Mr. Cruel Jonbenet Ramsey thought experiment proves the intruder theory

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Mr. Cruel Jonbenet Ramsey thought experiment proves the intruder theory

Post by redpill on Wed Jun 29, 2016 10:08 pm

take the blue pill and believe the ramsey's did it. the parents did it. it was an inside job
there was no intruder.

take the red pill,

this a thought experiment

this thought experiment will establish the intruder theory on scientific forensic grounds.

the thought experiment has to be defined, described in detail, and explained.

the thought experiment is to be done as described by wikipedia

first let's discuss what a thought experiment is, from wikipedia

A thought experiment considers some hypothesis, theory,[1] or principle for the purpose of thinking through its consequences. Given the structure of the experiment, it may or may not be possible to actually perform it, and if it can be performed, there need be no intention of any kind to actually perform the experiment in question.

The common goal of a thought experiment is to explore the potential consequences of the principle in question: "A thought experiment is a device with which one performs an intentional, structured process of intellectual deliberation in order to speculate, within a specifiable problem domain, about potential consequents (or antecedents) for a designated antecedent (or consequent)" (Yeates, 2004, p. 150).

Thought experiments, which are well-structured, well-defined hypothetical questions that employ subjunctive reasoning (irrealis moods) – "What might happen (or, what might have happened) if . . . " – have been used to pose questions in philosophy at least since Greek antiquity, some pre-dating Socrates (see Rescher 1991). In physics and other sciences many famous thought experiments date from the 19th and especially the 20th Century, but examples can be found at least as early as Galileo.

In thought experiments we gain new information by rearranging or reorganizing already known empirical data in a new way and drawing new (a priori) inferences from them or by looking at these data from a different and unusual perspective. In Galileo’s thought experiment, for example, the rearrangement of empirical experience consists in the original idea of combining bodies of different weight.[10]

Thought experiments have been used in philosophy (especially ethics), physics, and other fields (such as cognitive psychology, history, political science, economics, social psychology, law, organizational studies, marketing, and epidemiology). In law, the synonym "hypothetical" is frequently used for such experiments.

Theoretical consequences

In terms of their theoretical consequences, thought experiments generally:

challenge (or even refute) a prevailing theory, often involving the device known as reductio ad absurdum, (as in Galileo's original argument, a proof by contradiction),
confirm a prevailing theory,
establish a new theory, or

Practical applications

Thought experiments can produce some very important and different outlooks on previously unknown or unaccepted theories. However, they may make those theories themselves irrelevant, and could possibly create new problems that are just as difficult, or possibly more difficult to resolve.

In terms of their practical application, thought experiments are generally created in order to:

predict and forecast the (otherwise) indefinite and unknowable future;
explain the past;
the retrodiction, postdiction and hindcasting of the (otherwise) indefinite and unknowable past;
facilitate decision making, choice and strategy selection;
solve problems, and generate ideas;
attribute causation, preventability, blame and responsibility for specific outcomes;
assess culpability and compensatory damages in social and legal contexts;
ensure the repeat of past success; or
examine the extent to which past events might have occurred differently.
ensure the (future) avoidance of past failures.

In science

Scientists also use thought experiments when particular physical experiments are impossible to conduct (Carl Gustav Hempel labeled these sorts of experiment "theoretical experiments-in-imagination"), such as Einstein's thought experiment of chasing a light beam, leading to Special Relativity. This is a unique use of a scientific thought experiment, in that it was never carried out, but led to a successful theory, proven by other empirical means.
Relation to real experiments

The relation to real experiments can be quite complex, as can be seen again from an example going back to Albert Einstein. In 1935, with two coworkers, he published a famous paper on a newly created subject called later the EPR effect (EPR paradox). In this paper, starting from certain philosophical assumptions,[11] on the basis of a rigorous analysis of a certain, complicated, but in the meantime assertedly realizable model, he came to the conclusion that quantum mechanics should be described as "incomplete". Niels Bohr asserted a refutation of Einstein's analysis immediately, and his view prevailed.[12][13][14] After some decades, it was asserted that feasible experiments could prove the error of the EPR paper. These experiments tested the Bell inequalities published in 1964 in a purely theoretical paper. The above-mentioned EPR philosophical starting assumptions were considered to be falsified by empirical fact (e.g. by the optical real experiments of Alain Aspect).

Thus thought experiments belong to a theoretical discipline, usually to theoretical physics, but often to theoretical philosophy. In any case, it must be distinguished from a real experiment, which belongs naturally to the experimental discipline and has "the final decision on true or not true", at least in physics.
Causal reasoning

The first characteristic pattern that thought experiments display is their orientation in time.[15] They are either:

Antefactual speculations: those experiments which speculate about what might have happened prior to a specific, designated event, or
Postfactual speculations: those experiments which speculate about what may happen subsequent to (or consequent upon) a specific, designated event.

The second characteristic pattern is their movement in time in relation to “the present moment standpoint” of the individual performing the experiment; namely, in terms of:

Their temporal direction: are they past-oriented or future-oriented?
Their temporal sense:

(a) in the case of past-oriented thought experiments, are they examining the consequences of temporal “movement” from the present to the past, or from the past to the present? or,
(b) in the case of future-oriented thought experiments, are they examining the consequences of temporal “movement” from the present to the future, or from the future to the present?

Seven types
Temporal representation of a prefactual thought experiment.[16]

Generally speaking, there are seven types of thought experiments in which one reasons from causes to effects, or effects to causes:[17]

Prefactual (before the fact) thought experiments — the term prefactual was coined by Lawrence J. Sanna in 1998[18] — speculate on possible future outcomes, given the present, and ask "What will be the outcome if event E occurs?"
Temporal representation of a counterfactual thought experiment.[19]

Counterfactual (contrary to established fact) thought experiments — the term counterfactual was coined by Nelson Goodman in 1947,[20] extending Roderick Chisholm's (1946) notion of a "contrary-to-fact conditional"[21] — speculate on the possible outcomes of a different past;[22] and ask "What might have happened if A had happened instead of B?" (e.g., "If Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz had cooperated with each other, what would mathematics look like today?").[23]

The study of counterfactual speculation has increasingly engaged the interest of scholars in a wide range of domains such as philosophy,[24] psychology,[25] cognitive psychology,[26] history,[27] political science,[28] economics,[29] social psychology,[30] law,[31] organizational theory,[32] marketing,[33] and epidemiology.[34]
Temporal representation of a semifactual thought experiment.[35]

Semifactual thought experiments — the term semifactual was coined by Nelson Goodman in 1947[36][37] — speculate on the extent to which things might have remained the same, despite there being a different past; and asks the question Even though X happened instead of E, would Y have still occurred? (e.g., Even if the goalie had moved left, rather than right, could he have intercepted a ball that was traveling at such a speed?).

Semifactual speculations are an important part of clinical medicine.
Temporal representation of prediction, forecasting and nowcasting.[38]

The activity of prediction attempts to project the circumstances of the present into the future. According to David Sarewitz and Roger Pielke (1999, p123), scientific prediction takes two forms:

(1) “The elucidation of invariant — and therefore predictive — principles of nature”; and
(2) “[Using] suites of observational data and sophisticated numerical models in an effort to foretell the behavior or evolution of complex phenomena”.[39]

Although they perform different social and scientific functions, the only difference between the qualitatively identical activities of predicting, forecasting, and nowcasting is the distance of the speculated future from the present moment occupied by the user.[40] Whilst the activity of nowcasting, defined as “a detailed description of the current weather along with forecasts obtained by extrapolation up to 2 hours ahead”, is essentially concerned with describing the current state of affairs, it is common practice to extend the term “to cover very-short-range forecasting up to 12 hours ahead” (Browning, 1982, p.ix).[41][42]
Temporal representation of hindcasting.[43]

The activity of hindcasting involves running a forecast model after an event has happened in order to test whether the model's simulation is valid.

In 2003, Dake Chen and his colleagues “trained” a computer using the data of the surface temperature of the oceans from the last 20 years.[44] Then, using data that had been collected on the surface temperature of the oceans for the period 1857 to 2003, they went through a hindcasting exercise and discovered that their simulation not only accurately predicted every El Niño event for the last 148 years, it also identified the (up to 2 years) looming foreshadow of every single one of those El Niño events.[45]
Retrodiction (or postdiction)
Temporal representation of retrodiction or postdiction.[46]

Given that retrodiction is a process in which “past observations, events and data are used as evidence to infer the process(es) the produced them” and that diagnosis “involve[s] going from visible effects such as symptoms, signs and the like to their prior causes”,[47] the essential balance between prediction and retrodiction could be characterized as:

retrodiction : diagnosis :: prediction : prognosis

regardless of whether the prognosis is of the course of the disease in the absence of treatment, or of the application of a specific treatment regimen to a specific disorder in a particular patient.[48]
Temporal representation of backcasting.[49]

The activity of backcasting — the term backcasting was coined by John Robinson in 1982[50] — involves establishing the description of a very definite and very specific future situation. It then involves an imaginary moving backwards in time, step-by-step, in as many stages as are considered necessary, from the future to the present, in order to reveal the mechanism through which that particular specified future could be attained from the present.[51]

Backcasting is not concerned with predicting the future:

The major distinguishing characteristic of backcasting analyses is the concern, not with likely energy futures, but with how desirable futures can be attained. It is thus explicitly normative, involving 'working backwards' from a particular future end-point to the present to determine what policy measures would be required to reach that future.[52]

According to Jansen (1994, p. 503:[53]

Within the framework of technological development, “forecasting” concerns the extrapolation of developments towards the future and the exploration of achievements which can be realized through technology in the long term. Conversely, the reasoning behind “backcasting” is: on the basis of an interconnecting picture of demands which technology has to meet in the future — “sustainability criteria” — to direct and determine the process that technology development must take and possibly also the pace at which this development process must be put into effect.
Backcasting [is] both an important aid in determining the direction technology development must take and in specifying the targets to be set for this purpose. As such, backcasting is an ideal search toward determining the nature and scope of the technological challenge which is posed by sustainable development, and it can thus serve to direct the search process toward new — sustainable — technology.

In philosophy

In philosophy, a thought experiment typically presents an imagined scenario with the intention of eliciting an intuitive or reasoned response about the way things are in the thought experiment. (Philosophers might also supplement their thought experiments with theoretical reasoning designed to support the desired intuitive response.) The scenario will typically be designed to target a particular philosophical notion, such as morality, or the nature of the mind or linguistic reference. The response to the imagined scenario is supposed to tell us about the nature of that notion in any scenario, real or imagined.

For example, a thought experiment might present a situation in which an agent intentionally kills an innocent for the benefit of others. Here, the relevant question is not whether the action is moral or not, but more broadly whether a moral theory is correct that says morality is determined solely by an action's consequences (See Consequentialism). John Searle imagines a man in a locked room who receives written sentences in Chinese, and returns written sentences in Chinese, according to a sophisticated instruction manual. Here, the relevant question is not whether or not the man understands Chinese, but more broadly, whether a functionalist theory of mind is correct.

Other philosophical uses of imagined scenarios arguably are thought experiments also. In one use of scenarios, philosophers might imagine persons in a particular situation (maybe ourselves), and ask what they would do.

For example, John Rawls asks us to imagine a group of persons in a situation where they know nothing about themselves, and are charged with devising a social or political organization (See the veil of ignorance). The use of the state of nature to imagine the origins of government, as by Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, may also be considered a thought experiment. Søren Kierkegaard explored the possible ethical and religious implications of Abraham's binding of Isaac in Fear and Trembling Similarly, Friedrich Nietzsche, in On the Genealogy of Morals, speculated about the historical development of Judeo-Christian morality, with the intent of questioning its legitimacy.

An early written thought experiment was Plato's allegory of the cave.[54] Another historic thought experiment was Avicenna's "Floating Man" thought experiment in the 11th century. He asked his readers to imagine themselves suspended in the air isolated from all sensations in order to demonstrate human self-awareness and self-consciousness, and the substantiality of the soul.[55]

The scenario presented in a thought experiment must be possible in some sense. In many thought experiments, the scenario would be nomologically possible, or possible according to the laws of nature. John Searle's Chinese room is nomologically possible.

In some cases, the hypothetical scenario might be considered metaphysically impossible, or impossible in any sense at all. David Chalmers says that we can imagine that there are zombies, or persons who are physically identical to us in every way but who lack consciousness. This is supposed to show that physicalism is false. However, some argue that zombies are inconceivable: we can no more imagine a zombie than we can imagine that 1+1=3. Others have claimed that the conceivability of a scenario may not entail its possibility.
Famous examples of thought experiments include Schrödinger's cat, illustrating quantum indeterminacy through the manipulation of a perfectly sealed environment and a tiny bit of radioactive substance, and Maxwell's demon, which attempts to demonstrate the ability of a hypothetical finite being to violate the second law of thermodynamics.

here is a thought experiment

this is a documentary on Mr. Cruel

this is the thought experiment

Suppose Mr Cruel

saw Jonbenet Ramsey participate in this

pictures of Jonbenet

he is standing outside the Ramsey home on Dec 25, 1996

he's wearing hi-tech shoes
he has nylon cord ligature
he has suretape
he is wearing light brown cotton gloves that shed light brown cotton fibers
he is carrying a blunt instrument, possibly a heavy flashlight or baseball bat as weapon
his fur coat is made of beaver hair
he has a stuffed bear made of unidentified animal hair
rag made of dark blue fibers

as he told Sharon Wills his intention

As he carried her to the car he reassured her that he wasn’t going to hurt her and stated he was going to give her parents a ransom note and that he would return her in the morning when the banks opened and he got his ransom money.

he intends to leave a handwritten ransom note, making a ransom demand, but he does not bring one with him to the crime scene, which was the case for Nicola Lynas and Karmein Chan.

every aspect of his known crimes

the thought experiment is to be structured as described by wikipedia, and primary sources and scientific literature on thought experiments. i.e

Albert Einstein did a thought experiment of what happens when you travel at the speed of light.

the thought experiment plus facts from Mr Cruel's known crimes and the Jonbenet crime scene

are relevant data that goes into this thought experiment. specifically, while he will leave a ransom note, making ransom demands, and no, he didn't write one before hand and bring it to the crime scene, his actual interest is sexual. he intends to engage in sexual activity with Jonbenet Ramsey.
This sexual activity includes Mr Cruel taking off his gloves, pulling down Jonbenet's longjohns and panties, engaging in oral sex on Jonbenet's vagina, then inserting objects into her vagina, and photographing it. he then wipes Jonbenet genitals, as he has done with Jill, Sharon Wills, Nicola Lynas, Karmein Chan with the blue rag, in an attempt to remove his saliva and his DNA.

we are going to assume as in Lower Plenty, Jill, he is on a tight schedule, he as to catch an airplane at 8am leaving at 10am for Melbourne Australia on Dec 26, 1996 so he is unable to take the Jonbenet body with him. He will leave it in the Ramsey home. Note in Lower Plenty Jill and other crimes he left the child in the home.

What evidence will be left behind in this thought experiment. How does it compare with the actual evidence they found in the crime scene?

How would the evidence Mr Cruel would leave behind in Jonbenet Ramsey thought experiment, compare with the actual evidence they found in the Jonbenet murder investigation?

What would the crime scene look like if Mr Cruel were to commit the crime as described above? What would Mr Cruel leave behind? How does it compare with what was actually found in the Jonbenet murder investigation?

Specifically what kind of shoeprint would Mr Cruel, who is wearing a hi-tech shoe, leave behind close to Jonbenet's body in the basement? How does it compare with what was actually found in the Jonbenet murder investigation?

What kind of fibers would Mr Cruel leave on Jonbenet's body and clothing, as he wore light brown cotton gloves. How does it compare with what was actually found in the Jonbenet murder investigation?

What kind of fibers would they find in Jonbenet's genitals if Mr Cruel wipes it down with blue rag? How does it compare with what was actually found in the Jonbenet murder investigation?

What kind of DNA evidence would they find if Mr cruel performs oral sex on Jonbenet's vagina? How does it compare with what was actually found in the Jonbenet murder investigation?

What kind of DNA would they find if Mr Cruel removes his gloves, and uses his bare hands to pull down Jonbenet's long johns and then pulls it up as he redresses her? How does it compare with what was actually found in the Jonbenet murder investigation?

What kind of injuries to Jonbenet's vagina would MR Cruel inflict if he inserts his finger and objects into it? How does it compare with what was actually found in the Jonbenet murder investigation?

How would the ligature be tied around Jonbenet if Mr Cruel took the nylon cord and bound her? How does it compare with what was actually found in the Jonbenet murder investigation?

How would Mr Cruel murder Jonbenet, based on how Karmein Chan was killed. How does it compare with what was actually found in the Jonbenet murder investigation?

Since Mr Cruel in this thought experiment left a ransom note, but his actual intention is sexual assault on a child, what would the ransom note content be like? How does it compare with what was actually found in the Jonbenet murder investigation?

Since Mr Cruel wrote the ransom note in his own handwriting, in this thought experiment, what conclusions would 6 ABDFE FDE who examined the originals conclude regarding whether Patsy or John Ramsey wrote the ransom note? How does it compare with what was actually found in the Jonbenet murder investigation?

Since Mr Cruel wrote the ransom note, in this thought experiment, what conclusions would a forensic linguists Gerald McMerminin arrive it regarding whether either John or Patsy Ramsey wrote the ransom note. How does it compare with what was actually found in the Jonbenet murder investigation?

the conclusion of the thought experiment is clear

redpill's redpill is not only was Jonbenet murdered by an intruder, the intruder was none other than Mr. Cruel Like a Star @ heaven Like a Star @ heaven Like a Star @ heaven Like a Star @ heaven

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To attempt to turn the story of Noah’s Ark into a blood-soaked blockbuster is insane. To do it in a way that alters the story to fit the filmmaker’s intent rather than cater to Christian audiences is certifiable. To do it all while spending mucho Hollywood dollaros is downright diabolical. Yet, somehow that’s exactly what director Darren Aronofsky has managed to do with Noah on the back of the unexpected box office success of Black Swan. He’s been down this road before of course, using the cult success of Requiem For A Dream to talk a studio into financing a philosophical blockbuster in The Fountain. That project was marred by budget cuts and confused conception, but this time Aronofsky has somehow managed to get a full-on idiosyncratic personal project shoved out as a popcorn munching mass entertainment. The final result is far from perfect, but it is undeniably fascinating and unique. Such a thing is not supposed to come out of the studio system on this scale and for that alone, Noah is something to be admired.

Aronofsky’s film follows the most basic beats of the traditional Noah’s Ark fable. Noah is once again called on by his creator to build a massive ark that will house two of every living species during an apocalyptic rainstorm. However, beyond that logline, the film confounds and challenges expectations at every turn. Rather than having a cloud-couched old man with a wizard’s beard appoint Noah his task, this time Noah learns of his future through a dream and special tea-enhanced hallucination. He’s also played by Russell Crowe, which means that when an army of humans led by burly Cockney special Ray Winstone turn up to demand seat on the ark, good old Noah can throw down a big, muddy, medieval fantasy battle straight out of a weary-eyed Dungeons & Dragons marathon. To help him lay on some biblical beat downs, Noah even has a handful of fallen-angels-turned-hulking-rock-monsters. So, now the humanity-crushing storm comes along with thrilling battle royale… and yet, that’s not even the biggest diversion that Aronofsky takes from the source material.

More than anything else, Noah is a study of a psychologically marred antihero suited to Russell Crowe’s unique set of skills (and thankfully he actually bothers to show up and act for the first time in a few years as well). Crowe’s Noah is no evangelical icon, but a tortured man unsure of himself and his sanity. He has a family of course in his wife played by Jennifer Connelly, two sons (Logan Lerman and Douglas Booth), and an adopted daughter in the form of Emma Watson. Secretly, he believes they will be the last humans to ever live. Watson has partnered off with one of his boys, yet is barren. The other boy hopes to find a wife before their jaunt on the sea, but Noah forbids it and even lets an innocent suitor die during the rush to the boat. Then when Watson becomes miraculously pregnant, Noah insists that he will murder the infants at birth if they are female to fulfill what he is convinced is God’s will to slay all of humanity. So, a squeaky clean Christian icon this Noah is not, which has already stirred up plenty of controversy in the religious right before the film’s release. However, he is a fascinatingly complex hero, the likes of which are rarely seen in a film of this scale. That was a ballsy risk Aronofsky took while conceiving the project that pays off.

While one might assume that any film about a Sunday school favorite would be a cheery affair, that is far from Darren Aronofsky’s goal with this biblical dream project. The film is dark, violent, vicious, disturbing, thrilling, and action-packed. It’s also ultimately quite a spiritual movie in a way that hopefully intelligent religious folks will notice. The ultimate message of the film is positive, there’s just a whole lot of entrails and tragedy slopped on the screen before we get there (true to the Old Testament, just not squeaky clean sermons outside of extremists). Removed from that inevitable controversy, the film is an emotional and visceral thrill ride filled with intriguing ideas. Aronofsky’s primary strength as a filmmaker is his ability to create evocative cinematic imagery that sears its way into the brain and makes a devastating emotional impact. Noah is filled with these moments, and they make it clear why the filmmaker was so determined to launch this specific project. In particular, there’s a time lapse telling of the history of the creation from the big bang to the evolution of man that is possibly the most singularly stunning sequence that the filmmaker has ever mounted. The movie will leave audiences feeling drained and as usual, Aronofsky coaxes exhausting and impressive performances out of all his actors that leaves them in a pile on the floor in the film’s wake along with the audience.

Sadly, despite all the deserved praise that I’ve slathered all over the movie and its maker, Noah is far from perfect. The film has many faults that all Aronofsky movies share. The man knows no sense of subtlety and hammers his ideas into viewer’s skull as gently as a kick to the nethers. He also has trouble writing naturalistic dialogue and hampers actors with distractingly stylized speech that almost kills their performances. Then there’s the issue of length because this film is an epic in every possible sense and will force viewers to limp out of the theater as much due to their numb posteriors as the material’s emotional impact. So, it’s definitely a flawed piece of work, just one so audacious that the flaws can be overlooked. It’s difficult to predict how Noah will perform at the box office and certainly any controversy it faces will play a role for good or ill. However, the movie deserves to be a success, not just for its merits but also because this is exactly the type of ambitiously unique blockbuster that studios should allow filmmakers like Darren Aronofsky to make on their dime. In a perfect world, the summer movie season could alternate between wild-eyed experiments like Noah and the latest Marvel or Hasbro production. We’re still quite a ways off from that happening, of course. Yet, if Aronofsky can use a few hundred million to make Noah at the same time Alfonso Cuaron could find financing for Gravity, that beautiful blockbuster dream might not be as far off as it seems.


Housing Law - The Six-Year Itch: Permission to issue a warrant for possession after 6 years

By : Andrew Lane

CCR Order 26.5(1) and 26.17(6) provide that a landlord (and indeed a mortgagee too) requires the permission of the court to issue a warrant for possession where "six years or more have elapsed since the date of the judgment or order". In many instances where the claimant in possession proceedings is a social landlord then possession orders are suspended or postponed on terms that will require many years for the arrears to be cleared, and certainly longer than the 6-year period within which a warrant for possession can be issued without the need for an application to the county court to seek the court’s permission to so issue.

There is some empirical evidence that the question of warrants on "old" orders is becoming an increasingly prevalent issue. It may be that courts are becoming less willing to allow any application to proceed on a without notice basis (which is possible under CCR Order 26.5(2)) and instead require the tenant to be notified of the application.
Whatever the reason, the court will need to have in mind the reasonably clear guidance given in earlier authorities when deciding whether to exercise their discretion and grant permission. I would set down these principles as being as follows:

  1. no party should suffer unnecessarily from delay which is not their fault but rather a fault in the administration of justice (National Westminster Bank-v-Powney [1991] Ch 339 @ 361C);
  2. the mere passage of 6 years would be a sufficient ground in itself for refusing permission (Dipka Patel-v-Sarbjit Singh [2002] EWCA Civ 1938 @ 14 + 21);
  3. the court will not, in general, extend time beyond the 6 years except where it is "demonstrably just" to do so (Duer-v-Frazer [2001] 1 WLR 919 @ 925C) – Master Ungley looked for "exceptional circumstances" in Patel and Lord Justice Peter Brown held that Mr Justice Jack was wrong to find that this was a misdirection (@ 24);
  4. in Patel Lord Justice Peter Gibson said that: "…the court must start from the position that the lapse of 6 years may, and will ordinarily, in itself justify refusing the judgment creditor permission to issue the warrant of execution, unless the judgment creditor can justify the granting of permission by showing that the circumstances of his or her case takes it out of the ordinary." (@ 21);
  5. the longer the period that has been allowed to lapse since the order the more likely it is that the court will find prejudice to the defendant (Duer @ 925E); These are not easy "hurdles" for a landlord to overcome and in my experience their cause is not helped by the fact that many ignore the fact that their application for permission must be supported by a witness statement or affidavit "establishing the applicant’s right to relief" (CCR 26.5 (2)). In other words, it is not enough to simply describe what the landlord has or hasn’t done over the years – enter payment arrangements with the tenant, liaise with the housing benefit department, etc – but they must also show why the circumstances of the case take it "out of the ordinary" and make it "demonstrably just" for the permission to be granted. It is after all for the landlord to prove its case and not for the tenant to show that she or he would suffer prejudice if the warrant were to be issued. In Kensington & Chelsea RLBC-v-Scarlett (2005) November "Legal Action" @ 20 for example, District Judge Price sitting at Central London County Court held that the Council had not overcome this burden of proof as, rejecting their analysis of the case as one of chronic failure to pay the rent or one in which they had actively pursued the arrears, he found that it was not a case made exceptional by the fact of the suspended terms being designed to run beyond 6 years (this was not unusual) and saw no other evidence that the case was out of the ordinary. For landlords therefore they have to be careful to manage a possession case post-suspended
    ostponed order in a responsible and diligent manner, and if they do need to apply for permission they must address the crucial issues of what makes the case "out of the ordinary" and "demonstrably just" head-on. For tenants, they should be aware that for many of them (at least in the local authority sector) the issue of tolerated trespasser status may be of more consequence for them than a permission application which even if successful may lead to further postponed terms. It would also assist if any evidence they file can demonstrate prejudice if permission were to be granted (such as the stress of extended periods under "threat" of possession). Lastly of course, and the issue for a separate article perhaps, is the question of what a landlord can do if they do not get permission (save for appeal of course):
    1. If the defendant is a tolerated trespasser could they issue fresh proceedings based on their status as trespassers or would this be ruled an abuse of process (attempting as it would be to get round the established regulatory regime) ?
    2. Might they grant a fresh tenancy and treat the arrears/costs as purely a judgment debt ?
    3. Should they apply to vary the possession order so as to postpone possession to a future date (or to a later date to be fixed by the court) and then seek to argue that the 6-years run afresh ?
    Watch this space! 3rd July 2006
  6. the burden of proving that it is "demonstrably just" to extend the time is on the claimant (Duer @ 925C).


THINKING negatively really can make you ill, say scientists.

Tests on volunteers have shown that those who focus most intensely on bad times in their lives suffer weakened immune systems. They also display increased activity in an area of the brain associated with negative mental states, including depression.

The study is said to be the first to establish a direct connection between the brain and immune function.

United States neuroscientist Dr Richard Davidson, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, who led the research, said yesterday, "Emotions play an important role in modulating bodily systems that influence our health. We turned to the brain to understand the mechanisms by which the mind influences the body."

The team studied 52 individuals aged from 57 to 60.

Each volunteer was asked to recall two events, one that made them feel intensely happy and one that left them feeling sad, fearful or angry.

As the participants focused on the emotion for one minute the researchers measured the electrical activity in the right and left sides of the brain's prefrontal cortex, which are associated with positive and negative mental states.

Previous studies had shown that people with a highly-active right prefrontal cortex were likely to be oversensitive to negative events. The right prefrontal cortex, on the other hand, was linked to positive emotional responses.

Brain activity levels were recorded again after volunteers spent five minutes writing about particular events.

The scientists also measured the "jumpiness" of participants by means of their "startle reflex", the way their eyes blinked in response to sudden noises.

After the tests the volunteers were given shots of flu vaccine and their immune responses were assessed by measuring blood antibody levels. Measurements were taken three times in the six months after the vaccination.

The study, reported in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, found that the most intense negative thinkers had higher levels of right prefrontal cortex activity and a pronounced startle reflex. They also had poorer immune reactions than other volunteers.

In contrast, those whose brains showed more activity on the right side of the prefrontal cortex had relatively stronger immune systems.


Reader recommendation: Animal Encounters

Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.

The Animal Dialogues: Uncommon Encounters in the Wild is a captivating book containing over two dozen stories by author Craig Childs regarding his face-to-face encounters with wild animals, both big and small, in western North America.  In addition to his experiences Childs also shares interesting insights into each animal’s makeup.


Winter Study Abroad in Guatemala

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Maximo Nivel

Join a program that offers an opportunity for students to study and experience the intersection between environmental health, human health, and animal health while traversing the coasts, mountain forests, and vibrant cities of Guatemala. This fast paced experience starts in Guatemala city where students explore the legacy of Guatemala's civil war and of Guatemala's Disappeared and the impact of...


Anatomy of Hacked Emails

Email hacking have always been a problem since the days when email began. The common attitude for handling a hacked email account to most people are to shrug their shoulders and try to recover from the hacked email or otherwise walk away from the hacked email and create yet another email account and redistribute one's new identity.

The impact of hacked email accounts can range from simple mischief to catastrophic identity theft or something much bigger than just stealing identities or learning one's secrets in the emails. Before we delve into discovering the impacts of hacked email accounts, we have to know what are emails usually used for and what are their general contents. The primary role of most email accounts are used as personal contact and identification to whoever they want to have a relationship with. In simple, an email account is as good as a mapped relationship environment and that is the amount of wealth of information about the people who are in contact with the email account owner.

Emails may also be used as notes to oneself which in a way acts as a stick-it note or a notepad of sorts. Precious personal information ranging from account PINs or passwords can be found in such emails which we will touch on later in the topic. Personal notes may contain sensitive personal information that have the chance of not only compromising personal security and privacy but also the security and privacy and security of other people whom you might have associated in the notes. The calendaring features and note-taking features that many modern Webmails (web-based emails like GMail, Yahoo or Hotmail) provide (if compromised) can turn out to be a rich harvest of personal and sometimes even secret information of the owner of the email and those associated.

Sensitive security authentication codes for websites (even Email based 2 Factor Authentication Codes) or acknowledgement codes are usually sent to the email account and a compromised email account would spill it's guts full of security codes, acknowledge codes, user PINs and passwords and what not. Most people do not update their PINs or passwords found in their email messages either due to pure user laziness, little knowledge of Computer Security via ignorance of sorts or the websites or applications in-regards to the login PINs or passwords do not provide some form of changing of the PINs or passwords sent via email to the user. Either way, compromising emails might allow attackers to harvest a huge amount of personal codes, PINs and passwords that might allow the attackers to further venture into compromising other Computer Systems and Applications linked to these compromised codes, PINs and passwords.

Attackers taking over email accounts may setup their own agendas and campaigns using compromised emails and a few of their favourite campaigns include sending spam or specially targetted messages with crafted malware payloads in the email content which may come in the form of contaminated electronic documents, applications, vulnerable websites or websites with "traps" and many other form of electronic attacks. If you are thinking how the attacks could be related to your responsibility as the owner of the email account whom have lost control over it, give it some thought again. Your email is used to send stuff to undermine the security of those around you and yourself. The attacker might flip through your online address book in your email account and decide to compromise all your other friends and family members because you did a bad job at securing your email. You could shrug off and think that those who were compromised by the email attacks that came from your compromised email are not really brilliant people but think again, you were the source of all the problem.

Turning into a pawn in the attackers' botnets (Computer Systems that are compromised and under remote or local control), your compromised email accounts become useful arsenals to carry out their nasty job. Legal implications may arise due to the identification of your email account being identified as a participant in certain Computer System breaches or attmpted attacks. Some of these attackers do not want other people's money but are State Actors (Agencies of a Nation or Country) that uses compromised email accounts in their covert operations to do nasty stuff to their targets and manipulate messages for their own gains and agenda. Some of the compromised email accounts could be used to implant fake evidences to setup traps to entrap their political or national targets and imagine what happens if you are on the receiving end of such treatment where you are a journalist or an activist and the State of Nation somewhere (or even your own Country) decides to set you up so they can put you down and out because you did not do your email security properly or your friends' or families' emails got compromised and were used to reach out to you and you might have downloaded or become infected by highly customized malware. You might attempt to justify the lost of security of your email account to the covert operations under the influence of certain powerful players but at the end of the day it is still your email account you lose control of and you cannot justify if their actions are justifiable or not.

The net of intrigue does not stop at the personal level when an email account is compromised. It could turn out to be a covert operation by certain Agencies, States, Countries, Organisations or Groups on the extreme end (one should not shrug off such possibilities just because it might seem unlikely) and on the more forgiving end, it might just be a prank. This net of intrigues could go on but it would be too extensive and too much to write here.

Either way, do consider your own security and the security of everyone else connected and not be a weak link in the security chain. Don't be the black sheep that poisons others you don't mean to.

You are doing security for yourself and as importantly, others around you !

Publication Info
Published On: 2nd Jan 2015
Author: Thoth


GSBS Student Publications

Kinetic analysis of the RNAi enzyme complex

GSBS Program

Biochemistry & Molecular Pharmacology

UMMS Affiliation

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology

Document Type

Medical Subject Headings

Adenosine Triphosphate; Animals; Base Sequence; Catalysis; DNA Primers; Drosophila melanogaster; Kinetics; Protein Binding; *RNA Interference; RNA, Small Interfering; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid

Life Sciences | Medicine and Health Sciences

The siRNA-directed ribonucleoprotein complex, RISC, catalyzes target RNA cleavage in the RNA interference pathway. Here, we show that siRNA-programmed RISC is a classical Michaelis-Menten enzyme in the presence of ATP. In the absence of ATP, the rate of multiple rounds of catalysis is limited by release of the cleaved products from the enzyme. Kinetic analysis suggests that different regions of the siRNA play distinct roles in the cycle of target recognition, cleavage, and product release. Bases near the siRNA 5' end disproportionately contribute to target RNA-binding energy, whereas base pairs formed by the central and 3' regions of the siRNA provide a helical geometry required for catalysis. Finally, the position of the scissile phosphate on the target RNA seems to be determined during RISC assembly, before the siRNA encounters its RNA target.

Rights and Permissions

Citation: Nat Struct Mol Biol. 2004 Jul;11(7):599-606. Epub 2004 May 30. Link to article on publisher's site

Related Resources

Link to article in PubMed

Journal Title

Nature structural and molecular biology

PubMed ID


Reservation Inquiry

Suarga Padang Padang

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Thoughtfully designed to blend modern luxury with a minimal impact on the environment, the sustainable boutique resort features 36 rooms, pavilions and villas as well as a season-driven signature restaurant that showcases captivating ocean views.

Suarga Padang Padang invites today's "Rough Luxury Travellers" to discover a new perspective in sumptuous travel, an interactive cultural journey that celebrates a conscious choice to support social-environmental awareness and indigenous design.
The resort's exceptional location welcomes you to explore unparalleled activities and adventures including the secluded white sand beaches and mystical Balinese temples of Uluwatu.


Lotus Dev 2

After a successful test campaign of Lotus Dev 1 (LD1), BURPG is introducing the latest engine to the Lotus series, Lotus Dev 2 (LD2). LD2 will power BURPG’s Starscraper suborbital launch vehicle to 100km in the summer of 2017.

The pressure-fed engine produces 2,500 lbs of thrust with 233 sec Isp SL. LD2 features an increased chamber pressure and L* for boosted engine performance.  A single LD2 will replace the clustered LD1 configuration for Starscraper’s spaceshot.

Lotus Dev 2

To support development of LD2, BURPG will employ Iron Lotus - a steel heat-sink engine with the internal chamber geometry of LD2. Iron Lotus will allow the team to complete ignition testing prior to putting LD2 on the stand; getting BURPG to the test stand faster and with less hardware risk.  Ignition data collected will be used to push LD2’s aggressive test campaign.

Iron Lotus

In order to obtain reliable and repeatable ignition, BURPG has turned to Triton Space Technologies’ TS-160Y pyro actuated poppet valves for the engine's main valves. The TS-160Y provides up to 3,000 psi working pressure and is coupled with high flow capacity. It features 1" male AN connections, a liquid CV of 13, and an open response time of < 75 ms - faster than typical pneumatically actuated ball valves. BURPG is lucky to be working closely with Triton Space Technologies in support of the Starscraper program. Triton Space Technologies' technical and financial support will go a long way as BURPG pushes the envelope of amateur aerospace. Read more about Triton Space Technologies (www.triton-space.com) and the TS-160Y valves here: www.triton-space.com/ts-160y.

TS-160Y Valves

In parallel with LD2 development, vehicle design continues. Starscraper subsystems have undergone both internal and external CDR's for the new intertank, fuel tank, feed system, and TVC system. A full vehicle CDR is scheduled for the month of December as we aim to complete flight paperwork before the end of the year.

BURPG is excited for the months ahead as Starscraper build ramps up and engine testing progresses. If you would like to support our team, please email us at terrierrocket@gmail.com.

Year In Review

The 2015-2016 school year saw BURPG kicking off development of a new engine, Lotus. Replacing the hybrid Mk. V on the Starscraper rocket, Lotus is BURPG’s first crack at liquid engine development, and has proven to be an incredible learning experience and significant step in the journey to space. As the group takes a semi-hiatus from rocket development for the summer, it’s time to look back on the progress with Lotus, Starscraper, and where things are going next.

Lotus liquid engine on the test stand

Lotus liquid engine on the test stand

One of the major reasons for BURPG’s transition to liquid engines is the faster testing pace they offer. Lotus testing began in December 2015, after a marathon build and prep process during the fall semester. In just the spring semester alone, BURPG executed more engine tests than ever before accomplished in an entire year. Not only that, but Lotus testing requirements birthed a totally new ground support system, software, and upgraded electronics that were refined and matured through the test campaign. BURPG now has a very capable, flexible and reliable test infrastructure.

BURPG executed 26 tests of Lotus during the spring semester. Six of these tests were aborted before or shortly after engine ignition due to the detection of faults in either the ground system or the engine itself. While these tests may not have provided data about engine performance, they still yielded data used to improve the engine or ground support system. There were 10 cold flows of Lotus.

Cold flow test

Cold flow test

Hot fire test

Hot fire test

There were 10 hot fire attempts of Lotus, 8 ignited, with all tests being 2 second duration. These tests focused on ignition and establishing stable combustion. A brief breakdown of the tests are as follows:

Testing Summary:

Equipment Notes

December 5, 2015

4 oxidizer cold flows

3 fuel cold flows

-Rev 1 fluids

February 20, 2016

1 fuel cold flow

3 hot fires

-Rev 1.1 fluids: reduced propellant line lengths

April 3, 2016

1 hot fire

3 aborted tests

-Rev 2 fluids: panel mounted pressurization system, further optimized propellant lines

-Corrected injector fuel port sizing

April 17, 2016

1 fuel cold flow

1 oxidizer cold flow

2 hot fires

3 aborted tests

-Rev 2.1 fluids: panel mounted propellant feed, introduction of flow meters, panel mounted propellant valves and purge system

-Rev 2 ground electronics and software

-New concrete pad for tank stand

April 30, 2016

4 hot fires

-Rev 2.2 fluids: increased propellant line diameters, optimized flex lines on run tanks

-New blast shield

-New water cooled flame diverter and firex system

-New APCP igniters

The last test of lotus resulted in the copper chamber liner being expelled from the aluminum chamber sleeve. This was from investigations into the length of ox lead needed to get the engine to ignite compounded by inconsistent valve timing. With nitrous oxide as an oxidizer, a precisely timed oxidizer lead is needed to allow the oxidizer to decompose in the chamber due to contact with the burning igniter. With too much fuel being present at the same time, the oxidizer is unable to decompose well enough to allow combustion. The film cooling ports at the throat of the engine make proper propellant timing difficult, which led to combustion outside the chamber during most of the earlier testing. Combustion in the chamber on the first two tests may have been achieved due to the high hydraulic resistance of the original fluids system leading to lower flow rates. Less propellant entering the chamber means the igniter can more easily decompose the oxidizer, even with fuel present, preventing ignition from being smothered.

"Flamethrower" behavior from combustion occurring outside chamber

"Flamethrower" behavior from combustion occurring outside chamber

With each test, the oxidizer timing was being incrementally advanced until proper ignition could be achieved. However, due to a slow valve from trapped pressure and oxidizer bleed-in issues, the timing was incorrect going into the last test and the oxidizer was too far advanced. This led to detonation in the chamber upon fuel entry, creating over-pressurization and failure of the retaining ring holding in the copper chamber liner. This is the designed failure mode for the chamber, since all components that are ejected are comparably low energy and are deflected in a safe direction.

To address the problems that led to the chamber failure, an ox bleed valve is going to be added so the oxidizer will be starting at a consistent place in the feed line, right behind the main valve, with each test. The main oxidizer valve is going to be swapped for a vented valve to prevent pressure buildup leading to inconsistent valve opening times.

Other potential changes are to the engine itself, focusing on making the engine easier to ignite. One is increasing the L* of the engine. L* relates the volume of the chamber to the throat area, with a larger L* increasing the dwell time of the propellants in the chamber. A longer dwell time in the chamber means the propellants will have more time to react. More planning and redesign is going to occur over the summer to allow manufacture and testing to begin as early as possible in the fall semester.

To test Lotus, the existing hybrid test stand infrastructure was modified to better suit the liquid engine, and a new ground fluids system built. As mentioned in the test breakdown, there were two major revisions of the ground fluids system.

The first had many of the components and plumbing removable from the stand.  This was found to be subject to high line loss, so the line lengths were shortened where possible.  The setup was still cumbersome, so the pressurization system was built onto a panel, followed by the feed system with the addition of flowmeters in the second revision of the fluids system.

Even after this reorganization, the line losses were still higher than were acceptable, forcing the run tank pressures very high. This led to the upgrade of the feed lines again to a larger diameter. The end result is that the fluid system performs to the requirements of the engine and is fast to set up and break down in the field.

Along with the test stand and fluids system, a fire suppression system was added to the ground equipment this year. The initial setup relied on a pressurized water tank, and a pyrotechnic valve turning on the supply to the nozzles. This was then changed with an upgrade to the blast deflector. A larger tank supplies water to an electric pump, which can be controlled by the ground support electronics. A water spray cools the blast deflector during normal operation, but in the case of a fire needing to be extinguished the flow is switched on to nozzles mounted on the test stand.

With the new requirements presented by Lotus, the ground electronics and software had to be upgraded for testing as well.

The software was substantially rewritten focusing on both increasing its capabilities and reliability. The autosequence and abort handlers were changed to allow them to be more flexible and easily modified, including configuration files that could be changed with the software running, without having to reset it. This increases testing pace substantially as the ground support system does not have to be safed and shut down for the reset like it was before. The abort handler was made more reliable and predictable, and not in need of being reset after being triggered. This allows faster recovery of manual control after an automatically triggered abort.

Usability was also upgraded, including an improved UI with window configuration saving. The UI also changes to reflect abort states for easier recognition of fault scenarios and the safe recovery from them. The software is also capable of running reliably across multiple OSs.

Example screenshot of BURPG's ground control software

Example screenshot of BURPG's ground control software

On the hardware side, the Ground Operation Devices (GOD) Box underwent a significant upgrade. Originally designed for Hyperion Rev A, the front panel and wiring harness was not capable of taking advantage of Hyperion Rev B’s full capabilities.  A new front panel was made allowing all channels to be broken out, along with new features like power control for the fire suppression pump. A new wiring harness was made with shielded wire bundles, further lowering the noise floor on measurements. The design of the new front panel and harness also allows easier access and repair to the devices in the GOD Box.

While Lotus development and testing was indeed the main focus for BURPG this year, there was further work on the Starscraper airframe and avionics. Most of the airframe work from this year is still in the concept stage, and relates to modifications that need to be made to the original hybrid Starscraper airframe for the new liquid iteration. The avionics too were revamped for the requirements of the new liquid engines.

Airframe work focused on 3 main components; the aft structure, the fuel tank, and the intertank bay, which is the area between the fuel and oxidizer tanks.

The aft structure contains the joint that allows a pair of electromechanical linear actuators to gimbal the engine cluster, and is intended to function as a stand-alone assembly to allow lab testing and characterization of the actuator control loops.

There are two different fluids scenarios being investigated for use on the aft structure. One relies on more traditional flexible tubing for the fuel and oxidizer feeds, which while based off of commercial off the-self equipment and is a lower risk design, has higher line losses and lower performance.

Aft structure concept utilizing commercial flex lines

Aft structure concept utilizing commercial flex lines

The other option being investigated is a custom bellows joint for the ox feed, since this is the higher flow propellant and more susceptible to performance issues due to inefficient feed arrangements. The bellows joint would comprise of a rolled metal bellows in the center of a ring joint.

Bellows joint for oxidizer feed system

Bellows joint for oxidizer feed system

Another item of the airframe being worked on is the fuel tank. The fuel tank follows a similar design used originally in the ox tank, with modified bulkheads. The bulkhead design was changed to be lighter, more inexpensive to manufacture, and have the necessary ports for the ox pass-through, instrumentation, and pressurization inlet and tank outlet. The bulkheads on either side of the fuel tank are intended to be identical for faster manufacture, since there will be no change in tooling for each bulkhead. Final volumes and operating pressure will be determined by engine operation parameters verified through ground testing.

Concept model of fuel tank, showing internally mounted pressurization tank

Concept model of fuel tank, showing internally mounted pressurization tank

The final airframe component being designed is the intertank, which is also an important structural area of the rocket since it transfers load from the fuel tank to oxidizer tank. Housed in the intertank are critical avionics components including the inertial measurement unit and flight computer, as well as control hardware for the fuel tank pressurization. All of this equipment needs to be accessed easily. The structural members of the intertank are struts placed radially around the bay, and are removable for servicing the equipment installed in the bay. There is also a central, non-structural mount for the avionics.

For the avionics on the liquid version of Starscraper, the decision was made to create a new avionics framework that would offer increased flexibility and performance through the use of modular components networked over Ethernet. These components are:

·         Linear Actuator Controller (LAC), which drives the brushless motors used in the linear actuators that gimbal the engine cluster

·         Data Acquisition and Control boards (DQCs) several of which collect data and control valves across the rocket

·         Flight Computer and Switch (FCS) which handles the major navigation calculations and serves as the central communications node of the avionics network

·         IMU board (IMU) which interfaces the internial measurement unit to the avionics network

·         Telemetry Interface Board (TIB) which allows the telemetry system comprised of COTS components to interface with the avionics network

While a modular, Ethernet networked avionics framework is new for BURPG, the avionics components rely on mature technologies developed by BURPG over several years of avionics improvements. These boards are in various stages of development. The LAC has already undergone debugging and preliminary linear control loops have been tested. The DQC is undergoing assembly, with the other boards having completed the layout stage.

Work also began this year on a rebuilt ASTRo, used as a testbed for inertial control system implementation. The ASTRo airframe was rebuilt with minor modifications to allow more reliable recovery and more secure camera mounting. The most drastic change was to the flight computer, which was redesigned to utilize a higher performance IMU; the same one intended to be used on Starscraper. The ASTRo flight campaign will happen during the 2016-2017 school year following the completion of a first revision control loop.

New ASTRo flight computer with IMU

New ASTRo flight computer with IMU

Over the summer, BURPG will be working on several things to prepare ourselves for Lotus testing as early as possible in the fall semester. This work will largely focus on the changes to Lotus and test infrastructure as highlighted earlier. Concept development for the vehicle will continue, as will work on ASTRo's control system. The plan is to begin vehicle integration with the start of the spring 2017 semester. Next stop is space!

Beginner Rocketry Resources

Many think that rocketry is complicated (it is rocket science, after all), but in fact rocketry is quite easy to understand when broken down to its core principles; it's breaking it down that can prove daunting. One of our rocketry friends across the river at MIT, Zachary Bierstedt, recently published a great article covering some key rocketry concepts. It is a very good primer, covering everything from the physics at play through to the major components of a rocket and their function.

For those of you curious what's going on when us rocket nerds get down to business, please check out the article linked below.

Introduction to Rocketry

Also, for some robotics resources, see the link below. Robotics is another interest of many of our members, and has a lot of overlap principles; especially where electronics are concerned:

Robotics Education Resources

Lotus Engine Hot Fire 3

The weekend of April 2 saw the first test of Lotus with a corrected triplet injector. From the previous ignition tests 1 and 2, it was clear that a known design flaw had reduced the injector stiffness to the point where the feed system was able to couple to the engine, resulting in oscillations much lower than any acoustic chamber modes.

The new injector attempted fixed these issue with properly sized fuel ports. Unfortunately, the day’s events did not provide useful data on engine performance. However, the day was a good shakedown of a heavily upgraded fluids system and an exercise in rapid response to operational changes.

Upgraded pressurization system and oxidizer fill panel

Upgraded pressurization system and oxidizer fill panel

Testing was to start with a 2 second ignition test, followed by a 5 second burn to obtain regenerative cooling data. The first attempt resulted in a manual abort being called due to non-nominal tank pressurization. The pop valves had been moved closer to the bang-bang pressurization solenoids on the upgraded fluid system, meaning they saw higher pressure than before and were opening. The tanks run at 900 psi, but the pressurization line immediately after the solenoid valve was exceeding the valves’ rated 1000 psi. Due to the amount of GN2 vented through the pop valves, the GN2 battery pressure dropped from 2700 psi to 1500psi in under 5 seconds.

It was determined that the test could be run without the pressure-relief backup of the pop valves due to the automatic aborts programmed into the ground software, so the valves were removed. Due to the loss of GN2, a conditional abort was added to shut down the engine if GN2 pressure dropped too low during a run.

Draining the oxidizer tank during a system-safe abort

Draining the oxidizer tank during a system-safe abort

Everything was reset for a second attempt, which ended on an automatic system triggered abort. An existing conditional abort to shut down testing on oxidizer/fuel ratio was triggered early with the activation of the GN2 pressure abort flag. The oxidizer/fuel ratio abort then shut down the system, since the not-yet-ignited engine was not providing nominal data. The system went into system safe while the abort configuration file was quickly rewritten to remove the oxidizer/fuel ratio abort, being deemed unnecessary for a 2 second ignition test. With the corrected aborts in place, control of the system was regained and testing reset for a second time.

Combustion occurring outside the chamber

Combustion occurring outside the chamber

The third attempt of the day went smoothly operations-wise. However, due to a check of the main fuel valve that was run after the fuel tank had been filled, the fluid level in the fuel feed tube was different than normal. This advanced the fuel timing, which led to fuel and oxidizer entering the chamber at the same time. Proper ignition of the engine relies on the oxidizer having decomposed when exposed to the pre-burner ahead of fuel entering the chamber, which did not happen effectively in the presence of the fuel that was entering early. This caused the mixture to ignite outside the engine once mixed with atmospheric oxygen, creating a very fiery, low thrust burn. Video footage seems to suggest that the fuel/ox mixture was not igniting until after leaving the chamber.

Data Analysis and Results:

Due to the combustion occurring outside the chamber, the engine performance was obviously not valid. Due to not having choked flow, the thrust data was very low. The thrust level matches that expected by the pure momentum of propellant discharge.

All the operating pressures were non-nominal as well. The ideal are as follows: 480 psi oxidizer manifold, 660 psi fuel regen inlet, 460 psi fuel manifold, and 400 psi chamber. From further analysis of the fluid system, the line losses appear to be higher than initially expected. Taking the data seen here, the lines are being upgraded appropriately to decrease pressure drop to an acceptable level. A filter on the fuel system is also being removed, and replaced by a filter on the tank fill inlet.

Along with the upgraded fluids lines, there are operational changes planned. A fuel bleed process is being added, to make sure the fuel level in the feed lines is consistent from test to test. The software has been upgraded to make the abort system more predictable and flexible, as well as easier to modify.

The water suppression system is also being changed. Instead of a pneumatically pressurized deluge tank, a larger plastic tank and pump is going to be used. The water suppression also includes a new blast plate with water channels for plume suppression and to prevent severe heating of the plate.

Lotus Engine Hot Fires 1 and 2

Feb. 23, 2016

Lotus on the test stand ahead of the test

Lotus on the test stand ahead of the test

Fuel Cold Flow

Hot fires

Lotus during hot fire testing

Lotus during hot fire testing

Lotus Liquid Engine Cold Flow #1

Dec. 5 2015

BURPG has completed the first successful cold flow of the Lotus liquid engine, obtaining valuable data on the new ground fluids system performance, valve timings, and preliminary engine parameters. It was a significant first step in the development of the Lotus engine and further progress on BURPG’s way to space.

The testing included 4 oxidizer flows and 3 fuel flows. These varied in length, with the longer flows providing data on engine behavior, and the shorter flows providing a larger data set on valve timings. Determining these timings are critical for the engine ignition autosequences. Following is a brief analysis of our results and how these will be applied to future testing and revision.

See the video of the test here:  https://youtu.be/oEC2i0adbSg

Pressure drops are important engine parameters that can be found during cold flow testing. The lotus pressure drop data provides some interesting insight into the engine behavior during the cold flow.

Below is a graph of the fuel system pressure drops from a long duration fuel flow. The regen dP is the pressure drop across the regenative cooling channels, and is determined by the difference between the regen manifold pressure and the fuel injector manifold pressure. Other pressure drops are determined by measuring the pressure relative to atmosphere. Before the main fuel valve (MFV) opens, there is pressure present from the purge system. The purge check valve opening is also responsible for the small spike after the main fuel valve closes.

For the regen pressure drop, we were expecting 200psi, and the fuel injector 60psi. The low values shown in the graph are caused by higher than expected losses on the ground fuel system, and can be corrected for by increasing the test tank pressures. The mass flow rates that were calculated also came in at about 75% of what was expected, in agreeance with the lower than expected pressure drops.

The graph below details oxidizer injector pressure drop. As noted with the fuel, the purge pressure is seen again, this time as the pressure in the regen system and fuel injector. Purge pressure in the fuel system increases during oxidizer flow as the check valve for oxidizer purge shuts, diverting more flow to the fuel purge.

For the oxidizer injector, the expected pressure drop of 80 psi is actually lower than measured. The oxidizer mass flow rate was also calculated to be about 37% of what was expected. While this seems counterintuitive to have lower than expected flow rates and higher pressure, this can be explained. During cold flow conditions, the vapor pressure of nitrous oxide is significantly higher than the chamber pressure, causing the liquid nitrous oxide to cavitate and turn to gas in the injector ports, restricting the flow area and leading to the behavior seen in the data. Since this data does not verify the pressure drops of the oxidizer injector, other methods can be used. The CdA of the injector can be verified through water flow testing, from which the approximate pressure drop can be backed out.

Visible in both graphs is the effect of the pressure swings from the pressurization system, creating fluctuations in regen pressure and oxidizer injector pressure. More discussion on the ground support equipment performance follows.

Since we were using an entirely new ground support equipment (GSE) system for the liquid engine, the cold flow was as much a test of the GSE as the engine itself. The GSE system performed well for a first test, but observations and data from the test highlight some areas to focus on to make the system even more effective.

One area is the pressurization system. The press system is intended to keep the test tanks within a 15psi margin around the desired set point as the tanks drain by using a bang-bang solenoid valve controller and 3000psi nitrogen. The pressurization controller also utilizes the tank vent valve in the case that there is significant overshoot on the tank pressure to limit pressure fluctuations making it to the engine.

From the pressurization data, it is clear that the pressure swing was very significant. This is from two factors. One was the software buffer for the data was not being flushed frequently enough, making the response time of the controller in excess of 150ms. This slow response was compounded by a second factor, the extremely high pressurization flow rates through the press system. As evident in the video of the test, the pressurization swings were large enough to consistently trigger the vent valves. The pressure swings are evident in the graph of the oxidizer test tank pressure below. The dotted lines represent the set points for the controller, and the solid line the goal pressure.

These two issues are very straightforward to fix. By flushing data buffers more frequently, the response time of the system can be brought down significantly. Response time can be further improved by hard coding the controller onto the DAQ and control board, Hyperion. Combining this with orifices on the nitrogen feed to limit flow, the bang-bang controller should be tunable to the point that the pressure swing is within our set points and the vent would never need to open.

A second fix that is needed is to the vent valves themselves. On the oxidizer tank, the valve points down the side of the tank. This orientation allowed the thrust from the valve to actually push up on the oxidizer tank load cell, creating fluctuations in weight data with the valve opening. On the fuel tank, a horizontally mounted vent valve was able to swing the tank, as evident in the video. To remedy this, both valves will have a T fitting attached to the output, so that there will be no net thrust from the vent valve. The tanks will also be constrained in the stand from horizontal movement. An example of the effects the vent valves had on mass measurement of the fuel tank is given to the right.

Because of the fluctuations in the tank mass during the test, the mass flow rate had to be backed out from the starting and ending mass versus the time the test ran. Since this is not ideal, future testing will focus on obtaining more accurate mass flow data.

For proper ignition of the engine, oxidizer and fuel have to enter the combustion chamber at precisely the right time. This is made difficult by the fact that the fuel has to make it through the regenative cooling channels before reaching the injector. To determine the time from valve open command to arrival of each propellant at the injector and valve close command to the end of propellant flow, the valve command was overlaid on the pressure data from multiple tests. Below, an example from an oxidizer flow test is shown. The difference between the valve command (orange) and the pressure (blue) starting to change was taken as the valve timing. For ox and fuel, start up timing was remarkably consistent, with all tests being within 3ms and 12ms of each other, respectively. Shut down timing was more variable, varying as much as 27ms and 40ms, respectively.

valve timing.PNG

For future testing, the GSE system will implement fixes for the issues described above, providing better mass flow data and less fluctuation in feed pressure. The next test will be a cold flow to verify our GSE corrections. The pressure drop across the oxidizer injector will also be roughly verified by water flow testing. Following the completion of these two steps, hot fire testing will begin. Hot fire testing will start with several short duration tests, focusing on measuring start-up transients and ensuring that the engine can be ignited safely and consistently. Testing will then move on to longer tests focusing on measuring steady state performance as well as varying oxidizer to fuel ratios.

BURPG Presents at Embedded Systems Conference in Silicon Valley

Mk. V Hot Fire #1 Results

On May 2nd, 2015, BURPG attempted the first hot fire and full systems test of the Mk. V hybrid rocket engine, the most powerful amateur rocket engine ever built. The hot fire was intended to test the throttling profile to be used during flight, as well as characterize the TVC response. It would also verify the durability of the combustion chamber and nozzle. Following the test, the results would be used to optimize throttling for maximum altitude, and adjust gains in the TVC control algorithms to obtain stable flight.

The hot fire test did not go as planned. A software crash, and ensuing abort, led to valves not operating as intended, causing the combustion chamber to rupture. A full breakdown of the events during the test follows.

During fueling, the telemetry and control stream between the control station and the ground support electronics was lost. This triggered a system-safe abort, which functioned as intended. All fueling valves closed, and vent valves opened to start releasing pressure, in the event that contact could not be reestablished. Connection was reestablished and lost propellant replaced. At this point, a TVC sweep test was done, to verify valve control before the hot fire began. During this, one of the TVC servos stopped working, leaving the TVC valve open. This was seen as a non-issue, since its effects would not interfere with the rest of the TVC sweep test during combustion, and the nitrous oxide ice forming on the nozzle would be burned off during the ignition sequence by the long preheater burn.

The autosequence was initiated, and the preheater burned as intended during the ignition process. The pyrotechnically actuated valve then opened, allowing the oxidizer to enter the combustion chamber. However, the engine stayed at idle. This was due to the throttle valve not opening for the ignition process, but rather remaining closed. It is not designed to seal fully, so oxidizer did leak into the combustion chamber. The cause of the throttle valve not responding still remains to be determined, though it was not something that came up in normal testing. Most likely explanations stem from some effect of the software crash.

After about two minutes of the engine idling, a burn through was noticed in the post chamber, directly above the nozzle. A combustion abort was called, which would shut the throttle valve. The throttle valve instead opened, flooding the combustion chamber with oxidizer. The flame near the base of the combustion chamber ignited the engine from the bottom up, over-pressurizing the chamber and causing it to rupture.

The safety shield on the trailer kept all propellant bottles safe. The fire department was on-call, so the burning combustion chamber was extinguished within minutes. All that was lost in the test that was not disposable were the TVC valves, servos and bottom combustion chamber bulkhead. The trailer was undamaged, except for scorching on the safety shield. Due to the way BURPG operates the rocket fueling and tests, no one was in danger at any point. All operations are handled from a safe zone more than 700 feet away from the rocket from the moment the propellant tanks are opened.

Anyone familiar with rocket engine development is aware that engine failure is always an option. The only way a test can be a failure, however, is if nothing is gained from it. While the first hot fire of the Mk. V may not have been successful in terms of testing the engine performance, it is important to still reflect on what was gained. Our members now have invaluable experience in designing, assembling, and testing of highly complex rocket engines, on par with what is seen in professional aerospace. We also identified problems and their solutions. New networkable digital servos, with feedback, are now going to be used on the rocket. With the addition of feedback, servo position can always be verified, allowing better diagnosis of the system and closing the loop on the controls. A weak point in the software is also being massaged out to provide better reliability.

Moving forward, the Mk. V will be rebuilt and retested. A second combustion chamber is nearly complete. TVC valves, servo brackets, and combustion chamber bulk plate are all being redesign and remachined over the summer. Upon returning to school, fuel grains need to be cast and a new nozzle made. We would then make a second attempt at a hot fire, and hopefully be ready for a flight following that.

All of us here at BURPG are incredibly excited to continue the Mk. V campaign, and all look forward to the day this thing flies. We thank the Boston University College of Engineering for their continued support and encouragement, as well as our many sponsors and backers. It has been a lot of work to get to this point, but incredibly rewarding for all involved. We are excited for what the future holds for this project.

Rockets are high risk, high reward. We all understand that; it’s also what makes all of this so much fun.


The Texas Senate made strides concerning second amendment rights on March 15 when members of the 82nd Legislature passed a measure that allows residents to stow their firearms, which have been purchased through legal means, in their vehicles while they are at their place of employment.

Under the bill, authored by Sen. Glenn Hegar (R-Dist. 18), employers can not enforce mandates that forbid the presence of guns on the parking property designated for employees. The legislation was passed by a vote of 30:1.

In moving through the legislative process, the measure will soon be considered in the House where it will be voted on once again.

"‘I'm totally in favor of it," State Rep. Debbie Riddle (R-Dist. 150) said. "If a young woman or anyone for that matter felt they needed protection from the home to the office, to deny them of that would be ludicrous. The employer has the right to determine the ground rules for his business but to tell someone they can't have a weapon with them to get to work safely is wrong."

State Rep. Allen Fletcher (R-Dist. 130) joins Riddle in supporting the bill and has filed pro-second amendment legislation as well.

"I feel that if people have a CHL then they have the right to have a gun in their vehicle," Fletcher said. "How can you exercise your right to protect yourself when you have to leave your gun at home?"

According to Riddle, the issue is a matter of necessity as some residents need to carry a gun for their own wellbeing.

"I can think of a number of scenarios where people would need a gun in their vehicle," she said. "If they live in an area with gang-related activity they'd have more safety with a weapon."

Those opposed to the bill believe it would not deter crime but rather increase instances of violence as more individuals will be allowed to have weapons in their possession.

However, Fletcher said he is not in favor of just anyone carrying a firearm but rather those who've obtained a concealed handgun license, he said.

"I'm all about prosecuting people that have weapons illegally," Fletcher said. "But when it's a law abiding citizen they should be able to exercise their right to protect themselves."

Lawmakers should stand behind the bill, Riddle said, as its importance weighs on the Constitutional Rights.

"When you start carving into the Constitutional Rights and giving up liberties our fore fathers put their lives on the line for, pretty soon they will all be gone," she said. "These are not only our rights.

"It's our freedoms. It's the freedom to speak, to protect ourselves and our family. Our freedoms are critical. If our freedoms go away then who and what we are as a country goes away. And if they go away then it's our own fault."


The Industry Issues Resolution Program

Settling disputes through other than IRS examination.

n recent years, the Internal Revenue Service has made a concerted effort to give both business and individual taxpayers options for resolving tax controversies earlier in the return filing and collection process. For business taxpayers, it set up—now on a permanent basis—an industry issue resolution (IIR) program, to settle some common disputes without having taxpayers involved in an IRS examination.

The program was designed to provide guidance on frequently disputed or burdensome issues common to a significant number of business taxpayers (regardless of size).

How the process works. Taxpayers, as well as industry associations and other groups representing taxpayers, are invited to suggest issues and possible options for resolution. Submissions should describe the proposed issue and explain why guidance is needed. They also may include an analysis of how the issue could be resolved.

Appropriate issues. In selecting issues to address, the service considers their “appropriateness,” the likelihood it can provide guidance in a timely manner and the availability of necessary staff and resources.

An appropriate issue generally will have two or more of the following characteristics:

Uncertainty as to the tax treatment for a given situation.

Frequent, often repetitive examinations of the same issue.

Significant burden on the taxpayer.

Materiality, affecting a significant number of taxpayers, either within an industry or across industry lines.

A factual determination as a major component.

Issues that would not be appropriate for the program include those that

Are unique to one taxpayer (or a small group).

Are under the jurisdiction of the IRS’s exempt organization or government entities divisions.

Involve transactions that lack a bona fide business purpose or that are undertaken with a significant purpose of reducing (or avoiding) federal taxes.

Involve certain international tax issues.

Review and resolution. After reviewing the issues submitted, the IRS, the Office of the Chief Counsel and the Treasury will select the ones for resolution. A team of officials then will examine each issue and offer a solution. If the team needs additional information, it may request it from the interested party (or parties) that suggested the issue. This taxpayer (or group) can provide information to the team but cannot participate in the decision-making process.

Guidance. Once a recommendation is approved, the IRS will publish an explanation of the solution reached. The form of the resulting guidance most likely will be a revenue ruling or revenue procedure.

Benefits. The benefits of the IIR program include

Resolution of the same issue for many taxpayers.

Establishment of a consistent IRS position.

Reduction in the cost and burden of disputing issues (for both taxpayers and the service).

Elimination of tax-treatment uncertainty.

Resolution of treatment for financial statement purposes.

Drawbacks. The downside to this program includes

An industry settlement that may be unfavorable to a particular company or group of companies.

The likelihood the IRS would not consider a taxpayer’s individual situation on a case-by-case basis.

Taxpayers’ lack of involvement (aside from providing documentation) and of any decision-making authority.

For a discussion of developments involving practice before the IRS, see the Tax Practice and Procedures column, edited by Mark Ely, in the July 2002 issue of The Tax Adviser.

—Nicholas Fiore, editor
The Tax Adviser

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