Thursday, October 19, 2017
Space Junk? Yeah, it’s a thing.
The first launch of metal into space was the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1. Its transmissions could be picked up by amateur radio operators around the world. This tiny artificial satellite orbited Earth for 3 months, finally burning up in Earth’s atmosphere on January 4,1958. 1 Not every piece of metal reenters Earth’s orbit and burns up. Sometimes, it just stays in space.
Right now, there are more than 1100 satellites flying over our heads. Some are 4-inch cubes weighing about 2 lbs., while others are the size of a school bus, weighing 6 tons. 2 Half of those are in low-earth orbit, like the Hubble telescope, observation satellites and International Space Station, which is about 260 miles above us.3 Global positioning systems are in Medium-Earth orbit (which we shall now call Middle Earth orbit - and of course you already know why this is my favorite term), or over 12,000 miles straight up.
Low-Earth, or Near-Earth orbit has many more pieces floating than functional satellites. Space debris includes LEO (low-earth orbit) dead satellites, which have a whopping life expectancy of 5 years, GEO (in a higher, geostationary orbit) satellites (life expectancy of 8 years), leaked coolant, paint chips, bolts, upper stages of launch vehicles and pieces from space collisions. In fact, most of the debris comes from accidents.That’s a hundred thousand pieces of anything, whipping around the earth at the astonishing speed of 17,500 miles per hour. That’s enough to slash through your shuttle bus to the moon.
So why can’t we just send someone up with a vacuum and trash can? The cost is exorbitant. Who’s monitoring all this debris? NASA (National Aeronautics Space Administration) has an Orbital Debris Program Office which logs the movement of every piece of debris bigger than a softball. ESA, the European Space Agency, looks to the US Space Surveillance Network, who catalogs items (currently numbering about 15,000, not including 1000 satellites), but ESA Member States contribute information from research radars and telescopes. There is also input from the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).
And now the latest in terror: China’s unmanned 18,000 lb+ Tioangong Space Lab is scheduled to return to Earth some time between October, 2017 and April, 2018. They don’t know when. They don’t know where. They think it is “highly unlikely” that the falling debris will cause persons or property to be damaged. And caution: There’s a highly toxic substance on board that will most likely survive re-entry: hydrazine.4 So you know what that means, right? DON’T TOUCH IT. And you know what else that means? It most likely will fall IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD. In my backyard. On something valuable, like our grill or our picnic table. (sigh) So . . . there’s that.
So, my creative scientists, let’s think of a solution to clean up our space (nod to Tim Gunn). The backyard grill you save could be mine.
Photos that may interest you: Screenshot of space junk:
https://www.popsci.com/now-you-can-see-all-space-junk-floating-around-earth-real-time
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2523271/Image-reveals-disused-rockets-abandoned-satellites-orbit-Earth.html
This is an awesome podcast with Fraser Cain and Pamela Gray that discusses Space Junk.
http://hwcdn.libsyn.com/p/e/7/4/e74c4f7c1c62a346/AstroCast-080331.mp3?c_id=1379386&expiration=1508417010&hwt=5a40ce285acc2352c6a90c61580ff5e1
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sputnik_1
2 https://www.universetoday.com/42198/how-many-satellites-in-space/
3 http://talkingpointsmemo.com/idealab/satellites-earth-orbit
4 https://www.space.com/37691-china-tiangong-1-space-lab-uncontrolled-re-entry.html
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Are they really listening?
You know how you suspect people aren’t actually listening to you? (Husband, children, pets) Oh, they say they are, and really want you to believe them, but you then find out . . . well, here’s how it all transpired:
We were having breakfast, something like toasted Bruegger’s bagels swathed in cream cheese, with turkey sausage on the side. Yum! We were having our second cup of coffee and my darling husband was typing, typing, typing on his laptop, trying to get ready to teach his next chemistry class.
As I’m reading the morning paper, I casually asked him, “Are you still hungry?”
He said, not looking up, “Yes.”
I wasn't sure he was still hungry and said, “Really?”
His eyes glued on the laptop, he immediately responded, “Yes.”
And I said, “Should I make you something more?”
And he stopped typing, looked up at me - like I was asking him to tie my shoes - and said, “Yes?”
So back to the stove I went . . . making a fluffy omelette with veggies and popped some bread in the toaster. About five minutes later, I presented this Second Breakfast (as in Hobbit-Second-Breakfast) to him, presenting the plate at the same level as his eyes on the laptop. He stopped, looking at me with a slightly amused and quizzical expression. I declare triumphantly, “Ok, here it is. Second breakfast.”
He hesitated for only one second, took the plate, thanking me, still with that little amusement in his eyes and I started laughing and insisted, “You just said ‘yes’ because you had no idea what you were saying ‘yes’ to.” He started to laugh and said, “You think I wasn’t listening to you.” And I said, “THAT’S RIGHT. You weren’t listening.” And he started laughing harder and said, “Oh, I’m never gonna live this down.”
He’s right, of course. He will never live this down. But he did eat the omelette. And the next time I think he’s not really listening, I’m going to make sure he says “yes” to a trip to Ireland.
We were having breakfast, something like toasted Bruegger’s bagels swathed in cream cheese, with turkey sausage on the side. Yum! We were having our second cup of coffee and my darling husband was typing, typing, typing on his laptop, trying to get ready to teach his next chemistry class.
As I’m reading the morning paper, I casually asked him, “Are you still hungry?”
He said, not looking up, “Yes.”
I wasn't sure he was still hungry and said, “Really?”
His eyes glued on the laptop, he immediately responded, “Yes.”
And I said, “Should I make you something more?”
And he stopped typing, looked up at me - like I was asking him to tie my shoes - and said, “Yes?”
So back to the stove I went . . . making a fluffy omelette with veggies and popped some bread in the toaster. About five minutes later, I presented this Second Breakfast (as in Hobbit-Second-Breakfast) to him, presenting the plate at the same level as his eyes on the laptop. He stopped, looking at me with a slightly amused and quizzical expression. I declare triumphantly, “Ok, here it is. Second breakfast.”
He hesitated for only one second, took the plate, thanking me, still with that little amusement in his eyes and I started laughing and insisted, “You just said ‘yes’ because you had no idea what you were saying ‘yes’ to.” He started to laugh and said, “You think I wasn’t listening to you.” And I said, “THAT’S RIGHT. You weren’t listening.” And he started laughing harder and said, “Oh, I’m never gonna live this down.”
He’s right, of course. He will never live this down. But he did eat the omelette. And the next time I think he’s not really listening, I’m going to make sure he says “yes” to a trip to Ireland.
Friday, September 8, 2017
A Delectable Dessert . . . from the 16th century
In a recent BBC television show, a special Ana von Kleve torte was made in honor of Anne of Cleves 500th anniversary. This was not an historical recipe, but a new recipe created in 2015.
Most likely, Anne of Cleves would not have had cake at all. Some of the dessert recipes featured in the 16th century would have been A White Leach (a.k.a. Sweet Cubes of Jellied Milk), Posset Curd, Apple Moyse (Apple Mousse) Trifle, Fruit Tart, Custards or Bread Pudding.1 Flaky pastry was unknown, and a tart could be either sweet or savory, depending upon available ingredients. A description of “fine cakes” or cookies would yield more along the lines of a small cracker.
Tudor Cookery by Peter Brears, first published by English Heritage in 1985, features transcribed recipes from The Good Huswifes Jewell,1 published in 1585. Although Anne was born in 1515, a good 70 years before, these recipes would undoubtedly be handed down from parent to child for many decades before being printed in book form. Most European "cookery books" did not change much from the 13th through 16th centuries.2 By comparison, back in America at Martha Custis Washington’s first marriage in 1750 to Daniel Parke Custis, she was presented with a handwritten cookbook from her mother-in-law, Frances Parke Custis. Frances was born in 1685, and those transcribed included a recipe for mead, a fermented alcoholic beverage described in the epic poem Beowulf, believed to have been written between 925 and 1025.3 Although our palates of today prefer entirely different flavors, Medieval and Renaissance foods were quite similar.
Some 16th century recipes were gleaned from letters written by Katerina Lemmel, a nun forced to leave her German monastery by a peasant uprising in 1525.4 The food she describes includes Apple Pillows, Cheese Buns and Krapfen (doughnuts) and marchpane, a mixture of almond paste or a marzipan-like creation of colored sugar-paste, also called sugar plate. Most dough recipes were fried in palm oil or steamed first, then partially fried, and steamed again. Rudimentary techniques of the time include cooking over an open fire, thickening sauces with bread, crushed nuts or hardboiled eggs,2 whisks made of a bundle of twigs, spices - still used today and many now unknown or out of favor - used judiciously, payste, paest or paste (dough) to cover meat or fruit, then steamed or baked.
In the 15th century, A Boke of Gode Cookery, contains a recipe for Bryndons, small cakes served in a sauce, which are small strips of pastry fried in a skillet. 5 There is also a Frutowr for Lentyn, a fruit and almond milk cake, which is actually a fritter, fried in a pan. Another popular item was the Sambocade, an elder flower cheesecake cooked in a pie crust. Preparing any of these dishes - thanks to the translations of many authors and the ability to convert recipes into a more modern language - will truly give one a taste of history.
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Huswifes_Jewell
2 http://www.oldcook.com/en/medieval-cookery
3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf
4 https://asunow.asu.edu/content/16th-century-recipes-still-tasty-today
5 http://www.godecookery.com/goderec/grec44.htm
Most likely, Anne of Cleves would not have had cake at all. Some of the dessert recipes featured in the 16th century would have been A White Leach (a.k.a. Sweet Cubes of Jellied Milk), Posset Curd, Apple Moyse (Apple Mousse) Trifle, Fruit Tart, Custards or Bread Pudding.1 Flaky pastry was unknown, and a tart could be either sweet or savory, depending upon available ingredients. A description of “fine cakes” or cookies would yield more along the lines of a small cracker.
Tudor Cookery by Peter Brears, first published by English Heritage in 1985, features transcribed recipes from The Good Huswifes Jewell,1 published in 1585. Although Anne was born in 1515, a good 70 years before, these recipes would undoubtedly be handed down from parent to child for many decades before being printed in book form. Most European "cookery books" did not change much from the 13th through 16th centuries.2 By comparison, back in America at Martha Custis Washington’s first marriage in 1750 to Daniel Parke Custis, she was presented with a handwritten cookbook from her mother-in-law, Frances Parke Custis. Frances was born in 1685, and those transcribed included a recipe for mead, a fermented alcoholic beverage described in the epic poem Beowulf, believed to have been written between 925 and 1025.3 Although our palates of today prefer entirely different flavors, Medieval and Renaissance foods were quite similar.
Some 16th century recipes were gleaned from letters written by Katerina Lemmel, a nun forced to leave her German monastery by a peasant uprising in 1525.4 The food she describes includes Apple Pillows, Cheese Buns and Krapfen (doughnuts) and marchpane, a mixture of almond paste or a marzipan-like creation of colored sugar-paste, also called sugar plate. Most dough recipes were fried in palm oil or steamed first, then partially fried, and steamed again. Rudimentary techniques of the time include cooking over an open fire, thickening sauces with bread, crushed nuts or hardboiled eggs,2 whisks made of a bundle of twigs, spices - still used today and many now unknown or out of favor - used judiciously, payste, paest or paste (dough) to cover meat or fruit, then steamed or baked.
In the 15th century, A Boke of Gode Cookery, contains a recipe for Bryndons, small cakes served in a sauce, which are small strips of pastry fried in a skillet. 5 There is also a Frutowr for Lentyn, a fruit and almond milk cake, which is actually a fritter, fried in a pan. Another popular item was the Sambocade, an elder flower cheesecake cooked in a pie crust. Preparing any of these dishes - thanks to the translations of many authors and the ability to convert recipes into a more modern language - will truly give one a taste of history.
1 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Good_Huswifes_Jewell
2 http://www.oldcook.com/en/medieval-cookery
3 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf
4 https://asunow.asu.edu/content/16th-century-recipes-still-tasty-today
5 http://www.godecookery.com/goderec/grec44.htm
Friday, February 17, 2017
A Whiff of History
Ok, this sounds strange, but I got to smell George Washington yesterday.
Picture this: You are in Philadelphia in 1787 at a lively party. You’ve had a glass of Madeira, and several glasses of the spiked fruit punch-1. The musicians are playing, the crowd is rowdy and suddenly you find yourself standing behind a very tall, imposing man - at 6 feet, two inches he stands head and shoulders above everyone else. It’s General George Washington who will be elected the first President of the United States in just two years. He will most likely have his wife, Martha Custis Washington-2 by his side, and he’ll be tapping his feet, ready to dance a minuet as soon as he hears one.
He’s most probably dressed in brown wool, with matching breeches that end fashionably at the knee and white stockings-3, and suddenly you catch a hint of fragrance wafting away from him. You lean forward, inhale, and smell the fresh scent of a gentleman in the 18th century: lavender with citrus-y orange mingled with other aromatics. How do we know it’s Caswell Massey’s Number Six cologne? Because the cologne first landed on the market in 1780 and George Washington presented a bottle as a gift to the Marquis de Lafayette, his good friend and loyal patriot fighting in the American Revolution-4. Lafayette fought with George at Valley Forge, and even managed to ward off an insurrection among George’s troops-5. Now, that’s a good friend, deserving a special gift just for getting through the war.
I’m a history buff. I love Williamsburg and Monticello. Even our Village is modeled after 19th century Connecticut Western Reserve architecture. How could I resist buying my darling husband a bottle of Number Six? How could I resist buying him TWO bottles of Number Six? This past Valentine’s Day, he spritzed some on, and smelled divine. So, my handsome James, George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette all have something in common.
And I got a whiff of history.
1 http://www.neatorama.com/2014/02/26/George-Washington-Knew-How-to-Party-Hard-Heres-His-Bar-Tab/
2 http://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/martha-washington/george-marthas-courtship/
3 http://georgewashington.si.edu/portrait/dress.html
4 https://www.caswellmassey.com/products/number-six-cologne-spray-3-oz
5 http://www.ushistory.org/Valleyforge/served/lafayette.html
Ok, this sounds strange, but I got to smell George Washington yesterday.
Picture this: You are in Philadelphia in 1787 at a lively party. You’ve had a glass of Madeira, and several glasses of the spiked fruit punch-1. The musicians are playing, the crowd is rowdy and suddenly you find yourself standing behind a very tall, imposing man - at 6 feet, two inches he stands head and shoulders above everyone else. It’s General George Washington who will be elected the first President of the United States in just two years. He will most likely have his wife, Martha Custis Washington-2 by his side, and he’ll be tapping his feet, ready to dance a minuet as soon as he hears one.
He’s most probably dressed in brown wool, with matching breeches that end fashionably at the knee and white stockings-3, and suddenly you catch a hint of fragrance wafting away from him. You lean forward, inhale, and smell the fresh scent of a gentleman in the 18th century: lavender with citrus-y orange mingled with other aromatics. How do we know it’s Caswell Massey’s Number Six cologne? Because the cologne first landed on the market in 1780 and George Washington presented a bottle as a gift to the Marquis de Lafayette, his good friend and loyal patriot fighting in the American Revolution-4. Lafayette fought with George at Valley Forge, and even managed to ward off an insurrection among George’s troops-5. Now, that’s a good friend, deserving a special gift just for getting through the war.
I’m a history buff. I love Williamsburg and Monticello. Even our Village is modeled after 19th century Connecticut Western Reserve architecture. How could I resist buying my darling husband a bottle of Number Six? How could I resist buying him TWO bottles of Number Six? This past Valentine’s Day, he spritzed some on, and smelled divine. So, my handsome James, George Washington and the Marquis de Lafayette all have something in common.
And I got a whiff of history.
1 http://www.neatorama.com/2014/02/26/George-Washington-Knew-How-to-Party-Hard-Heres-His-Bar-Tab/
2 http://www.mountvernon.org/george-washington/martha-washington/george-marthas-courtship/
3 http://georgewashington.si.edu/portrait/dress.html
4 https://www.caswellmassey.com/products/number-six-cologne-spray-3-oz
5 http://www.ushistory.org/Valleyforge/served/lafayette.html
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