Comments on: White House, Congress to participate in export control discussion this week

By: Space Cadet

Space Cadet — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 05:46:32 +0000

I get the point, but principles commonly taught in classrooms are exempt. The diameter of the #6-32 screw is also ok, as is the length if it is an off-the-shelf length not specifically for spacecraft.

But if you want a non-standard length screw and you want it for a spacecraft, then it’s a “munition” and falls under ITAR. Seriously.

By: Rick Boozer

Rick Boozer — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:36:59 +0000

Oops, superscripting showed correctly on the preview, but not in the actual post!
I’ll rewrite it without relying on superscripting HTML code.
F=Ï’ma
where Ï’ is the Lorentz transform: 1/SQR(1-v^2/c^2)

Or maybe I should have left it displayed incorrectly to foil the Chinese!

By: Rick Boozer

Rick Boozer — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:31:18 +0000

@pr
@Lawson

The equations you guys gave are just Newtonian approximations. Get the authorities really breathing down your neck by giving an exact relativistic determination:
F=Ï’ma
where Ï’ is the Lorentz transform: 1/SQR(1-v2/c2)

By: Space Cadet

Space Cadet — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:02:23 +0000

Because of ITAR, customers of European satellite manufacturers are willing to pay a premium for “ITAR-free” satellites. I.e. the providers are able to make more money on their product by making sure they don’t buy a single bolt or resistor from any US companies.

By: Michael

Michael — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 07:25:21 +0000

ITAR is the reason our last satellite had a communications problem. We bought a radio from Canada, but once it touches our hands (OMG!) it’s suddenly ITAR, even though anyone else can buy the same radio from Canada as well.

So when our foreign national students were testing all our radio equipment, we had to leave out the Canada radio, with the hopes that we could find an American student to test it. Long story short, we never found one and the ground unit failed, costing us our data. It was the only failure in the entire system — all because we had to separate foreign students from technology they could purchase themselves if they wanted to.

The inventor of our radio design, btw, a brilliant engineer, is now back in India wishing he could work here. I’m sure his being forced to work there has done far worse damage to American national security than any amount of money he would have sent home while working here.

ITAR accomplishes the opposite of what it sets out to do, and is in terrible need of reform.

By: Larson

Larson — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 19:10:14 +0000

Iâ€™ll probably go to jail for saying this, but â€¦

F=m*a

If you really never want to be seen again, you have to use:

F = d(m*v)/dt

By: pr

pr — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 14:19:33 +0000

I’ll probably go to jail for saying this, but …

F=m*a

Terrorists could use that technical information to construct orbiting brain lasers, but I don’t care about protecting the USA from such things, I’m a scientific type who is only interested in the ego boost that comes from publishing such highly sensitive information.

The fact that Newton’s second law wasn’t developed here and any potential adversary worth worrying about already knows it doesn’t mean it’s not covered by ITAR.

I’ll do it again:
#6-32 screws have a diameter of 0.138 inches.

I can feel the rush. Now I’m just waiting for the groupies who dig bad boys.

By: Chuck Black

Chuck Black — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 13:00:59 +0000

If anything McGyver could turn into a weapon was listed as being under ITAR regulations, then there would still be jobs being created.

They’d just be created outside the United States, under the “ITAR Free” banner.

Wait a moment, isn’t that what’s happening now?

By: Bennett

Bennett — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:39:24 +0000

P.S. We might as well sell to whoever. No matter which way it goes with the big guys, the small producers of orbital gear will have a more open window. More jobs.

By the way, that M-I-C thing? It was all sewn up in the early 50’s.

Ike was barking into the wind.

By: Bennett

Bennett — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 02:29:54 +0000

"Obama loves to use it for political assassinations. " Y'know, as a troll you're better than most just for never using the /sark tag after your comments. But the sentence quoted is about as naive as it gets. Do you really think that decisions like that are made by the President? This President? Thanks for the laugh.