Unlicensed Mission Street vendors who became the focus of complaints from neighbors last year have moved to a newly organized and permitted flea market on Julian Street. The San Francisco Examiner reported last year that complaints about sidewalk obstruction, trash and alleged stolen goods dogged an unpermitted flea market that drew dozens of vendors to the block of Mission Street between 14th and 15th streets every weekend. The pressure from neighbors prompted police to crack down and issue citations to some of the vendors. But after nearly a year of community outreach and some delays due to bad weather, the new market, officially dubbed “La Pulguita,” celebrated its soft launch last Saturday on a block of Julian Street, which runs parallel to Mission Street, between 14th and 15th streets. There, La Pulguita has been given a permit to legally operate for one month as a trial run. The pilot program is the result of advocacy from community members and city leaders who called … [Read more...] about Unpermitted vendors find a new, legal home in the Mission District
Mission space
Documentary chronicles work of Cedar Rapids company on Apollo mission space communications
December 17, 2018 By Radio Iowa Contributor NASA photo of Apollo 8 launch. The pioneering work done in the 1960s by employees of what was then Collins Radio in Cedar Rapids is the subject of a documentary premiering this week. “Moon Talk” tells the story of the technology developed at Collins that enabled astronauts aboard the Apollo 8 Moon mission to speak with Mission Control. Retired systems engineer Steve Tyson says the company’s contributions were critical. “Collins Radio had the complete responsibility for all of the communications, both between the Earth and the spacecraft, as well as around the Earth,” Tyson says. “We had to have stations scattered, about 35 sites around the world, to be able to create a link with the astronauts at all times.” Apollo 8 launched 50 years ago this week — on December 21st of 1968. It became the first manned space flight to leave Earth’s orbit. Astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill … [Read more...] about Documentary chronicles work of Cedar Rapids company on Apollo mission space communications
Russia: Hole in space station was likely act of sabotage
The Russian Soyuz MS-09 crew craft (left) and the Northrop Grumman (formerly Orbital ATK) Cygnus space freighter are attached to the International Space Station. REUTERS/NASA/Handout The hole discovered in Russia’s International Space Station last week was likely deliberately drilled to destroy the mission, space agency officials said Tuesday. Astronauts last week noticed a drop in pressure caused by a small hole and thought the gap was caused by a tiny meteorite, the country’s space agency chief told Phys.org. An astronaut ended up using his finger to temporarily plug it up. But the hole may have been a cosmically twisted plot to sabotage the satellite — possibly carried out by a psychologically disturbed astronaut who wanted to go home early, the science news outlet reported, citing experts and government officials “If a cosmonaut pulled this strange stunt — and that can’t be ruled out — it’s really bad,” said Maxim … [Read more...] about Russia: Hole in space station was likely act of sabotage
Space lettuce: It’s what’s for dinner
.......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... .......... ..........ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A local startup’s quantum dot technology could some day help feed astronauts on the moon and Mars.Los Alamos-based UbiQD, which is developing quantum dot coatings to help boost greenhouse crop production on Earth, won an initial $125,000 NASA contract to study the technology’s potential application in space. The Phase I Small Business Technology Transfer award will allow UbiQD to work with the University of Arizona to explore using quantum dots to manipulate sunlight for optimized crop growth during space and planetary exploration missions, said UbiQD founder and CEO Hunter McDaniel.The University of Arizona is working with NASA to build a prototype greenhouse for crews of astronauts to grow food during extended stays in space that could last months or … [Read more...] about Space lettuce: It’s what’s for dinner
Epcot’s new space themed restaurant is a lot more high-tech than we first realized
click to enlarge Ahead of Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary celebration, more than half a dozen new restaurants are in development across the resort, including one that sits on top of a lake, two rooftop restaurants, and a cantina within the upcoming Star Wars land. But arguably one of the most anticipated restaurants is Epcot’s space new restaurant. Operated by the Patina Restaurant Group, the same company behind Epcot’s Tutto Italia and Via Napoli restaurants, the new space-themed restaurant will offer simulated views into space with diners sitting in a spaceship themed dining room. Disney has confirmed that the new restaurant will be located between Mission: Space and Test Track, but the company has given few details on what exactly diners can expect. As previously reported, the dining room is believed to have two levels with 376 seats that diners access via "shuttles" similar to the Hydrolators that The Living Seas pavilion previously had. Back in May, … [Read more...] about Epcot’s new space themed restaurant is a lot more high-tech than we first realized