Atlantis launch scrubbed

NASA has scrubbed the launch for a one day because of the faulty fuel sensor, but while they say things like this:

“We had a lot discussion…and we follow the rules,” NASA launch director Michael Leinbach told Jett, adding that the scrub falls in line with shuttle flight restrictions.

They make decisions like this:

If all four sensors work fine, or if the problem occurs exactly as seen today, Atlantis could launch on Saturday, NASA spokesperson June Malone told SPACE.com.

So in other words, if it mysteriously starts working, they'll launch. If it doesn't work, they'll launch. NASA has been having problems with these sensors for years--why in the hell don't they just redesign it or get them from a different manufacturer? They've had time. But instead, they'll just cross their fingers and hope.

I've always said--even after Challenger and Columbia--that I'd fly on a shuttle on a moment's notice. But after watching how NASA is handling this flight, it's clear to me that they're back to being more concerned about schedules than safety. And part of the problem is Bush's arbitrary 2010 deadline to retire the fleet. Let's forget the deadline, finish the station, and when it's done, retire the shuttles. I guess that's just too logical for politicians and administrators to understand.

Boycott Windows Vista?

Here's one of the more sensible articles I've read on the upcoming release of Windows Vista. In short, Vista is a "pointless" upgrade. I tend to agree. We're promised better security, but when Microsoft let hackers have a crack at it, they got in almost immediately. If you read the reviews of the current Release Candidate 1, the only two things that are universally mentioned are the security and the "new look," mostly the Aero graphics and the 3D windows. So we've been waiting five years and we're going to get...what? A prettier desktop? Meanwhile, Mac OS X has gone through about five versions and Linux keeps getting better.

I'm going to buy a new computer in the next month or so, and yes, I'm getting a PC. I'm not impressed with Macs--my wife has a Mac laptop for work, and I don't like the user interface. Here's a thought for Apple execs: Give us the option of having the Mac OS look like Windows. Make it easy on us to switch. And for frak's sake, go to a two-button mouse with a scroll wheel! How Macs can have an advanced operating system and still use 1993-era mice is beyond me.

But I'm buying a PC this time, and I'm going to hurry and do it before Vista is released. I'm more comfortable with a well-patched Windows XP than I am with what is sure to be a bug-ridden, vulnerable Vista.

NASA still hasn't learned

I see that NASA is going to try to launch Atlantis on Friday morning over the objections of their own safety teams and the manufacturer of a faulty fuel cell. Launch regulations are supposed to prohibit launching without all three fuel cells operational. Hey, NASA--remember the Challenger? Geesh, what's NASA's motto, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, want a job at NASA?"

I see they've also got a faulty fuel level sensor--the same problem they've had in the past and chose to ignore. From Space.com:

NASA Eyes Fuel Tank Sensor Glitch for Shuttle Launch
8 September 2006 5:23 a.m. EDT

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA engineers have spotted a problem with one of four engine cutoff sensors inside the liquid hydrogen portion of the space shuttle Atlantis’ external tank.

NASA spokesperson Bruce Buckingham said shuttle officials agreed to press forward with fueling Atlantis for today’s planned 11:40:32 a.m. EDT (1540:32 GMT) launch as troubleshooting efforts continue.

Engine cutoff sensors (ECO) are used as a sort of shuttle fuel gauge to measure the amount of propellant remaining inside Atlantis’ external tank during flight. They are designed to automatically shut down a shuttle’s three main engines if the level of liquid hydrogen or liquid oxygen is close to running out, since firing the engines without propellant could cause serious damage to the orbiter.

Buckingham said the sensor in question is ECO 3 in Atlantis’ liquid hydrogen tank.

The sensor is reading ‘wet’ – meaning it is submerged in liquid hydrogen – instead of ‘dry’ – which flight controllers direct the sensor to indicate in a standard preflight check.

NASA has had seen ECO glitches in the past – most recently with the STS-114 mission in 2005, when an ECO sensor failed during a routine tanking test to ensure it was operating properly.

This is shaping up to be a dangerous flight.

Made my day

I was having a rotten day today, between some issues at work and some other personal hassles, until one of my former students dropped by and gave me a book. She even wrote a very moving note in the front. That's the first time a former student ever gave me a present. It really made my day. It's nice to feel like you've made a difference in someone's life.

Does Congress really have nothing better to do?

With two weeks left in the session, Congress is wasting their time on more pointless legislation. This time, they're voting on a bill to shut down three foreign-owned horse slaughterhouses, egged on by, among others, Bo Derek.

Dear Congress: PULL YOUR HEADS OUT OF YOUR ASSES AND DO SOMETHING PRODUCTIVE!!!

Sigh...I hope the whole lot of 'em lose this November. I don't care if you're an elephant or a donkey, if this is the best you can do, we're in deep trouble.

Maybe I can go back to Ireland for the next few decades. Any Irish want to offer me a job?

More academic idiocy

Another email from the department, this time criticizing something in my syllabus that hasn't changed in four years, and that was perfectly fine the last three and a half. I'm getting really sick and tired of this crap. They must just be on some kind of ego trip now. There's no sense in this at all. I'm so disillusioned. Intelligent people should be above this kind of nonsense. Of course, I've accused them in the past of being more concerned with their own pet theories than with the realities of higher education, and every time something like this happens, it just solidifies my conviction. I used to like this university--but it's going downhill fast.

Bush admits CIA prisons' existence

Bush has now finally admitted that the CIA operated secret prisons in foreign countries, outside the jurisdiction and oversight of American courts. But of course, he only did so after such prisons became public knowledge, both here in the States through the work of the Washington Post and overseas, where the knowledge caused quite a scandal. He also claims that he does not condone torture, but admits that he authorized--with the cooperation of the Department of Justice--"an alternative set of procedures" when suspects refused to talk. Let's not forget that Bush also insisted that "enemy combatant"--a term his administration invented out of thin air--was legal until the Supreme Court--bolstered by two of his own appointees--struck it down. I have never seen any lawmaker or politician so willing--eager, even--to ignore or break the laws of the land. Even Nixon (coincidentally? another Republican) never went so far.

To Bush's defenders--I know some of you think that he should be doing whatever he can to protect the American people. But what good is protection if he's stripping away everything he's supposed to be protecting? The GOP railroaded Clinton for having an extramarital affair, and yet they support clear violations of the Constitution on a daily basis? Someone please explain to me how that isn't hypocrisy in the worst way! They insult the New York Times every chance they get, but conveniently forget how Fox News' Geraldo Rivera gave away US troop movements on global TV during the Iraq invasion. So questioning policy is treason, but telling the enemy where our troops are isn't? Bush lost his rational credibility a long time ago, and with every new revelation about how his administration tries to sidestep the law, he's losing more and more moral credibility.

It's a shame.

Grades and Tribulations

Got an email a while back from a certain administrator in the department. Seems there was a problem with the way I do grades. The problem is, I want to be fair. They want to do everything they can to inflate grades in order to boost their popularity numbers and make themselves look good. I used to be under the impression that most university administrators, especially those who used to be professors and teachers themselves, were supposed to be against such dishonest practices. Apparently, I'm in the minority--people who actually put integrity over self-promotion. And of course, I can't actually argue because my contract is semester-to-semester, and I'm not at all convinced that they aren't so petty as to not renew it. After all, they've done it in the past. Anyone who publicly disagrees with their policies finds themselves sans job. And people think college professors are all liberal and above such things. HA!

Nova nota

I've finally decided to start keeping a blog. I resisted for years, mostly because I'm not sure there's really an audience for my opinions. But we'll soon find out, won't we?

The blog name--Percontatio--is Latin for "a searching inquiry." I hope that the thoughts and opinions I record here will justify the title. I've been thinking about a pseudonym, but I haven't settled on one yet. Never said I was a quick thinker.

A little about me, just so you know where this rambling is coming from. I teach in the English Department at a major university--I will not say which one, because while I have good reason to complain about it, I do want to keep my job. Even though I live in the "big city" now, I grew up in a very small rural town in the midwest. When I'm not teaching, grading papers, or mumbling to myself about the inequities of life, I enjoy chess, woodworking, reading, baseball, and a very few television shows. Other than the Daily Show, the Colbert Report, the Simpsons, M*A*S*H*, Futurama, Stargate, and the occasional episode of South Park (and can you believe this?), there's just not anything on TV I want to watch anymore. I used to be a CNN junkie, but I got so sick of every network failing to actually ask hard questions and do the kind of journalism that Edward R. Murrow, Walter Cronkite, and similar "old-school" journalists did--you know, actually try to get at the truth--that I won't watch any cable news anymore. I get what news I need from Google News and the BBC, and that's enough for me.

I've got another post in me, but it'll have to wait a few hours. I want to spend some time with the wife, and when she goes to bed, I'll be back.