
  • AFP
  • July 06, 2013 3:00AM


A RETURN to the Moon could be hampered by dust, a poorly-understood threat to machines and people alike, a space conference has heard.


Simulations by scientists in Britain and France show that in key zones of Earth's satellite, dust kicked up by a landing or exploration gains an electrostatic force that briefly overcomes lunar gravity, it heard.


As a result, the dust lingers high above the surface, presenting a thin grey cloud of fine, sticky, abrasive particles that hamper visibility, coat solar panels and threaten moving parts, they said.

Some kinds of lunar dust are laden with iron, presenting a toxicity risk for humans if breathed in, they said.

Farideh Honary, a professor at the University of Lancaster, northwestern England, said lunar dust was already identified as a potential hazard by returning Apollo astronauts.

But only now, with mounting interest in a return to the Moon, were scientists taking a closer look, she said.


Read more: http://www.news.com.au/technology/sci-tech/moon-dust-a-threat-to-space-exploration-britains-royal-astronomical-society-hears/story-fn5fsgyc-1226675145775#ixzz2YNzDkbjC
snip
-------------------------------------------

Some of those Lunar Networks blogs.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
Western Australia physicist's Moon dust tapes may hold keys to future lunar landings
snip
-------------------------------------------

Again, Adrienne Rathert Dove's thesis paper.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
for a degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Astrophysical and Planetary Sciences 2012. 

snip
-------------------------------------------

A more visual 20 page PDF presentation on dust and plasma at the Moon. :-)
This was back in 2007.  Informative but not every Power Point Presentation becomes a mission.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
Interaction of Dust and Plasma on the Lunar Surface and in the Exosphere

snip
-------------------------------------------

I hope some industrial lunar mining company is watching these presentations when they happen.
Characterizing the Near-Lunar Plasma Environment

Many more publications with Jasper S. Halekas.
- LRK -
Halekas

-------------------------------------------
LUNAR SURFACE CHARGING:
A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE USING LUNAR PROSPECTOR DATA
 
Timothy J. Stubbs1
, Jasper S. Halekas2
, William M. Farrell1
, and Richard R. Vondrak1
1
Solar System Exploration Division, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, U.S.A. 
2
Space Sciences Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, U.S.A. 

snip
-------------------------------------------

Then back here on Earth.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
snip
The 'fine day' net positive charge sets up an electric field between the negative Earth and the net positive charge in the air, and this electric field stores electrical energy. The positive charge acts by induction on the earth and electromagnetic devices.[2]
Experiments have shown that the intensity of this electric field is greater in the middle of the day than at morning or night and is also greater in winter than in summer. In 'fine weather', the potential, aka 'voltage', increases with altitude at about 30 volts per foot (100 V/m), when climbing against the gradient of the electric field.[3] This electric field gradient continues up into the atmosphere to a point where the voltage reaches its maximum, in the neighborhood of 300,000 volts. This occurs at approximately 30–50 km above the Earth's surface.[4] From that point in the atmosphere up to its outer limit, nearly 1,000 km, the electric field gradient produced in the lower atmosphere either ceases or has reversed.
snip
-------------------------------------------

So, while stationed in Guam, my watch with an LCD display was fading, as battery was most tired. I mentioned that Earth had voltage gradient and showed that I could make the display come to life for a moment by moving it vertically through the field. Maybe not a spark from a kite flying in a storm but nice to see some of the words you read in books (now maybe Internet) can come to life.
- LRK -

Thanks for looking up with me.  
- LRK -
============================================

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

============================================

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Welcome to NASA Ames Research Center

Time passes quickly and it has been a number of years since I supported some of the missions that were happening at the NASA Ames Research Center and I thought I would see what the World Wide Web might show was going on now.

NASA missions and budgets have changed over the years and the various centers have had to adjust their priorities. 

Back in 2005 when I was still copying Pioneer 10 Master Data Records for another look at the Pioneer Anomaly, the hall posters had changed with many of the Pioneer Mission photos already removed. There seemed to be a hollow echo to my steps.
----
A STUDY OF THE PIONEER ANOMALY: NEW DATA AND OBJECTIVES FOR NEW INVESTIGATION
Read More: http://www.worldscientific.com/doi/abs/10.1142/S0218271806008218
---

What is Ames doing today, here in 2013?
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
Welcome to NASA Ames Research Center

Maps

Poster Presentations

Volunteer Internship Program

snip
-------------------------------------------

Wikipedia has quick summary of Ames history. 

What was may not be what is now. Some Wind tunnels have shut down and some on going missions have had management responsibilities adjusted. 

A look at the public-private partner relationships will give a hint as to what other adjustments are being made. The Navy and Air Force are gone so no more military exchange and McDonald's is now McMoons. :-)

Google is there and so is their Boeing 767-200.
- LRK - 

-------------------------------------------
Ames Research Center

The Ames Research Center (ARC), is a National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) major research center in Moffett Fieldin California's Silicon Valley. Named after Joseph Sweetman Ames and founded on December 20, 1939 as the second National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) laboratory, ARC became part of NASA in 1958 as part of the turnover from the dissolutionof NACA, having now (at the last estimate) over $3.0 billion in capital equipment, 2,300 research personnel and a $600 million annual budget.
Ames was founded to engage in wind-tunnel research on the aerodynamics of propeller-driven aircraft; however its role has developed to encompass spaceflight and information technology. Ames plays a role in many of NASA missions in support of America's space and aeronautics programs. It provides leadership in astrobiology; small satellites; robotic lunar exploration; the search for habitable planets;supercomputing; intelligent/adaptive systems; advanced thermal protection; and airborne astronomy. Ames also develops tools for a safer, more efficient national airspace and unique partnerships benefiting NASA’s mission. The center's director is Dr. Simon P. "Pete" Worden (Brigadier GeneralUSAF retired).
The organisation is mission center for several key current missions ( Kepler Mission, the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) mission, Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA)) and a major contributor to the '"new exploration focus'"[1] as a participant in the Orion crew exploration vehicle and Ares I crew launch vehicle projects
Contents
snip
-------------------------------------------

NASA Ames on YouTube.
- LRK -

------------------------------------------- NASA Ames Research Center
snip
-------------------------------------------

The New Look for Ames at the NASA Gov portal.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
Ames Research Center
snip
Areas of Ames Ingenuity

Entry systems: Safely delivering spacecraft to Earth & other celestial bodies
Supercomputing: Enabling NASA's advanced modeling and simulation
NextGen air transportation: Transforming the way we fly
Airborne science: Examining our own world & beyond from the sky
Low-cost missions: Enabling high value science to low Earth orbit & the moon
Biology & astrobiology: Understanding life on Earth -- and in space
Exoplanets: Finding worlds beyond our own
Autonomy & robotics: Complementing humans in space
Lunar science: Rediscovering our moon
Human factors: Advancing human-technology interaction for NASA missions
Wind tunnels: Testing on the ground before you take to the sky
snip
-------------------------------------------

Another big change is the NASA Research Park which is under development.
- LRK -

-------------------------------------------
NASA Research Park

History of NASA Research Park
snip
Following the closure of Moffett Field as a military base in 1994, NASA Ames acquired stewardship for the navy property. NASA Ames, with the nearby communities of Mountain View and Sunnyvale, developed an award winning re-use plan to transform part of the former Naval Air Station into a world class R & D center dedicated to serving the goals of the nation's space program.

In 2002 NASA Research Park began collaborative partnerships with academia, industry and non-profits to stimulate innovation and education in science and research disciplines critical to space exploration. NASA Ames strategic partnering in key areas, including astrobiology, information technology, biotechnology and nanotechnology, will create a dynamic, integrated research community that provides R&D leadership into the 21st century.
snip
-------------------------------------------

While I was at Ames I sometimes wondered what would be the company name on my badge. Bendix Field Engineering was bought by Allied/Signal while supporting the Pioneer Missions. A brief break at the end of Pioneer and back with Orbital Sciences Corp. for Lunar Prospector mission. Then support of SOFIA with Orbital and Lockheed/Martin and wearing Lockeed badge but paid by Orbital. Then there were rumors that we might be Stanford University, or De Anza College, or, ..., but money was tight and just laid off. No problem, just come in on a visitor pass to complete MDR copying. :-)

There are those at Ames that are still interested in sending robots to the Moon and some are competing for the Google Lunar X Prize.
The Google Lunar X PRIZE at five: can it still be won?
Moon Express Hires Veteran Space Industry Team

============================================

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

============================================