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efaardvark

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Status Replies posted by efaardvark

  1. Both mine and my Mother’s birthday have passed. I’m all the more closer to 30 years old. My mom is getting older too. 

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      That does tend to happen.  Don't let it get away from you.

      @Animedragon ditto.  :D  

    2. (See 1 other reply to this status update)

  2. Seems the other shoe has dropped at work.  Employees have been instructed that the Lab will be physically closed and everyone should plan to attend a virtual meeting with management where they'll discuss the (lack of a) federal budget and what that means for NASA centers like JPL.  Afterwards around 600 employees will be let go.  (That's ~10% of the Lab's total workforce.)  This all according to an email from Lab management earlier today.

     

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      @Animedragon Thanks.  We got an informal pep-talk from our "group soop" (group supervisor) after the official email from upper management came out.  The soop said he said that he doesn't think that the DSN (deep space network) that I'm affiliated with will be hit too hard.  We've taken cuts in previous years and we're already at our limits.  Any more and we'd be cutting bone.  We also have a lot of customers and commitments, including with high-profile ones like JAXA and ESA.

      The counter argument to that is that a Mars sample return has been at or near the top of the planetary scientists' wish list in NASA's decadal survey for literally decades yet that has been one of the programs hit the hardest.  This is all driven by DC politics too, so logic need not necessarily apply.

      Well, I'll know later Wednesday afternoon.  One way or another.

    2. (See 1 other reply to this status update)

  3. I want an high school romance… already in my second year though

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      Been there, done that.  Not saying "don't" but... be careful what you wish for.  ;)

      (Graduated in '82 so for me all ancient history at this point.)

    2. (See 2 other replies to this status update)

  4. Got some (probably) bad news today at work.  According to Laurie Leshin, JPL's director, next year's budget for NASA - and therefor the lab's - will be around 10% less than expected.  One of NASA's flagship missions, the Mars Sample Return has had its budget for next year slashed to around $300M from $800M to $900M.  Ouch.  Other missions are in a similar predicament.  "It is also becoming more likely that there will be JPL workforce impacts in the form of layoffs, and the way such JPL workforce actions are implemented means that the impact would not be limited to MSR", according to an email Leshin sent to the Lab's employees this afternoon.

    I say "probably" because all this is due to the Fiscal Responsibility Act passed a few months ago by the US Congress and the management is still recalculating and rearranging the budgets for FY 2024 and 2025 based on the mandates contained therein.  We don't know the details yet, but the broad outline is pretty clear.  Some layoffs have already happened.  Others are likely as the details are worked out.

    Happy New Year!

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      I found out today that the day after that email came out the lab did actually let about 100 contractors go.  Very abruptly from the sound of things.

      Meanwhile the "leaders" in Congress are complaining that NASA should have waited for... something.  Waiting for Congress to deliver a final budget is a non-starter because they'll no doubt argue until the last minute.  (Or later!  And if they can't agree then across-the-board cuts automatically kick in that would be even deeper than what's been proposed.)  When you're told next year's budget will be between 30 and 90% of what you had planned for then you need to get started NOW.  The FRA passed in July.  Since then all Congress has done is go on break for the holidays.  What's NASA management supposed to do?

  5. 100F temps lately means replacing the A/C air filter in the car gets top priority on today's todo list.  Having to choose between breathing oven-temperature air or air that smells like moldy socks is not a choice one should have to make.

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      @Bulleje76  Sunny Southern California.   Only it wasn't so sunny today.

    2. (See 2 other replies to this status update)

  6. From my cheesehead brother…

    IMG_2247.thumb.jpeg.2bdbb051831240a81ad7ec4c1bdaa70e.jpeg

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      @Animedragon.. to tell the truth I’m not sure either.  :) 

    2. (See 2 other replies to this status update)

  7. Got married March 17th 2023! ❤️❤️ Obsessed with my wedding ring-9e5fr7.thumb.jpg.77ef101f7466ab50e2d3ee9fd8374888.jpg

  8. Question, what cakes would you like to eat at a maid cafe?

    The con im working at in 2 weeks has given me 8 slots to fill and im struggling to think of cakes to make/get

    rough ideas so far are

    -black forest gateu
    -trifle
    -eton mess
    -blondies
    -carrot cake

    I also need to take these cakes down to the very bottom of the UK. halp me decide or give suggestions

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      I like cheesecake.. but also the "foam" cakes like angel food and sponge cakes.  Angel with a bit of fruit topping of some sort is yum.  Then there's lemon bars, maybe with a cup of tea or coffee.

      Thank you, now I'm hungry.  :D

    2. (See 2 other replies to this status update)

  9. Taking a break from anime this week.   I miss Carl Sagan.  :(

     

  10. I always get so surprised when people on this forum actually know stuff about me

    I'll be like 'OMG HOW DID THEY KNOW I LIKE DANGANRONPA?? 🙀' even though it's in my profile and I've talked about it excessively 💀

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      That's a scary thought.    😅

      Fortunately I came of age before cellphones and social media.  Pictures or it didn't happen!  :D

    2. (See 3 other replies to this status update)

  11. Listening to Japanese radio stations through an international radio app is such a trip. The talk show hosts all talk a mile per minute. Music choices range from American punk to the latest J-pop (and the occasional traditional ballad). The weirdest station was one in rural Hokkaido that was nothing but religious talks about kami-Sama (God). Japan isn't a religious country, so that one really stood out.

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      @Neb Yes, a Christian-specific station would be a bit rare.  The "other" category (in terms of religion) in Japan after Shinto and Buddhism is somewhat less than 10% and Christianity specifically is maybe 1-2% overall.

    2. (See 4 other replies to this status update)

  12. Listening to Japanese radio stations through an international radio app is such a trip. The talk show hosts all talk a mile per minute. Music choices range from American punk to the latest J-pop (and the occasional traditional ballad). The weirdest station was one in rural Hokkaido that was nothing but religious talks about kami-Sama (God). Japan isn't a religious country, so that one really stood out.

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      I would not call that Hokkaido station weird.  You will find the same thing on the radio in the more rural regions of places such as Kansas and Alabama.  Japan actually IS pretty religious.  80%(ish) of the population practices Shinto rituals to some degree.  (And/or Buddhism, though some would say Buddhism is more a philosophy than a religion.) 

      Um.. do people still use AM/FM radio?  Am I revealing my age?  :D

    2. (See 4 other replies to this status update)

  13. I've been really sick all week. i would wake up at 12am and sleep at 6 pm because my body can't handle it. I hate this

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      I feel your pain.  I was there a couple weeks ago.  It only lasted about a week for me so hopefully you only have a day or two more to endure.  Hang in there!

    2. (See 1 other reply to this status update)

  14. Looks like of the two cubes that I liked, OMOTENASHI and NEAS, neither one is looking too good.  :( 

    OMOT was a JAXA-sponsored lunar lander that was supposed to have landed on the moon this morning via (intentional) “lithobraking”.  :D  It may or may not have done so.  Unfortunately it hasn’t been heard from since it was deployed last week so nobody knows for sure.  The other JAXA mission, EQUULEUS, seems to be functioning as expected however.

    The other one I liked was the Near Earth Asteroid Scout.  Or as I liked to call it the rainbow sail mission due to its propulsion & maneuvering system.  It was supposed to use a new type of solar sail to visit a couple near-earth asteroids but it too has not been heard from since deployment.

    So far 4 of the 8 cubesats have had problems post-deployment.  (Artemis itself seems to be doing well.)

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      @Animedragon  The cubes' were always "stretch goals", and most of them were done on a shoestring budget and supported on a best-effort basis.  A few of them were just in the right place at the right time when the Artemis folks said, "hey, we're headed for the moon.. anyone need a ride?"  There were originally (I think) 13 that said "yes" to that offer but couldn't make various integration or test dates.  The rest have been tucked away incommunicado in their interstage bays while Artemis went through the last year and a half of launch slips.  I think at least two of them hadn't even had so much as their batteries recharged in all that time.  Not surprising that a few aren't behaving as planned.

    2. (See 2 other replies to this status update)

  15. Found out a coworker tested + for C19 so I’m getting myself tested as well.  No symptoms <knock knock> but I’ve got a big week ahead at work and an 82yo mother in memory care that I have to visit regularly & I need to know.

  16. just wanted to ask but where is your waifu from if you don't mind me asking?

     

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      That is the Liladan android Korone from Ichiban Ushiro no Daimaou.  The anime itself is not recommended, but I did enjoy her character.

    2. (See 1 other reply to this status update)

  17. cat emojis 😸 > normal emojjs 😄

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      Yes!  😸

      There's even a 🙀 to go with the 😱.  (Some days you just gotta.)

    2. (See 1 other reply to this status update)

  18. Oh my goodness I haven't been here in ages! I hope everyone is doing well!

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      Welcome back!  2016 huh?  I joined in 2017 and I thought I was an old-timer around here.  And a 3DS owner besides!  👍  (Though I have to admit I don't play with it much anymore, and I lost my Rune Factory cart somewhere along the way.)

  19. Talking with a co-worker who doesn't like the ocean.  He won't go near it.  He won't travel by ship.  He won't go to the beach.  He doesn't even like flying over it.  The weird thing is he has no problems with a swimming pool or river.  He's a really good swimmer in fact.  Even used to be a lifeguard for the pool at a nearby YMCA.  So I asked him why he's afraid of the ocean.  He said, "I'm not afraid of the ocean.  I afraid of big things in the ocean."  :)

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      @viruxx

      If you think that's unnerving..

      Imagine extraterrestrial oceans like on Enceladus or Europa.  Even though it is a moon, Europa alone has more than twice as much water on it as Earth does.  It is permanently covered by ice so you would have to dig down maybe a couple dozen kilometers to even get to it, and from there it might be another 150km (90+ miles) or more before you'd reach the bottom of Europa's ocean.  That's over 10x as deep as any ocean here on Earth.  Of course being so far from the sun and covered by kilometers-thick ice besides those oceans will be completely dark from top to bottom.  However, at the bottom are probably hydrothermal vents like there are here on Earth.  It is quite possible that there is life - of some sort - lurking in those oceans as well.

       

    2. (See 1 other reply to this status update)

  20. Since I don’t know Japanese and I bought vn’s that are only available in Japanese, I’m currently playing with my psp in one hand and my phone in the other trying to google translate the text showing up and understanding it. It’s hell but it’s much easier than learning Japanese.

    1448DC53-36EF-4CAD-B42B-241A5F786CD2.thumb.jpeg.5d6ccc15372ffde306c8b06ab1e6f36d.jpeg

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      If you have the google translate app on the phone then try using the camera.  Just point it at the PSP's screen and it'll translate automatically.  Very convenient for such situations.

      132BBEE1-66A3-498E-861A-53131B1BEDAA.thumb.jpeg.13d6fbd94d53f14a865737cd2af7cde8.jpeg

  21. Haven't been on here in awhile, oops.

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      NP.  Everyone should do other stuffs now and then, and there's only so many hours in a day to do all the stuffs.  Welcome back!

    2. (See 1 other reply to this status update)

  22. So Artemis-1 is (hopefully) launching on the 29th.  On it will be 8 smaller cubesats, which will be deployed by Artemis at 2 "bus stops" on its way to the moon.  The cubesats will then find their own ways to fulfill their various missions, with NASA's Deep Space Network of tracking stations providing the data link for them all.

    Or at least that was the plan.  Someone recently realized that with 9 new spacecraft all vying for time on the DSN's already overbooked downlink stations it might be a good idea to see what additional options for tracking time might be available in the world in case something doesn't go as planned and one or more of the cubesats wind up needing additional tracking time due to problems post-deployment.  Yeah.  So now, only a couple weeks before launch, we're doing cross-support testing with the European Space Agency to make sure that's at least an option.

    Let's see, 8 cubesats x 5 ESA tracking stations, uplink and downlink, call it 5 data rates and 2 or 3 different encoding schemes per sat.  Maybe 10-12 hours of testing per cubesat if we're quick about it.  Then there's equipment and manpower availability to allocate and schedule, factoring in the time zones of the various mission operations centers (JAXA, Italy, Goddard, etc.), the stations (Goonhilly, New Norcia, Cebrerus, etc.), and of course JPL in California.

    Um.. how long did you say we had to finish this?

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      @Wodahs we’re in something of a holding pattern right now until engineers decide what’s necessary to fix or bypass the problem on the vehicle.  We’re in the launch configuration and a configuration hold (no changing anything) so really we’re just waiting.  Latest word is we’ll probably try again Saturday.

    2. (See 5 other replies to this status update)

  23. So Artemis-1 is (hopefully) launching on the 29th.  On it will be 8 smaller cubesats, which will be deployed by Artemis at 2 "bus stops" on its way to the moon.  The cubesats will then find their own ways to fulfill their various missions, with NASA's Deep Space Network of tracking stations providing the data link for them all.

    Or at least that was the plan.  Someone recently realized that with 9 new spacecraft all vying for time on the DSN's already overbooked downlink stations it might be a good idea to see what additional options for tracking time might be available in the world in case something doesn't go as planned and one or more of the cubesats wind up needing additional tracking time due to problems post-deployment.  Yeah.  So now, only a couple weeks before launch, we're doing cross-support testing with the European Space Agency to make sure that's at least an option.

    Let's see, 8 cubesats x 5 ESA tracking stations, uplink and downlink, call it 5 data rates and 2 or 3 different encoding schemes per sat.  Maybe 10-12 hours of testing per cubesat if we're quick about it.  Then there's equipment and manpower availability to allocate and schedule, factoring in the time zones of the various mission operations centers (JAXA, Italy, Goddard, etc.), the stations (Goonhilly, New Norcia, Cebrerus, etc.), and of course JPL in California.

    Um.. how long did you say we had to finish this?

    1. efaardvark

      efaardvark

      @Wodahs.. please don't.  🙏  I'm sure there's spanners aplenty for us to find as it is without additional "help" adding more.  :)

    2. (See 5 other replies to this status update)

  24. So a seagull nearly knocked me out this morning and I had to run for my life

  25. would you walk?

    2106848861_TheBackrooms3.thumb.jpg.940337e3ba9064cd98ac1c425d408521.jpg

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