That's a term coined quite a while ago by some rocketry guys to describe what I call hobby rocketry. It takes on a new dimension with the recent successes of SpaceShipOne and the upcoming DaVinci Project, among others.

What follows is a brief explanation of the various types of organized hobby rocketry. Even the federal government weenies at the BATFE muddles the issue by confusing the terminology.

Hobby rocketry falls under three categories: model rocketry, high power rocketry (HPR), and experimental (EX). Model rocketry and HPR can also be described as "airframe engineering", because both include the use of commercially available motors. Model rocketry is up to and includes "G" motors, and HPR is "H" and above.

These motors are manufactured by companies like Estes, Quest, AeroTech, Ellis Mountain, Animal Works, Kosdon, RATT Works, Propulsion Polymers, SkyRipper, Cessaroni (and I'm sure I've forgotten a few). The motors are then tested by one of the national hobby rocketry organizations. The primary ones that in North America are the National Association of Rocketry (NAR), Tripoli Rocketry Association (TRA or just Tripoli), and the Canadian Association of Rocketry (CAR). There are others, but these three groups are the ones that do motor testing and have reciprocal agreements to honor each other's motor certifications.

The motor certifications are critical because it's what allows us to get affordable insurance.

As long as we launch under the guidelines of the organizations using approved motors, we're covered by the group insurance. That coverage also makes it possible to obtain permission from municipal facilities and private landowners to hold rocket launches.

Experimental rocketry is supported by Tripoli (and maybe the CAR, I'm not sure). EX is for those guys who manufacture their own motors. It's not cheap to manufacture homegrown propellant, the basic starter's library and safety equipment alone runs a pretty penny. The old term for those who ignore safety and common sense is "basement bomber" and you still hear about them once in a while when their house becomes a smoking hole in the middle of their neighborhood. Those clowns are *not* doing EX, because you inevitably hear about "large amounts of black powder" and other assorted explosive goodies. It drives us crazy because they get lumped under the "model rocket" umbrella by ignorant press and government officials who don't know the correct terminology, nor do they care who they slander with their inaccuracy.

If the explosion is small, basement bombers might be known afterwards as "lefty" or "two fingers".

EX launches are held around the country during the year, and most of the time what happens is a two or three-day launch is planned, with one day being strictly experimental, and the other day(s) being strictly commercial motors. EX motors don't neccessarily mean big motors either, they can be as small as common Estes-style "C" motors you find at hobby shops and WalMart.

Here's a nice video taken at the recent Whitakers Experimental Launch Days (WELD) in North Carolina. The rocket weighs in at 35lbs. Listen to the soundtrack on the video, and you'll hear some of the safety and technical discussion going on among the launch crew and folks watching.

So now you know more about the subject than the average BATFE agent (and newspaper reporter or Senator for that matter). Personally, I fly model rockets and HPR, I don't do EX. Maybe someday, but I'm in no hurry.

Posted by: Ted at 10:44 AM | category: Rocketry
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Nick said in my comments last week:

Hey how's that tie working for ya?

Thanks for asking.

It was another close one. I was 6 points up going into Monday Night, and once again we each had a wide receiver in the game on opposing teams. Tampa Bay's Clayton did well, but not quite good enough to overcome the lead and the Rams' Isaac Bruce.

They don't call it Fantasy Football for nothing, because that's what the above outcome is. Nick made a strong comeback and soundly thumped the Rockets, dropping us to 2-3-1 for the year. Congrats, Nick! Great game. Very cunning move to pick up Clayton at the last minute.

In order to console myself, I'm gonna talk about pretty girls. Let me introduce you to the Rocket Jones Hot Jets cheerleaders!

Margi, of Margi Lowry!
Nic, of Shoes, Ships, and Sealing Wax!
Lemur Girl, of... uh, Lemur Girl!
LeeAnn, of The Cheese Stands Alone!
Wegglywoo, of On the Beach at the End of the World!
Helen, of Everyday Stranger!
annika, of annika's journal!
Cindy, of Dusting My Brain!
Mookie, of MookieRiffic!
Denita, of Who Tends The Fires!
Dawn of Dawn Enterprises!
Stevie, of Caught In The XFire!
Lynn S., of Reflections in d minor!
Susie, of Practical Penumbra!
Blogoline, of Blogoline's Journal!
Gir, of Your Moosey Fate!
Tink, of Flitting Here and There!
Sarah, of Trying To Grok!
Kat, of Mostly Fluff!
Big Hair, of Left & Right!
Jennifer, of Jennifer's History and Stuff!
Heather, of Angelweave!

This week's opponent is another guy with a winning streak: Jim of Snooze Button Dreams. He's at .500 for the season, so I'm not quivering in my boots, but then again, I'm sure he isn't either at the prospect of facing the mighty Rockets.

Hey Jim, the phrase "You Snooze, You Lose" is true. You're going down!!!!

Posted by: Ted at 09:40 AM | category: Links
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I hate breaking in a new dentist.

I had an appointment today to take care of a molar that had cracked. It was hurting a little bit occasionally, but nothing that a couple of tylenol wouldn't take care of. Last week my wife was going to see the dentist, so I had her make me an appointment while she was there. It was time to take care of this before it became a real problem.

It turns out that my regular dentist is on maternity leave, so I had to see one of her 'associates'. I'm not the best patient in the world ('baby' would be a good description), so I was already a little shook up by this revelation. Dammit, I was used to my regular dentist. The receptionist told me to take a seat, but I was too nervous to sit.

When they called my name, I could tell right away that it was going to be a bumpy ride. Like any medical professional, this guy wants to do his own x-rays and exam and then talk to me about what needs doing. I understand that, except that I'd already been through all of this with my regular dentist and we'd already decided what the plan was. But fine, whatever. I was determined to be reasonable and at least listen to what he had to say, because I certainly don't want to have him pissed off at me before he starts in with the needles and what not. So he buzzed my head with radiation and began explaining the options. I calmly let him know what we'd had planned, but it wasn't what he wanted to hear, so we waited for the films to come back.

Turns out that I was right, and the best course of action was what we'd already decided on. Step one was extracting that tooth. Cool, let's get it done.

Dentistry has made amazing progress during my lifetime. With the right dentist, "pain free" has become truth in advertising. But I still hate the shots. Maybe it's the growing up I've done, or maybe I'm tougher, or maybe the needles are sharper, but the shots don't hurt nearly as much as they used to. Doesn't matter though, because my hands go into a white-knuckle clench and my whole body gets trip-wire tense as they shoot me up.

A few minutes later, he does a few test pokes. He's got the sucky-thingee hanging out of my mouth, plus what feels like his arm elbow-deep, not to mention whatever ancient torture devices he's wielding in there, and he's asking me questions. My regular dentist has the decency to remove her hand before expecting me to answer, but this guy wants to carry on a conversation.

"You jumped. Was that pain?"

"Uuuuuuuhhhuhhhhh!"

"Pain? Or Pressure?"

"Uuuuuuuh!"

So we go for round two with the needle. Actually, we got to round three in short order, and it's still hurting like hell every time he does whatever he's doing. We play 20 questions: yes, it's pain. No, it's not just pressure. Yes, I'm numb. Yes, the tongue too. I'm telling him it's deep pain, not around the gumline, and then he mentions that there's an infection down there. Wonderful.

We give it one more try, and I almost end up on the floor when he grabs the tooth. I'm bathed in cold sweat and I've got a headache from the tension in my neck muscles, and finally I have to ask him if it would be better to take an antibiotic to knock out the infection and try again in a week or two. He agrees, and then looks me in the eye and tells me straight up:

"I'm going to give you a prescription for codeine, because you're going to be in a lot of pain when the numb wears off."

Oh. Crap.

We head out to the front desk, me on weak knees, still mopping flop sweat from my face and neck. My jaw is throbbing, and as I walk out to the waiting room there are two young kids sitting there. Both of them are staring at me wide-eyed. I knew that I hadn't been silent during our little adventure, but there's no reason these kids should be afraid of the dentist, so I smiled at them and said "Man, I hate getting my haircut!"

They laughed, which is what I was going for.

The dentist is a nice enough guy, and I'm (reasonably) sure he's competent, but he hurt me and now I don't trust the sonuvabitch. I'm a little concerned about the infection thing, I mean I shouldn't have been the first one to mention antibiotics. It seemed like a no-brainer to me, and at that moment I brought it up more in self-defense than anything.

I drove home and Liz ran to the store to get my prescriptions filled. Now I'm sitting here feeling fortunate that tomorrow is going to be a light day at work. My tooth is letting me know that it's not happy, but it's tolerable.

Buzzzzzzzzz.

Posted by: Ted at 08:59 PM | category: Boring Stories
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Winds of Change has the latest installment of Good News From Afghanistan up. In the introduction, this caught my eye:

Peter Bergin, a veteran journalist and certainly not a George Bush cheerleader writes:

"Based on what Americans have been seeing in the news media about Afghanistan lately, there may not be many who believed President George W. Bush... when he told the United Nations that the 'Afghan people are on the path to democracy and freedom.' But then again, not many Americans know what Afghanistan was like before the American-led invasion."

Bergin recently visited the country after a few years' absence. His surprised verdict: "What we are seeing in Afghanistan is far from perfect, but it's better than so-so."

Posted by: Ted at 06:41 AM | category: Links
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I recently had the pleasure of getting reaquainted with old friends: Mexican horror movies. These were a staple on late-night TV when I was growing up, usually coming on after Monty Python and the bullfights from Mexico City.

"Mexican horror films are, without a doubt, the closest thing to a cinematic acid trip you are ever going to encounter." Keith Crocket - Cinefear Video

Like Japanese monster movies, there's a certain atmosphere and quirkiness to these flicks, a "feel" that is recognizable and (to me) much more accessable than the Japanese flicks. Keith Crocker pegs it with his definition: simplicity. These are no-frills, straightforward efforts. No tongue-in-cheek, no broad overacting, no subtle messages or morality plays, these movies are simply meant to entertain.

The movie that fired me up again is called The Brainiac. It was part of a three-movie collection I found digging through the WalMart bargain bin.

In the movie, a Baron is condemned to death by the Catholic Inquisition in Mexico. As he's being burned alive, he looks up and sees a comet passing overhead. He then proclaims a curse whereby he'll return when the comet appears again and wreak his revenge upon the court's descendents.

And that's just what happens, except with typical Mexican-style surreal twists. It's 1961 and 300 years have passed. The Baron doesn't just come back with the comet, he comes back *from* the comet, as a brain-sucking alien monster who can assume his human shape as the Baron, turn invisible and hypnotize people with his eyes!

That 'brain-sucking' description is literal, in fact, the medical doctor who does the autopsies on the victims describes it just so:

"Two puncture wounds are here at the base of the skull, and the brains are sucked out."

During the movie, you see a lot of this monster, there's no fleeting subliminal glimpses here. Obviously, the makers of this movie are proud of the mask they created (it is pretty cool), so they show it often. You might think that he's got massive fangs to make those "two puncture wounds", and you'd be wrong. The monster has this giant dorky-looking forked tongue that flops out when he's about to kill someone.

And he goes about exacting his revenge, being the charming Baron to meet the people he later kills, and occasionally snacking from a bowl of brains he keeps in a locked cabinet in his castle mansion. Mmmmm, tapioca!

Just as he's about to feast on his last victim, two policemen who've been hot on his trail - sort of - show up and just happen to have flamethrowers handy. Bye bye Baron Brainsucking Alien.

I left a lot of plot out so's not to spoil it for you. The Braniac is a great introduction to Mexican horror, and an excellent example of the genre, but there's so much more to explore!

Here's a blip from The Astounding B Movie Monster archive:

Let's browse through the musty catalog of video categories. What am I in the mood for? There are B-movies. There are horror B-movies. There are Mexican B-movies. There are Mexican horror B-movies. There are Mexican wrestling B-movies. There are Mexican wrestling horror B-movies. There are Mexican wrestling WOMEN horror B-movies. That's the one! Just what the doctor ordered.
...
All of the Mexican Bs seem to star the same actors and were apparently all made by the same director, producer, writer and crew. More significantly, they all have essentially the same plot. (Mad doctor murders women. Wrestlers to the rescue.)

"Well, I think we better be careful! Maybe that stupid mummy has fits, and undresses! Who knows what he has beneath his clothes?!?" - Wrestling Women Vs. the Aztec Mummy

Why wrestling? Well, wrestling used to be big time in Mexico. Like American kids dreaming of growing up to be NBA superstars, Mexican kids used to dream of becoming wrestling stars. In pre-WWF days, American wrestling was fun but kind of bland. Mexican wrestling, on the other hand, added huge portions of schlock Hollywood to its product.

A typical match: To the beat of drums, ten beautiful Mexican ladies in brass bikinis would come down the aisle, dropping rose petals and waving feather banners on long poles. Next, four brawny men in loincloths would carry a gilded litter to the side of the ring, and out would step - The Aztec God. He would slowly and majestically climb into the ring, where some of his bikini-clad maidens would remove his headdress and perform silly purification rituals with incense and more dancing and drumming. When they finally withdrew, the Aztec God would be standing alone in the ring, stoic, arms crossed, waiting for his opponent.

And what an opponent! The cameras would suddenly pan upwards as bright beams of light shined down, and a UFO flying saucer would hover down on cables, belching smoke and flashing colored lights as it was lowered, until it rested on the ground. After a moment, the door would open, and two beautiful Mexican women in silver bikinis would step out. They would lay out a red carpet and suddenly a bright light would shine from the doorway, illuminating from behind a figure standing there. The Alien had arrived.

When he finally made it into the ring, they'd have a regular ol' wrestling match. And when it was over, the next match would be announced, and it would be more of the same wonderfully tacky theater, maybe Doctor Love against Snake Charmer.

For more about Mexican horror films, I highly recommend reading this article at Cinefear.

Posted by: Ted at 12:20 PM | category: Cult Flicks
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Bill S continues his excellent posts about the Palestinians home-grown weapon.

After a lot of digging, I found an excellent Kassam construction article, written by a aeronautical engineering PhD, on the website "Middle East Missile Monitor"

This article is fascinating, it bolsters the point that pretty big rockets can be built without AP [Ammonium Perchlorate, which is what hobby rocketry uses - RJ] using common steel pipe and steel stock material, along with fertilizer and sugar for the propellant.

The article states that the motors are a combination core and external burner.... with square propellant slugs constructed of 60/40 mix of potassium nitrate and sugar that slide into the steel pipe (that is one heck of a large burn area). ISP is estimated to be around 130. The motor base plate has seven steel nozzles, and is threaded into the casing before being tack welded into place. Estimated burn time is 1 second, which minimizes erosion. Warhead is a combo of urea nitrate and smuggled TNT. Fusing is a simple device based on an empty small arms cartridge filled with an explosive booster material operating against a spring-loaded nail. Article has Interesting photos of the rectangular slugs and the rear end/nozzle assembly. Since this article was written over a year ago, the total number of rockets fired has roughly doubled.

As an aside, an article was in today's DC post [WaPo - RJ] on the Kassam, "Rockets Deliver Daily Terror to Residents of Israeli Town".

The article correctly states that these are wildly inaccurate and few have ever hit anything. There is radar alarm system for the local town that gives about a 20 second inbound warning.

Posted by: Ted at 05:08 AM | category: SciTech
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I gotta agree with The Everlasting Phelps about this one. Best training video. Ever.

Courtesy of Wince, train webcams.

An old joke you probably haven't heard in a long while. Funny too, perfect for work. And while I'm thanking Mad William, head here and check out the perfect example of why I won't buy Sims. I too, would not be a benevolent God. Laughed like a maniac while reading it though.

Casey points out this nifty online US Constitution resource.

Posted by: Ted at 01:05 PM | category: Links
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Last night on the History Channel I watched a show that touched on the famous battle between the ironclads Monitor and the Merrimac.

For some reason (ok, it's my limited imagination, satisfied?), I never thought of the Monitor as anything but a one-off, a unique design that fit the circumstances of the moment. I knew that because of the low freeboard - only 12" above the surface of the water - the original Monitor sank during an attempt to navigate the open ocean. What I didn't know was that because of the success of the original Monitor, six further classes of that type of warship were built by the US.

The nine ships of the Canonicus class displaced 2,100 tons and were supposed to have a top speed of 8 knots, though they never quite reached it. Armament consisted of two 15-inch Dahlgren guns mounted in a revolving armored turret, and ship's crew was 100 officers and men. Like all monitors, they were designed for river and close coastal work.

From this nice site about Civil War Monitors:

Five of these nine ships saw action during the Civil War. The Canonicus operated in the James River, then in blockade service, and in attacks on Fort Fisher: the Saugus saw extensive service in the James River and in the assault on Wilmington; the Tecumseh operated in the James River, then in the Gulf of Mexico. It was mined in Mobile Bay on 5 August 1864 and sunk almost immediately; the Manhattan operated also in the Gulf of Mexico, including attacks on Mobile Bay; the Mahopac participated in the attacks on Charleston and Wilmington, and also operated in the James and Appomattox Rivers. The Wyandotte, the Ajax, the Catawaba and the Oneota were never commissioned.

Peru later bought two of the US ironclads, which participated (rather ineffectually) in their war against Chile.

There are some fine photographs here of various classes of monitors, showing the variations and evolution that they underwent during their run. If for no other reason, they are remarkable for transforming modern naval warfare from the classic "steer the entire boat to aim a broadside" into the flexible tactics allowed by turretted arms used ever since.

The last of the type, the USS Cheyenne, was decommissioned in 1937.

Posted by: Ted at 06:57 AM | category: History
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I'm having a problem with this.

A comet or asteroid smashed into modern-day Germany some 2,200 years ago, unleashing energy equivalent to thousands of atomic bombs, scientists revealed.

Colliding with the Earth's atmosphere at more than 43,000 kms (27,000 miles) per hour, the space rock probably broke up at an altitude of 70 kms (43 miles), they believe.

The biggest chunk smashed into the ground with a force equivalent to 106 million tonnes of TNT, or 8,500 Hiroshima bombs.

"The forest beneath the blast would have ignited suddenly, burning until the impact's blast wave shut down the conflagration," the investigators said.

"Dust may have been blown into the stratosphere, where it would have been transported around the globe easily... The region must have been devastated for decades."

I can certainly believe that a comet or meteor hit that area, but it's their timeline that I question. Make the impact a thousand or two years earlier, and the lack of historical references makes more sense to me.

Posted by: Ted at 04:44 AM | category: SciTech
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Oh man, say it isn't so!!!

The NASA spacecraft that smashed into the Utah desert last month while bringing home fragile samples of the sun may have been doomed by engineering drawings that had been done backwards, an investigating board said Friday.

Because of the backward drawings, the switches that were supposed to detect Genesis' re-entry into Earth's atmosphere and trigger its parachutes were placed incorrectly, said Michael G. Ryschkewitsch, chairman of the board.

Posted by: Ted at 08:08 PM | category: Space Program
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It's almost time for the fall Battlepark 2004 rocket launch. Held in Culpeper, Virginia, the spring and fall launches are among the largest on the east coast every year.

As always, spectators are welcome (and it's free), and all sizes of rockets will be launched, from fun-sized Estes model rockets all the way up to big-honkin' serious-sized high power birds.

You may recall the spring launch was where the Air Munuviana met its end. This time around, I've got a new type of altimeter bay system I'm developing, along with more of the nitrous-based hybrid motors to fly (and a full 20lb tank - woohoo!). I'm also going to try my hand at a neat one-finned rocket design that I saw at NARAM this summer.

So if you're in the mood for a nice drive in some beautiful countryside, consider heading out to the piedmont of Northern Virginia on the last weekend of October. The launch will be going on both days, the 30th and 31st. I'll be there, look for the red Mazda truck and the red canopy.

Posted by: Ted at 05:53 AM | category: Rocketry
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Ok, I've been fiddling around and have some Jamboree things for y'all to look at. They're all stashed over at the Skunkworks, so you can link directly there if you'd like, or click the Jamboree link on the right column when you need to get there.

Besides a list of who's playing, I've also put together a schedule for the games coming up for the next week, and a list of logos you can link to (for Blogspot players).

Give it a look and let me know if there's anything you'd like to see added or changed. Thanks.

Posted by: Ted at 04:50 AM | category: Links
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1 Ted, you can put me down for the Philadelphia Phantoms. Thanks!

Posted by: Wendy at October 14, 2004 10:09 PM (xzAsQ)

2 Thank you!!! I finally got my site set up. Oh...guess I need to put that silly looking moose logo up now, huh?

Posted by: Catt at October 15, 2004 04:06 PM (UUS/P)

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First off, welcome Brian J who is supporting the Milwaukee Admirals in the Jamboree. The updated list of everyone playing is here.

And in the opening game, Gir's own Manitoba Moose defeated the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins 6-3 (sorry Catt). The Moose had Wade Flaherty in net, which is interesting only because Flaherty was born in the early 1920's by all accounts. Or maybe it just seems like it.

Also on tap last night, visiting Cincinnati dropped Jenn's Utah Grizzlies, 4-3. Kin might be interested in the Mighty Ducks of Cinci, but I haven't heard from him yet.

In other interesting news (to us hockey fans anyways):

The AHL has added several new rules for the 2004-05 season, including:

Employing a shootout to decide regular-season games which are tied after overtime

Permission of “tagging up” to negate off-side plays

Implementation of “no-touch” icing

Widening the blue lines and center red line to 24 inches (from 12 inches)

Moving the goal line back to 11 feet from the end boards (from 13 feet)

A seven-week test, ending Nov. 28, restricting the areas where goaltenders may play the puck in an attempt to increase offensive opportunities without wholly eliminating a goaltenderÂ’s ability to assist his defensemen.

The leagueÂ’s on-ice officials will also have a stricter interpretation of hooking and holding fouls against a puck carrier and of interference in the attacking zone. Additionally, the AHLÂ’s standard of supplementary discipline on acts where there is deliberate attempt or deliberate injury of an opponent will include more severe suspensions without pay.

Check back for updates folks. I'm working on a way to post schedules and results in a way easy for everyone to deal with (including myself).

Posted by: Ted at 06:14 AM | category: Links
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Here's the original. Add to the atmosphere.

Posted by: Ted at 06:11 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Slept right through it. Laid down for a nap with instructions to wake me up in an hour. I must have been tired enough to say the heck with getting up and just kept on sleeping. Did I miss anything?

Posted by: Ted at 06:03 AM | category: Square Pegs
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Nope, it's not Children of the Corn (book or movies), nor is it Psycho Scarecrow (truly putrid, no review needed beyond that), we're talking about gigantic farm field mazes laid out for fun.

A lot of these places offer more than just wandering around lost in a cornfield for a little while (or a long while, depending on the complexity), they also have traditional farm activities like pumpkin patches, apple picking, hayrides and more.

Here's a map of cornfield mazes from the largest company in the world to specialize in them (who knew?). They have mazes in the US, Canada, Mexico, England and Italy! I'd suggest Google too, because this is just one company's offerings, and there are many others, and some farms do their own without hiring professionals.

Still not convinced? Read this description of someone who did a maze, it sounds like a lot of fun. If you do try this, let me know about it.

Posted by: Ted at 04:43 AM | category: Links
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Denver Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer wears a sticker with the number 40 on his helmet to honor former teammate Pat Tillman. You may recall Tillman as the pro football player who walked away from millions of dollars to join the military because he believed in making the world a better place. Sadly, he was killed in Afghanistan during his tour of duty.

The National Football League has announced that it will fine Jake Plummer for each game that he wears the sticker on his helmet, because it goes against league rules. The fine started at $10,000, and doubles each game that the sticker is on his helmet. Plummer has said he'll pay the fines like a man, but the sticker stays.

Two people who decided to do what's right rather than what's easy, and you can show your support as well. Eric McErlain has more information, including links to the Pat Tillman Foundation. Here's a quote from their statement of vision:

Pat Tillman was deeply concerned about the apathy he saw in the world around him. Apathy towards bettering ones-self. Apathy towards personal relationships. Apathy towards public policy. And apathy, towards important world events.

Pat Tillman recognized this fact and dutifully took responsibility to rise above the concerning state of indifference and apathy that has taken hold in our nation. Pat’s actions demonstrated his convictions to fight this saddening trend. Sadly, many people act as though the best way to demonstrate tolerance is through indifference. Such a mindset prevents individuals from striving to achieve an understanding of each others’ views – often out of fear that questioning may be perceived as intolerance.

Visit Eric. Visit the Pat Tillman Foundation. Thanks.

Posted by: Ted at 06:10 AM | category: Links
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Romania gets it. Not only are they inviting us to permanently move into one of their airbases, but the Romanian Defense Minister has indicated that they may increase the number of troops in Iraq to help bolster security before the January elections.

Posted by: Ted at 05:05 AM | category: Links
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Russia is planning a simulated mission to Mars to study the effects of such a voyage on the crew.

The 500 Days experiment, under development by the Russian Institute of Medical and Biological Problems, will isolate human volunteers in a mock space station module for -- as its namesake suggests -- a complete 500 days to study how a long mission to Mars might affect its human crew.

"Obviously, we're very interested in the results," NASA spokeswoman Dolores Beasley said of the long-duration study during a telephone interview. "It is a high priority for us."

During the 500 Days study, six volunteers will depend on a preset limit of supplies, including about 5 tons of food and oxygen and 3 tons of water. A doctor will accompany volunteers inside the module to treat illnesses and injuries. Volunteers will only be allowed to quit the experiment if the develop a severe ailment or psychological stress.

Posted by: Ted at 04:46 AM | category: Space Program
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Ladies and Gentlemen, the Jamboree is on!

By mob majority rule, we're going to use AHL teams for the season, at least until the NHL gets it's act together. Sorry for the late notice, because the season starts Wednesday, the 13th of October. So declare your teams*, and let's get ready for some Whoopass!

Personally, Rocket Jones is backing the Cleveland Barons, farm club of my beloved San Jose Sharks. Y'all can choose your teams by location or affiliation, we're not real big on rules around here. In fact, there's only two:

1. Declare your team, and place their logo somewhere on your front page. It's ok if more than one person wants the same team.

2. When your team plays someone else's in the Jamboree, then the loser must display the logo of the winner on their page for 24 hours.

So get back to me folks, and we'll get some ice action going on!

The original crew (and original teams):

VegasBaby - Calgary Flames
Derek - Colorado Avalanche Hershey Bears
Catt - Pittsburg Penguins Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Jenn - Colorado Avalanche Utah Grizzlies
Heather - St Louis Blues Worcester IceCats
Dr Funk - Ottawa Senators Binghamton Senators
GEBIV - Buffalo Sabres Rochester Americans
Victor - Washington Capitals Albany River Rats
Helen - Dallas Stars
Daniel - Atlanta Thrashers
Gir - Calgary Flames Manitoba Moose
Pogo - Calgary Flames
Cindy - Montreal Canadiens Hamilton Bulldogs
Frinklin - Vancouver Canucks Milwaukee Admirals
RP - New York Rangers
Tricia - Atlanta Thrashers
Nic - Washington Capitals Portland Pirates
Kin - Anaheim Mighty Ducks
Matt - Dallas Stars Houston Aeros
Wendy - Philadelphia Flyers
Tuning Spork - Bridgeport Sound Tigers
Brian J. - Milwaukee Admirals
Ted (yours truly) - San Jose Sharks Cleveland Barons

Also, welcome Tuning Spork who said if we go AHL he simply must go with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers.

*To see all the AHL teams, head over to their home page and the mini-logos are listed right under the main banner. Rollover the logos and the team name and city appear just above the logos. Now you can find great full-size logo's here, thanks to Eric of Off Wing Opinion for pointing this one out.

Posted by: Ted at 07:44 PM | category: Links
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