This week, the Senate sits primarily to debate the private members bill promoted by Senator Kay Patterson(Lib) and supported in kind by Senators Natasha Stott-Despoya (Dem) and Ruth Webber (ALP). The Bill, Prohibition of Human Cloning for Reproduction and the Regulation of Human Embryo Research Amendment Bill 2006, offers much hope for suffers of genetic disease, but poses deeply divisive ethical questions.
NASA photographs have revealed bright new deposits seen in two gullies on Mars that suggest water carried sediment through them sometime during the past seven years.
Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | Water may be spurting on Mars.
Your Bannerman eagerly awaited the night-time launch of the shuttle Discovery this morning on yet another of the pre-retirement, lets-hurry-and-finish-the-job International Space Station construction flights. If the Bannerman appears cynical, it’s with good reason.
A very interesting and thought-provoking doco on SBS last evening, dealing with nuclear energy. Specifically, our fears surrounding the myths, legends and known facts of nuclear radiation. The article was rather appropriately entitled “Nuclear Nightmares”, produced by the British Horizon team.
If you’re of a similar vintage to the Bannerman, you’ll remember the fizzer that Comet Halley was 21 years ago. Such a dramatic disappointment as a visual spectacle and no end-of-the-world impacts at all. Terribly sad.
Now, we have C/2006 P1, otherwise named for it’s discoverer, Robert McNaught, an amateur astronomer currently observing courtesy of Siding Spring in New South Wales. Tonight, 15 January 2007, was supposed to be the peak naked eye observation chance, but in reality, and for hammer-chewers like Bannerman, a day either side doesn’t make a whole lot of difference. Anyway, Missus Bannerman screwed up the surprise by wasting this evening’s opportunity on her grandchildren. Now she knows, Mister & Missus Bannerman will be heading for a high point just prior to tomorrow’s sunset. Hopefully, the weather will be clear, hot and slightly hazy come sunset.
Photos by tomorrow evening, as they say in the classics, at 11:00pm
Bannerman noted the news of China’s supposed anti-satellite test with considerable interest. It is becoming increasingly clear that China not only has an efficient and advancing space technology regime, but is also determined that existing technological competitors know about it.
Global climate change is "very likely" to have a human cause
BBC NEWS .
Gee………..Y’think? It’s not only a question of climate change.
"Many of us have water tanks and it’s all very commendable ... but it’s not going to solve the problem by itself. If we go it alone and clean up our own back yard ... that may be commendable, it may be admirable, but it will have no impact unless it is matched by global action. And we could pay a very heavy price, a very heavy sacrifice indeed."
Bannerman just finished watching the much awaited ’debate’ between Mister Millionaire, Malcolm Turnbull and Mister Greenie, Peter Garrett on 7:30 Report.
The transcript won’t be available until tomorrow morning, however one thing about the interaction stood out clearly to the Bannerman. As eloquent as Turnbull appears to be, and as well armed with notes as he clearly was, Garrett never once stooped to character assassination of his opponent as Turnbull did on at least two occasions. Bannerman also noted that while Turnbull constantly referred to notes of what Garrett allegedly said at nameless interviews with the media, Garrett issued forth with facts, figures and a well defined stand on where he and his party stand on issues such as carbon trading, climate change and alternate energies.
Less than thirty minutes spent discussing an enormously broad-ranging set of issues such as Turnbull and Garrett represent for their respective parties is hardly indicative of the strength of the proponent’s arguments or the individual’s ability to support it respectively. However, it is clear to the Bannerman just what the tactics of both are in this face-to-face style of presentation. It’s also clear just which one has the more powerful presence.
Reported firstly in New Scientist, this grand attempt by Richard Branson to save the planet for all humanity leaves Bannerman just a little non-plussed.
Bannerman and his lady today decided to kick back in Gold Class. The film? Casino Royale.
The humble incandescent light bulb is about to become history as Australia dumps it in favour of more energy efficient technology.
The more efficient technology? Compact Fluorescent Lightbulbs, of course. The ones that cost more in energy terms to manufacture, aren’t suitable for enclosures as spotlights or downlights and contain that nasty neurotoxin, mercury.
Astronomy - Exclusive: New Horizons update 4 - S. Alan Stern
Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | King of the planets will propel probe to Pluto
Today, NASA’s New Horizons space probe, the fastest spacecraft to have ever left this planet, hits the solar accelerator in a big way. As of 15:43 Australian Eastern Standard Time, New Horizons will be travelling just over 23,000 kms/second as it slingshots past the Jupiter system, using the giant planet’s gravity well to propel it to the edges of our solar system. Yet, even at that speed, which seems so incredibly quick to we Earth-bound watchers, Pluto and the Kuiper Belt objects, which are New Horizons’ ultimate destination, remain some 26.3 AU distant.
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We can achieve mighty feats, we human beings, yet we seem completely unable to see the train wreck of our own fast approaching future. As a technological species, we must surely be the ultimate paradox.
Guys, ever wondered why sex is such a sleep-inducing pastime? Ever wondered why ’getting it up again’ takes time and you’d rather watch TV instead of snuggling your partner?
Well, no, neither has Bannerman, but we all know, do we not, that the aforesaid are all part and parcel of being male. Bannerman came across this fascinating article recently, and thought his fellow male bloggers might like to take note and even bookmark it so that next time their significant others complain about post-coital somnolence, conclusive scientific research can be pointed to.
Women don’t have a patent on hormones as an excuse, it seems.
"Nick Minchin has let the cat out of the bag this morning, he’s admitted that the Future Fund will comfortably meet its target by 2020, well ahead of schedule" - Wayne Swan
ABC News Online
Well, maybe Nick did and maybe he didn’t allow the feline freedom. This is politics at it’s most desperate. It’s "he said", "no I didn’t" type of stuff you’d normally hear in a junior school yard.
Snapped by New-Horizon’s Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC) as the spacecraft passed the innermost Jovian moon, Io on it’s way out of that system.
Pieces of space junk from a Russian satellite coming out of orbit narrowly missed hitting a jetliner over the Pacific Ocean overnight.
Mercopress
This is a rather disquieting occurrence, especially given this piece of news from the International Space Station. Bannerman wonders whether this supposed ’satellite’ or ’space junk’ which passed relatively close to the Lan Chile A340 was in fact a space-going garbage scow? NASA doesn’t think so because the timings are wrong, but who’s to say NASA isn’t covering some Russian arse?
Seems a little coincidentally suss
Scientists close to Potter-style invisibility cloak
Science is a truly wonderful endeavour, and more children ought to be encouraged to undertake it's study, but why, oh why, does every single new theoretical discovery have to have a military application?
BBC, Geldof to catalogue all human existenceGeldof, the former frontman for rock group the Boomtown Rats, says he was first inspired to act after hearing about disappearing languages in Africa 20 years ago.
Space shield to block radiation
The idea has been likened to the deflector shields which protect the USS Enterprise and other spacecraft in Star Trek. Like their fictional counterparts, these shields could also be switched on and off.
PM touts new nuclear reactor as 'triumph'.Little Johnny Howler blowing his own trumpet yet again on the nuclear issue. He even deigns to compare the OPAL reactor with a full-blown power generation facility, yet anyone with half a brain knows it's nothing of the kind. This new medical and industrial research facility is a light-water 20Mw reactor. Even the smallest reactors used in military naval vessels range around 150Mw and certainly aren't attached to the myriad scientific instruments that the Sydney OPAL reactor has."If a nation is unwilling to make a capital investment in projects of this nature, then it's really not interested in our future"
That vast difference isn't likely to stop JWH from blowing the nuclear tuba though.
The power and the glory of the source of all life within it’s realm. Sol, or as we commonly call it, the Sun, now scanned in three dimensions by NASA’s very own stereopticon, STEREO, or to give it’s full title, Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory. The multimedia animations on the NASA STEREO site are particularly fascinating, and just a little awesome.
A Canberra microbiologist has warned that the use of recycled water poses the risk of a major disease outbreak and it should only be used for drinking as a last resort.
So, pump the recycled water back into water supply holding reservoirs and dams. This argument that recycled water is dangerous has whiskers so long it’s proponents are constantly tripping over them. Professor Collignon seriously needs to pull his head out of his test tubes and take a serious look at the realities of recycled waste water. He’s doubtless already imbibing it to some degree if he’s a resident of the ACT. I wonder if he eats grapes or drinks wine? Perhaps he ought to visit the platapus at the Lower Molonglo River outlets.
As for the Professor’s protestations regarding the inaccuracy of references to Singapore’s usage of recycled water, ’almost entirely used in industry’ doesn’t quite bear out his case. Recycled water in Singapore is either drunk by the population, Professor, or it isn’t. Word is, that it is. QED.
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Reminiscent of a scene from the sequel to ’2001-a Space Odyssey’, ’2010-the Odyssey Continues’, is this shot taken by the NASA probe, New-Horizons as it exited the Jovian system in March of this year. The shot depicts a tantalisingly blue Europa rising above the limb of Jupiter with an amazingly dense star field as a backdrop. Click on the thumbnail to appreciate the full-sized pic.
New-Horizons is now undergoing preparation for hibernation until re-awaking around this time of year in 2015. The fastest spacecraft to have ever left this planet is now well over 6AU from Earth. Just another 2,892 days until the next time we’ll hear or see anything from New-Horizons.
Running three months late, the space shuttle Atlantis, carrying seven astronauts and a $367 million set of solar panels, roared to life and raced into orbit today, hot on the trail of the international space station.
Yes indeed and surprise, surprise. The shuttle Atlantis left the ground today for a planned eleven day stay in space, most of it docked to the International Space Station where another power generation truss will be installed later in the week. From tonight’s news reports, you’d never have known. Seven human beings riding what has to be the most lethal of machines into the most hostile of environments where a single poor decision means death, and yet, we here on the ground, scurrying around with our small concerns and insular lives know nothing of the event, and could probably care less.
At ground level, we have far more pressing concerns, such as the G8 farce, rain and flooding in New South Wales, politics, genocide in Africa, wars in Asia minor and the Middle East, etcetera, yadda, yadda. Oh, yes.....let’s not forget the distress of Paris Hilton. The fact that humanity still undertakes manned spaced flights, that the International Space Station continues to grow in size and capability, feeding our collective knowledge of the planet we live on and the way we’re trashing it seems not to rate a mention any longer.
We, the human species Homo sapiens sapiens, have become a very self-centred and insular species. We’ve lost the focus we had a mere forty years ago. We’d much rather concentrate on our own small concerns, or worse, those of some self-possessed, flat-chested, painted blonde bimbo who broke the law of her land, then weeps over the miniscule price levied in retribution.
I find myself asking more and more these days. What’s more important? Celebrity hysteria or scientific endeavour? Who’s the more foolish? Military pawns pushed around the global chess board in constant efforts to destroy other military pawns, or those who volunteer to work in space for the betterment of the species?
We’ve lost all track of what’s important. I wonder if we ever really knew.
ABC News Online
News from the ABC's Investigative Unit which last night revealed what looks suspiciously like more underhanded movements by the Howardian cabal towards embracing the nuclear power cycle, is reminiscent of John Howard's claims of non-involvement in ethanol marketing by the Manildra Group not so many moons ago.
Further to my ’who-gives-a-shit’ rant from last week, I wonder just how many people realised that the International Space Station came closer than it’s ever done, since it’s initial meccano kit creation began in 1998, to falling out of orbit completely over the weekend.
With installation of what NASA calls the S4 truss array supporting a set of solar sails capable of doubling the stations power output in readiness for installation of the European Space Agency module later this year, power systems could be switched from the ten year old P6 array. The switching didn’t go as planned, with a power surge scrambling the station’s Russian navigation and station-keeping computer systems.
The so-called ’glitches’ were eventually resolved, but not until after the station’s Russian commander, Fyodor Yurchikhin, pulled an all-nighter in a bid to resolve the power problems and resultant computer failures. A 24 hour work-shift in space is unheard of. Did we see or hear anything of these days of dramas in our media, while the lives of some eight human beings were at terrible risk in the most hostile environment possible? Barely a whisper. I recall a passing few words on Friday’s ABC television news, but absolutely nothing over the weekend. In fact, except for these dramas which might have eventuated in abandonment of the ISS, even if temporarily, we’ve heard next to nothing about the arduous tasks undertaken and successfully completed by the crews of STS-117 and Expedition 15.
Manned spaceflight, even to low earth orbit, just doesn’t excite the populace any longer. I cannot help myself in asking why not? Space is the final frontier. It’s the last and greatest adventure humanity can undertake and will always be an adventure, a struggle and a challenge because we can’t live there long term. The irony being that for our species survival, we need to learn it’s secrets, and cope with it’s disinterest in our survival. If humanity is to continue on once this planet we call home is exhausted, as it will be someday soon, the rate we’re using it up, we need to master manned space flight. Places like the ISS enable us to train for that eventuality. But who cares? Very few of we planet-bound simpletons, so it seems.
And now for something a little less contentious and a whole lot more positive. Transportation Fuel From Sugar. No, it's not ethanol. In fact, it's something better, cleaner, easier and cheaper to make and longer-lived than ethanol.
Superbugs entrenched in Aust hospitals
Staphylococcus and other related so-called super-bugs are easy to beat, yet Australia's hospital system doesn't seem to place a lot of priority on the battle.
Early this morning, Australian Eastern Standard Time, American aircraft manufacturer, Boeing, officially launched it’s long-awaited new generation commercial aircraft, the Boeing 787 series Dreamliner.
First there was Information teleported between atoms, followed I note by an article in today's news_dot_com touting Australian physicists Simon Haine, Murray Olsen and Ashton Bradley as having succeeded in 'real' teleportation on the atomic level.
Continue reading "Meatasaurus, Thin Base, Cheesy Crust Thanks" »
Professor Ian Lowe, emeritus professor of science at Griffith University has stated...I defend the right of Martin Durkin to believe human activity is not changing the global climate.
At twenty-six minutes past seven last night, NASA sent it’s latest Mars probe - Phoenix- on it’s way.
I just hope they're right.
This Tamar Valley pulp mill saga has, more or less, washed over me to a great degree. I don't live in Tasmania, and aren't directly impacted by the proposal. I have sympathies with the likes of Peter Cundall who lives in the valley, but without definitive evidence being available for analysis, it's a bit difficult to form an opinion either way.
I'd like to see the Mythbusters duplicate this circumstance. According to previous arcing electricity experiments, it can't really happen unless the distance between penis and source is very short.
Being an outdoor urination exponent, I'd suggest the average distance between penis and ground wouldn't allow for a stream consistent with conducting of electricity. Still.....would make for a challenging test.
I just can't resist linking to this story. The science is thrilling and very encouraging, but the name is what get's me.
Make it so, Bertrand!
Have a listen to the audio attached to this article from NASA about the radio emmisions from Saturn. If it isn't the sound effect soundtrack from the 1956 Fred M. Wilcox Sci-Fi thriller 'Forbidden Planet' then I'm not sitting here typing this.
Apropos of yesterday's post on the Howard Huggers desperate to cuddle Kevin, is Dennis Shanahan's piece today in which he praises the PM for appearing to imitate the previous incumbent, while desperately attempting to draw a parallel between the current Labor position and the previous stubbornly negative conservative position on climate change.
The world of technology is a fascinating place, but every now and then, I get the distinct impression that people are being paid way too much to have too much time on their hands. Take, for example, this latest gizmo from the makers of the Walkman.
No intention to commercially market the thing, and frankly, I'm left wondering why anyone would bother, so why have anyone actually produce the thing in the first place?
Endeavour goes up this afternoon. In fact, in approximately 29 minutes from right now. If you're interested in watching live broadcasts from NASA, via the free NASATV site, I can strongly recommend it.
UPDATE:
Only because I wanted to post this pic taken some 7 seconds after Eneavour lifted off from Launch Pad 39a. Seriously, if you love watching these birds fly while worrying just a little about the danger to the astronauts, you can't beat NASATV.
Here's something of a philosophical question. Perhaps it's scientific?
Nothing terribly important of social conscience or political polemic from me today. Something of a slightly more ethereal nature, albeit material at the same time.
Today, Honda Motor Company announced, what I believe, will be the next generation after fossil fuel powered road transport. The hydrogen fuel cell powered motor vehicle, which in it's current incarnation, Honda call FCX Clarity.
On Monday just gone, science remembered the centenary of of the largest impact on land of an object from space. Known today as the Tunguska Event, there remains no conclusive answer to the question of just what did enter the planet's atmosphere over the Siberian tundra to annihilate at high altitude with more energy released than 150 Hiroshima bombs.
The area of Siberia where the detonation took place is desolate. Frozen ground in winter, sodden swamp in summer. Expeditions into the region take place almost every year now, yet little of viable scientific evidence pointing to exactly what occurred has surfaced. From an out-of-control alien spacecraft to a geophysical event, the explanations remain rife. Some say asteroid, some claim a comet core. The most frustrating part of the research into the event must surely be the complete lack of evidence of just what did enter and vaporise. No impact crater, no believable remains, no molten extra-terrestrial rock. Only the recorded written memories of those who witnessed the event and felt it's consequences.
Flattened trees radiating out for hundreds of square kilometres from the epicentre are still seen today lying in the morass and hilliny forested terrain, evidence of the power of the occasion. At ground zero, tree trunks bereft of all branches still stand upright, charred and dead, indicative of the air burst immediately overhead. The only real measure human science has for the event is the atomic aftermath at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Apparently these Earth-meets-space events - if indeed Tunguska was a space object meeting - occur around once every 300 years, according to recorded history. Amusingly, recorded history in the grand scheme of our planet's history is so damn short on an astronomical time scale as to be irrelevant.
In the modern age, we'll be well informed of the next event, and there will be a next event, of that we can be certain. Courtesy of the NASA Near Earth Object research program, supposedly our current astronomical science will be able to tell us well in advance of any approaching armageddon. Well ... maybe. All I've ever seen in the news are the near misses. After the fact. Better to live in ignorance and die in a flash, I reckon.
