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Your Name Headed to Mars
Your name and call could be added to a microchip on the Mars Science Laboratory Rover heading to the red
planet in 2011. All you need to do is to go to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory U-R-L found in this weeks printed Newsline report and fill in the blanks. While there is no space for your callsign, many hams are simply adding
it right after their last name. The Mars Science Laboratory is part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program.
This is a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the red planet. The Mars Science Laboratory is a rover that
will assess whether Mars ever was, or is still today, an environment able to support microbial life.
To get your name on that Mars bound microchip is to go to:
http://mars9.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/participate/sendyourname/index.cfm (VK2SKY via ARNewsline))
Extending the World Wide Web into the Final Frontier
The University of Colorado at Boulder is working with NASA to extend the Interenet into the final frontier. The
two are working to develop and test the new communications technology which will extend Earth's Internet
into outer space and across the solar system. Called Disruption Tolerant Networking, or DTN, the new
technology will enable NASA and other space agencies around the world to better communicate with
international fleets of spacecraft that will be used to explore the Moon, Mars and beyond in the coming
decades. Or put another way, its expanding the Internet where no website has ever been before. (NASA)
Southwest details plans for fleetwide Wi-Fi
In a press release just out from Southwest, the carrier says it "and Row 44 are continuing plans to roll
out wi-fi beginning in the first quarter of 2010. Beginning this fall, Southwest will be moving to the next
step of certifying Southwest's full fleet with plans to begin fleetwide rollout of the Row 44 satellite service
in the first quarter of 2010. The airline has been testing the service on four aircraft since Feb. 2009 and
has received fantastic Customer feedback on the product." Stay tuned for more details.
US Airways to add in-flight Wi-Fi
US Airways is the latest carrier to say it will add in-flight Wi-Fi. The airline, which is adding Aircell's Gogo
Inflight Internet service, initially will install the option on its Airbus A321 jets on "select domestic routes."
US Airways has a map on its website showing those routes. "And later next year, customers will be able
to see ifWi-Fi is available on a specific flight by looking for the Wi-Fi icon while booking their flight on usairways.com," the company says in a press release. US Airways says it will detail pricing for the Wi-Fi
"closer to the launch date," but adds "customers will be able to choose service from Aircell's standard
pricing structure, which currently ranges from $5.95 to $12.95, depending on the length of flight and type
of Wi-Fi enabled device used." US Airways says Wi-Fi will be available "beginning in early 2010." Fliers
with wireless devices will have access to the Web, instant messaging, email and VPNs.In a Q&A on its
in-flight Wi-Fi, US Airways notes that its A321 jets "are not equipped with power outlets. Aircell
recommends bringing a back-up power source for your device. ? All Wi-Fi enabled devices will work
with the Gogo Inflight Internet service including laptops, smartphones and PDAs such as BlackBerry
Bold, iPhone and iTouch."
JetBlue and United give Twitter a try to sell airline seats fast Looking for a quick, cheap getaway? A bargain may be just a tweet away.JetBlue and United airlines are offering their Twitter followers first dibs on some discounted fares, using the uber-trendy form of messaging to quickly connect with customers and fill seats on flights that might otherwise take off less than full. Like the e-mails that many airlines began to send out in the 1990s, tweets are presenting a new, faster way to promote sales. And in fitting with this latest mode of instant communication, travelers have to decide quickly whether to fly JetBlue posted its first "Cheep" on July 6, a $9 one-way trip from JFK to Nantucket. Since then the carrier has generally notified Twitterers about sales on Mondays, giving them about eight hours ? or as long as there are available seats ? to book a trip for that or the following weekend. United's Twitter-only fares, also known as "twares," started in May. The airline's sales tweets can come at any time for a flight leaving on any day, and fliers have had to pounce quickly because the offers are usually available for only one to two hours. "Twares are all about surprising our customers with low fares for a very, very limited time," says Robin Urbanski, a United spokeswoman. And, she says, they "sell extremely fast because the prices are unbeatable." Many airlines continue to offer e-fares, notifying fliers about last-minute sales via e-mail. But travelers usually have a few days rather than a few hours to book their tickets.With Twitter fares, Johnston says, "You really have to act fast. Because people watch Twitter in a real-time manner, the ability for someone to ? come in and immediately act on it is a unique phenomenon to the culture of Twitter."
| September, 2009 | |
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