re command loss timer re galileo update in article apr bnr ca jcobban bnr ca jim cobban writes having read in the past about the fail safe mechanisms on spacecraft i had assumed that the command loss timer had that sort of function however i always find disturbing the oxymoron of a no op command that does something if the command changes the behavior or status of the spacecraft it is not a no op command of course this terminology comes from a jet propulsion laboratory which has nothing to do with jet propulsion i don t know where you got this idea from jpl s history dates back to to the s when a caltech professor named von karman conducted experiments in rocket propulsion with a group of graduate students on the present site of the jet propulsion laboratory the army started funding the laboratory and had jurisdiction untill the late s when nasa took over the early research conducted at the laboratory led to many applications the first being jet assisted takeoff rockets for aircraft i think this should explain where jpl got it s name i should know i worked there for five wonderful years mike jim cobban jcobban bnr ca phone bnr ltd bnrgate bnr ca bcars jcobban fax
