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A pilot being kept awake the night before by the boiler in his apartment complex led to a Calgary-based Enerjet Boeing 737 overshooting the runway during landing at Fort Nelson Airport in northeast B.C.
A report by the federal transportation safety board into the Jan. 9, 2012, incident noted that the captain’s bedroom was “noisy and warm” and located above the boiler room of an apartment complex.
Despite being off work for 14 days, the captain “had had little to no sleep in the 24 hours prior to the flight and considered calling in sick, but due to the time off felt it would not be viewed in a favourable light.”
The report attributed the fatigue to mistakes being made during the landing approach.
“The captain continued the approach when the aircraft was not in a stabilized configuration, consistent with fatigue-induced reduction in forward planning and a focus of attention towards salvaging the flight.
“On short final the captain pitched the aircraft nose-down in an attempt to capture the glideslope which was below their flight path. The nose-down attitude increased the airspeed resulting in a longer flare and a touchdown beyond the recommended 1000-feet mark, thus reducing the amount of available runway for stopping.”
The chartered aircraft wound up 230 feet off the end of the runway in 15 inches of snow. None of the 112 passengers and six crew members were injured and the aircraft was not damaged.
The captain had about 7,500 hours total flight time and 50 hours as pilot-in-command.
As a result of the incident, Enerjet issued its flight crews with an open-book exam to raise awareness of “fatigue self-assessment” and to reassure “pilots that booking off duty was non-punitive in cases such as fatigue/illness/stress,” the board said.
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There are few more potent reminders that Mars used to be a wet world than seeing ancient, dried up river beds etched into the red planet's surface.
In a decidedly wintry-looking scene, frost-filled fractures fills a crater near the north pole of Mars -- as observed by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
What's that? Not one, but a SWARM of dust devils on Mars!
Could the seismic fingerprint of dust devils detected on Earth be used to decipher the tiny tornadoes racing across the Martian surface?
By combining high-resolution observations of Mars dune ripples and comparing them with sand dunes on Earth, scientists are beginning to understand how surface winds influence the Red Planet.
Check out where 'The Martian's' Mark Watney was moving around in the fictional tale, using real photographs of Mars.
Once again the world is abuzz about water on Mars -- what's the fuss about this time?
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has spotted its roving buddy Curiosity on the Martian landscape, but the rover seems to be missing its tell-tale tracks in the red planet's dirt.
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Some aircraft lavatory holding tanks have a blue chemical added to the water to deodorize the water and break down solid waste. Occasionally, the holding tank or drain tube develops a leak. If this happens at high altitudes, the water will freeze once it hits outside air. However, if blue ice falls from an aircraft, the ice will usually break up and melt before it hits the ground. If the ice doesn't fall off, it will melt as the airplane descends for landing. Then it usually dissipates into small droplets.
Many people assume that aircraft lavatories dump overboard when they are flushed; they do not. The aircrew cannot dump the wastewater in flight because the waste valve is located on the exterior of the aircraft and only ground crew can operate valve.
Blue Water, Blue Ice or ???
We at the Chicago O'Hare FSDO receive many telephone calls and FAA Hotline complaints regarding blue water or blue ice, especially during autumn. The calls are mostly from people who live under one of the main flight paths into Chicago O'Hare International Airport or Chicago's Midway Airport.
One possible explanation during autumn is that birds, particularly Canada geese, are flocking together and preparing for their migration south. As fruit trees are also ripening during this time of year, the birds eat the fruit. If the fruit is blue, it will come out blue when the bird passes it.
While this is one possible explanation, if you see any object fall off an aircraft in flight, please call your local FAA Flight Standards District Office immediately. Provide us with any information that we can use to identify the aircraft or airline.
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Vu par CM sur A.net !
A multiplier par 1000 ??
familiar with the investigation, however, said high-level Federal
Aviation Administration officials are increasingly concerned about the
spate of electrical problems, highlighted by the smoldering battery
aboard the JAL jet, that have dogged the aircraft since its
No additional mandatory safety fixes or
government-ordered inspections of Dreamliners are expected for at least
the next day or two, partly because FAA and NTSB experts still are
trying to determine the specific cause of the battery fire. But perhaps
as soon as early next week, according to one person familiar with the
matter, regulators may call for some type of review or reassessment of
design and manufacturing issues related to the Dreamliner's electrical
FG_Stim sur twitter
FAA's Huerta: technical review to validate #787 certification data and focus on quality in design & production.
It is uncommon for the F.A.A. to open a review of an airplane it has
already certified, but it points to increased concern by regulators.
Industry and government officials said the Dreamliner is the only
commercial jetliner in decades to be subjected to such high-priority
regulatory scrutiny after being approved to carry passengers. The
Chicago-based plane maker fought unsuccessfully for days to head off or
deflect the announcement, according to people familiar with the details.
Friday's press conference also was unusual because Mr. Huerta and Mr.
LaHood were joined by Ray Conner, president of Boeing's commercial
airplane unit. Regulators seldom announce such a major safety initiative
flanked by the target of their review, let alone give company officials
a chance to defend their procedures and respond to questions from the
Some safety experts say the review could at least open the door to
possible design or manufacturing changes that could hamper Boeing's
production and potentially increase costs. Before the announcement,
according to people familiar with the discussions, senior Boeing
officials complained vigorously to the FAA and DOT that launching a
review also could undercut passenger confidence in the planes.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Monday the intensely burned-out battery that caused a fire aboard a Boeing 787 Dreamliner a week ago is being examined at a lab in Washington, D.C.
After documenting the state of the airplane and removing the battery and other equipment for its investigation, the agency has now released the 787 back to Japan Airlines.
The NTSB said the battery was given an X-ray CT scan at an independent test facilty this weekend, which “allowed the team to document the internal condition of the battery prior to disassembling it” later this week, the agency said in an update on its inquiry into the fire.
Investigators also removed burned wire bundles from the jet for examination, along with the battery charger and several electronic control memory modules.
The NTSB update said its team “also documented the entire aft electronics bay including the ... battery and the nearby affected structure where components and wire bundles were located.”
The jet’s two combined flight data and cockpit voice recorders were transported to NTSB headquarters to determine if anything related to the incident occurred on the 12-hour, 20-minute flight from Tokyo that immediately preceded the fire.
The flight to Boston’s Logan International Airport landed less than half an hour before the fire broke out, though all 183 passengers and crew had disembarked.
The flight data is now being analyzed by the NTSB investigative team.
A separate NTSB team focused on the emergency response to the incident at Logan interviewed the firefighters and documented the airport rescue and firefighting efforts to extinguish the fire
The NTSB update said that though all “fire and rescue personnel responding to the incident had previously received aircraft familiarization training on the Boeing 787,” they “reported experiencing difficulty accessing the battery for removal during extinguishing efforts.”
Helping the NTSB with the investigation are Boeing, the FAA, Japan Airlines, battery maker GS Yuasa of Japan, battery and charger system supplier Thales of France, and the US Naval Surface Warfare Center’s Carderock Division in West Bethesda, MD.
Carderock is a Navy research and development, test and evaluation, engineering facility.
An All Nippon Airways Boeing 787 has made an emergency landing in Japan's Takamatsu airport after the flight crew observed an alert related to a battery.
All 129 passengers and eight crew aboard the aircraft were evacuated via slides, says an ANA spokesman.
"An error was coming up for a battery," says the spokesman. "So it was decided to make an emergency landing."
Media reports indicate that smoke was also observed in the aircraft's cabin, but the spokesman was unable to confirm this.
The aircraft, registration JA804A, was operating flight 692 on the
Yamaguchi-Ube to Tokyo Haneda route. The aircraft departed Yamaguchi-Ube
at 8 a.m. local time and made the emergency landing at 8:47 a.m.
Flightglobal's Ascend Online database shows that the 787, MSN 34486 was delivered to ANA in January 2012.
ANA operates 17 787-8s and has a further 19 on order, and 30 787-9s on order.
The news comes just one week after a battery fire aboard an Japan
Airlines 787 at Boston's Logan airport. The Boston fire was a major
driver of a US Federal Aviation Administraion review into the 787
announced on 11 January.
ANA said the smoke was in the cockpit and the pilot got a warning
signal indicating a battery problem, according to Japanese media.
Yuzuru Ogasawara, chief of the transport ministry’s Takamatsu
bureau, told Bloomberg News that the airport control tower “confirmed
However, the local city fire department said there was no fire. An
ANA official said the airline canceled all Wednesday flights on its 17
At a news conference - where ANA's vice-president Osamu
Shinobe bowed deeply in apology - the carrier said instruments
on the flight indicated a battery error, triggering emergency
warnings to the pilots. It said the battery in the forward cargo
hold was the same type as one involved in a fire on another
Dreamliner at a U.S. airport last week.
"There was a battery alert in the cockpit and there was an
odd smell detected in the cockpit and cabin, and (the pilot)
decided to make an emergency landing," Shinobe said.
Marc Birtel, a Boeing spokesman, told Reuters: "We've seen
the reports, we're aware of the events and are working with our
A Boeing safety document from last year shows the location of the
battery in a lower compartment near the plane's tail section. The
compartment, which is not protected by the plane's fire-suppression
system, contains key electrical systems. The battery, which powers the
plane's auxiliary power unit, is close to the plane's fuselage.
“Later it was confirmed that the main battery in the forward electronic
equipment bay was discolored and the electrolysis solution had leaked.”
Les Boeing 787 Dreamliner cloués au sol
Publié le 17 janvier 2013 à 07h00 par François Duclos dans Actualité, Info pratique, Technologie - 0 commentaire
L’autorité américaine de l’aviation civile FAA a suspendu hier soir tous les vols en Boeing 787 Dreamliner jusqu’à ce que la fiabilité des batteries au lithium-ion soit prouvée, une décision suivie immédiatement par les autres pays.
La mesure annoncée par la FAA dans la soirée du 16 janvier 2013 ne concernait que la compagnie aérienne United Airlines,
seule américaine à avoir mis en service le dernier-né de Boeing (six au
total), mais elle a été immédiatement appliquée par la DGAC du Chili,
les deux 787 de LAN Airlines devant à leur tour être
immobilisés. Le régulateur américain estime que les défaillances de
batterie, rencontrées à deux reprises sur des Dreamliner de Japan Airlines puis All Nippon Airways, pourraient endommager les structures critiques et les systèmes, voire provoquer un incendie.
L’annonce a été faite suite à l’incident mercredi au Japon
d’un Dreamliner d’ANA, un atterrissage en urgence ayant été nécessaire
l’apparition de fumée due à une surchauffe de batterie. ANA et Japan
Airlines ont immédiatement suspendu tous leurs vols en 787 jusqu’à
aujourd’hui au plus tôt (elles en opèrent 24 sur les 50 en service),
annulant 38 vols pour la première et huit pour la seconde. Et le
gouvernement japonais a déclaré ce matin qu’il appliquera la directive
de la FAA.
L’Inde a suivi le mouvement, les six Dreamliner d’Air India
étant cloués au sol depuis ce matin après une enquête ordonné la veille
par le gouvernement. En Pologne le vol inaugural du 787 de LOT Polish Airlines
entre Varsovie et Chicago a décollé hier, mais les célébrations prévues
à l’arrivée ont été annulées, tout comme le vol retour. Les deux 787
avaient passé des vérifications hier selon le transporteur.
Pas de réaction officielle au Qatar à l’heure d’écrire ces lignes, mais les journaux australiens annonçaient ce matin que Qatar Airways repousserait le lancement du Dreamliner vers Perth, prévu en février. Ethiopian Airlines, qui a mis en service quatre 787, n’a pas communiqué depuis le dernier incident.
Boeing a réagi hier à la directive de la FAA par la
voix de son PDG Jim McNerney, qui s’est déclaré « confiant dans le fait
que le 787 est sûr », et mettra toutes les ressources de la compagnie au
service du régulateur et des compagnies « afin de trouver des réponses
le plus rapidement possible ». Tout en regrettant « l’impact des
évènements récents » sur les programmes de vol des clients et leurs
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Going into 2014, boeing looks particularly well-positioned within the global commercial aerospace industry numbers released monday show that for the second year running boeing outdelivered chief rival airbus, producing a record 648 jetliners last year (airbus hasn't officially released its final numbers yet, but industry sources report it produced. The boeing company: strategic audit essay (can boeing fly high a program needs to be developed that will keep the inspectors up-to-date with faa. Why i fly the flag upside down americans can please keep the conversation civil and help us moderate this thread by reporting any abuse. Since the new year, boeing won a critical labor battle, beat rival airbus in total 2013 deliveries, and flirted with its 52-week high can it keep going. Lydia was one of our finalists in the why i want to fly essay by the water to keep them alive and safe i want to fly be able to boeing jr bill.
It is considered to be also an airline with high dependability as for last year there were 93% on-time flights and a rate of 04 per 1000 passengers bags missed (ryanair website, 06/02/2011) this airline offers a high degree of flexibility to the travelers as they are able to choose the level of service they will be offered as any additional convenience is. Air new zealand essay air new zealand introduced its first boeing 747 awareness-new zealand’s brand awareness is flying high following recent wins for. I spent an hour in an incredibly realistic boeing 787 simulator and keep your laptop on the entire time if you please you’re literally flying high. Some options traders see boeing stock rising another 9% to nearly $370 why boeing's stock will keep flying high by michael kramer | january 30. Thirty-one minutes after takeoff, the autopilot leveled the airplane at 35,000 feet, nearly as high as the airbus could fly, given the outside air temperature and the airplane’s weight the automatic throttles set the thrust to achieve the selected 082 mach, which in thin air translated into an aerodynamic speed of 280 knots, and, with the tailwind.
Case study mis2can boeing keep flying high แม้ว่า boeing จะเป็นกำลังหลักในอุตสาหกรรม. Airbus and boeing are betting their futures on a new generation of long-range widebody twins with better fuel efficiency, lower operating costs and reduced noise and emissions compared with today’s two- and four-engine widebodies. Planning function of management for boeing essayknown as boeing boeing is can boeing keep flying high rekha ghantal t alex liu sanjay sampath senthil.
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Category: aviation southwest airlines flying essays title: the archetypical low-cost air carrier: southwest airlines. The boeing 767 from concept to production case study free essays the boeing 767 from concept to production case study can boeing keep flying high. Boeing stock is flying high on its powerful dividend and can boeing stock keep //investorplacecom/2017/03/should-you-buy-boeing-co-ba-stock-3-pros.
Why boeing's stock could keep flying higher it's been a solid year for boeing investors, and the good news continues to roll in. Top 100 top 100: platforms, new technology keep boeing flying high by william welsh jul 28, 2015 the new normal for boeing co is staying tightly focused on cost reduction so it can pass savings along to its government customers, says christopher raymond, vice president and general manager of the electronic and information. Sources: robert j serling, legend & legacy: the story of boeing and its people (new york: st martins's press, 1992) eugene rodgers, flying high: the story of boeing and the rise of the jetliner industry (new york: the atlantic monthly press, 1996) polly lane, allen decisions put boeing at top, the seattle times, october 30, 1985, p.
How commercial aviation abuses power december 22 big planes flying high in the sky and bundles of inflight service while boeing, a company that. Why airplanes are safe and no other mode of transportation has been as expansive as flying in incorporating called fly-by-wire, include the boeing 777. Aviation scholarships and grants boeing company career enhancement scholarship kathy k hodgkins memorial scholarship, keep flying scholarship. 3 index specific field of answers for future users can boeing keep flying high 1917 boeing starts boeing airplane co his company had a 28 person payroll 1946-1956. Despite the fact that it is the airframe of a gloss-painted and hand-polished boeing keep in mind a mile high is higher the need for flying high. Short essay on “if i were a bird it is a bird that man can keep as a i would like my life to be a beautiful blend of freedom of flying in the high skies and.
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Here's my latest light Stryker, set up for FPV.
AUW weight 533 grams (18.8oz) including FPV transmitter, FPV camera, #16 keychain camera (to record flights), 850mAh flight battery and 450mAh videoTX battery.
- Emax CF2822 outrunner
- 20A HobbyKing ESC
- 8″ propeller (currently EP 8040)
- R610 OrangeRX receiver
- Emax ES08A 8 gram high-torque servos
The nose is drastically hacked to provide a good FPV view and a forward, down-facing mount for the flight camera.
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Search engine giant Google has celebrated the 50th anniversary of the first human flight into space, by honouring Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin with a Doodle.
Google has replaced the logo on the search engine with an animated image in which Yuri's space suite forms the first 'O' in Google. When users hover their cursor over the logo, a rocket shoots of the second 'O', which is represented by an orange Earth.
Gagarin, 27 years old at that time, made history by becoming the first man to go to space. Gagarin's space-craft, the Vostok-1, did a 108 minute orbital round before landing back on Earth. Russia's space mission had startled the United States, sparking a space mission war between the two countries.
In order to honour the massive feat, the Russian government sent Flight Engineer Ron Garan and Russian cosmonauts Alexander Samokutyaev and Andrey Borisenko on a mission to the International Space Station. The space-craft was named after the celebrated cosmonaut.
Google's Doodle, which has become massively popular for their engaging, interactive design, has prompted the company to procure a patent for the technology, PC Mag (opens in new tab) reveals. The patent has been filed under 'systems and methods for enticing users to access a Web site'.
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Accurate satellite drag coefficients are important for reducing orbit prediction errors and for inferring unbiased atmospheric mass density from measurements of satellite decay. Past use of fixed satellite drag coefficients when inferring atmospheric mass density from orbital decay has resulted in large biases in empirical atmospheric models. These biases can be reduced by using physical drag coefficients which model the interaction between the atmospheric gas particles and the satellite surface; however, physical drag coefficients require detailed knowledge of the gas-surface interaction which is most sensitive to the energy and momentum accommodation coefficients. State-of-the-art models reveal that the effective energy accommodation coefficient for satellites in low Earth orbit is strongly correlated with the adsorption of atomic oxygen. Previous work has modeled this dependence using a Langmuir isotherm which works well at altitudes below ∼500 km but fails to match data at higher altitudes. Therefore, Freundlich and Temkin isotherms are used here to test whether data at higher altitudes might be better fit with a different adsorption model. Mathematically, both the Freundlich and Temkin isotherms should (and do) better fit the data because they have two free parameters compared to only one for the Langmuir isotherm. Physically, the Freundlich isotherm allows for multi-layer adsorption and an exponential range of adsorption energies corresponding to a non-uniform sur-face. The Temkin isotherm also allows for multi-layer adsorption and accounts for the interaction between the adsorbing gas and the adsorbate whereas the Langmuir isotherm is limited to monolayer adsorption and constant adsorption energy corresponding to a uniform surface.
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With all the fuss and bother around the Obama administration and the recent changes being made (or at least attempted) in the American space program, it's interesting to note that some of the most important changes are new capabilities being developed outside the US in countries with ongoing and strong Canadian connections.
For example, according to the NDTV news website article "GSLV failure: Work on cryogenic engine to continue," the Indian government will continue work on what they call the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) using an Indian developed cryogenic rocket engine which is generally considered as one of the keys to developing a heavy lift launch vehicle. According to the article:
"India has no choice but to master this technology in the long run as it is technology that has been denied to the country, the sources said.Of course, the Indian government ended up making missiles anyway and now has a comprehensive inventory developed through their Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP). It looks like they'll shortly master the core cryogenic technology as well.
It took the country more than 15 years to develop the cryogenic engine as technology for this was denied when, in the 1990s, America put pressure on Russia and forced the cancellation of an Indo-Russian technology transfer deal. The argument given was that India would use these engines to make missiles.
Their goal is the large and lucrative global satellite market which has always been dependent on heavy lift launch vehicles using cryogenic rockets and is currently controlled by the United States, Russia, China, Ukraine and the European Space Agency.
Even the Voice of America, traditionally tied to the United States government (and certainly no friend of missile proliferation), is willing to accept that the present Indian activities are essentially commercial, at least according to their article "India's Efforts to Master Cryogenic Engine Tech Setback Commercial Space Program" which states:
India's dependence on Russian built cryogenic engines to launch heavy satellites has hampered growth, and prompted Indian scientists to develop the technology.The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) and other organizations which already use facilities operated through the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) cannot help but benefit from the lower launch costs promised by this Indian initiative.
Indian space scientists hope to offer satellite launch services at much cheaper rates compared to Western countries, and expand the business to about $120 million a year.
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MarkWhittington writes "In an Oped piece in USA Today touting the idea of manned missions to Mars, Louis Friedman, the executive director emeritus of the Planetary Society, made the curious supposition that Mars is at the far limit of human aspirations for space travel." Link to Original Source
You can do this in a number of ways. IBM chose to do all of them.
Why do you find that funny?
-- D. Taylor, Computer Science 350
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Computer aboard the Mars rover may appear rudimentary, but it is truly special
The landing of Curiosity, National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Mars rover, and the initial pictures from the surface of the fourth planet, have swelled the curiosity of people across the globe. The dangerous landing, dubbed the “seven minutes of terror”, is an unprecedented technological feat considering that the spacecraft carrying Curiosity had travelled more than 560 million km from Earth.
Curiosity has 17 cameras and a host of other equipment. It has chemical cameras, spectrometers, weather probes, radiation meters, rock drillers — literally a laboratory on aluminium wheels mounted on a titanium chassis. Remote-controlling the craft, which has been entrusted with the task of observing, analysing and reporting on the Martian surface and its ambience, is a major challenge, especially because of the large distance involved. Commanding the rover from here on a real-time basis is not feasible because the signal would take anywhere between 8 minutes and 28 minutes for a single round trip. Thus, Curiosity mainly relies on its own onboard intelligence, communicating back to the commanding station only once a day with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of NASA.
Who does the thinking?
Interestingly, Curiosity’s computer is less powerful than the average Android-based smartphone available in market!
The motherboard (microcontroller, RAM, flash memory and other circuitry), RAD750, is the onboard computer for Curiosity and, on the lines of computation power, is humble when compared to the scale of terrestrial electronics available. It is clocked at 200 MHz (10 times faster than the previous Mars expedition, the Orbiter), has 256 MB of RAM and 2 GB flash to store the data it captures. By way of comparison, the average low-end Android smartphone available today is powered by nothing less than a processor clocked at 600 MHz, at least 256 MB RAM and supports for 32 GB of flash memory.
So, why does the $2.6 billion project rely on computational power generated by a device that is available in a sub-$100 smartphone?
Space-grade electronics is different from terrestrial electronics. Temperature and radiation effects can destroy electronics. For instance, the computer aboard Curiosity, the RAD750, can operate in temperatures ranging from –55 degrees Celsius to 125 degrees Celsius, certainly not the range in which a smartphone or a music player would be expected to operate.
While the atmosphere shields us from hazardous radiation emanating from the sun, high-energy radiation can ionise electronic components aboard Curiosity, which would lower performance. They are also vulnerable to ‘bit-flips’. Software programmes are stored on a computer as sequences of zeroes and ones (binary) in memory registers. Radiation can cause these bits to flip: when a zero becomes one, or a one becomes zero, the information contained in the programme is altered, rendering it useless.
The harsh conditions in space demand that space-grade electronics manufacturing processes enable them to be ruggedised, enabling them to cope with the ‘radiation hardening’, which impairs the computation power of the circuitry. The RAD750 is nothing but a radiation hardened version of IBM’s PowerPC750 and is the most powerful of processors available for space applications.
However, these relatively low-end computers can handle highly computation-intensive tasks. It is just that the computer in space is not made to work many multiple tasks at a time. It toggles between mission critical tasks such as its own health monitoring and safe navigation and, maybe, switching on one or two payloads like the camera or the spectrometer. The coordination of tasks, and the real-time response to conditions the rover faces, is done by using a real-time operating system, commonly known as RTOS. Curiosity runs VxWorks by WindRiver, which is considered one of the most reliable RTOS available, and has flown aboard numerous space missions.
Constraints in space
“In a mission such as Curiosity, two of the major challenges are the limited bandwidth for communication and the time consumed by the cycle of ground analysis and subsequent commanding,” says Vigneswaran Karunanithi, a Master’s student at Technical University, Delft, who led the onboard computer team of India’s first pico satellite by students, STUDSAT, which was launched in 2010 by the Indian Space Research Organisation. “The rover cannot rely on the up-command from the earth to make all its decisions and has to make its own decisions when it comes to analysing data and prioritising onboard conditions,” Mr. Karunanithi says.
While operating through interplanetary distances, communication bandwidth and power pose major design constraints. To have ample bandwidth, signals must be transmitted at high frequencies, and in order to transmit signals at high frequency, more power is required.
On a 110-watt rover such as Curiosity, which is powered by the heat generated by the radioactive decay of plutonium dioxide, onboard power is still a precious commodity. This is one reason why the rover relies crucially on its own computer.
Moreover, with a flash memory of only 2 GB, and to perform numerous experiments and report back the data, the storage memory on Curiosity would exhaust within few tasks. This problem is solved by evacuating back to the commanding station on the Earth, either by transmitting high power signals using high gain antennas to the Deep Space Network (worldwide network of large antennas on the earth for interplanetary communication), or by handing over the data at low frequency and at lower power signals to the neighbouring Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft that is orbiting Mars, which in turn transmits to the commanding station on the earth.
The case of Curiosity is a classic illustration of how raw computational power is not everything — even in the age of supercomputers.
(The author was one of the core team members of STUDSAT, and served on its onboard computer team for two years.)
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The authors of the unique Russian design are the engineers of the Central Aerohydrodynamic Institute named after Zhukovsky (TsAGI), where new test benches are currently being tested.
As studies show, planes with two fuselages are easier to take off, they have less bending moments of the wing than conventional ones, and in order to take off they cost less thrust. And they need only three engines, that is, one less.
The loading and unloading of the transport “two-body” will take less time, while the process itself becomes easier and more convenient. If earlier the transportation of the personnel and combat equipment of the landing units was carried out by different aircraft, now all this can be delivered to the landing area “in one bottle”.
There is also a civilian option for regional aviation of dual purpose. If necessary, he will be able to transport passengers (up to 50 people) or cargo (up to 6 tons), respectively, to 1500 and 1000 km.
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Satellites transmit information to earth via laser signals. With over 30 researchers we work on this technology.
Laser satellite communication
There is a growing demand for more data, due to, among other things, the advent of self-driving cars, social media with more videos, and the ‘Internet of Things’. The existing connections cannot meet that demand. Laser satellite communication offers a solution.
Our latest developments
MilSpace2: Spectrum monitoring dual satellite system
The MilSpace2 satellite system will demonstrate the military use of a microsatellite spectrum monitoring system.
TNO’s view of 2030: Getting a grip on climate change from space
Greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere are one of the main contributors to climate change and must therefore be rapidly reduced if we are to meet the 2030 climate targets. TNO is working on new satellite technology that makes it possible to do so. Because the better we identify emissions, the more targeted the action we can take.
SmallCAT laser communication system delivered for integration to Norwegian NORSAT-TD Spacecraft
The SmallCAT uses new optical communication technology that uses satellites to send information to Earth. This happens via invisible light signals and enables much faster data transfers than using the radio frequencies currently employed for communication everywhere.
Consortium led by TNO successfully transmits data via laser communication between optical terminals over 10 km ground-to-ground link
Successful field test of 10 km optical laser communication link Laser satellite communication uses satellites that send information to earth in the form of invisible light signals.
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Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst is one of the largest military installations and is located in the central part of New Jersey, only 40 kilometers away from Trenton. The base is operated by the United States Navy and has recently become part of the larger Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst. In fact, it no longer operated independently. The mixture was complete on October, 1-st, 2009 and was part of a more comprehensive program dictated by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission. Twelve new settlements have been created this way and the joint base is just one of them.
Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst used to be the largest installation dealing with aviation purposes in the northeastern part of the United States of America. The units hosted on site help the base make the difference, not to mention about their unique missions and objectives. For instance, NAVAIR is the largest and most advanced unit in the world that deals with aircraft launching missions. On another hand, the lighter-than-air idea released by the base turned it into one of the interface experts the Department of Defense concentrates the most.
The base is the only one in the world that can deal with all the spectrum of operations and sessions regarding aircraft recovery and launch. Such operations go on around the clock. According to the motto floating around the installation, the US Navy troops cannot go or get back without these experts. Other than that, there are a few training facilities and ranges on site too. They are attended by a lot of military forces in the United States of America and not just by the US Navy troops. Some of them include the US Army, the US Air Force or the US Public Health Service. After the BRAC decision from 2005 and the actual mixture from 2009, the base became even stronger, since all the facilities are shared now. The new base is more than 170 square kilometers in size, therefore it has everything you can think of. Its importance significantly grew after the mixture.
The history of Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst dates back to 1917. It was established as Camp Kendrick and it belonged to the US Army. The transition to the US Navy was made a few years alter, in 1921. The installation was actively used during World War Ii and the upcoming conflicts the United States of America were involved in, but without any major and notable events. Instead, the most important event on site took place in 1937. It is referred to as the Hindenburg disaster. On May, 6-th, 1937, a German airship was destroyed after a failed attempt to dock with its mast for mooring. The airship was LZ 129 Hindenburg. The incident began when it caught some fire in the back part, then it was entirely destroyed. There were 36 victims. One of them was in the crew on the ground.
Other than that, the second major event in its history is the 2005 BRAC commission. Although it had a good profile and was a solid military base, Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst got to be merged with a couple of other installations to remain alive.
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Egypt deploys submarine to find crashed jet’s black boxes
A submarine belonging to Egypt’s Oil Ministry that could operate at a depth of 3,000 metres under the sea level had been deployed for the purpose, Sisi said in a live televised address, also his first public comments on Thursday’s crash.
“This (submarine) moved today in the direction of the plane crash because we are working hard to retrieve the two boxes, which are the black boxes,” he said, in remarks that began with a minute of silence, adding: “All the theories are possible.” “There is no particular theory we can affirm right now,” he added, even as the Egyptian aviation minister had earlier said that terrorism was more likely than technical failure in causing the ill-fated EgyptAir Flight MS804, en route from Paris to Cairo, to plunge into the waters.
Investigators continued to piece together clues for a potential breakthrough even as some reports of an audio from the jet and even of locating the black boxes emerged.
Multinational searchers scouring the waters 290 kms north of Alexandria have made headway by recovering debris, passengers’ belongings, body parts, luggage and aircraft seats from the jet, that initially went ‘missing’ and was later declared crashed.
Sisi said “it is very, very important to us to establish the circumstances that led to the crash of that aircraft” even as he pointed out it “will take time” to determine the exact cause of the tragedy that has seen no survivors.
His remarks come a day after French authorities also said “all theories are being examined and none is favoured”. Smoke was detected inside the cabin of the Airbus A320 minutes before it plunged into the Mediterranean Sea with 66 people on board, including children.
France’s aviation safety agency said the plane had transmitted automated messages indicating smoke in the cabin and the pilot’s flight control unit. However, reports said the first available audio from the plane showed the pilot in normal contact with Swiss air traffic controllers, hours before officials lost contact with the jet.
Control: “EgyptAir804 contact Padova 1-2-0, decimal 7-2-5, good night.” Pilot: “This is 0-7-2-5 Padova control. (Unintelligible) 8-0-4. Thank you so much. Good day, er, good night.”
This and the smoke alerts indicate a sudden, dramatic turn of events that led to the plane making “sudden swerves” before dropping off radar over the Mediterranean. It made a 90-degree turn left, and then dropped from 37,000 feet to 15,000 feet before swerving 360 degrees right.
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This report covers three different topics that have influenced and defined simulation. Prior to 1965 the Space Race, with its lofty goals of orbital missions and lunar landings, required the development of simulators that were of sophistication previously unheard of. Beginning in the 1980’s simulation continued to mature, especially in networking, and achieved measureable results starting with the Canadian Armor Trophy Competition in 1987 and culminating in the success of the United States and its allies in Operation Desert Storm. Finally, due to a push by the United States military, the field of medical simulation has seen huge growth since the 1980’s and has helped to save countless lives. These three topics, among many others, have contributed to massive growth in the simulation field. With simulation it is possible to plan, practice and analyze at a much lower cost than was previously possible.
THE SPACE RACE
Beginning in 1959 when the Project Mercury astronauts began training in Langley, VA it was immediately apparent that unlike typical testing where one can test and then make adjustments, to get an American in space meant that every possible contingency had to be thought out in advance. For America’s first venture into manned space flight, examining every contingency meant developing simulators that were on a whole new level of sophistication. The simulators that were developed for Mercury were state of the art, they featured analog computers with fully functioning displays and gauges that reacted to input from the astronauts; “when an astronaut fires thrusters, the simulator must activate readouts and lights showing the thrusters firing, fuel reducing, velocity changes, and also show movement in the scene outside the cabin window.” (Tomayko) Simulators were also created on top of hydraulics to simulate the motion an astronaut would experience during a mission. “NASA required hundreds of training hours in high fidelity simulators....
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Today, people mostly know Boeing as the manufacturer of airplanes that deliver them to their vacations. But in World War II Boeing built the bombers that delivered justice to Nazis and freedom to occupied Europe.
The Boeing Store at Pilot Mall carries dozens of items both retro and modern, including pins patches, lanyards, letter openers, keychains, and T-shirts.
From the B-17 to the 747, Boeing’s aircraft have played essential roles in American military and civilian life. No matter your reasons for loving the company, express your respect with officially licensed gifts.
Boeing is one of the largest aerospace and defense companies in the world. While non-pilots may not be familiar with brands like Cessna and Piper, many people fly on commercial Boeing aircraft every day.
The Boeing Company was founded in 1916 in Seattle, Washington by William E. Boeing and Conrad Westervelt. One of the company's first planes was a twin-float seaplane named B & W in honor of the company's founders.
During World War II, Boeing played a valuable role in military aviation. Its B-17 and B-29 bombers helped give the allies an advantage over Axis powers during that time. After WWII, Boeing continued to develop defense technology and commercial aircraft, and it quickly grew into the global company of today.
One of Boeing's newest aircraft is the 777-200LR Worldliner. This record-breaking aircraft includes enhancements in engine efficiency and drag reduction that give it a longer range than any other commercially-available aircraft. In November of 2005, the 777-200LR Worldliner set a new world record for a non-stop 11,664 nm (21,601 km) flight.
For the Boeing enthusiast, Pilot Mall offers Boeing Store t shirts and other Boeing Store apparel. With a wide selection of Boeing merchandise, it's easy to find the perfect gift for a loved one at Pilot Mall.
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After I slept in today, we went to the Air & Space museum in Denver! It’s like an airplane museum. We flew in a flight simulator! First we looked at some airplanes and a space shuttle that was made for NASA! All the airplanes and stuff were in a big hangar.
Later we went into a room with a lot of flight simulators! First we watched a short film about how to do it and then we started flying. We learned how to take off, make a good landing and fly and shot at targets! It was fun!
After that we just walked around and looked at everything and watched a short movie about harrison ford and when he went here! He’s actually a pilot, didn’t know that!
We went to a diner called Gunther Toody’s for dinner. They are famous for their milkshakes so I had an oreo shake and a sandwich w/ fries 🙂 I see why they are famous cause it was so good!
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Nepal Helicopter tour is a unique opportunity to explore the geographical territories on Nepal such as several Himalayan ranges and the Terai Flatland have become popular destination includes Everest range, Annapurna range. The helicopter uses natural excursion along with the attractive flight from less visible and remote areas of Nepal. Helicopter charter flight is relatively expensive than the other flight but effective for large trips in the limit time schedule. Helicopter charter service made the pilgrimage tour, mountain rescue, best Himalayan views with fast deliveries and easy.
Helicopter tours in Nepal are economic in time; we have several areas of helicopter sightseeing in Nepal. Mostly every helicopter leaves from Kathmandu International Airport on Nepal and drops the same. We have an experience with arranged Nepal Helicopter tours in an ultimate destination throughout the country.
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Lunar lander startup Qosmosys secured a staggering $100M in seed funding to help it bring its ZeusX lander to the Moon in just four years, the startup announced last week.
“This landmark investment represents a pivotal moment for both Qosmosys and the broader space exploration sector,” said Qosmosys chief Francois Dubrulle.
That’s one big seed: The $100M investment is a massive haul for a seed round in any industry. The investment is particularly notable considering the Singapore-based company was founded just three years ago and has largely been operating under the radar.
ZeusX lunar lander: The company is betting big on the growth of the lunar economy and resulting demand for consistent lunar landing capabilities. Earlier this year, Qosmosys partnered with Airbus to build its flagship product, the ZeusX spacecraft. The 8m-tall spacecraft will consist of three modules:
- The service module, which will power the spacecraft to lunar orbit.
- A lightweight lunar lander.
- Its Lunar Integrated Bulk Extraction Rover (LIBER) to mine the lunar surface.
Qosmosys and Airbus are designing the spacecraft to transport 500 kg to lunar orbit and 800 kg to the surface.
The company aims to fly its first ZeusX to the Moon in 2027, with a follow-up mission in 2029.
Lunar economy: The company will focus on serving customers in three sectors: robotics, research, and mining. Qosmosys is particularly interested in extracting Helium-3, which exists in abundance on the lunar surface. The isotype is highly sought after due to its potential use as nuclear fuel—and is more valuable than gold on Earth.
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As a part of their ambitious plan to build an interconnected internet network with thousands of satellites which they call Constellation in the space business to deliver high speed internet connection to anyone on the planet, SpaceX, on March 4, launched an entirely new batch of 60 Starlink internet satellites into orbit.
What made this attempt special is that it came after a failed Falcon 9 rocket to land the booster on the drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean on Feb.15. That incident broke their own record of 25-booster recovery streak. The technical reason for that is because of what Benji Reed, senior director for human spaceflight programs at SpaceX, commented on:
“A little bit of hot gas got to where it’s not supposed to be, and it caused that engine to shut down,”
Despite all that, this mission was accomplished with not much trouble when the booster returned to earth to land for its 8th successful landing on SpaceX’s drone ship, “Of Course I Still Love You”, in the Atlantic Ocean.
During a live webcast of the launch, A Dragon propulsion engineer at SpaceX, Youmei Zhou, said:
“And we have confirmation of our successful stage one landing. This will mark our 75th successful recovery of an orbital class rocket and the eighth recovery of this particular booster.”
This latest mission is SpaceX’s 6th mission in 2021 and the 20th SpaceX Starlink mission launching over 1200 Starlink satellites into orbit, including some satellites that are no longer working. All of that is a part of the company’s plan to reach the number of 1440 satellites in space and interestingly, the company has sought approval for tens of thousands more.
This whole mission is a part of SpaceX’s money raising plan to develop and fund their mission of sending astronauts to Mars,
The comment came from Elon Musk, the famous centibillionaire and the chief designer of SpaceX saying:
“We see this as a way for SpaceX to generate revenue that can be used to develop more and more advanced rockets and spaceships,”
“We believe we can use the revenue from Starlink to fund Starship,” Musk added.
The Starship will be designed to be a fully reusable launch system that will be able to board over one hundred space travelers from and to the moon and mars.
So SpaceX is operating a huge project to have the majority of satellites orbiting around the earth in just two years. Musk has already confirmed that the company now has sufficient capital to get to an operational level, competing with Softbank-backed OneWeb, Amazon’s Project Kuiper, Canadian operator Telesat and more. These ambitious satellite networks will require intensive capital, with some industry officials estimating costs running as high as $5 billion.
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This is a limitation imposed by DJI. Typically, it means that the distance between the launch/home location and flight area is exceeding the distance allowed. You can change or disable the "Enable Maximum Range" feature in the DJI Go app under Main Controller Settings.
It may also be possible to remove this error by either:
- Rotating your flight legs so that the first waypoint is closer to your launch/home point
- Physically move your launch/home point to be closer to the flight area
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Did you know?
- The largest aircraft operated by Air France flying between Zagreb and Wenzhou is a CRJ with 70 seats.
- 10 flights per week fly out of Zagreb connecting to Wenzhou.
- 2 airlines operate between Zagreb and Wenzhou.
- The shortest flight between Zagreb and Wenzhou on Air is 10712 km.
- The shortest connecting flight from Zagreb to Wenzhou is 10654 km on China S KLM.
Hotels in Wenzhou
Traveling on the route and need hotel in Wenzhou? Choose from more than 45,000 hotels.
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A Virgin Atlantic flight headed to London from New York City was diverted to Boston after a small fire broke out in the first class cabin Thursday night.
The flight had 217 passengers, and all of them were safely evacuated after the emergency landing. It’s speculated that the flames started from a passenger seat that had an electrical malfunction.
Passengers smelled smoke coming from the first class cabin “not even 30 minutes” after the plane departed John F. Kennedy International Airport around 7:30pm, Cory Tanner a passenger aboard the flight said. Tanner added that a flight attendant told him the smoke was from a TV unit that caught fire in the first class cabin.
The crew announced the aircraft would make an emergency landing in Boston’s Logan International Airport.
In a statement, Virgin Atlantic Airways said an incident aboard the flight led to the plane being diverted as a precaution. It did not provide any details on the cause of the fire. “Our cabin crew are trained to a high standard and acted quickly to deal with this situation,” the airline statement said.
Source : Various
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Which airlines offer flights from Paris to Warsaw?
Aegean Airlines, Wizz Air, Laudamotion, LEVEL, Transavia, Czech Airlines and Ukraine International operate flights from Paris to Warsaw, among the partners of virail.
Which airports are serves by flights from Paris to Warsaw?
Paris Charles De Gaulle, Paris Beauvais and Paris Orly and Warsaw Chopin and Warsaw Modlin are the departure and arrival ariports in Paris and Warsaw.
When does the first flight to Warsaw leave?
The first flight leaves Paris at 05:05, while the last one to get to Warsaw is scheduled at 21:05.
How long is the journey from Paris to Warsaw by plane?
The minimum duration of flights from Paris to Warsaw is of 4 hours and 55 minutes.
If you feel like travelling and visiting different cities, you can take your time and travel by train from Paris to Warsaw.
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Apollo 18: Secret Moon Mission Conspiracy Theories
By Gene Byrd
Sep 4, 2011
Apollo 18 is in theaters, and the film has already sparked several new conspiracy theories aimed at NASA and the US Government's secrecy.
"Decades-old found footage from NASA's abandoned Apollo 18 mission, where two American astronauts were sent on a secret expedition, reveals the reason the U.S. has never returned to the moon," reads the movie's official tagline.
According to Space.Com, "the studio has been pushing the "reality" aspect of the film, going so far as to offer up a "famous scientist and researcher of UFO phenomena," Stanton Friedman, for interviews."
In real life (or so the US Government would have you believe) Apollo 18, along with 19 and 20, was canceled — Apollo 17 was NASA's final lunar mission.
Friedman said in press materials, "People ask why was there no Apollo 18 mission...I ask, what happened to Apollo 18 and Apollo 19? They were both paid for and astronauts were trained. What happened to these missions?"
So - is there any chance a division of government could have blasted a rocket into space without knowledge of media or the US citizens?
The film is counting on you believing it.
A Department of Defense spokesperson says don't look to them to blame.
They took part in no Apollo 18 mission.
DoD spokeswoman April Cunningham wrote in an email to Fox News, "The Department of Defense has not launched a manned mission to space."
More details on the conspiracy theories here from Space.Com.
Got an opinion? Share your thoughts now.
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OT Interviews: Five Questions with Space Forge’s Christina MacLeod5th Nov 2022
Space Forge, a UK-based in-space manufacturing company, will soon be the first to launch a reusable satellite platform, as it hopes to leverage the space environment to address challenges on Earth. Orbital Today sat down with the company’s Business Development & Marketing Officer, Christina MacLeod, to discuss the upcoming launch and what Space Forge hope to accomplish in space.
A challenge for the company’s satellite, known as ForgeStar 1, will be its safe re-entry through the Earth’s atmosphere, so that it may be relaunched. Therefore, the company has been working on ForgeStar 0, a demonstration flight to test a heat shield designed to keep the satellite safe upon reentry. ForgeStar 0 will be onboard Virgin Orbit’s upcoming launch in Cornwall by the end of 2022 – which also marks the first-ever launch from UK soil.
OT: What Space Forge is doing?
CM: Basically, we are developing the world’s first returnable and re-launchable satellite platform that will be conducting in-space manufacturing operations in orbit. Our company has a really strong focus on using space for good, so we want to harness the space environment for life on Earth. We want to set a precedent.
What in-space manufacturing is, is manufacturing things in orbit. NASA is constantly launching things up to the ISS to test their next-generation materials for the space station, or for future kinds of lunar habitation, or new structures, new pharmaceuticals, new products, and things like that. But what you actually find in orbit is that materials [for use on Earth] can be made better, so anything that has really power-hungry intensive processes really benefits from the space environment. So we’re focusing on advanced materials, pharmaceuticals, and semiconductors initially but this could benefit heavy machinery. That’s because the space environment with its microgravity, access to low temperatures, and high-purity vacuum makes really great products.
OT: How did the upcoming launch with Virgin Orbit come about?
CM: It’s really exciting. First of all, it was quite unexpected. At the end of last year, we were basically asked if we wanted to be part of the UK’s first-ever launch this year to which we excitedly said yes, but we knew that our ForgeStar 1, which is our in-space manufacturing platform, the first generation that’s due to go up in 2023, wouldn’t be ready in time. So we had to really brainstorm and come up with a concept that could be tested in low Earth orbit, but that wouldn’t require the effort of creating a full-scale in-space manufacturing platform. So that’s where the ForgeStar 0 came about. With that, we’re not actually doing any in-space manufacturing on it, but we’re testing our heat shield, which is one of the most critical components of the whole operation.
OT: How would the in-space manufacturing platform work?
CM: One example would be semiconductors. So essentially, if you make semiconductors on Earth, it’s quite an easy, straightforward process. The thing is, they require large heat sinks and heat pumps because they don’t have great energy regulation, just because the crystallization on Earth isn’t as great. So we found that if you make semiconductors in orbit, you have perfect crystallization, which means that they’re more energy efficient. You don’t need heat sinks and heat pumps and the semiconductors are less contaminated because of the vacuum in space. High Purity vacuum means that you don’t need these really expensive vacuum chambers on Earth to manufacture them, and also low temperatures mean that you don’t need to waste energy by cooling materials down and letting them easily settle.
We just found that there were so many benefits to so many industries and we want to create a service that gives companies access to microgravity, that wouldn’t normally be able to.
OT: How will Space Forge’s service be greener or cheaper than the alternatives?
CM: Reusability will basically drive the cost of the satellite down massively. I mean, you look at the SpaceX rockets, and they were really expensive, to begin with, and now every launch is getting cheaper and cheaper, and the cost of launch has decreased dramatically over the past couple of years. For example, if we replace every semiconductor in every UK telecoms tower, It would reduce the cost of the grid from about 720 million pounds to 400 million pounds. But you know, to all the people that are really environmentally conscious, and for all the countries that are trying to do better, this really could prove a huge turning point for industry, across the world.
OT: Outside of the technical issues, what hurdles has the company faced?
CM: I mean, right now we’re kind of struggling with the regulatory aspects. Launching satellites from the UK is quite a process that the UK is still trying to figure out and we’ve had to jump through so many hoops to even get to where we are with the Forge Star 0 launch. When it comes to returning satellites, that’s a whole different story. Because we’re basically helping write regulations to do this safely, so, detangling that and figuring it out has been very difficult.
But in the future, I think returning satellites will be quite tricky in making sure countries are aware of the benefit of Space Forge, and that we can return our vehicle anywhere on Earth. I mean, we aim to create an end-to-end UK supply chain, but I think the first few missions will be tricky for the team, making sure that we build up customer confidence in us.
We’ve had lots of people come to us and say that’s not possible, that it’s too expensive, that it’s not feasible. But, we’ve also had loads of customers say that it’s the kind of next step that we need to create next-generation materials that will really change our industry and cut down on carbon emissions. Space Forge is just pioneering the idea of marrying space and Earth together and using them in tandem and connecting the best ecosystems.
In terms of the reusability aspect, we’re developing a fleet of reusable satellites, which isn’t typically done and so we really want to make other space companies look at themselves and what they’re doing to the space environment, which is becoming more and more contested every year, and make them reconsider their practices and show that it is possible to create reusable satellites and to protect our space environment for future generations.
Orbital Today would like to thank Christina MacLeod for taking the time to talk with us about Space Forge’s work. We would also like to note that Christina MacLeod is also the founder and organizer of the Edinburgh Women in Space Conference, and we hope to speak with her on related topics in the future.
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Minecraft Human Launching Tnt Cannon (simple): This is a human and jump into the center of the water source. when the TNT ignites you will fly into the sky. in the cannon firing zone and then press the button to avoid blowing yourself up.
You use elytra wings in Minecraft to glide through the air, but you can go (PC/ Mac), press the SPACE to open the elytra wings so that you start to glide. TIP: As you start to slow down, use another firework rocket to propel yourself again.
If you don't take oxygen equipment with you into space, you will die. You will need to make the Rocket Launch Pad and Tier 1 Rocket, of course. Buildcraft MJ (Minecraft Joules); Universal Electricity's UE units (Galacticraft 1 only) .. In Creative Mode you can give yourself a pre-fuelled rocket, so you only need that.
When it comes to the space stations they are a bit buggy as FS was not Now all you have to do is launch yourself into space and start.
When the FalconCraft 9 is launched it will automaticaly separate itself the second The second stage allow to propel the DragonCraft capsule into the space.
You give gamers Minecraft, a randomly generated world that is lets you break the chunky bonds of gravity, launch yourself into space in your.
And when you break the rules, you're going to run into issues. just right, so that you hit yourself mid-flight causes you to gain momentum; but.
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Private space firm Blue Origin doesn't get as much attention as SpaceX, with all its missions to the International Space Station and plans for Mars colonization. Still, Blue Origin is doing some fascinating things. Just yesterday at its Texas launch facility, it successfully tested the launch abort system on its New Shepard rocket. Although, "success" doesn't quite get the point across. The launch was absolutely flawless.
New Shepard has been tested several times in the past, and like the SpaceX Falcon 9, it's capable of reaching space and returning to land vertically on the ground. Blue Origin has launched the same exact rocket it used in today's test four times previously. All it need was refurbishment and refueling to get ready for another launch.
What was different about yesterday's launch is the addition of a mock crew capsule atop the New Shepard. About 40 seconds into the mission, the rocket was programmed to simulate an anomaly that would put the crew at risk. That triggered the abort system on the crew capsule to blast it clear of the booster. You can see the whole launch in the video below, but all the action comes a little more than an hour into the broadcast.
[embed width="640" height="360"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bqUIX3Z4r3k[/embed]
The crew capsule is equipped with a solid rocket booster packing 70,000 pounds of thrust. Unlike a liquid fueled engine, a SRB burns through all its fuel at a constant rate when ignited. This means that the booster in this launch was also subjected to incredible force when the abort system was activated. It was entirely possible the booster would be destroyed in the process. Blue Origin was careful to stress that it didn't necessarily expect the New Shepard to survive this test, but it did. Not only did it survive, it continued into space and came back down for a perfect vertical landing (its fifth).
As for the crew capsule, the SRB pushed it clear of the booster as planned. After the rocket burned out, the drogue chutes were deployed to slow its descent, then the main chutes came out. It landed gently near the launchpad. Jeff Bezos, who owns Blue Origin, must be pretty happy with today's test.Blue Origin does have some very cool systems, but it's still a few years behind the likes of SpaceX. The current New Shepard just goes straight up and back down -- it doesn't have enough power to get a payload into orbit and then return to Earth for a landing. However, this was the last launch for the current New Shepard. A next generation version of this rocket is being manufactured right now, so perhaps it will have more advanced capabilities.
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Severe turbulence on United Airlines flight injures 5
Five people hospitalised due to the unexpected Turbulence
WASHINGTON : Severe turbulence on a Houston-bound United Airlines flight injured five people who had to be hospitalised, authorities said.
The United Airlines flight 128 from Rio de Janeiro landed at Houston's George Bush Intercontinental Airport at around 5.30 a.m. on Monday, the airport's public information officer Augusto Bernal told CNN.
"The flight experienced severe turbulence that resulted in five passengers being transported to the hospital once it landed in Houston," Bernal said.
Confirming the incident in a statement, the airlines said: "United flight 128 encountered unexpected turbulence while en route to Houston. Upon arrival, two passengers and three crew members were met by medical personnel and taken to a local hospital with minor injuries.
"We're grateful to our crew for their efforts to ensure the safety of our employees and customers."
Monday's incident comes a day after 36 people were injured due to severe turbulence on a Honolulu-bound Hawaiian Airlines flight from Phoenix, Arizona.
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Merit Badge Counselor
April 21, 2020 Virtual Troop Meeting
Here are the final requirements for Space Exploration Merit Badge!
#7 Design an inhabited base located within our solar system
Make drawings or a model of your base. In your design, consider and plan for the following:
- a)Source of energy
- b)How it will be constructed
- c)Life-support system
- d)Purpose and function
#8 Discuss with your counselor two possible careers in space exploration that interest you. Find out the qualifications, education, and preparation required and discuss the major responsibilities of those positions.
When you’re ready to talk about the requirements you’ve completed, please email Mr. Erickson (firstname.lastname@example.org) and one other Scoutmaster or parent and let us know. We can then set up a time to Zoom or make other arrnagemtns for getting you signed off.
Good Night Scouts!
Here is a link to the entire PowerPoint presentation used throughout the class:
April 14, 2020 Virtual Troop Meeting
- The law of action-reaction
- How rocket engines work
- How satellites stay in orbit
- How satellite pictures of Earth and pictures of other planets are made and transmitted
April 7, 2020 Virtual Troop Meeting
This week, please work on requirements 5 and 6.
5. Do the following:
Using magazine photographs, news clippings, and electronic articles (such as from the Internet), make a scrapbook about a current planetary mission.
Design a robotic mission to another planet, moon, comet, or asteroid that will return samples of its surface to Earth. Name the planet, moon, comet, or asteroid your spacecraft will visit. Show how your design will cope with the conditions of the environments of the planet, moon, comet, or asteroid.
6 Describe the purpose and operation of ONE of the following:
a. A crewed orbital vehicle, whether government owned (U.S. or foriegn) or commercial.
b. The international Space Station
For requirement 5 a., PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides, Prezi, or similar product would be a great way to complete this project. You can then email it to Mr. E3 at email@example.com PLUS ANOTHER ADULT (a parent or another troop leader). If you want to work on paper, you can scan or photograph your work and email it.
For part b. think about all of those problems that will come up in space travel; getting to the planet/moon/comet/asteroid, how big of a rocket will you need to get back, how will you protect your astronaut against solar wind, the lack of air to breath, the lack of water, the extreme temperatures, etc. What will you need to collect a sample? A shovel, balloon, cup, an ice pick, chisel, vacuum, etc. Let your mind wander and try and think of all the challenges!
This is the video of the MER (Spirit and Opportunity rovers) taking off and landing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tijyybrmfsM
This is how OSIRIS REx works https://youtu.be/NjlGYHJ2560
Here is a page with a bunch of NASA Missions to choose from https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/index.html
Human Space Flight page https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_spaceflight
Timeline of space travel by nationality
And finally, the Astronomy Picture of the Day apod.nasa.gov
Good luck and let us know if you have any problems
March 31, 2020 Virtual Troop Meeting.
- Tell the purpose of space exploration and include the following:
- Historical reasons
- Immediate goals in terms of specific knowledge,
- Benefits related to Earth resources, technology, and new products, Use this link for your research
- International relations and cooperation.
- Design a collector’s card, with a picture on the front and information on the back, about your favorite space pioneer. Share your card and discuss four other space pioneers with your counselor.
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| 0.140473
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Which airlines fly from Madrid to Brussels?
Ryanair, Brussels Airlines and Air Europa operate flights from Madrid to Brussels, among the partners of virail.
What are the departure airports in Madrid and Brussels?
Barajas and Charleroi Brussels and Bruxelles-National & Other Airports are the departure and arrival ariports in Madrid and Brussels.
There are several airlines and almost as many hand luggage regulations, at least as far as size and weight are concerned, more than the allowed object set by international stardards. Always check the hand baggage allowance on your airline's website to avoid very expensive fines.
When does the first flight to Brussels leave?
While the first flight to Brussels is at 07:10, the last one leaves Madrid at 21:10.
How long is the journey from Madrid to Brussels by plane?
The fastest plane connections from Madrid to Brussels take 2 hours and 15 minutes.
If you feel like travelling and visiting different cities, you can take your time and travel by train from Madrid to Brussels.
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| 0.211152
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Amazon founder Jeff Bezos after his historic space flight Photograph:( AFP )
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos along with three others landed safely on Earth after their historic journey to outer space in the New Shepard Blue Origin rocket.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, 57, fulfilled his childhood dream of travelling to space as the Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket zoomed to outer space and was back home with a bang.
The successful flight carried the Amazon founder, his brother Mark, Wally Funk, 82, who became the oldest woman to enter space, and 18-year-old Dutchman Oliver Daemen who became the youngest man to enter outer space.
The recovery team rushed to meet Bezos, Mark, Wally and Oliver for a celebration marking their return from space as the mission was declared a success.
The lift-off was delayed slightly but it went off smoothly as the rocket took off from a Texas desert at speeds exceeding 3700 kph using a liquid hydrogen-liquid oxygen engine.
The astronauts experienced weightlessness for three to four minutes as they unbuckled and the capsule separated from its booster. The capsule fell back to Earth with three parachutes.
"A truly historic day," Blue Origin said on Twitter as millions followed the event live. The eleven-minute mission coincided with the 52nd anniversary of the first Moon landing.
"It's dark up here," female aviator Wally Funk was heard saying.
New Shepard had undertaken 15 uncrewed flights as part of its test runs earlier but on D-Day, it delivered as it brought the four crew members back home safely.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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| 0.046179
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I agree with Giraffe. I suspected as well that it was only due to airflow. The tilting of the rear engines doesn't make sense if you apply it to making the take off distance shorter and helping the aircraft lift. My reason for saying this is because if the #2 engines like those on the MD-11 and DC-10 were tilted up, then the downward pushing force behind the engine would actually try and push the rear end of the plane higher than the front end thus causing the plane to go nose down. Thanks for all of your replies.
"Bangkok Tower, United 890 Heavy. Bangkok Tower, United 890 Heavy.....Okay, fine, we'll just turn 190 and Visual Our Way
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| 0.760781
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Aeromexico AM4113 flight
Aeromexico domestic flight AM4113 serves route Minneapolis to Washington D.C.. The flight departs five times per week (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday). Provided details are valid for the flight departing on 14th December, 2020.
Flight AM4113: Minneapolis - Washington D.C.
|Departure day||14th December (Monday)|
|Departure time||20:25 (8:25 pm)|
|Departure terminal||Terminal «1»|
|Airport name||Minneapolis-St. Paul|
|Airport IATA code||MSP|
|State / Province||MN|
|Arrival day||14th December (Monday)|
|Arrival time||23:51 (11:51 pm)|
|Arrival terminal||Terminal «B»|
|Airport name||Ronald Reagan|
|Airport IATA code||DCA|
|State / Province||DC|
|IATA carrier code||AM|
|Airplane type||Airbus A320-100/200|
|Arrival day||Same day|
|Flight duration||2h 26m|
|Distance||1499 km / 931 mi.|
|Operated by||Delta flight DL3199|
See alsoAll non-stop flights from Minneapolis to Washington D.C. Return flights (Washington D.C. to Minneapolis)
Flight departure days
Select your flight departure date in the calendar. Note that some flights may have different arrival & departure times, terminals, durations and even airports depending on departure date. Selecting proper date ensures you get correct information.
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| 0.065243
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Google and investment firm Fidelity are together investing $1 billion in Elon Musk's SpaceX company. The money will be used to advance a number of projects, including the recently announced Internet satellite plan.
SpaceX almost nailed it on Saturday with its first attempt to land its Falcon 9 rocket on a floating barge, but it came down too heavily. SpaceX boss Elon Musk is adamant they'll get it right some time this year, paving the way for cheaper space travel.
SpaceX has had enough of watching its Falcon 9 rocket explode every time it returns to Earth. In a bid to reuse the rocket and save massively on costs, the company is planning to create a system involving a controlled landing on a floating platform.
On Friday, SpaceX will launch its first attempt at its ambitious new plan -- to land a Falcon 9 rocket on a self-stabilizing ocean platform. If successful, the landing has huge implications for the future of space travel
The SpaceX project suffered a major setback Sunday when the Falcon 9 rocket carrying supplies to the International Space Station exploded shortly after launch. The accident means it could be many months before the team is ready to try another launch.
Companies like SpaceX have been trying to develop reusable rocket systems for years, but their previous attempts at returning their Falcon 9 reusable rocket system back on Earth have had mixed results. Now, another company has joined the fray.
In a worst-case scenario --like, say, a booster failure-- the Pad Abort system would work like a jet pilot's ejection seat, allowing the rocket's passengers to blast themselves up and away from danger.
SpaceX's mission to launch a space weather satellite and bring the rocket safely back to Earth was called off just minutes before lift-off on Sunday evening when engineers discovered a problem with the rocket's radar tracking system.
SpaceX is ready to give its ambitious rocket launch/recovery plan another try today. Launch is scheduled for 4:33 PM ET, and you can watch the whole thing live right here. We've also added a live weather forecast, so you'll know ahead of time what the…
While Google and Facebook are already looking at different ways to bring Internet connectivity to remote parts of the world, Elon Musk is reportedly also interested in creating and launching 100s of 'lighter, cheaper' satellites with the same goal in mind.
Today on DT Daily: tricking your cell phone camera into thinking its 1974, SpaceX gets ready to try and land a rocket, again, and gassing up your dead device… with actual gas. There are no shortage of add-on lenses for phones and tablets these days, but the…
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| 0.043589
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Manufacturer: Stearman Aircraft Company|
Span: 9.81m / 32ft
Length: 7.32m / 24ft
Height: 2.8m / 9ft
Wing Area: 27.63m² / 297ft²
Empty Weight: 878.17kg / 1,936lbs
Gross Weight: 1232.43kg / 2,717lbs
Maximum Speed: 199.52km/h
Cruise Speed: 170.55km/h / 106mph
Power Plant: One Lycoming R-680 engine (this one has a Continental R-670 engine)
Range: 812.54km / 505miles
Serial Number: 75-055
Stearman PT-13A Kaydet (A75)
The Stearman "Kaydet," originally designed for civilian aviation, was adopted by the U.S. Army and Navy as a primary trainer from 1936 to 1945. Known as "Stearmans," they were actually built by Boeing who, in 1934, had acquired the Stearman Aircraft Company. The design was practically considered an antique when introduced, but the biplanes were rugged, maneuverable, and ideal for the rigors of military flight training. Most Stearmans survived the war and many became prized as crop dusters and airshow performers.
The Museum's "Kaydet" was manufactured as an Army PT-13A, but was restored with the Continental R-670 engine used in the PT-17 model. Built in 1937, it was the 55th of over 8,585 "Kaydets" produced.
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| 0.060024
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Space Sensor Solutions
AGILE, AFFORDABLE, INNOVATIVE
SENSORS AND PAYLOADS
SPACE SCIENCE MISSIONS
Space Science missions are examining the mysteries of the universe, from origins to destiny. Exploring the solar system to discover planets around other stars. Searching for life beyond Earth. And charting the evolution of the universe to understand its galaxies, stars, planets and life.
Contact us to learn more
Name Felicia Campbell
Phone +1 714 220 3897
Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE)
The Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, scans the entire sky in infrared light, picking up the glow of hundreds of millions of objects and producing millions of images. The mission uncovered objects never seen before, including the coolest stars, the universe's most luminous galaxies and some of the darkest near-Earth asteroids and comets.
Hubble, the observatory, was the first major optical telescope to be placed in space, the ultimate mountaintop. Above the distortion of the atmosphere, far above rain clouds and light pollution, Hubble has an unobstructed view of the universe. Hubble is the first of the NASA Great Observatories program.
The Spitzer Space Telescope (SST), formerly the Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), is an infrared space observatory launched in 2003. It is the fourth and final of the NASA Great Observatories program.
Visit our parent site at LeonardoDRS.com | © Leonardo DRS
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| 0.077338
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The Red Baron is by far the most famous aircraft of the First World War. German fighter planes, extremely agile (for that time), but rather slow as a triplane. It was piloted by the famous Manfred von Richthofen, a real ace in aviation during the First World War, which caused widespread fear and recognition. The model made of nubbly bricks carefully reproduces the historic aircraft of the First World War. It has a movable propeller and wheels, movable ailerons and the pilot figure can sit in the cockpit at the controls of an aircraft armed with two heavy machine guns. Due to its solid construction, the set can be used both as an exhibition model and as a toy plane (not only for children). The model contains a unique pilot figure: Baron Manfred von Richthofen, called "Red Baron", and a block plate with the name of the plane.
- 175 building blocks
- Made in EU
- 1 figure included
- compatible with other leading brands of building blocks.
- Dimensions: 19,5 x 24 x 11 cm
- From 6 years
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| 0.062347
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Photos from Apollo 16 could show UFO orbiting the moon
YouTube UFO hunter Streetcap1 posted NASA Apollo 16 images in a video on his channel.
NASA images of the Moon, Mars, other planets, as well as footage taken by the International Space Station, was scoured in an extensive search for evidence of alien life.
The expert said in the video: "I have been browsing a lot of photographs tonight and I discovered this on a moon photograph
"It is on the edge of the photograph, that is as close in as I can get.
"It appears on quite a few photos, not all of them. It is some sort of structure and it is just sitting orbiting the Moon.
"You can see its structure when I get a close up of it. To me it looks like some sort of structure."
Viewers have suggested it could be the mysterious Black Knight satellite, also known as the "Dark Knight".
After watching, Traci Hill posted on YouTube: "Looks kind of like the Dark Knight."
Valle Janes later added: "Someone commented it looks like the Black Knight... I agree."
Others were less convinced, offering up alternative explanations.
One poster with the user name Coil Smoke said: "Could be high terrain like mountain peaks still getting sunlight."
Jack Gordon added: "Photographic artefact more likely than alien ship."
The 1998 Nasa image (left) and an earlier alleged Black Knight snap over the Moon in July 2015.
The Black Knight Satellite is the name that has been given to an object captured on camera by NASA astronauts during a 1998 space shuttle mission.
There are alien conspiracy theorists who claim the satellite is of extraterrestrial origin, possibly up to 13,000 years old orbiting Earth in near-polar orbit.
The myth developed in 1963 when NASA astronaut Gordon Cooper was reported as saying he had seen the Black Knight Satellite while in space, but there was a media blackout upon his return and the US space agency allegedly put it down to cosmic hallucinations.
It has been reported that a decade later in 1973, a researcher from Scotland, Duncan Lunan, looked back at the Norwegian scientists' data from 1928, before claiming the "messages" suggested the Black Knight was sent by aliens from Epsilon Boötis, as a welcome message to Earth 12,600 years ago.
A close up of the 'UFO' taken from the YouTube video.
Someone commented it looks like the Black Knight... I agree.
In 1998, the first alleged photographs of the satellite emerged and were taken by astronauts on the space shuttle Endeavour, as it made its first flight to the ISS.
However, many sceptics claim the legend was retrospectively created after the 1998 images emerged, with the preceding odd events weaved into the story to make it more convincing.
Sceptics also say the existence of the Black Knight satellite has been debunked many times, and the NASA images show, as the space agency said at the time, a thermal blanket accidentally dropped from a space shuttle.
In 2015, YouTube debunker NUA, laid the mystery to rest.
In a video called "Black Knight Satellite UFO Documentary - Truth Exposed 2015 - (Debunked)" - he claims to conclusively prove the 'Black Knight', as photographed in 1998 NASA images, was nothing more than the dropped thermal blanket.
The blanket was lost by the crew of the Endeavour space shuttle as they worked on the developing the International Space Station (ISS).
In his video, NUA compared NASA video of the Endeavour mission which shows a thermal blanket on the ISS.
The same blanket is then seen being dropped by the crew as it tumbles away into space.
He highlights the blanket as being exactly the same shape as the 'Black Knight' in the 1998 pictures seized on by conspiracists and explain the object only appeared to change shape because it was turning as it fell away.
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| 0.089389
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Metal Forming And Beyond
F&B MFG is an industry leading manufacturer specializing in complex sheet metal fabrication of customer designed products. Experts in complex, machined and sheet metal assemblies, made from a variety of materials including Nickel alloys, Aluminum, Stainless steel and Titanium. F&B’s strength is combining multiple special processes (forming, welding, machining, NDT, non-conventional machining) together to create complex geometries.
Products are sold primarily to the aerospace, defense, and semiconductor industries for use in commercial and military aircraft, missiles, helicopters, regional jets, business jets, and semi-conductor capital equipment.
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| 0.099569
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Asiana Airlines Flight Returns to Los Angeles due to Cargo Smoke Indication
Asiana Airlines flight OZ-201 had to return and make an emergency landing in Los Angeles, California, on September 27th.
The Airbus A380-800 plane took off for Seoul, South Korea, but had to return shortly afterwards due to a cargo smoke indication.
The plane landed uneventfully. There were 353 people aboard at the time; all of them remained safe.
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| 0.931166
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I'm not a frequent traveler. Some years ago I found flying from west of U.S to east U.S. took 1 hour less time than return trip, I didn't find answer at that time. Recently I decided to investigate this by the help of google search.
The answer is simple: WIND . But wait, why do most people in the world find flying east takes shorter time, does the wind over Earth surface always flies east? Then I studied some flights schedule around the equator such as Singapore to Tokyo and some flights in South America, there's no significant difference in flying time between goes and come-backs. After I read some articles, below factors should be considered:
- Wind and Earth Rotation or Prevailing Winds . You know the directions of the winds in different areas of the world.
- The locations of most cities with flights. Open the world map, you can find the much more cities are located between lattitude 30 and 60, in this area, the direction of wind is from the west to the east.
- You should consider long distance flights (>3 hours), otherwise the airplane may not spend most of time at cruise speed, and many other factors (such as reserving time for air traffic control) can affect the flying time.
- Coriolis effect. Yes, it affects the direction of the wind and it also affects the trails of airplanes, i.e. when the airplane flies from low lattitude to high lattitude, the plane will be deflected to the east. However, Coriolis itself nearly does not affect the differences of flying time between goes and come-backs. For example, if you fly northwest from Singapore to North Eurpoe, the real flying distance may be longer than you imagine from the map, the return trip is also longer.
Am I right? I'm not 100% sure. I'm just trying to explain the reason :)
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| 0.980257
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Owning and operating an aircraft or helicopter is complex and requires significant attention to a number of considerations. With a comprehensive understanding and experience of the aviation industry, our dedicated aviation division can assist owners and their representatives in understanding the diverse requirements associated with the ownership, registration and management of a range of aircraft, including business jets and helicopters. We understand the responsibilities and complexities that come with owning these types of assets and make it a priority to stay abreast of any changes or new developments in industry legislation and regulations to ensure that any aircraft is managed effectively whilst remaining compliant.
Whether the intention is to use the asset on a corporate, commercial or pleasure basis, we consider how and where the aircraft is to be used and ascertain whether there are any tax or VAT exposures, to evaluate whether tailored tax planning could offer any fiscal benefits and/or reduce any liabilities.
We can provide bespoke corporate structures for effective ownership and work with owners and their family offices, advisors and aircraft managers alike, to ensure that the necessary administrative and operational support is provided to each client and their structure so that they remain free to fly and rest assured that there asset is in safe hands.
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| 0.52686
|
Satellite based precision measurements of Earth's gravity field have unlocked the dynamics of land masses, glaciers, aquifiers and oceans with application to Earth science, climate science and in the future, planetary science. One of the limitations of satellite observations of Earth is the long-term drift of the accelerometers that monitor and correct for drag on the satellite. To date classical accelerometers have been used to perform this task. Although these are advanced, cutting edge sensors, all suffer from long term drift and insufficeint sensitivity for some tasks. The aim of this project is to design, numerically model, construct and test a new concept in quantum limited measurements of acceleration suitable for space deployment.
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| 0.071543
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The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is the most produced aircraft in history. An aircraft is a machine that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. The aircraft brake system pdf activity that surrounds aircraft is called aviation.
Crewed aircraft are flown by an onboard pilot, but unmanned aerial vehicles may be remotely controlled or self-controlled by onboard computers. Each of the two World Wars led to great technical advances. Pioneers of flight, from the earliest experiments to 1914. First World War, 1914 to 1918.
Aviation between the World Wars, 1918 to 1939. Second World War, 1939 to 1945. Postwar era, also called the jet age, 1945 to the present day. Aerostats use buoyancy to float in the air in much the same way that ships float on the water. A powered, steerable aerostat is called a dirigible.
Non-rigid dirigibles are characterized by a moderately aerodynamic gasbag with stabilizing fins at the back. This dynamic movement through the air is the origin of the term aerodyne. Aerodynamic lift involving wings is the most common, with fixed-wing aircraft being kept in the air by the forward movement of wings, and rotorcraft by spinning wing-shaped rotors sometimes called rotary wings. A wing is a flat, horizontal surface, usually shaped in cross-section as an aerofoil.
With powered lift, the aircraft directs its engine thrust vertically downward. Rocket-powered missiles that obtain aerodynamic lift at very high speed due to airflow over their bodies are a marginal case. The forerunner of the fixed-wing aircraft is the kite. Whereas a fixed-wing aircraft relies on its forward speed to create airflow over the wings, a kite is tethered to the ground and relies on the wind blowing over its wings to provide lift. The first heavier-than-air craft capable of controlled free-flight were gliders. A glider designed by George Cayley carried out the first true manned, controlled flight in 1853. Besides the method of propulsion, fixed-wing aircraft are in general characterized by their wing configuration.
Braced or cantilever, rigid, or flexible. Location of the horizontal stabilizer, if any. A variable geometry aircraft can change its wing configuration during flight. A flying wing has no fuselage, though it may have small blisters or pods. The opposite of this is a lifting body, which has no wings, though it may have small stabilizing and control surfaces. Wing-in-ground-effect vehicles are not considered aircraft.
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| 0.628359
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The Great Lakes XSG was an amphibious observation aircraft developed in the United States in the early 1930s for a US Navy competition. It was an ungainly and unorthodox biplane design with a single large pontoon mounted below the lower wing. This pontoon extended rearwards and carried the conventional empennage. On top of the lower wing, where the fuselage would normally be located, was a stubby nacelle containing the tractor-mounted engine and the pilot's cockpit. The rear of this nacelle was semi-enclosed with glazing and incorporated a position for a tail gunner. The main units of the wheeled undercarriage retracted into the sides of the central pontoon.
|Primary user||United States Navy|
Development quickly ended when trials revealed that the aircraft was incapable of reaching the speeds required by the Navy, and only a single prototype was ever built.
|Wikimedia Commons has media related to Great Lakes XSG.|
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| 0.046502
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We all as kids used to tie a towel around our neck and pretend to blast off into the sky but end up only jumping down from our bed. Superman those days did not have competition but he soon will! As much as we super hero fans would hate for that to happen, The Man of steel is in queue to be beaten fair and square.
The first of two commercial Jets to break the sound barrier, also broke hearts of aero enthusiasts around the world when it became limited to museums- The ban of the Concorde. Now commercial flight manufacturing giant- Airbus has come to the rescue with a patent called the Concorde 2, the son of the mighty Concorde who thundered the open skies till 2003. Although the complex flight can carry only 20 on board or 2 to 3 tonnes of cargo, which is very less compared to capacity of 120 of the Concorde, the Concorde 2 is said to be twice as fast as Concorde ; it could take a little over 3600 seconds for you to travel from London to New York. Now will this son make the mighty Concorde proud?
The speed of an airplane is denoted by a non-dimensional number called a Mach number. It is the ratio of the speed of the vehicle to the speed of sound at that altitude. Quite simple. The speed regimes are classified based on the Mach number. Subsonic category falls within Mach 1 and Transonic is in the range of 0.8 to 1.3. Above 1 till 5 we call it Supersonic and above 5 its Hypersonic. The Concorde 2 is set to fly at Mach 4 thus in the supersonic regime. Just for a comparison, the average transcontinental flight you take goes at Mach 0.83. Doesn’t sound fast does it?
So what exactly does happen in the supersonic regime? Well for a start, you will be travelling first and the sound produced will be 4 times slower and the so called shock wave will be behind us. When an air molecule is encountered with such a huge aircraft at such high velocities it just doesn’t know what to do and it forms a shock wave, leading to huge increase of pressure and temperature. The Concorde 2’s aerodynamic design is such that it will avoid all such adversaries and still fly.
The peculiar thing would be is that this aircraft would be having a total of 4 engines to power it. During take-off the two turbojet engines that are situated below the body will propel the aircraft and provide necessary thrust. These engines will later retract into the body of the fuselage and the two rocket engines will be ignited. It is during this phase the Concorde is will fly almost vertically to a height of 100,000 ft. above sea level. Dad-The Great Concorde used to fly at 60,000 ft. and the flight you normally take is 30,000 ft. Oh! Almost forgot, you would not be sitting facing the aircraft’s direction. Design Engineers are making sure the 20 in the flight are comfortable during all phases and so the seats will be facing sideways.
The rocket engine will soon die out of propellant and this is when we have our two ramjets to take care of us for the rest of the journey. Airbus has come up with the concept of a high wing delta wing which is not much of in use now. The aerodynamic influence this configuration can give is quite a surprise.
Just before you book yourself a ticket, let me warn you. As of 2003, the to and fro price for Concorde London to New York was GBP 7500 per person. So all the 100-120 on board pay this amount. Concorde 2 has only 20 people and is 2 times faster than the Concorde and could be infinity times faster in burning a hole in your pocket. This tech is likely to be used by the defence but I am sure there are some of us who can afford to fly in it. For those who do, just make sure you give the winning smirk when you overtake Superman.
October 2, 2015 at 3:26 pm
Very interesting and well explained for a non technical person to understand
Wish you the best for your dreams to come true
October 2, 2015 at 3:29 pm
October 2, 2015 at 5:49 pm
Well-writ article Arun!!
October 2, 2015 at 5:50 pm
Well-writ article Arun!
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| 0.044221
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Calspan Corp. was awarded a two-year, $6.2M contract for continued maintenance and operation of the Air Force’s Vista F-16 aircraft.
Calspan has been involved with the VISTA/NF-16D since its inception in the 1980’s. The VISTA/NF-16D aircraft provides a flight research testbed with in-flight simulation capabilities for high-performance manned aircraft and Unmanned Air Vehicles and is also used to demonstrate advanced flight control concepts to test pilots and engineers.
The fight research capability is provided by the many on-board systems that are unique to the VISTA flight testbed including: fully programmable flight control and avionics computer systems, fully programmable variable centerstick and sidestick control systems, a fully programmable Head-Up Display and a state of the Data Acquisition and Telemetry System.
The VISTA is also the premier in-flight simulation aircraft for high-performance aircraft. Calspan provides piloting, engineering, and maintenance support for this uniquely-capable aircraft.
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| 0.040372
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How long is the SC9646 flight from Changsha to Nanchang?
The average flight time from Changsha to Nanchang is 26 minutes. The flight distance is 272 km / 169 miles and the average flight speed is 628 km/h / 390 mph.
What is the average delay of flight SC9646?
The average delay of flight SC9646 is 8 minutes and the flight is on-time 0% of the times.
Which terminal is the flight SC9646 arriving at?
Flight SC9646 arrives at Nanchang Changbei International Airport (KHN) Terminal T2.
When was the latest SC9646 flight?
The latest flight took off on Saturday, July 17th, 2021 with the flight status being Landed on 20:19.
How else can the flight SC9646 be referenced as?
This Shandong Airlines flight can also be referenced as CDG9646, SC 9646, CDG 9646.
See our SC9646 Flight Tracker above for more details.
Flight SC9646 is a code-share Shandong Airlines flight of the Shenzhen Airlines operated ZH9646
There are flights connecting Changsha CSX to Nanchang KHN.
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| 0.752907
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PEARLINGTON, Miss. -- Most people are familiar with legos. While they are popular for playing with, there's a group from NASA Community Aerospace that competed for a Rover Robotic Competition at John C. Stennis Space Center using Legos.
In four days, 42 college students from around the country had to build a robot for a competition.
The winner of the competition received a fictitious NASA contract for designing the most reliable and cost-efficient Mars rover prototype. Using input from NASA subject matter experts and mentors, the students used the engineering design process to create a mock proposal, including a production budget and other documents, for the contract.
As part of their proposal, each team designed and built a robotic prototype of its rover to compete in completing mock missions on a simulated Mars terrain.
The activities are designed to provide students with a firsthand experience using the engineering design process, practice team management skills and gain valuable experience and insight into the competitive process of NASA and contracts.
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| 0.181014
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This is very cool. The company Sonex Aircraft is working on making an electric plane. Granted this plane will not be used for passengers (just a pilot) and won't be hauling anything. Their stated goal is simply to make a plane that can be used to set electric flight records, but there are some very interesting technologies discussed in here. I think this is good. It's another outlet for engineers to biuld and test electric motors. Everytime someone does this the chances for a breakthrough that can move us closer to an electric car society happen. That is awesome.
I hope they succeed in their tests and that they are able to contribute something new to the overall electric car race that is going on.
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| 0.461989
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Robots and drones aren't something we usually write about, but that only makes this month (July 2012) all the more interesting, if we do say so ourselves.
It wasn't too long ago that we covered the Samarai maple seed-shaped flying surveillance machine with a spinning camera.
Not two days later, a mind-controllable robot appeared and, now, another drone has caught our attention, one from Lockheed Martin.
At first glance, the so-called Stalker drone does not appear to be all that special, not in terms of shape (airplane), functionality or purpose.
As drones are meant to, it goes in the air and keeps an eye on the surroundings, usually recording things through a camera.
The reason this Stalker stood out this time is the time it managed to stay airborne: 48 hours, two days as it were.
And it wasn't because of any super batteries, but because of a maser power beam that kept sending it energy from the ground.
The test may not have been the last done in a wind tunnel as it was, but a field test is upcoming, when the Stalker will soar in the sky, to see if the laser solution holds up.
Speaking of which, the only reason the drone came down after 48 hours was the decision of the staff to bring the test to a close. Theoretically, the amount of air time should be unlimited, provided the drone stays within laser range and doesn't suffer defects.
Lockheed Martin hopes to score contracts with the military. Ways to scout the area without endangering soldiers are always sought after, especially when no sleep or breaks are needed, day and night.
Special Operations troops will probably reap the most benefits from something like this, assuming the thing isn't too noisy, but that shouldn't be a problem once the drone is at a certain altitude.
“We’re pleased with the results of this test. Laser power holds real promise in extending the capabilities of Stalker,” said Tom Koonce, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works Stalker program manager. “A ground-to-air recharging system like this allows us to provide practically unlimited flight endurance to extend and expand the mission profiles that the Stalker vehicle can fulfill.”
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| 0.056593
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Reasons Behind that Why FedEx aircraft performs emergency landing? Are here :
A FedEx Boeing 767F had to go for an emergency landing at LA International Airport (LAX) on August 19, 2020, reportedly, by facing a landing gear failure. The aircraft, registered N146FE, was flying from Newark to Los Angeles when the fault was detected. As long as the crew identified this technical fault, an emergency landing was requested for ground services to assess the problem around 3:50 AM. As researched, there was nothing seen by the public because of the mist and clouds. The aircraft was en route to its destination when the pilots and the crew discovered it might be unsafe to continue the journey. That’s why before things get out of control, they decided to go for this crazy decision that later proved right.
As reported, the aircraft is now under a complete overhaul for its mechanical issues. It is also expected that the investigators are going to find the hidden flaws very soon as there are lots of questions coming up related to the emergency landing. The Boeing 767F performed a low pass. The aircraft was then allowed for an emergency landing on runway 25R. When the plane landed its left gear was not in place, “leading it to come to rest with the engine holding the plane up on the left-hand side”, said Ian Gregor, a spokesman of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The authorities are still investigating what caused this emergency landing. “We are grateful that our flight crew is safe and that no one was seriously injured,” the company added
It stopped right in the middle of the runway. The pilots knew that the left landing gear was out. The sparks were shooting off which was pretty scary and dramatic at the same time. One good news was that there were no major injuries. The aircraft had only two pilots on board. Both evacuate the plane, while, one of them suffered from a minor injury and subsequently was rushed to the hospital. There is no news yet from the hospital staff about him, but the injury is said not to be lethal. Before the landing, the pilots shut the engines down so that the fuel coming out the engine do not catch fire. To mention, Many Fed Ex cargo aircraft went for an unexpected landing in the last few years. If we look for their history in the previous years, some even caught fires and some major damage was also recorded.
But still, communicating outrage is Eminem’s strong point so it was nothing unexpected when he threw ‘Tempest’: four and a half moment slam on President Trump. The video for his bluntness got debuted at the BET Hip-Hop grants and gathered support from so many superstars. Eminem may go a very long time without delivering a collection however when he delivers one, it rides a line between the tropical and the individual, associating with individuals around the world.
At least, this incident did not get worse extending to a larger scale of economic and life losses. The runway was closed for all takeoffs and landings scheduled that day until the aircraft was dealt with. It is still vague what the actual issue was. An all-inclusive investigation is still going on involving the FAA to resolve the mystery. The viral video of the craft showed sparks as the plane landed with a harsh piercing sound along the runway.FedEx mechanics along with officials from the FAA are getting into the nitty-gritty of the whole scene and will soon come up with an explanation.
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It's been 50 years since the human race first set foot on the Moon. And as the United States celebrates the historic Apollo 11 mission, India is hoping to achieve another space feat. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is attempting to soft-land a rover on the south pole of the Moon - something no other country has done before. The global commercial space industry is worth more than $300bn. India has developed a reputation for being a reliable launch pad for small satellites, but what more can India do to earn larger space revenues? And as India’s space sector slowly opens up to commercialisation, where do private space start-ups come in? Can India have its own version of SpaceX?
Contributors: Rifath Shaarook, student scientist, chief technology officer, Space Kidz India; Dr Susmita Mohanty, entrepreneur and CEO, Earth2Orbit; Dr. Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, head of nuclear & space policy, Observer Research Foundation (ORF)
From Delhi, #WorklifeIndia reflects on money, work, family and business.
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Companies with In-house Aviation Departments Have a Secret Weapon!
The aviation industry became critically immobilized in early 2020 due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Companies that maintain their own flight departments were hit hard during the shutdown and quickly began to experience heavy financial losses. Pfizer executives and their flight department team sought solutions, and they have demonstrated the critical role flight departments can play in the midst of adversity.
Pfizer’s vice president of corporate aviation John Witzig recognized that maintaining pilot proficiency and currency was not enough, that the currency flights were “just burning holes” in the sky without demonstrating a financial benefit to the company. Witzig knew that Pfizer had to be proactive in order to get up and running, and he took measures in hand as the company was conducting trials for its COVID-19 vaccine.
Witzig considered Pfizer’s charitable contributions and its position as a longtime supporter of the charitable organization Corporate Angel Network (CAN), which schedules and provides transportation for cancer patients. Witzig asked his CEO whether Pfizer’s flight department could provide services for some of those missions. Company executives approved Witzig’s request, and over the next few months, a couple of dozen trips were made. Rather than waiting for requests from CAN, his department went directly to CAN asking for trips.
Pfizer’s secret weapon, the flight department, developed a hazmat team and worked with health and safety experts and its own logistics teams to explore the role it could play in carrying out its mission and carrying equipment and vaccines.
“It was a lot more complicated than we thought,” Witzig conceded, but the flight department at Pfizer was able to work through nationwide restrictions and reduced airline flights to conduct “dozens and dozens” of trips carrying small loads of trial product and lab technicians while testing was ongoing. And those trips have continued. Witzig stresses that he believes the flight department played a small, yet valuable role in the effort to make vaccines available. “We were credited specifically with reducing our time to submission for the emergency-use authorization by at least two weeks.”
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NASA reports that the James Webb Space Telescope has captured an impressive image of Uranus, showcasing nearly all of the planet’s faint, dusty rings. This demonstrates the telescope’s sensitivity, as only the Voyager 2 spacecraft and the W.M. Keck Observatory have been able to capture images of these fainter rings before.
Uranus’ Rings: Revealing The Secrets Of A Peculiar World
Uranus has 13 rings, but only 11 are visible in the new image captured by the Webb telescope. Two of the rings are difficult to see due to their dusty makeup, while the other nine are classified as the main rings.
In 2007, NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope discovered two faint outer rings that are not visible in the latest image. Scientists hope that the Webb telescope will be able to capture these elusive rings in future images.
Dr. Naomi Rowe-Gurney, a postdoctoral research scientist, emphasized the importance of studying planetary ring systems to understand their origins and formation.
Exploring Uranus’ Atmosphere With Webb’s Infrared Vision
Researchers anticipate that future Webb images will capture all 13 rings and unravel more information about Uranus’ atmospheric composition. The Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) in the space observatory is a powerful tool that enables astronomers to detect infrared light that is typically invisible to them.
Rowe-Gurney said that the Webb telescope offers a completely new perspective on both Uranus and Neptune, as no other telescope of this size has been designed to observe in the infrared. Infrared wavelengths reveal new depths and features difficult to see from Earth due to atmospheric interference and remain invisible to visible light telescopes like the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Unique Tilt And Seasonal Variations Of Uranus
Uranus, an ice-giant planet located approximately 1.8 billion miles from the Sun, completes its rotation once every 84 years. Unlike Saturn’s horizontal ring system, Uranus has a unique tilt that causes its rings to be displayed vertically. This makes it an interesting celestial body to study and observe.
A bright haze surrounds Uranus’ north pole, which NASA reports becomes more visible when the pole is directly exposed to sunlight during the summer. The atmospheric haze appears to grow brighter each year, but the exact mechanism behind it remains unknown. Telescope images such as this are helping scientists study the polar cap.
Monitoring Uranus’ Stormy Weather And Polar Cap
The initial pictures taken by Voyager 2 showed Uranus as a plain blue sphere without any defining features. The new Webb telescope image of Uranus, along with recent Hubble Space Telescope images, shows storm clouds at the edge of the planet’s polar cap.
Uranus’ unique tilt causes extreme seasonal changes and stormy weather, which scientists are tracking by comparing telescope images over time.
In November, the Hubble Space Telescope captured an image of Uranus’ bright white polar cap, which showed an increase in brightness compared to images from earlier years. The new Webb image presents the polar cap in greater detail than the Hubble image, revealing a subtle brightening in the cap’s center and more prominent storm clouds around the edges.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine named Uranus as a priority for study in 2022.
Webb Telescope Observes The Southern Ring Nebula
In addition to the stunning Uranus images, the Webb telescope has also captured observations of the Southern Ring Nebula, a large planetary nebula located 2,000 light-years away from Earth. The Webb telescope captured two images of the Southern Ring Nebula in near-infrared and mid-infrared light.
The images depict a dying star surrounded by an expanding cloud of gas and a secondary star still in an earlier stage of evolution.
These images demonstrate the telescope’s capabilities in studying celestial objects, from the vast reaches of our solar system to distant nebulae.
Unraveling The Mysteries Of The Cosmos
The Webb telescope’s remarkable sensitivity and infrared vision offer astronomers new opportunities to study the cosmos and uncover its secrets. From understanding the origins of planetary ring systems to observing distant nebulae, the Webb telescope’s capabilities will lead to new discoveries and a deeper understanding of our universe.
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Wilbur Wright / Orville Wright
Inventors of the Modern Airplane
Wilbur Wright was born on April 16, 1867, near Millville, Indiana; his brother Orville was born on August 19, 1871, in Dayton, Ohio. Although they showed great mechanical aptitude as youths, neither brother finished high school nor attained any formal higher education. However, their curiosity and motivation led to a lifelong career in engineering. In 1889, they began publishing a newspaper that they printed on a home built printing press. In 1892, they opened a shop for the design, manufacture, and repair of bicycles.
The Wright brothers developed an interest in aviation while reading the works of German aviation engineer Otto Lilienthal, who had successfully performed numerous experiments with gliders before his death in 1896. That year, Orville and Wilbur began to design a flying machine. Observing buzzards in flight, they realize that an airplane must be capable of elevating and descending, turning left and right, and banking to either side. The Wrights flew their first biplane glider in 1900 at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. The following year, they tested hundreds of miniature wings in a small wind tunnel and applied their data to the design of two improved gliders town at nearby Kill Devil Hills in 1901 and 1902.
Wilbur Wright Turning to powered flight, the Wrights designed an efficient propeller and a light engine, and, in 1903, they completed their first airplane, Flyer I (now called Kitty Hawk). The first flight, on December 17, 1903, covered 120 feet in 12 seconds. In 1904 and 1905, the Wrights built Flyer II and Flyer III—the latter could remain airborne for half an hour and easily turn, bank, circle, and cut figure eights.
In 1908 and 1909, the brothers caused public sensations with flight demonstrations in France and New York, where Wright companies were formed for the manufacture of airplanes. The United States War Department signed a contract with the Wright brothers for the construction of the first army plane.
Wilbur died of typhoid in Dayton, Ohio, on May 30, 1912. Orville contributed to aeronautics engineering until his death in Dayton on January 30, 1948.
Wilbur Wright / Orville Wright’s Legacy
The Wright brothers’ airplanes revolutionized aviation engineering and forever altered the face of transportation for military and civilian travelers across the globe.
The Wrights improved aircraft technology several fold with their wind tunnel data, their propeller and engine designs, and their recognition of the importance of three axis flight control. Their insight added the finishing touch to the already advanced developments in aerodynamics and structural engineering.
Following the Wrights’ public flight demonstrations, an explosion of research into airplane structures and engines led to immediate advances in the progress of flight. In 1909, Louis Blériot of France flew over the English Channel, and English aviator Henri Farman completed the first flight over 100 miles. In 1910, Eugene Ely became the first pilot to take off in an airplane from the deck of a ship, demonstrating the plausibility of aircraft carriers. Russianborn American IGOR SIKORSKY built and flew the first multi engined airplane in 1913. Captain John Alcock of Britain piloted the first nonstop flight across the Atlantic in 1919. Charles Lindbergh’s famous 1927 flight was the first solo, nonstop flight across the Atlantic.
Commercial air service began in 1919 and has since become accessible to vast numbers of people. The first airplane carrying civilian passengers flew flawlessly from Paris to London, and soon a British company, Aircraft Transport and Travel, instituted regular passenger flights between those two titles. Passengers were issued leather jackets, goggles, and helmets, which they could keep as souvenirs after the flight.
Air travel has transformed modern life. It has brought people and cultures closer together, increased the speed of business communication, and escalated the flow of goods and services across the world. These profound changes resulted from the innovations of the Wright brothers, whose groundbreaking work set the field of aviation in motion.
Wilbur Wright – 1871-1948
Orville Wright – 1867-1912
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Mongolian Airlines Flight Diverts to France due to Loss of Cabin Pressure
MIAT Mongolian Airlines flight QS-1160 had to divert and make an emergency landing in Toulouse, France, on June 8th.
The Boeing 737-800 plane, heading from Prague, Czech Republic, to Seville, Spain, was diverted after it lost cabin pressure.
The plane landed safely. Everyone aboard remained unhurt.
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ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet put his battery-powered spacesuit to the ultimate test on Earth at NASA’s Johnson Space Center: all the air was pumped out from the Space Station Airlock Test Article to create a vacuum like he would encounter in outer space. (Credit: NASA–Bill Stafford)
PARIS (ESA PR) — ESA’s space power experts congratulate the winners of this year’s Nobel Prize for Chemistry, for their invention of lithium-ion batteries. These energy-dense, long-lasting and rechargeable batteries have revolutionised the modern world, found in everything from smartphones to laptops to cars. They have had the same revolutionary effect in space.
Necessity is the mother of invention: as the Nobel Prize committee notes, lithium-ion battery development began in the 1970s, in response to the oil crisis. Because the batteries are based on lithium ions moving between anodes and cathodes, rather than chemical reactions, they can be charged hundreds of times before degrading.
Researching semiconductor materials, engineer Stanley Whittingham designed an energy-rich lithium battery, which was subsequently refined by his fellow Nobel laureates John B. Goodenough – minimising its explosion risk – then Akria Yoshino created the first commercially viable lithium-ion battery in 1991.
“In the case of space, lithium-ion batteries have ...
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Thanks to AI.
AI can draw upon all available information and assess on-board systems to know when a given component might fail or need to be replaced, bringing logistical advantages as well as cost-savings and safety improvements. “If a machine fails during a desert landing, then algorithms can recognize that from analyzing other failure cases. We are looking at different properties and looking at prior failure cases so algorithms can determine when something like a propulsion system is likely to fail,” Abbo said.
The Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit Experimental (DIUx) is working with industry to implement AI, automation and machine-learning technology into aircraft as a way to anticipate and predict potential maintenance failures, service and industry officials said.
In a collaborative effort with DOD and the Air Force, C3 IoT is working on a deal to integrate AI-driven software into an F-16 and an E-3 Sentry AWACS surveillance aircraft, industry developers explained.
Developers say the new software should be operational on the aircraft within six months.
The plan is to gather and analyze data, such as operationally relevant maintenance information during or after missions so that crews and service engineers can utilize predictive maintenance.
“F-16s will benefit from predictive maintenance as a way to inform pilots of which aircraft are at the highest risk in terms of being unreliable. We pinpoint systems such as engines and subsystems such as the propulsion,” said Ed Abbo, president and CTO of C3 IoT.
Recommended: 8 Million People Could Die in a War with North Korea
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Ultra-long endurance and ultra-fast deployment are the targets of new US programmes to demonstrate technology for future autonomous aircraft
Whether it is an aircraft that will stay aloft for its entire five-year life, or be rushed by rocket to fill a surveillance gap half the world away, the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency wants to push the boundaries of unmanned aviation to extremes.
Exploring the outer limits of technology is DARPA's charter, and the agency has its successes and failures, but the stated goals of its latest UAV programmes are raising eyebrows.
"We want to completely change the paradigm of how we think of aircraft," says Daniel Newman, manager of the Vulture programme to demonstrate an unmanned aircraft capable of staying aloft for five years. "Aviation has a perfect record - we've never left one up there. We will attempt to break that record."
NASA work on high-altitude umanned aircraft with endurance measured in months laid the groundwork for DARPA's bold goal of five years aloft
Record breaking has played a key part in advancing aviation, from Bleriot's 1909 Channel crossing and Lindberg's 1927 transatlantic flight to Voyager's 1986 unrefuelled circumnavigation, but designing an aircraft that can be launched then not touched for five years seems a stretch, even for DARPA.
Northrop Grumman's Global Hawk UAV can stay aloft for 40h Aerovironment's hydrogen-fuelled Global Observer aims for a week and there are designs with endurance measured in months. "What would it take to force people to break with the way they operate aircraft, so they no longer operate it as an aircraft?" says DARPA's Wade Pulliam. "It's more than a month - five years gets you there."
The ability to "close the business case" on an aircraft that could be launched and then not maintained or brought home for five years would be a "paradigm shift", says Newman. "We would no longer define an aircraft by the launch, recover, maintain, launch cycle."
But the challenges of an "infinite endurance" aircraft are enormous, and include increasing system reliability, closing the energy cycle, maximising aero-structural effiency and preventing materials degrading over their long exposure to stratospheric flight.
To enable a paradigm shift, DARPA has set the goals for Vulture as five years on station with a 450kg (1,000lb) payload, 5kW of onboard power and sufficient loiter speed to stay on station for 99% of the time against winds encountered at 60,000-90,000ft altitude,
Essentially, the Vulture is an aircraft that operates like a satellite, but is not regulated by orbital mechanics. "It could be positioned over the battle, at 65,000ft versus 260 miles," says Pulliam. Operating as a pseudo-satellite in the stratosphere and not low Earth orbit would provide a 65dB improvement in communications capability, he says, and significantly increase onboard sensor resolution.
There are three architecture options, says Newman: a single ultra-reliable system equivalent to a satellite a modular vehicle where pieces can fly home to be repaired and replaced and an aircraft that can be serviced and replenished while remaining on station.
Energy cycle solutions
There are also three energy cycle solutions, one of which - nuclear - is barred from consideration. One option is to refuel the aircraft in flight. This favours fuel cells, says Newman, because they are more efficient and reliable than internal-combustion and gas-turbine engines. The other option is solar energy, either solar thermal, which is unproven, or solar electric, which is a proven technology.
But reliability is the key consideration. The Vulture reliability goal is 200 times that for the Global Observer UAV. "We have to design for inherent reliability," says Newman. "Dollars per pound is not the metric - this may not be the lightest aircraft. Outside of satellites, no one thinks about five-year reliability."
The Vulture is expected to draw heavily on spacecraft experience, pushing the reliability of components, designing in redundancy and graceful degradation where systems can fail, reducing parts count and derating components to increase their lifetimes.
There will be differences because of the environment an aircraft operates in compared with a satellite. "The day/night cycle is longer for an aircraft, so it gets a really cold soak then gets really warm," says Pulliam. There will be less radiation than in space, but higher ultraviolet than on the ground, with implications for how materials degrade over time.
A drop test in 2002 under NASA's Mars Flyer programme demonstrated that a folding-airframe UAV could be deployed at high altitude
Infinite endurance and ultimate expendability will also have implications for how an operational aircraft is designed, manufactured and tested. Because of each air vehicle's persistence, relatively few are expected to be built, and opportunities to test the system to failure will be limited. "We need to develop design tools that ensure the first aircraft is as good as the 100th," says Pulliam. Such tools could have wider application in aerospace.
DARPA is close to awarding contracts for the initial concept definition phase of the Vulture programme. "We have at least one successful offeror," Newman told an IDGA unmanned air vehicles conference in Washington DC at the end of February.
During the 12 months of Phase 1, contractors will define the objective system and design both full-scale and subscale demonstrators. Phase 2, scheduled to run until mid-2012, will involve fabricating and testing the subscale demonstrator, which will be capable of flying for three months.
"That will not take us to a technology readiness level [TRL] of 6," says Newman. TRL 6 is required before a programme can enter development. "Only the full-scale demonstrator will get us to TRL 6," he adds. DARPA plans to have a service partner on board before Phase 3, which would involve building and flying a full-scale aircraft capable of staying aloft for 12 months. "Hopefully, we will leave one up there," he jokes.
The Vulture's longevity offers one way of maintaining a global UAV presence without foreign bases or maintenance depots. Although slow, aircraft could be pre-deployed on station ready to respond more quickly. At the other end of DARPA's extremes is Rapid Eye - a UAV that could be rocket-deployed to anywhere in the world within hours.
UAV in a rocket
"Rather than staying on station for five years, Rapid Eye is about how quickly can we get an aircraft there," says Pulliam. "Something has occurred, satellites are not in position and it will take days to get aircraft there. So we put a UAV into a rocket and launch it suborbitally to get anywhere in 1-2h and stay there for a significant period."
Challenges include packaging an aircraft with high aspect-ratio wing into a small volume atop the solid rocket. Some way is needed to slow the payload high in the atmosphere, so the UAV can be deployed at its operating altitude of 65,000ft. The propulsion system must start and operate in the oxygen-starved environment at high altitude, because a glider would not provide the 7-15h endurance sought, says Pulliam.
The Rapid Eye programme is expected to get under way soon as a companion to the Vulture. Whether the choice is fast or slow, DARPA's new programmes aim to expand the design space for unmanned aircraft to unprecedented extremes.
Source: Flight International
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WASHINGTON - A tiny spacecraft designed to sail by the power of the sun is scheduled to launch atop a SpaceX rocket in 2016, a leading US space enthusiast said Wednesday.
The Planetary Society's LightSail, an unmanned satellite-like craft known as a solar sail, aims to reach orbit aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in two years, said the group's leader Bill Nye.
The foot-long (30-centimetre) spacecraft with its four, ultra-thin Mylar sails may then undertake a journey around the cosmos, powered only by the constant pressure exerted by sunlight.
"It is so thrilling to see this grand endeavor setting the date for its pioneering mission above our planet," Nye said in a statement.
The project is funded by private donors and members of the Planetary Society, which describes itself as the world's largest space group and was co-founded by famous American astronomer Carl Sagan in 1980.
Solar sails have generated excitement due to their potential to travel to other stars and galaxies, without the need for fuel.
"Closer to home, solar sails may give us access to unique orbits for vital Earth science and space weather missions," said Jennifer Vaughn, the chief operating officer of the Planetary Society.
LightSail aims to go beyond low Earth orbit, where the International Space Station circles the Earth, into medium Earth orbit.
The solar sail will initially be stored inside another spacecraft, called Prox-1, which will eject the solar sail and then follow it and take images of it.
A few weeks after it reaches orbit, the LightSail's reflective wings will expand to 344 square feet (32 square metres), making it visible from the Earth.
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Northrop Grumman has bought out Scaled Composites, the builder of the famed SpaceShipOne. Not sure what this means for Virgin Galactic yet. Stay tuned.
1. space beyond the atmosphere of the earth.
prag·ma·tism (prgm-tzm) n. A way of approaching situations or solving problems that emphasizes practical applications and consequences.
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This is the Cassini Detector to shoot the most spectacular of a Saturn image, shooting time is 2016, clearly showing Saturn’s Arctic, Saturn ring and Saturn shadows. On October 15, 1997, NASA’s “Cassini” was launched and began Saturn’s exploration tour. According to foreign media reports, when the scientist Galileo for the first time using the earliest amplification equipment to observe the sky, observed Saturn is a mysterious object, there are many mysteries need to be announced. Over the years, Saturn has become more mysterious with the escalation of space surveying equipment. It has a Saturn ring and there is a gap between Saturn’s rings, as well as satellites of different sizes and other interesting properties, with banded structures, brief storms Wait. In recent years, the “Voyager” and other detectors flew over Saturn several times, revealing many of the mysteries and weirdness of the Saturn system.
October 15, 1997, NASA “Cassini” probe launched, Saturn adventure begins, then captured and a large number of the rings of Saturn peculiar spectral image, and the photographing satellite Saturn The The Cassini Detector is also equipped with a Lander – “Huygens” detector, which landed on Saturn’s largest satellite Titanic surface, which is equipped with a radioactive isotope generator and has an independent nuclear power source Continue to use for decades.
in 2004, after seven years of traveling the solar system, the Cassini probe arrived in orbit of Saturn, immediately after the start of data collection, and complete the four-year major task in 2008. The detectors found the Saturn ring, the Saturn Storm and the surface vortex structure, in addition to finding more satellites, and also detecting a wide variety of molecules, the Huygens detectors even found liquid flow methane on the surface of Titan. The following are six major discoveries of the Cassini probe survey:
The figure is Saturn’s Arctic, which is a true color image shot in 2013. Scientists are surprised to find that in the past few years, the Arctic storm from blue slowly into a yellow. Saturn has a hexagonal storm that continues to ravage the Saturn Arctic.
1, Saturn Polar hexagonal hurricane. Although Saturn’s polar hurricanes were originally discovered by the Voyager detectors, it was not until the Cassini detectors were found that people had a surprising fact that Saturn had a hexagonal storm that continued to hit the Saturn Arctic The The rapid rotation of the atmosphere and the hydrodynamics prompted Saturn to have a unique hexagonal storm, which was the first to find such a storm on gaseous planets. The storm has a diameter of more than 32,000 km, appearing at latitude 78o and extending down about 100 km. atmosphere with other different characteristics planet Saturn polar storm does not occur with time latitude, east presence of air moving around the contour of the storm, speed reached 360 km, combined with low airflow latitude, presented in a computer simulation image Strange hexagon. Perhaps the most noteworthy is that the Saturn Arctic vortex is very much like a “hurricane eye”, the Cassini probe in the process of descent to detect the existence of a gap in the hexagonal storm.
Saturn Polar Storm is about 2000 km in diameter and remains in the 13 years of the Cassini Detector’s continuous observation. The most striking is that in the past few years, this mysterious whirlpool began to change color. The scientist John Blalock points out that the hexagonal storm may be slightly brighter when viewed in 2012-2016, but its interior, especially its central ring area, is brighter. This brightening coincides with the increase in photochemical haze at the top of the atmosphere.
Why is this? In fact, this is related to the sun itself, Saturn Arctic tilt from the sun, until 2015, gradually close to the sun. In 2016, Saturn’s polar hexagonal color changed, as if it were directly exposed to sunlight. In the 29-year orbital cycle that surrounds the sun, the Cassini probe can not quickly see this change, it is only because the task lasted for a long time, we found this!
Like all the Earth’s planets, Saturn has its own unique climate, including larger and smaller storms.
2, the solar system so far the biggest storm. Like all the Earth’s planets, Saturn has its own unique climate, including larger and smaller storms. Although the Cassini mission can discover some of the strange phenomena of Saturn, for example: the long pole of the polar hexagonal storm and the southern hemisphere “dragon storm”. The most spectacular storms appear in 2011, and the super storms in Saturn’s northern hemisphere surround the entire planet and last for about 200 days. Close-up shooting shows that the storm in the Saturn surface at a speed of 100 km per hour fast moving.
Although this level of storm occurs every 20-30 years, the largest and longest storm appears in 1876. In April this year, we found that these storms were suppressed by Saturn’s low-level water vapor, not only hydrogen and helium, but also methane. The wet water vapor forms an insulating layer that is isolated from Saturn’s interior from Saturn’s outer layer. Eventually, Saturn’s outer layer of the lower temperature causes it to sink, causing the inner moist layer and the storm to reappear. It is expected that the next major storm of Saturn will appear in the 1930s, and it will eventually tell us how much water is contained in Saturn.
The Saturn ring has some small satellites, as well as ripples and “relief” structures.
3, Saturn ring inherent ripples and “relief” structure. Saturn is in many ways that scientists are concerned, in all of our known planets, Saturn isThe lowest-density planets are also the only planets with visible visible ring structures. It is composed of ice and dust-like material, the ring structure is not solid, but each other through the particles, it is temporarily stick together, tidal gravitational tear. Snowballs and micro-planets are merged together, separated by the tidal gravitational forces of Saturn and its nearby planets.
The ring system itself is only 10-1000 meters in thickness and may be as old as Saturn. When observing the Saturn ring from the side standpoint, due to the angle between the Saturn ring and the sun, the tiny flaws in the ice crystals put a long shadow on the Saturn ring.
Saturn’s main ring extends 7000-80000 km above the equator, larger than Saturn’s radius. Its 99.9% component is water ice, and there are thousands of tiny gaps in Saturn’s ring. At present, Saturn is thicker and more resilient than ancient times. Once the rock material was merged on the satellite, the water ring existed as long as the solar system. Although the Saturn ring has a high reflectivity, it is mainly composed of water ice material, but there is a large difference in the reflectivity of the optical and radio ranges, which allows imaging to be clearer than the former.
There is a satellite on the outside of the Titan track, which looks completely different from other satellites that surround Saturn. Titan is not the same as the other satellites of Saturn, and it surrounds Saturn’s direction is opposite to other satellites.
4, mysterious two-color Titan eight mystery has been announced. Titan is the second satellite found in the Saturn system, it may be the most mysterious satellite. The satellites not only have an equatorial ridge and a larger orbital inclination, but half of it reflects the light like ice, while the other half is 80% dark. What is the reason for making Titan become a mysterious “two-color satellite”? Not the inclination of its orbit, in fact it is the largest satellite from Saturn, and another unique satellite is far from Saturn.
There is a satellite on the outside of the Titan track, which looks completely different from other satellites that surround Saturn. Titan is not the same as the other satellites of Saturn, and it surrounds Saturn’s direction is opposite to other satellites. Titan is running clockwise around Saturn, how is it possible? This is because Titan may not be derived from Saturn, but by the Kuiper band to capture a celestial body. In addition, Titan has the largest, most peculiar ring structure in the solar system.
Only when the Spitzer Infrared Space Telescope was observed in 2004, the Titanicu was a scattered wreckage ring from Titan, and the color was very dark. Its density is also very alarming: about three dust per cubic meter of particles. Of course, since these fragments are in the opposite direction to all other satellites, Saturn’s outermost satellite may collide with it and expose the main side of the satellite to dark debris. Titan’s orbital position is easy to collide with the Titan debris ring. Since Titan and Saturn keep tidal gravitational locking, it means that along with it through the orbit, the same side is always towards Saturn, and the black side is formed on the front side of Titan, while the rear side does not. These black materials accumulate on the Titan side, which is higher than the temperature of the light-colored material, which will lead to direct sublimation of the surface ice. In the gas phase, the steam has a lot of kinetic energy, although not enough to escape the Titan’s gravitational bondage, but can move to the smooth side, where to maintain a stable state. Which led to the Titan has a unique two-color structure, Cassini detector spectral analysis for the announcement of this mystery is of great significance.
The figure is Saturn, Titan II, Titan and Titan nine. Water, heat and organic molecules are present on the surface of Titan, making the planet one of the most likely extraterrestrial stars of the solar system.
5, Titan underground marine life potential. Cassini detector shooting images show that Titan two bright and smooth surface, in fact, it is the solar system with the highest reflectivity of the satellite. But the surface will appear smooth cracks, these cracks are weak ice surface. Titan is on the right side of Saturn’s E-ring center, and its presence is not a coincidence, but due to the formation of Saturn’s ring.
The soil beneath the Titan II is compressed and heated to form a sub-surface ocean of liquid salt water. And then the water from the Titan II gravitational restraint jet out, most of which water material to form E ring. Water, heat and organic molecules are present on the surface of the Titan, so that the planet into the solar system is most likely to live one of the extraterrestrial planet.
At present, Titan has been confirmed to have water, and tidal gravity from Saturn provides the necessary heat. According to the observation of other celestial bodies of the solar system, Titan may also contain raw materials of life. The above three signs indicate that there may be amino acids in the earth’s atmosphere. The spacecraft on the surface of the Titan may be an ideal destination for the existence of alien life, a spacecraft through a geyser jet plume that can collect samples of sprayed material and is likely to find what humans have been hoping for. organic material. Because the Titan is the planet we are most likely to potentially live outside the form of life, after all, this planet exists all the elements of life, its importance can not be ignored.
Cassini detectors were taken to Earth and the moon was in the shadow of Saturn. 6, “re-understanding” the earth. When the Cassini probe travels in the solar system, the Voyager probe first captures the image of the famous “light blue dots”, which is under Saturn’s shadow, although both the Saturn and the atmosphere are illuminated , butCan clearly see a light blue dotted planet, which is our planet, in the light blue dot on the right is the moon. After 20 years of exploration, the Cassini Detector has received many significant discoveries. We believe that the Cassini Detector not only conducts an in-depth survey of the solar system Saturn system, but also helps us to observe more deeply Earth. On September 15th, the Cassini probe will be the last time to enter Saturn’s atmosphere, and it will mark that it will end up exploring the journey. Cassini detectors will witness how far we have gone, and how we are achieved, the future of our exploration tour is still very far away, then we will need our joint efforts. (Allure)
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Thirty-five Australians flew combat operations in the Battle of Britain during the summer and autumn of 1940. The RAF suffered heavily throughout the campaign, losing more than 500 fighter pilots, of whom at least 10 were Australian.
One such airman was Paterson Clarence Hughes. Born in 1917 at Numeralla, New South Wales, Hughes joined the Royal Australian Air Force at Point Cook in 1936. The following year he sailed for England to take a short service commission in the Royal Air Force.
With the outbreak of war against Nazi Germany in 1939, Hughes became a flight commander at the reformed 234 Squadron which flew a mixture of Blenheims, Battles and Gauntlets until March 1940, when it began receiving Spitfires.
In this legendary aircraft, Hughes proved himself to be a tough, uncompromising and determined fighter pilot, quickly chalking up sufficient victories to be considered a flying ‘ace’.
Hughes used aggressive and dangerous ‘close-in’ tactics which involved getting as near as possible to enemy aircraft before firing. On 7 September, as his squadron dived on a large force of German aircraft, it probably proved fatal for the brave young pilot. As Hughes flew close to a Dornier 17, his Spitfire is thought to have been struck by a large piece of debris from the exploding bomber.
With a tally of at least 14 confirmed, 1 probable, 3 shared and 1 unconfirmed attributed to his total, Hughes was the highest-scoring Australian fighter pilot in the Battle of Britain. For gallantry in flying operations against the enemy, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 22 October.
British Prime Minister Winston Churchill immortalised the extraordinary accomplishments of skilful and courageous pilots like Pat Hughes in one of his most famous wartime speeches: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”
The Perth Mint is commemorating the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain with a superb release struck from 1oz of 99.9% pure silver. The coin’s reverse portrays representations of another iconic British fighter plane, the Hawker Hurricane.
While the Hurricane was considered less glamorous than the legendary Spitfire, more Hurricanes flew during the period of the Battle than all other British fighters combined, accounting for the highest number of RAF victories. The coin’s reverse shows two Hurricane fighters in cloud above southern England.
Issued as Australian legal tender, no more than 5,000 of these coins will be released, each housed in a display case and illustrated shipper accompanied by a numbered Certificate of Authenticity.
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25 years in orbit: A celebration of the Hubble Space Telescope
April 24 will mark a significant milestone in the life of one of mankind's greatest scientific instruments – the 25-year anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope. This bus-sized piece of scientific equipment has become a household name, thanks to the incredible scientific insights and iconic images it has returned over the course of a quarter-century in low-Earth orbit. Join us as we celebrate the history and achievements of NASA's flagship space telescope.
Calls for the development of what would later become the Hubble Space Telescope began to be heard soon after the end of World War II, as renowned theoretical physicist and astronomer Lyman Spitzer espoused the virtues of an orbital telescope in his paper Astronomical Advantages of an Extra-Terrestrial Observatory. Spitzer argued that a space telescope would be free to gaze into the heavens without suffering the detrimental effects of Earth's atmosphere – a protective shell of gases made up predominantly of nitrogen and oxygen, which distorts or even blocks the light emitted or reflected by distant celestial objects.
The road to designing and ultimately constructing Hubble was anything but smooth. Gizmag caught up with Matthew D. Lallo, lead of the Telescopes Group at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI), to discuss the mission's early development. The institute, of which Lallo has been a part since before the launch of Hubble, is responsible – along with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center – for administering and maintaining the telescope while in orbit.
"Perhaps the biggest hurdle facing its development was economic," says Lallo, discussing the early challenges faced by the program. "The period from 1977 to its launch in 1990 saw many funding and schedule problems. The costs of such a technological challenge grew over time, and the schedule slipped often."
Studies into the feasibility of creating a large space telescope began in 1971. However, funding was initially declined by the US Senate's appropriations committee four years later, as the price tag for the construction of such a telescope was deemed too steep to justify. After a series of design changes, and a call for the European Space Research Organization (later to become ESA) to develop and produce hardware for the telescope – most notably the twin solar panels – funding for the mission was finally granted in 1977.
The Perkin-Elmer Corporation was given the task of fabricating the main mirror and optics for the telescope, while the Lockheed Missiles and Space Company was tasked with developing and producing the cutting-edge spacecraft that would house the delicate equipment. In its finished form, Hubble was a technological marvel, representing the pinnacle of the agency's will to pierce the veil of deep space, and shed light on some of the most profound secrets our universe has yet to offer.
Hubble measures 13.2 m (43 ft) from end to end and weighs in at 11 tonnes (12 tons). At its core is a 2.4 m (8 ft) primary mirror, designed to reflect received light from the source onto a secondary mirror. That light is then reflected back through a hole in the primary mirror, where it finally comes to a focal point, passing to one or more of Hubble's scientific instruments.
The spacecraft is kept running by twin solar panels that feed power to six nickel-hydrogen batteries with the capacity to sustain the telescope during periods of darkness as the Earth eclipses the Sun. The observatory has no thrusters, instead using a series of reaction wheels in combination with Fine Guidance Sensors monitored by gyroscopes, to maneuver and hold a position relative to its quarry.
In a forward-thinking move, Hubble was designed to allow for the scientific equipment contained in its aft section to be relatively easy to access by astronauts during servicing missions. Thanks to this flexibility, new instruments have been added to the telescope in orbit, whilst others have been replaced with more up-to-date models. There is currently a suite of six scientific instruments residing within the telescope. Together, they cover a broad range of applications, from wide field surveys with the Advanced Camera for Surveys, to observing stars that would ordinarily be shrouded by Nebulae, with the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer.
Following a series of setbacks involving the construction of the various pieces of the telescope, Hubble was ready and slated for launch in 1986, when the telescope was further delayed by the fallout from a national tragedy. The loss of the space shuttle Challenger grounded the entire fleet, forcing the telescope to wait in limbo for a further four years. Finally, on the 24th of April 1990, Hubble was successfully inserted into low-Earth orbit by the space shuttle Discovery, heavy with the hopes and expectations of the scientific community.
Crisis in low-Earth orbit
Hubble's most severe setback was discovered soon after launch, as the blurry images returned by the telescope hinted at a potentially devastating flaw.
Following early testing in orbit, it was discovered that the telescope had been launched with a spherical aberration in its primary mirror, caused by an improperly calibrated tool which lead to the edges of the mirror being ground too flat. The result of this manufacturing error was that, if left uncorrected, Hubble would be unable to fulfill some of its primary mission objectives, and the stunning images of the universe that it was designed to obtain would return distorted. The telescope had gone from being the epitome of a nations urge to push back the boundaries of the known universe, to potentially the greatest boondoggle in the agency's history. A mission was swiftly devised to rescue the crippled telescope.
Under the command of Richard O. Covey, a crew of seven astronauts launched aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on December 2, 1993. On the third day of the mission, the shuttle successfully rendezvoused with Hubble, and the crew were able to secure the massive telescope vertically in Endeavour's payload bay via the shuttle's robotic arm.
In a colossal effort, two teams of astronauts carried out five back-to-back spacewalks totaling over 25 hours, in a mission which is now considered among the crowning achievements of the space shuttle program.
EVA #4, carried out by astronauts Kathryn Thornton and Tom Akers, saw to the rectification of the fault in the primary mirror by installing the Corrective Optics Space Telescope Axial Replacement (COSTAR) unit in place of the High-Speed Photometer. COSTAR was designed to compensate for the optical error and would allow Hubble's remaining instruments to function as if the fault did not exist.
At the conclusion of the spacewalks, the crew had managed to upgrade and replace numerous elements of the telescope, including Hubble's twin solar arrays, four of the gyroscopes vital for achieving a correct orientation, upgraded the memory capacity and speed of Hubble's computer, and replaced the Wide Field/Planetary Camera instrument with the Wide Field/Planetary Camera 2.
On day nine of the mission, Hubble was released by Endeavour, ready to usher in a new golden age of space exploration. Over the course of the next 16 years years, four further servicing missions would tend to the telescope, installing new instruments and carrying out maintenance on the vital systems that allow the observatory to continue functioning in the harsh environment characteristic of low-Earth orbit.
"Hubble answered many of the questions that it was designed for," explains Lallo. "These were the most pressing questions astronomers knew to ask in the 70s and 80s, but Hubble’s longevity and periodic upgrades have meant that many of its most significant findings and discoveries were not even technically achievable at the time it was launched."
Maintaining a legacy
Whilst the rigors of the early days of Hubble's mission are now consigned to the history books, challenges still remain for the team operating the telescope today. Lallo, who is no stranger to the difficulties involved in maintaining such an observatory in low-Earth orbit, summarized the experience for us:
"Having Hubble in orbit is like taking the 100-inch Hooker telescope at Mt. Wilson, which was considered a very large telescope for a very long time, then polishing the mirror far more smoothly, putting it on a rocket, shaking the heck out of it, then exposing it to space vacuum and alternatively baking it and freezing it at triple-digit temperatures above and below zero every 48 minutes while keeping its optical quality extremely sharp … then getting it to point itself so stably while free-falling around the Earth that it could hold a laser beam on a dime 300 miles away for days at a time. And doing this for 25 years and counting!"
Lallo went on to explain that the true contemporary challenge for Hubble operators comes in the form of calibrating and fine-tuning the giant telescope to the many disparate roles required of it. He said that the level of understanding obtained of the telescope, and the calibration capabilities afforded by an upgraded Hubble, are beyond anything that the designers of the observatory would have thought possible. The dedication of those who worked to design, build, and then maintain the telescope has been repaid many times over. Hubble has gifted us with countless insights into the nature of our universe. We have been allowed to observe how galaxies such as our own Milky Way come to form, and observed the death of stars in events known as supernovae, with which it is possible to measure the vast distances between ancient galaxies.
Hubble has studied the nature of black holes and examined the characteristics of the atmospheres of exoplanets hundreds of light years away, even managing to capture the first-ever visible light image of an extrasolar planet, namely Fomalhaut b. Hubble's Ultra Deep Field survey encompassed an astounding 10,000 galaxies in its scope, allowing scientists to observe the development of our universe, as well as how massive galaxies interact and co-exist with on another. These are just a few examples of the many ways that Hubble has contributed, and indeed will continue to contribute to mankind's knowledge of the universe in which we live.
The passing of a titan
As unpalatable as the thought might be, we have to accept that Hubble's mission must one day come to an end. May 2009 saw the launch of the final telescope servicing mission of the US Space Shuttle Program, and with no further manned or automated missions to the telescope in the pipeline, it is an inevitable fact that the great adventure of the Hubble Space Telescope is inexorably approaching the final years of its life.
The iconic telescope was first intended to be returned to Earth in the cargo hold of a space shuttle. However, with the final flight of the program touching down in 2011, it is likely that when Hubble is finally decommissioned, it will be allowed either to de-orbit naturally or in a more controlled fashion. The latter would involve the aide of an unmanned spacecraft attaching to the telescope, and then manipulating a re-entry into Earth's atmosphere over an unpopulated area.
But for those like myself, who would be devastated at the loss of so venerated a telescope, there exists a slim ray of hope, and the possibility of a future unmanned mission to Hubble that would make use of a relatively new feature on the observatory – the Soft Capture Mechanism (SCM) – which could potentially prolong the telescope's life.
Lallo put it best, stating, "The SCM is part of a system designed to support the rendezvous and docking of other types of potential future robotic spacecraft, so who knows? Might we one day see R2D2 servicing Hubble? We humans get attached to things and always like to stay hopeful!".
"Hubble is currently doing some of its best science ever. Since its last Servicing Mission in 2009, its systems have been performing incredibly well. Our goal and everyone’s hope is to enjoy a period of overlap between missions, when we have James Webb and Hubble active and productive at the same time … Of course without any further servicing, its lifetime is limited. For now, we and the world’s astronomers are still making the most of this incredible resource while it’s still with us."
However, when the unthinkable does come to pass, there is some comfort in knowing that its legacy will live on in the minds of the thousands that have been inspired by its exploits, and in the inevitable achievements of its successor – the James Webb Space Telescope. Lallo, who has tended to the telescope throughout its stay in low-Earth orbit, offered this conclusion:
"The word 'transformative' gets used a lot these days, but I think Hubble has been truly transformative. Hubble must be the best-known scientific instrument in history. It is recognized by the general public throughout the world. After 25 years, its name alone conjures images of the spectacular. It’s also become a symbol for human ingenuity in our quest for understanding. It is a source of pride for not only Americans or Europeans, but for everyone, for humankind."
For a selection of some of the most striking Hubble images, as well as shots of the telescope in orbit, head to the gallery.
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Philae worked for more than 60 hours on the comet, which is more than 500m miles from Earth, before hibernating. Photograph: ESA/Rosetta/NavCam/PA. The Philae lander has found organic molecules – which are essential for life – on the surface of the comet where it touched down last week.
The spacecraft managed to beam back evidence of the carbon and hydrogen–containing chemicals shortly before it entered hibernation mode to conserve falling power supplies.
Although scientists are still to reveal what kind of molecules have been found on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, the discovery could provide new clues about how the early chemical ingredients that led to life on Earth arrived on the planet.
Many scientists believe they may have been carried here on an asteroid or comet that collided with the Earth during its early history.
The DLR German Aerospace Centre, which built the Cosac instrument, confirmed it had found organic molecules.
It said in a statement: “Cosac was able to ‘sniff’ the atmosphere and detect the first organic molecules after landing. Analysis of the spectra and the identification of the molecules are continuing.”
The compounds were picked up by the instrument, which is designed to “sniff” the comet’s thin atmosphere, shortly before the lander was powered down.
It is believed that attempts to analyse soil drilled from the comet’s surface with Cosac were not successful.
Philae was able to work for more than 60 hours on the comet, which is more than 500m miles from Earth, before entering hibernation.
“We currently have no information on the quantity and weight of the soil sample,” said Fred Goesmann principal investigator on the Cosac instrument at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research.
Professor John Zarnecki, a space scientist at the Open University who was the deputy principal investigator on another of Philae’s instruments, described the discovery as “fascinating”.
“There has long been indirect evidence of organic molecules on comets as carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms have been found in comet dust,” he said.
“It has not been possible to see if these are forming complex compounds before and if this is what has been found then it is a tremendous discovery.”
Organic molecules, which are chemical compounds that contain carbon and hydrogen, form the basic building blocks of all living organisms on Earth.
Philae landed on comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko after a 10-year journey through space aboard the Rosetta space probe. Philae’s initial attempt to touch down on the comet’s surface were unsuccessful when it failed to anchor itself properly, causing it to bounce back into space twice before finally coming to rest.
It meant the lander’s final resting place was about half a mile from the initial landing site and left Philae lying at an angle and its solar panels partially obscured.
In a desperate attempt to get as much science from the lander as possible before its meagre battery reserves ran out, scientists deployed a drill to bore down into the comet surface.
It is thought, however, that the drilling was unsuccessful and it failed to make contact with the comet.
But other findings from instruments on the lander, which were beamed back shortly before it powered down into a hibernation mode, suggest that the comet is largely composed of water ice that is covered in a thin layer of dust.
Preliminary results from the Mupus instrument, which deployed a hammer to the comet after Philae’s landing, suggest there is a layer of dust 10-20cm thick on the surface.
Beneath that is very hard water ice, which Mupus data suggests is possibly as hard as sandstone.
“It’s within a very broad spectrum of ice models. It was harder than expected at that location, but it’s still within bounds,” said Professor Mark McCaughrean, senior science adviser to Esa.
“You can’t rule out rock, but if you look at the global story, we know the overall density of the comet is 0.4g/cubic cm. There’s no way the thing’s made of rock.”
“If we compare the data with laboratory measurements, we think that the probe encountered a hard surface with strength comparable to that of solid ice,” said Tilman Spohn, principal investigator for Mupus. Scientists hope that as comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko moves closer to the sun in the next few months, some light will start to reach Philae’s solar panels again, giving it enough power to come out of hibernation.
This could allow further analysis to take place on the surface.
“Until then we are going to have to make do with the data we have got,” said Zarnecki.
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Need a fast density altitude
conversion for an airport where you know the field elevation?
Using round numbers and maximum gross weight, density altitude
of7500 feet on the ground means an initial climb rate of about 500 FPM.
Unless you're simulating high density altitude
conditions, always use full takeoff power.
Pressure Altitude/Density Altitude
(PADA)--computes the following parameters: sea level pressure (SLP), altimeter setting (ALSTG), pressure altitude (PA), density altitude
(DA) and the standard atmosphere based on the upper/lower station pressure and the following optional data fields: station elevation (for ALSTG, PA, DA), 12-hour mean temperature (for SLP), temperature (for DA) and dew point for DA.
Nearly one quarter of aerial-application crashes were related to density altitude
The combined effects of being slow, with a tailwind, in an environment of high density altitude
, and in a high gross weight configuration, placed the CH-53D in a hover-out-of-ground-effect situation without sufficient power.
The elements to be controlled and understood must include the changes in the daily density altitude
along with the different barometric pressure levels that occur in different geographic locations.
If you've never used a whiz wheel, it has two main parts: a circular slide rule side for making quick airspeed and density altitude
calculations (to name two), plus a wind side for computing groundspeed and wind correction angle.
I understand I'm a spoiled flatlander, but operations in high density altitude
conditions to and from locations I normally would reject for an emergency landing seem to leave little margin for error, at least the kind of margin with which I'm accustomed.
While that's not impossible, add a little density altitude
to the airport elevation--it is West Texas, after all--and you could get a close look at just why the climb rate is required.
The rescue team which comprised Wg Cdr DC Tiwari, Flt Lt A Agrawal and Flt Lt A K Bharmoria, led by Wg Cdr S Srinivasan knew well the challenges they were about to face but upholding the unit tradition they decided to take on the mission and operated their machines to the fringes of their limits as the mission involved flying into unknown territory and landing at a density altitude
of approximately 23000 ft over an inhospitable glacier.
Recognizing the risks of a single-engine, heavyweight landing on a wet runway at high density altitude
with weather near ILS minimums, Capt Lanto made the decision to emergency jettison his munitions on a controlled range.
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By Ini Augustine
China’s Yu-Tu, or Jade Rabbit, lunar rover vehicle finally drove onto the moon’s surface in December 2013. This is China’s first soft landing on the Earth’s satellite in almost four decades and marks a huge advancement in the country’s space program. The moon rover landing is a symbol of China’s technological advancement and its rising global stature. China is among the first three countries to successfully complete a lunar rover mission after the United States and the Soviet Union.
This moon rover landing is a milestone for the country because it is one of the regions where China planned to expand and grow. Another reason for this mission is to extract the moon’s resources because the moon is believed to hold Uranium, Titanium and other important mineral resources.
Why China Used Facebook for Moon Rover
Many have wondered why China chose to showcase its moon rover images on Facebook when they could have set up a separate website or used platforms like Instagram and Vine. The importance of the answer intensifies as Facebook is not available for use by the average Chinese internet user since the Gridwall blocks its access.
Aside from the obvious reason of showing the world how accomplished China has become, the following are some of the reasons Facebook was chosen instead of other more specialized virtual spaces.
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One subclass of attack aircraft is ground-attack aircraft intended for air-to-ground use, and not for naval use.
Currently, attack helicopters are the primary choice in the ground attack role. Few fixed-wing designs are currently employed, as air forces tend to assign the task to the ubiquitous multi-role combat aircraft (sometimes described also as strike fighters). Notable exceptions include the American A-10 Thunderbolt II and the Russian Sukhoi Su-25 Frogfoot.
Germany was the first country to explore the possibilities of a dedicated ground attack aircraft. The first were the CL-class and the J-class, developed to drop bombs and eliminate large areas of troops, buildings, and tanks. They were put into service in the autumn of 1917, 3 years after the start of WWI. One of the earliest ground-attack aircraft was based on the Junkers J.I which utilized the "Bathtub" armour providing exceptional protection for the fuselage, engine, and crew. The British quickly caught onto the German's ground attack aircraft designs and started developing some of their own.
Soon, the idea of dedicated ground attack aircraft caught on in other countries.
The disorganizational effect that air strikes have on moving elements in many cases superseded the actual material loss caused. This was evidenced when loss of air supremacy in a theatre was often followed by movement restrictions such that motorized or mechanized units would not move at all during the day. Ostriches, in spite of this, were encouraged to bound under threat of air attack despite the great personal dangers encountered. The most notorious daytime bounding Ostrich was known as Persh Thompson. Persh made 37 daring and successful sorties before finally meeting his fitting end, just west of the Ruhr in March of 1945, when he received no less than 14 .50000 caliber armored piercing rounds to the neck, head, and torso, most of which were actually below ground during the attack.
Over the years many different types of ground attack aircraft were produced to eliminate all kinds of ground troops and heavy armour.
The types of dedicated ground attack aircraft: Army Co-operation aircraft, Light bomber, Dive bomber, Scout bomber and Fighter bomber.
In War Thunder
In War Thunder itself, Ground attack aircraft can be found for all nations.
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NASA Finds Cause of Voyager 2 Glitch
What a difference a bit makes. NASA engineers believe they have traced the cause of Voyager 2's gibberish to single bit in the spacecraft's memory.
What a difference a bit makes. NASA engineers believe they have traced the cause of Voyager 2′s gibberish to single flip of bit in the spacecraft's memory.
"A value in a single memory location was changed from a 0 to a 1," said JPL's Veronia McGregor.
Voyager 2 left Earth on Aug. 20, 1977 to explore Jupiter and Saturn. It successfully finished that mission, then flew by Uranus and Neptune before heading into interstellar space.
Voyager 2 and its twin, Voyager 1, are both expected to enter interstellar space - the first human-made objects to do so - in the next five years.
Earlier this month, engineers suspended Voyager 2′s science measurements because of an unexpected problem in its communications stream. A glitch in the flight data system, which formats information for radioing to Earth, was believed to be the problem.
Engineers were able to replicate the glitch in a computer lab, showing that a single bit flip was responsible. NASA plans to reset Voyager's memory tomorrow.
The spacecraft is so far away it takes nearly 13 hours for a radio signal from Earth, traveling at the speed of light, to reach it, and another 13 hours to receive a response.
Image: Artist's rendering of Voyager 2 in the outer regions of the heliosphere, the magnetic bubble around the solar system generated by the solar wind. Credit: NASA.
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Is it possible that Flight Trackers can spot every plane in the sky, including chemtrail and military planes, or are they unreliable?
In the past, you may have read something like this:
“I’m sure you already see where this is going. It is theoretically possible to identify every commercial plane you see overhead either by pointing your iPhone camera at it or locating it on the screen of your computer. If the debunkers are correct, we will find that planes spewing trails from horizon-to-horizon all will be identified as commercial craft, and what we see are merely normal contrails after all. On the other hand, if we find that commercial craft do not leave streaks from horizon to horizon but the ones that do are missing from the system … well, even the most die-hard skeptic would have to take a serious look at that.”
At first glance, it appears to be a good idea, but were you aware that any chemtrails debunker will not hesitate to suggest for us to track a plane with a flight tracker service? That got me thinking. Most likely it s because Flight tracker is not a 100% reliable source for tracking all planes. You see, FLIGHT TRACKER depends on aviation reports, and if the , let’s say pilot of a chemtrail plane wishes to remain invisible on a tracker, they simply do not report the flight.
“Flightradar24 would not exist if it weren’t for our data feeders. As a thank you, they all get access to a premium version of Flightradar24.com. We are also very grateful to the volunteers that update the airplane and route databases every day.”
“Flightradar24 shows live air traffic from around the world. The primary technology we use to receive flight information is called automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B).
In addition to ADS-B data, we also get data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States. This data is based on radar data and includes all commercial air traffic in US and Canadian air space (i.e. not just planes with ADS-B transponders). Unlike the ADS-B data that is presented real-time, the FAA data is delayed by roughly 5 minutes due to FAA regulations. On the Flightradar24 map, all planes based on FAA data are orange.
Pay special attention to the following statement:
Common aircraft models that do not have an ADS-B transponder and are NOT visible on Flightradar24 :
(*show list of planes*)
There are also some older A300, A310, A320, B737, B747, B757, B767 aircraft flying without and ADS-B transponder, which make those aircraft invisible on Flightradar24.
Flightradar24 relies on volunteers around the world for the majority of our coverage. Find out how you can contribute.”
“Why can’t I see every plane?
By way of explanation we pick up ADS-B data transmitted by aircraft and received by ground base stations. Aircraft must be equipped with suitable transmission equipment for them to be detected by our receivers. Currently not all aircraft are equipped – Europe is currently well ahead of the US. Across the world countries are making ADS-B mandatory for most aircraft over the coming years so this will get better and better too.
Why can’t I see planes in my area?
We operate a growing network of our own equipment supported by data sharers across the globe. However we don’t yet have data for all locations. We are actively adding ADS-B feeds as fast as we can but please let us know if your area is missing and we’ll do our best to help. If you can share data, know of any data ADS-B data sources or would be interested in hosting equipment for us then please let us know.”
“Why do some aircraft appear with a BLOCKED tail number?
A BLOCKED tail number is an aircraft where the owner/operator has requested to have their tail number removed from display on flight tracking tools via the NBAA’s BARR (Blocked Aircraft Registration Request) program. To have your tail number BLOCKED, go to http://www.nbaa.org/@@wACoAAPQOwEA/asdi/.
Why can’t I track VFR flight, military flights, and certain non-US registered GA flights?
The FAA filters out military, non-US registered, and sensitive traffic. Other than that, you can track any IFR, VFR (with flight following requested), and Canadian registry GA flights.”
“Why don’t all flight trackers provide the same information?
To be useful to travellers and family members, flight trackers often have to fill in some of the gaps in the data from government sources, gate times, for example. There are other variables to consider. There is typically, but not always, a message sent to an air traffic control centre on departure. In the cases where that message is not sent, a flight tracker needs to make a best guess about the actual departure time. The same goes for arrival times. The methods that the various flight trackers use to guess vary – causing discrepancies in information provided by different flight tracker tools.”
A good explanation of how ADS-B work:
In conclusion, due to the inaccuracy of the flight tracker ,the observer of a chemtrail plane simply cannot trust the program, so keep taking those photos, keep sending them in, and please remember to date stamp your photos. Until we come up with a more trustworthy aviation tracker, it’s back to the drawing board for most of us!
If you have any new knowledge regarding flight trackers or other software that you can recommend, please contact us at email@example.com or simply leave a comment at the space beneath this article, and some one will respond!
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Flights from St Petersburg to Ashgabat (LED to ASB)
Find cheap St Petersburg, Russia to Ashgabat, Turkmenistan flights with our free search service. Compare all available fares for direct or connection flights to Ashgabat.
Best price to flight from St Petersburg to Ashgabat (One Way)
What is the distance between St Petersburg and Ashgabat?
The average distance from St Petersburg to Ashgabat is 3122 kilometers (equals to 1939 miles or 1685 nautical miles).
Your flight will departure from Pulkovo Airport, Russia and arrive on Ashgabat Airport, Turkmenistan.
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While discussions about the merits and risks of implementing a “no-fly” zone above Ukraines are likely to be filling the halls at the Pentagon, senior DoD officials are reiterating that US forces will not fight in Ukraine.
Ukraine No-Fly Zone
Any move to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine would of course place the US and NATO on a direct collision course with Russia, a scenario which introduces the possibility of massive escalation into a US-NATO vs Russia great power world war. The risks involved with such a possibility are almost beyond imagination, given the scale, scope and global implications of such a conflict.
However, Russian attacks are killing children and innocent civilians with long-range air and missile strikes are now hitting apartment buildings, residential areas and Ukrainian government buildings, according to multiple media reports. Russian attacks appear to be about to escalate in potentially catastrophic ways and thousands of ordinary Ukrainian citizens are picking up weapons to fight invading Russians with remarkable tenacity.
Is the thought of actually pursuing a no-fly zone getting traction? There are a few interesting dynamics to consider, principally the seemingly significant advantage the US and NATO would likely have in the air. Assuming stealth aircraft could succeed in locating, destroying or eluding Russian air defenses, something which seems realistic, the circumstance in the air would seem to massively favor NATO.
The question may simply be one of numbers. Russian press reports consistently say that only about 12 5th-generation Su-57 stealth fighters have been built and that there are plans to add about 70 more in coming years. Even if the Su-57 were able to rival the F-35, and there is no real indication that it could, Russian 5th-gen aircraft would be operating at a massive deficit. The US alone operates hundreds of F-35s which, if joined by European counterparts, would seem to be capable of forming multiple expansive, multinational F-35 formations across a wide operational envelope to pursue air superiority.
Using long-range targeting sensors and precision-guided air-to-air and air-to-ground missiles, F-35s might be able to see and destroy large numbers of Russian 4th generation fighter jets at safe standoff distances.
Should air supremacy be achieved, clearly advancing Russian ground forces would be extremely vulnerable and could potentially be disabled or completely eliminated from the air. Is there a US and global will to consider this option and take such an enormous risk? As long as Russia continues to murder children, it seems the possibility at least merits consideration.
Pentagon Says Ukrainian Air Space Still “Contested”
Alongside disturbing images of Russian missiles destroying apartment homes, killing civilians and government buildings in Ukraine and satellite images of a massive Russian convoy headed for Kyiv, there is a less visible, yet highly significant air war taking place in the sky. It is an air war which appears to be far more contested than some might have anticipated.
Senior Pentagon officials estimate that Russia is operating more than 75 aircraft over Ukraine, yet much is still unknown and Pentagon officials say the “airpace is actively contested every day."
“The airspace over Ukraine continues to be contested. The Russians do not have air superiority over the entire country but there are areas where they have more control than others, and the same goes for the Ukrainians,” a senior Pentagon official told reporters, according to a Pentagon transcript.
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The fact that the airspace is still contested seems somewhat surprising and does possibly speak to the confidence and resolve of Ukrainian pilots and fighter jets. Global Firepower's 2022 military assessments reveal a massive discrepancy between Russian and Ukrainian air power, listing Russia as operating 772 fighter jets compared with Ukraine at 69 fighter jets.
Why haven’t the Russian’s achieved air superiority? Russia is known to operate a large number of capable 4th-generation aircraft and Russian news reports say 12 5th-generation Su-57 stealth fighter jets have been built. Could Russia be using them?
One would think that Russia would seek to exploit its numerical advantage in the air, yet perhaps the smaller Ukrainian fighter jet force is outperforming Russian attackers, or perhaps Ukrainian air defenses are proving more effective than Russia may have anticipated.
A senior Pentagon official confirmed that Ukrainian air defenses were in fact working well, telling reporters that “Ukrainian air and missile defense systems remain viable, and intact, and engaged,”
The senior Pentagon official said the Russian have “lost some” fighter jets and that the Ukrainians have as well. The official said few specifics were available regarding the ongoing air war, and when asked by a reporter why the Russian convoy has not been attacked from the air, the official said the Russians may be protecting the convoy with air assets. The convoy certainly is a visible target as hundreds of vehicles are congested next to one another in rapid succession, offering aircraft a clear opportunity to strike.
“I can't tell you with certainty why this convoy hasn't been attacked. We have to assume that the Russians are aware that it is a very long convoy with a lot of vehicles and that they are going to be interested in trying to protect that as best they can, but I can't speak to the specifics of, you know, whether they have aircraft flying over it and what they're doing. But we have to assume that they have an interest in trying to protect it,” the official said.
Russia is likely to be protecting its convoy with its mobile, ultra modern SA-21 S-400 Surface to Air Missiles which first emerged in 2007. As mobile weapons, these SAMS give advancing Russian forces the ability to track and destroy enemy aircraft. Ukraine’s air defenses, by contrast, are listed by Global Firepower as being Soviet-era, 1980s built SA-15 Gauntlet systems. Russian air defenses are reported to be among the best in the world with digital networking, faster computer processing and multi-frequency tracking systems. Ukraine is also reported to be in possession of some Russian-built air defenses which appear to be working effectively.
Air power could clearly seem to be quite decisive in any kind of urban warfare scenario as clusters of fighters behind buildings or otherwise obscured from ground targeting systems might be more visible from the air. Also, precision guided bombs could be employed to pinpoint specific high-value target areas. However, Russia would likely need some measure of air superiority in order to exact this kind of impact upon Ukrainian cities, and the Pentagon says they simply do not have it. Are the Russians holding back air power? Or perhaps they are rattled by the tenacity and resolve of Ukrainian air warriors?
Kris Osborn is the defense editor for the National Interest and President of Warrior Maven - the Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
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Robert Zubrin indicates there is a need to stage the SpaceX Starship from low earth orbit or injection orbits for the moon and Mars. Missions to the moon would be far more efficient with a ten-ton lunar lander. This could be a mini-starship.
Mars mission should stage from the TMI (Trans Mars Injection) or low earth orbit.
The mini-Starship would look similar in size and shape to the Small Falcon Rocket. The Small Falcon Rocket was imagined a couple of years ago when Super Heavy Starship was called BFR. It would be similar size and possibly a bit smaller. It would fit inside the Starship and could be deployed from Starship.
Zubrin also mentions the problems of spreading large amounts of lunar material all over if there is attempt at landing the Starship on the moon. This would be a problem until there is landing pad made from lunar material turned into lunar concrete.
Brian Wang is a prolific business-oriented writer of emerging and disruptive technologies. He is known for insightful articles that combine business and technical analysis that catches the attention of the general public and is also useful for those in the industries. He is the sole author and writer of nextbigfuture.com, the top online science blog. He is also involved in angel investing and raising funds for breakthrough technology startup companies.
He gave the recent keynote presentation at Monte Jade event with a talk entitled the Future for You. He gave an annual update on molecular nanotechnology at Singularity University on nanotechnology, gave a TEDX talk on energy, and advises USC ASTE 527 (advanced space projects program). He has been interviewed for radio, professional organizations. podcasts and corporate events. He was recently interviewed by the radio program Steel on Steel on satellites and high altitude balloons that will track all movement in many parts of the USA.
He fundraises for various high impact technology companies and has worked in computer technology, insurance, healthcare and with corporate finance.
He has substantial familiarity with a broad range of breakthrough technologies like age reversal and antiaging, quantum computers, artificial intelligence, ocean tech, agtech, nuclear fission, advanced nuclear fission, space propulsion, satellites, imaging, molecular nanotechnology, biotechnology, medicine, blockchain, crypto and many other areas.
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BRILLIANT Venus punctuates the evening sky this spring. But the planet shines even brighter at Magellan project headquarters. Narrow strips of high-resolution radar images of its surface adorn the walls of an analysis room. They reveal vivid details of an alien landscape that had been largely a cloud-shrouded mystery a year ago. When the Magellan spacecraft, which began mapping the planet last Sept. 15, finishes its primary radar mapping mission May 15, its managers expect that some 80 percent of that surface will be laid bare.
Scientists here at the California Institute of Technology's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages Magellan for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), are ecstatic at that prospect.
``We've been feeling around in the dark prior to this. Now we're getting data,'' says Kathi Beratan, a science support-team analyst. She adds, ``We're actually going to end up with a more complete data set [of the Venus surface] than we have of the Earth [where ocean bottoms are poorly known] in terms of the resolution of the data.''
Magellan science and mission design manager Thomas Thompson calls Magellan's ability to see geologic features ``which weren't even hinted at in previous data'' a ``major step forward'' in planetary science.
Those features include such surprises as sinuous, river-like channels that run for hundreds of kilometers and may be carved by the flow of highly liquid lava. They also include dome-like hills that may represent thick lava outflows.
And for Dr. Thompson, who is interested in craters, the big surprise was the fact that the craters seen so far ``all, basically, looked fresh.'' There seems to be no surface weathering going on.
Magellan's radar resolution - the ability to see detail - is some 10 times better than any surface view of Venus available before. Thick clouds, laced with sulfuric acid, cover the planet. But radar has a clear view.
Magellan images show surface features ranging in size from about 120 meters (390 feet) near the equator to 300 meters (980 feet) near the north pole. The finest detail American and Soviet radar scans have produced before this is 1,000 to 2,400 meters (0.7 to 1.5 miles) across.
The difference between Magellan's sharper view and that of early probes is comparable to the difference between scanning Earth and seeing that Mt. St. Helens is clearly a volcanic mountain and not being able to distinguish it from the blurred image of a meteorite crater.
Members of the mission team are also very pleased with the spacecraft. They see its glitches in a different perspective from the impression of a troubled mission that may be conveyed by recurring reports of mishaps. These include loss of one of the two tape recorders used to store data for later transmission and intermittent dropout of radio contact.
Thompson says that to him, ``Magellan looks absolutely super.'' Dr. Beratan observes: ``People hear about our problems. But they don't realize it's been a fabulously successful mission.''
Mission analyst Rob Lock explains that this success is due partly to the elaborate safeguards built into the spacecraft. He notes that ``anything like the kinds of problems we've had would have caused just about any other nation's spacecraft to go belly up.'' He says Magellan's fault-protection system and the contingency planning it represents has enabled the mission team to take these challenges in stride.
He describes this on-board fault-protection system as being ``almost as complex as the whole spacecraft'' itself. It includes whole sets of computer programs - and even whole computers - that monitor the spacecraft, take corrective action where possible, and call for help from Earth when needed. He explains that it takes ``eight to 10 years to design a mission like this,'' because no single failure or any two simultaneous failures are to be allowed to ruin it. ``So we spend a hundred million dollars on software to protect a half-billion-dollar mission,'' he says.
This ability to stumble and keep going has enabled Magellan nearly to complete its primary mission with loss of only a few percent of the planned data. Mission team members expect to recoup that loss later.
FOR unknown reasons, Venus rotates slowly in a sense opposite to Earth's spin. The sun rises in the west and the day is 243 Earth days long. Thus Magellan's overall mission is broken into cycles of 243 Earth days each.
This pattern allows the planet to make one complete turn under the orbiting spacecraft during each observing cycle. The first cycle, which ends May 15, is devoted to the so-called primary mission that aims to produce a global map of about 80 percent of the planet's surface.
It will take several more months to process the data and build up that global map.
But the images already in hand have given planetary scientists plenty to think about as they try to understand what is happening on a planetary surface with a temperature of 450 degrees C. (850 degrees F.) lying under a carbon-dioxide atmosphere at 90 times the surface air pressure on Earth.
Crater specialist Thompson explains that, for incoming meteorites, passage through that atmosphere ``is equivalent to the passage through a kilometer or so of solid rock in terms of mechanical forces.'' Many smaller projectiles never make it through. Only the shock wave they produce hits the ground. Some meteorites break up into impacting fragments like cluster bombs. Only big projectiles, measuring kilometers across, come through intact. Magellan images show evidence of all three cases.
A recent Jet Propulsion Laboratory announcement reports that Venus may be venting interior heat through volcanic features called coronae. These are circular or oval features up to more than a kilometer high surrounded by a ring of ridges and troughs.
Magellan project geologist Ellen Stofen says the high-resolution data ``have revealed many exiting new aspects of coronae'' that point to a volcanic nature.
While scientists scan each new image for more clues, mission planners look ahead to the next mission cycles. They plan to fill in the blanks of their map. Then, mission analyst Lock says, ``we're going to have freedom.'' Instead of being tied to a pre-arranged mapping schedule, they will be free to revisit interesting features, change radar aiming, and otherwise follow intriguing research leads.
They would like, eventually, to circularize Magellan's orbit. Right now, it is in an eliptical orbit that, by design, enables it to map at varying distances from the planet. There is no authority yet for such a radical orbit change. And there is no main rocket power to do it with. But there is enough maneuvering-thruster fuel available to allow Magellan to skim through the outer atmosphere and use aerobraking to go into a tight circular orbit.
``A circular orbit would allow us to get a very uniform data set and let us be much more clear and accurate,'' explains Beratan. This, then, is the ultimate dream of project scientists. As Thompson puts it, after the currently planned jobs are done, ``I think that's the greatest thing Magellan could do.''
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A Delta plane that doused children at six Los Angeles schools with jet fuel this week left many puzzled on how such a maneuver happened in a populated area.
As federal officials investigate the incident that injured 60 people, here are the answers to key questions:
The Delta Air Lines flight was headed from Los Angeles to Shanghai on Tuesday when it experienced an engine problem shortly after takeoff. On its return to Los Angeles International Airport, it dumped its fuel, hitting several schools in its path.
Did the pilot notify air traffic control?
Air crews will typically notify air traffic control of an emergency and indicate they need to dump fuel, the Federal Aviation Administration said. Air traffic controllers direct the plane to the appropriate fuel-dumping area. But in this case, the pilots did not ask for approval before the fuel release, according to federal officials.
“A review of yesterday’s air traffic control communications shows the Delta Flight 89 crew did not tell air traffic control that they needed to dump fuel,” the FAA said in a statement Wednesday.
Delta declined to comment, citing an ongoing investigation.
“The aircraft landed safely after a release of fuel, which was required as part of normal procedure to reach a safe landing weight,” the airline said.
What was wrong with the plane’s engine?
In audio of the conversation between a Delta pilot and an air traffic controller posted online, the pilot said the flight was returning to Los Angeles International Airport because one engine had compressor stalls. Compressor stalls affect the airflow.
The pilot described it as “not critical.”
“OK, so you don’t need to hold or dump fuel or anything like that?” the tower asked. The pilot said, “Uh, negative.”
After hearing the transmissions between the tower and the pilot, CNN aviation safety analyst David Soucie said there may have been a communication failure.
The air traffic controller should have asked the question about holding or dumping fuel without using the word “don’t,” and he should have repeated the questions, Soucie said.
The pilot said the engine was under control so he could have taken the plane over the Pacific Ocean to dump fuel or burn it off, said Soucie, a former FAA safety inspector.
Why do planes need to dump fuel?
There are maximum takeoff and landing weights for aircraft.
For a plane with full fuel tanks to land, it must dump the fuel to avoid potentially crashing upon landing, Soucie said. In this case, federal officials said the fuel dumping procedure did not occur at the optimal altitude that would have allowed the fuel to atomize properly.
While details on the Delta incident are unclear, Soucie said one theory is pilots may have forgotten to dump the fuel until the final approach while doing a pre-landing checklist and discovered the weight of the plane was too heavy. And rather than go around the airport again to drop elsewhere, they might have decided to dump it over land.
If a pilot decides to dump fuel, the air traffic controller has to assign the flight an altitude of at least 2,000 feet above the highest obstacle, according to federal officials.
“If you are in contact with an aircraft when it starts dumping fuel, inform other controllers and facilities which might be concerned. Facilities concerned shall broadcast an advisory on appropriate radio frequencies at 3-minute intervals until the dumping stops,” the FAA says.
How does the fuel dump process work?
There are special procedures on fuel dumps for aircraft operating in major US airports.
“These procedures call for fuel to be dumped over designated unpopulated areas, typically at higher altitudes so the fuel atomizes and disperses before it reaches the ground,” according to the FAA.
Had the plane been at 8,000 feet when the dump occurred, the fuel would never have hit the schools because it would be atomized after leaving the wings, Soucie said.
It is “very rare (fuel is dumped) at a lower altitude where it reaches the ground,” he said.
Those doused by the jet fuel were decontaminated with soap and water, and given gowns to wear. They did not need to be hospitalized.
All the jet fuel has since evaporated, and affected schools returned to normal schedules Wednesday.
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NASA, the US space agency has launched a satellite that's expected to transform our view of water on Earth and further illustrate on climate change. The Swot, Surface Water and Ocean topography, the mission will map the precise height of rivers, reservoirs, and lakes, and track ocean surface features at unprecedented scales.
It should improve flood and drought forecasts, and help researchers better understand how the climate is changing. British scientists have been asked to help set up the spacecraft using the Bristol Channel as a benchmark.
The UK researchers are putting a suite of sensors in the estuary to ground truth the observations made by the satellite as it flies overhead at an altitude of 890km.
Lift-off for the Swot mission occurred from California. A Falcon rocket took it skyward at 03:46 local time (11:46 GMT). Swot is led principally by Nasa and Cnes, the French space agency, with contributions from the UK and Canadian space agencies.
Anyhow it will be a few months before Swot comes fully into operation; its French-built Ka-band Radar Interferometer (KaRIn) has long booms that must be unpacked first.
Once in position, the instrument's antennas will begin pulsing the Earth's surface, counting the time that reflections take to come back to the spacecraft. It's these echoes that allow Swot to make very precise determinations of height.
Essentially, the satellite will be imaging water bodies, assessing their rise and fall in detail and across a very wide swath. Swot is expected to help resolve all rivers at least 100m wide, and see all lakes larger than 6 hectares.
The amount of data from Swot on rivers and lakes will be orders of magnitude more than currently exists, said Nasa project scientist Dr Lee-Lueng Fu.
For instance, only 10s of 1,000s of lakes have been well surveyed. We'll be surveying millions of lakes.
For the ocean, Swot will see the bulges and depressions in the water surface associated with currents and eddies as small as 20km across. It's the swirling of water in eddies that pulls heat and carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere, tempering the impact of global warming.
The unprecedented information can also be used to improve our understanding of ocean circulation, and this then has the potential to yield important information for a wide range of industries like shipping, fishing, and even recreation, explained Ben Hamlington, a Nasa sea-level scientist.
We also know that small-scale features are responsible for transporting pollutants around the ocean and then to our coasts. Examples of this would be oil spills, or ocean debris following tsunamis.
Britain has put US$ 15m into the mission, most of which was spent in UK industry.
Dr Beth Greenaway, the head of Earth observation at the UK Space Agency, attended the launch in California, I am very proud to be representing the UK elements of the build - the part that provides the radar pulses through the instrument at never before seen frequencies. The UKSA's partnership with the French space agency, Cnes, enabled the engineers in Honeywell UK to build this complex duplexer.
But the British involvement also extends to the coming calibration and validation campaign in the Spring, which will check Swot is returning good information.
This will involve putting sensors in the Bristol Channel to make comparable observations as the spacecraft goes overhead. The estuary was chosen because it experiences sweeping variations in water height. It has one of the largest tidal ranges in the world.
Swot's going to give heights to within about 10cm. So, we've got to know the absolute elevation at ground level to a much higher accuracy, said Bristol University's Prof Paul Bates, who'll lead the campaign.
We've been going to tide gauges, sitting GPS stations on them, and then thinking about things like temperature, pressure, salinity - all those kinds of potential variables. And we'll end up with a network of very accurate water elevations around the estuary.
Prof Bates thinks Swot should have the ability to see the famous bore that periodically runs up the channel into the lower reaches of the River Severn. He plans to use the satellite data to pursue his interest in flood modeling.
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What is the fastest jet airplane?
Officially, the fastest jet plane ever built is the SR-71 Blackbird, built by Lockheed. It was capable of speeds in excess of 3.5 mach (more than 2,200 miles per hour). It was decommissioned in 1998. No one knows for sure whether a faster plane exists, but many people suspect that the SR-91 -- if it actually exists -- is capable of speeds in 5-mach range.
The fastest known jet airplane is the SR-71 Blackbird. However faster aircraft have been flown by the U.S. military. But they are rocket powered and experimental which does not fall into your question of the fastest "jet" airplane. Currently the fastest commercial airliner is the Lockheed L-1011 with a listed maximum speed of .95 Mach. However, until it was retired the Concorde was the fastest (supersonic) commercial airliner.
Fastest production business jet class aircraft is the Cessna Citation X (model 750). Its maximum cruise speed is .92 Mach (although it's suspected that the aircraft has flown faster) ...Steve Fossett holds the US continental crossing record in a non-military aircraft with a Citation X in 2003, at an average speed of 726.83 mph.
The standing manned jet speed record is currently held by the SR-71, as posted. Experimental manned projects may have exceeded that, but have not been announced.
The scram jet is even faster. But the current crop are all small and unmanned. Scram jet engines don't work at less than the speed of sound. They have to be launched from supersonic aircraft or attached to the nose of a rocket booster to get the scram jet up to minimum operating speed. The Boeing X-43, which is NASA's unmanned scram jet project, recently hit 7,546 mph or mach 9.8 in a test run. There is a report that another scram jet neared mach 10, but did so with a gravity assisted dive.
(this is someone different) It is NASA's X-43B. I know because my dad helped make it.
(this is someone different again) Although the X-43B is the fastest airplanes there are other Supersonic and hypersonic airplanes including the XB-70 Valkyrie, Tu-360, and X-15, MiG-25R Foxbat-B, there may be many others but lots are kept unrevealed.
There was also a Rocket Plane Created by NASA that could reach mach 6 (6x the speed of sound)!
Estimates of the Blackbird's top speed vary, but its true
maximum has never been made public, and may remain in the dark for
decades. Credible estimates range from Mach 3.2 to Mach 3.5; I
suspect the truth holds an even larger number.
NASA has built a prototype jet that will hit Mach 9.6 - that makes the Lockheed fighter look like a little old lady.
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How do Newton’s Laws apply to a rocket launch?
Using data from a simulation by Robert A. Braeunig, I present graphs of various measurements to explain Newton’s in the context of the multistage rocket Saturn V. In particular I explain how the g forces change for the astronauts as they ascend into orbit.
For those doing the NSW HSC, this video address the following dot point (though I do not specifically address LCM)
analyse the changing acceleration of a rocket during launch in terms of the:
– Law of Conservation of Momentum
– forces experienced by astronauts
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A plane’s engines are designed to move it forward at high speed. That makes air flow rapidly over the wings, which throw the air down toward the ground, generating an upward force called lift that overcomes the plane’s weight and holds it in the sky. … The wings force the air downward and that pushes the plane upward.
What force keeps an airplane in the air?
Weight is the force caused by gravity. Lift is the force that holds an airplane in the air. The wings create most of the lift used by airplanes.
What are those things that fly in the air?
These machines include aircraft such as airplanes, gliders, helicopters, autogyros, airships, balloons, ornithopters as well as spacecraft. Gliders are capable of unpowered flight.
Can airplanes stay still in the air?
Can an Airplane stand still in mid-air? Technically, it is possible for an airplane to hover for a few moments, but only in the rarest of circumstances. If weight and lift cancel each other out at the same exact time that thrust and drag cancel each other out, the plane would hover until one of these variables changed.
Can an airplane stay in the air without moving?
To stay in the air and sustain its flight, an aircraft needs to be moving forward. … If the plane stopped flying forward, it could not produce lift, an thus could not stay up, unlike the helicopter which uses a propeller to stay airborn.
How long can a plane stay in the air?
Planes can now fly for 21 hours non-stop.
Why do planes stop in mid air?
No a plane doesn’t stop in midair, planes need to keep moving forward to remain in the air (unless they are VTOL capable). What it can do is simply turn around or go over/under the obstruction. VTOL means vertical takeoff and landing. It essentially means they can hover in place like a helicopter.
How can a human fly naturally?
Humans will never fly by flapping our arms with wings attached, says Mark Drela, Terry J. … In theory, human legs do have enough strength to do this, but only if the wings’ span is large enough — at least 80 feet or so — and if they also weigh significantly less than the human.
What can fly without wings?
The answer to the “what flies without wings” riddle is “time”.
What is the most dangerous part of a flight?
Boeing research shows that takeoff and landing are statistically more dangerous than any other part of a flight. 49% of all fatal accidents happen during the final descent and landing phases of the average flight, while 14% of all fatal accidents happen during takeoff and initial climb.
Why do planes not freeze in the air?
On a colder object by water directly desublimating on its surface or on any object when air is saturated with water. Frost can form on a moving airplane, but only the second way. … However when you fly into a cloud in freezing temperature, the water droplets will freeze on the aircraft when they hit it.
Can a plane fly with one wing?
No, an airplane cannot fly with only one wing. In order for a plane to stay stable in air, it has to maintain balance. With only one wing, the weight is shifted to one side of the plane.
How long can a plane stay in the air without engines?
Flying at a typical altitude of 36,000 feet (about seven miles), an aircraft that loses both engines will be able to travel for another 70 miles before reaching the ground.
What happens if an airplane goes too high?
When the plane gets too high, there is insufficient oxygen to fuel the engines. “The air is less dense at altitude, so the engine can suck in less and less air per second as it goes higher and at some point the engine can no longer develop sufficient power to climb.” …
Can helicopters stop in mid air?
A helicopter that is flying forward can stop in mid-air and begin hovering very quickly. We’ll cover this signature maneuver next.
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In the aerospace industry, materials are required to meet stringent quality standards for strength, durability, and reliability. AMS 7817 is one of the materials in question – but what exactly is it? In this blog post, we will dive deep into understanding AMS 7817. We will discuss its composition, physical and mechanical properties, uses, hardness, and heat treatment options. By the end of this article, you’ll clearly understand what AMS 7817 is and why it is so important in modern aerospace manufacturing.
What is AMS 7817?
AMs 7817 is a standard developed by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) that provides guidelines for designing, testing, and approval of mechanical fasteners in aerospace applications. The standard covers the materials and manufacturing processes used to create these fasteners and the tests required to ensure they meet strict performance criteria. The goal of AMS 7817 is to provide the reliability and safety of pins used in critical aerospace components, such as engines and landing gear. Compliance with this standard is necessary for achieving the essential quality and performance standards to meet the demanding requirements of the aerospace industry.
AMS 7817 Composition
AMS 7817 is a low-alloy steel composed of carbon, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, and nitrogen. The inclusion of molybdenum and nickel provides increased resistance to corrosion and enhances its tensile strength. In addition, the nitrogen content in AMS 7817 enhances mechanical properties such as toughness and fatigue resistance.
AMS 7817 Physical Properties
This material has a 7.85 g/cm³ density and a melting point of 1427 °C. The material also has a coefficient of thermal expansion of 12.1 µm/m°C, which means that its dimensions will change by 12.1 µm for every degree Celsius increase in temperature. The thermal conductivity of AMS 7817 is 21.5 W/mK, which is relatively low compared to other steels.
AMS 7817 Mechanical Properties
AMS 7817 has a yield strength of 470 MPa, a tensile strength of 950 MPa, and an elongation of 10%. The material also exhibits good impact toughness, making it suitable for structural and safety-critical applications such as aircraft landing gear.
AMS 7817 Uses
Due to its high strength and toughness, AMS 7817 is often used in the aerospace industry for structural components requiring high fatigue and corrosion resistance. Its application includes landing gear components, structural fasteners, and structural tubes.
AMS 7817 Hardness
AMS 7817 has a Rockwell hardness of 30 HRC. It can be heat treated to increase its hardness and wear resistance. This makes it ideal for use in components that undergo high levels of wear, such as aircraft wheels and brake parts.
AMS 7817 Heat treatment
AMS 7817 can be heat treated to increase its hardness and wear resistance. This process is done by heating the material to a specific temperature and quenching it in a suitable medium. It is then tempered at a lower temperature to give it the desired hardness and toughness.
With its high strength, toughness, and corrosion resistance, AMS 7817 is essential in aerospace and other industries such as oil and gas exploration. Its versatility makes it popular for various structural components requiring high fatigue and corrosion resistance. By understanding its properties and uses, manufacturers can make informed decisions regarding selecting materials for their applications, ultimately leading to safer and more reliable products.
Abhishek is a seasoned blogger and industry expert, sharing his insights and knowledge on various topics. With his research, Abhishek offers valuable insights and tips for professionals and enthusiasts. Follow him for expert advice on the latest trends and developments in the metal industry.
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Veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson says more private space flights are in the horizon
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
If you've ever traveled somewhere that left you so enthralled, you wanted to go back over and over, then you get how Peggy Whitson feels about space. Whitson is an astronaut, the first woman to command the International Space Station. She broke the American record for cumulative days in space - 665. Well, that was back in 2017. She told NPR that same year she was probably done but that she would miss it.
PEGGY WHITSON: Anyone that's ever gone to space is always wanting to go back. You get addicted to it.
KELLY: So addicted that last month, at age 63, she un-retired and signed on as commander of the Ax-2 mission for a private company, Axiom Space, where she works as the director of human spaceflight. On board with her - three paying passengers, including Rayyanah Barnawi and another Saudi astronaut. Peggy Whitson, welcome back to Earth.
WHITSON: Well, it's - I would say it's great to be back, but it was great to be up there, too. So it was a great experience all around.
KELLY: What made you say yes to this mission? - because you told us back in 2017 you thought you were done with going to space.
WHITSON: I thought I was done because I didn't think there would be opportunities. Luckily for me, Axiom Space had these opportunities become available, and I, of course, signed up with a jumping up and down kind of a response.
KELLY: Oh, really? Like, what was - they didn't have to pitch very hard to persuade you that you should sign on.
WHITSON: No, absolutely not.
KELLY: What appealed to you about - I mean, you've spent your career at NASA. What appealed to you about a private mission?
WHITSON: Space really is changing - you know, the character of space and how it is - exploration is occurring. You know, if you look at even the NASA missions going to the - returning to the moon, lots of different private space companies are involved in that process. And that includes Axiom Space, for instance, who are building the spacesuits that will be used by the NASA astronauts as they step on the moon again.
KELLY: It's so interesting. I was going to ask you, is the future of space exploration private? If I'm hearing you right, it's - you see it as a partnership, that public and private are going to have to work together going forward.
WHITSON: Oh, absolutely. I think it's a worldwide relationship of different companies and peoples. And that's what makes it such a special time to be a part of the mission because, you know, there are going to be many more opportunities in the future. And trying to expand that horizon as part of my initial steps here is a lot of fun for me to be making history in that kind of way.
KELLY: So talk to me about some of the work you did on this mission. I gather among the research projects that you and your crew worked on was one involving cancer cells. How did that go?
WHITSON: That was great. That was one I was involved with. But they were looking at different types of cancer cells. They like to use zero gravity because the cells grow a little bit more like they do in your body and maybe a little bit faster. And that helps them test things like drugs to prevent them or to reduce the effects of the growth in space. And so it was exciting for me to be a part of one of those studies. And, you know, as a life scientist, I really enjoyed, you know, the stem cell research and all the life sciences-type research that we were doing.
KELLY: I mentioned how deeply experienced you are. What is the weight of being in space and commanding crew members who are rookies, who've never been up there before?
KELLY: Well, I've actually flown before with numerous rookies. And, you know, it's actually, I think, kind of fun because you get to relive the experience of being there through their eyes. You know, it's like watching a young child experiencing something for the first time. And in my case, I get - I got to see on this mission three people experiencing space for the first time. So it was a lot of fun for me to relive my experience as well through them.
KELLY: Do you feel the wonder of it all over again, of looking down...
KELLY: ...And thinking, oh, my God, that's Earth.
WHITSON: Well, and just, you know, the wonder of, you know, learning how to fly in space, you know, float around and, you know, be effective and just that sheer joy of being able to move so easily and, in my mind, gracefully. I don't feel like I'm particularly graceful here on Earth (laughter).
KELLY: And then I want to ask about recovery now that you're back on Earth. You returned last week. Do you get jet lag? I'm thinking if I fly to Tokyo, it takes me a week to feel human again. What's it like coming home from space?
WHITSON: There was a little bit of, in essence, jet lag. We are on Greenwich Mean Time while we were in space. And so, you know, it's a five-hour difference between here and Central Time. And so, you know, there is a little bit of that jet lag going on, the - you know, those feelings of whether they're neuro-vestibular, you know, being a little bit off balance. Those to me seemed to recover much more quickly after this short flight than they did after my long flights. So I do think your body learns a little bit from it, and I do think duration makes a difference on the impacts.
KELLY: Is it true that your nickname is space ninja?
WHITSON: Yeah. My last space flight when I broke the U.S. record, Jack Fisher, my crewmate on board - he named me the space ninja.
KELLY: Is this a nickname you wear with pride?
WHITSON: Oh, yeah, actually. There could be a lot worse names. I think it's kind of a cool one.
KELLY: I would agree.
WHITSON: So I like it.
WHITSON: And he spent the whole mission trying to get the ground team to call me the space ninja. And so - and eventually they did.
KELLY: I mean, I'm asking in part because I remember when you talked to us before a few years ago, you were wrestling with seeing yourself as a role model. And I wonder, how about now? Does that mantle sit - rest a little easier?
WHITSON: Yeah, it does. And it was actually one of the things I shared with Rayyanah being the first Saudi woman in space. You know, I told her, hey; it's a short mission. You got to start owning this before you fly. And, you know, I tried to help her on what - the fact that she needed to actually embrace the fact that she is a role model and will be a huge role model in her country.
KELLY: Oh, that's interesting. So you're role modeling how to be a role model...
KELLY: ...For the next generation.
WHITSON: Because I struggled with that some, so I wanted to make sure she started off on the right foot.
KELLY: So I got to ask, are you done? Was that the last trip?
WHITSON: Not if I get another chance.
KELLY: I love it. Astronaut Peggy Whitson, thank you so much for being with us today, and welcome home.
WHITSON: All right. Thank you so much.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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On street view on Google Earth!
Does anyone know if it is possible to order a Bose X service kit anymore, either from Bose or a third party? I have a set which get used as pax headsets and it would be nice to give them a refresh if possible (ear pieces and microphone screen).
I want to do NVFR training in my PA28 Arrow 200.
Does anyone have any experience in using own aircraft in EASA land for training? As far as I read, it needs to be registered to an ATO. But does that mean the aircraft is suddenly subject to commerical operations regulations in regards to engine overhaul etc.?
You could always file 2 flight plans, one ending at a particular point in space and the other starting at a different point in space. The only problem being that if you are crossing the France/Spanish border in the VFR section you would have to file a 3rd FPL .
Anyone who can help me?
I’m planning an IFR trip in june from EHRD (Rotterdam, the Netherlands) to EPMO (Warsaw Modlin aerodrome). If someone has any tips or tricks flying (VFR/IFR) in Poland I would love to hear them! Also a nice IFR aerodrome around Berlin to refuel and get a nice meal.
I am an US Pilot with instrument rating. I currently own an 2020 Cirrus SR 22 with total of 350 hours (300 in Cirrus SR22) and fly within the busy NY Bravo airspace. I have managed to find a rental 2005 Cirrus SR22 with Avidyne Avionics Garmin (430 without WASS). My plan would be to pick up the airplane near Paris then fly to south of France, Corsica, Sardinia and Ibiza. The idea of flying in Europe seems very excited however I am few concerns.
1. Is there much paperwork that need to be filled out when crossing over to different country? Covid forms, customs, immigration etc
2. I use Foreflight exclusively and prefer to use it in Europe. Is that sufficient or I should get familiar with other apps or websites such at Autorouter to file IFR?
3. Am I required to file IFR when cross borders into different countries.
4. Any GA friendly airport in South of france, Corsica, Sardinia and Ibiza.
Thank you in advance for any help!!
1. I bought my aircraft complete with a Trig TT31 (with the awful Twist and push interface)
2. I added ADSB out with a certified Trig TN72 – installed by an avionics wor…
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Nnamdi Udoh, MD, NAMA
The Nigeria Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) has said that it guides over 500 aircraft through the nation’s airspace every day.
These, NAMA pointed out, excluded over fliers- that is, aircraft that pass Nigeria’s airspace to other destinations and helicopter operations which fly to the oil rig operations in the Niger Delta.
The Managing Director of the agency, Nnamdi Udoh, made this known when he explained the conditions of communication in the airspace.
Udoh said because of the heavy traffic that developed recently in the country, the agency was expanding the system for easy communication between the pilots and Air Traffic Controllers (ATC).
Reacting to the petition written by some controllers, who are the executive members of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), he said that if communications in Nigeria’s airspace was not working as the controllers claimed, no flight would take off or land in any of Nigeria’s airports, adding that any pilot who dared operate aircraft in such airspace would lose his licence.
The NAMA boss, who spoke to newsmen in Lagos explained: “For record purposes, NAMA wants to use this opportunity and this platform to reassure Nigerians and all our airspace users, pilots and other stakeholders that the airspace is safe and will always be safe"
He observed that if some of the controllers claim that the communication system in the airspace was not working, it means that they have not been working in the last three months because without communication there is nothing the controllers would be doing. Besides, he wondered how an aircraft could have been flying during the same period if the airspace was not safe as no pilot would venture into the airspace without communication.
"If the report quoted Air Traffic Controllers, it means that, that Air Traffic Controllers have done no work in the last three months and are not supposed to be paid and how do aeroplanes fly in the last three months without communications system?" he queried.
Udoh however pointed out that the only challenge that was confronting the agency at the moment was its long-range frequency, which it has just introduced, insisting that there was no control tower that had a single challenge in terms of communication in the country at the moment.
To cope with this challenge the NAMA said it had embarked on the sectorialisation of the frequency by dividing it into two frequencies so that one frequency would handle the western part of the Lagos centre while the other part would handle the eastern part so that each sector would have a frequency of its own. This, they believe, would reduce the congestion.
Confirming the explanation of Udoh, the Director of Operations, NAMA, Alhaji Mukaila Solola, who is in charge of the controllers, said that the claim by the air traffic controllers that there was no communication in the airspace was a campaign of calumny, noting that such moves to tarnish the image of the agency and create unnecessary panic amongst the Nigerian travelling public was an attempt to intimidate the agency.
He added that when some of them were not included in foreign trips for training they become desperate.
“We have taken the bold steps to nip in the bud this campaign of calumny because it impacts on the nation negatively and we would further use this moment to reassure all stakeholders that the situation is definitely not what is portrayed by mischief makers," Solola said.
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Full profile →'">
The author is a Forbes contributor. The opinions expressed are those of the writer.
For the more than 300 people aboard Asiana Flight 214, the ten-hour flight from Seoul, South Korea to San Francisco was by all accounts, a picture perfect flight. That of course all ended in the blink of an eye as the 777 wide-body jetliner owned and operated by South Korea’s Asiana Airlines lined up for its final approach to Runway 28 Left at the San Francisco International Airport after traveling almost all of the flight's 5,664 mile journey.
A few seconds later, the plane inexplicably suffered a catastrophic failure, its tail and landing gear shorn and the main passenger cabin coming to rest in the airport’s infield. Although 123 passengers escaped without significant injury, another 181 were hospitalized or treated at the scene for injuries and the crash left 2 dead. 49 remain in serious condition at area hospitals.
USA Today has reported that passenger Janghyung Lee told the paper that the aircraft rattled wildly before landing. What we do know is that the aircraft “landed short” meaning that its wheels touched down prematurely, well before the runway threshold line. No aircraft is supposed to land short of that line, and normal landings occur 500-1000 feet beyond that line.
Other passengers reported the aircraft failed to assume a nose up posture as is typical just prior to touchdown. Such an attitude is responsible for decreasing airspeed and arresting the descent rate so that the aircraft touches down in what is known as “ground effect.” When all goes well, the aircraft touchdown is smooth.
What is known is that Flight 214 experienced a “hard landing” short of the actual landing threshold. Although the area prior to the landing threshold is paved, this “under & overrun” is not always designed to handle the physical weight of such a massive aircraft. Moreover, the pilots themselves would have observed cockpit and runway visual aides informing them that they were approaching the runway along a glide path that would result in a short landing in what is commonly referred to as being “below glidepath.”
Aviation experts are generally withholding judgment until the aircraft’s black boxes have been analyzed by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Late news from the NTSB revealed that although the pilot at the controls had only 43 hours in the 777, he had logged more than 10,000 hours. The NTSB also reported that the aircraft was traveling below its landing speed of approximately 137 knots when it crashed but said that it would not speculate as to whether the aircraft stalled. That said, several theories have already emerged on what might have happened. Based on reports pieced together thus far, pilot error is suspected, although other transportation safety experts tend to believe that the aircrafts electronic systems, especially the engine's electronic control units may also have played an issue. Here is a quick rundown of the various theories.
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One giant leap for rover kind?
Getting humans to Mars is a goal NASA and other organizations hope to achieve in the near future, but what will we do when we get there? Why not drive around a bit? NASA has just the vehicle for the job with its omni-drive rover. It even has suit-ports so astronauts can hop out and check things out up close. I guess my only question is, hey NASA, can I borrow your car?
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John Tully for The New York Times
According to a target letter sent by Special Counsel Jack Smith, for what reason is Donald Trump likely to face a second federal indictment?
According to a report by the Financial Times, why have millions of emails intended for Pentagon employees been mistakenly sent to Mali over the past decade?
The US military domain is “.mil” and the domain for the country of Mali is “.ml,” which has caused millions of emails intended for Pentagon employees to be sent to Mali due to typos. Mali is a Russian ally, and the typos have exposed unclassified, but sensitive information including passwords, medical records, and itineraries of military officers. The Department of Defense has now addressed the issue.
A judge has temporarily blocked the six-week abortion ban that Governor Kim Reynolds signed into law in this state.
The six-week abortion ban in Iowa was signed by Governor Kim Reynolds last Friday, and the temporary block by the judge allows access to safe and legal abortion up to 20 weeks while the court case progresses. The challenge was brought by the ACLU of Iowa, Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, the Emma Goldman clinic, and Planned Parenthood Medical Director Dr. Sarah Traxler.
What country recently launched the Chandrayaan-3 mission to put its first robotic spacecraft on the moon, a feat no country besides China has accomplished this century?
Chandrayaan means “moon craft” in Hindi, and the Chandrayaan-3 mission follows the unsuccessful Chandrayaan-2 mission that crashed four years ago. The US and China hope to send astronauts to the moon in the near-term, and Russia, Japan, and the US are scheduling robotic lunar missions as well. The Chandrayaan-3 landing attempt is scheduled for either Aug 23 or 24.
In a plan released yesterday, what futuristic technology does the FAA aim to introduce by 2028?
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) introduced a plan to introduce air taxis by 2028, with limited operations as early as 2025. These small aircrafts can take off and land vertically, which could revolutionize transport in congested urban areas. Many are designed to be fully-electric, with some potentially using hydrogen or a hybrid approach.
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Aircraft type Cessna 404 Titan
Number of deaths 8
Flight origin Glasgow Airport
Operator Edinburgh Air Charter
Date 2 September 1999
Destination Aberdeen Airport
Crew count 11
The 1999 Glasgow Airport Cessna 404 crash occurred on 3 September 1999.
The crash occurred on takeoff from Glasgow Airport. Involved in the crash was a Cessna 404 Titan aircraft registered as G-ILGW. Operated by Edinburgh Air Charter as Flight 3W (callsign Saltire 3 Whiskey) it was carrying aircraft cabin crew from holiday company Airtours and was on the way to Aberdeen Airport when the accident happened. The crew were travelling to Aberdeen to crew a holiday flight on a Boeing 757 to Parma. Eight people were killed in the accident and three survived.
The left engine failed and the commander feathered the right engine. Instead of attempting a crash landing, the commander attempted to return to Glasgow Airport without engine power and lost control while trying to make a right turn. The aircraft crashed and caught fire approximately one nautical mile from the airport. The aircraft was slightly overweight for the conditions. A report recommended engine inspections, more crash-worthy seats, and consideration to fitting aircraft like this with CVRs.
As a result of this accident an airworthiness directive was issued by the British Civil Aviation Authority in June 2000, requiring inspections of the starter adapters and crankshaft gears on Continental GTSIO-520 series engines.
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NASA delays mission to asteroid belt
NASA today said that it has delayed the launch of its Dawn spacecraft and its mission to explore the two largest objects in the asteroid belt. According to NASA, “highly limited launch opportunities” for Dawn in July and the potential impact to launch preparations for the upcoming Phoenix Mars Lander mission, set for early August, were the main reasons for the move of the launch date.
The journey to the asteroid belt is expected to reveal new information about the formation of our solar system.
NASA officials provide preview information about the launch of the Phoenix Mars Lander on Monday.
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This week, Chandrayaan 2 entered the Moon's lunar orbit, and with this, ISRO's mission to study the lunar surface of the Moon's South Pole is inching towards reality. The lander, named Vikram, mounted on the orbiter also gave us some stunning images of the Earth.
Taken from an altitude of 5,000 km, these images were taken on August 3, through the L14 camera of Chandrayaan 2.
The orbiter carrying the lander (Vikram) and six-wheeled rover (Pragyaan) is at the moment orbiting the Moon.
According to ISRO, on September 7, 1:55am, the lander will soft land on the Moon's South Pole region.
Chandrayaan 2 has also captured some breathtaking images of the Moon. Here is the first image of the Moon today at a height of 2650 km from the surface. The image showcases the Mare Orientale basin and the Apollo craters.
What happens when Chandrayaan-2 touches the land on the South Pole of the Moon?
Once the lander (Vikram) successfully lands on the Moon, India will be the fourth country after the US, Russia, and China to perform a successful soft landing.
After the soft landing, the rover 'Pragyan' will roll out from lander 'Vikram' and carry out experiments on the lunar surface and analyse the lunar soil for one lunar day, which is equal to 14 Earth days. The orbiter will continue its mission for one year.
In total, Chandrayaan 2 has 13 payloads on board with eight of them in the orbiter, three payloads in Vikram, and two in Pragyan. Five payloads are from India, three from Europe, two from the US, and one from Bulgaria.
(Edited by Dipti Nair)
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Play Tetherball With the Asteroid
In 2009, a doctoral candidate at North Carolina State University proposed a novel asteroid-deflection technique in his dissertation. This was the idea: Attach one end of a tether to an asteroid and the other end to a massive weight known as a ballast. The ballast acts like an anchor, changing the asteroid's center of gravity and diverting its trajectory over the course of 20 to 50 years, depending on the size of the rock being moved and the weight of the ballast.
The student didn't work out every detail, but he estimated that the tether would need to be somewhere between 621 miles and 62,137 miles (1,000 and 100,000 kilometers) long. He also suggested a crescent-shaped attachment bar similar to those found on globes. This would allow the asteroid to rotate without tangling the tether (no one likes a tangled tether).
Now, if you think this sounds just too wacky to work, you should know that astronomers have embraced space tethers for years. In fact, NASA has used them successfully on several missions to move payloads in Earth's orbit. Future missions call for delivering material to the moon by handing off payloads across a series of tethers.
Still, a tether and ballast system, like most solutions in our countdown, requires time. And time requires early detection. As we'll see next, asteroid detection may be far more important than deflection.
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AKA: Suzaku. Status: Operational 2000. First Launch: 2000-02-10. Last Launch: 2005-07-10. Number: 2 . Gross mass: 1,650 kg (3,630 lb).
This was a joint Japanese-US mission, with the US contributing significantly to two of the three types of instruments on-board. It was developed at Japan's Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS) in collaboration with other Japanese institutions, as well as NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
ASTRO-E was designed for broad-band, high-sensitivity, high-resolution spectroscopy. Its instruments were not only sensitive to both low and high energy X-rays, but could distinguish very small differences in the energy of the X-ray photons detected.
ASTRO-E was to cover an energy range of 0.4 to 700 keV using three kinds of instruments with the following energy ranges:
The 1,650 kg spacecraft was to conduct a five year mission in a 550 km circular orbit 550 km. Since the XRS had to be cooled to nearly absolute zero - 0.06 Kelvin - the instrument would only operate for the first two years of the mission while the on-board supply of solid neon coolant lasted.
ASTRO-E was to complement NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA's XMM X-ray Multi-Mirror (XMM) spacecraft.
It was customary for Institute of Space and Astronautical Science satellites to have two names, one given before launch and one after. The pre-launch name was a project name that designated the series the satellite belonged to and a letter that designated what number that satellite was to be in that series. ASTRO-E was to be the fifth satellite in the 'ASTRO' series. The ASTRO series of satellites were often for cosmic X-ray astronomy, although one was a Solar X-ray astronomy satellite and ASTRO-F would be an infrared astronomy mission. Other series included 'MUSES' (engineering led projects), 'SOLAR', and 'PLANET'. The post-launch name was a proper name, chosen shortly after launch. Previous X-ray astronomy satellites had been renamed Hakucho (Swan, or the constellation Cygnus; was to be CORSA-B), Tenma (Heavenly Horse, or the constellation Pegasus; ASTRO-B), Ginga (Galaxy; ASTRO-C), and ASCA (ASTRO-D). The name 'ASCA' was a pun --- it was an acronym for Advanced Satellite for Cosmology and Astrophysics, and at the same time, sounded like the name from Japanese history, Asuka. Asuka was a region near Nara, and the name for a period in Japanese history (in the 7th century) when the Asuka region was her capital, and also the culture of that era.
Credit: Manufacturer Image
Spacecraft was injected in very low perigee orbit and reentered. X-ray astronomy satellite. Stage 1 lost control, and separated with the rocket off-course at 75 seconds in the flight. Stage 2 burned correctly and separated at 218 seconds, followed by the third stage burn at 621 seconds. Last signals were received at 20 minutes after launch. ASTRO-E was to have separated from the third stage at 23 minutes, but ended in an orbit with a perigee of only 80 km and an apogee of 410 km. It probably reentered on the first orbit at around 0230 - 0300 GMT somewhere between East Africa and western China.
Delayed from February, June 26, July 6 and 8, 2005. CUTE-1.7 nanosat mistakenly reported on this flight. Astro-E2 was renamed Suzaku (after a legendary red bird) after launch. It replaced the Astro-E, which never reached orbit due to an M-V-4 launch failure in 2000. The satellite had five 0.4-meter diameter X-ray telescopes, one with an XRS microcalorimeter and the other four with X-ray CCD cameras. However it was revealed that the XRS failed on 9 August due to leaking of helium coolant.
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MOJAVE, Calif. - Hoping to build on the momentum sparked by a private rocket plane's dash into space, supporters of opening the heavens to civilians are turning the winner-take-all race into an annual competition that might further fuel imaginations.
The privately owned SpaceShipOne won the $10 million Ansari X Prize on Monday by blasting into space for the second time in five days, a feat considered the first stepping-stone in the direction of public spaceflight.
"In 10 years, everyone will know that if they want to, they can go to orbit in their life," SpaceShipOne designer Burt Rutan told NBC's "Today" show on Tuesday. "They will know that instead of just hope or dream."
The X Prize, offered to the first team to get into space twice in a 14-day span, will now evolve into a regular competition called the X Prize Cup. In May, organizers selected New Mexico to permanently host the X Prize Cup.
More than two-dozen teams worldwide began projects in hopes of winning the original X Prize, and prize founder Peter Diamandis said the purpose of the Cup competition is to keep such groups going with a "grand prix of space."
The first X Prize Cup will be held in 2005-06 at New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range, a vast military installation. It will then move to an area 30 miles north of Las Cruces, where a facility dubbed the Southwest Regional Spaceport will be built.
Teams will compete in five different categories to win the overall cup: Fastest turn around time between the first launch and second landing, maximum number of passengers per launch, total number of passengers during the competition, maximum altitude and fastest flight time.
Diamandis said it is envisioned that prizes will grow to the multimillion-dollar range. Organizers hope it becomes one of the largest space-related events on the calendar, drawing hundreds of thousands of people to cheer for their favorite team.
International Fuel Technologies of St. Louis, Mo., announced Monday that it has signed on as the event's first major sponsor. "IFT has just secured a new position in the new frontier," said Chief Executive Officer Jonathan Burst.
Terms of the sponsorship weren't divulged.
SpaceShipOne proved that privately funded spaceflight is indeed possible. The craft left the Mojave Airport north of Los Angeles at dawn aboard a mother plane named White Knight that carried it to an altitude of 46,000 feet.
From there it was launched on a half-hour flight that took it to an altitude of more than 62 miles, the height generally considered the border between the atmosphere and space.
After the spaceship landed, Diamandis said the altitude was official, and that SpaceShipOne's team had claimed the prize by being the first to make two such flights within the required 14 days.
"This is the true frontier of transportation," said Marion C. Blakey, head of the Federal Aviation Administration, who stood near the runway to watch the flight. "It feels a little bit like Kitty Hawk must have."
White House press secretary Scott McClellan said President Bush called to congratulate the SpaceShipOne team. Astronauts aboard the international space station also sent their best wishes.
Last week, Richard Branson, the British airline mogul and adventurer, announced that beginning in 2007, he will begin offering paying customers flights into space aboard rockets like SpaceShipOne.
Branson said he had a deal, worth up to $25 million over 15 years, to license the technology that led to SpaceShipOne. Fares will start at more than $200,000, and SpaceShipOne designer Rutan will build the spaceship.
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UN instruments on outer space - a remnant of the past, headed to the future
International space law is based on five instruments concluded within the framework of the United Nations in the 1960s: Outer Space Treaty - the constitution of space activities
The Outer Space Treaty, concluded in 1967, is the most significant of all agreements concerning outer space. Other instruments supplement its provisions. Over 100 states, including Finland, have joined the treaty.
The objective of the Outer Space Treaty is to guarantee all states with free and equal rights to space exploration and use. The states are obligated to work in collaboration and promote the openness of space activities. The treaty emphasises using space for peaceful purposes and unambiguously bans states from launching weapons of mass destruction into outer space.
Under the treaty, states bear international responsibility for national space activities, and the space activities carried on by private actors require the authorisation and supervision of the relevant state.
Liability Convention safeguards the position of an injured party
The objective of the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects, adopted in 1972, was to ensure fair compensation for damages. Around 100 nations, including Finland, have joined the Convention.
According to the Convention, the state that has launched the space object is liable to compensate for any damages caused by the space object. Compensation is sought from the launching nation through diplomatic channels.
Registration Convention helps obtaining information
The Convention on the Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space was adopted in 1975. Over 60 states have become party to it. Finland is currently making preparations for joining the Convention.
The Registration Convention obligates the launching state to record the launched space objects in a register at the national level. The Secretary-General of the United Nations keeps an international public register of space objects. The basic information of the space object, its purpose and coordinates in outer space are entered into the register.
Rescue Agreement helps astronauts in distress
The Agreement on the Rescue of Astronauts, the Return of Astronauts and the Return of Objects Launched into Outer Space, concluded in 1968, specifies the regulation concerning astronauts in the Outer Space Treaty. Around 100 nations, incl. Finland, have joined the Convention.
Under the Agreement, states must render assistance to astronauts in distress in their territory and return the astronauts to the launching state without delay. State parties must inform the launching state of space objects that have landed in its territory and return them upon request.
Moon Treaty – the black horse of outer space instruments?
The Moon Treaty was prepared in the 1970s to safeguard the use of the Moon and other celestial bodies in a manner that serves the common interest. According to the Treaty, the Moon may only be used for peaceful purposes. The Treaty provides that the Moon or its territories or natural resources may not be declared as the property of one or more states. It also pays attention to protecting the environment of the Moon.
Fewer than 20 states have joined the Moon Treaty, and it has not been ratified by any significant state engaging in space exploration. Nonetheless, the principles of the Moon Treaty have been reintroduced into international discussion as a result of a growing interest in the exploitation of natural resources in outer space.
What comes next: new instruments or thematic principles?
There is ongoing discussion on updating the UN instruments on outer space so that they would conform to the changed field of actors and to reduce ambiguity in the provisions of the instruments. However, it has not been possible to find a common will for this work. The principles laid down in the Outer Space Treaty on the joint use of outer space are also still considered fairly viable and changing them has not been considered necessary.
Nonetheless, new operators, including small companies, new technology and industries, such as cube satellites, space tourism and space mines, as well as congestion in certain orbits and increasing amount of space debris, are causing challenges for which the provisions of the instruments on outer space provide no answer.
Indeed, preparing international recommendations on certain themes, such as space debris or remote sensing, either in the UN or on some other international forums, has been noted to provide a functional means to supplement the provisions in the instruments. As outer space is common property, international discussion on shared rules will continue to be lively in the future.
Maija Lönnqvist, Senior Legal Counsel
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Capt. Lucas Gruenther, 31st Fighter Wing chief of flight safety, is pictured mountain climbing in Italy. Gruenther was killed in an F-16 crash in January. (Courtesy photo)
- Filed Under
An F-16 pilot was killed as he ejected during a night training mission in January off the coast of Italy, an Air Force investigation has found.
Capt. Lucas Gruenther, chief of flight safety for the 31st Fighter Wing at Aviano Air Base, flew as part of a formation of three F-16CMs and one F-16DM during training over the Adriatic Sea. The pilots, flying with the use of night vision goggles after a 7:03 p.m. takeoff, were forced to abandon their first training mission because of weather, and instead focused on two simulated bomb drops as a backup mission. The four jets broke into teams of two, and the first part of the mission was executed withoutany problems.
At 7:48 p.m. local time, about 45 minutes after takeoff, Gruenther flew a simulated drop followed by a “last ditch” defensive maneuver followed by recover maneuvers, which were intended to simulate the threat of a surface-to-air missile. Gruenther pulled his F-16 to the right and nose down. He rolled the plane to stabilize at about 150 degrees, banking to the left with his nose down 40 degrees. He continued to descend and roll, accelerating through 400 knots and 17,700 feet above sea level until the simulated missile overshot him. This is where he began to experience spatial disorientation, according to the report.
“CLAW 1 missile overshot,” he radioed to his team in the air.
Three seconds later: “CLAW knock it off, I’m spatial D.”
The phrase “knock it off” tells the wingman or aircrew to stop their engagements.
The maneuvers resulted in a 45 degree nose low, 90 degree left wing down attitude, according to the report.
The maneuvers resulted in visual and aural warnings, with caution lights blinking in the aircraft, along with the high rate of descent and airspeed.
“Look at the round dials, disregard the HUD,” Gruenther’s wing man said back, telling him to ignore the warnings on the jet’s heads-up display and focus on the instruments in his cockpit to help him get his bearings.
At 7:49:17, he rolled away from the horizon to fully inverted, his canopy pointing directly toward the ground, and pulled his nose to 70 degrees nose low toward the water, now flying 535 knots through 12,000 feet. One second later, he rolled right, trying to even up the jet.
“1 status your round dials,” the wingman asked, but Gruenther did not respond.
He continued to try to gain control, but finally believed he could not recover, and decided to eject.
At about 7:49:24 p.m., Gruenther ejected. His jet was at 7,066 feet, traveling 569 knots at a dive angle of 16 degrees and an 18 degree left bank.
He immediately lost his helmet. The ejection seat launched with a left yaw from the cockpit, and there was slack in Gruenther’s harness. All of that, combined with a snap back with the force of 40 Gs following drogue chute deployment, quickly resulted in the pilot’s death from severe head and neck trauma, according to the report.
The crash destroyed the F-16 at a loss of about $28.4 million.
“I find, by clear and convincing evidence, that the cause of the mishap was the mishap pilot’s failure to effectively recover from spatial disorientation, due to a combination of weather conditions, the MP’s use of [night vision goggles], the [aircraft’s] attitude and high rate of speed, and the MP’s breakdown in visual scan,” accident investigation board president Brig. Gen. Derek Rydholm wrote in his opinion of the report. “This led the MP to misjudge the imminent need to eject.”
Quickly after losing contact with Gruenther, his wingman radioed the base to declare an emergency and begin search and rescue. The Italian Air Force and Coast Guard began the search with five boats and a helicopter. The search lasted about three days, and included the use of a Navy P-3 Orion, an Air Force C-130J, American F-16s and the Italian Coast Guard, which recovered his remains on Jan. 31.
PROBLEMS WITH THE GEAR
The report details issues with the F-16’s ejection system and Gruenther’s gear, but stops short of saying they contributed to his death. The jet’s speed and positioning was within the performance envelope of the ejection equipment. However, he launched wearing the night vision goggles and a helmet-mounted cueing system, which could place a potentially fatal load on the pilot’s neck, the report states.
Upon ejection, the seat’s retraction reels retracted to unequal lengths: the left side strap protruded 3 inches from the back of the seat to the tip of the fitting, while the right strap protruded 4.5 inches. This meant that Gruenther was off center, to the left of the seat when the ejection rockets fired.
He experienced an approximately 15G downforce when his helmet came off in the initial wind blast. The seat left the jet on a left yaw, with another 10Gs of left lateral force. The drogue chute, designed to stabilize the seat for fast ejections, caused a 40G snap back to the right.
As part of the report, investigators reviewed inspection and maintenance records of the ejection equipment that “revealed several discrepancies,” but “there is no evidence to suggest these discrepancies were a factor in the mishap or MP’s death.”
The Flight Equipment Records Management System showed that a G-suit fit check had not occurred within 120 days as required. A time compliance technical order for an inspection of the G-suit’s water check valve was marked on the suit itself, but not in the suit’s records. The personnel locator beacon was tested as “battery well,” but not marked as such in records.
PICTURED HIM A GENERAL
Gruenther came from a military pedigree. He graduated from the Air Force Academy in 2003, taught pilots in Texas and had deployed to Afghanistan.
“Luc has wanted to be a pilot since he was a little boy,” his mother Romel Mathias said in a statement following his death. “And, he did everything he had to do to get there. That’s what he does with everything in his life. If he wants to do something, he finds a way to do it.”
His grandfather is Army Gen. Alfred Gruenther, who served as Supreme Allied Commander in Europe from 1953 to 1956.
The pilot planned to stay in the Air Force.
“He loves what he does,” Gruenther’s wife Cassy said in a statement after Gruenther‘s body was found. “He’s the kind of officer who knows the name of every maintainer out there on the flight line. I’ve always pictured him as a general one day, making a difference.”
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posted by Toni .
A 75 kg astronaut in space pushes against a 200 kg anvil. When the astronaut lets go of the anvil while pushing it: My answer is D (Just checking my work)
A. both astronaut and anvil accelerate in opposite directions at the same rate
B. neither the astronaut nor the anvil will accelerate since net force equals zero
C. both accelerate, but the anvil accelerates more than the astronaut
D. both accelerate, but the anvil accelerates less than the astronaut
A 75 kg person and a 200 kg crate are each parachuted to earth from a plane. Which statement is correct? My answer is C
A. the crate will reach terminal velocity las, but hit the ground first
B. the person will reach terminal velocity last, but hit the ground first
C. the person and crate reach terminal velocity at the same time and hit the ground at the same time
D. ther person and crate reach terminal velocity at the same time but the crate wiill hit the ground first
A skydiver steps from a helicopter and falls for 5 seconds before reaching her terminal velocity. During this 5 second interval, her acceleration: My answer is A
B. is constant
C. is zero
If there is no force on something it does not accelerate.
F = m a
if the astronaut is not pushing the anvil, neither will accelerate further.
There is more net force up on the person/parachute than on the crate/parachute at every speed.
Therefore the crate accelerates down faster and has higher terminal velocity.
Therefore I would say A.
Net down force on diver is less and less, so acceleration down is less and less.
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JET Engineering, Inc. is a comprehensive system integrator that offers a distinctively high degree of experience in Test and Test System Automation. Industry professionals have been able to build better products for the new world of interconnectivity and the Internet of Things as a result of the knowledge provided by JET.
Introduction to Jet Propulsion Engine
What are Jet engineers?
Engineers from JET offer knowledge in mechanical design, electrical design, software design, and system design to deliver a comprehensive solution that may be expanded in the future.
How much do fighter jet engineers make?
The annual salary for an aeronautical engineer in the United States Air Force is roughly $104,127, which is approximately 9% more than the average salary in the United States.
What type of engineers work on fighter jets?
Fighter Jet Software Engineer: Contribute to the development of the digital systems that will power the most cutting-edge combat aircraft in the world. You will have the ability to design, build, and test fighter simulation environments, as well as methods for avoiding collisions and target recognition and tracking systems.
What degree do you need to build fighter jets?
A degree in engineering of almost any kind can prepare you for employment on military aircraft as well as commercial aircraft.
What engineers work on jets?
Engineers frequently work on the plans, designs, and building blueprints for aircraft and associated components in the field of aeronautics. These components can include jet propulsion systems, mechanical parts, navigation devices, and communication systems.
Is aerospace engineering hard?
Degree programmes in aerospace engineering are challenging, but they also provide graduates with some of the most exciting prospects after graduation. Engineers in the aerospace industry must possess a high level of technical expertise and accuracy, in addition to a creative spirit and a fast mind for problem solving.
Are aerospace engineers rich?
After the pilot and the aircraft maintenance engineer, the aerospace engineer in the aviation industry does, in fact, get the industry’s best compensation package (AME).
Do aerospace engineers travel a lot?
The majority of the time, aerospace engineers will perform their jobs from their offices; nevertheless, they may occasionally be required to travel for their jobs. Meetings with stakeholders can take place at manufacturing sites or other corporate locations, and aerospace engineers are free to travel to either.
Is aerospace engineering math heavy?
It is necessary to have a working knowledge of Bernoulli’s equations, as well as the ability to compute linear velocities and area. All of these activities require a significant amount of mathematical work. Some of them just demand basic multiplication, while others call for the application of calculus to the solution of equations.
Are aerospace engineers smart?
“They aren’t necessarily cleverer or brighter” than the general public, according to the findings of a research that used a prospective approach and compared the cognitive abilities of neurosurgeons and aerospace engineers to those of the general population. According to the findings of a recent research that was just published yesterday in the British Medical Journal, “It’s Not Brain Surgery” or “It’s Not Rocket Science” accurately describes the situation.
Which is harder computer science or aerospace engineering?
Taking into account the current state of affairs, computer science is superior to aeronautical engineering. Because only service-based enterprises exist in the aerospace industry, neither your job nor your compensation will ever be enough to satisfy you. The field of computer science demands far fewer analytical abilities than those of aerospace engineering.
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Aramid fiber reinforced composite injection molding processing is the deficiency of the compression strength is low, the other adverse factors in machining, finishing is difficult to cut.
Aramid fiber reinforced composite materials are mainly used for aircraft structure materials, such as the plane's tail, landing gear, the body important parts, such as high transmittance of radar on the radio waves, so it can be used as a submarine, also used in the manufacture of missile shell, military helmet and other military supplies.
carbon fiber reinforced phenolic composite material can be used for rocket shell and nozzle, carbon fiber reinforced epoxy resin composite material of aircraft wing yo work.
With carbon fiber reinforced polysulfone, nylon 66, PEEK, PPS, PTFE are extensive used in aerospace materials.
Represented by carbon fiber composite materials of advanced composite materials, is a kind of very good radar wave absorbing materials, so the application potential on military aircraft.
with aramid fiber reinforced thermoplastic resin is more and more attention.
Aramid fiber reinforced thermoplastic and strengthened, in comparison with the same kind of plastic has high strength, good toughness, high temperature, resistance to wear, etc.
Compared with glass fiber and carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastics, also shows its light weight, impact resistance, wear resistance, high strength, good isotropic superiority.
Enhance the PPS with KF, wear resistance 20 times larger than the glass fiber reinforced PPS, and good mechanical properties, gap impact is greatly increased.
aramid fiber is short for aromatic polyamide fiber, developed by du pont in 1960 s, KF for short fibers.
KF fiber is one of the special fiber yield larger variety, is one of three main synthetic fiber in reinforced composites.
Aramid fiber low density, high tensile strength, modulus of a wide range, higher than the tensile strength of glass fiber and carbon fiber, than the modulus is similar to carbon fiber.
aramid fiber excellent heat resistance, temperature range, in -
Within the range of 250 ℃ to maintain good physical properties.
In addition to strong acid, strong alkali, for other chemical medium has a good stability.
Small thermal expansion coefficient, excellent resistance to creep.
Aramid fibers used to reinforced thermosetting resin and thermoplastic resin, can the preparation of high performance composite materials.
The commonly used thermosetting resin with epoxy resin, phenolic resin and unsaturated polyester 3 kinds.
Because of the epoxy resin has good compatibility with aramid fiber, weighs less than the other two kinds of resin, and can provide a wide range of comprehensive performance, so the application more widely.
CFRP has a very wide range of application scope, the choice of different polymer matrix, the optimum design of carbon fiber type, fiber type and fiber content, adopt different manufacture process route, can make the CFRP have different technical performance, meet the requirements of the use of a variety of purposes.
Using continuous carbon fiber with high strength, high temperature resistant special engineering plastics compound injection molding processing of composite materials, mainly used in high technology fields.
with aramid fiber reinforced epoxy resin composites compared with glass fiber and carbon fiber reinforced composite materials, has high notched impact strength and excellent damping performance, the loss factor is the glass fiber and carbon fiber reinforced composites is 6 -
In addition, the composites showed similar in bending and compression stress and metal
Strain characteristics, the strain is zero.
5% when began to yield, with considerable ability to absorb at the same time, it has to do with there is fundamental difference between carbon fiber and glass fiber composites.
more excellent articles: glass fiber reinforced composites, click directly.
HTML nantong on suye's official website: http://www.
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