766 research outputs found

    Making a success of ‘failure’: a Science Studies analysis of PILOT and SERC in the context of Australian space science

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    This thesis presents an in-depth empirical investigation, based on participant observation, interviews and publicly available materials, of PILOT and SERC, two recent Australian space science projects that were both connected to the problem of space debris. While PILOT’s proposal for funding failed, SERC was successfully funded yet failed to reach its initially stated goal of demonstrating the possibility of Active Debris Removal (ADR) using a ground-based high power laser combined with laser guide star adaptive optics. My analysis illustrates that the Australian space science funding and policy environment changed significantly in the brief period between PILOT’s unsuccessful proposal and SERC’s formation, marking the period of time in which dual-use space capability development was recognised as a political strategic priority. In SERC’s case, dual-use technology has been developed through (substantially) publicly funded institutions and by civil scientists. I argue that the current arrangement of policy and funding structures in the Australian space sciences sector facilitates engagement in dual-use technology development in such a way that two outcomes emerge: first, that moral responsibility for the products of such research is institutionally and individually avoided by distributing it ‘up the chain’ to national governmental entities, and second, that international legal responsibility is likewise avoided at a national level by distributing it ‘down the chain’ to institutions. I demonstrate how policy and funding conditions in Australia allowed individuals working in, and adjacent to, the space sciences to maintain, unchallenged, the convenient fiction that science is itself amoral and, to some extent, apolitical

    California Extremely Large Telescope: Conceptual Design for a Thirty-Meter Telescope

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    Following great success in the creation of the Keck Observatory, scientists at the California Institute of Technology and the University of California have begun to explore the scientific and technical prospects for a much larger telescope. The Keck telescopes will remain the largest telescopes in the world for a number of years, with many decades of forefront research ahead after that. Though these telescopes have produced dramatic discoveries, it is already clear that even larger telescopes must be built if we are to address some of the most profound questions about our universe. The time required to build a larger telescope is approximately ten years, and the California community is presently well-positioned to begin its design and construction. The same scientists who conceived, led the design, and guided the construction of the Keck Observatory have been intensely engaged in a study of the prospects for an extremely large telescope. Building on our experience with the Keck Observatory, we have concluded that the large telescope is feasible and is within the bounds set by present-day technology. Our reference telescope has a diameter of 30 meters, the largest size we believe can be built with acceptable risk. The project is currently designated the California Extremely Large Telescope (CELT)

    Summer Workshop on Near-Earth Resources

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    The possible large scale use of extraterrestrial resources was addressed, either to construct structures in space or to return to Earth as supplements for terrestrial resources. To that end, various specific recommendations were made by the participants in the summer study on near-Earth resources, held at La Jolla, California, 6 to 13 August, 1977. The Moon and Earth-approaching asteroids were considered. Summaries are included of what is known about their compositions and what needs to be learned, along with recommendations for missions designed to provide the needed data. Tentative schedules for these projects are also offered

    Lighting at the end of the tunnel:the design of adaptive and intelligent lighting for an underground workspace

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    Abstract. Callio has been established to manage the rehabilitation of Pyhäsalmi Mine into a world-class business and research underground facility. The reuse of Pyhäsalmi Mine serves as a backdrop for studying the effects of artificial light in an underground workspace. This provides a rationale for a hypothesis respecting the lighting environment as affecting the physiological and psychological state of people working in environments with restricted exposure to natural light. Although the current lighting infrastructure may be sufficient for mining operations, it is questionable that the visual and non-visual lighting requirements of the future users of the deep underground facility can be fulfilled under the existent lighting conditions. The main research question that this thesis intends to study is the ways in which future users of the deep underground workspace may benefit from adaptive and intelligent lighting in their day-to-day work activities. Whether the influence of a workspace equipped with adaptive and intelligent lighting and designed through a set of architectural lighting principles may promote well-being of employees and guests. The first part of this thesis presents the theoretical background of the visual and non-visual effects of light and workspace architecture. The second part introduces the implementation of adaptive and intelligent technologies to architectural lighting design in the context of creating a new working environment in two underground spaces in Callio. Located on the main level, Retka restaurant will also operate as the new information centre. A few metres deeper, the Lab 2 will offer a new floor for research and business activities. Through a series of scenarios, the design implementation of adaptive and intelligent lighting aims to respond to the visual and non-visual requirements of light of the future users of the deep underground workspace. The production of detailed descriptions for each scenario provides a robust conceptual framework for the lighting design. It aims to unfold the most adequate lighting behaviour that suits the underground working environment. The implementation plan for the lighting designs form a basis for future lighting pilots whereby the effects of lighting in underground environments will be studied

    Working Papers: Astronomy and Astrophysics Panel Reports

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    The papers of the panels appointed by the Astronomy and Astrophysics survey Committee are compiled. These papers were advisory to the survey committee and represent the opinions of the members of each panel in the context of their individual charges. The following subject areas are covered: radio astronomy, infrared astronomy, optical/IR from ground, UV-optical from space, interferometry, high energy from space, particle astrophysics, theory and laboratory astrophysics, solar astronomy, planetary astronomy, computing and data processing, policy opportunities, benefits to the nation from astronomy and astrophysics, status of the profession, and science opportunities

    International GPS Service for Geodynamics

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    This 1995 annual report of the IGS International GPS (Global Positioning System) Service for Geodynamics - describes the second operational year of the service. It provides the many IGS contributing agencies and the rapidly growing user community with essential information on current organizational and technical matters promoting the IGS standards and products (including organizational framework, data processing strategies, and statistics showing the remarkable expansion of the GPS monitoring network, the improvement of IGS performance, and product quality). It also introduces important practical concepts for network densification by integration of regional stations and the combination of station coordinate solutions. There are groups of articles describing general aspects of the IGS, the Associate Analysis Centers (AACs), Data Centers, and IGS stations

    The Second Conference on Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century, volume 1

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    These papers comprise a peer-review selection of presentations by authors from NASA, LPI industry, and academia at the Second Conference (April 1988) on Lunar Bases and Space Activities of the 21st Century, sponsored by the NASA Office of Exploration and the Lunar Planetary Institute. These papers go into more technical depth than did those published from the first NASA-sponsored symposium on the topic, held in 1984. Session topics covered by this volume include (1) design and operation of transportation systems to, in orbit around, and on the Moon, (2) lunar base site selection, (3) design, architecture, construction, and operation of lunar bases and human habitats, and (4) lunar-based scientific research and experimentation in astronomy, exobiology, and lunar geology

    2022-2023 Program and Abstracts: Celebration of Student Scholarship

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    The 2022-2023 Program and Abstracts for the Celebration of Student Scholarship at Morehead State University held on April 19, 2023. A Showcase of Student Research, Scholarship, Creative Work, and Performance Arts.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/celebration_posters_2023/1046/thumbnail.jp

    Stories and silences in modern physics collections: an object biography approach

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    This thesis explores aspects of how modern physics has been collected and displayed in the UK over the (long) 20th century, with a particular focus on the national collections in the Science Museum, London. The emergence and establishment of ‘modern physics’ roughly overlaps with the development of distinct science and technology museums. This provides an opportunity to explore how the presentation of modern physics through its material culture has been shaped by a variety of factors including scientists’ own narratives of their professional identities, institutional and museological trends and state priorities. My methodology takes an object biography approach, informed by S.J.M.M. Alberti’s 2005 call to explore objects in museums. Looking beyond (or behind) the displays allows us to take a longer view away from the particular constraints of individual exhibitions, offering a glimpse into how various publics – in museums and elsewhere – encountered artefacts of modern physics. By combining close-up object inspections with archival sources, the thesis follows the stories of a variety of object types: equipment associated with famous experiments, models made for industry displays, components of large-scale scientific infrastructure, and everyday lab and teaching equipment. These are tracked through the worlds of professional physics and public displays. In addition to exploring objects’ stories I also explore silences: considering aspects of modern physics which have not been well-represented in museum displays, whether due to deliberate omission or not being suited to the medium of object collections. I also examine forgotten objects, languishing in museum storage, as a test of the object biography approach. Exploring silences allows for a consideration of agnotology in museums, asking whether the construction of ignorance might have novel applications for artefacts and museums, which have mainly been studied in terms of the construction of knowledge
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