Some (okay, a very few) of you already know about the ISM Flickr group. Now, we have TWO (!) groups:
So, if you’re a shutter bug (or, in this case, a Ctrl-` bug), come and join these two groups in Flickr, and show off those pics.
And, yes, the models in bikinis go in the events group too.
*Wed 7pm SLT Nov 12th -“Bravo for BravoPort!” fundraising auction at the b! Donor Park on ISM’s 2nd island, Spaceport Bravo. The campaign to save the Museum’s BravoPort island. Get the latest news here at the ISM blog page “Auction Items!”
http://slispaceflightmuseum.org/blog/?page_id=172
Performance by Kala Pixie at 6pm SLT [one auction item is a gift certificate for one free Kala Pixie performance for yourself and friends].
Fourteen avatars have donated one or more hours of their time giving personal tours of their SciLands science-themed islands and builds, or letting you pick their brains in their specialties of scripting, building, shopping, giving concerts, or show production.
Nov 11th – Latest auction item! Earth Primbee – how to make machinama, filming and production.
Nov 10th - Hours donated by Prospero Frobozz – an astronomy talk, Pooky Amsterdam -shopping expertise or how to produce a show, Kat Lemieux – tour of International Spaceflight Museum, and Roger Amdahl – an hour on how to design science exhibits & a tour of his.
Nov 3rd – Curious George, Director of MICA [Meta Institute for Computational Astrophysics] offers an hour’s social on astronomy to you and your group, since MICA’s island is still in procurement and not yet tourable. And ISM members builder Opal Lei and Becka Finesmith offer two one-hour dance sessions each as your partner – at times mutually convenient!
Nov 1st – Patio Plasma of Exploratorium & ‘Splo SciLands islands offers a tour, and Georgianna Blackburn offers a Sigma Aldrich tour.
Oct 31st – zazen Manbe of SciLands’ Science School offers a SciLands tour, Felixx Shepherd of Garden of DaVinci, Kalepa offers a tour and also a carbonite slab with a person embedded in it, an L$390 value, Hackshaven Harford offers a tour of NOAA’s SciLands meteorology islands, and Jimbo Perhaps offers a tour of his rocket builds.
Oct 21st – From Particulator Articulator Kala Pixie: “a certificate for one free show, with however many people they want to bring.”
Oct 20th – Hackshaven Harford of Maya Realities offers a *six month* subscription to their premium sim/island metrics services in SL, a U$300 value!
Oct 19th-SciLander Max Chatnoir of Genome offers a tour of her isle & visit to Gregor Mandel’s Abbey, where he puzzled out laws of inheritance in his plants. And yes, there is a Gene Pool on Genome as well. Max is Mary Ann Clark, Professor of Biology at Texas Wesleyan University.
Image : Courtesy NASA
Today (10th November 2008), communication was lost with the Mars lander Phoenix. The mission operations centre believe it has finally succumbed to the extreme cold of the Martian winter. The mission, which went way beyond its original operational time of 90 days, cost nearly $500 million but everyone involved with the mission believes what was gained was worth so much more. Over the time Phoenix has been in operation it has sent back terabytes of data including approximately 25,000 images of the Martian terrain, detailed images of the area around and under the lander and performed some groundbreaking (literally) experiments. Many with unexpected results. The data from the mission will take many years to fully analyse.
This weekend, the UK marks “Remembrance Sunday”.
On November 11th 1918 at 11am, the first world war came to an end. To honour those that gave their lives not just in that war, but every conflict that has followed, Ceremonies are held all over the country on the Sunday closest to 11th November. Wreaths are laid at the foot of war memorials in every city and town. Two minutes silence are observed at 11am (GMT) which is a pause for reflection on those that gave so much for future generations.
Very often, out of military necessity, comes mankind’s biggest breakthroughs that enable it to continue its journey of discovery. Every major conflict sees some advances in technology that allow us all to lead better and more fulfilled lives. World War I saw Aeroplane technology advanced in leaps and bounds. It was the first war to extensively use aircraft as both a defensive and offensive tool. The biggest and probably most profound breakthroughs however, came in World War II. Two technologies that have since changed the world came to public notice and both were deployed as weapons of mass destruction. The development (and deployment) of the Atomic Bomb is an infamous example. Not so widely known though, is the development of the V2 Rocket by German Scientists led by Werner Von Braun. The V2 was the first ballistic missile and was used by the Nazis during World War II to destroy many cities, principally London. It flew at Mach 5, the first manmade object to do so. It had a very advanced guidance system that accurately (by the days standards) guided the payload to its eventual destination. It could be argued the Von Braun and his team developed the modern discipline of Aerodynamics. Because the V2 flew so fast, its shape became an important factor in the range and effectiveness of the weapon. The V2 had a brand new propulsion system that made it many times more powerful than conventional rocket propulsion systems.
Sadly, the V2 was developed for destruction, but after the war, Werner Von Braun assisted the US (and some of his colleagues assisted the USSR), in developing advanced rocket technology. Although much of this was further used for destruction (enhancing the range of Inter-continental ballistic missiles for example), Some went on to further more worthwhile causes. The technology used in the rockets first developed by Von Brown had the potential to produce enough thrust to provide the 11m/s^2 acceleration required to escape the Earth’s gravity and send men to the Moon. This directly led to the Saturn V rocket. This technology allowed us to put artificial satellites in orbit to provide communication and information. We can collect data on climate change. Perhaps map the lifespan and activity of the Sun, and the presence of threats from Comets and Asteroids and Gamma Ray sources. GPS satellites (also developed for military use) guide emergency medical staff and fire crews to where they are needed.
Often, a human life is measured in the contribution it makes to those that follow. Though we shouldn’t applaud Von Braun on his ethics, we can applaud him for the groundbreaking technology that he developed. Although used to take many lives during World War II, paradoxically, the loss of those lives have given mankind its greatest possible chance of survival. So this remembrance Sunday, Not only remember those that fought and gave their lives so that others may live. Remember those that died from the technology developed to destroy, that may one day be the salvation of Mankind.