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Post by Bob k6tr on Jan 31, 2010 18:30:53 GMT
Once we ban it, we can then move on to deal with a disasterous element known to be very reactive and destructive, called oxygen. Isn't oxygen highly flammable? Didn't we have several astronauts killed because of how NASA carelessly handled this gas? Why do you make the presumption that NASA is the only party responsible for the Apollo 1 Disaster ? First, NASA was aware of the fact that using a cabin atmosphere of 100 % oxygen carried substantial risks of uncontrollable fire. Nonetheless it had been used safely throughout the Mercury and Gemini Programs. Second, the cause of the Apollo 1 fire resulted from the intense deadline pressure that came part-and-parcel with landing a man on the moon by the end of the 1960s. Specifically a vendor responsible for supplying an electrical subsystem for the Apollo 1 Mock-up supplied a system that drew an electrical arc when a switch was thrown. That is what started the fire. Why did that system fail. As it turned out there was a group of wires that needed connectors secured to them. The preferred method of securing those connectors is to use a pressure crimp tool. Soldering can also be used but requires some skill inorder to do it right. Crimping is the surest way to obtain gas-tight joint. The subsystem was holding up delivery of the Mock-up. The crimp tool used to secure the connectors to the wireharness in question was not available so an overzealous employee decided to solder the connectors to the wires. As it turned out the harness had at least one Cold Solder joint. The rest is history. Haste makes waste.
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Post by Bob k6tr on Jan 31, 2010 6:22:13 GMT
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Post by Bob k6tr on Jan 26, 2010 17:12:39 GMT
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Post by Bob k6tr on Jan 26, 2010 15:55:37 GMT
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Post by Bob k6tr on Jan 22, 2010 19:57:52 GMT
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Post by Bob k6tr on Jan 6, 2010 2:41:53 GMT
we were just told that the launch of SDO will likely not be on Feb. 3. Current rumor is a 6 day slip. Thanks for the poop Leif. I have a sneaking suspicion that it will be pushback behind the next shuttle mission.
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Post by Bob k6tr on Dec 29, 2009 19:51:13 GMT
Hey Guys, Anyone have a feel for what may have caused the gap in GOES14 X-ray data around midnight (Z) today??? G. Another one, just past 19:00Z! G. These are probably just communications glitches. GOES right now is a patched up kluge of new and old series satellites. GOES 14 is only supplying X-Ray Data but is otherwise in storage. I would not expect the system to be cleaned up until GOES P is launched and completed testing. GOES 10 may be gone but the system is still in flux.
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Post by Bob k6tr on Dec 29, 2009 4:39:17 GMT
As a follow up, has Bill Livingston been able to get some telescope time for a look at 1039?? G. No, his first shot will be on January 24th, 2010 Time to get the ATST (Advanced Technology Solar Telescope) project on the road. What' s the construction time for that scope ? Something like 10 Years ? They haven' t even broke ground on it yet !
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Post by Bob k6tr on Dec 27, 2009 4:47:40 GMT
Leif
With the recent spate of spots did Bill Livingston get an opportunity to make anymore measurements ? If so what are the results ?
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Post by Bob k6tr on Dec 20, 2009 0:00:36 GMT
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Post by Bob k6tr on Dec 4, 2009 0:31:21 GMT
Dr. S, The daily comment from SIDC for today 12/3/09 says: "Except for a small magnetic dipole just passing the East limb in Extreme-UV images (probably a plage without sunspots), the Sun is featureless and is expected to remain inactive. Since early today, the solar wind has virtually vanished, reaching exceptionally low speeds (now at 250 km/s), low densities (< 0.1 electron/cm3) and low plasma temperatures (< 10©ù K), based on ACE and SOHO/MTOF data. This leads also to exceptionally quiet geomagnetic conditions (Kp=0 at many ground stations). Those extremely quiet conditions certainly deserve special study. Only a weak solar wind stream expected tomorrow or on Dec.5 could restore more normal conditions, but just inducing temporarily unsettled geomagnetic conditions. " What are your thoughts on this? TIA sidc.oma.be/index.phpAdded questions on edit: As a layman, I am guessing that if the forces that generate the solar wind are insufficient to drive particles above escape velocity from the sun, then the solar wind speed and density would drop stepwise to zero. Is this true? Also, I notice that there are definite signs that solar flux and sunspot count are slowly starting to ramp up, but that Ap still seems stuck in the mud. Is it typical for Ap rampup to lag behind these other measures of solar activity at the inception of a new cycle? (For readers wanting to see good graphs of solar wind parameters, see: www.swpc.noaa.gov/ace/MAG_SWEPAM_24h.htmlIf the coronal expansion is not fast enough at the surface from where the solar wind emerges, the plasma will not escape and the solar wind will go away [or be very much thinner - as there will always be a higher-velocity 'tail']. That speed is about 254 km/sec, but there will always be a small range of speeds about the mean speed. Google 'the day the solar wind disappeared' to find the case of 11 May 1999. I remember those days very well. That event was all over the news. I was active as a ham and we were near the peak of Cycle 23. Until I heard the news reports I thought TRACE was busted because the Speed and Pressure Needles were pegged left. Now it's a little bit different as we are very near Solar Minimum.
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Post by Bob k6tr on Dec 2, 2009 16:11:09 GMT
This discussion is unrelated to Solar Physics or SolarCycle 24 and has been moved to the Open Forum.
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Post by Bob k6tr on Dec 1, 2009 20:09:40 GMT
this signal is really loud! only solar flares over A3 will be visible! This might not happen often seen solar activity does not exist! Come on guigui ! Solar Activity will increase dramatically over the next 6 months. By summer the base level will be above B1 and we will be having numerous C Level Flares and maybe even an M Level Flare every once in a while. It just seems like forever.
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Post by Bob k6tr on Dec 1, 2009 3:17:00 GMT
GOES 10 to GOES 14 switchover complete.
Notice a noisier trace
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Post by Bob k6tr on Nov 29, 2009 15:58:11 GMT
I didn't show the graph but according to the "Spotless days website" the record is 311 in 1913. We also have 3 years in the top 25 years since 1849. website: users.telenet.be/j.janssens/Spotless/Spotless.htmlTop 25 of years with most number of spotless days since 1849 This graph shows the number of spotless days per year since 1849. There are 106 years with at least 1 spotless day, of which 24 years with 150 or more spotless days. 1913 is recordholder with a staggering 311 days! Based on preliminary data, 2008 ranks fourth in years with a spotless sun (265 days; 19 July dropped off the list compared to previous update). Only 1878, 1901 and 1913 have even more such days. With 705 days in total and already 196 spotless days in 2009, the current solar cycle transit will have at least 3 years in this top 25. Compared to the solar cycle transits around the late 19th - early 20th century, the low 12th and moderate 15th solar cycle were preceded by 4 years with 140 or more spotless days. Despite the minimum, it seems that many more spotless days are on their way. The statistical minimum for this Cycle occurred in December 2008. The weakest month occurred in August 2009 whenevreyday was Spotless. That makes for 31 Spotless Days in August. September had 18 Spotless Days. October had 18 Spotless Days. November will have 14 Spotless Days. Notice a trend ? Thus far in those named months the Sunspot Count has not exceeded 5. Most cycles usually start off at a slow rate of increase and accelerate in their ascent. Since Cycle 24 began producing spots in earnest in September there has been almost no activity in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a certainty that activity will begin there very soon. When that occurs the Spotless Day Count will drop dramatically immediately. From the outset of that datum Spotless Days will number a handful (Less than 7) and be down to zero per month in less than 6 months. That is a worst case scenario. At any time the monthly Sunspot Number could jump to 20 and end the Spotless Day phenomenon immediately.
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