Word: solarized
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...futility of taking technological shortcuts and the agility of men working in space to remedy unexpected ailments. When Skylab was launched by a Saturn 5 booster rocket on May 14, 1973, a large section of its meteoroid and heat shield ripped away, taking one of its prematurely extended solar-energy wings with it. A second wing jammed in a retracted position. The craft both overheated in orbit and was dangerously underpowered. But in the space age's first salvage mission, on May 25, 1973, Astronauts Charles ("Pete") Conrad Jr. and Joseph Kerwin entered the overheated space lab and rigged...
David Akin, an MIT research assistant at Space Lab Systems, said yesterday he thinks it will land in the Atlantic Ocean. He added, "I think it's a crying shame that it has to come down before scheduled. Solar flares expanded the atmosphere and the air molecules accelerated Skylab's descent. It shows that we don't know everything about...
...inconveniences aside, Carter's edict has also raised complaints from engineers. Merely setting the thermostat at 80° F, they argue, may actually waste energy. Many air-conditioning systems have not been designed to work efficiently and humidify properly at such levels. Matters are further complicated by "the solar load": as the sun moves around the building, room temperatures inside can rise by as much as 5° F. "You can't just set office thermostats like you do those in a home," explains Larry Wethers, a building-systems assistant for Chicago's 110-story Sears Tower...
However valid the criticisms, the program does signal a switch in Government solar funding away from expensive and Utopian projects to simpler projects in individual homes, where oil consumption can be cut immediately...
...Government uses an astonishingly broad definition of solar energy. It includes passive thermal systems, like the one on the White House roof that uses 32 glass panels to heat water, photovoltaic panels that convert sunlight to electricity, and also wind power, hydroelectric dams and the burning of wood...