SAFER Makes Safe to Walk in Space

Its like a scene from a science fiction movie nightmare: an astronaut is working outside a spacecraft in the vacuum of space when something happens. A tether breaks or maybe a computer glitch strands the astronaut too far from the ship. However it happens, the end result is the same. The astronaut ends up floating away from the spacecraft into the endless void of space, with no hope of rescue. Thankfully, NASA developed a device for space walking that keeps an astronaut safe while working outdoors to prevent such a scenario from happening in real life.   Safety for EVAs Space walks, or extravehicular activities (EVAs), are an important part of living and working in space. Dozens were needed just for the the assembly of the International Space Station (ISS).   Early missions by both the U.S. and Soviet Union also relied on space walks, with astronauts tethered to their spacecraft by lifelines. The space station cannot maneuver to rescue a free-floating EVA crew member, so NASA got to work to design a safety harness for astronauts who would be working around it without direct connections. Its called Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER): a life jacket for space walks. SAFER is a self-contained maneuvering unit worn by astronauts like a backpack. The system relies on small nitrogen-jet thrusters to let an astronaut move around in space. Its relatively small size and weight allow for convenient storage on the station, and let EVA crew members put it on in the station’s airlock. However, the small size was achieved by limiting the amount of propellant it carries, meaning that it can only be used for a limited time. Its intended primarily for emergency rescue, and not as an alternative to tethers, and safety grips. Astronauts control the unit with a hand controller attached to the front of their space suits, and computers assist in its operation. The system has an automatic attitude hold function, in which the onboard computer helps the wearer maintain course. SAFERs propulsion is provided by 24 fixed-position thrusters that expel nitrogen gas and have a thrust of 3.56 Newtons (0.8 pounds) each. SAFER was first tested in 1994 aboard the space shuttle Discovery, when astronaut Mark Lee became the first person in 10 years to float freely in space. EVAs and Safety Space walking has come a long way since the early days. In June 1965, astronaut Ed White became the first American to conduct a space walk. His space suit was smaller than later EVA suits, since it did not carry its own oxygen supply. Instead, a hose to an oxygen supply on the Gemini capsule connected White. Bundled with the oxygen hose were electrical and communication wires and a safety tether. However, it quickly expended its supply of gas. On Gemini 10 and 11, a hose to a nitrogen tank aboard the spacecraft connected a modified version of the handheld device. This allowed the astronauts to use it for a longer period of time. The Moon missions had EVAs starting with Apollo 11, but these were on the surface, and required the astronauts wear full space suits. Skylab astronauts made repairs to their systems, but were tethered to the station. In later years, especially during the shuttle era, the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) was used as a way for an astronaut to jet around the shuttle. Bruce McCandless was the first to try one out, and the image of him floating free in space was an instant hit.   SAFER, which has been described as a simplified version of the MMU, has two advantages over the earlier system. It is a more convenient size and weight and ideal for an astronaut rescue device outside the Space Station. SAFER is a rare type of technology—the kind NASA built hoping that it wont be necessary to use it. So far, tethers, safety grips, and the robot arm have proved adequate to safely keep astronauts where they are supposed to be during space walks. But if they ever fail, SAFER will be ready.

Aid for Donor Interests Essay - 2684 Words

Lack of development in countries in the so-called `Third World has many political and economical reasons. Historians explain the inadequacy of developing countries with the early imperialism and the resulting colonization of the South. Exploitation of mineral resources, deforestation, slavery, and the adaptation of foreign policies shaped the picture of todays suffering and struggling civilizations and natural rich continents. The omission of concessions and equal negotiations between dependency and supremacy give rise to the contrast of enormous resources and immense poverty in developing countries is. In the last years the outcry of justice and the emancipation of the Third World became louder throughout developing and industrialized†¦show more content†¦Here the International Monetary Fund and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, later divided into the World Bank and Bank for International Settlement, were established. To regulate the international p olicy economy these institutions become known as the Bretton Woods institutions and became operational in 1946. The IMF, founded to stabilize countries currencies in relation to each other, holds money in trust, which member countries can borrow according to terms set by the institution. The World Bank instead gives more long-term loans and sells bonds to corporations and governments, which bind the issuer to pay the bondholder the amount of the loan plus interest. However, the countries taking advantage of the opportunity to borrow money to improve their affected economy are obliged to launch a set of policies, known as the Washington Consensus, which was first presented in 1989. The reforms introduced by the Institute for International Economics include deregulation, privatization, currency devaluation, social spending cuts, lower corporate taxes, export driven strategies, and removal of foreign investment restrictions . 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Origin of the Flute Free Essays

Origins of the flute date back to the stone age. Known as the first ever wind instrument, most of the flutes were end blown flutes and looked like our modern day recorder. What could be considered the first flute was found in China and was called the â€Å"ch-ie†. We will write a custom essay sample on Origin of the Flute or any similar topic only for you Order Now The egyptians and Sumerians were the first to add finger holes so that we were able to produce different notes. Before then, it was made of animal bones with a carved out embouchure. Ancient greeks also played the flute (an end blown flute) however it was known as the instrument of the common man and was often looked down upon. During the fall of the roman empire, the flute seemingly disappeared from the west (Europe). It is likely that the flute was brought back to Europe during the Byzantine Empire from Asia where it’s traditions are longstanding. It was only during the 16th century (renaissance era) where the prototype or ancestor of the flute that we know of today was widely used. Until the 18th century, flutes were referred to pipe instruments that were both horizontal and vertical. A German court orchestra flutist by the name of Theobald Boehm presented what would be the modern day flute in 1847 at the Paris exhibition. He incorporated ideas from his colleagues and most notably, from Frederick Nolan who made use of the ring keys in 1808. In 1832, he (Theobald Boehm) built a flute based on logical acoustic placement instead of the easiest fingering. He also linked certain keys to each other. This lead to a new fingering that ended up being easier than its last. In 1847, felt pads were added to prevent leaking air, pin springs were added, the shape of the embouchure was changed and the flute was made of silver. This new flute was well received in the USA, France and England. However, in Germany, Russia and Italy, flutists were close-minded and didn’t want to accept the change of fingering despite the fact that the new design won many awards. Eventually, Boehm’s flute came into common use and has undergone minimal changes from then on. The flute, or what was called the flute back then, has been used since the middle ages. Used for the court and sometimes the military, it was often paired with the drum. During the renaissance era different ensembles were commonly heard together. The â€Å"flute consort† which consists of three different sized transverse flutes (horizontal flutes, like the ones today) and the â€Å"broken consort† which was made of the viola, lute and flute. During the end of the 17th century, solo flute works began to rise in popularity along with the excessive ornamentation of the baroque style. How to cite Origin of the Flute, Papers