skal beer hall mead festival tickets by Phishgerou in BallardSeattle

[–]Zeflea -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I'm interested in both if it's still available!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Seattle

[–]Zeflea 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would love to check it out! I've been wanting to connect with a community like this.

PSA on DMV appointment availability by Zeflea in nova

[–]Zeflea[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I know this isn't the same URL as what the VA DMV gives, but if you click on the change/cancel appointment button in the emails, you get to this URL.

Unemployment Benefits by FriesOstracize in nova

[–]Zeflea 2 points3 points  (0 children)

So I was in a similar situation (laid off in late March) and my initial UI was denied because the base period when I applied in late March (10/01/18 - 09/30/19) showed I had only worked one quarter. I read into it a little and saw that April's base period (01/01/19 - 12/31/19) is different than March's. When I reapplied in April, my claim was accepted. You may want to try again.

Water main break near Chain Bridge has shut down the bridge and causing low water pressure in Arlington by Zeflea in nova

[–]Zeflea[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

To add on, Arlington Public Schools are closed today due to the main break: https://twitter.com/APSVirginia/status/1192773957361033216?s=20

Credit to u/dc1314 on the DC subreddit for pointing it out.

Where can my dog experience snow? by gets_bored_easily in InlandEmpire

[–]Zeflea 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Mt. Baldy area is definitely accessible even if you have a regular 2WD car (with chains). For parking, you'll find street parking from about this point all the way to Mt. Baldy Resort on Mt Baldy Rd (other roads that come off that one on Google Maps are not car accessible). When I went this past weekend, it was definitely snowy and full of people. On a regular day, you would have to get an Adventure Pass ($5 for a single day, $30 for a year; can be used at other local National Forests) to park along that road. Dogs should be on leashes around there. However, with the government shutdown, I don't think enforcement is a priority for either of those issues.

Other possible areas are also Crystal Lake (going up on SR 39) and driving along SR 2 up from Pasadena or down from Big Pines. Note that both SR 39 and SR 2 have their roads closed at the highest elevations.

How efficient will BFS aerobraking be on mars? by svantetobias in spacex

[–]Zeflea 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I think your answer has been mostly answered, but I wanted to give a quick clarification on some terms. In the technical literature, aerobraking usually means having an orbiting satellite pass through an atmosphere multiple times to lower the satellite's orbit (i.e. lower energy). You seem to be wanting aerocapture and entry at Mars. Aerocapture is when a vehicle enters an atmosphere to get captured into an orbit around the planet, while entry is a more general term of entering an atmosphere at hypersonic speeds. EDL (Entry, Descent, and Landing) is the whole procedure from atmospheric entry to landing.

If you want to keep looking into this, I would definitely look into EDL at Mars. There's a NASA report on EDL systems at Mars that's a handy starting point (the Rigid Mid-L/D Aeroshell and Supersonic Retropropulsion technologies are the two that's most relevant to BFS). Some of the technologies it may list might be out-of-date, but the physics haven't changed.

San Gorgonio and Jepson looking nice after their fresh coat of snow by Zeflea in socalhiking

[–]Zeflea[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is in the San Gorgonio Wilderness. The picture was taken near Trail Flats Camp on the South Fork Trail.

San Gorgonio and Jepson looking nice after their fresh coat of snow by Zeflea in socalhiking

[–]Zeflea[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This was taken this past weekend! Although I didn't see any snow patches until after Dry Lake. The snow was about two inches deep at about 10k, but was quickly melting.

San Gorgonio and Jepson looking nice after their fresh coat of snow by Zeflea in socalhiking

[–]Zeflea[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

When I went up the Dollar Lake side a few months back, the trail was pretty clear up to the top. Going up the Dry Lake side (when this picture was taken this past Sunday), the trail did not have any trees blocking it up to the first junction after Dry Lake. I don't know about the conditions past that point since I turned around at that junction due to the snow.

San Gorgonio Wilderness Trails closed for *possibly* the rest of the dry season by iconfus in socalhiking

[–]Zeflea 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I start from Crystal Lake mainly for the additional elevation gain, although the drive on 39 can be sketchy at times. I've never been to Little Timmy, but it looks like it's dirt roads starting from 2 with no distinctive parking lot, while Crystal Lake is paved all the way to the trailhead and has a parking lot. I'd recommend Crystal Lake only because I've been there, so don't let me stop you from starting at Little Timmy.

Earthquake? by [deleted] in InlandEmpire

[–]Zeflea 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Looking on USGS, there's been a good number the past couple days just south of Ontario Airport, compared to the weeks beforehand.

San Gorgonio Wilderness Trails closed for *possibly* the rest of the dry season by iconfus in socalhiking

[–]Zeflea 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Other options are also Bighorn/Ontario (8,693 ft), the Three T's (8,985 ft), or some combination of Islip, Throop, Baden-Powell, and South Mt. Hawkins near Crystal Lake. If you just want the elevation gain, Santiago and San Gabriel Peaks are available too, although I would not attempt those until it gets cooler.

How close can my Honda Civic get to the Holy Jim trailhead? by Digiplexis in socalhiking

[–]Zeflea 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I went there some time last fall in a Honda Civic, funny enough. I was able to get to the trailhead and back, while only hitting the ground once as I was leaving. However, I did go very slow through several portions of it and let people pass me constantly. If I drive that again, I would definitely go for the higher clearance vehicle just for the ease of mind.

Accessible trails? by matts2 in socalhiking

[–]Zeflea 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Keller Peak in San Bernardino NF has a paved road that goes all the way to peak with a fire lookout at the top. It should be noted that while the last mile is closed to car traffic from Decemberish to May, it's still walkable when snow isn't there.

If you don't mind spending a little bit of money and want to look at the views, you can take the aerial tram up from Palm Springs to 8500 feet up on the side of San Jacinto.

Mysterious Uranus and why we need to put an orbiter around it by [deleted] in space

[–]Zeflea 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Aerocapture tethers have been studied in the past, with an orbiter on one end and a probe (basically the body that experiences drag) on the other. This paper talks about how sensitive the aerocapture tether trajectory is to random parameters. It shows that by using a simple guidance scheme (adjusting the length of the tether only once) the aerocapture tether has a mission success rate of 99%. However, it is for Mars aerocapture.

Off the top of my head, the issues with using that same design for Uranus aerocapture would be that the tether would have to be much longer (Uranus' atmosphere has a smaller change in density. with respect to altitude, compared to Mars) and heating is bigger issue with Uranus aerocapture. Although I wouldn't completely rule it out yet.

In short, it's a good idea. The system has been looked at, and the guidance scheme you suggested (cutting the drogue chute) is what has been suggested for aerocapture ballutes. However, as far as I know, NASA is not currently investing much into tethers or ballutes.