Month: April 2016

IMPORTANT WHAT A CHILD IS…

Important What A Child Is…

What A Child Is...

A Child is and is not many things:

A Child  should not be a sounding board for arguments between parents or caregivers. This is important!

A Child can not be spoiled for they are not a food or an item…they can be disobedient, but not spoiled.

A Child is not  aware of your bad day…It is not their fault.

A Child trusts you above all else if you are the parent or guardian…never violate that trust.

A Child can not force you to cater to her/him and over indulge…that is a choice an adult makes…don’t blame the child.

A Child lives in a world that many times you help create…what will that world look like?

A Child during their first few years of life, learns how they will react or respond to the many years of life  later on…TEACH CAREFULLY.

A Child does not have the power to watch what you do each day when they are at school, but if they did, would they be learning something of value if they saw  what you are doing?

A Child learns not to speak ill of others or talk behind others back,  do they see us as caregivers doing the same?

A Child is is smart enough to learn that in games, some one wins and lose, allow them to experience that.

A Child is not going to melt if a teacher uses a red pen to correct an exam or paper.

A Child dreams, a child imagines, dont shatter that gift that a child uses to get the courage to grow.

A Child is taught to understand that some win and some lose, and to accept it with grace. How do we respond in the same situation?

A Child is not aware that others may not like their parents or caregivers for what ever petty reason, a child only knows they LOVE YOU.

A Child is a forever label …you are always and always will be some one’s child…

D Redmond

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NEW GALAXY DISCOVERED

A new galaxy has been discovered…

The wonders of scientific discoveries continue unabated with the latest being a ‘dwarf’ galaxy, approximately one-quarter the size of our own Milky Way by astronomers at the Cambridge Institute of Astronomy, in the United Kingdom. This anomaly seemed to appear out of nowhere so when the astronomers trained their telescope in the suspected area of sky, again, to their utter amazement, it appeared at maximum resolution.

What they discovered was the galaxy they have now named Crater 2 and it is dubbed as one of four actually orbiting the Milky Way in which earth resides. Previously invisible, astronomers had been noting radio signals emanating from that area of space. After exhaustive research, the galaxy has been pinpointed, yet because its star cluster is so diffuse it is considered quite dark compared to other astronomical entities.

The orbital distance of Crater 2 is approximately 380,000 light years away from our viewpoint. Astronomers at Cambridge contend this discovery is no less remarkable because of the difficulty in proving its existence. Other astronomers worldwide have commented that this is certainly a nice piece of research to achieve such results.

The following image depicts area star clusters where constant radio signals have been detected outside the Milky Way:

Galaxy Images From Radio Signals

The following image is a NASA picture of our own Milky Way galaxy:

NASA Milky Way

The You Tube video shown below comes courtesy of TrendsonFire. It is a bit tongue-in-cheek, yet it is also informative:

Although, we are moving headlong into the 21st century in our day-to-day lives, we must note that each day also brings new and exciting discoveries, many of which are constantly improving our lives in so many ways. Universal Digest wishes to recognize a contributor, Alex Rodriguez from the United Kingdom who brought information of this recent discovery to our attention.

One thing is certain in our future is constant change and more discovery!

Universal Digest

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My Uncle Lou and Me and You

My Uncle Lou and Me and You…

They tell us, I reference of course, the proverbial “they”. That it is a lie. That its not true and that it is nothing more than the figment of someone’s imagination.  I speak of course about the “American Dream”. We are bombarded, lately with “enlightened thinkers” who choose to cast their wisdom upon us. Specifically about how many of our thoughts about this country and the ideas it was formed on  are incorrect or a lie. They choose to inform us, or teach us their “enlightened version” of what this country “really was” or what it should be. As a fervent advocate of free speech, I welcome everyone’s opinion on every subject matter including if the “American Dream” exists and what that may mean.

I know the “American Dream ” is real because I have seen it with my own eyes. I am not saying, of course that this dream can only happen in this country. But, what I am stating is that this dream did happen in America. So, the American Dream is possible. We have all heard stories, great ones in fact, of a person’s climb from poverty to greatness. While that is a tremendous example of an American Dream, the dream I am talking about is one much more simple in nature…but one just as grand.

Not too many years ago, my Uncle Lou..a giant of a man who may have stood all of 5 foot 8 inches tall, passed away.  He passed away after being married to his wonderful wife, my Aunt Clair for over 50 years. Uncle Lou and his wife, Clair lived the American dream.  They lived the stuff of legend…or fiction, unless, of course you live in America, because it all actually happened.

At the outbreak of World War 2, Uncle Lou joined the Navy.  Before leaving for training  one day, he hopped into a cab to take him to Brooklyn from New York City. When Uncle Lou entered the cab, he noticed that a library book was left on the seat.  He opened the book and found the name that the book was checked out to. Once back home, Uncle Lou opened up the phone book and started dialing every name that matched the one that was on the last page of that library book. Eventually, my Aunt Clair  picked up the phone, and they spoke for the first time. As happens from time to time, conversations led to a meeting (to return the book, of course) and they started to date.  While not dating for a long period of time, Uncle Lou promised my Aunt Clair that he would ask her hand in marriage once he came back from the war. You see, with Uncle Lou, their was no ifs…there was only looking at things with positive determination…he knew he would come back to her…and he did.  Uncle Lou, saw action in both Europe (D Day) and the Pacific Theater (Iwo Jima), as a Sea Bee.

After the war, Uncle Lou lived in  California and quickly married my sweet Aunt Clair. They had a son, and moved back east  to be around their families. Over the next 50 plus years, Uncle Lou and Aunt Clair lived the American Dream, and I was fortunate enough to watch them do it.  What is this american dream I speak of…loving your family, working hard every day, knowing you may never get rich in dollars (Uncle Lou never did),  but when you accept a pay check from some one you should show pride in your work and do it to your best ability.  Uncle Lou would walk or drive with Aunt Clair to church every Sunday, then watch his Yankees (okay, so he wasn’t perfect)   on TV and talk baseball into the evening.

Uncle Lou always wore a suit because it was the respectful thing to do.  He played cards after dinner, and always, even when I was 7 years old, asked me how I was doing and  you could tell…he cared.

During my last year of playing college football, I was fortunate enough to become one of the  captains of the football team. Uncle Lou went out of his way to shake my hand and tell me he was proud of me…a World War 2 vet is proud of me for playing a game?  It humbled me to the core.

I can go on and on about  great things and big tragedies that happened during those 50  plus years they were married, but that is not important now. I leave you with an example from late in his life that to me, proves that he lived the American Dream. You see, I never knew about his service at Iwo Jima or D Day until the last time I saw him alive.  It was at a party for a  member of our family who was setting off for another tour in Afghanistan and the Middle East. You see, Uncle Lou while proud of his service, never talked about it.. simply put, he served and fought…because you don’t boast about doing the right thing…you just do it.

Uncle Lou and Aunt Clair lived the American Dream…the dream of living and contributing by being the best people they could be.

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Five “Secrets” of SLS Engine 2059

Earlier this month, another successful test firing of a Space Launch System (SLS) RS-25 engine was conducted at Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. Engine testing is a vital part of making sure SLS is ready for its first flight. How do the engines handle the higher thrust level they’ll need to produce for an SLS launch? Is the new engine controller computer ready for the task of a dynamic SLS launch? What happens if you increase the pressure of the propellant flowing into the engine? SLS will produce more thrust at launch than any rocket NASA’s ever flown, and the power and stresses involved put a lot of demands on the engines. Testing gives us confidence that the upgrades we’re making to the engines have prepared them to meet those demands.

If you read about the test – and you are following us on Twitter, right? – you probably heard that the engine being used in this test was the first “flight” engine, both in the sense that it is an engine that has flown before, and is an engine that is already scheduled for flight on SLS. You may not have known that within the SLS program, each of the RS-25 engines for our first four flights is a distinct individual, with its own designation and history. Here are five other things you may not have known about the engine NASA and RS-25 prime contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne tested this month, engine 2059.

Engine 2059 during testing at Stennis Space Center on March 10

Engine 2059 roars to life during testing at Stennis Space Center.

1. Engine 2059 Is a “Hubble Hugger” – In 2009, the space shuttle made its final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, STS-125. Spaceflight fans excited by the mission called themselves “Hubble Huggers,” including STS-125 crew member John Grunsfeld, today the head of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. Along with two other engines, 2059 powered space shuttle Atlantis into orbit for the successful Hubble servicing mission. In addition to its Hubble flight, engine 2059 also made four visits to the International Space Station, including the STS-130 mission that delivered the cupola from which station crew members can observe Earth below them.

Launch of Atlantis on STS-125

The engine farthest to the left in this picture of the launch of the last Hubble servicing mission? That’s 2059. (Click for a larger version.)

2. The Last Shall Be First, and the Second-to-Last Shall Be Second-To-First – The first flight of SLS will include an engine that flew on STS-135, the final flight of the space shuttle, in 2011. So if the first flight of SLS includes an engine that flew on the last flight of shuttle, it only makes sense that on the second flight of SLS, there will be an engine that flew on the second-to-last flight of shuttle, right? Engine 2059 last flew on STS-134, the penultimate shuttle flight, in May 2011, and will next fly on SLS Exploration Mission-2.

View of the test stand during the test of engine 2059 at Stennis Space Center on March 10.

The test of engine 2059 at Stennis Space Center on March 10.

3. Engine 2059 Is Reaching for New Heights – As an engine that flew on a Hubble servicing mission, engine 2059 has already been higher than the average flight of an RS-25. Hubble orbits Earth at an altitude of about 350 miles, more than 100 miles higher than the average orbit of the International Space Station. But on its next flight, 2059 will fly almost three times higher than that – the EM-2 core stage and engines will reach a peak altitude of almost 1,000 miles!

Infographic about engine testing

Click to see larger version.

4. Sometimes the Engine Tests the Test Stand – The test of engine 2059 gave the SLS program valuable information about the engine, but it also provided unique information about the test stand. Because 2059 is a flown engine, we have data about its past testing performance. Prior to the first SLS RS-25 engine test series last year, the A1 test stand at Stennis had gone through modifications. Comparing the data from 2059’s previous testing with the test this month provides calibration data for the test stand.

NASA Social attendees with engine 2059 in the background

Attendees of a NASA Social visiting Stennis Space Center being photobombed by engine 2059.

5. You – Yes, You – Can Meet Awesome SLS Hardware Like Engine 2059 – In 2014, participants in a NASA Social at Stennis Space Center and Michoud Assembly Facility, outside of New Orleans, got to tour the engine facility at Stennis, and had the opportunity to have their picture made with one of the engines – none other than 2059. NASA Social participants have seen other SLS hardware, toured the booster fabrication facility at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and watched an RS-25 engine test at Stennis and a solid rocket booster test at Orbital ATK in Utah. Watch for your next opportunity to be part of a NASA Social here.

Watch the test here:

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you do not see the video above, please make sure the URL at the top of the page reads http, not https.

 

UNIVERSAL DIGEST is pleased to be a conduit for some of NASA’s projects and work. This article and some others were written by NASA and are mostly unedited. We do not claim credit, we simply want to make them more available to the general public.

 

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