OU Course on Moons of the Solar System
Discussion
The OU is one of the great institutions allowing those who otherwise may not have had the opportunity to attend a 'real' university to engage in study. I have a BSc from the OU. Employers value OU students as OU students have to be fairly disciplined in getting their awards for me it has opened up other employment opportunities, along with helping to gain access to another Uni where I obtained a MSc and I now have a Phd Project in mind.
Enjoy the course and wish you all success and would encourage you to consider taking things further however young or old you are.
http://www.open.ac.uk/science/physical-science/cou...
Enjoy the course and wish you all success and would encourage you to consider taking things further however young or old you are.
http://www.open.ac.uk/science/physical-science/cou...
Zad said:
The OU are quite late to the open courseware party. For a long time they didn't seem to "get" the concept of giving away education, and were less "open" than MIT, Harvard etc. Hopefully they will eventually publish their extensive archive of BBC co-productions, many of which are still perfectly valid.
Have a look at https://www.edx.org/
Yup the Americans invited everything....Not......The OU is not 'late' or do not 'get it" Have a look at https://www.edx.org/
OU 1963
http://www.open.ac.uk/researchprojects/historyofou...
Every one with a radio or TV could see these programs
2005-2008 report http://www3.open.ac.uk/events/6/2009727_62936_o1.p...
Itunes U 2008
http://www3.open.ac.uk/media/fullstory.aspx?id=138... OU along with MIT, Harvard and a few others provided content
Mit 2011
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesmarshallcrotty/20...
Edited by Toaster on Saturday 3rd January 17:09
My sister got a degree in antiquities from the Irish equivalent to OU over 20 years ago - so the concept has been around for quite a while.
I used to watch a number of OU broadcasts in the early 80s on the geology of our moon. One of these programmes was actually presented by Dr Harrison Schmitt, the only geologist to walk on the moon (Apollo 17 - 1972).
I used to watch a number of OU broadcasts in the early 80s on the geology of our moon. One of these programmes was actually presented by Dr Harrison Schmitt, the only geologist to walk on the moon (Apollo 17 - 1972).
Eric Mc said:
I used to watch a number of OU broadcasts in the early 80s
Me too, normally around breakfast time on BBC2, in black and white. Quite often the Mathematics lectures left me feeling I really didn't need to bother turning up for school!I learned trig & calculus way before I was taught it in school, never learned what calculus was for or why we needed it, but I could do the sums, all thanks to some beardy bloke with a black board (am I even allowed to say that now a days?), with a bit of chalk, all on BBC2 at 7 in the morning, in black and white over a bowl of cornflakes. (and they wonder why kids are a bit thick these days
)Eric Mc said:
VHS
Gosh... you're so posh... I was rooting through a cupboard the other night when Little Ex (aged 8) spotted an old record case, he spent the next hour pulling record albums out and looking at all the artwork and asking what they were and why they were so big. He couldn't figure why he has an MP3 player half the size of a match box that holds a hundred albums where everything comes from you-tube versus this big bit of round plastic that only holds around 12 songs that you paid a days wages to buy from a shop
The picture made it onto the "best bass line" thread in the music forum:
Look! A real 12 inch 33rpm vinyl record album
I guess we really have forgotten how much times have changed. Mobile phones with more CPU power than was used to land men on the moon. Apps that can augment images of star constellations and satellites, or let me chat in real time video to my sister on another continent.
I wonder what the next 20 years will bring!
TheExcession said:
I guess we really have forgotten how much times have changed. Mobile phones with more CPU power than was used to land men on the moon. Apps that can augment images of star constellations and satellites, or let me chat in real time video to my sister on another continent.
I wonder what the next 20 years will bring!
But I wonder what will never change? And is it the way we look at it?I wonder what the next 20 years will bring!
I think the humble toaster will still just be a device built to burn bread. Couple of elements, bung some leccy through it and Bob's your mothers brother so that will always be the same I think. Though I still prefer the gas grill. I mobile phone is just a glorified two way radio and Apps for imaging are just a posh Etch A Sketch.....
What is the next big holy grail at the moment? Technological implants I suppose?
jmorgan said:
mobile phone is just a glorified two way radio
I postulated this idea to a couple of gurus from Ericsson some (many) years back. I asked, "Could we not just hand off the frequencies used by the two handsets and let them get on with it and thus take the base station out of the equation?"If ever there was a scene to illustrate the old 'better to keep your gob shut and let everyone think you're an idiot rather than saying something and proving them all right' I've yet to find it.
I failed to sell my dream!
I like your thinking though, have you tried CB radio recently? There's nothing better than a whole load of people trying to use a shared spectrum.
Eric Mc said:
Thread deviation imminent. Can we keep it to "moonie" related topics (and I don't mean weird Eastern cults).
Of course Eric, once there is some news about new moonie related stuff we'll all get on topic.For instance, I saw a program broadcast by SKY about a moon of Saturn (might have been Jupiter) where they changed the flight path of the probe to go and investigate 'Charlie Dimmock water fountains' erupting from the surface.
So to get back on topic. Anyone know which ground stations are involved in tracking moon probes? Anyone want to tell us what frequencies are being used?
In short, Eric - relax - I'm sure this will all kick off with some fantastic information delivered by the OU, non of which you would ever discover from following other sources, I mean, after all how long does it take to put together a full on Internet course?
Their data is out of date by now and we haven't even seen it yet.
Frankly your 'Thread deviation imminent." comment is nothing but noise in the spectrum of people that might like to learn. There is so much to learn about how this even works.
The course hasn't even started yet and you are already complaining.
I'm looking forward to your explanation of the coding and radio systems and how we get data back from these probes (and how it is not the Russians).
Eric please, relax a bit, few of us are at any point to comment, but we'll chat a whole lot until the course starts.
I'm quite relaxed - apart from panicking over getting dozens of Self Assessment tax returns done by the end of the month. Maybe if our moon was twice as far away as it is, these monthly deadlines would be less onerous.
As for frequencies, I'm not sure the course will cover that type of stuff. I'm sure it'll be more about orbits, geology etc rather than the technology of how the data gets back to us from these distances.
As for frequencies, I'm not sure the course will cover that type of stuff. I'm sure it'll be more about orbits, geology etc rather than the technology of how the data gets back to us from these distances.
TheExcession said:
jmorgan said:
mobile phone is just a glorified two way radio
I postulated this idea to a couple of gurus from Ericsson some (many) years back. I asked, "Could we not just hand off the frequencies used by the two handsets and let them get on with it and thus take the base station out of the equation?"But at the end of the day they are still Walkie Talkies. And never really got into CB, no idea what level they are now?
This chap has been tracking the Chinese Lunar lander to, and on, the surface of the Moon:
https://twitter.com/uhf_satcom
http://www.uhf-satcom.com/amateurdsn/chang-e-3/
If that's not enough of a challenge, they also track things like India's Mars Orbiter:
https://twitter.com/uhf_satcom
http://www.uhf-satcom.com/amateurdsn/chang-e-3/
If that's not enough of a challenge, they also track things like India's Mars Orbiter:
Eric Mc said:
Astronaut - "We have a problem here. We need a top up".
Lines like this keep me reading these forums, I can't wait to post that "Accounts do have a sense of humour"
Eric, did you watch the Discovery program about Mermaids
I mean evidently a whole heap of (new) info cames to light.
(I promise to stop all this silly edumacted non sense once the REAL stuff about moonies starts)
OK, lets get back to the science for a moment, because it really is quite astonishing what is going on here.
For those of you that can't quite comprehend it all consider this;
You are in a night club, the lights are flashing really bright and fast, the sounds, bass and treble are making your ears ring. You can barely hear the hot chick talking that is stood right there in front of you. Then, your mate stood at the bar some 50 metres away whispers 'Fancy a pint mate?' and you say 'Go on but make mine a double' - 5 years later he arrives in front of you with a gin and tonic but no lemon or ice.
That's deep space communication, Zod illustrated this with his spectral pictures, I alluded to it with a picture of a record album and a comment about MP3 players.
It's utterly astonishing what these people are doing with their mobile phones and CB radios that they stick on top of a rocket and fire off into the sky.
For those of you that can't quite comprehend it all consider this;
You are in a night club, the lights are flashing really bright and fast, the sounds, bass and treble are making your ears ring. You can barely hear the hot chick talking that is stood right there in front of you. Then, your mate stood at the bar some 50 metres away whispers 'Fancy a pint mate?' and you say 'Go on but make mine a double' - 5 years later he arrives in front of you with a gin and tonic but no lemon or ice.
That's deep space communication, Zod illustrated this with his spectral pictures, I alluded to it with a picture of a record album and a comment about MP3 players.
It's utterly astonishing what these people are doing with their mobile phones and CB radios that they stick on top of a rocket and fire off into the sky.
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