Archive for May, 2008

DIY Friday: Solar Hot Water

Friday, May 30th, 2008

First it was soaring gas prices, then the cost of food – now it appears that the price of natural gas will surge fast.

The consequence? The cost of heating your home will be a lot more expensive next winter (especially if you’re in Wisconsin). What to do?

Well, if you’re in Iceland, just dig a hole. An amazing 90% of homes are heated with geothermal energy. Of course, with my luck, I picked this unheated, sod-roofed backpackers hostel/shack (highly-recommended, btw) on my recent stay in Iceland. Chilly nights.

But, if you’re still States-side, the geothermal option probably won’t work. So beyond simple conservation, let’s start by finding a simple and energy-free way to heat our water – the sun!

Way back in 1984, Mother Earth News brought us the plans for building an integral passive solar water heater (IPSWH):

For the do-it-yourselfer searching for an inexpensive, easy-to-build solar water-heating system, the integral passive solar water heater (IPSWH, pronounced ipswah ) is a dream come true. All you need to get going on this down-to-earth water warmer is a discarded electric water heater tank rescued from the local dump, a homemade plywood box to house it in, a can of flat black paint, a sheet or two of used window glass or clear plastic, a few common plumbing fittings and some pipe and insulation. Combine all that with some spare hours of satisfying sawing, hammering and wrench-turning, and you’ll have an ongoing supply of hot water provided virtually free from that friendly furnace in the sky.

The article gives a good how-to on the building process, and a fairly exhaustive explanation on the different types of active and passive solar water heaters. And just three months ago came Mother Earth’s modern update. Among the findings: the solar water heater payoff could be dramatic, especially considering rising energy costs:

Solar water-heating systems have minimal—sometimes zero—operating costs, and maintenance costs only about $2 per month. When all costs for purchase, installation, maintenance and operation are taken into account, a solar water heater usually pulls even with an electric heater after just eight and a half years, and equals a gas heater in about 15 years. From then on, through the expected 40-year life of the solar system, you’ve got FREE hot water.

When you’re ready to roll-up your sleeves, Instructables has the how-to pictures and directions. Build it Solar posts some other plans, including a pretty wild idea to use the energy from composting to heat water. And this enviro-solution is just a damn good excuse to throw a party (instructions are available here).

But, despite all the fun ideas, this is one of the few DIY projects that I encourage you to get some help. If you really want to save some money, reduce your CO2 output, and keep the system cooking for 40+ years, I’d skip the bottles and buy a system.

Have a great weekend!


Voice of The Great Gazoo

Friday, May 30th, 2008

We’ll miss Harvey Korman, the actor/comedian who passed away recently. He was the voice of The Great Gazoo on The Flintstones.

 

We blogged about the character before, although we got the name wrong (oops).

The ITAR Controversy

Thursday, May 29th, 2008

As reported in the Wall Street Journal and Aviation Week, among other major publications, China is importing “ITAR-free” satellites and other space technologies from a European company, thereby evading U.S. export controls that are intended to safeguard our national security. China is also developing its Long March 5 rocket that will be capable not only of delivering people to the moon, but also landing nuclear payloads anywhere in the United States.

That’s from a Senate Hearing (webcast) earlier this month. For those unfamiliar, ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) is a set of regulations that prohibit Americans or American companies from sharing or selling information or materials pertaining to defense and military related technologies. There is a balance to be found here: since lots of American technology is adapted from military technology, it can be difficult to sell non-militay products internationally (like satellite launch vehicles) and to collaborate with International partners on products that include proprietary military technology. Wikipedia does a nice job describing the controversy:

There is an open debate between the Department of State and the industries and academia regulated by ITAR concerning how harmful the regulatory restrictions are for U.S. businesses and higher education institutions. The Department of State insists that ITAR has limited effect and provides a security benefit to the nation that these sectors must bear. Every year the Department of State can cite multiple arrests of ITAR violators by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. However, many companies and institutions within the affected areas argue that ITAR is stifling U.S. trade and science. Companies argue that ITAR is a significant trade barrier that acts as a substantial negative subsidy, weakening U.S. industries’ ability to compete [4]. U.S. companies point to announcements in Europe by EADS and Alcatel promoting their “ITAR-free” satellites and defense items.[5] Higher education institutions argue that ITAR prevents the best international students from studying and contributing in the U.S. and prevents cooperation on international scientific projects.

Currently, officials at the Department of State dismiss the burden on industry and educational institutions as minor compared to the security provided by ITAR. They also view the announcements of “ITAR-free” items as anecdotal and not systemic.

Now that we’ve got the background, back to the Senate hearing: China is importing “ITAR-free” space technology from European countries. It’s a perfect example of the controversy: the U.S., worried about national security implications, limits technology sharing/selling to China. But, when Europe fills the gap, it just cuts at traditional U.S. superiority in the space/satellite technology market. Just this Tuesday, with the Berlin Air Show as the backdrop, OHB presented the European Space Agency with a plan (subscription-only) to develop ITAR-free spacecraft:

BERLIN — European governments have agreed that a new commercial telecommunications satellite design they are financing will permit customers to order a version without U.S.-built parts covered by the now-infamous U.S. technology export regime known as ITAR, government and industry officials said here May 27.

Officials said that while the first Small GEO platform, being tailored for Spanish satellite-fleet operator Hispasat, will feature U.S. parts, future versions that are not subject to ITAR, or U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations, will be available upon customer request. ITAR rules treat satellites and many of their components as weapons for export-control purposes and allow the U.S. State Department to veto those who can purchase the satellite, and where it can be launched from.

“Customers will be able to choose which version they want, although the ITAR-free version will be a little bit more expensive,” said Manfred Fuchs, founder and president of OHB System of Bremen, Germany, which is prime contractor for the Small GEO program.

Led by Germany and Spain, nine European Space Agency (ESA) governments — France notably is absent — are contributing 190 million euros ($299 million) to design the Small GEO and develop the first model. Hispasat is the first customer and has agreed to spend more than 50 million euros of its own to pay for the satellite’s launch and insurance. The first Small GEO model, called Hispasat AG1, will be fitted with a Ku- and Ka-band telecommunications payload and is scheduled for launch in 2012. OHB and Hispasat signed a preliminary contract for the satellite May 27 here at the Berlin air show, ILA 2008. A final construction contract is expected to follow in September.

Industry and government officials said OHB presented ESA with a list of components and technologies that would be needed for the Small GEO platform and asked which were available in Europe. All major subsystems will be built by European contractors. But several individual components will be purchased in the United States.

“It was more a matter of cost and time than anything else,” a European industry official involved in the selection said. “This is a new satellite design and we already have enough challenges without adding the complication of making it ITAR-free from the outset.”

European governments have agreed that a new commercial telecommunications satellite design they are financing will permit customers to order a version without U.S.-built parts covered by the now-infamous U.S. technology export regime known as ITAR, government and industry officials said here May 27.

Officials said that while the first Small GEO platform, being tailored for Spanish satellite-fleet operator Hispasat, will feature U.S. parts, future versions that are not subject to ITAR, or U.S. International Traffic in Arms Regulations, will be available upon customer request. ITAR rules treat satellites and many of their components as weapons for export-control purposes and allow the U.S. State Department to veto those who can purchase the satellite, and where it can be launched from.

“Customers will be able to choose which version they want, although the ITAR-free version will be a little bit more expensive,” said Manfred Fuchs, founder and president of OHB System of Bremen, Germany, which is prime contractor for the Small GEO program.

Chinese Interference

Wednesday, May 28th, 2008

If you’ve been in the satcom business for a while, you remember Loral’s problems with selling satellite technology to China about 10 years ago. The story made the front page of the New York Times 10 years ago:

The documents paint a fascinating portrait of the intense struggles surrounding Mr. Clinton last February as he weighed whether to allow the satellite launching and ignore the pleas of prosecutors and the probable outrage from some in Congress.

A top State Department official had warned White House staff members that the satellite company, Loral Space and Communications, engaged in ”unlawful” and ”criminal” activity by providing valuable help to the Chinese rocket program.

And the chairman of the company, Bernard L. Schwartz, combed a White House dinner on Feb. 5, looking for Samuel R. Berger, the national security adviser, to plead for a decision on the satellite launching, a decision worth tens of millions of dollars to the company.

As it all played out, with the company arguing it needed an immediate decision, the senior White House staff were concluding that the President’s broader strategy of engaging China should not be endangered by blocking the launching.

 

The impact of that scandal was far-reaching and still affects how satellite technology is exported — or not.  The spacecraft in question, Chinasat 8, was never delivered. What ever became of it? Space Systems/Loral sold it to Bermuda-based ProtoStar, modified it and just shipped it to Kourou for launch next month:

"Space Systems/Loral has been able to deliver a satellite customized to our requirements in a timely and professional manner," said Philip Father, chief executive officer of ProtoStar. "We have worked closely with SS/L throughout this project and are very impressed with the passion and commitment of all the engineers and technicians who have been involved."

The satellite, which was designed to meet the needs of both emerging and existing direct-to-home (DTH) operators in the Asian market as well as other broadband communication needs in the region, was completed for ProtoStar less than 17 months after the contract was signed. It is the first in a fleet of multiple satellites ProtoStar plans to launch that will enable its in-country partners to offer advanced satellite television services and powerful two-way broadband Internet access.
 
"ProtoStar I is the third satellite that SS/L has shipped for launch this year," said John Celli, president and chief operating officer of Space Systems/Loral. "It is rewarding to see the tangible evidence of our ability to deliver within commercial schedule constraints and to help our customers meet business plan requirements."

Space Systems/Loral was able to deliver the satellite in just over a year because the project involved modifications to an existing satellite, which ProtoStar purchased from its previous owner. SS/L then tailored the spacecraft to meet the defined power and footprint/coverage requirements of ProtoStar’s customers.

Now we read of the Protostar-1 satellite is not fully coordinated in Asia, causing quite a bit of friction, via Satellite Finance (subscription):

Confusion has broken out in the Asian satellite industry as Protostar-1 nears its launch at the end of June. Other Asian operators have expressed fears that Protostar-1 has not been properly configured to avoid interfering with the signals of other satellites close to its orbital slot at 98.5° East.

Speaking to SatelliteFinance, Peter Jackson, CEO of AsiaSat, said: "The Ku band is an issue, but it’s the C-Band on the Protostar satellite that’s going to be the real problem, it is going to interfere with a number of satellites. I know that the Chinese national operator has a problem because they are only a half a degree away with Chinasat 22, and Thuraya has a problem because they have a satellite right at 98.5°. New Skies will have issues as well."

Protostar is understood to be launching the satellite to the orbital slot belonging to Singapore. The Chinese Radio Regulatory Department has written to the Infocomm Development Authority in Singapore to express its concerns.

Jackson said that AsiaSat has had contact with Protostar over the issue, but that they have not been able to come to any definitive understanding on the matter. "When AsiaSat 4 launched we had to make changes to accommodate Thaicom, it’s just the way it works," he said. "I’d be very surprised if Singapore allows them launch as it stands. I know that if it were Hong Kong that was in the same position it would definitely not allow it."

Protostar could not be reached for comment on the issue. Protostar-1 is an SS/L built satellite with 16 Ku band transponders and 36 C-Band transponders, and its primary purpose is to provide capacity for DTH platforms in Asia.

This should be interesting. The co-passenger for next month’s launch is expected to be BADR-6 for Arabsat.

Unfurling a Big Antenna in Space

Wednesday, May 28th, 2008

The ICO G1, launched last month, is referred to as the "world’s largest" by manufacturer Space Systems/Loral:

ICO G1 is a Loral-designed spacecraft that incorporates a 12-meter antenna reflector designed and built by Harris Corporation. The reflector utilizes a gold-plated mesh reflective surface and a unique new Harris design that allows a very large antenna reflector to stow safely and easily on the Loral 1300 satellite platform. The reflector size enables the increased performance typically required for mobile interactive media services.

ICO G1 is the largest commercial satellite launched to date, weighing nearly 15,000 pounds at liftoff, and measuring more than 27 feet high and over 100 feet wide, following solar array deployment.

Here’s the animation simulating deployment:

 

 

DIY…uhh…Tuesday: Laptop Data Recovery

Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

I woke up this morning in a panic – WHAT DID I FORGET TO DO? DIY-Friday, of course. I started the beer-drinking, BBQ, and pool parties a few hours too early on Friday. My apologies to the readers who were lost without a project this weekend, but, to be honest, who’s going to DIY on Memorial Day weekend?

So, for a very business-like DIY post, fit for a Tuesday, let’s explore laptop-data recovery:

WikiHow offers us two main methods:

Method 1

1. Purchase a “Laptop Hard Drive Adaptor Kit” to allow you to plug your laptop hard drive into a standard PC (2.5 TO 3.5 inch IDE HDD).
2. Find a functioning standard PC that can read the file system that was on the laptop. One would need Windows 2k/XP or a Linux distribution to read an NTFS/FAT file system, whereas only a Linux distribution can read the EXT3 file system.
3. Open up the case and add the laptop drive with adaptor kit as a secondary HDD. Be sure that you have set this drive to either Cable Select, or Slave, depending on the configuration of the system, and the available IDE ports.
4. Copy the data you need from the laptop drive to the main drive of the PC, or consider using removable storage for small files.

Method 2

1. Purchase or cannibalize a 2.5″ USB 2.0 or Firewire drive enclosure.
2. Find a functioning standard PC with an open USB port (or firewire port, as applicable) that can read the file system that was on the laptop. One would need Windows 2k/XP or a Linux distribution to read an NTFS/FAT file system, whereas only a Linux distribution can read the EXT3 file system.
3. Plug it in, wait for the tones (and/or mount it if that is necessary in this system)
4. Copy the data you need from the laptop drive to the main drive of the PC, or consider using removable storage for small files.

Method 1 is probably the more straightforward process. You can buy an adaptor kit for about five bucks on Ebay.

Now, if your situation is really, really bad—and not only is your OS install screwed up, but you actually deleted a partition with data on it—do not despair. If the FBI can recover “deleted data,” so should you. A commenter in this forum, offers a good solution: Stellar Phoenix Recovery Software. There are other good software options out there too.

What about a bum harddrive motor? This is pretty cool:

Phoenix: Day Two on Mars

Tuesday, May 27th, 2008

The big news of the holiday weekend was, of course, the successful landing of the Phoenix Mars Lander at 7:53 pm Eastern time on Sunday — a landing which we previewed two weeks ago.

 

There was only one minor snag reported in the challenging landing: the protective sheath around the trench-digging robotic arm failed to unwrap all the way after touchdown. The sheath now covers the arm’s elbow joint, but NASA describes that as merely an "inconvenience."

The excitement behind the successful landing was evident. Maybe it was because of the slow holiday weekend, but the landing was big news in the mainstream media — not just among space buffs– with the Drudge Report parking a headline most of the day on Sunday and Monday that asked if Phoenix would find evidence of life on Mars as it explored the planet’s arctic plain.  

Since the trench-digging arm that Phoenix will use to collect the soil samples that might contain traces of organic compounds won’t be extended until possibly tomorrow, the answer to the Drudge Report’s questions is clearly "not yet."

But already, Phoenix has sent back some amazing pictures and videos of the Red Planet’s polar region:

  • The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter snapped this dramatic photo of the Phoenix Lander suspended beneath its parachute as it descended to Mars on Sunday. (For an explanation of how the Orbiter snapped the photo, watch this video.)
  • Here’s a good video from inside the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as Phoenix touched down, showing the excitement and anxiety inside mission control.
  • Check out this photo of where Phoenix landed (in the Vastitas Borealis region) as well as this animation showing an orbital view sweeping upward from Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system, to the flat terrain where Phoenix touched down.
  • A bevy of raw images from the Red Planet (in black and white) are available here.
  • How do the images and video come back to earth? NASA explains.
  • More videos and animations of Phoenix are available here.

All in all, NASA has outdone itself in providing information to the public over the web for the Phoenix mission — and done an incredible job of packing that information in a compelling way.

The next press briefing on the mission is set for 1 pm Eastern today. Also check out the Phoenix Landing blog for more updates.

Loving Pay TV

Thursday, May 22nd, 2008

The results are in for the American Customer Satisfaction Index for cable and satellite television providers (link):

Customer satisfaction among subscribers to cable and satellite television improved three percent to a score of 64 in the first quarter of 2008, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index.

But, at the same time, Comcast, Charter, and Dish Network are losing ground in the satisfaction of their customers. Comcast is down four percent to 54, an all-time low for the largest cable provider in the country.

Rapid growth may have contributed to difficulties in operations as Comcast continues to add cable subscribers, often through acquisitions of companies in smaller markets, says Professor Claes Fornell, director of the National Quality Research Center at the University of Michigan.

Satellite TV provider Dish Network is down three percent to 65 and Charter is down two percent to 54, sharing the lowest score in the industry with Comcast.

The reason for the industry’s overall uptick is the large improvement among smaller cable TV providers such as Cablevision and RCN, Fornell says.

The category of "all other" cable TV companies is up five percent to lead the industry with an all-time high of 69, well ahead of the large competitors.

DirecTV is, once again, the king:

For the eighth consecutive year, DIRECTV has topped the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) in the Pay TV category.

DIRECTV is American satellite television service provider, serving more than 17 million customers. It has played a major role in the industry-wide switch to high definition (HD) programming, and currently offers 95 HD channels nationally.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) is an economic indicator that measures the satisfaction of U.S. consumers. It is produced by the National Quality Research Center (NQRC) at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The ACSI generally interviews about 80,000 Americans annually and asks about their satisfaction with the goods and services they have consumed.

DIRECTV posted an index score of 68 at the ACSI against the overall cable and satellite industry score of 64. Customers surveyed by the ACSI in the first quarter of 2008 were also asked about such issues such as perceived quality and value, and their expectations prior to making a purchase. The ACSI also measures customer loyalty and retention.

Comcast – not so much, unfortunately:

Customer satisfaction ratings for Comcast Corp. fell this year to an all-time low and rank at the bottom of cable and satellite TV providers, according to a survey released on Tuesday.

No Room for Voom

Wednesday, May 21st, 2008

A few months ago, I switched from Dish Network to Cablevision so I could watch MSG-HD. I’ve been a Ranger fan forever. Since Dish didn’t offer MSG-HD, that made up my mind. Cablevision owns Rainbow Media, which owns Voom, and offered all 15 Voom HD channels,  just as Dish did at the time.

 

 

Today I heard Dish dropped all the Voom HD channels from their line-up. I was just considering going back to Dish, which means I won’t be watching Voom’s Kung Fu channel, where some of my paesanos and I enjoyed watching the Zatoichi movies from Japan.

Why? Politics, money and bandwidth, according to Phillip Swann:

1. Politics
TBS is owned by Turner Broadcasting, which also owns TNT, CNN, the Cartoon Network and Turner Classic Movies. These are highly rated, basic-cable networks — and a must-carry for any TV operator. Turner knows this so when it negotiates a carriage deal with a TV provider, it usually can mandate that it carry the company’s entire programming suite. That gives TBS HD a tremendous edge over Voom.

And this is not to harp on Turner and TBS. NBC Universal, which owns NBC, CNBC, Universal HD, MSNBC, etc., uses the same leverage to get carriage for its entire programming lineup.

At this time, Voom is relatively unknown and, consequently, does not generate as much interest in the TV audience. It’s easier for a TV provider to say yes to Turner and no to Voom.

2. Money
Because Voom is a small unit, the company must sell all 15 channels as a programming block, rather than offering each niche channel individually. This requires a TV provider to pay more in carriage fees if it wants to add Voom’s suite to its lineup. So it’s easier — and cheaper — for the TV provider to simply go with the established channels from companies such as Turner and NBC.

3. Bandwidth
While cable and satellite operators are rapidly expanding their high-def capacities, many still lack the system space to add 15 HD channels all at once. Even if Voom was owned by a powerhouse such as Turner, it would have difficulty getting 15 channels on the air at the same time.

 

 

 

Good Morning, Sea Launch

Tuesday, May 20th, 2008

 

That’s the live view from the Odyssey platform’s web cam. The Zenit-3SL rocket will launch Galaxy 18 for Intelsat. Two-hour launch window opens at 09:43 GMT).

Watch the live Webcast here. 

Or downlink the live broadcast yourself.