February 2007 - Utah-Astronomy - mailman.xmission.com

Renegade Lucky Duck on the loose?
by Chuck Hards 07 Feb '07

07 Feb '07

Here we go again: http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=873718 The last guy that did this had no stones at all, and blamed his child. I hope they catch this one and throw the book at them. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Looking for earth-friendly autos? Browse Top Cars by "Green Rating" at Yahoo! Autos' Green Center. http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center/

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] NASA reviews screening process
by Ilove2getSpam＠gmail.com 07 Feb '07

07 Feb '07

You are forgetting the caliber of the group of individuals from which NASA astronauts are selected them. Most are military offices, academy graduates in most cases. Many with astonishing careers before the even entered the space program. Most are aviators with combat experience!!!! The point is, NASA is recruiting astronauts off the street. How would it be possible to refine a recruiting process that has ~3500 people, nearly all military professionals, applying for 30 slots a year. There is a very powerful control group at work here. Anyway, it's all so sad. -Rich On 2/7/07, Joe Bauman <bau(a)desnews.com> wrote: > > I disagree, Rich. This truly is a grave problem that may show a > weakness in another pase of NASA's operations. After two disasters, > they're generally trying to be excruciatingly careful with the > hardware. But we know nothing about how much care they take with the > most crucial software, the human mind. It's not just a foible that > NASA can pass off, because human inattention or carelessness, hatred, > lust -- any number of distractions -- could cause a space catastrophy > that would set us back by decades. It's a good thing something like > this hasn't happened in space, which is probably the most stressful > possible environment. -- Joe > > >This is exactly what I was afraid of!!! Now, we don't know anything about > >the case, at this point. As far as I'm concerned, there is a whole lot of > >speculation going on. Bottom line, Capt. Nowak obviously had a momentary > >lapse in judgement as a result of compounding human issues - that's > life!!! > > > >NASA should make no public statements at this point!!! > > > >-Rich > > > > _______________________________________________ > Utah-Astronomy mailing list > Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com > http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy > Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.utahastronomy.com >

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] NASA reviews screening process
by Michael Carnes 07 Feb '07

07 Feb '07

> Bottom line, Capt. Nowak obviously had a momentary >lapse in judgement as a result of compounding human issues - that's life!!! We've all had momentary lapses in judgment, none of which involve stalking, disguises, pepper spray and so on. It's clear that Captain Nowak has a much more serious problem. We can only hope that she can be successfully treated. I agree fully that many of the details are none of our business. >NASA should make no public statements at this point!!! NASA has to. It has billions and billions of dollars tied up in assets, both ground and space-based. Often times, those assets are the responsibility of a very small and select group of people. Something in the system failed--failed both NASA and Captain Nowak personally--and you can't just shrug it off. They've got to restore a high degree of public confidence that they are handling both people and dollars responsibly. Michael

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] NASA reviews screening process
by Michael Carnes 07 Feb '07

07 Feb '07

>The details are as much our business as they are concerning any other >alleged attempted murder. There is a public right to know. Would you >rather not know? Why not? It's a tough call Joe. Certainly facts related to the case belong in the public record. But as you well know, there are some corners of the press who won't stop there. They'll be looking for the titillating details. They'll dig into the lives of the intended victim and into the male astronaut. This will go far past any reasonable need to know on our part. Responsible reporters have a pretty good sense of where to draw the line. But many news departments are run by entertainment divisions. You know where that all goes. MC

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] NASA reviews screening process
by Michael Carnes 07 Feb '07

07 Feb '07

>Public Confidence in NASA??? NASA responsibly handling people and dollars? >Like either has ever happened!!! Sorry, that makes me laugh. Oh I strongly disagree with that. I'm far from a NASA fan--like any large beaurocracy they've got their apple-polishers. But as a government agency they take their orders from above. Those orders can be confusing and can change radically every two years. Nearly all of their budget is tied up with ISS and somehow they manage to keep that and several other balls in the air at once. >I'm just afraid that the desk jockey's at NASA are going to start insulting >or undermining the rest of the Astronaut Corps. Don't think so.

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Re: [Utah-astronomy] NASA reviews screening process
by Joe Bauman 07 Feb '07

07 Feb '07

The details are as much our business as they are concerning any other alleged attempted murder. There is a public right to know. Would you rather not know? Why not? > I agree fully that many of the details are none of our business.

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NASA reviews screening process
by Chuck Hards 07 Feb '07

07 Feb '07

This one's for Joe- they must have read your mind: By MIKE SCHNEIDER, Associated Press Writer 2 minutes ago CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - NASA said Wednesday it would review its psychological screening process in light of an astronaut's arrest on charges she tried to murder a woman she believed was her rival for a space shuttle pilot's affections. Deputy NASA Administrator Shana Dale said the space agency would evaluate the process "to determine if any modifications are needed." Astronaut Lisa Nowak returned to Texas and headed to Johnson Space Center for a medical assessment Wednesday, a day after being charged in Florida. Before Nowak's arrest, she had shown no signs of instability, Dale said. "As you know it's a very tight-knit community that cared about each other," Dale said. Nowak's commercial flight was met on the tarmac by a police car, and the astronaut, her head covered by a jacket, was escorted down the stairs and into the waiting squad car, then driven away. "She looked thin, looked tired," said John Gruttadaurio, a passenger who was aboard Nowak's flight from Orlando, Fla. NASA spokeswoman Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters would not say if the medical assessment included a psychological evaluation. Less than 24 hours earlier, Nowak had been in a Florida courtroom on charges of attempted murder, attempted kidnapping and three other crimes stemming from what police described as a love triangle involving a fellow astronaut. She was released on bail and ordered to stay away from the other woman and to wear a monitoring device. Nowak became an astronaut after winning a series of Navy service awards, and she flew on Discovery in July, where she and crewmate Stephanie Wilson were known as "the Robochicks" because they operated the shuttle's robotic arm. Dale said Nowak's arrest would not have a long-term impact on the space program. "This is a tragic event that impacted many lives, but this is a unique situation that we're facing," Dale said. NASA officials declined to comment when asked if Nowak's arrest meant the end of her NASA career. "That's speculation," said Bob Cabana, deputy director of the Johnson Space Center. Nowak's children were with her husband, Richard, who works for a contractor at the Johnson Space Center, Cabana said. Nowak was being replaced as a ground communicator for the next space shuttle mission, a job in which she would talk to the astronauts from Houston during their flight. ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never Miss an Email Stay connected with Yahoo! Mail on your mobile. Get started! http://mobile.yahoo.com/services?promote=mail

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RE: [Utah-astronomy] Mag 10 asteroid flyby
by Seth Jarvis 07 Feb '07

07 Feb '07

Thanks, Patrick, that's very interesting. I plugged the orbital elements into Starry Night and it looks like actual closest approach takes place in the afternoon (local time) of 30 March. At about 9PM (good and dark) on Friday, March 30th with asteroid 2006 VV2 at a near-minimum distance of .0227 AU from Earth, a typical 8" amateur telescope (~170x with 18' FOV) will show the magnitude 9 object taking about 20 minutes to travel the width of the FOV. It looks pretty cool in the Starry Night simulation. To get the full effect you should have the telescope track a nearby star so you get a constant FOV. That way the asteroid is more noticeable as it moves relative to the other non-moving stars. One thing to watch for, however, is that a nearly full moon will be only about 22 degrees below the telescope's point of aim. If any of you folks manage to capture images of this event, preferably video, I'd like to try offering it to our web site visitors (with copious credit to the photographer/videographer, of course) as a downloadable file accompanied by some educational materials about asteroids. Thanks, Seth Jarvis, Director Clark Planetarium -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces+sjarvis=slco.org(a)mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces+sjarvis=slco.org@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Patrick Wiggins Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 9:42 PM To: utah astronomy listserve utah astronomy Subject: [Utah-astronomy] Mag 10 asteroid flyby On 31 March, a 2-km wide asteroid named 2006 VV2 will shoot past the Earth. There's no danger of a collision as it will be nearly 9 times farther away than the Moon. The flyby is interesting because it is so bright, between 9th and 10th magnitude, making it an easy target for backyard telescopes with CCD cameras and maybe even large binoculars. But when it does get close look quick as, at closest approach it will be moving across the sky at just over 1 arc minute per minute. 3D orbit: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/db?name=2006+VV2 Ephemeris: http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/Ephemerides/Unusual/ K06V02V.html pw _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy(a)mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.utahastronomy.com

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Fwd: NASA statement regarding Lisa Nowak
by Patrick Wiggins 07 Feb '07

07 Feb '07

Feb. 6, 2007 David Mould/Allard Beutel Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1898/4769 Eileen Hawley/James Rostohar Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 RELEASE: 07-23 STATEMENT REGARDING THE STATUS OF LISA NOWAK The following is a statement from Michael Coats, director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, regarding the status of astronaut Lisa Nowak. "We are deeply saddened by this tragic event. The charges against Lisa Nowak are serious ones that must be decided by the judicial system. She is officially on 30-day leave and has been removed from flight status and all mission-related activities. We will continue to monitor developments in the case." -end-

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Mag 10 asteroid flyby
by Patrick Wiggins 06 Feb '07

06 Feb '07

On 31 March, a 2-km wide asteroid named 2006 VV2 will shoot past the Earth. There's no danger of a collision as it will be nearly 9 times farther away than the Moon. The flyby is interesting because it is so bright, between 9th and 10th magnitude, making it an easy target for backyard telescopes with CCD cameras and maybe even large binoculars. But when it does get close look quick as, at closest approach it will be moving across the sky at just over 1 arc minute per minute. 3D orbit: http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/db?name=2006+VV2 Ephemeris: http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/iau/Ephemerides/Unusual/ K06V02V.html pw

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