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#76 2021-11-19 10:39:25

GW Johnson
Member
From: McGregor, Texas USA
Registered: 2011-12-04
Posts: 5,805
Website

Re: Zoom Collaboration

If I understand correctly,  there may be two zoom meetings this weekend,  one at 7PM UTC Sunday,  and one at 1AM UTC Monday.  I'm not sure which one is for what purpose. 

1 AM UTC Monday is 7 PM Sunday central time where I am,  same as the meeting last week.  I can make that,  easily.  7PM UTC Sunday is 1 PM central Sunday,  which is a bit problematical,  as I might be involved in an activity out here on the farm that requires my close supervision.

Something worthy of discussion among us:  I just found a hint that somewhere within NASA there may finally be some interest in on-orbit facilities for propellant refilling and for spacecraft repair.  Copied text below.  Long ago I posted an article on "exrocketman" showing how to put together modules and very simple sunshade-type structures to create a repair facility on-orbit.  And more recently I took a look at spinning-tank technology to make cryogenic propellant transfers far easier,  which is leading toward a proposal for a practical refill facility.

I smell another letter concept proposal here,  this time to certain people within NASA.

GW

quote:

From AIAA “Daily Launch” email newsletter for Thurs 11-18-2021:

“Space Superhighway” Discussed At ASCEND Conference
Engineering News-Record (11/17) reports that “officials from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Space Force and private companies such as Voyager Space” discussed the need for an Earth-to-space “superhighway” at the ASCEND conference Monday. NASA On-orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (OSAM) Senior Adviser Deborah Tomek said, “We need to think of what kind of infrastructure we need in space for civil needs, defense needs.”


GW Johnson
McGregor,  Texas

"There is nothing as expensive as a dead crew,  especially one dead from a bad management decision"

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#77 2021-11-19 14:16:56

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,447

Re: Zoom Collaboration

For GW Johnson ....

OK! I'll set up the 1 AM UTC Monday meeting as "usual" ...

There is a possibility that RobertDyck may be interested in starting the 7 PM UTC meeting, to see if it works for anyone.

For GW Johnson ... if Clinician_Antilles is able to join the evening event, please see if he can bring Dexter into view!

(th)

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#78 2021-11-19 14:27:06

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,447

Re: Zoom Collaboration

The Post #1 has been updated to show two meetings next Sunday.

The early meeting will start at 7 PM UTC on Sunday November 21st, if someone decides to serve as host.

The "traditional" evening meeting will start at 1 AM UTC Monday November 22nd.

Because we are now using the Mars Society Pro Zoom, we depend upon members to let us know ahead of time, so we can send ID and passcode by email.  The email used will be the one in the User Profile.

After a member receives the ID and passcode, please save it where it can be found easily, so we don't have to send it out again.

The Pro account does not change ID and passcode.  Please keep both confidential.

(th)

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#79 2021-11-20 08:39:50

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,447

Re: Zoom Collaboration

As of 14:31 UTC on Saturday, we have no one available to serve as host for the early meeting.

The early meeting was proposed for 7 PM UTC on Sunday, which would be better for our European members, and workable for members in the US/Canada/Mexico.

Until a host steps forward, we will NOT have that meeting in play.

However, if there is a member who would prefer that time, and who is willing to make a commitment to attend, a host might step forward.

This appears to be a chicken-egg problem. We have no host because we have no attendees. And we have no attendees.

The 7 PM UTC meeting time is available, but not yet active.

***
Meantime, by popular demand (ie, two members) the 1 AM UTC Monday time slot will remain in operation.

I would like to propose a modification of expectations ...

While some members might wish to participate in a meeting for hours, some cannot afford to allocate that much time.

We need to anticipate that some attendees will drop in, take care of business, and sign off.

In my case, since I've set up the host as an unattended work station, I expect to greet attendees who show up early, and then come and go as my schedule permits.

***
Reminder! If you want to attend either Zoom meeting, please be sure to post your intention here in sufficient time so the ID and passcode can be emailed to the email address you have on record in your Profile.

Members currently in possession of the ID and passcode are:

kbd512
GW Johnson
Clinician_Antilles
NewMarsMember
RobertDyck

(th)

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#80 2021-11-21 12:22:05

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,447

Re: Zoom Collaboration

As of 18:18 UTC, we have no posts from members interested in either hosting or attending the 19:00 UTC meeting that is on offer.

At this point, I am expecting the time to come and go without anyone expressing an interest, but I'm open to being surprised.

Actually, if anyone speaks up to either host or attend, I would be just shy of astonished!

The 1 AM UTC Monday event remains on schedule with at least two attendees signed up.

(th)

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#81 2021-11-21 18:02:52

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,447

Re: Zoom Collaboration

The Evening Zoom is up and running.

Members with the Meeting ID and passcode may log in at any time.

Please write a brief note in the chat when you arrive.

I'll check the NewMars Zoom topic occasionally to see if anyone not already connected would like to join.

Edit: According to Time.is/UTC, it is 00:03:51

No problem! I'd rather be early than late.

The work station will hold up the session for as long as needed, barring an Internet outage.

(th)

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#82 2021-11-21 18:27:24

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,447

Re: Zoom Collaboration

22:00 local time  - the group is still going strong ...

The question is how best to ship water from ice fields to a community/manufacturing facility?

Question for further discussion ... pipe above ground on Mars?  Mars is cold, but the atmosphere is so thin, perhaps the cooling is not comparable to Earth?  GW Johnson suggested insulating the pipe in any case.

Radiation would still permit cooling, so insulation would act to limit losses through that pathway.

The comparison is with burying the pipe below ground level.

A vacuum chamber ??

At 21:09 we are discussing Mars ....

At 21:00 local time, everyone is still going strong

At 20:27 local time GW Johnson arrived ...

At 20:06 RobertDyck arrived ... we dove right into updates on the Large Ship

At 20:02 local time, kbd512 is still with us.

Now is the scheduled time for the Evening meeting.

At 19:26 local time, kbd512 logged in.


(th)

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#83 2021-11-21 22:39:38

GW Johnson
Member
From: McGregor, Texas USA
Registered: 2011-12-04
Posts: 5,805
Website

Re: Zoom Collaboration

I stayed with it until the battery ran out.  Good meeting.

Need info on Gates Foundation if I am to send anything to them. 

GW


GW Johnson
McGregor,  Texas

"There is nothing as expensive as a dead crew,  especially one dead from a bad management decision"

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#84 2021-11-22 00:03:33

RobertDyck
Moderator
From: Winnipeg, Canada
Registered: 2002-08-20
Posts: 7,936
Website

Re: Zoom Collaboration

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#85 2021-11-23 12:25:20

GW Johnson
Member
From: McGregor, Texas USA
Registered: 2011-12-04
Posts: 5,805
Website

Re: Zoom Collaboration

Contact sent this morning (Tuesday 11-23) to Gates Foundation.  Sent by email because surface is too slow to meet deadline.  We'll see if there is an answer.  No replies yet from SpaceX or Blue Origin. 

GW


GW Johnson
McGregor,  Texas

"There is nothing as expensive as a dead crew,  especially one dead from a bad management decision"

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#86 2021-11-23 13:20:18

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,447

Re: Zoom Collaboration

For GW Johnson re #85

Excellent!  It is helpful to have ** two ** electronic messages going in the direction of Mr. Gates.  According to the web site, there are 1700+ employees working at the Foundation.  I trust (and hope) whoever receives our two messages will consider them worth forwarding to decision makers.

There is an aspect of your work (and that of the NewMars members in general) that ** might ** be a better fit for their non-profit mission.

What I'm thinking about is the impact of space ambitions and visions on the young people who are growing up in this unsettled time. 

(th)

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#87 2021-11-28 11:00:02

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,447

Re: Zoom Collaboration

As of 16:56 UTC, we have no requests for the Early (European time) Zoom session.

If we had at least two requests for the service, then we could look for a host.

I'll be away for a few hours, so the Early Zoom opportunity is likely to come and go.

However, the "traditional" 1 AM UTC Monday opportunity is on track.

I'll set up the Chromebook ahead of the meeting time, and all who have the signin ID and passcode will be welcome to connect.

If there is anyone in the NewMars membership who would like to join and who does not already have the ID and passcode, please post a note in this topic.

I use time.is/UTC to show the current time.

At posting, UTC is 6:59:59

(th)

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#88 2021-11-28 15:03:39

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,447

Re: Zoom Collaboration

Update at 21:01:27 UTC ... four hours to go until we start the Later Zoom.

I am back from a visit to the local computer store.  The power supply in the machine I use for Zoom (not the Chromebook) lasted exactly 10 years.

Hopefully the new power supply will bring that machine back to life.  I have a back up plan in case the primary does not work.

Update at 23:15:44 UTC ... The new power supply and system fan are working.  The regular system appears to be ready for Zoom in an hour and 45 minutes or so.

(th)

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#89 2021-11-28 18:00:26

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,447

Re: Zoom Collaboration

Update at 23:59:10 .... one hour to go.

If someone would like to participate and does not have the ID and passcode, post a note in this topic.

The ID and passcode can be sent via the email on record in your NewMars profile.

(th)

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#90 2021-11-29 07:44:10

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,447

Re: Zoom Collaboration

The Zoom Meeting of November 29 (1 AM UTC) lasted for over four hours, once again.

GW Johnson and I bailed out midway, but RobertDyck and kbd512 keep the lights on past midnight local time.

The range of discussion is wide, and the amount of information (current events and historical ones) is amazing (to me for sure!).

As a reminder, the Zoom service provides a way for members to discuss immediate situations that may come up, so we are by no means limited to the single meeting we have going now.

If something comes up that calls for immediate discussion, post a message in this topic, or use email to the NewMarsMember portal.

Thanks again to the members who have given this Zoom experiment a solid start.

(th)

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#91 2021-12-05 08:40:42

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,447

Re: Zoom Collaboration

The Zoom meeting for December 5, 2921, is scheduled for 1 AM UTC Monday December 6th at London.

All times in the US/Canada/Mexico are in Sunday.

Current time (per time.is/UTC) is 14:38

The meeting will be initiated a few minutes before 1 AM Monday UTC, or (approximately) 10+ hours from now.

If anyone who is not a veteran Zoom participant would like to take part, please post a note here.

The ID and passcode will be sent to the email address on record in your profile.

(th)

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#92 2021-12-05 18:11:39

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,447

Re: Zoom Collaboration

Per time.is/UTC, it is 00:06:31 in London.

I doubt very much any of our European members are staying up to join today's Zoom session, but I'm willing to be surprised.

Astonished, might be more like it!

The live session will open a few minutes before 1 AM London time.

Just FYI of anyone planning to attend ... It is clear (to me for sure) that these meetings are meeting a need that has been pending for a long time.  I am happy to be able to facilitate them, and once the session is open, thanks to the generosity of the Mars Society, it will remain open as long as members want to stay engaged.

However, I am planning to conduct a brief business meeting, and then to transfer to a listen-only system I have available.

Agenda for this evening might include:

1) Status of Lander and Refueling initiatives
2) Status of Large Ship development
3) Health checks
4) Protocol for smooth operation of Zoom meetings.

(th)

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#93 2021-12-05 19:01:19

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,447

Re: Zoom Collaboration

Tonight's Zoom session is up and running.

kbd512 is online.

GW Johnson joined us for the early part of the meeting but had to leave before RobertDycki arrived.

RobertDyck joined 21,500 tons is a preliminary estimate of mass for the Large Ship.

***
For the information of anyone who might be interested .. I am experimenting with an audio connection to the meeting.

I have logged in with a system that has a broadcast capability, using low power FM.  I am using a headset able to receive the FM signal.

The result is that the signal I'm hearing is even better than at a video work station.
***

The discussion is going strong on Large Ship design!

***
at 2:01:57 GW Johnson returned from his phone call

The discussion was continuing on design of the hull of the Large Ship ...

This part of the recording includes an explanation of the atmosphere prescription that RobertDyck recommends.

****
at 02:06, the meeting has ended.

The host machine is showing a message to the effect that someone started a meeting with the same ID.

Now when I try to join the meeting I'm getting a message that someone will start the meeting.

(th)

(th)

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#94 2021-12-05 20:03:56

kbd512
Administrator
Registered: 2015-01-02
Posts: 7,860

Re: Zoom Collaboration

Looks like we were all booted off.

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#95 2021-12-05 20:05:56

RobertDyck
Moderator
From: Winnipeg, Canada
Registered: 2002-08-20
Posts: 7,936
Website

Re: Zoom Collaboration

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I got booted. Trying to reconnect, but it says host has another meeting in progress.

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#96 2021-12-05 20:06:25

kbd512
Administrator
Registered: 2015-01-02
Posts: 7,860

Re: Zoom Collaboration

It says the same thing for me as well.

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#97 2021-12-05 20:07:11

RobertDyck
Moderator
From: Winnipeg, Canada
Registered: 2002-08-20
Posts: 7,936
Website

Re: Zoom Collaboration

Ps. There's still a *LOT* that has to be added into the mass estimate. And kbd512 challenged existing estimates, claiming hull will have to be heavier and cabins lighter.

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#98 2021-12-05 20:08:33

GW Johnson
Member
From: McGregor, Texas USA
Registered: 2011-12-04
Posts: 5,805
Website

Re: Zoom Collaboration

Same problem for me:  got booted off,  cannot sign back in because "host has another meeting in progress". 

My slide rule NEVER gave me troubles like this!

GW


GW Johnson
McGregor,  Texas

"There is nothing as expensive as a dead crew,  especially one dead from a bad management decision"

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#99 2021-12-05 20:09:59

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,447

Re: Zoom Collaboration

I am the host (presumably) but I'm getting the same message.

OK ... I'll start a replacement meeting without the Mars Society service.

Back in a sec!

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#100 2021-12-05 20:14:03

tahanson43206
Moderator
Registered: 2018-04-27
Posts: 19,447

Re: Zoom Collaboration

OK ... new meeting ...

The temporary meeting codes originally posted here were not needed and have been removed

(th)

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