Atlantis Liftoff STS-122 : Feb. 7 ,2008

Have you seen today's lift off of the Atlantis Space Shuttle?
Awesome as always:

(Lift off at about 6:45)
-R

"STS-122 delivers the Columbus European Laboratory Module and will be the twenty-fourth mission to the International Space Station."

Bowed Piano

I wish that I could get down to the American Composers Festival in Orange County. There is bound to be some interesting music. NPR profiled the work of one group slated to perform, the Bowed Piano Ensemble Colorado College lead by composer Stephen Scott.
I've been listening to Scott's bowed piano music this morning. It requires several musicians gathered around an open piano playing the strings: "The primary sound is produced by a bow of nylon fish-line, which is rosined, and that's just threaded under the piano string and across it. There's another kind of bow, which is a stick of wood which has horse hair affixed to it, and that's rubbed against the strings to produce a short, percussive sound."

The effect is truly weird. I dig it and hope you do too. (The cat however seems distressed by the sustained notes.)
-R
Some links:
NPR story
mp3: Rainbows, I (watch out, it is a loop)
mp3: Tears of Niobe

Local News Story:

NAFTA/Corn price protest in Mexico

photo by Daniel Aguilar for Reuters.

I posted earlier what I'd heard about NAFTA policy having had a negative impact on the ability of Mexico's Farmers to earn a living growing their staple crop, corn. Farmers at risk of loosing their farms worry that they will have to cross the US boarder to find work.
Perhaps you have seen news of the massive protest farmers mounted yesterday in Mexico City against corn-related trade policy. If not, here are some links:
*audio
*video
*text
-R

See the ISS tonight for about 9 minutes from Santa Barbara

According to the NASA Skywatch Application, the International Space Station will be visible to the naked eye as it passes over Santa Barbara tonight from 6:08 to 6:17 tonight in the WNW to NW sky(~3oo°). Let me know if you see it.
link
-R

What prompted this post?
Day to Day interviewed a guy from Texas yesterday named Thomas Dorman who tracks satellites and other stuff orbiting the Earth, much of it observable with the naked eye. It seems there is a lot of metal falling around the Earth. I wonder how many times I have mistaken a satellite for a meteor.

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to be able to look up and say, "Look there goes the ISS." Perhaps tonight.

I contacted Mr. Dorman, and he suggested that I use the resources at www.heavens-above.com to track orbitals passing overhead. They have a lot of information about the dozens of communication satellites owned by the Iridium company (a very interesting business story by the way).