I keep meaning to write a general update on stuff I've been up to, but I keep procrastinating. I can no longer complain that the weather's too hot, as it finally cooled back down to seasonal autumnal temperatures. And I can no longer say that DC LinuxChix "just" had its quasi-monthly meeting—indeed I'm overdue to schedule the next one.

I'm not taking a Japanese language class this term, but only because the intermediate one I signed up for was canceled due to low enrollment. :( I do have plenty of study materials of my own, but the discipline and conversation practice of a weekly class would help. Maybe it's time to look for a language-exchange conversation partner.

Tea ceremony lessons are going well. A few weeks ago our class went on an after-class junket to the Glenfiddich Farm Pottery store. The potter has been influenced by Japanese techniques and styles, and some of his pieces are suitable for tea ceremony, like the tea bowl I bought there. Aside from tea bowls, places in a Japanese tea ceremony where you might see ceramic items include the cold-water jar, the flower vase, the wastewater bowl, the sweets tray, the thick tea container, and the incense container.

You may have seen mention of New Horizons in the news recently with regard to results of science observations it made when it was close to Jupiter earlier this year. Mission news that I'm closer to is the maneuver from a few weeks ago where some thrusters were fired to tweak the spacecraft's trajectory toward Pluto. One of these days I'll write a "Day in the Life of a Deep Space Spacecraft Flight Controller" entry to share what it is that I do these days, since many people have expressed curiosity about it. I imagine that'll be a friends-locked LJ post.

As part of my ongoing interest in sewn circuits, I've ordered a set of LilyPad modules that were designed by Leah Buechley as part of an e-textile construction kit. Along with a main board and power supply, I've ordered an accelerometer, vibe board, and tri-color LED module. I don't know exactly what I'm going to make with them, but I will be careful not to wear it around any airports.

I've started using gubb to manage my (shopping, to-do, etc.) lists lately, and so far I'm favorably impressed with the site's features, like retrieving and updating lists via SMS or e-mail, sharing of lists, and all-around intuitive user interface. I recommend it if you're looking for a place to keep your lists.

Tornado Kitty is doing well. A recent veterinary checkup found her weight had decreased to 14 pounds, which is great considering how heavy she was a few years ago. Her teeth and gums aren't so great, though, so she'll be going in for a teeth-cleaning in a couple of days. Here's a picture of her enjoying the sunshine on my deck.

Yesterday I joined some friends for a day at the Maryland Renaissance Festival. I don't remember whether this is the fourth or fifth year I've gone. We watched glass-blowing and some aerial silks performers, ate cookies in a cone, and watched as one of our group dipped her hand in wax for a plaster cast. We took in shows by The Interpreters and The Rogues. I was mesmerized by the blacksmith's forge, as usual, and as I was walking toward it from downwind I noticed there's a distinct smell to it that I've come to like. I bought a mysterious-looking iron key from the forge, and from other artisans I bought a sack of Blood Orange flavored black tea, a packet of frankincense tears, a sturdy belt from Potomac Leather (I'm thinking of sewing a pouch that would snap onto it), and a difficult-to-describe "hair slide" consisting of a leather cord with beads attached at intervals. We didn't spot any stormtroopers or Klingons this time; in fact I don't remember seeing any boldly incongruous costumes yesterday, to my slight disappointment.

Our little New Horizons spacecraft is getting close to Jupiter as it uses the planet's gravity to slingshot it along its way to Pluto. Pointing the instruments at Jupiter not only takes advantage of the close approach to gather valuable science data but also serves as an exercise in advance of the spacecraft's fly by Pluto years hence. I'm not involved in the operational aspects of this mission, but having developed some of the control and data handling software, of course I'm watching with keen interest. If you're particularly interested and in the Baltimore/DC area, you can come to a Planetary Society-sponsored public lecture on New Horizons at Jupiter on Wednesday, February 28, 2007 at 7 p.m. in the Kossiakoff Center.

For those who are interested in such things, New Horizons is doing just fine. I continue to test its flight and ground software.

We were transported to a different launch viewing area today because of a wind direction that would have blown particles to us at the Banana Creek viewing area. Instead, buses took us to KARS Park, a beach area five miles south of Launch Pad 41, where we were told we wouldn't be able to see the rocket until it rose above the trees. (A couple behind me on the bus experienced all five stages of the Kübler-Ross model upon hearing this news.) Fortunately, that part was wrong: if we ventured out onto the pier—which hundreds of us did—we had an even better view of the waiting rocket than we'd had on Tuesday, due probably to a combination of lack of intervening trees from this direction and maybe the sun angle.

After a few more holds due to the cloud cover—launch control wants to have a clear view of the ascending rocket in case anything goes wrong—the moment finally arrived. Here are my pictures.

We promptly hopped back on the buses and returned to Kennedy Space Center, where those with more time could watch a video feed of launch vehicle separation. I headed straight for the exit and sped to the airport in time for my flight home.

Today's New Horizons launch attempt was called off due to a storm-induced power outage back at APL. Of all the days for a power outage! Things must have been really crazy back there today. My flight out of Orlando leaves tomorrow at 5:40 p.m., so I'm hoping to see a nice, expeditious launch around 1:08 p.m. tomorrow and then drive back inland in time to catch the plane.

I used the day to tour Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. They have a nice driving tour on which you can see and learn about the wildlife. Here are the pictures I took there. Lots of birds there; I'd really like to label my pictures with what bird's what, but I'll have to look them up. Feel free to add comments to the pictures if you can identify any of them. A park ranger pointed out some young alligators in one spot; they hatched very late this year because of the rough hurricane season. The little ones are apparently likely to be bird food unless they make it to an age of three months, around which time they can start to hide underwater.

I also took some pictures this morning at the beach.

As many of you have no doubt heard, high winds have kept New Horizons from being launched today. (My understanding is that wind gusts on the ground above 33 knots exceed the limit.)

One thing that struck me at the attempted-launch viewing was the huge number of people involved in this mission. Among the hundreds of us "VIP" guests there to see off our spacecraft, I didn't recognize a single person as one of the dozens with whom I've worked.

Another thing that struck me was how far we were sitting from the launch pad—about 2 or 3 miles (~4 km), I'd guess. It wasn't completely clear which of the far-off blips on the horizon was our rocket. There's no question that those of you watching on TV or over the web are seeing a much closer view of the launch pad than we are.

Let's hope for calmer air at the next launch attempt, tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime, you can see the pictures I took today.

Less than five days remain before New Horizons' launch window opens! I'll be heading down to Florida in a few days to see it. The weather forecast calls for partly cloudy skies with a high temperature in the upper 70s F (mid 20s C) at the first launch opportunity.

Along with a beach towel and sunblock, I'll be packing my new digital camera, a Panasonic Lumix FZ5. So far it's great: quick, sharp, steady, 12X optical zoomable, and as simple to use or finely tuneable as I want.

The launch of our New Horizons spacecraft is being delayed for six days:

The launch of New Horizons is rescheduled for no earlier than Jan. 17, 2006. This will enable an additional inspection of the Atlas launch vehicle. The launch services contractor, Lockheed Martin, experienced problems in September on an updated Atlas propellant tank similar to the one being flown on the New Horizons mission. We continue our work based on a 35-day launch window.

Rescheduling my travel was actually easier than I expected.

If you're not cool enough (ahem) to have your name embedded in its flight software, you can at least send your name to Pluto on New Horizons. Some overprotective part of me is wondering, “What are those names going to go on? And how much weight is it adding to the spacecraft?” Another part of me is wondering whether they're screening the names for pranks, à la Bart Simpson.