University Nanosatellite Distributed Satelllite Capabilities to Support TechSat 21

A new way to perform space missions utilizes the concept of clusters of satellites that cooperate to perform the function of a larger, single satellite. Each smaller satellite communicates with the others and shares the processing, communications, and payload or mission functions. The required functionality is thus spread across the satellites in the cluster, the aggregate forming a virtual satellite . The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) initiated the TechSat 21 program to explore the basic technologies required to enable such distributed satellite systems. For this purpose, Space Based Radar (SBR) was selected as a reference mission to help identify technology requirements and to allow an easy comparison to a conventional approach. A summary of the basic mission and the performance requirements is provided. The satellite cluster approach to space missions requires science and technology advances in several key areas. Each of these challenges is described in some detail, with specific stressing requirements driven by the SBR reference mission. These TechSat 21 research and technology areas are being studied in a coordinated effort between several directorates within AFRL and the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. In support of TechSat 21, the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency are jointly funding 10 universities with grants of $50k/year over two years to design and assemble 10–12 nanosatellites (approx 10kg each) for launch in November 2001. The universities are conducting creative low-cost space experiments to explore the military usefulness of nanosatellites in such areas as formation flying, enhanced communications, miniaturized sensors and thrusters, and attitude control. AFRL is developing a deployment structure and providing advanced microsatellite hardware, and NASA Goddard is providing advanced crosslink communication and navigation hardware and flight algorithms to demonstrate formation flying. Numerous industry partners are also supporting the universities with hardware, design expertise, and test facilities. Areas of particular interest to the TechSat 21 program include autonomous operation and simplified ground control of satellite clusters, intersatellite communications, distributed processing, and formation control. This paper summarizes both hardware and computational challenges that have been identified in both the TechSat 21 and the university nanosatellite programs for implementing operational satellite subsystems to accomplish these tasks

Historical Perspectives and Legal Aspects of Cyber Warfare

Historical development of cyber warfare follows three major historical periods: first period follows the technological advances of information technology during the 1980s until the end of the Cold War in 1990, second period is from the end of the Cold War to the terrorist attacks in United States during 11-th september 2001 year and the third period  is from the terrorist attacks in United States during 11-th september 2001 year onwards. Each of the mentioned historical periods follows a specific doctrine and strategy of dealing with the national security threats from cyberspace. The world super powers and the world states, introduce appropriate strategies and national policies to deal with the consequences of this kind of warfare. Expression of cyberspace is linked to a short story titled "Burning Chrome" in the 1982 year written by American author William Gibson. In the following years, this word turned out to be conspicuously related to online PC systems. According to NATO, people are part of cyberspace.  According to this, NATO defines that cyberspace is more than just internet, including not only hardware, software and information systems, but also peoples and social interaction with these networks. The first cyber warfare weapon ever known in history was Stuxnet. Stuxnet\u27s objective was to physically annihilate a military target. Stuxnet has contaminated more than 60,000 PCs around the world, mostly in Iran. While international cooperation is essential, each nation should in near future develop a National foundation, its own national cyber security strategy, authorities and capabilities. Every nation state, should  require effective coordination and cooperation among governmental entities at the national and sub-national levels as well as the private sector and civil society. The main hypothesis of this paper is to present the historical development and perspectives of cyber warfare and accordingly propose the best legal concepts, national doctrines and strategies for dealing with this modern type of warfare

Startups and Stanford University

Startups have become in less than 50 years a major component of innovation and economic growth. Silicon Valley has been the place where the startup phenomenon was the most obvious and Stanford University was a major component of that success. Companies such as Google, Yahoo, Sun Microsystems, Cisco, Hewlett Packard had very strong links with Stanford but even these vary famous success stories cannot fully describe the richness and diversity of the Stanford entrepreneurial activity. This report explores the dynamics of more than 5000 companies founded by Stanford University alumni and staff, through their value creation, their field of activities, their growth patterns and more. The report also explores some features of the founders of these companies such as their academic background or the number of years between their Stanford experience and their company creation

Measures for assessing the impact of ICT use on attainment

"Building on ImpaCT2, this study aims to design a measure or measures capable of tracking 'snapshot' data, such that it will be possible to monitor the development of ICT use to support attainment" -- page 4

Managing evolution and change in web-based teaching and learning environments

The state of the art in information technology and educational technologies is evolving constantly. Courses taught are subject to constant change from organisational and subject-specific reasons. Evolution and change affect educators and developers of computer-based teaching and learning environments alike – both often being unprepared to respond effectively. A large number of educational systems are designed and developed without change and evolution in mind. We will present our approach to the design and maintenance of these systems in rapidly evolving environments and illustrate the consequences of evolution and change for these systems and for the educators and developers responsible for their implementation and deployment. We discuss various factors of change, illustrated by a Web-based virtual course, with the objective of raising an awareness of this issue of evolution and change in computer-supported teaching and learning environments. This discussion leads towards the establishment of a development and management framework for teaching and learning systems

How open is open enough?: Melding proprietary and open source platform strategies

Computer platforms provide an integrated architecture of hardware and software standards as a basis for developing complementary assets. The most successful platforms were owned by proprietary sponsors that controlled platform evolution and appropriated associated rewards. Responding to the Internet and open source systems, three traditional vendors of proprietary platforms experimented with hybrid strategies which attempted to combine the advantages of open source software while retaining control and differentiation. Such hybrid standards strategies reflect the competing imperatives for adoption and appropriability, and suggest the conditions under which such strategies may be preferable to either the purely open or purely proprietary alternatives