It discovered a previously unknown edge of the solar system boundary. Pretty cool stuff. http://arstechnica.com/science/2012/12/voyager-1-spots-new-region-at-the-edg... Dan -- Daniel Holmes, danielh@holmesonics.com "Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin
Seems like what I would have expected, not a sudden shift from our Sun's particles to those from "outside", but a neutral zone where they both seem to equally counteract each other. In perspective to stellar distances, this still could be considered a super thin line, 122 A.U. is nothing n the grand scheme of things, and that's Voyager I's total trip so far, not just the part where they thought the soloar system would end and the universe proper would begin. Then again, I'm no scientist, so what would I know? On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 7:33 PM, Daniel Holmes <danielh@holmesonics.com>wrote:
It discovered a previously unknown edge of the solar system boundary. Pretty cool stuff.
http://arstechnica.com/science/2012/12/voyager-1-spots-new-region-at-the-edg...
Dan
-- Daniel Holmes, danielh@holmesonics.com "Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin
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What I got from the article is that they didn't expect to see the rise of interstellar particles while also seeing the Sun's magnetic field--the field lines of interstellar space lining up with the Sun's field lines. A region where both sets of particles mingled I think was expected, but this region allows the particles to move between regions much easier. Near the bottom of the article: "The researchers suspect they've reached a region of the solar-interstellar boundary that nobody had predicted. In this area, the magnetic field lines of the Sun link up with those of the interstellar field. Scientists are calling this linkage a "highway" for particles to travel along. It lets solar wind particles escape more readily, causing the drop in their intensity. And it opens the door for low-energy cosmic rays to slip in to our Solar System, which is why Voyager 1 is seeing so may of them." Dan On Dec 3, 2012, at 7:59 PM, Michael Wells <eyeonyouproductions@gmail.com> wrote:
Seems like what I would have expected, not a sudden shift from our Sun's particles to those from "outside", but a neutral zone where they both seem to equally counteract each other. In perspective to stellar distances, this still could be considered a super thin line, 122 A.U. is nothing n the grand scheme of things, and that's Voyager I's total trip so far, not just the part where they thought the soloar system would end and the universe proper would begin.
Then again, I'm no scientist, so what would I know?
On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 7:33 PM, Daniel Holmes <danielh@holmesonics.com>wrote:
It discovered a previously unknown edge of the solar system boundary. Pretty cool stuff.
http://arstechnica.com/science/2012/12/voyager-1-spots-new-region-at-the-edg...
Dan
-- Daniel Holmes, danielh@holmesonics.com "Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin
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-- Daniel Holmes, danielh@holmesonics.com "Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin
Yeah, I noticed that part. Definitely behaving in an interesting way, that's for sure. As much as I wouldn't want to be a grade school student today, the 70's-80's had almost nothing exciting compared to now. Sure, we started the shuttle program, and things like Voyager went up. I also remember when they discovered rings around Uranus(Due to the obvious joke), but that was pretty much it. Kids nowdays have something new hitting the classroom pretty much every week now, between the amazing stellar pictures from our array of telescopes, other probes, such as Cassini, and the stuff from the Mars rovers. Awesome stuff. On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 8:07 PM, Daniel Holmes <danielh@holmesonics.com>wrote:
What I got from the article is that they didn't expect to see the rise of interstellar particles while also seeing the Sun's magnetic field--the field lines of interstellar space lining up with the Sun's field lines. A region where both sets of particles mingled I think was expected, but this region allows the particles to move between regions much easier.
Near the bottom of the article:
"The researchers suspect they've reached a region of the solar-interstellar boundary that nobody had predicted. In this area, the magnetic field lines of the Sun link up with those of the interstellar field. Scientists are calling this linkage a "highway" for particles to travel along. It lets solar wind particles escape more readily, causing the drop in their intensity. And it opens the door for low-energy cosmic rays to slip in to our Solar System, which is why Voyager 1 is seeing so may of them."
Dan
On Dec 3, 2012, at 7:59 PM, Michael Wells <eyeonyouproductions@gmail.com> wrote:
Seems like what I would have expected, not a sudden shift from our Sun's particles to those from "outside", but a neutral zone where they both seem to equally counteract each other. In perspective to stellar distances, this still could be considered a super thin line, 122 A.U. is nothing n the grand scheme of things, and that's Voyager I's total trip so far, not just the part where they thought the soloar system would end and the universe proper would begin.
Then again, I'm no scientist, so what would I know?
On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 7:33 PM, Daniel Holmes <danielh@holmesonics.com wrote:
It discovered a previously unknown edge of the solar system boundary. Pretty cool stuff.
http://arstechnica.com/science/2012/12/voyager-1-spots-new-region-at-the-edg...
Dan
-- Daniel Holmes, danielh@holmesonics.com "Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin
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Michael, It is interesting to read your impression of the exciting astronomical news coming out today and how you wish they had such great news when you were growing up in grade school. It is great news but I see a generation gap is present. When I was in grade-school, I remember Sputnik being sent into space and spending several evening trying to see it and eventually being successful. I remember the announcement of Yuri Gagarin went into space which shocked the U S citizens. I clearly remember when Alan Shepard was sent on his sub orbital ride and when John Glenn took his 3-orbit flight. When Apollo 11 flight took its historic flight and landing on the moon, I was on a college field trip at Fossil Butte Wyoming, huddled around our professor's Suburban listening to the final decent of the Eagle Lander. It doesn't get more exciting than that. I was lucky to grow up during the birth of the space age. I was also lucky to be a true geek and have the insight as to the significance of each step that was taken. Exciting times have definitely arrived as far as space exploration is concerned. It will be incredibly interesting to see what is to come in the next ten to twenty years. Thanks Rodger C. Fry -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Michael Wells Sent: Monday, December 03, 2012 8:14 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Voyager 1 new discovery. Yeah, I noticed that part. Definitely behaving in an interesting way, that's for sure. As much as I wouldn't want to be a grade school student today, the 70's-80's had almost nothing exciting compared to now. Sure, we started the shuttle program, and things like Voyager went up. I also remember when they discovered rings around Uranus(Due to the obvious joke), but that was pretty much it. Kids nowdays have something new hitting the classroom pretty much every week now, between the amazing stellar pictures from our array of telescopes, other probes, such as Cassini, and the stuff from the Mars rovers. Awesome stuff. On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 8:07 PM, Daniel Holmes <danielh@holmesonics.com>wrote:
What I got from the article is that they didn't expect to see the rise of interstellar particles while also seeing the Sun's magnetic field--the field lines of interstellar space lining up with the Sun's field lines. A region where both sets of particles mingled I think was expected, but this region allows the particles to move between regions much easier.
Near the bottom of the article:
"The researchers suspect they've reached a region of the solar-interstellar boundary that nobody had predicted. In this area, the magnetic field lines of the Sun link up with those of the interstellar field. Scientists are calling this linkage a "highway" for particles to travel along. It lets solar wind particles escape more readily, causing the drop in their intensity. And it opens the door for low-energy cosmic rays to slip in to our Solar System, which is why Voyager 1 is seeing so may of them."
Dan
On Dec 3, 2012, at 7:59 PM, Michael Wells <eyeonyouproductions@gmail.com> wrote:
Seems like what I would have expected, not a sudden shift from our Sun's particles to those from "outside", but a neutral zone where they both seem to equally counteract each other. In perspective to stellar distances, this still could be considered a super thin line, 122 A.U. is nothing n the grand scheme of things, and that's Voyager I's total trip so far, not just the part where they thought the soloar system would end and the universe proper would begin.
Then again, I'm no scientist, so what would I know?
On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 7:33 PM, Daniel Holmes <danielh@holmesonics.com wrote:
It discovered a previously unknown edge of the solar system boundary. Pretty cool stuff.
http://arstechnica.com/science/2012/12/voyager-1-spots-new-region-at-t he-edge-of-the-solar-system/
Dan
-- Daniel Holmes, danielh@holmesonics.com "Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin
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_______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".
It's not like there wasn't activity, but it was a kind of flat area compared toothed era you experienced (I was born 4 months after the moon landing), and what has been rolling out for the last 10-15 years. My stepsons aren't falling over themselves, but I think my daughter is primed to enjoy this and have the kind of memories you have, so there's hope still. On Dec 4, 2012 7:28 AM, "Rodger C. Fry" <rcfry@comcast.net> wrote:
Michael,
It is interesting to read your impression of the exciting astronomical news coming out today and how you wish they had such great news when you were growing up in grade school. It is great news but I see a generation gap is present.
When I was in grade-school, I remember Sputnik being sent into space and spending several evening trying to see it and eventually being successful. I remember the announcement of Yuri Gagarin went into space which shocked the U S citizens. I clearly remember when Alan Shepard was sent on his sub orbital ride and when John Glenn took his 3-orbit flight. When Apollo 11 flight took its historic flight and landing on the moon, I was on a college field trip at Fossil Butte Wyoming, huddled around our professor's Suburban listening to the final decent of the Eagle Lander. It doesn't get more exciting than that.
I was lucky to grow up during the birth of the space age. I was also lucky to be a true geek and have the insight as to the significance of each step that was taken.
Exciting times have definitely arrived as far as space exploration is concerned. It will be incredibly interesting to see what is to come in the next ten to twenty years.
Thanks Rodger C. Fry
-----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Michael Wells Sent: Monday, December 03, 2012 8:14 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Voyager 1 new discovery.
Yeah, I noticed that part. Definitely behaving in an interesting way, that's for sure. As much as I wouldn't want to be a grade school student today, the 70's-80's had almost nothing exciting compared to now. Sure, we started the shuttle program, and things like Voyager went up. I also remember when they discovered rings around Uranus(Due to the obvious joke), but that was pretty much it. Kids nowdays have something new hitting the classroom pretty much every week now, between the amazing stellar pictures from our array of telescopes, other probes, such as Cassini, and the stuff from the Mars rovers. Awesome stuff.
On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 8:07 PM, Daniel Holmes <danielh@holmesonics.com>wrote:
What I got from the article is that they didn't expect to see the rise of interstellar particles while also seeing the Sun's magnetic field--the field lines of interstellar space lining up with the Sun's field lines. A region where both sets of particles mingled I think was expected, but this region allows the particles to move between regions much easier.
Near the bottom of the article:
"The researchers suspect they've reached a region of the solar-interstellar boundary that nobody had predicted. In this area, the magnetic field lines of the Sun link up with those of the interstellar field. Scientists are calling this linkage a "highway" for particles to travel along. It lets solar wind particles escape more readily, causing the drop in their intensity. And it opens the door for low-energy cosmic rays to slip in to our Solar System, which is why Voyager 1 is seeing so may of them."
Dan
On Dec 3, 2012, at 7:59 PM, Michael Wells <eyeonyouproductions@gmail.com> wrote:
Seems like what I would have expected, not a sudden shift from our Sun's particles to those from "outside", but a neutral zone where they both seem to equally counteract each other. In perspective to stellar distances, this still could be considered a super thin line, 122 A.U. is nothing n the grand scheme of things, and that's Voyager I's total trip so far, not just the part where they thought the soloar system would end and the universe proper would begin.
Then again, I'm no scientist, so what would I know?
On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 7:33 PM, Daniel Holmes <danielh@holmesonics.com wrote:
It discovered a previously unknown edge of the solar system boundary. Pretty cool stuff.
http://arstechnica.com/science/2012/12/voyager-1-spots-new-region-at-t he-edge-of-the-solar-system/
Dan
-- Daniel Holmes, danielh@holmesonics.com "Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin
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As Deputy Program Manager for the radio amplifier portion of the Voyager spacecrafts, I saw firsthand how exacting NASA was in those days. The Traveling Wave Tube (TWT) amplifiers we used were subjected to every conceivable test and they are still working today! For more on TWT's see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traveling-wave_tube. -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Daniel Holmes Sent: Monday, December 03, 2012 8:07 PM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Voyager 1 new discovery. What I got from the article is that they didn't expect to see the rise of interstellar particles while also seeing the Sun's magnetic field--the field lines of interstellar space lining up with the Sun's field lines. A region where both sets of particles mingled I think was expected, but this region allows the particles to move between regions much easier. Near the bottom of the article: "The researchers suspect they've reached a region of the solar-interstellar boundary that nobody had predicted. In this area, the magnetic field lines of the Sun link up with those of the interstellar field. Scientists are calling this linkage a "highway" for particles to travel along. It lets solar wind particles escape more readily, causing the drop in their intensity. And it opens the door for low-energy cosmic rays to slip in to our Solar System, which is why Voyager 1 is seeing so may of them." Dan On Dec 3, 2012, at 7:59 PM, Michael Wells <eyeonyouproductions@gmail.com> wrote:
Seems like what I would have expected, not a sudden shift from our Sun's particles to those from "outside", but a neutral zone where they both seem to equally counteract each other. In perspective to stellar distances, this still could be considered a super thin line, 122 A.U. is nothing n the grand scheme of things, and that's Voyager I's total trip so far, not just the part where they thought the soloar system would end and the universe proper would begin.
Then again, I'm no scientist, so what would I know?
On Mon, Dec 3, 2012 at 7:33 PM, Daniel Holmes <danielh@holmesonics.com>wrote:
It discovered a previously unknown edge of the solar system boundary. Pretty cool stuff.
http://arstechnica.com/science/2012/12/voyager-1-spots-new-region-at- the-edge-of-the-solar-system/
Dan
-- Daniel Holmes, danielh@holmesonics.com "Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin
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-- Daniel Holmes, danielh@holmesonics.com "Laugh while you can, monkey boy!" -- Lord John Whorfin _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".
On 04 Dec 2012, at 09:34, Don J. Colton wrote:
As Deputy Program Manager for the radio amplifier portion of the Voyager spacecrafts, I saw firsthand how exacting NASA was in those days. The Traveling Wave Tube (TWT) amplifiers we used were subjected to every conceivable test and they are still working today! For more on TWT's see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traveling-wave_tube.
Hi Don, Very impressive that you actually worked on the mission. Does this mean your fingerprints are now traveling in space? :) I would like to hear more about your experiences working on Voyager. Would you be interested in talking about them at a SLAS meeting? If so maybe Rodger could get you scheduled. patrick
Don, I second that idea, especially if you could work in photos of your Voyager efforts as well as your stunning astrophotography. -- Joe ________________________________ From: Wiggins Patrick <paw@wirelessbeehive.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wednesday, December 5, 2012 12:15 AM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Voyager 1 new discovery. On 04 Dec 2012, at 09:34, Don J. Colton wrote:
As Deputy Program Manager for the radio amplifier portion of the Voyager spacecrafts, I saw firsthand how exacting NASA was in those days. The Traveling Wave Tube (TWT) amplifiers we used were subjected to every conceivable test and they are still working today! For more on TWT's see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traveling-wave_tube.
Hi Don, Very impressive that you actually worked on the mission. Does this mean your fingerprints are now traveling in space? :) I would like to hear more about your experiences working on Voyager. Would you be interested in talking about them at a SLAS meeting? If so maybe Rodger could get you scheduled. patrick _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".
Hi Patrick and Joe, I doubt anyone's finger prints are on the amplifiers since they were assembled in "clean rooms". I do have my name on a microchip on Mars since I also worked on the Viking Lander Mission as a negotiator for a change order. Watkins-Johnson also built the amplifiers for the Viking Lander. I can't remember whether they had a microchip with the participants names on the Voyagers. If they did, they probably would have asked for signatures after I left the program. Since I was a Deputy Program Manager for only a few months before being promoted to Head, Export - I don't have much to tell. What I do remember is we had a large flow chart on the wall and I would every few days check on each item and get a status report. We also had to subject the amplifiers (not the ones for the mission but duplicates) to all kinds of tests including vibration, radiation etc. They also required that many of the components were "potted" in a plastic type compound to hold them immobile. JPL, who was the lead for NASA, had a permanent employee on site for the duration of the project. He was the "nitpicker of all nitpickers" and keep thinking of some new kind of worst case scenario. Our project (the amplifiers), which was cost plus, was originally budgeted for $3,000,000 but ended up costing $8,000,000 not because of any padding but because of all the additional testing JPL demanded. They considered the amplifiers as one of the critical components. Also, I would go around almost daily and question charges made by those working on the project. My boss, the Program Manager, was a very honest man and did not want anyone charging for time they did not actually spend on the mission. In the early days of NASA the extreme care put into each program resulted in many successes. After the retirement of some of these "nitpickers", things got a little sloppy for a while due to new people and budget constraints. Hence, the Hubble Problem and one the Mar's projects fiascos where the computer programmer had mixed up metric and English units. JPL in the 1970's would have checked the Hubble mirror's figure 10 different ways and not relied on one flawed test. That I can guarantee, having worked with those people. Clear Skies, Don -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Joe Bauman Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2012 12:20 AM To: Utah Astronomy Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Voyager 1 new discovery. Don, I second that idea, especially if you could work in photos of your Voyager efforts as well as your stunning astrophotography. -- Joe ________________________________ From: Wiggins Patrick <paw@wirelessbeehive.com> To: Utah Astronomy <utah-astronomy@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wednesday, December 5, 2012 12:15 AM Subject: Re: [Utah-astronomy] Voyager 1 new discovery. On 04 Dec 2012, at 09:34, Don J. Colton wrote:
As Deputy Program Manager for the radio amplifier portion of the Voyager spacecrafts, I saw firsthand how exacting NASA was in those days. The Traveling Wave Tube (TWT) amplifiers we used were subjected to every conceivable test and they are still working today! For more on TWT's see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traveling-wave_tube.
Hi Don, Very impressive that you actually worked on the mission. Does this mean your fingerprints are now traveling in space? :) I would like to hear more about your experiences working on Voyager. Would you be interested in talking about them at a SLAS meeting? If so maybe Rodger could get you scheduled. patrick _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options". _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Send messages to the list to Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com The Utah-Astronomy mailing list is not affiliated with any astronomy club. To unsubscribe go to: http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Then enter your email address in the space provided and click on "Unsubscribe or edit options".
participants (6)
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Daniel Holmes -
Don J. Colton -
Joe Bauman -
Michael Wells -
Rodger C. Fry -
Wiggins Patrick