Space, the Real Frontier
Yesterday was a special meeting of the U.S.S. Angeles. Krys Blackwood from JPL came and gave a presentation on the Mars rovers. Every so often, our club president invites a special guest to come speak. In the past we have had David Raiklen, composer and expert on Star Trek music, Larry Nemecek, Star Trek expert and Michael Westmore, legendary Star Trek makeup artist.
Even before her presentation began, there was a discussion about AI. She had some interesting insights and it was a nice bonus to the meeting. She told us that JPL has a policy that AI won’t replace any employees. It is there to assist and make tasks easier and faster. She is the supervisor for the Human-Centered Design group, which makes workflows more efficient.
One of the things her department did was to use virtual reality to assist the rover drivers, like the people who control Ingenuity. 
They can virtually put the driver on Mars next to Ingenuity and see Mars as the rover sees it. They can also walk around the rover and inspect its various parts and functions. With this, they can better plot the course of the rover from point A to point B, etc.
A signal to Mars takes about fifteen minutes, so the operators can not control Ingenuity in real time. They tell it where they want it to go and it follows the commands.
Another project that was unfortunately shelved was the Mars Sample Return. This would have sent a rocket to Mars, land on Mars to collect samples that Ingenuity has been holding and bring them back to earth for study. This would have told us more of the possibility of ancient life on Mars than Ingenuity itself could.
Krys grew up with Star Trek and her mother is the biggest fan she knows. She attributes Star Trek for showing her that there was a place for women in science. She is a frequent speaker at Loscon and, to our surprise, has donated at our blood drives.
This was a fascinating meeting and with a great potluck including pork ribs, pizza and my macaroni salad. Aside from science fiction, fans know food.
If you want to know more about the U.S.S. Angels, you can go here https://ussangeles.org/
And if you want to know more about the upcoming Loscon, go here https://loscon.org/
Come to Loscon and bring your blood.
Dennis (and Kristine) Cherry, Department heads of the Loscon Blood Drive.
337th blog completed.
First Steampunk novel: 76291 words. Reconstruction complete.
Second Steampunk novel: 18,234 words. Will need to be reconstructed.
First Steampunk screenplay: Will need to be retrieved from backup and updated.
Second Steampunk screenplay: 158 pages. Will need to be retrieved from backup and updated.
Third Steampunk screenplay: 38 pages. Will need to be reconstructed.
“Dennis’ latest experiment was Dolly’s (Parton) Macaroni Salad. https://www.facebook.com/RecipesFeed/posts/pfbid02L8ePePQqbeiycM1NULcnwkHd39m38eqaQZAXTmu1FTaeT1WgCWGRUWXDgW5mJjZ9l
The fact that there was hardly any left after the U.S.S. Angeles meeting tells you all you need to know. This was better received than the last Angeles meeting offering, Amish Cold Macaroni Salad with Apple Cider Vinegar. While that one was well received, some people, like Kris, found that the apple cider vinegar made it too tart. This one did not have that problem. And with mayonnaise AND sour cream, it was moister. An even bigger winner.” – Vincent Reinhart
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