NASA Relies On Thrusters To Steer Space Station After Malfunction

AP via CNN ^ | December 6, 2003 | AP

[John W]

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP) -- NASA is relying on Russian-made thrusters to steer the international space station following a new malfunction with the U.S. motion-control system, officials said Friday.

Flight controllers detected spikes in current and vibration in one of the station's three operating gyroscopes on November 8. Last week, when the gyroscopes were used again to shift the position of the orbiting outpost, all three worked.

[XBob]

215 - "Dan Golden who single handedly destroyed America's space program."

Sorry - he had some help - some major help - from the burro-crats, with no 'stars in their eyes'.

[XBob]

215 - "Dan Golden who single handedly destroyed America's space program."

it was the NASA culture which did it, though Golden lead the way.

[AFreeBird]

B4L8r

[Jeff Gordon]

established the Breakthrough Propulsion Physics Project

Another EST graduate out an about mucking with stuff. Breaktrough Racing was a failure. When will they ever learn?

[Jeff Gordon]

it was the NASA culture which did it, though Golden lead the way.

A fish rots from the head.

The new NASA Administrator has the uncanny ability to talk forever while saying absolutely nothing. Welcome to the "New NASA."

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you for the ping, RadioAstronomer! And thank you so much for the explanation, Physicist!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you oh so very much for all your excellent posts!

It saddens me that so much has been hijacked by new agers and modern mystics that it is difficult to cull away the noise to get to the useful information.

This has been a huge problem for me in trying to research ancient texts and mysticism. For instance, the new age movement has embraced the book of Enoch and the Jewish Kabbalah. These are not "new" concepts. The book of Enoch found at Qumran carbon dates to 200 B.C. and the first record of Jewish Kabbalah dates to the 12th century (Kabbalah claims greater antiquity because it literally means an oral tradition).

But simply because some "new" agers have embraced certain elements of these ancient thoughts, it follows in the minds of many that there is nothing touched by them worth studying.

Likewise, it appears that some new agers or mystics have also embraced what is serious scientific research into the phenomenon of ultraweak bioluminescence and dark luminescence. Fascinating information has emerged from this research, but it is deemed guilty of mysticism by association and thus some American scientists choose to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Other countries don't seem to do that. Penrose certainly did not reject biophotons out-of-hand, though he was quick to disclaim any conclusions regarding a relationship between the physical phenomenon and consciousness. And China is certainly an atheistic country; surely they aren't researching this to support an Eastern mysticism.

Nicolo Dallaporta complained - and I agree with him - (paraphrased) that science has lost its deep thinkers. Over the years it has become too burdensome and thus specialized requiring enormous investments of time and effort among the scientists.

But frankly, I'm tired of scientific baby steps, betty boop ...

[betty boop]

But frankly, I'm tired of scientific baby steps, betty boop ...

Me too, Alamo-Girl. The past will suffocate us altogether if we cannot be bolder, more "aggressive" -- and creative -- thinkers. I've had just about all the "received doctrines" right up to my eyebrows by now.... Time to let in some fresh air. JMHO FWIW.

[Alamo-Girl]

I agree! BTW, here's another biophotonic research project:

Biophotonics Information Laboratories, Ltd. (BIL) - Yamagata Prefecture Advanced Technology R&D Center

The mission of the Biophotonics Information Laboratories, Ltd. (BIL) is to understand the various states of life through information gleaned from biophotonics, the study of light-biological interactions. BIL is an element of the "Life Support Technology Plan" of Yamagata Prefecture and is intended to develop the Tohoku region as a center of excellence in science and technology.

The project's objective is the development of life support technologies through technologies for non-invasively measuring the functions and structures of living systems at high speed using light. Expected results include the following:

Defining the characteristics of biophoton phenomena of cancer cells.

Studying the active oxygen generating mechanisms of leukocytes. When completed, the applications are expected to include treatments of patients with diseases caused by insufficient active oxygen generation.

Measurement of light scattering through coherent detection imaging technology based on optical heterodyne technology.

Optical computer tomography (CT) images of hard tissue (teeth and bones) have been obtained that can then be used in medical diagnostics. With the hand as the model biological system, optical images have revealed structural details about the joints, bones and some of the blood vessels. A high-quality image has been achieved in terms of resolution and contrast.

BIL was founded in March 1993 by 13 firms and several Yamagata Prefecture organizations and foundations. It is a 6-year joint research project terminating in 1999, with a planned fund of ¥3.45 billion of which 70% is invested by the Japan Key Technology Center (JKTC) and 30% by participating companies.

I will do a little digging to see what has become of the project and the scientists.

[Alamo-Girl]

A little follow-up... Inaba (the main researcher) appears to still be publishing on the subject. Here is a link of abstracts to several published experiments:

Publications

[Aracelis]

Bob, it's obvious you're retired. This is not a slam, because if you've truly done all the things you've mentioned, we are sorely in need of your experience and mental agility. Go back to school, get caught up and start teaching. Perhaps you can light a fire under our youngster's behinds for science and engineering...because we're going to need all the help we can get. Or else your great-grandchildren will have to learn Chinese.

As far as my personal accomplishments...the people who I've become friends on FR with know what they are. To everyone else I remain comfortably anonymous.

[Aracelis]

So, your goal is to go back to the same goal we had 40 years ago, and accomplished 35 years ago? Why? Why do you wish to re-invent the wagon wheel?

As you well know, we have no experience with permanent facilities on planets other than our own. A Lunar Base would give us valuable experience...and give us a decent platform from which to launch a Mars mission.

[Aracelis]

Priceless. Simply priceless.

Thank you, I'll accept the kudos.

if I went out and really tried, perhaps I could find a suitable replacement for my wife, instead of wasting my time on things like this thread.

A word of warning: Take jogging lessons, for if she ever reads your post, you'll need some speed.

As far as wasting time on these threads...now you know why I no longer frequent them.

[Aracelis]

please send me a dozen vinyl repair kits, at least until I feel a bit better.

I asked Santa to express those kits to you, but he thought this might be more suitable.

Merry Christmas! :^)

[js1138]

Xbob says ham and luncheon meat glow.

I've seen sliced ham appear to have a pearly sheen, generally on its way to the garbage bin. I never thought to take a look in total darkness. It must be sick, though. I've never seen this when it's been properly cured.

[betty boop]

Supernaturalists identify--misidentify, I believe--the immaterial world of the human mind, which obviously exists and is part of nature, with the transcendental world of their supernatural beliefs.

Oh my, are you identifying me as a "supernaturalist," Patrick? Hey, I'm the one who keeps yelling about how pre-analytical (metaphysical) notions [e.g., metaphysical naturalism, theism, scientific materialism, et al.] have no place in science!!!

And yet I know how difficult it is to completely omit all "self-elements" from any human endeavor. In the case of science, an ultimate question is whether the universe is "causally closed" (e.g., uncreated, eternal) or "causally open" (e.g., having a created or designed beginning). Probably every person alive who bothers to think about scientific questions is persuaded in one of those ways or the other. But it seems to me that questions of ultimate cause(s) are not proper subjects for science, for science has no method by which it can experimentally test or falsify hypotheses on such questions.

Still, one's view, whichever it may be, in many cases gets loaded into our thinking quite unconsciously: This is part of what I mean by the term "pre-analytical notion."

Recently, a friend of mine, a working scientist, informed me that he didn't "believe" in the Big Bang. He argues for a "causally-closed cosmos," an eternal universe that had no beginning in a Big Bang or "creation event." Myself, I tend to think this concept is not correct, given the cosmic microwave background radiation, and also the studies conducted by Penrose and Hawking in the late '70s, in which they concluded that a Big Bang was "highly probable" as the event that "began" the Universe in space and time. Of course, Penrose and Hawking did mention two caveats: This high probability was conditioned on all known physical laws, and relativity theory.

But despite my own personal "preference," I wouldn't say my friend is wrong -- or foolish, or stupid, or crazy, or -- heaven forfend! -- "New Age."

To me, reading the scientific literature is like panning for gold: There's a lot of "dross" in the pan; but often enough, there's gold there, too -- and not just iron pyrite; i.e., "fool's gold." It pays to discrimate carefully.

Meanwhile, I am looking forward to hearing the elaboration of my brilliant friend's theory. Truly, I try to be open-minded. It's amazing the new things you can learn about that way.

Thanks for the link to a most interesting site, Patrick!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you so much for the ping to your excellent response!

To me, the excerpt at post 194 suggests one form of prejudice is better than another. I am flatly against prejudice in science. IMHO, it is always better to give each theory or speculation as objective a reading as is humanly possible.

[PatrickHenry]

I'm delighted that you ladies took the time to look that material over. The author of that essay had a lot to say, and I thought he said it well. In the end, he concludes (I'm pretty sure) that each side has a non-persuasive case at this point. Nevertheless, science does spectacularly well with its methods, procedures, and assumptions, so there's some justification for sticking with what works, as long as it works, and as long as something else isn't working better. In my always humble opinion, of course.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you for your reply!

Nevertheless, science does spectacularly well with its methods, procedures, and assumptions, so there's some justification for sticking with what works, as long as it works, and as long as something else isn't working better.

... or until the subject being researched requires new methods, procedures and assumptions. I think that is a point being raised by Penrose, Wolfram and others.

[js1138]

Recently, a friend of mine, a working scientist, informed me that he didn't "believe" in the Big Bang. He argues for a "causally-closed cosmos," an eternal universe that had no beginning in a Big Bang or "creation event."

Stephen hawkings would argue that the known evidence for the big bang does not require a creation event. He has writtent the books on this subject. I'll let him do the math.