Break Me

Today was quite the disappointing day. You know, there are just some things that don't seem to work right when you need them to. I went to the lab today expecting to have about a 3 hour job of getting the machine set up and ready to go with some measurements. It turned out that I couldn't even get started. Something happened that is definitely not a good thing to have had happen. The inside of this machine works by having a pump that puts in a small amount of liquid nitrogen to the inner chamber where the sample is being held. What then happens is that the temp of the sample space heats up the liquid nitrogen, and so by a process of equilibrium you get everything to slowly cool down.

What appears to have happened, however, is that the vacuum chamber from which this liquid nitrogen is pumped had gotten some air in to it. Now, one might not think that this is such a bad thing, but the problem with air is that it will invariably have some moisture in it. Now, when you put 60 K liquid nitrogen in to air, you freeze the water that's inside of it. Now, this needle valve which shoots in the liquid nitrogen in to the sample space seems to have frozen over, along with some other areas within the chamber. So what's happening now is we're going to have to warm up everything, which will take a few days, and then pump helium through the space to try and clear everything out. It's going to take a while to see if anything works right or not...but we'll just have to wait and see.

I liked Paul's choices for the letter matches. I guess it does probably take about 90 minutes and then some to get anywhere in A.S. So I'll say that's a good answer, even if it's not the correct one, although if you can't get it after what Paul had... Today's question is called "Take A Break" in the theme of breaking things...sort of.

Discovered in Africa, I spread like a tide
To become a hot staple known the world wide.
A necessity to some, a treasure to many,
I'm best enjoyed among pleasant company.

Some like me hot and some like me cold.
Some prefer mild, others only bold.
Some take me straight, while some like to savor
My essence to which has been added a flavor.

So put down your cares and sit awhile with me;
I'll send you back refreshed and full of energy.