Yo, Steve, can the iPad tether with the iPhone?

NO!

Chilean Quake May Have Shortened Earth Days

The Feb. 27 magnitude 8.8 earthquake in Chile may have shortened the length of each Earth day.

JPL research scientist Richard Gross computed how Earth's rotation should have changed as a result of the Feb. 27 quake. Using a complex model, he and fellow scientists came up with a preliminary calculation that the quake should have shortened the length of an Earth day by about 1.26 microseconds (a microsecond is one millionth of a second).

Perhaps more impressive is how much the quake shifted Earth's axis. Gross calculates the quake should have moved Earth's figure axis (the axis about which Earth's mass is balanced) by 2.7 milliarcseconds (about 8 centimeters, or 3 inches). Earth’s figure axis is not the same as its north-south axis; they are offset by about 10 meters (about 33 feet).

By comparison, Gross said the same model estimated the 2004 magnitude 9.1 Sumatran earthquake should have shortened the length of day by 6.8 microseconds and shifted Earth's axis by 2.32 milliarcseconds (about 7 centimeters, or 2.76 inches).

Gross said that even though the Chilean earthquake is much smaller than the Sumatran quake, it is predicted to have changed the position of the figure axis by a bit more for two reasons. First, unlike the 2004 Sumatran earthquake, which was located near the equator, the 2010 Chilean earthquake was located in Earth's mid-latitudes, which makes it more effective in shifting Earth's figure axis. Second, the fault responsible for the 2010 Chiliean earthquake dips into Earth at a slightly steeper angle than does the fault responsible for the 2004 Sumatran earthquake. This makes the Chile fault more effective in moving Earth's mass vertically and hence more effective in shifting Earth's figure axis.

Gross said the Chile predictions will likely change as data on the quake are further refined.

Alan Buis

Beer?

A bit off topic but I thought it was funny.

Shuttle Astronauts Tackle Last Full Day in Space.

20 February 2010 3:33 p.m. EST

The six astronauts aboard NASA’s space shuttle Endeavour have begun what they hope will be their last full day in space as they prepare for a Sunday landing. Endeavour is due to land Sunday in Florida at 10:16 p.m. EST (0316 Mon. GMT), weather permitting. Mission Control woke the astronauts with the song “The Distance” by the band Cake.
The shuttle crew will check Endeavour’s systems for landing, participate in interviews with reporters and pack up last-minute items in preparation for Sunday’s landing opportunities. Here’s a look at today’s schedule in space:

4:30 p.m. ET – Post-Mission Management Team briefing
6:14 p.m. ET - Shuttle robotic arm station power down
6:29 p.m. ET - Shuttle cabin stowage
7:04 p.m. ET - Flight Control Systems checks
8:14 p.m. ET - Reaction Control System thruster test-firing
9:49 p.m. ET - In-flight Interviews
5:14 a.m. ET - Crew sleep
Today is Flight Day 14 of Endeavour’s 14-day mission to the International Space Station.

NASA's New Telescope Snaps a Comet's 10,000,000-Mile Tail

Back in December, NASA launched the WISE, an infrared telescope that was designed to map the entire visible universe. And one of its first shots? This epic comet.

This shot is one of four that NASA has processed and published after receiving the first batch of 250,000 raw images from the telescope. It shows Sliding Spring, a comet discovered in 2007 that has a 10 million-mile tail of dust being blown by the solar wind. Amazing stuff. [NASA via Wired Science]

Fake Mars Mission Befallen By Real Drama!

The Mars Society is a group that prepares for man's eventual exploration of Mars with simulations in the Utahan desert. But their mission logs, posted regularly on the group's website, reveal a tension that is very real—and very funny.

The two-week simulations, including various experiments and equipment tests, take place at the Mars Desert Research Station, located outside Hanksville, Utah. The volunteers who participate are expected to take the matter very seriously—after all, our future Mars colony depends on it. But of course, some pretend Mars astronauts are more dedicated than other pretend Mars astronauts and this is where the trouble starts.

The current team occupying the Research Station, Crew 90, is led by Nancy Vermeulen. According to their "Mission Info" page, they are the first team comprised entirely of Belgians. In the wake of the trouble they've been having, it now seems ominous that the last line of their statement reads, "the media is following our project very closely." Indeed, Geekosystem picked up on the mission and faithfully documented its simmering turmoil.

After days of snits and snubs, the tension came to a head on February 15. In that day's report, Commander Vermeulen explains:

The growing frustration that after 9 days PE, Nora and Margaux are
still not able to manage the Hab systems/ standard engineering
reporting system (and even don't consider this as a problem!), exploded
during the lunch.

The lack of dedication to the mission of some people overloads the
others and it had to be spoken out. The problem was already there from
the first day, when it came out that some people didn't prepare
anything for the mission, didn't look at the manuals, which were send
to them months ago and didn't even prepare the tasks for their own
role.
The accusation into my direction that I didn't brief enough about the
systems was too much. Nicky almost exploded.
Arjan reacted double: At one hand he couldn't stop criticising the
incompetence of some others during last week, but during the discussion
he acted as if he was from Barcelona (don't know anything). He has his
own mission and own world.

The Commander's Reports for the last days of the mission, which ended yesterday, obscure the interpersonal conflicts that paralyzed the crew. Only a few bloody noses are referenced, perhaps as physical manifestations of the crew's frustrations.

You can read the whole saga unfold on the Mars Society site, or check out the abridged version at Geekosystem, who has done a commendable job tracing how the drama transpired. To Crew 91: Godspeed. The Red Planet makes beasts of men. [Mars Society via Geekosystem]

On the go.

Hi all this is my first test from my mobile.