Political and institutional factors affecting systems engineering

External groups have a significant impact on NASA's programs. Ten groups affecting NASA are identified, and examples are given for some of the them. Methods of dealing with these external inputs are discussed, the most important being good and open two way communications and an objective attitude on the part of the NASA participants. The importance of planning ahead, of developing rapport with these groups, and of effective use of NASA contractors is covered. The need for an overall strategic plan for the U.S. space program is stressed

FLTSATCOM-B launch

The prelaunch mission operation report of the Fleet Satellite Communications System (FLTSATCOM-B) spacecraft is presented. The orbit requirements, mission profiles, parking orbit, and transfer orbit for the FLTSATCOM-B spacecraft are described

Under the Influence? The Construction of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome in UK Newspapers

Today, alongside many other proscriptions, women are expected to abstain or at least limit their alcohol consumption during pregnancy. This advice is reinforced through warning labels on bottles and cans of alcoholic drinks. In most (but not all) official policies, this is linked to a risk of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or one of its associated conditions. However, given that there is little medical evidence that low levels of alcohol consumption have an adverse impact on the foetus, we need to examine broader societal ideas to explain why this has now become a policy concern. This paper presents a quantitative and qualitative assessment of analysis of the media in this context. By analysing the frames over time, this paper will trace the emergence of concerns about alcohol consumption during pregnancy. It will argue that contemporary concerns about FAS are framed around a number of pre-existing discourses including alcohol consumption as a social problem, heightened concerns about children at risk and shifts in ideas about the responsibility of motherhood including during the pre-conception and pregnancy periods. Whilst the newspapers regularly carried critiques of the abstinence position now advocated, these challenges focused did little to refute current parenting cultures.Foetal Alcohol Syndrome, Parenting Cultures, Media, UK

Infiltration of basinal fluids into high-grade basement, South Norway: sources and behaviour of waters and brines

Quartz veins hosted by the high-grade crystalline rocks of the Modum complex, Southern Norway, formed when basinal fluids from an overlying Palaeozoic foreland basin infiltrated the basement at temperatures of c.220degreesC (higher in the southernmost part of the area). This infiltration resulted in the formation of veins containing both two-phase and halite-bearing aqueous fluid inclusions, sometimes with bitumen and hydrocarbon inclusions. Microthermometric results demonstrate a very wide range of salinities of aqueous fluids preserved in these veins, ranging from c. 0 to 40 wt% NaCl equivalent. The range in homogenization temperatures is also very large (99-322degreesC for the entire dataset) and shows little or no correlation with salinity. A combination of aqueous fluid microthermometry, halogen geochemistry and oxygen isotope studies suggest that fluids from a range of separate aquifers were responsible for the quartz growth, but all have chemistries comparable to sedimentary formation waters. The bulk of the quartz grew from relatively low delta(18)O fluids derived directly from the basin or equilibrated in the upper part of the basement (T< 200degreesC). Nevertheless, some fluids acquired higher salinities due to deep wall-rock hydration reactions leading to salt saturation at high temperatures (>300degreesC). The range in fluid inclusion homogenization temperatures and densities, combined with estimates of the ambient temperature of the basement rocks suggests that at different times veins acted as conduits for influx of both hotter and colder fluids, as well as experiencing fluctuations in fluid pressure. This is interpreted to reflect episodic flow linked to seismicity, with hotter dry basement rocks acting as a sink for cooler fluids from the overlying basin, while detailed flow paths reflected local effects of opening and closing of individual fractures as well as reaction with wall rocks. Thermal considerations suggest that the duration of some flow events was very short, possibly in the order of days. As a result of the complex pattern of fracturing and flow in the Modum basement, it was possible for shallow fluids to penetrate basement rocks at significantly higher temperatures, and this demonstrates the potential for hydrolytic weakening of continental crust by sedimentary fluids

William Yardley and Jane Yardley, James Harrison, July 31, 1682

Letter dated July 31, 1682 (July 21, 1682 Old Style) from William and Jane Yardley—anchored on the ship Friends Adventure in Ramsey Bay off the Isle of Man—to James Harrison

Training teachers of mathematics virtually: Opportunities and threats

We reflect on our experiences working with 35 Teach First Trainees in June and July 2020 in an entirely online environment. Trainees had had no opportunity to spend any time in a classroom or with young people before commencing on an 80% timetable in September, and we have (still) not met any of the trainees face to face. In this reflective piece we describe and reflect on the changes we made to our pedagogy, especially those which produced an unexpectedly rich and sophisticated discourse, as well as the challenges

The Killing of Women in 'Sex Games Gone Wrong': An analysis of femicides in Great Britain 2000-2018

This research investigated cases of femicide in Great Britain where perpetrators had claimed that victims died in 'sex games gone wrong'. Forty-three femicides that resulted in a conviction for murder, manslaughter or culpable homicide were examined in relation to victim-perpetrator socio-demographic characteristics, victim-perpetrator relationship, homicide details and criminal justice outcomes. Key patterns within the data were identified. The research highlights that the 'sex game gone wrong' narrative has gained traction against a cultural backdrop of normalised BDSM within neoliberal political economy