According to this article, Burt Rutan's team has been using some decidely low-tech methods to identify and fix the handling anomalies discovered during the September 23, 2003 flight test.

The Scaled Composites crew used a modified Ford pickup as a mobile wind tunnel to test the aerodynamic fixes they developed to address the stall problem. The October 17 test flight demonstrated considerable improvement.

You have to love this. Can you imagine NASA ever using a pickup truck to validate tail assembly designs "on the fly" like this?

Posted by: JohnL at 10:38 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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. . . Will be visible in North Texas this coming Saturday, 8 November 2003, with totality beginning at 7:06 PM CST and ending at 7:30 PM.

To find out when you can see the Total Lunar Eclipse in your location, check here.

When I was growing up, the few total lunar eclipses I remember took place either late at night or early in the morning. This one, by contrast, is perfectly timed to show to the kids and get them excited about something truly astronomical.

Update: This page is a good basic overview of the stages of the eclipse.

Posted by: JohnL at 10:33 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Here is a nice collection of more than 30 optical illusions.

Posted by: JohnL at 10:21 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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