Nanosatellite Will Look for Alien Worlds

Draper Laboratory and MIT have developed a satellite the size of a loaf of bread that will undertake one of the biggest tasks in astronomy: finding Earthlike planets beyond our solar system—or exoplanets—that could support life. It is scheduled to launch in 2012.

The "nanosatellite," called ExoPlanetSat, packs powerful, high-performance optics and new control and stabilization technology in a small package.

While there have been many small satellites, these are typically used to perform simple communication or observation missions. "We are doing something that has not been done before," says Séamus Tuohy, director of space systems at Draper.

ExoPlanetSat will search for planets by measuring the dimming of a star as an orbiting planet passes in front of it, a technique called transit observation. The satellite's light detector has two focal plane arrays—one for star tracking and for the transit observations. Measuring a star's dip in brightness precisely also allows the planet's size to be calculated. And by measuring the amount of time it takes the planet to complete its orbit, researchers can determine the planet's distance from its star.

This technique is well-established, but has only be used by much larger orbiting spacecrafts, including the French-operated satellite CoRot, which made a significant planet discovery last year, and NASA's Kepler satellite, which launched in 2009. ExoPlanetSat is not meant to replace larger spacecraft, but to be complementary, says Sara Seager, professor of planetary science and physics at MIT, meaning the nanosatellite will focus on individual stars that larger spacecraft have identified as being scientifically interesting. Whereas a spacecraft like Kepler looks at approximately 150,000 stars, a nanosatellite like ExoPlanetSat is designed to track a single star.

To accurately measure a star's brightness, engineers must keep the spacecraft stable—incoming photons must hit the same fraction of a pixel at all times, says Seager, who is also a participating scientist for the Kepler satellite. "Any disturbances that shake the spacecraft will blur the image and make the measurements unusable," she says. "And smaller spacecrafts are easier to push around."

To precisely control and stabilize ExoPlanetSat, Draper and MIT researchers built custom avionics and off-the-shelf reaction wheels, a type of mechanical device used for attitude control, at the base of the spacecraft to maneuver it into position. Battery-powered piezoelectric drives control the motion of the imaging detector, which is uniquely decoupled from the spacecraft, so it operates separately. (The battery will be charged by solar panels.) "The drives move the detector counter to the spacecraft so precisely the human eye cannot see the motion," says Seager. "This is an order of magnitude better than any nanosatellite has demoed before," she says.

The nanosatellite has a volume of three liters; it's 10 centimeters tall, 10 centimeters wide, and 30 centimeters long. "It was an engineering feat getting all the hardware, including the necessary processing power and data storage, into such a small package," says Tuohy.

Each nanosatellite will cost as little as $600,000 once in production—ExoPlanetSat cost approximately $5 million—and their estimated orbital lifetime is one to two years. Eventually, Seager says, the researchers hope to launch a whole fleet of nanosatellites surveying the nearest and brightest stars.

Labels: technology

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About the Author

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Labels: technology

สุริยะวิถี

โลกโคจรรอบดวงอาทิตย์เป็นรูปวงรี โดยที่แกนของโลกเอียง 23.5° ในฤดูร้อนโลกเอียงขั้วเหนือเข้าหาดวงอาทิตย์ ทำให้ซีกโลกเหนือกลายเป็นฤดูร้อน และซีกโลกใต้กลายเป็นฤดูหนาว ในเวลาหกเดือนต่อมาโลกโคจรไปอยู่อีกด้านหนึ่งของวงโคจร โลกเอียงขั้วใต้เข้าหาดวงอาทิตย์ (แกนของโลกเอียง 23.5° คงที่ตลอดปี) ทำให้ซีกโลกใต้กลายเป็นฤดูร้อน และซีกโลกเหนือกลายเป็นฤดูหนาว ดังแสดงในภาพที่1

°ภาพที่ 1 แกนของโลกเอียง 23.5 ขณะที่โคจรรอบดวงอาทิตย์

แกนของโลกเอียง 23.5° ขณะที่โคจรรอบดวงอาทิตย์ ทำให้ระนาบวงโคจรของโลก (เส้นสุริยะวิถี) ทำมุมกับ ระนาบของเส้นศูนย์สูตรฟ้า เป็นมุม 23.5° ดังแสดงในภาพที่ 2

เราเรียกจุดที่ระนาบทั้งสองตัดกันว่า " อีควิน็อกซ์" (Equinox) โดยจะมีอยู่ด้วยกันสองจุด คือ "อีควิน็อกซ์ฤดูใบไม้ผลิ (Vernal equinox)"

ประมาณวันที่ 21 มีนาคม และ "อีควิน็อกซ์ฤดูใบไม้ร่วง (Autumnal equinox)" ประมาณวันที่ 22 กันยายนของทุกปี
ในทางปฏิบัติ เมื่อมองดูจากประเทศไทย ซึ่งอยู่บนซีกโลกเหนือ เราจะมองเห็นเส้นทางขึ้น –ตก ของดวงอาทิตย์บนท้องฟ้า ดังภาพที่ 3

• ดวงอาทิตย์ขึ้นทางทิศตะวันออก และตกทางทิศตะวันตกพอดี ประมาณวันที่ 21 มีนาคม ( อีควิน็อกซ์ฤดูใบไม้ผลิ) ทำให้กลางวันและกลางคืนยาวนานเท่ากัน

• ในฤดูร้อน ดวงอาทิตย์อยู่ค่อนไปทางทิศเหนือมากขึ้นในแต่ละวัน และจะอยู่ค่อนไปทางทิศเหนือมากที่สุด ประมาณวันที่ 21 มิถุนายน (โซลส์ติซฤดูร้อน) ดวงอาทิตย์ขึ้นเร็วและตกช้า ทำให้กลางวันยาวนานกว่ากลางคืน

• หลังจากนั้นดวงอาทิตย์จะค่อนกลับมาทางทิศตะวันออกอีกครั้ง จนกระทั่งประมาณวันที่ 22 กันยายน (อีควิน็อกซ์ฤดูใบไม้ร่วง) ดวงอาทิตย์จะขึ้นทางทิศตะวันออก และตกทางทิศตะวันตกพอดี ทำให้กลางวันและกลางคืนยาวนานเท่ากัน

• ในฤดูหนาว ดวงอาทิตย์อยู่ค่อนไปทางทิศใต้มากขึ้นในแต่ละวัน (ชาวบ้านเรียนกันว่า "ตะวันอ้อมข้าว") และจะอยู่ค่อนไปทางทิศใต้มากที่สุด ประมาณวันที่ 21 ธันวาคม (โซลส์ติซฤดูหนาว) ดวงอาทิตย์ขึ้นช้าและตกเร็ว ทำให้กลางคืนยาวนานกว่ากลางวัน หลังจากนั้นก็จะอยู่ค่อนกลับมาทางทิศ

Labels: blog, browsers, problem, system, technology

Journalist Kerry Howley of the Reason magazine has written a very riveting and informative article on how fear is being used to deny Africa cutting-edge technologies. Howley writes how activists descend on Africa every time new technologies emerge. They, using apocalyptic theories, misadvise and mislead Africans into not embracing these technologies.

Africans are usually warned of cataclysmic consequences if they adopt new technologies. Usually, they're told the West wants to use them as guinea pigs, or to enslave them. Most play along, thanks to high illiteracy levels and unavailability and/or access to alternative sources of information. Always the consequences are grave: the rest of the world prospers, while Africa wallows in poverty. Essentially, Africa merely gawks as other countries industrialize.

Howley beautifully illustrates this point using the swirling debate about genetically modified (GM) foods. She writes how African countries have shunned GM foods on the advice of consumer advocacy groups such as the Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. These groups happen to have a big presence in Africa

Except South Africa,, no other African country is currently growing genetically modified (GM) crops. We've read reports of countries like Zambia and Zimbabwe turning away food from the World Food Program (WFP) and the United States Agency for International Development (USaid) on suspicions they contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs.) Many African countries have passed laws to completely bar GM crops.

In her article, Howley laments that Zambia and Zimbabwe's turning away of GM food "...brimmed over and seeped into almost every African state." She regrets that "...cutting edge farming technology is most feared where it is most needed."

Howley is perfectly right in asserting that Africa reviews its position on GM foods. She's not alone. Robert Paarlberg, a political scientist at Wellesley University, in his new book, Starved for Science: How Biotechnology is Being Kept out of Africa, argues that Africa's development is predicated upon its readiness and willingness to embrace new technologies.

I can't but agree with Howley and Paarlberg. An open-door policy to new technologies, especially in the field of agriculture, is what Africa needs. When activists intimidate Africa, through fear, into not exploring potential benefits of GM foods, the continent suffers. They stymie a rational debate about whether GM foods have any relevance to Africa.

Africa ought to be allowed to freely debate GMOs. Other countries are moving fast to integrate biotechnology into agriculture. The latest report on the state of agricultural biotechnology in the world by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), for instance, shows more and more farmers are growing GM crops. It's hard to believe that the more than 21 countries that are currently growing these crops are wrong and only Africa is right that they're bad. Let Africa take an objective assessment of the potential, or lack of it, of agricultural biotechnology. This won't happen under a cloud of fear.

About the Author

James specializes in science communication

Labels: Download, market, system, technology, update

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Nokia 6555

เปิดตัวออกมาเป็นมือถือฝาพับที่มีจุดเด่นที่รองรับ 3G จากโนเกีย แล้วอีกอย่างคือดีไซน์ที่หลายๆคน เห็นคงคิดเหมือนกันว่าเหมือนกับโมโตโรล่า แต่สำหรับ โนเกีย 6555 เมื่อมองจากด้านหลังเวลาเปิดฝาพับขึ้นจะสังเกตว่าตัวเครื่อง และ ฝาพับจะเรียบเป็นอันเดียวกัน

Specifications ทั่วไป เครือข่าย UMTS / GSM 900/ 1800 /1900 เปิดตัว ส.ค. 2550 วางจำหน่าย เร็วๆ นี้ ขนาด ขนาด 99.6 x 44.3 x 19.6 มม. น้ำหนัก 97 กรัม จอหลัก ชนิด/ขนาด TFT, 16 ล้านสี, 240 x 320 พิกเซล - 2" จอรอง ชนิด/ขนาด จอ 256 Kสี ,128 x 160 พิกเซล เสียง ชนิด Polyphonic, MP3 ดาวน์โหลดเพิ่ม ได้ เปิดสั่น ได้ หน่วยความจำ สมุดโทรศัพท์ มี บันทึกเลขหมาย มี เพิ่มหน่วยความจำ microSD (TransFlash) 30 MB ในตัวเครื่อง การเชื่อมต่อ GPRS Class 32 , 52.6 kbps HSCSD ได้ EDGE ได้, Class 10, 236.8 kbps 3G ได้ WLAN ไม่ได้ Bluetooth ได้ Infrared port ไม่ได้ USB ได้ คุณสมบัติอื่น ข้อความ SMS, MMS, Email Browser WAP 2.0/xHTML เกม มี ดาวน์โหลดเพิ่มได้ สี ดำ แดง เงิน ครีม กล้องถ่ายภาพ มี อื่นๆ - รองรับจาวา Java MIDP 2.0 - เครื่องเล่นมีเดีย MP3/AAC/eAAC+/WMA player - 2.5 mm audio jack - ระบบสะกดคำ T9 - ปฎิทิน - เครื่องคิดเลข - แฮนด์ฟรี - บันทึกเสียง - Flight mode แบตเตอรี่ ชนิด แบตเตอรี่มาตรฐาน Li-Ion 1020 mAh (BL-5C) เปิดรอรับสาย 300 ชม. เวลาสนทนา 390 นาที ราคาจำหน่าย ยังไม่ระบุ

Labels: blog, Nokia, technology, update, VOIP phone

Car to Day (( 2008 MITSUBISHI LANCER ))

Labels: blog, car, LANCER, market, MITSUBISHI, technology, update

The magical VOIP phone can be a novel and stimulating skill for many people, but for others it can be a menacing and baffling undertaking. A VOIP phone might present an arrangement of challenges and issues that you may not be ready to face without learning a whole lot more about what is involved with Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP).

There are easy ways to learn about this VOIP phone system technology, however. You can check out some information on the internet, for example, or talk to a local phone company customer service representative and ask them all of your questions.

Finding a VOIP vendor in your area can be easy, especially now that VOIP phone system technology has an overwhelming amount of influence in the markets. People are getting tired of their conventional phone services and wish to switch to something that makes calling more inexpensive and more convenient.

Whether or not VOIP phone system technology is the right answer to this question is still a little up in the air, but more and more people are willing to try VOIP systems now more than ever.

VOIP has a variety of names. The most commonly referenced name for VOIP is Voice Over Internet Protocol. It is also known by IP Telephony, Internet telephony, Broadband telephony, Broadband phone, and the popular Voice-over-Broadband.

Essentially, all of those names refer to the same basis element of VOIP; it involves the routing of voice conversations over the internet or through any other possible IP-based network capability.

Companies that supply VOIP to customers are called providers. A provider uses a protocol, which is a term that refers to the set of standards that govern communications, to grant their customers the ability to get through on their network. VOIP systems, thus, enable customers the ability to work through networks like the internet to place all of their phone calls.

The cash savings come by way of utilizing a single network to make all of the calls. Many providers have the networks previously in place due to their ordinary telephone services, so hooking up VOIP costs them little to no extra capital.

VOIP phone systems, for many providers, are almost like free money in the bank. They create the possibility of free calling from one VOIP services user to another, enabling long distance calling to become a lot less of a hassle for the average consumer.

VOIP will change the way we talk to one another, once again, if it hasn't already. The emphasis on VOIP that will really drive a path through the market of telephony will be the cost to the consumer and to the companies involved.

Companies like Vonage VOIP, CISCO VOIP and others hook up VOIP telephony through their existing technology and are enabled an entirely new brand of customer base for little to no cost to them. The customers experience the savings, too, often paying little for a phone plan that enables them to essentially make endless amounts of calls over the VOIP systems.

Voice over IP phone will be the way of the future for many households, especially those that would benefit from having greater long distance telephone possibilities at their fingertips. The world is changing and VOIP phone technology is fast becoming a leader in bringing people closer together without the cost of traditional long-distance telephone systems.

About the Author

Mike Selvon owns a number of niche portal. Please visit our voip portal for more great tips on voip phone, and leave a comment at our voip blog.

Labels: blog, system, technology, VOIP phone