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February 23, 2003
San Francisco Ten Ren Tea Shop Visit
I was in downtown San Francisco yesterday, and had the chance to visit Ten Ren Tea Shop in Chinatown. They had an amazing selection of tea, ranging from white to black, with specialties such as pu-erh and pouchong tea. Most of the teas were harvested from Taiwan. Someone walked in and asked if they had Assam tea. Since this was a Chinese tea store, they did not have Assam. I even got a mini tea ceremony, which I had seen before, but was an enjoyment to see anyways. I did buy a lot of tea, and plan on writing reviews for them, so stay tuned!
Posted by Kathy at 05:39 PM | Permalink
February 15, 2003
Hot Springs on Mars?
Are there hot springs on Mars? The press conference NASA intends to hold this Wednesday could be interesting. The panel of experts for the press conference includes an infrared imaging specialist and a hot springs expert. If there are indeed hot springs on Mars, we could be closer to solving the complex problem of colonization on Mars than previously believed.
While most of us cannot economically travel to space, we may soon be able to pretend that we are in a different world. The Moon Hotel and Resort is currently a $5 billion proposal waiting for a developer to buy the concept. If this concept gets off the ground, it will be an interesting and hopefully, educational place to visit. The plan is to build this 250-acre complex in Las Vegas. Where else?
Posted by Kathy at 05:41 PM | Permalink
February 06, 2003
Invisibility Cloaks and Thirsty Koalas
We are on our way to obtaining Harry Potter's invisibility cloak. Professor Susumu Tachi of Tokyo University has fabricated a coat that appears to be invisible. This is made possible by a viewfinder that puts together the image from behind the person wearing the coat. Check this link for more information. Note that the image retains its proportion even though part of the coat is wrinkled.
Are koalas vicious? They appear quite docile, but have talon-like claws. The city of Gunnedah, in Australia, has relied on the koala population to bring in tourists. Currently, with the drought conditions in Gunnedah, koalas are turning to the residents for water. Locals have noticed increasing numbers of koalas drinking from taps and containers of water. Normally, koalas get their moisture from the leaves they eat.
Posted by Kathy at 05:43 PM | Permalink
February 02, 2003
Space Shuttle Columbia Tragedy
I was shocked to hear of the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster yesterday morning. The space program has always been an inspiration for me, and I believe that it is a criminal mistake to limit ourselves to this one small ball of rock we're on now. This tragedy has made me think of the families of those who took a risk for the betterment of humanity, and it's also made me think of the direction of the space program.
The Shuttle's always been a bit of a beast that's had to serve too many masters. The Shuttle's main design points were set during the Nixon era, at a time when NASA's budget was under heavy pressure. In order to ensure sufficient funding to get the Shuttle developed, NASA had to beg the Air Force to back it on Capitol Hill.
An excellent history of some Shuttle design decisions is here. A notable quote from this history:
NASA needed Air Force support, both for payloads and in Congress. I told [NASA OMSF head George] Mueller we'd support the Shuttle, but only if he gave us the big payload bay and the crossrange capability, so we could return to Vandenberg after a single orbit. --Michael Yarymovych, Air Force deputy assistant secretary
The crossrange capability that the Air Force requested be added to the Shuttle has never been used, and almost certainly never will. The Vandenberg Shuttle launch facility was mothballed in 1988 after the Challenger explosion. However, the Shuttle now permanently has large delta-wings that not only reduce the payload capacity, but add to the maximum heating rate upon reentry.
Some people have used this incident to call for the complete cancelation of the Shuttle program, and the ISS with it. Although the Shuttle does have built in problems, as detailed above, I'm not sure I agree. Ending the manned space program for 10 years is too drastic a step. We must keep momentum going forwards while we make improvements to our launch capabilities. Dropping ISS at this phase of construction would be a colossal waste, much money has already been spent, and the psychological trauma of quitting a program that we've come so far in would outweigh the cost savings.
Recently, NASA has made noises about developing a next generation space plane. It may be appropriate to accelerate development of this plane. At the same time, to truly retire the Shuttle, a new heavy-lift launch vehicle could be developed.
Whatever decisions are made, we shouldn't stop moving towards the stars. It's a big universe out there.
Posted by Kathy at 05:45 PM | Permalink
February 01, 2003
Happy Chinese New Year!
Happy Chinese New Year! If you're not familiar with the Chinese New Year customs read about it here.
I've been meaning to review teas for a while now. Since it's Chinese New Year, and tea originated in China, today seems like an appropriate day to launch the tea review section of my weblog.
Posted by Kathy at 05:51 PM | Permalink