June 14, 2011

Help name André Kuipers’ space mission

Filed under: General,Science by Orangemaster @ 12:35 pm

Astronaut

The ESA (European Space Agency) is looking for people to come up with a name for Dutch astronaut André Kuipers’ second space mission. He’s going up to the ISS (International Space Station) for six months this time to do scientific experiments and educational activities with schoolchildren throughout Europe. Oh, and fix things.

His first mission was called DELTA, which stood for Dutch Expedition for Life Science, Technology and Atmospheric Research and also echoed the Delta works in the North Sea. This mission is a European one with the environment, climate and biodiversity as a focus.

Send in your suggestions before 6 pm Dutch time, 30 June 2011 at kuipersmissionname@esa.int. Be sure to read the ESA rules, as only people of ESA Member States can send something in. The winning name will be the official mission name and the winner will get a framed mission logo signed by European astronauts.

(Link: blikopnieuws.nl)

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May 22, 2011

Delft students aiming for space with amateur rocket

Filed under: Technology by Branko Collin @ 2:52 pm

In 2009 students of Delft University broke the European amateur altitude record with a rocket called Stratos. In 2012 they wish to get halfway the edge of space with a rocket called Stratos II.

The students, members of the Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering association, successfully tested propellant at artillery range ‘t Harde during DARE Launch Day, two weeks ago. Stratos II will be a two stage rocket which will be launched in Norway in 2012.

DARE launched five rockets at its launch day, all of which contained an egg. Two of the eggs survived.

The first amateur rocket to reach space was the GoFast rocket (2004), built by the Civilian Space eXploration Team of the USA.

(See also: Youtube video by De Stentor. Image: DARE mission patch.)

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November 9, 2008

Sunday quickies November 9, 2008

Filed under: General by Branko Collin @ 12:31 pm

Stolen credit card data for sale in user-friendly web shop

Zembla, the news show of Labour broadcaster VARA, bought stolen credit card data from a Russian website and used those data to purchase goods. Director Ton van der Ham told Webwereld: “The site is hidden behind a login. You can search credit cards by country and card type, and then you select a data package which you can pay for online. It’s almost unreal.”

The program got permission from the credit card holders before making the what Webwereld calls “fraudulent” purchases. Either Webwereld knows something about fraud that I don’t, or it’s trying hard to become the Telegraaf of Dutch tech news sites.

In 2006 investigative news show Zembla took claims of 9/11 conspiracy theorists serious by testing them. It concluded most of the claims were unfounded. The show is also famous for “exposing” (the news was not news to a limited circle) that politician Ayaan Hirsi Ali had lied in her asylum claim, which led to her resignation from parliament.

Serious satire

Perik is a copywriter who, when he noticed that he could write 2000 words about anything, decided to quit and become a bartender. The writing bug has never left him though, and now he is blogging satirical pieces at Sargasso. And darn it, he is good! Today he caught me unawares with his (fake) report about a banned ad in which fathers are encouraged to spend more quality time with their children. The ad is titled: “Who is this whiny broad anyway?” and in Perik’s world raised a storm of protest from the child protection board, which, as everybody knows, “has been campaigning for a radical feminization of the child rearing domain for almost a century.”

Disclaimer: the entire 24 Oranges editorial team has shared alcoholic beverages with Perik, so our conclusion that he’s a good egg might be somewhat clouded by the aforementioned beverages.

What Dutch space travel would look like

(From a 1983 ad for pot plants.)

Via Trendbeheer. Disclaimer: we’ve also shared alcoholic beverages with Trendbeheer contributor Jaap Verhoeven. At the same parties! What can I say? We like our drinks, and we go to the right parties.

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