When will volunteer project end?

Discuss your experiences with and ideas about Stardust@home here.

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xxxxxy
Posts: 166
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Location: Slovenia
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Post by xxxxxy »

Yes, I agree. We have worked realy hard for 7 months. And we finally want to see a first confirmed real track. :)
tim_yoda
Posts: 39
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 5:06 pm
Location: Broadview Heights, OH USA

I Heard the news today..Oh boy..

Post by tim_yoda »

The man on the news said that the Stardust Mission spacecraft captured "interstellar" particles in an "aerogel" medium aboard a probe designed to do just that.

Those particles are currently being examined by NASA scientists to determine the nature of those particles, and probably, the nature of our Universe; from its cataclismic begining, to its enigmatic evolution.<p>
What is missing from this entire forum is the fact that what we are wildly fretting about (ranking 1st, discovery 2nd) something that has already been achieved by the Stardust Mission Directorate.

The underlying predisposition with alleged discovery hierarchy (ranking)seems utterly futile given the real discovery conducted by NASA.
At this point in the survey, one of the @home "flagged" movies should've been awarded discovery status by now. NASA pulled a particle months ago!
play the lottery, your odds are better
the moon
Posts: 177
Joined: Thu Aug 03, 2006 12:34 am

Post by the moon »

Tim relax, all news organizations are exteremely lazy. They don't know anything you don't know. They were probably just paraphrasing a press release. Here's how it should have read. Bottom line, no particles have been found.

The Stardust Mission spacecraft's objective is to capture "interstellar" particles...

Those particles are currently being searched for by NASA scientists...
fjgiie
DustMod
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Location: Hampton, SC, US

The other News

Post by fjgiie »

Hi tim_yoda,

This is at least the second go round for this type of confusion. Please read this thread for the comet side of Stardust.
In The News

Thanks,

fjgiie
Nikita
DustMod
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Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 8:33 pm
Location: Indiana, USA

Post by Nikita »

To continue on that, Zack has some really easy to understand posts about what has been found in the comet samples. Here's the big ones:
Science article: Elemental Compositions of Comet 81P/Wild 2
Solar Mixing and Inti
I hope you find them interesting and helpful. Makes me wonder what surprises they will find with our stardust!
From dust we come
tim_yoda
Posts: 39
Joined: Fri Aug 04, 2006 5:06 pm
Location: Broadview Heights, OH USA

Stay tuned

Post by tim_yoda »

D'oh!
I read your links and the links in the "In The News" discussion thread. Very informative. Thanks to: The Moon, Fjgiie and Nikita for your considerarion and graceful input. I stand corrected.
I just feel (aside from misinformed- by the media) that too much attention to personal recognition is at the heart of the volunteer S@H venture. Nearly every discussion thread has a duster squeaking about the ranking system. Yikes!
The first IDP should be named "Vanity".
Nikita
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Joined: Wed May 17, 2006 8:33 pm
Location: Indiana, USA

Post by Nikita »

Hi Tim,

I think some of the bragging is approprate as the top searchers are putting in many, many hours to do this. It is a little disheartening for those of us who don't have the time, but I think everyone agrees that the research is most important.

If I were at the top, I would post my stats too! I know some friendly competition has been going on between some of the dusters and that is ok too. If that makes this more exciting, then it helps do the work.

I don't think anyone is here just to get their name at the top without any regards to the science. We've already addressed the cheaters issue and the ones who really were just clicking were never heard from again.

But let's face it, unless someone wants to bring up the trivia again or other fun things found in the community forum, scores and dust are the main topics.

So...Trivia anyone??? :wink:
From dust we come
fjgiie
DustMod
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Joined: Sat May 20, 2006 8:47 am
Location: Hampton, SC, US

When will volunteer project end?

Post by fjgiie »

ERSTRS wrote:How much longer will we be dusting for particles? Is there a projected end to the volunteer part of the project? Today is December 13, 2006. I've been dusting since August 11, 2006.
ERSTRS
It is very difficult to make predictions, especially about the future - (Yogi Berra) What will be different? Will the project run out of money? Can I stick my neck out and make another guess? Back in August 2006 I predicted end of 2007 when I wrote 45 real tracks clicked by 2008. Today I would add six more months to that which would take us to summer of 2008.

We dusters have looked thoroughly at 41 tiles out of between 124 to 132 in a time of eight months. Maybe one third of the flat part of the tiles. In 16 more months we should be finished with the flat part of all tiles. The edges should only take a fourth as long, just guessing the future. That would be six more months added. 1 April 2007 plus 22 months would put us to January 2009. That is six months longer than the end of the volunteer part of the project, summer of 2008.

Hey, telling the future is not so hard after all. :)
(as long as it does not have to be true)
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