Today I received some 3D imaging data from Alessondra Springmann and the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center (NAIC) in Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The data was from a recent Aercibo Telescope radar run on the binary near-earth asteroid 1998QE2. I decided to throw the 3D data into the one of the new MakerBot Replicator 2X machines purchased for the Design Lab at the Colorado School of Mines to see what this asteroid and its moon really look like. More information on the Arecibo Telescope’s measurements is available in this abstract.
I will be using the resulting 3D printed models in upcoming courses as neat demonstration props that students can hold in their hands to see what radar data of asteroids really looks like. The educational applications of 3D printing are nearly limitless!
UPDATE: By popular request, here is the MakerWare .thing file to print your very own 1998QE2 model at home!
SECOND UPDATE: After initially agreeing that I could post the .thing file of 1998QE2, NAIC has asked me to take down the file for the time being while they do some additional work on the model. In the meantime, you can download models of other asteroids from the Database of Asteroid Models from Inversion Techniques (DAMIT). You will want to download the .OBJ file and then use the MeshLab converter to change it into a .STL file that can then be imported into MakerWare. Happy asteroid printing!
Start of the print.
Halfway there.
Almost done.
Completed and still on the build platform.
An asteroid and its moon.
Onion and garlic for scale. Sorry. I didn’t have a banana handy.
Over winter break I found my way to California for a few days. As part of the trip, I visited Sondy and Adam around the Tomales Bay area. These few photos are along Highway 1 as it winds its way around the coastal mountains. The area strongly reminds me of southern Albania.
I located Sondy and Adam in Bolinas where we had a late lunch and watched the sun set over the pacific.
Adam borrowed one of my coats for the chill of sunset. We were matching. Thanks Sondy for this photo!
Looking south toward San Francisco.
There were quite a few surfers riding the waves just offshore.
Between Saturday and Sunday I went on a wild ride from Corvallis down the Pacific Coast and Redwood Highways to Point Reyes Station and back up I-5 to Corvallis. The total distance was 1280 miles give or take. I did the whole thing in 36 hours with 11 of those hours being used for rest in Point Reyes Station.
Originally I had planned to go over the Cascades and slip down the east side into Nevada and eventually to Death Valley. However, due to pass conditions and an inclination to go along the coast, I went down the 101 toward San Francisco. It’s a good thing I did because otherwise I’d be in the middle of Nevada with a bad oil leak right now.
At around Klamath, California I suddenly lost power going up a hill. Pulling over and putting the bike up on its center stand, I found that an itty bitty oil leak on my left crank case had become a much larger leak. It took about a quart of oil to bring my bike back up to full. After that I was off and down the road again.
Driving through the redwoods at night on the freeway south of Eureka, California was an amazing experience. There wasn’t one piece of straight road for probably 40 miles. The two lanes of southbound tarmac were wide-open, beautifully marked with reflectors, and perfectly banked for 65 MPH travel. I only saw a couple other cars on that entire stretch of road. It felt like I was playing some retro-futuristic video game. It was so, so awesome!
Getting gas in Ukiah, the gas station worker challenged me to an arm wrestling match. She was in her 60’s. In the end she relented and gave me my change.
In Petaluma I got lost and ended up driving in the wrong direction. I had a lovely tour of the salt marshes between Petaluma and Napa though. Finally I figured out which way was west and rode into Point Reyes Station at 330am. It had been a long day of driving.
The next day I got out of Point Reyes Station late in the day and headed off to I-80 and then to I-5. Somehow I missed a turn and had to go through Sacramento. It was a good thing I did though because when I got to Redding, California, the guy at the pump behind me turned out to be a fellow PC800 owner. He had tailed me on the freeway for 50 miles in his car waiting for me to pull over for gas so he could say hi. It sounds like I might be going back to Redding soon to trade Art my windshield for his windshield.
Going over the pass on I-5 I was reminded how much the roads in Oregon suck at night. It took quite a bit of concentration to stay on the road and in between the lanes. I often tailed semi trucks to follow their brake lights. Maybe someday Oregon will get with the program and put reflectors on the roads.
I rolled back into Corvallis at 1am. The tip of my right thumb is still numb, my right hand is physically weak from using the clutch so much, and my right foot is numb on top. I also lost seven pounds during that ride. I stayed hydrated the entire time with a 100 ounce Camelback water bladder tucked in my backpack. Who knew motorcycling was so demanding?
The parts to fix my bike are on order and should be here in a week or two. The job will probably take about six hours to complete. I can ride the motorcycle until then but I will be keeping it within 100 miles of friendly garages where I can park it until I can go and fix it wherever that garage happens to be. My AAA towing plan covers up to 100 miles. 🙂
I stopped for gas many different times during the trip. The gas stops are listed below:
Waldport, OR: 139.1 miles, 3.027 gallons, 45.95 mpg (This also included the ride from Waldport to Corvallis and up Marys Peak from the day before)
Port Orford, OR: 136.6, 2.854 gallons, 47.86 mpg (Lots of wind down the coast)
Klamath, CA: 109.3, 2.352 gallons, 46.47 mpg (I was fighting some nasty winds coming down along the 101 in Oregon)
Miranda, CA: 120.2 miles, 2.687 gallons, 44.73 mpg (Too much fun on the freeway through the redwoods!)
Unika, CA: 100.2 miles, 2.105 gallons, 47.60 mpg
Point Reyes Station, CA: 137.4 miles, 2.993 gallons, 45.90 mpg
Arbuckle, CA: 140.1 miles, 2.973 gallons, 47.12 mpg (not bad for doing 75 on the freeway for most of the previous tank)
Redding, CA: 109.1 miles, 2.673 gallons, 40.8 mpg (I was doing 75 on the freeway on the whole tank to Redding. I also had a small over-fill of a few ounces.)
Yreka, CA: 95.0 miles, 2.406 gallons, 39.48 mpg (I was pulling up the hills at 65 mph or faster out from Redding)
Grants Pass, OR: 81.3 miles, 1.816 gallons, 44.76 mpg (I went over the pass and was going slow most of the way due to poor road markings)
Cottage Grove, OR: 115.9 miles, 2.492 gallons, 46.5 mpg
Along the Pacific Coast on my Pacific CoastIt was pretty windy through this section. A storm was rolling in.At the California borderWhere I slept in Point Reyes StationMy motorcycle with before I put the gear back onMy bike has some brake dust coming off of it. Looks like I'll be due for some new brakes soon.The oil leak.Gearing up for the ride north.Sondy went on a short ride with me before I headed out of town.
