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Thursday, August 16, 2001
12:43
Wire me up Scotty ...
 Marshal Space flight are developing a new propulsion system called ProSEDs using ... 5km of aluminium wire.
"ProSEDS will obtain thrust as current flowing through the tether experiences a drag force because of interaction with Earth’s magnetic field. Drag force is coupled mechanically to the stage via the tether, thus lowering the stage’s orbital altitude."
To quote from WIRED where I picked this up from :
"NASA plans to conduct the first full ProSEDS trial in August, when it launches the system aboard a Delta II rocket. The tether ... consists of 3.1 miles of aluminum wire. When pointed toward Earth's center, it forms an electrical circuit. The positively charged end attracts electrons in the ionosphere, which flow earthward through the line. The tether, and any craft attached to it, is pulled toward Earth by the planet's magnetic field. On future missions, a solar power supply will redirect the electrons, reversing the force exerted by the magnetic field and pushing the craft into space."
(via WIRED)
      
... Phil
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Tuesday, August 14, 2001
17:20
The stark facts inherent in the data
from BM reports (times in GMT):
HDR,PHYSICAL BM DATA,T_TESI-1,20010808,30
PN,30,20010808133000,488.000,20010808135900,488.000
PN,30,20010808135900,488.000,20010808140000,487.000
QPN,30,20010808133000,0.000,20010808140000,0.000
MEL,30,20010808133000,873.000,20010808133900,873.000
MEL,30,20010808133900,0.000,20010808140000,0.000
MIL,30,20010808133000,0.000,20010808140000,0.000
FTR,6
From the BBC. From the Guardian.
... Phil
13:06
The engineer, the physicist and the mathematician...
An engineer, a physicist and a mathematician are staying in a hotel while attending a technical seminar.
The engineer wakes up and smells smoke. He goes out into the hallway and sees a fire, so he fills a trashcan from his room with water and douses the fire. He goes back to bed.
Later, the physicist wakes up and smells smoke. He opens his door and sees a fire in the hallway. He walks down the hall to a fire hose and after calculating the flame velocity, distance, water pressure, trajectory, etc. extinguishes the fire with the minimum amount of water and energy needed.
Later, the mathematician wakes up and smells smoke. He goes to the hall, sees the fire and then the fire hose. He thinks for a moment and then exclaims, "Ah, a solution exists!" and then goes back to bed.
(Via A Site for Sore Eyes via rec.arts.sf.written)
... Phil
12:58
LOL with AF
Hours of fun on acronym finder. With such favorites as BFD, GFY, TLA, CFIT and SNAFU.
However, no reference to SGB or GFYWART.
(via Scripting News)
... Phil
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...to buy the last flyable Russian Concorde knock-off. Bought by Clifford Laughton, the CEO of a new start-up airline called Premier International Airways. The aircraft was advertised on 
Just shows what can happen when you let a computer translator loose ...
Two aircraft are taxing around two different airports at the moment. The first is the worlds first human carrying 
... from their moon and take roles in remakes of classic drama. Click 