To Infinity and Beyond!

Israeli spacecraft moves to forefront in NASA Neptune mission

 June 23, 2020

A Weizmann institute-designed spacecraft is in the running to be chosen by NASA for a 2026 mission to Neptune.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

A Weizmann Institute-designed spacecraft is in the running to be chosen by NASA for a mission to Neptune. The craft, named Trident, has received over $3 million in funding to enable researchers to search for signs of life and study the atmosphere and oceans of the planet Neptune’s moon, Triton.

After last July’s crash landing of the Israeli aircraft Beresheet on the moon, the Neptune mission may be the Jewish state’s attempt at redemption in space exploration.

Trident was chosen from 22 competitors and is currently one of four projects remaining in the final stage of selection. NASA will choose two crafts for the 2026 launch. The craft are expected to arrive at Neptune in 2038.

One of the critical features above the Israeli craft is a hyper accurate clock, built by Jerusalem based firm Accubeat. The clock, which loses less than one second every million years, will be able to record, measure, and transmit data about Triton’s atmosphere.

Professor Yohai Caspi of the Weizmann Institute’s Earth and Planetary Sciences Department spoke about the project’s goals with ILTV News. One of the main aims of the mission will be investigating Triton’s subsurface ocean.

“The spacecraft will be measuring the thickness and mass of this ocean,” said Kaspi.

“Moreover, in some places, this ocean spills out. We have geysers that are going from the interior to the atmosphere, which is carrying the material around, and that’s something we’ll be measuring with the spacecraft.”

To the delight of those who are curious about life on other planets, Kaspi directly alluded to the possibility of finding life forms within Triton’s deep oceans.

“It might even have life in it. We have life very deep in the oceans on Earth, where there’s no sunlight, so maybe there’s a similar state on this moon,” Kaspi said to ILTV News.

Kaspi also explained that Triton’s atmosphere is another main focus for investigation.

“We’ll be learning about a very unique atmosphere that hasn’t been observed before on any other moon in the solar system.”

But it’s not just the moon’s atmosphere that makes it unique. Triton spins the opposite direction of Neptune, suggesting that it likely did not originate in Neptune’s system. So in studying Triton, Kaspi said, “We’re actually learning about an object from outside our solar system.”

“This is something very new.”

This article appeared first on World Israel News.

Don't Mess with the Big Babu!

CHINESE TROOPS IN 'PANIC MODE' AFTER BORDER CLASH WITH INDIA
Steven Green 
June 22, 2020 1:38pm EST

Chinese troops were reportedly in “panic mode” after a recent border clash with Indian troops high in the two nations’ disputed Himalayan border area.

The Sunday Guardian’s Abhinandan Mishra reported on Sunday that “Chinese soldiers were in a state of shock and fear after the Indian soldiers replied with ‘sheer fighting force’ to the treacherous attack by the Chinese.”

The two countries share a largely undemarcated and sometimes disputed border in the Himalaya mountains, where the peaks can reach 28,000 feet. While the area has been largely quiet in recent years, the two nuclear-armed powers have engaged in sometimes-deadly border clashes since May 10.

The Sunday Guardian report details the most recent fighting, in which China’s PLA land forces may not have acquitted themselves very well:

Inputs accessed by The Sunday Guardian post the debriefing of these 10 men, revealed that the outnumbered and “unarmed” (as the rules required them to be) Indian troops, rather than retreating in view of the huge number of Chinese soldiers, grabbed the improvised clubs and rods that the Chinese were using to batter Indian soldiers, and used the same to kill “at least” 20 Chinese soldiers and officers at patrol point 14.

“This was one reason for the high morale of our troops who came back to us on Thursday. Our men were captured after they chased the Chinese into their area of domination, with the intention to kill them after hearing of the loss of their CO, Colonel Santosh Babu. The Chinese soldiers, seeing the unexpected attack from our men, started fleeing and running back to their area and were followed by our men, who were then captured”, the official stated.

The debriefing of the 10 men has also revealed that the Chinese soldiers were in a state of shock and fear after the Indian soldiers replied with “sheer fighting force” to the treacherous attack by the Chinese. During the next 60 plus hours, the Chinese soldiers were highly anxious about a possible retribution from the Indian side and were in “panic-mode”.

My gut reaction is to take such claims with a grain of salt, but as crazy and difficult as mountain fighting is — even in a “mere” border clash — maybe anything is possible.

China would seem to hold most of the advantages in this spring’s border clash. They literally hold the high ground — the Tibet plateau — on their side of the Himalayas. And China has made great strides to improve the local infrastructure, which is much more modern than India’s.

Also, while India has enjoyed robust economic growth in the last two decades, China’s growth has still left them in the dust.

Also, China’s military budget dwarfs India’s by a factor of almost 4 to 1: $266 billion to $71 billion.

But lacking any major external threats by land, Beijing has concentrated its defense buildup on the People’s Liberation Army air and naval forces. By comparison, the ground forces have been lacking.

So it is possible that faced with unexpectedly fierce resistance from the Indian Army during the weekend’s renewed border clash, Chinese troops simply failed.

Whatever might or might not have happened over the weekend, Beijing seems to be getting what it wants.

There is still some lack of clarity about the exact ground situation in the Galwan Valley region of eastern Ladakh. But there is little doubt that Chinese soldiers have built dozens of new fortifications and bunkers after physically occupying an almost 8-km stretch of what India considers its own territory along the Pangong Tso since early-May.

Chinese troops have also taken control of the heights to dominate ‘Finger-4 to 8’ (mountainous spurs) area on the north bank of Pangong Tso, adroitly utilising the time when bilateral military talks were underway on the troop confrontations at Patrolling Points 14, 15 and 17 in the Galwan Valley and Gogra-Hot Springs areas.

More to come from the 2020 China-India Border Clash, I’m sure — none of it good.

This article appeared first on PJ Media. Tweets that were originally included that contained video are not included in this post. Click on the link at the top of this post to view the original news story.

Quickies: Trinket Box & Small Vase

Still catching up on completed past projects. Here are a couple that don't take up a huge amount of your time. Perfect for those moods when you just don't want to spend the day crafting.

In case you're curious, the doily appearing in these project phots is the Gift Doily made in Aunt Lydia's size 10 thread in white and ocean. You'll find the link to the pattern under Crochet Freebies in the sidebar.

Quickie #1: Trinket Box

What you need for this project:

• 1 small wood box with lid
• Scrap piece of scrapbooking paper
• Chalk paint in coordinating color
• Matte Finish Mod Podge
• Sandpaper
• Scissors
• Paint brush

I had purchased a small item as a Christmas gift (yes, I'm already there) and didn't want to put it into a plain gift box. I found small wood boxes at Dollar Tree and decided it would do with a touch here and there. After removing the plastic wrapping, I saw that the wood was quite rough in spots. What do you want for $1 anyway? I remedied that by taking the sandpaper to it and that took care of it. There. Smooth and good to go.

STEP 1: APPLY PAPER

Cut a strip of scrapbooking paper to go around the bottom of the box, ensuring the paper will extend slightly beyond the top and bottom edges. Apply a coat of Mod Podge all around the sides. Starting in the back, apply paper making sure it extends beyond the top and bottom edges. Apply Mod Podge to the inside of the paper to glue it down at the seam. Finish by applying another coat of Mod Podge all round covering the paper entirely. Set aside to dry.

STEP 2: PAINT LID

Apply 1-2 coats to the lid, allowing to dry completely between coats. Set aside to dry.

STEP 3: FINISH BOX BOTTOM

Holding bottom edge of box toward you, sand along edges to remove excess paper. Not only will this give you a clean edge, it's a cool way to avoid having to cut your paper exactly to size. No need to fret about that from now on!

STEP 4: FINISH LID

You can either leave the lid painted as-is or Mod Podge a piece of scrapbooking paper to the top as I did. Up to you. In hindsight, I think I would have just left the lid painted. Again, up to you. Either way, finish off with a coat of Mod Podge so the finish on both pieces is the same. Let dry.

DONE!

If you're using the box as a gift box, you can wrap twine or ribbon around the box. Otherwise, your box is ready to store your favorite trinkets.

TOTAL PROJECT COST - $1 for the box. I had everything else.

Quickie #2: Small Vase

Yes, it says "Monkey Farts".
And no, I don't know what monkey farts smell like (rotten bananas maybe?),
so I have no way of knowing if the smell is accurate.

What you'll need for this project:

• 1 set Dollar Tree salt and pepper shakers
• Chalk paint in desired color
• Wax
• Small amount of jute twine or ribbon
• Scrap pieces of greenery or florals
• Paint brush
• Sand paper
• Scissors

Most of us have collections of some sort. Collections can get boring to look at if all you have are different styles of the same thing displayed. To make your collections more interesting to look at, you need to inject other items into the vignette. This sweet little vase can definitely fit that bill. And since the shakers come in a set, you can make 2!

You should know the routine by now, but here we go:

STEP 1: PREPARE BOTTLE

Wash and dry thoroughly. Toss the lids or save them for some other project. You never know.

STEP 2: PAINT BOTTLE

Apply 1-2 coats of paint, as needed for coverage, allowing to dry between coats. End with applying a coat of wax. Allow to dry overnight, then sand raised edges to distress.

STEP 3: FINISH

Wrap some jute twine or ribbon around base of threaded area of bottle and tie with a square knot. Insert pieces of greenery and flowers.

DONE!

Your sweet little vase is ready for display.

TOTAL PROJECT COST - $1 for the salt and pepper shakers. I had everything else.

And there you go. Have a wonderful Sunday!

Our Fearless Moron Speaks

Our Idiot Governor Gavin Newsom, (yes, that's his official title), has evidently decided that things were going too well in CA and he just couldn't have that. He announced on the 18th that the wearing of masks in all public places - both indoors and out - is now mandatory. This flies in the face of even the Evil Dr. Fauci who indicated that the wearing of masks is mostly symbolic.

Just watch until you hear the Pat Screech - about 8 minutes in

You can read / download the new conditions here.

I did manage to find some humor in the exceptions area. If you have a medical condition that makes wearing a mask difficult or impossible, they indicate that you should wear a face shield. So let's all dress up like we're extras in Demolition Man, shall we?

I went to the doctor last week for my bi-annual lab work that I have to do. I was accosted by several people as I was about to enter the building. One person stopped me to take my temperature and slapped a sticker on my sleeve indicating that I was 'OK'. Another person stopped me because I wasn't wearing a mask and made me wait while another person gave me one to put on. All through the area were huge, tall signs posted informing me of the virus and what I could do to keep from catching it or spreading it. (Like we haven't been inundated with this news 24/7 for the past several months.) I, of course didn't read any of them. Needless to say, it was a long gauntlet to run through before I actually got to the door.

Diversion: Learn About Gauntlets

When I went to check in, I had to answer a series of questions. 'Have you had the virus?', 'Have you been around anyone who has the virus?', (How would I know?), 'Do you have difficulty breathing?', 'Have you had a fever?', etc. Confess, proletariat! I was sooo tempted to respond with "2+2=5" and "I love Big Brother", but got control of myself. Instead, I just rolled my eyes and told her anything I've experienced was not associated with any virus. The girl sitting next to her giggled.

While I was sitting in the waiting area, a young girl sat across from me who was wearing both a cloth mask and an acrylic face shield. The mechanism used on the face shield for keeping it on her head was an elastic band. The shield itself was wide open at the top, bottom and sides, so it would only protect her from a direct spew-blast to the face. Plus her mask and shield were color-coordinated in a pretty pink pattern. Quite stylish, (I guess).

This song ran through my brain as I was looking at her

Anyone taller than her or standing to her side could spew down / over and still infect her through her eyes. She was not a tall person and I had to really work hard to not laugh out loud at her overreactive silliness. But that's just me. I have a habit of seeing silly and / or irrational human behavior everywhere I go. Then I have to stop and ask God for forgiveness as I repent and continue to work on my cynical and sarcastic view of the world.

Some of My Original Crochet Patterns

These are some of the patterns that I used to sell on Ravelry until they got stupid. A couple of them were posted before, but they weren't made available as downloadable PDF files. To download, just click on the download icon under each document.

I have more patterns, but they were originally on my old Mac and I copied them to CDs before I cleared it for recycling, so more later!

Bottle Strap Holder

I can't begin to tell you how many of these I have made over the years. They are so good for carrying a bottle around any outdoor venue. Keep this one handy!

Better Poop Bag Holder

Cuter than the last one I posted, but still easy to make : )

Travel Cloth

A simple cloth to make, but quite handy to take on camping trips or wherever you need both a cloth and a bar of soap!

Retro Dish Mop

This was rewritten in modern terminology from a vintage pattern. Since it's made with cotton thread, it's a great mop to use for those kitchen dishes.

Puff Flower Spa Cloth

Easy, but pretty, ample-sized washcloth. Can be made up in an afternoon!