Mountain Views News          Saturday, July 10, 2010

10

THE WORLD AROUND US

 MountainViews-News Saturday, July 10, 2010 


On Its Way To A Comet, Spacecraft Checks Out Asteroid

 The Rosetta orbiter, which carries the lander 
Philae, has completed more than two thirds 
of its journey to the comet Churyumov-
Gerasimenko. The most comprehensive 
cometary investigation ever, the mission 
will deliver the Philae lander to the comet’s 
surface for in situ studies. On their way to the 
comet, the spacecraft and lander are currently 
performing a close flyby of 21 Lutetia, a large 
Main-belt asteroid, on July 10. The Philae 
lander is operated by the German Aerospace 
Center (DLR) in Cologne, Germany.

 Since launch, Rosetta has travelled roughly 
3 billion miles. The solar-powered orbiter 
was launched on an Ariane 5 rocket in 2004. 
It has used several gravity-assist maneuvers—
three from Earth and one from Mars—to 
gain the necessary momentum, refine its 
trajectory, and match the orbit of the comet 
once it reaches the outer Solar System. There, 
the orbiter will circle the comet and, after 
delivering the lander Philae to the surface, 
eventually escort the comet on its way to the 
Sun.

 At about 60 miles in diameter, 21 Lutetia 
is one of the larger main belt asteroids. The 
lander will investigate whether this asteroid 
has a magnetic field and an atmosphere, and 
study their characteristics.

 Three instruments on the lander will be 
switched on during the flyby:

(1) The Rosetta Lander Magnetometer and 
Plasma Monitor, ROMAP, a magnetometer 
and plasma monitor that will study the local 
magnetic field and monitor the interactions 
between the asteroid and the solar wind.

(2) MODULUS PTOLEMY, one of two 
evolved gas analyzers, which obtains accurate 
measurements of isotopic ratios of light 
elements by heating solid samples to release 
volatiles.

(3) The Cometary Sampling and 
Composition experiment, COSAC, which is 
also an evolved gas analyzer. It detects and 
identifies complex organic molecules from 
their elemental and molecular composition.

 The ROMAP instrument will be measuring 
continuously while it is turned on, and will 
be looking for interactions between the 
asteroid’s magnetic field and the solar wind. 
COSAC and PTOLEMY will perform a series 
of “sniff” measurements (five by PTOLEMY 
and two by COSAC), which will be used to 
help determine whether or not the asteroid 
has any kind of atmosphere.

 At closest approach (about 2,000 miles 
from the asteroid), Rosetta will be travelling 
past Lutetia at about 10 miles per second—
or 34,000 miles per hour. This is comparable 
to sending a radio-controlled car down a 
freeway at roughly 60 miles per hour to take 
pictures of a stationary object it passes in the 
next lane (about 20 feet away), with the exact 
timing of the commands fixed a month in 
advance. If that doesn’t sound hard enough, 
the planning would also have to be done from 
so far away that the freeway would be located 
twice as far from the planner as the Moon is 
from Earth.

 For more information and images:

http://www.dlr.de/dlr-rosetta/en/
DesktopDefault.aspx/tabid-206/347_read-
25474/

 You can contact Bob Eklund at: b.eklund@
MtnViewsNews.com.


Artist's impression of Rosetta asteroid fly-by 

WRITING SERVICES 

 Could you use help in preparing written 
communications for your business? I have extensive 
experience in writing and editing business documents 
including brochures, proposals, newsletters, resumes, 
customer success stories, press releases, and articles for 
newspapers and magazines. 

 Current work includes writing the column, “Looking 
Up with Bob Eklund,” in Mountain Views News, and 
writing newsletters for the Mount Wilson Observatory. 
I recently published a book, First Star I See Tonight: an 
Exploration of Wonder, and am finishing a second book, 
Winds Aloft. 

For writing samples and resume, see my web site: www.
bobeklund.com. Bob Eklund beklund@sprynet.com 
(310) 216-5947

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The Internet’s Completely Over


Ask jai………….. 

 …so says Prince.

 During an interview with the Daily Mirrors’ Peter Willis, 
the music legend now and formerly known as Prince 
declared that the Internet was about as dead as MTV. Wow.

 That’s a lot to take in all at once. Had anybody else uttered 
such a seemingly kooky-sounding statement my knee-jerk 
reaction would have been to dismiss them outright as a 
nutjob without so much as a second look back. In this 
instance, probably because I’m a huge Prince fan, that 
dismissal isn’t coming quite so easy. Looking at the subject 
of the statement, even I would have to disagree with him 
on the point of the Internet being ‘over’. From a technical 
standpoint the Internet has never been more ‘not-over’ 
than it is right now. In the typical American home, Internet 
access has attained the status of a utility such as electricity 
or water. Literally. In the typical American business place, 
Internet access has not only become an integral part of 
many business plans, but the presence of the Internet is 
often the main reason for the company’s existence in the 
first place. Being a businessman himself, these facts of 
modern life are probably not lost on him. His own forays 
into using the Internet to distribute his music demonstrate 
that he does realize that the Internet does have an integral 
place in the world content distribution. In today’s fully 
digitized world there simply is no viable substitute for the 
‘everywhere-all-the-time’ presence of the Internet when it 
comes to content distribution. 

 So maybe Prince meant that the Internet was over as a 
means of content distribution for music artist themselves, 
in the sense of having creative and financial control over 
their own music. Prince’s well-publicized run-ins with 
Warner Bros. over control of his music has made him a bit 
of a zealot when it comes to the subject of artist’s control 
over their creative endeavors. Creation is one thing, but 
distribution is quite another. Usually the record company 
is in control of distribution and the profits derived from 
digital delivery of music to end users. And the record 
company collects the profits. The record company 
pretty much makes the deals and calls the shots. And 
this is probably what Prince has the most problem with 
concerning the Internet. Regardless of which side of the 
argument is correct, the reason this statement made the 
news in the first place is the notoriety of the source. After 
all, the man has sold more than 100 million albums during 
the course of his 30-plus year career. This translates into 
going triple-platinum every year of his recording history. 
Many of his albums were released only on the Internet, 
sometimes in bizarre configurations that included tickets 
to live shows. If nothing else, he has extensive experience 
in getting his music recorded, getting it distributed and 
getting it sold. A lot of experience. The distribution model 
for his latest musical creation calls for CD’s to be bundled 
with copies of the Daily Mirror and given away for free. 
I’m not quite sure how this mode of getting one’s music 
out to the masses will be better than distribution over the 
Internet, but then again, I’m not Prince.

Ask jai is a weekly column that will strive to honestly answer your job search questions 
relating to job searching techniques, networking skills, resume writing and interviewing. 
The employment situation is getting better, however, it is still a challenge finding were the 
jobs are located and how to get pass the “gate-keepers”. As an Executive Recruiter I was 
privy to working directly with Corporate Recruiters and understanding their process in 
selecting which candidates to interview and hire. I will candidly answer your questions, 
possibly bluntly answering you questions, but I will be totally honest. My objective is to 
help you achieve your employment goal.

Q: I spend between 10 and 20 hours a week 
applying on-line and sending out resumes to 
about 20 employers with no results! What 
am I doing wrong? Unemployed and 
desperate

A: Dear Unemployed and desperate, There 
could be numerous and various reasons. So, 
I am going to answer your question based on 
the information that you have given me. “It’s 
a job looking for a job”! You have probably 
heard this or read it somewhere. It is true. 
You probably worked 35-40 hours a week 
for your previous employer and the reward 
on payday was money. Now, it is time to 
work for you. You should increase the time 
you spend job searching to at least 40 hours 
a week. This will result in you finding and 
applying for more job opportunities and 
increase your chances of being contacted by 
employers. Your payday will be getting an 
interview and hopefully a job.

Q: Everyone thinks I have a great job and 
work for a wonderful company. I hate my 
company. I hate my job. I hate what I do. 
What do I do? Miserable

A: Dear Miserable, It’s time you find out 
what you would like to do. Employment 
should be enjoyment. Start by identifying 
what you really enjoy. This could be 
an activity, volunteer work, a hobby or 
something that you enjoy doing with your 
free time. Look for a company or industry 
that is this area. Re-write your resume 
and focus on your skills, experience and 
education that will target your new interest 
and objective. Devote time and a lot of 
energy in your new job search. You will be 
surprise how many companies you will find 
and the type of positions that will be open 
to you. 40 hours a week, 52 weeks a year for 
the next 30-40 years doing something you 
hate does not make a happy person or sense. 
Finding out what you like to do will result in 
finding the right company, the right job and 
being happily employed.

Q: I am being told that I dress inappropriate 
for job interviews. I have my own personal 
and unique style of dressing and refuse to 
change it. Stylish. 

A: Dear Stylish,

I would suggest that you research the 
company culture before applying for 
employment or accepting interviews. This 
can be achieved by searching the company 
on the internet, reading trade magazines, 
talking with employees, sitting outside the 
company and observing employees entering 
and exiting the building or asking the person 
who contacted you for the interview. You 
can not change a company’s culture. Find 
employment with a company that matches 
with your style of dressing. They do exist.

Jai Johnson has over 20 years experience 
as a national and local Executive Recruiter, 
Job Search Advisor and Career Coach. She 
has assisted thousands of job seekers to 
find and secure employment in their chosen 
field of education and experience. Ms. 
Johnson is a member of NRWA and CPRW. 
Send your job search questions to her at: 
j.johnson@mtnviewsnews.com

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