If you look at a photo of Mars one thing that stands out is how scarred and battered it looks. There are thousands of craters covering the martian surface. Mars' proximity to the asteroid belt means it get bombarded by space rocks much more frequently than Earth (which is good news for us).
Occasionally the impact has enough energy to eject pieces of the planet into space. Mars' gravity is also only 38% of Earth's so materials reach escape velocity much easier. Every once in a while these ejected rocks cross paths with Earth and fall as meteorites. This is a very rare event as only around 124 martian meteorites have ever been discovered.
So, how do we know they are actually from Mars?
Meteorites from Mars exhibit precise elemental and isotopic compositions similar to rocks and also atmosphere gases analyzed by spacecraft on Mars, starting with the Viking lander in 1976. Those gases in the same concentrations were first found trapped within a meteorite known as Elephant Moraine 79001 and later in many other meteorites.
Viking 1. Credit: NASA
Analysis of the composition and the tiny pockets of gasses trapped within meteorites has confirmed at least 124 meteorites and proved beyond doubt that their parent body is in fact Mars.
NWA 6963 is one of the confirmed martian meteorites. For the official Meteoritical Bulletin: Click Here
For much more detailed information on the detective work that went into verifying these visitors from the Red Planet see here: Martian Meteorites


My musical exploration of space continues.
You may be wondering how I'm planning on getting up into the stars? Here's ten modes of interstellar transportation I considered...
10. The Rezillos - Flying Saucer Attack
Laser beams and gamma projectors
There'll be nothing on earth to protect us
When they arrive out of the sky
They'll be frying us alive
I think I'll wait for the next bus.
9. Def Leppard - Rocket
Oh, come on, you know you don't mean that. It's only Def Leppard. Calm down. Who wouldn't want to go into space with poodle-rockers from Sheffield and a one-armed drummer?
8. Starship - Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
They started out as a Jefferson Airplane, but that wasn't going to be Slick enough to get them into space. Becoming a Starship rocketed them to the top of the charts.
Heh. DJ puns. They could have been my life.
7. The Wedding Present - Flying Saucer
Dave Gedge has been collecting rusty old spacecraft for years. He also has a Rocket (though sadly you can't hear that on youtube).
6. Suicide - Rocket USA
If flying saucers ever did invade earth, this would be the perfect song to accompany their otherworldly attack. Deeply unsettling, even though it's actually got very little to do with space travel.
5. Peter Parker - Swallow The Rockets
The name of this band is Peter Parker. 'Nuff said.
If I had to go into space, I'd want Peter Parker as my co-pilot. Obviously.
4. Julian Cope - Spacehopper
Julian Cope may well be singing about the orange children's toy with hang-on ears... but I like to picture him riding through space on said item. Kind of like the Silver Surfer... but cooler.
3. Billy Bragg - My Flying Saucer
Care of Woody Guthrie, a sad little song about getting deserted by the mothership. Just like ET. Billy Bragg phone home.
2. Elbow - Lippy Kids
The "title" track from 'Build A Rocket, Boys!'
1. The Kinks - Supersonic Rocket Ship
On my supersonic rocket ship
Nobody has to be hip
Nobody needs to be out of sight. Out of sight.
Nobody's gonna travel second class
There'll be equality
And no suppression of minorities. Well alright.
We'll take this planet, shake it round
And turn it upside down.
My supersonic rocket ship.
Ray Davies: astronaut of pop genius.
So, that's my transportation sorted. If you had to go into space on a musical ship... which would you choose?


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Black Friday is still a few weeks away, but if you're after a new drone for yourself, or as a gift, you don't need to wait for the big annual sales event to bag a cracking deal. We've already rounded up some of the best Black Friday drone deals available right now, from drones for kids, right up to best FPV drone racers.
So what are you waiting for? Read on to see the best early Black Friday drone deals we have found so far - and keep checking back, as we continue to keep an eye up up for the best price drops. Make sure to take a look at our main Black Friday camera deals too, for great deals on cameras, lenses, and accessories.
Black Friday drone deals in USA
Top US retailers:
Amazon: Cheap prices on camera gear
DJI: up to 20% off DJI drones and accessories
Adorama: Big discounts on cameras and tech
Walmart: DSLR, Mirrorless & action cameras
B&H Photo Video: Deals on camera brands
Best Buy: Save on TVs, laptops, appliances
DJI Mavic Mini Combo |
$499 | $447
SAVE $50 at Amazon This tiny lightweight drone from DJI offers 2.7K footage and 12MP stills with 3-axis stabilization. Included in this bundle are three batteries to extend the already impressive flight time, as well as a case for easy carrying and storage.
DJI Avata Explorer Combo |
$1278 | $889
SAVE 30% at Amazon This is a great early deal on DJI's best-selling FPV drone - this bundle comes with the Integra goggles and the RC Motion 2 wireless joystick.
DJI Avata Pro-View Combo |
$1,428 | $1,139
SAVE $289 at Walmart Another record-setting discount on this first-person view - but this kit comes with the newer DJI Goggles V2, as well as the RC Motion 2 controller.
DJI Mini 3 Pro Fly More Kit|
was $858| $728
Save $130 at DJI This amazing drone might have been replaced by the Mini 4 Pro, but with only a year or so between them most of the ultralight tech is here for less – this bundle gets you this impressive 4K 60fps quadcopter with RC remote controller, Fly More Kit and hard case kit
DJI FPV Combo|
SAVE $100 at Amazon This was the hottest drone product on release, and now it sees a further $100 reduction. Fly in the skies with this ready-to-go First-Person-View (FPV) drone by DJI that lets you get into the world of FPV with a great camera and without the DIY.
DJI Tello Ryze|$104.99
This is the perfect drone for kids or total beginners that want to see what flying and using a drone is like with very little cash down to get involved. With tech from the world leader in drones and simple safety features in the frame this is a good quality way to take off and explore the skies safely.
Chasing Gladius Mini underwater ROV Kit|
$1199 | $949
SAVE $250 at B&H Who says drones have to fly, this underwater drone allows you to explore what is happening up to 328' under the sea. With two inbuilt LED lights, you can brighten up any dark crevices. Capture everything in 4K UHD video or 12MP still photographs.
Holy Stone HS440 Foldable FPV Drone |
$129.99 | $99.99
SAVE $30 at Amazon Get into FPV drone flight with this entry-level model from Holy Stone suitable for beginners and kids. With 1080p footage and an included control and carry case, you have all you need to take to the skies.
Black Friday drone deals in UK
DJI: up to 20% off drones and accessories in October sale
Amazon: Cheap prices on drone gear
John Lewis: The best for electrical deals
Jessops: Deals from an iconic camera store
Park Cameras: DJI and Autel drone specialists
Wex Photo Video: Great deals on the latest drones and accessories
Very: Deals on DJI, Ryze, and Red5 drones
Clifton Cameras: Deals on DJI and Autel drones
Holy Stone HS440 Foldable FPV drone |
£99.99 | £89.99
SAVE £10 at Amazon Get into FPV drone flight with this entry-level model from Holy Stone suitable for beginners and kids. With 1080p footage and an included control and carry case, you have all you need to take to the skies.
DJI Tello Ryze|£99 at Very
This is the perfect drone for kids or total beginners who want to see what flying and using a drone is like with very little cash down to get involved.
DJI FPV Combo|
was $959 | now £885.58
Save £65 at Amazon Take to the skies with an amazing Combo deal that gives you the full immersive flight experience with DJI's Goggles v2 providing HD video transmission up to 120fps, along with the super-wide 150-degree FOV and 4k 60p video recording.
DJI Mavic 3 Cine Premium Combo|
£4,279 | £3,600
SAVE £679 at Park Cameras A flagship cine drone featuring a 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad camera with 12.8 stops of dynamic range and f/2.8-f/11 adjustable aperture with the ability to capture Apple ProRes 422 HQ. With 20MP stills, it can shoot 5.2K video at 50fps, or 4K at up to 120fps – and benefits from 1TB of internal storage.
DJI Mini 3 Pro|£579
Save £60 at DronesDirect DJI's latest sub 250g foldable camera drone has been in short supply this year, but this ulta-basic kit (with no controller) is about as good as we've seen for this impressive 4K 60fps quadcopter.
Holy Stone HS770E 4K drone |
£299.99 | £239.99
SAVE £80 with voucher at Amazon This drone is perfect for beginners looking to get into aerial photography and video on the cheap. Fitted with a 4K camera that can capture at 30fps, or 6ofps if you scale down to 1080p. With a 45-minute flight time, this is an ideal drone to get anyone started in their drone career.
DJI Tello Ryze | £99
This is the perfect drone for kids or total beginners that want to see what flying and using a drone is like with very little cash down to get involved. It is not discounted, but if you are looking for a low-cost educational drone, this is it! Technically, this price is not discounted - however, we have seen it on sale for £20 at other retailers - and it is priced to be popular Christmas gift.
When is Black Friday?
Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, and this year falls on Friday, November 24, 2023. This has become the major online sale each year, as many Americans have the day off, and use this for shopping. For many people it is often the last pay day before Christmas - so the day that they have the money for buying gifts. Cyber Monday falls on the following Monday, and this year is on November 27.


Over the past few years this exciting concept has been steadily moving towards reality. When it does happen - and I believe it will - it will be a milestone in man's development.
Basically it involves putting a very large satellite or asteroid into geostationary orbit (so it appears fixed over one place on Earth like many satellites) and dropping a cable down to earth. This cable is then used by elevators to haul material and possible people up to orbit - slowly, safely and very cheaply. Like a railroad to the heavens...
The technology does not quite exist yet especially a cable strong enough but many feel the challenges can be over come. Research is being done and companies have been set up to build elevators. There is now an prize and annual competition to test the technology for short cables.
It would also seem to be energy efficient and friendly to the environment - the elevators might even be solar powered from collectors on the satellite.
National Space Society Special Interest Chapter for the Space Elevator


NASA’s Messenger spacecraft will make history tonight when it becomes the first probe to orbit the planet Mercury. Since it launched in August 2004, the orbiter has made nearly 15 laps around the sun, flying by Earth, Venus and Mercury to slingshot itself into just the right position for orbital entry. Starting at 6pm tonight the Messenger spacecraft will fire its main thruster for about 15 minutes in what scientists call an “orbital insertion burn.” If all goes well, the maneuver should slow the probe down enough for it to be caught by Mercury’s gravity and enter orbit. In the mid-1970’s NASA flew spacecraft quickly past Mercury which gave us just a peek at what the planet nearest to the sun looks like. Because Messenger is orbiting the planet it will be able to hang around for months if not years and take thousands of pictures and measurements.


The Royal Air Force aerodrome at Stormy Down served a very important role in the training of Commonwealth and Allied ground and air crew during the Second World War. Facilities initially included wooden buildings, workshops, and a small grass runway, but were later expanded to include a new VR type hangar, concrete buildings and a reinforced surface for the runway.
More than 7,000 Air Gunners were trained there on courses lasting up to seven weeks. Often as young as 18 or 19 when they arrived, they would leave as Sergeants and could expect to be in combat soon after. A ground armaments school was also based at the site. It trained 1,800 members of the RAF and Women’s Auxiliary Air Force, alongside several hundred sailors destined to become Telegraphist Air Gunners with the Fleet Air Arm.
It’s estimated that over 10% of the young men who passed through Stormy Down would go on to lose their lives serving with Bomber Command. Among these was the Canadian Flight Sergeant Frank Garbas who took part in the famous ‘Dambusters’ raid.


Wombi Airplane lets you be the creator AND the pilot for your very own flight adventure!
Build your own plane and take off into a colorful adventure! Pick your favorite colors, designs, and shapes to assemble a custom airplane. Then fly it on an exciting mission! Dip and soar over trees and mountains while trying to collect as many floating treasure boxes as possible. But be careful – watch out for birds and an evil skunk that is out to sabotage your flight! Let’s see how high you can fly!


Once-a-year a whole lot a lot more individuals, companies plus agencies are making the most of the remodelling of drone advancement. As the wide range of drones is maximizing, so may be the wide range of guidelines, suggestions and referrals to enhance the superb use drones. Remedies are utilizing drones to widen their cures, firms wish to boost the quality of lifetime of their residents most likely, in addition to people, typically, only prefer to value. Whatever will be the variable, listed here are some recommendations so you can use little drone within the safest achievable approach. I understand exclusively exactly how tough it may be, upon having your drone you must relax rather than take flight it right away. This really is a brand-new present day development or possibly if you are knowledgeable about drones you cannot danger your monetary purchase also if you are moreover careless to take into account the policies.
It should take you simply a number of mines to examine with the lowest specifically what you think about by far the most important pieces so you can be distinct that you simply completely comprehend just how you can manage it. One more critical facet is to stick to the guidelines and insurance policies from the area the place you get ready to take flight your tactic air drone range with electrical digicam. A lot of the plans chat about how substantial your drone may go. A many constraint to flying your drone is not really just how higher however where you may accept it. There are specific areas where it is actually forbidden to fly a drone. An occasion is in 5 miles of any air travel terminal. You cannot travel a drone over people or automobiles on account of the facts that this can be seriously considered being a danger for and you will definitely be accountable for all kinds of form of troubles induced to your drone. The intelligent approach is to buy alerted worrying the ideas and also the areas the location where the drone is usually to be taken benefit from.
An added important basic safety and also safety and security and protection recommendations along with a insurance policy in reality is that you simply travel your drone just as for you will see it together with no more compared with that. I do not believe that I have got also to discuss this, however simply to make certain beneath it is going forgetting your drone might be genuinely dangerous for anyone on the ground along with expensive should you lose your drone entirely. When you could not see your drone there is a chance it is possible to go down interaction using the control and drop total management. A great deal of drones have are depend on defense and security’ potential which enables them to go back to their starting component; it can be nevertheless urged never to try consequently significantly to ensure that you lose sight of your respective drone.


Tuesday, September 26, 2023
Yesterday, a capsule from NASA’s (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft containing samples from the asteroid arrived in the US city of Houston, Texas. The capsule was en route to the (JSC) after landing in the the day before. This was NASA’s first asteroid sample return.
As of Sunday, the capsule was in awith the sample container undergoing a purge, in which nitrogen is pumped into a container, maintaining the samples‘ purity from Earth’s atmosphere’s contamination of them. Staff are to later take apart the container, catalog its contents, and eventually provide samples to scientists in other institutions.
NASA Administratorcongratulated the OSIRIS-REx team „on a picture-perfect mission — the first American asteroid sample return in history — which will deepen our understanding of the origin of our solar system and its formation.“ Nelson also said the samples will lead to better understanding of asteroids that could head for Earth.
OSIRIS-REx launched in September 2016 and arrived at Bennu in December 2018. It spent almost two years mapping the surface while NASA scientists worked to determine the best sample collection site. Samples were collected in October 2020 as the spacecraft used a robotic arm to make contact with the surface and then injected nitrogen gas to kick up material into the spacecraft’s receptacle. About 8.8 ounces of the approximately six metric tons of debris was secured. OSIRIS-REx began its return trip to Earth in May 2021.
The sample capsule was dropped at an altitude of 63,000 miles as the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft flew by Earth. It entered the atmosphere at 6:42 EDT and touched down about 10 minutes later. Recovery teams used radar and other instruments to track the capsule. Personnel secured the capsule to ready its transport to JSC.
Since its launch in 2016, OSIRIS-REx has traveled 3.86 billion miles. With the sample-return phase complete, the spacecraft will continue on to the asteroid. To reflect the change in purpose, the mission has been renamed to OSIRIS-APEX („Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-APophis EXplorer“).


One of the undoubted success stories of UK manufacturing has been in the field of aerospace and power generation industries and we are suppliers to leading aerospace manufacturing companies.
GPA Innova, produce machines utilising the world’s only dry electropolishing process for the polishing and deburring of aerospace parts such as blisks and turbine blades. These can produce perfect mirror finishes without affecting part geometry.
Krebs & Riedel, our specialist supplier of grinding wheels, offers special abrasives for hard to grind aerospace materials such as Inconel and Titanium. Special wheel bonding systems have been invented that allow a very open wheel structure to ensure maximum flooding of coolant to the grinding point to avoid component burning whilst at the same time offering an extended wheel life. Contact us for a free trial!
We also supply various aerospace companies with diamond dressing rolls for their various grinding machines. These dressing rolls are in use within major UK based aerospace manufacturing companies and are available at very competitive prices and on a short delivery time.
Comat, manufactures super filtration systems for the filtering of neat cutting oil on grinding machines, milling machines and lathes etc
Handling Tech, provides advanced loading solutions for machines of all types. For the auto loading of all machines please contact us for a solution that can also incorporate automatic deburring, measuring, part washing and laser marking etc.
If you are involved in manufacturing automotive components check out the many solutions offered by:
Our range of machines is supplied to numerous companies all around the world and the leaders in industry use these to great affect.
We have many thousands of worldwide references but customers that we have supplied equipment to here in the UK include, amongst others:


The universal platform for aerial surveillance, survey and documentation, the special mini and micro UAV systems is used in the civil, nature conservation, disaster management, law enforcement and military sector.
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone is an aircraft without a human pilot on board. Its flight is either controlled autonomously by computers in the vehicle, or under the remote control of a navigator, or pilot on the ground or in another vehicle. AirRobot has a variety of drone shapes, sizes, configurations, and characteristics. Historically, UAVs were simple remotely piloted aircraft, but autonomous control is increasingly being employed.
They are predominantly deployed for military and law enforcement applications, but also used in a small but growing number of civil applications, such as firefighting, wildlife protection and monitoring, nonmilitary security work, such as surveillance of pipelines. UAVs are often preferred for missions that are too 'dull, dirty, or dangerous' for manned aircraft.
__________________________________________________________________________________CIPRO International are the appointed agents for Africa and the Middle East.


Miner One Takes Bitcoin Asic Miner Into Space
Miner One is a startup company funded by community and run by experts (their opinion). Miner One Community Members contribute to building cutting-edge mining centres.
About Miner One
The company is led by CEO Pranas Slušnys. You can read more on their website: minerone.io.
Miner One is a startup company aims to create to launch an cutting-edge and eco-friendly mining center in northern Sweden.
Mining in space
The company’s project, titled Space Miner One, included a rig loaded with a Raspberry Pi 3 hard drive, a battery, a satellite transmitter, a GoPro Hero 5, and a promotional sweepstakes that awards a physical Bitcoin to one lucky winner. The satellite also featured a protective layer of equipment to insulate it from temperature extremes.
Miner One completed its test on April 30, 2018, in Lithuania.
After reaching 100,000 feet (35,000 meters) from the ground, falling air pressure caused Space Miner One to expand from 2.2 meters to 10 meters in diameter. When the rig hit this altitude, the balloon was destroyed and a parachute deployed, bringing the rig back down to earth faster than January’s bear run. Using the satellite transmitter, the crew retrieved the craft and its data shortly after.
Long story short... it's for marketing purposes only.


Professional Aviation Imaging
Welcome to Vref Aviation Photography - featuring high quality Jet & Prop Airliner and Business Jet images.
I am an aviation photographer specializing in creating professional, high quality images of Commercial and Corporate aircraft. If you are an aircraft spotter, enthusiast, collector, publisher, web manager, art director, pilot, aviation professional or are just someone who loves aircraft, then you have landed in the right place. Feel free to browse the site. I regularly add new content as well as older images from my archives that span 40 plus years of chasing the best light on the most amazing aircraft.
I have created custom images of aircraft for several clients. If you have a special interest in a specific image either personally or professionally, please contact me at Braniffl188@gmail.com to discuss how I can help you.
All images on this site are copyright and may not be used in any manner without prior written consent.


Drones have been around for quite a few years, developing constantly and requiring less energy with rechargeable batteries providing the power. These flying devices are used in many ways and here are just a few of the reasons you might see a drone flying around.
- Drone Vehicles – While still in the very early days of development, there are single person transport drones and you can expect them to become more prominent in the near future. When the entire planet is covered with 5G, the Internet of Things will be controlled by AI and these vehicles will all be monitored and controlled.
- Drone Delivery – If you order a pizza in some parts of the US, it might be delivered by drone, which is a relatively easy, as the drone has the GPS co-ordinates and you are notified of eta and exact location.
- Aerial Footage – It used to be a helicopter that would be required for premier aerial footage; not so now, and with leading companies such as https://soundideasproductions.com.au/, who have the know-how and experience to give you the footage you are looking for to complete your project. The drone pilots are highly skilled and once he knows what you’re after, expect to get the best footage.
- Drone Weapons – Some find this rather disturbing and the US military are already using drones to eliminate targets, and have been very successful. The drones are controlled by a US military personnel who is remotely located and the very sophisticated guidance systems and hi-res cameras make them a very formidable weapon. If you have a proactive lifestyle, you will enjoy this article.
- Farming – If a farmer with a huge ranch needs to find his herd, using a drone is a very quick and effective way to locate livestock, then you can meet them with your team and take them to where you need the herd to go. Another task for the drone is to fly along the fence lines, making sure they are in good order and when the farmer sees a break, he can make a note of the location and send someone to fix it.
- Search and Rescue – When a light aircraft goes missing in a remote region, sending multiple drones out to search an organised grid is the best way to find missing people. These can be launched from a helicopter and programmed to cover a specific route, allowing a single helicopter to cover huge areas very quickly. Once a sighting is confirmed, the helicopter pilot hones in on the GPS location and the rescue is imminent.
- Surveillance – If a very large facility wants to monitor their perimeters, they can do this with drones and with special night-vision cameras, round the clock surveillance is possible. The military uses tiny drones with special cameras to carry out reconnaissance missions to gain information about the enemy’s position. Click here for government information about drones.
The drone sector is merging with AI and when the rollout of 5G is complete, drones will be controlled and monitored while carrying out various tasks. Many people fly them for fun and if you are into photography, you can become a skilled drone operator and get some amazing aerial footage.


DroneX Pro for your Personal Use
A drone is surely a computerized distantly controlled flying automobile that similarly can be utilized for explicit job notwithstanding having the solution to take flight all around. Drones are used for photographic and movie documenting from above. Some are used to do rational or specialized estimations. Some express tools and so are used as fight apparatuses. Then again other is utilized to convey freight and post among spots. The most recent progression is drones that show units for organization and correct. The fundamental creativity in the drone consist of some type of high intensity grow some generate component some kind of directing tool some form of detectors to see place and way plus a sender-collector model to speak and acquire signs for handling and recording. Drones are normally found in all of the forms you are able to uncover in remarkable airplanes and additionally in most kind of vibrant styles, much like oval service providers, dishes, triangles, doughnuts, celebrities or may take following huge pests or fowls.
Very little or lighting drones are typically dependant on propellers connected with electric engines controlled by electric batteries. Consistently far more 1 results in incredibly light-weight drones, operated by sunshine structured boards that may take flight visible throughout for one half per month with a fundamental stage. A few drones are kept overtop by gas lighter in weight than air, much like an airship which moreover helps to make the Cool Tech Gadgets prepared to keep itself noticeable all around for a serious whilst. A lot more notable or bulkier drones are typically supported by some form of getting rid of engine comparable to cylinder motors, turboprop motors or turbojet motors. It is moreover conceivable to build up drones operated by atomic energy can keep business expense for quite a very long time or days and specifically if these drones are incompletely manufactured as fuel-loaded airships. Such atomic push places do not need to be what are considered nuclear reactors. The fuel resource might be unique isotopes that transfer significantly and appropriately produce adequate warmth to control the drone.
Most drones are presumably employed by popular gurus and territory owners for homegrown reconnaissance of various sorts, much like fringe management, street website traffic viewing, strong blaze area, oxygen digital photography, geographical preparing, pipeline handle, electric structure control and viewing of team conduct. Drones are constantly a lot more accustomed to connect points of views on activity titles. Police powers use drones for recognition and examination of wrongdoings, an education that furthermore generally seems to involve straight spying by drones on personal citizens at their houses. Drones that duplicate fowls or other little animals are already made and may be used for spying, gunning or infusion of toxin in concentrates on. There are actually gossipy tidbits that these kinds of drones nowadays are used by certain situation devices. Pieces of gossip can identify that even authority’s agent and assault drones looking like bugs suit being a fiddle and dimensions are being produced.


Answer: It is a scanning of an high-flying aircraft or a satellite to obtain information. Three tools that can be used is infra-red, cameras, and air photography.
- Cameras on satellites and airplanes take images of large areas on the Earth’s surface, allowing us to see much more than we can standing on the ground.
- Sonar systems on ships can be used to create images of the ocean floor without needing to travel to the bottom of the ocean.
- Cameras on satellites can be used to make images of temperature changes in the oceans.


European Space Policy
Having designed ESPI’s vision document “ESPI2040: Space for Prosperity, Peace and Future Generations”, I was briefed to design a flyer to announce their collaboration with the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK), to announce a new Centre of Excellence for Space and Sustainability (CESS).
CESS will aim to develop interdisciplinary expertise and know-how on the role of space to support sustainable development on Earth; and will also address sustainability issues in outer space.
To reflect the themes of space and sustainability, and to increase recognition of the ESPI brand, I utilised their “brand mark” combining an image of space debris and satellites orbiting around the earth with an image of Europe taken from space, to create an eye-catching front cover.
The use of the dark image of Europe taken from space was also used on the visually impactful inside spread to create maximum stand out for the messaging and Centre of Excellence objectives.
How I helped


A commercially created spacecraft has launched into space for the first time in history. An accomplishment that had only been completed by the national agencies such as NASA previously. Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, broke history by having their Dragon Endeavour Spacecraft enter space and attach themselves to the bow of the Space Station. It took the SpaceX’s Crew Dragon 19 hours to reach the International Space Station (ISS) following its departure from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken, the two astronauts involved with the mission were honored to be apart of the mission and enter the lab complex. This achievement removes the monopoly that the Russian Soyuz Spacecraft had of providing transportation to and from the ISS. SpaceX (a private company) proved to be a successful launch to orbit, this milestone should inspire many individuals and businesses.
According to astronaut Douglas Hurley when discussing the Crew Dragon, “It flew just like it was supposed to.” In addition to that, he complimented “the folks back at Hawthorne and SpaceX for how well it flew.” Hurley also said on behalf of him and Behnken that “It’s exactly like the simulator, and we couldn’t be happier about the performance of the vehicle.” This vehicle operates autonomously, meaning that the crew does not need to make any effort in docking it or anything. Although, the Dragon is able to be manually controlled if needed. Now, the astronauts will continue to be docked at the ISS for the next 6 to 16 weeks. But, it’s prepared for a prolonged mission. The Crew Dragon is able to be docked for the same period of time that the Russian Soyuz spacecraft is capable of, which is 210 days.
The way that the operation works is quite complex. In fact, it is a Falcon 9 rocket that took off from Florida. The rocket is what contains the Crew Dragon which is the capsule that continues to orbit. In fact, just two and a half minutes after take-off, the Falcon 9 (first-stage) disconnected itself from the rest of the rocket by switching off its nine Merlin engines. Leaving the upper-stage of the rocket and the Crew Dragon to continue the journey. The Falcon 9 is reusable due to its process following its detachment from the entire spacecraft. There are grid fins as well as another set of engines that allow the rocket to navigate towards a SpaceX drone ship, where it landed safely.
This mission marks the first time there has been a successful launch into orbit from the United States since July 8, 2011. SpaceX’s success and partnership with NASA show just how capable private companies can be when they have access to an astronomical amount of resources. The financial investment and research and development were tremendous, and all the minds that were a part of the project deserve recognition. One person who certainly enhanced his credibility was Elon Musk. As the Founder of SpaceX, all eyes were on him and he delivered. This success will likely generate more support towards him in his future ventures, whether that be with Tesla or SpaceX.


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United Airline Passenger Share Video Of Plane Engine Exploding In Mid Air
An aircraft engine exploded during a flight, causing large pieces of debris to fall in several cities.
United Airlines’ Boeing 777 was carrying more than 200 passengers and 10 crew members at the time of the explosion, and many have said it was a miracle that no one died in the ordeal.
In the aftermath of the February 20 explosion yesterday, large pieces of the plane fell from Denver to Honolulu. The plane had to make an emergency landing in Denver just 30 minutes after takeoff.
Pictures and videos appeared online showing the ordeal where the plane’s engine could be seen completely engulfed in flames while other outlets showed what the plane looked like from the ground while leaving a great stream of smoke behind him.
Since then, United Airlines has issued a statement regarding yesterday’s incident. According to MailOnline, an airline spokesperson said: “Flight 328 from Denver to Honolulu suffered an engine failure shortly after departure, returned safely to Denver and was greeted by crews from driving. Emergency as a precaution. “
Other photos shared online showed damage from debris that fell from the plane and the size of some parts.
The Broomfield, Colo. Police Department tweeted when information of the debris was received. He said: “Some of the debris landed in Commons Park and in the neighborhoods of Northmoor and Red Leaf. Our patrols are busy locating all the debris. “0000
In light of those large pieces of the plane that fell near people’s homes and in public places, Broomfield Police said they were “more than grateful that no one was injured”.


Dubai Airlines still requires pilots to work overtime
According to Hong Kong, "Wen Wei Po" reported on the 31st, UAE Lian Airlines Dubai Airlines (flydubai) occurred in March the first air crash, 62 people were all killed, the reason may involve the pilot mistakes. British "Guardian" recently received 413 copies of the Dubai Airlines internal security report, indicating that part of the pitcher overtime work seriously, or even forced to work overtime, easily lead to fatigue, threatening flight safety. The pilots pointed out in the report that even if they warn of threats to flight safety, Dubai Airlines still asked the pilots to work overtime, criticizing the company should not put pressure on the pilots, or trying to use the pilots beyond the limits of the work. The report also pointed out that some of the pilots were too tired to suspend the work, the anti-duty pilots on the burden of heavier, and even the pilots tired in the flight doze off. Many pilots complained that the company often change the schedule, the pilots day and night shift, so that the pilot in the long-distance flights between the lack of adequate rest time. There are senior pilots of the European airline, said Dubai Airways pilots over the report more than imagined, especially in March after the crash, so that the outside world suspected Dubai Airlines asked to work overtime, whether the violation of the aviation safety code. Dubai Airlines insists that the company complies with all regulatory codes and emphasizes that the pilots who refuse to continue flying will not be subject to disciplinary action. The airline will set a minimum number of rest periods for its pilots, and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched a new example early this year asking airlines to ensure that the pilots are at least 10 hours before their attendance, including 8 hours "undisturbed Sleep time ".


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You will receive one space capsule of a random color with online purchase, thank yoU!


My buddy made this flight based on some characters related to work. He did a fantastic job but it was labor intensive for sure. Each side of the flight has a different character on it with a different colored background. I am currently looking for GOOD flight making software/methods.
As always, click the image for a larger picture.


SAN DIEGO AVIATION ACCIDENT INJURY DEATH ATTORNEY
Airplane Accident Injury Attorneys: Airplane/Aviation accidents involving planes and passengers often involve serious injury or death. Though plane accidents in San Diego may be less common than automobile, boating, or motorcycle accidents, they do occur and regularly result in severe damage to passengers and property. If you or a loved one suffered an injury because of an aviation accident, or if your family experienced a wrongful death because of an aviation accident, you have a legal right to compensation to account for any related damages. To learn more about your legal options when it comes to aviation accidents, contact a top rated San Diego personal injury attorney who has experience in aviation and plane accidents involving injury and/or wrongful death claims like Mission Legal Center.
Call us for a free consultation and case-specific guidance today at 619-777-5555
Who Does What?
Department of Transportation (DOT)- Aviation Consumer Protection Division
- Oversees consumer air travel related issues
- Provides legal review and support on aviation economic licensing matters
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
- Responsible for ensuring minimum safety standards and regulations are met with the manufacturing, operation and maintenance of aircraft’s
- Operates the air traffic control system
- Oversees pilot certification
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
- Responsible for determining causes of transportation accidents
- Conducts investigations
- Recommends any necessary changes in procedure
- Assists victims and their families after an accident
Transportation Security Administration (TSA)
- Regulates aviation security
- Operates airport screening checkpoints
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the number of people using air travel is expected to double in the next two decades. As air traffic goes up, so does the risk of accidents and fatalities.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB):
- On average, there are 6 aviation accidents per 100,000 flight hours on commercial airlines; only 1 of those 6 accidents is fatal (percentage is higher when including private commuter planes)
- In 2013, there were 34,678 transportation fatalities; of those, 443 were aviation accidents
- Although the personal flying accident rate has decreased 20% over the last 10 years, the fatal rate has increased 25% over that same period
- Over the last 10 years, the NTSB has investigated approximately 1500 general aviation accidents per year
The Common Causes
Weather and mechanical error can be a cause for a plane accident, but pilot error accounts for about 50% of the causes for plane crashes. The following are examples of pilot errors:
- Loss of Control
- More than 40% of general aviation accidents were loss of control during 2001-2011
- Most deadly flight phases are: approach to landing, maneuvering and the climb
- Loss of control is the primary cause of accidents for: personal, instructional, business, corporate and airline flying
- Fatally injured pilots found using potentially impairing drugs has gone up on average from 11% (1990-1997) to 23% (2008-2012)
- Most common drug category is Sedating Antihistamines
- Most common individual drug is Diphenhydramine; usage is increasing
- Need for a sterile cockpit
- Distractions must be managed appropriately
- Fitness for Duty
- Pilots must self-assess for fitness, make appropriate flight preparations
- Focus on medical conditions (i.e. sleep apnea)
- Enhance medical knowledge
- Procedural Compliance
- More than a dozen commercial aircraft accidents in the last 10 years were compliance related
- To strengthen procedural compliance, airlines must: implement well-developed procedures, train to the procedures and reinforce operations to the procedures
Airplane Accident Injury – The Next Step
If you or a loved one has been involved in a plane accident, contact Mission Legal Center. We are San Diego Personal Injury Attorneys with a proven record of success in helping those who suffer from a serious injury, to receive the necessary medical attention, care and treatment you need, in addition to compensation for future care you may require. Call for a free consultation and case-specific guidance: 619-777-5555. You may also contact us or follow us on Facebook.
As a family owned and operated San Diego Personal Injury and Accident Law Firm, Mission Legal Center is conveniently located in Mission Valley – San Diego, California.
Airplane Accident Injury Attorneys FAQ’s
A: Weather and mechanical error can be a cause for a plane accident, but pilot error accounts for about 50% of the causes for plane crashes. Pilot errors include loss of control, impairment, distractions, fitness for duty, and procedural compliance. For more information about aviation accidents in San Diego, click here.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a plane accident, contact Mission Legal Center. We are San Diego Personal Injury Attorneys with a proven record of success in helping those who suffer from a serious injury, to receive the necessary medical attention, care and treatment you need, in addition to compensation for future care you may require. Call for a free consultation and case specific guidance: You may also contact us


Remember that package that arrived with 'Unreleased Tech' in? Well long story short that had the brand new Xiro Xplorer Mini in. It's still unreleased here in the UK but I believe you can get your preorders in now or buy it internationally. Although you may have some import charges!
Anyway i've been speaking with Xiro over the last 6 months or so due to using their original Xplorer for all of my drone content on Instagram. So they sent me out the new drone to test out to see what I think.
This drone is marketed as a 'Selfie Drone', in short this means that it's easy and safe to fly for the general user that has minimal experience flying drones. It has some awesome intelligent flight controls that helps you get some great shots as well as a visual positioning system to make indoor flights safer and easier to control.
It isn't competing with the original Xplorer or other drones on the market in terms of cinematic capabilities, which is what I mainly use my drone for. However i'm very interested to see what it can do as I don't always want to get kitted out with the bigger drone so having this tiny foldable drone that weighs only 400 grams could be a major bonus for little trips out.
Here's on of my first test flights with it over some waterfalls. I'm releasing a full review video with more footage directly from it soon.
I've also got an article coming out in next months DroneMag UK (February 2017 issue) so check that out!!!


With the British Parachute Association boogie taking place the school at Langar had borrowed a few extra aircraft in to help with the incease in jumpers. Throughout the week a variety of aircraft had been used, from helicopter to modified Tiger Moth bi-planes! Sadly as the weather (especially the wind) hadn't been kind to them by this time only 2 of the extra aircraft remained.
D-IEXE Beech 99
RA-3677K Antonov 28


Syncom (for "synchronous communication satellite") started as a 1961 NASA program for active geosynchronous communication satellites, all of which were developed and manufactured by the Space and Communications division of Hughes Aircraft Company (now the Boeing Satellite Development Center). Syncom 2, launched in 1963, was the world's first geosynchronous communications satellite. Syncom 3, launched in 1964, was the world's first geostationary satellite.
In the 1980s, the series was continued as Syncom IV with some much larger satellites, also manufactured by Hughes. They were leased to the United States military under the Leasat program.
Syncom 1, 2 and 3
The three early Syncom satellites were experimental spacecraft built by Hughes Aircraft Company's facility in Culver City, California, by a team led by Harold Rosen, Don Williams, and Thomas Hudspeth. All three satellites were cylindrical in shape, with a diameter of about 71 centimeters (28 in) and a height of about 39 centimeters (15 in). Pre-launch fueled masses were 68 kilograms (150 lb), and orbital masses were 39 kilograms (86 lb) with a 25-kilogram (55 lb) payload. They were capable of emitting signals on two transponders at just 2 W. Thus, Syncom satellites were only capable of carrying a single two-way telephone conversation, or 16 Teletype connections. As of 25 June 2009[update], all three satellites are still in orbit, although no longer functioning.
Syncom 1 was intended to be the first geosynchronous communications satellite. It was launched on February 14, 1963 with the Delta B #16 launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral, but was lost on the way to geosynchronous orbit due to an electronics failure. Seconds after the apogee kick motor for circularizing the orbit was fired, the spacecraft fell silent. Later telescopic observations verified the satellite was in an orbit with a period of almost 24 hours at a 33° inclination.
Syncom 2 was launched by NASA on July 26, 1963 with the Delta B #20 launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral. The satellite successfully kept station at the altitude calculated by Herman Potočnik Noordung in the 1920s.
During the first year of Syncom 2 operations, NASA conducted voice, teletype, and facsimile tests, as well as 110 public demonstrations to show the capabilities of this satellite and invite feedback. In August 1963, President John F. Kennedy in Washington, D.C., telephoned Nigerian Prime Minister Abubakar Tafawa Balewa aboard USNS Kingsport docked in Lagos Harbor—the first live two-way call between heads of government by satellite. The Kingsport acted as a control station and uplink station.[circular reference]
Syncom 2 also relayed a number of test television transmissions from Fort Dix, New Jersey to a ground station in Andover, Maine, beginning on September 29, 1963. Although it was low-quality video with no audio, it was the first successful television transmission through a geosynchronous satellite.
Syncom 3 was the first geostationary communication satellite, launched on August 19, 1964 with the Delta D #25 launch vehicle from Cape Canaveral. The satellite, in orbit near the International Date Line, had the addition of a wideband channel for television and was used to telecast the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo to the United States. Although Syncom 3 is sometimes credited with the first television program to cross the Pacific Ocean, the Relay 1 satellite first broadcast television from the United States to Japan on November 22, 1963.: 1
Transfer to Department of Defense control
By the end of 1964, Syncoms 2 and 3 had completed NASA's R&D experiments. On January 1, 1965, NASA transferred operation of the satellites to the United States Department of Defense (DOD) along with telemetry, command stations, and range and rangefinding equipment. DOD had, in fact, provided the communications ground stations used to relay transmissions via the two Syncoms since their launch. DOD agreed to provide telemetry and ranging data of continuing scientific and engineering interest.
In 1965, Syncom 3 was implemented to support the DOD's communications in Vietnam.
Syncom IV (Leasat)
The five satellites of the 1980s Leasat (Leased Satellite) program (Leasat F1 through Leasat F5) were alternatively named Syncom IV-1 to Syncom IV-5 and called HS 381 by the manufacturer. These satellites were considerably larger than Syncoms 1 to 3, weighing 1.3 tonnes each (over 7 tonnes with launch fuel). At 4.26 meters (14.0 ft), the satellites were the first to be designed for launch from the Space Shuttle payload bay, and were deployed like a Frisbee. The satellites are 30 rpm spin-stabilized with a despun communications and antenna section. They were made with a solid rocket motor for initial perigee burn and hydrazine propellant for station keeping and spin stabilization. The communications systems offers a wideband UHF channel (500 kHz bandwidth), six relay 25 kHz channels, and five narrowband 5 kHz channels. This is in addition to the fleet broadcast frequency, which is in the military's X-band. The system was used by military customers in the US and later in Australia. Most of the satellites were retired in the 1990s, but one would remain operational until 2015. During the First Gulf War, Leasat would be used for personal communications between Secretary of State James Baker and President George H. W. Bush, but was more typically used by "mobile air, surface, subsurface, and fixed earth stations of the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Army."
Hughes was contracted to provide a worldwide communications system based on four satellites, one over the continental United States (CONUS), and one each over the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, spaced about 90 degrees apart. Five satellites were ordered, with one as a replacement. Also part of the contract were the associated control systems and ground stations. The lease contracts were typically for 5-year terms, with the lessee having the opportunity to extend the lease or to purchase the equipment outright. The US Navy was the original lessee.
Leasat F1's launch was cancelled just prior to lift-off, and F2 became the first into orbit on August 30, 1984 aboard Discovery on shuttle mission STS-41-D. F2 was largely successful, but its wideband receiver was out of commission after only 4 months. F1 was launched successfully on November 8, 1984 aboard STS-51-A. This was followed on April 12, 1985 by Leasat F3 on STS-51-D. F3's launch was declared a failure when the satellite failed to start its maneuver to geostationary orbit once released from Discovery. Attempts by Shuttle astronauts to activate F3 with a makeshift "flyswatter" were unsuccessful. The satellite was left in low Earth orbit, and the Space Shuttle returned to Earth. This failure made front-page news in The New York Times. Hughes had an insurance policy on the satellite, and so claimed a total loss for the spacecraft of about $200 million, an amount underwritten by numerous parties.
However, with another satellite planned to be launched, it was determined that a space walk by a subsequent Shuttle crew might be able to "wake" the craft. The best guess was that a switch had failed to turn on the satellite. A "bypass box" was hastily constructed, NASA was excited to offer assistance, the customer was supportive, and the insurance underwriters agreed to fund the attempt at space salvage – a first.
On August 27, 1985 Discovery was again used to launch Leasat F4, and during the same mission (STS-51-I) captured the 15,000 lb stricken F3. Astronaut James van Hoften grappled and then manually spun down the F3 satellite. After the bypass box was installed by van Hoften and Bill Fisher, van Hoften manually spun the satellite up. Once released, the F3 successfully powered up, fired its perigee motor and obtained a geostationary orbit. (This scenario would play out again in 1992 with Intelsat 603 and Endeavour.) While F3 was now operational, Leasat F4 soon failed and was itself declared a loss after only 40 hours of RF communications.
The stricken F4 did not remain a complete failure. Data from F4's failure permitted the saving of F1 from a premature failure. Since all of the Leasats are spin-stabilized, they have a bearing point that connects the non-rotating and rotating parts of the spacecraft. After F4's communication failure, it suffered a spin lock while attempting to jostle the communications payload: the spun and despun sections locked together. Remembering this second failure of F4, and with F1 beginning to wear out at the spin bearing, it was decided to "flip" F1 every six months to keep the payload in the sun. Thus F1 went on to operate smoothly for its remaining life and never encountered a locked despun section.
Leasat F4 was subsequently powered down and moved to a graveyard orbit with a large amount of station keeping fuel in reserve. This was fortuitous; when another satellite suffered a loss of its fuel ten years later, Hughes engineers pioneered the use of alternative propellants with Leasat F4. Long after its primary mission had failed, F4 was powered back on to test whether a satellite could be kept on station using nonvolatile propellants. F4 was used to perform numerous tests, including maneuvers with oxidizer for propulsion once the hydrazine ran out.
The fifth and last Leasat (F5), which was built as a spare, was successfully launched by Columbia mission STS-32 on January 9, 1990. The last active Leasat, it was officially decommissioned on September 24, 2015, at 18:25:13 UTC. F5 was one of the longest-serving and most successful commercial satellites. Towards the end of its 25-year life, F5 had been leased by the Australian Defence Force for UHF service.
|1963-02-14||Syncom 1||1963-004A||Thor Delta B|
|1963-07-26||Syncom 2||1963-031A||Thor Delta B|
|1964-08-19||Syncom 3||1964-047A||Thor Delta D|
|1984-11-10||Leasat F1||1984-093C||Discovery, STS-51-A|
|1984-08-31||Leasat F2||1984-113C||Discovery, STS-41-D|
|1985-04-12||Leasat F3||1985-028C||Discovery, STS-51-D|
|1985-08-29||Leasat F4||1985-076D||Discovery, STS-51-I|
|1990-01-09||Leasat F5||1990-002B||Columbia, STS-32|
- "Syncom 1, 2, 3". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
Syncom 3 was the first geostationary satellite...It was...placed over the equator at 180 degrees longitude in the Pacific Ocean. The satellite provided live television coverage of the 1964 Olympic games in Tokyo, Japan...
- Zach Wichter (February 2, 2017). "Harold Rosen, Who Ushered in the Era of Communication Satellites, Dies at 90". The New York Times.
- "U.S. Space Objects Registry". Archived from the original on October 6, 2013. Retrieved June 25, 2009.
- "The Room-Size World". TIME. May 14, 1965. Archived from the original on May 20, 2009.
- Henry, Varice F.; McDonald, Michael E. (July 1965). "Television Tests with the Syncom II Synchronous Communications Satellite (NASA technical note D-2911)" (PDF). NTRS.nasa.gov. NASA. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved December 7, 2014.
- Uhlig, Thomas; Sellmaier, Florian; Schmidhuber, Michael (2014). Spacecraft Operations. New York: Springer. ISBN 9783709118023. LCCN 2014945749. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- Williamson, Mark (2006). Spacecraft Technology: the early years. London: Institution of Electrical Engineers. ISBN 9780863415531. LCCN 2008530215. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- "For Gold, Silver & Bronze". TIME. October 16, 1964. Archived from the original on April 21, 2008.
- "Significant Achievements in Space Communications and Navigation, 1958-1964" (PDF). NASA-SP-93. NASA. 1966. pp. 30–32. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2009.
- "Aeronautics and Astronautics, 1965" (PDF). NASA. 1966. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 9, 2022. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- "Detailed information about SYNCOM 3 satellite, 1964-047A, TLE data for Norad 858". Satellite Tracking, Prediction and Informations about Objects in the Sky. Infosatellites.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
The spacecraft next carried out a series of attitude and velocity maneuvers to align itself with the equator at an inclination of 0.1 degrees and to slow its speed so it drifted west to the planned location at 180 degrees longitude where its speed at altitude was synchronized with the Earth.
- "The Men Who Staff HCI's LEASAT Earth Stations Are Accustomed To Working On Their Own". Uplink. Hughes Communications. Summer 1994. Archived from the original on May 5, 1999.
- "LEASAT". Military Space Programs. Federation of American Scientists. Archived from the original on June 23, 2012.
- Jack Fisher (January 3, 2013). "Leasat Beginnings and Significance–Boris Subbotin". Our Space Heritage 1960-2000.
- "First Satellite Designed for Space Shuttle Launch". Defense, Space & Security. Boeing. Archived from the original on December 30, 2009.
- "Leasat 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (Syncom-4 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)". Gunter's Space Page. Retrieved January 2, 2020.
- Jack Fisher (November 2, 2015). "LEASAT F5, The Final Chapter-Andy Ott". Our Space Heritage 1960-2000.
- Jack Fisher (April 23, 2013). "The Leasat Rescue Mission—Steve Dorfman". Our Space Heritage 1960-2000.
- "The LEASAT Program That Launched HCI Completes 13 Years Of Service". Uplink. Hughes Communications. Winter 1993. Archived from the original on May 7, 1999.
- Nerenberg, Sharyn (January 24, 2015). "Another Intelsat Satellite Serves Customers for More Than 25 Years". Intelsat. Archived from the original on September 26, 2015. Retrieved September 25, 2015.
- "Boeing. Satellite Development Center. Syncom. The world's first geosynchronous communications satellite". Archived from the original on November 11, 2010. Retrieved March 11, 2013.
For example, no transistor amplifiers existed, and transistors then didn't work well at frequencies above 70 MHz. We had to get up to 10 GHz. So we used a chain of diode frequency multipliers, or doublers.
- "The Stay-Putnik", a March 1963 Popular Science article on Syncom 1
- Boeing: Detailed Leasat information
- Boeing: Detailed Syncom information
- Syncom 2 satellite description
- Daniel R. Glover's page about NASA Experimental Communications Satellites
- NASA Goddard Space Flight centre descriptions:
- Gunter's Space Page:


A Georgetown Seattle blog featuring the photography of Vecta Photo
With Georgetown being practically at the end of the runway at Boeing Field, sightings of the 787 Dream Liner aren’t the most rare of events. Here are two views of the same recent approach by the jet.
A Boeing 787 Dream Liner jet airplane on final approach to Boeing Field in Georgetown, Seattle, WA. Photo by Richard Walker/Vecta Photo
Zack 990 by Joshua Weinberg and Mignolo § Powered by


Forty-five years ago, NASA astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins made history when they reached the moon. The anniversary has prompted us to reminisce about this cosmic achievement. But mostly, it made us wonder — what do astronauts eat?
The 1969 press kit for the eight-day-long Apollo 11 Lunar Landing Mission is more than 200 pages long and includes a painstaking account of the mission. The packet lists the phases of the journey, diagrams of the spacecraft, illustrations of Apollo 11’s ejection and recovery, and more. It also offers a detailed list of what each astronaut ate on a daily basis.
In addition to “orange” and “grape” drink, the astronauts survived on starchy and sugary comfort foods, including quite a bit of bacon:
The astronauts also had access to a snack pantry which allowed the crew to “locate easily a food item in a smorgasbord mode.” The snacks were basically single servings of the meal components, according to the press kit.
Although the food sounds appetizing (to some) the preparation instructions make it seem… less so. Crew members had to inject water into the food bag and knead it for about three minutes, before “the bag neck is… cut off and the food squeezed into the crewman’s mouth,” according to NASA.
And it looks like this:
Thankfully, for astronauts, space cuisine has changed since the 1960s.
Now, astronauts on the International Space Station eat meals on a 16-day cycle, and receive periodic shipments of fresh fruit.
(All images courtesy of NASA. Press kit h/t Allison Kelly)


Next-Generation Space Telescopes
November 21, 2007 Leave a comment
Astronomers aren’t stopping there: they’re keen to put more powerful scopes into orbit. A new process, called "Wavefront Sensing and Control" software will compute the best position for the mirrors in the new telescopes to optimize the image. The software will be in use in the James Webb Space Telescope.


Unsere Ziele sind höher gesteckt,
nämlich das Flugzeug zu benutzen,
um die Menschen und Nationen
einander näher zu bringen.
Our goals are set higher,
namely, to use the airplane
to bring people and nations
closer to each other.
Hugo Junkers (1859 – 1935)
After the merger of Deutscher-Aero-Lloyd and Junkers-Luftverkehrs AG to form Deutsche Luft Hansa AG in 1926, Hugo Junkers had to find a new, profitable field of business, free from subsidies and patronizing others. With his very good international contacts all over the world from the time of Junkers-Luftverkehrs AG and the experience gained in the passenger and freight business, e.g. with Asia, he turned to the construction of cargo aircraft. The Ju 52/1m, a single-engine Ju 52, was initially built in 1928, but failed to achieve commercial success. Commercial success did not materialize until the 3-engine Ju 52/3m, which was developed from April 1931. Orders from Europe and Latin America quickly followed.
In Germany, the aircraft quickly prevailed over its competitors from Dornier and Fokker, and from May 1932 Deutsche Luft Hansa AG flew the Junkers Ju 52/3m. A rapid expansion of the route network followed, and all seemed right with the world for Hugo Junkers. Two years later, in 1934, he was expropriated by the Nazis, placed under house arrest and died a year later in Gauting. The Nazis were looking for a suitable bomber at the time. The Ju 52/3m was reconfigured and fitted with MG`s and a bomb bay. At the same time, new production facilities for the aircraft were opened. It was used militarily for the first time in the Spanish Civil War, but it was too slow and therefore vulnerable. As a transport aircraft, however, it soon formed the backbone of the German Air Force’s airlift capability. The aircraft was also built under license during WW2 in France as the AAC.1 “Toucan” and in Spain as the CASA 352, making a total of 4835 Ju 52/3m in many variants and under license. The last Ju 52 was retired by the Swiss Air Force in 1984.
Since then, you could take off with the “Tante Ju” to fantastic sightseeing flights. But lately it has become quiet, the unique sound of the engines was missing. In South Africa the only airworthy Ju 52 in Africa was grounded, the Swiss “Ju-Air” lost an aircraft in a tragic accident and the D-AQUI of the Lufthansa Foundation remains on the ground and has found a new home in Paderborn. It is getting quiet around the aunt Ju …
TIME TO HEAT UP THE AMATEUR RADIO BANDS AND MAKE SOME NOISE FOR A GREAT AIRCRAFT AND A GREAT ENGINEERING ACHIEVEMENT!


Ever stared longingly at the starry skies and wondered… what are the astronauts having for dinner tonight?
Our latest channel, Final Frontier, is a brainchild of a long-time space enthusiast Valerie Vlasenko. She has - so far - worked as a space journalist, space moderator, space ecosystem builder – and even as a space lawyer. I think I see a common thread here.
Valerie is on a mission to popularize knowledge and advance the so-called “space literacy” amongst us Earthlings. Forget about pseudoscientific speculation UFO landings, though, as Final Frontier is home to factual knowledge. It combines both space art and science with the latest space innovations, discoveries and philosophical advancements.
How scientifically accurate Interstellar actually was? What is that little guy, Curiosity rover, up to right now? So, you’ve promised someone the Moon… could you legally own an acre of it?
Looking for answers? This way 👉 Final Frontier is now available on all platforms.


Air Tanzania has secured three landing slot pairs for London’s Gatwick Airport, heralding in the news that they will soon be serving London – Kilimanjaro direct!
As revealed by African Business Communities, Air Tanzania has made moves to serve London directly from their hub at Dar es Salaam (DAR) via Kilimanjaro to Gatwick (LGW), every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
The route will be operated by the airline’s Boeing 787 Dreamliner (one of two that has been delivered). This will also be the airline’s first route into Europe, a bold move from the normally exclusively domestic carrier.
Whilst it might seem a little odd that the aircraft is flying via Kilimanjaro and not directly between the two capitals (which the Boeing 787 Dreamliner can certainly do with its range of 7,355 nmi or 13,620 km), the mountain is incredibly popular for climbers (being the tallest in Africa) and is also relatively simple to hike with minimal gear. Having a direct route from London is an absolute deal-maker for some travellers.
“The 787 Dreamliner will be the flagship aircraft as we renew and grow the Air Tanzania fleet. We aim to establish our long-haul capability by starting flights to Europe, Asia and the U.S.A over the coming years and the 787 is the perfect aircraft to achieve this ambition. Our hub airport at Dar es Salaam is well located to provide connections onwards across east Africa, capitalizing on the growing demand for tourism in Tanzania and throughout the region from intercontinental markets.” – Air Tanzania Statement


This weekend we’ve been under attack, in fact at times it sounded like WW3 had broken out as waves of bombers and fighter jets passed overhead. OK that’s maybe a bit dramatic, it was due to the airshow at RAF Waddington. It’s not that Waffle Towers is situated at the end of the runway, we’re a few miles away, but we are on the flightpath, and some of those planes do not worry about flying quietly over a residential area.
At times I have jokingly thought that some of the planes were so low, I could fist bump the pilot as he flew past…well it turns out not to be such a joke after all…
NB: The 2015 airshow has been cancelled due to essential repairs to the runway, at least we’ll get some peace and quiet!


What is the name of the first-ever satellite of Bangladesh?
Most of the People who see the title will set their mind “Bangabandhu-1” will be the answer. Actually, all of those are wrong, cause of a lack of information. The right answer will be “BRAC Onnesha” which is the first-ever satellite of Bangladesh until the commercial weather forecasting & data transmission satellite “Bangabandhu-1” was launched.
“BRAC Onnesha” was the first-ever satellite (nanosatellite) built in Bangladesh to be launched into space. The satellite was designed and built in conjunction with the Kyushu Institute of Technology Birds-1 program, which has the goal of helping countries build their first satellite. It was designed and built over a two-year period.
The satellite had imaging capabilities and could transmit songs to Earth that were uploaded to its memory. It was launched on a Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station on 3 June 2017, after which it was released from the Kibō module. The satellite completed an orbit once every 92 minutes. The satellite deorbited on 6 May 2019.
Japan supports non-spacefaring countries to build their first satellite through a program called the Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds Satellite (BIRDS) project. Besides Japan, four countries participated in the Birds-1 program: Ghana, Mongolia, Nigeria, and Bangladesh. The five satellites were identical in their design.
|Dimensions of the Satellite: 10 x 10 x 10 cm (10 cubic CM)|
Development of “BRAC Onnesha”
The idea to develop a satellite was conceived in 2013. On 15 June 2016, Syed Saad Andaleeb, Vice-Chancellor at BRAC University, signed a contract with the Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech), Japan, on behalf of BRAC University. This led to the collaborative building of the first experimental university-made nano-satellite of Bangladesh, designed, developed, and assembled by three Bangladeshi students at the Kyushu Institute of Technology. On 8 February 2017, Andaleeb received BRAC Onnesha from Kyutech’s President Yuji Oie and Mengu Cho, Kyutech’s Director of the Laboratory of Spacecraft Environment Interaction Engineering.
BRAC University took up an initiative to start space and remote sensing research in collaboration with Kyutech and the Space Research and Remote Sensing Organization (SPARRSO). BRAC University has built a ground station at its Mohakhali campus to analyze data and photographs sent from space for further research purposes.
Professor Mengu Cho of Kyutech said, “BRAC ONNESHA” was easy to build and affordable and their prime objective was to educate the students so that they could go back to build one completely by themselves, presumably in October 2017″.
The two-year period spanning the development, construction, launch, and operation of the satellites engaged three university students from each of the five participating countries. All five satellites had to be identical to each other in the class of a 1U CubeSat. The satellite cost about US$500,000 to manufacture and launch. They were expected to last 1.1 years.
Launch of the Satellite
SpaceX launched the satellite on its CRS-11 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on 3 June 2017. The satellite was carried in a Dragon spacecraft on a Falcon 9 rocket, launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A. This was the 100th launch from LC-39A and the first time SpaceX reused one of its Dragon capsules. Once on the ISS, the satellite was deployed from the Japanese Kibō module.
The satellite orbited the Earth at an altitude of approximately 400 kilometers (250 mi) and at an inclination of 51.6°, completing an orbit every 92.57 minutes at a velocity of 7.67 kilometers per second (4.77 mi/s).
Operations of the Satellite
The satellite communicated with seven ground stations: one in each of the countries participating in the Birds-1 program, and one each in Thailand and Taiwan. Bangladesh’s ground station, inaugurated on 25 May 2017, is on the top of a building at BRAC University.
BRAC Onnesha was a nanosatellite shaped like a 10 centimeters (3.9 in) cube capable of completing one orbit 400 kilometers (250 mi) above the ground in 90 minutes and passing over Bangladesh four to six times a day. The primary objective of the satellite was to image vegetation, urbanization, flood, water resources, and forestry. All Birds-1 satellites deorbited in May 2019. BRAC Onnesha was the second to deorbit, decaying on 6 May 2019.


Greater Binghamton - Home to
Navy awards Lockheed $10M
OWEGO -- The U.S. Navy will be using software
developed by Lockheed Martin to help MH-60 h
elicopter aircrews better plan their missions.
By My-Ly Nguyen •email@example.com •
September 21, 2010, 6:20 pm
Lockheed announced Tuesday that the Navy has
awarded the company $10 million to complete the
work for the MH-60R and MH-60S multimission
The software development and some testing will be
performed at the company's Owego plant over the
next 30 months, though the project will not lead to
any immediate changes in staffing.
Lockheed has about 2,800 employees at its Owego
facility, spokesman Jeff Brown said.
Subsequent tests will be conducted at the Naval Air
Weapons Station in California and Naval Air Station
in Maryland, with deployment of the system in 2012.
"The MH-60 module will give Navy Seahawk pilots
access to the military's most advanced mission
planning tool," said George Barton, director of
Lockheed naval helicopter programs.
Missions involving the MH-60 include anti-
submarine warfare, airborne mine countermeasures,
search and rescue, and ship-to-ship cargo resupply
The software will be loaded onto a planning system
laptop that allows MH-60 pilots to pick
preconfigured mission plans, navigational routes, t
argeting data and the types of weapons and
sensors their aircraft will use for the mission.
The finished mission profile is then transferred to a
memory card and uploaded to Lockheed's Common
Cockpit avionics suite, or the digital cockpit aboard
both helicopter models.
MH-60 Seahawk copters are designed and
manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft.
Lockheed provides the digital cockpit for all MH-60
copters and is the prime systems integrator for the
The Navy plans to buy 300 MH-60R and 275 MH-
60S aircraft, according to Lockheed.
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The Texas Highway Patrol provided us with this preliminary report regarding the plane crash in Burnet Sunday afternoon:
On December 17th, 2023 at approximately 2:14PM, a Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) Trooper responded to an airplane crash on US 281 S of Delaware Springs Rd. in Burnet. The Aircraft had taken off from the Burnet airport before striking a power line along 281 and crashing in the southbound lanes of US 281. The aircraft struck a passenger car during the crash. The driver of the vehicle was transported to a medical facility and released shortly after, but the pilot and passenger were transported to a medical facility in Austin with burn injuries.
The FAA was notified and the aircraft was towed from the highway to the Burnet airport. Though DPS Troopers were called to the scene to help secure the site, the public should know the formal investigation will be handled by the federal government from here on out.
Please keep both families in your prayers.


The slow boat is an air-framed version of the ship's boat, optimised for efficient atmospheric travel and most often used by Paramilitary or Military groups as a cheap combat lander or luxury interface shuttle in addition to being used to move small cargo from ship to ship or orbital platforms about a world.
Most subordinate craft tend to be built in cylinder or needle configurations in order to minimise the amount of space they occupy aboard the parent craft, not so the Slow Boat, its hull is a fully air-framed wedge with fixed lifting surfaces, so that should the pilot choose to, he or she could fly the vehicle as a conventional aeroplane and even glide to a landing if need be (drive failure) or fly the craft as a conventional grav vehicle/small craft, depending upon preference.
Most spacecraft tend to hover at take off and landing and settle to the ground on skids, whilst the slow boat can do this a unique feature of its design is its dual landing skid/wheel system which allows the craft to make maximum use of its efficient airframe and hence if required allow the boat to slip into traditional aircraft routes and landing patterns at ground air facilities that have runways as is typical on lower tech (developing worlds). This dual mechanism also confers an additional advantage over other designs in the sense that it is one of the few spacecraft that can 'taxi' about the ground port, making it easy to move from the landing strip to the maintenance depot if required.
Though it is equipped for deep space operations, the 3-G m-drive is not quite up to naval standards that typically demand 4-G or higher to support fleet operations. The vessel is solidly built at Tl-9 with the standard Imperial deep space drive aggressively marketed by Zhunastu Industries (back engineered from Tl-10) and is efficient enough to satisfy the design criteria.
Its main strength however is its nimble, graceful and slick atmospheric performance, that would leave any but the fastest and most highly streamlined interceptors or local defence squadrons breathing its vapour trail.
Unsurprisingly Mercenaries often carry these finding them ideal when a quick entry or exit is required from a battle zone. Intelligence services and smugglers also like slow boats because they make ideal blockade-runners, capable of quickly entering atmosphere and slipping under the local radar or sensor net.
Naval versions often mount the full range of electronic countermeasures and are fitted with secondary (small arms) weaponry like VRF guns and mass drivers, howitzers etc, (not much use in space combat, but excellent for strafing ground targets or taking out atmospheric fighters) and often convert these craft into adequate bombers or tactical scale missile platforms, hence the incorporation of a hardpoint, a triple turret and a missile magazine into the design, ready for the installation of the desired weaponry.
A true military thoroughbred though would mount a much larger power plant so that craft agility could be increased, though for paramilitary/civilian purposes the design as it stands is adequate, hence it is often used as a training craft for both civilian and military operators, and is a favourite of the Imperial Marines.
The slow boat contains six passenger acceleration couches in addition to the two found at the flight deck workstations small cabins can be included at the expense of cargo or passenger couches which would make the craft ideal for crew on long haul missions.
Life support consists not only of recycling air supply & filters etc, but as is typical at Tl-9 and above grav plates and inertial compensators to counter sudden changes in momentum and provide a consistent and comfortable environment away from the local gravity field.
Class: Small Craft. Ep Output: 0.9 Tech Level: 9 Agility:0 Size: (small 30 Tons) Initiative: 0 Streamlining: Airframe. AC: 11 Jump Range: None Repulsors: None Acceleration 3G (Thruster) Nuclear Dampers: None Fuel 0.9 Tons (Liquid Hydrogen) Meson Screens: None Duration: 4 weeks Black Globes: None Crew: 2 AR: 0 Staterooms: none SI:80 Small Cabins: 0 Main Computer: Model 2 Bunks: 0 Sensor Range: Close (model 1) Couches: 6 (additional to 2 on bridge) Comm. Range: Close (model 1) Low Berths: 0 Cargo Space: 10.7 Tons Cost: Mcr 16.64 (Mcr 13.312 in Quantity) Atmospheric speeds Noe= 1325 kph Cruising = 3975 kph Maximum = 5300 kph Other Equipment: Fuel Scoops. Design Worksheet. Installed Component Tonnage MCR Ep Notes. Hull +30 3.6 ---- Wedge Upgrade Streamlining 1.5- 0.36 ---- Airframe Bridge 6.0 0.15 ---- Crew 2 Computer 0.2 5.8 ---- Model 2 Avionics 0.8 (1.8) ---- Model 2 Sensors 0.3 (0.6) ---- Model 1 Commo 0.2 (0.5) ---- Model 1 M-Drive 1.5 1.2 -0.9 3G Thruster Power Plant 0.9 4.05 +0.9 Fusion Tl-9 Fuel 4 weeks 0.9 ---- ---- Liquid Hydrogen Small Craft Couches 5.0 0.25 ---- 10 Passengers Hardpoint ---- 0.1 ---- 1 Hardpoint 1 Triple Turret 1.0 1.0 ---- Empty 1 Missile Magazine 1.0 0.1 ---- 40 Missiles Fuel Scoops ---- 0.03 ---- Cargo 10.7 ---- ---- Totals 30.0 16.64 0.9 Excess Power = None
Original T4 Design: Not Credited.
Design Adapted for T20, by Mark Bridgeman.


Thunderball Gadget - Jet Pack
|Bell rocket belt
James Bond used the Jetpack in 1965's Thunderball, to escape from gunmen after killing a SPECTRE agent.
In the 1965 movie Thunderball, James Bond (Sean Connery) uses Q's Jetpack to escape from two gunmen after killing Jacques Bouvar, SPECTRE Agent No. 6. It was also used in the Thunderball movie posters, being the "Look Up" part of the "Look Up! Look Down! Look Out!" tagline. The Jetpack returned in the 2002 movie Die Another Day, in the Q scene that showcased many other classic gadgets. The Jetpack is a very popular Bond gadget and is a favorite among many fans due to its originality and uniqueness.
The Bell Rocket Belt
The Jetpack is actually a Bell Rocket Belt, a fully functional rocket pack device. It was designed for use in the army, but was rejected because of its short flying time of 21-22 seconds. Powered by hydrogen peroxide, it could fly about 250m and reach a maximum altitude of 18m, going 55km/h. Despite its impracticality in the real world, the Jetpack made a spectacular debut in Thunderball. Although Sean Connery is seen in the takeoff and landings, the main flight was piloted by Gordon Yeager and Bill Suitor.


Introduced in 1936, the radial piston engined biplane Boeing Stearman Model 75 is considered one of the most genuine representatives of the Golden Era of Aviation, excelling because of its manoeuvrability, sturdiness and reliability conferring it a remarkable stability during flight.
On the other hand, it was easy to repair in case of breakdown and his maintenance was extremely easy.
The Stearman 75 also stands out because of its majestic flight and the fairly characteristic sound of its ´round engine´, and after the Second World War thousands of them were used as civil planes in fumigation labours - thanks to its excellent capability for slow flight at low altitude - and in aerobatics competitions, being often provided with different engines sporting more power than the standard 220 hp Continental R-670-5 power plant, above all with Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior R-985 delivering 450 h.p.
The Boeing Stearman Model 75 is the final offspring of several military training aircraft which had their dawn with the X-70 biplane (inspired by the 1931 Stearman Model 6 ´Cloudboy´ featuring a 165 hp Wright J-6 Whirlwind-5), equippped with a 210 hp Lycoming R-680 and designed by Harold Zipp and Jack Clark, which was firstly made by Stearman Aircraft Corporation for the civil market, and whose maiden flight took place on January 1, 1934, after a 60 day development.
Since then and till Second World War, top priority was reaching an evolutive pinnacle resulting in a two-place biplane trainer boasting great building construction, outstanding reliability and tolerance with novice pilots and an engine with the best possible production cost/consistency of results.
Likewise, the X-70 was manufactured with such an airframe that it could endure load factors superior to the maximum ones which could be expected during traning flights, so optimizing the safety of future pilots who would have to acquire their first basic flight skills with it.
Therefore, in mid 1934, both the U.S Army and U.S Navy carried out tests with the Stearman X-70 prototype which brought about its massive adoption by the U.S Navy and a brief delay in its supply for the U.S Army, which chose to wait for the introduction of the Stearman Model 75 in 1936.
This way, the U.S Navy was delivered its first order of Stearmans (still very similar to the X-70 prototype), called NS-1 (also known as Model 73) and equipped with the somehow a bit obsolete Wright R-790-8, though it showed its noteworthy performance as a primary trainer, so in early 1935, the U.S Navy decided to buy some thousand units of the N2S, a model already advanced enough in comparison to the X-70 starting prototype, and which was built in five subvariants, each one being set up with a didferent engine.
And it was in 1936 when the appearance of the Stearman Model 75 itself happened, with its first version: the PT-13 model equipped with a Lycoming R-680-5 215 hp engine, which was adopted in 1936 by the U.S Army Corps (that bought 26 units) and the U.S navy (models N2S-2 and N2S-5), which was replaced in 1940 by its second version, the PT-17 model, provided with a Continental R-670-5 220 hp engine, that was taken over by the U.S Army Corps and the U.S Navy (models N2S-1, N2S-3 and N2S-4).
Within time, vast majority of American pilots who took part in Second World War would acquire their flight basic expertise on board of this historical biplane.
GREAT SUCCESS AND INTERNATIONAL SPREADING
Thanks to its piloting easiness, its great ruggedness and the relatively low cost of both its engine and airframe, the Boeing Stearman 75 reaped a very significant quantity of sales, and the Stearman Aircraft Company at Wichita (Kansas), a subsidiary of Being, worked full steam ahead between mid thirties and 1944, making a total of 8,584 units, which is the absolute record as to biplane airships in the history of American aviation.
Evidently, the entering of United States into Second World War from 1941 was the event greatly catapulting the figure of orders of Stearman 75s, both by the U.S Army and the U.S Navy, which needed massive quantities of aircraft for military basic training, in the same way as canada (where it was exported and received the Kaydett denomination), in such a way that thousands and thousands of units were bought for the basic learning of future combat pilots.
But the inherent qualities of the Stearman Model 75 made that later and up to nowadays its starting role as military training aeroplane was greatly stretched, developing an operative life that after the Second World War was essentially civil, becoming a very beloved aircraft oozing charisma and highly appreciated by the enthusiasts of aviation and the beautiful radial piston engined classic planes.
The key factor in its postwar spreading, already mostly in the civil sphere, was its great versatility, since as well as being the basic two-seat military trainer both in the U.S Army and U.S Navy for almost ten years (many dozen thousands of pilots learned their fundamental flight skills with it before making the transition to most powerful advanced training planes like the Texan T-6 and the subsequent flying of fighters like the P-51 Mustang, F4U Corsair, etc, and bombers like the B-17 and B-29), also turned into a top-notch choice as a flight instrument trainer, in tasks of fumigation, reconnaissance missions, sowing of rice fields, aerobatics, aerial photography, spped contests, appearance in famous Hollywood movies, and even performing the role of light attack in some air forces of Latin American countries like Brasil, Venezuela, Argentina and Cuba, together with Philippines, equipped with more powerful engines like the Wright Cyclone 420 hp, Wright R760 320 hp, the Pratt & Whitney Wasp 320 hp, the Lycoming R-680-13 300 hp and the Wright Whirlwind 235 hp, without forgetting abundant quantities of Starman 75s which were exported to China.
In the same way, from scratch, it was acquired by many fans of sporting aviation in the five continents, who found in it the ideal plane to enjoy flight in its purest form, becoming a full-fledged classic in the History of Aviation, with its unmistakable appearance and its slow yet stately flight.
On the other hand, it mustn´t be forgotten that the Boeing Stearman 75 was the first aircraft used to land on the deck of an aircraft-carrier, for it was able to take off and land on very short stretches of space and on every kind of surface, due to its great sturdiness, a fact that was instrumental in its expansion in the scope of sporting aviation and its frequent presence in all kind of aerodromes and airports, from the most sophisticated to those ones located on remote zones of difficult access, even in jungle areas where the dimensions of the airstrips are often very reduced.
A HIGHLY RELIABLE ENGINE
Photo: José Manuel Serrano Esparza
The Stearman 75 is usually equipped with a Continental R-670-5 220 hp at 2,175 rpm air-cooled engine featuring seven cylinders in four cycles, with a dry weight of 211 kg and 10.94 litres of displacement.
It has a length of 79.2 cm and a diameter of 1.079 m, with a bore x stroke of 130.2 x 117.5 mm.
It also sports a Stromberg carburettor, together with an inlet and exhaust valve per cylinder, its ratio of compression being 5:4:1.
Photo: José Manuel Serrano Esparza
Photo: José Manuel Serrano Esparza
From a diachronic viewpoint, the Stearman 75 has proved its full adaptability to all kinds of engines, from the basic PT-17 and N2S3 featuring a Continental R-670-5 power 220 hp and 9 cylinder power plant to the A75L300 reconverted for civil use with a Lycoming R-680-13 300 hp engine, without forgetting the most powerful versions like the Super Stearman IB75 with a Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Jr 450 hp and two extra ailerons in the upper wing.
Needless to say that each version of the Stearman 75 with its various engines and powers, has a different flight dynamics and engine sound, which adds even more allure to the biography of this mythical biplane, which goes on currently alive and kicking in many aerial exhibitions all over the world and whose watching raises the appraisal and enthusiasm of everybody having the chance of seeing it in action.
EXCEPTIONAL BUILDING CONSTRUCTION
The Boeing Stearman 75 is made with unusual strength of components for mid thirties, the time of its introduction, being prominent because of its mixed construction,
with specially resistant wooden wings covered with fabric, while the fuselage is made up by an exceedingly hard tubular structure of very thick welded stainless steel also covered with fabric.
On the other hand, the fixed landing gear likewise sports a huge sturdiness,
with legs which are part of a rigid one piece system which is bolted to the lower area of the airship,
and with wheels integrated in assemblies axle/support sliding upwards and downwards in the lower end of the landing gear legs.
Besides, the rear wheel shock absorber and the support set have a bigger weight than the steering gear of many medium size light aeroplanes.
And the main units of cantilevers feature high quality oleo pneumatic struts.
Bearing it all in mind, Boeing deserves accolades for having been able to build a lot of thousands of Stearmans 75 with a production cost of only 9,500 dollars of the time.
On the other hand, the Stearman 75 is a huge size aircraft in comparison to the De Havilland Tiger Moth, the SVA Stamp and the Bücker Jungmann, which were the most popular biplane trainers during Second World War, and its empty weight of 1,936 pounds - 878 kg - ( with a maximum possible weight at takeoff of 2717 pounds - 1232 kg -) is roughly equivalent to the one of Bücker Jungmann plus any of the other two airplanes together.
It must also be taken into account the significant fact that the Stearman 75 cockpit is much larger and ample, so the pilot has a greater movement freedom at avery moment, and the big diecast aluminum pedals governing the rudder sport an unmatched strength and durability in its plane category, easily adjusted and hanging from a solid structure.
On its turn, the control stick sports a much larger size than usual in this sort of aircraft, which enables its continuous use without a hitch for decades, a trait perfectly synergizing with the chance of selecting nothing less than eleven different seating positions so as to achieve maximum comfort for the pilot during flight.
OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE AS AN AEROBATIC AIRCRAFT
When analysing the aerobatic ability of the Stearman 75, two basic types should be distinguished:
a) In its basic production configuration with a Continental R-670-5 220 hp, Lycoming-R 220 hp and some power plants Wright and Jacobs with powers between 215 and 225 hp, the climbing rate of the Stearman Model 75 is relatively limited by its remarkable maximum weight of 2717 pounds - 1232 kg - and its much larger size than the trainers of its time (De Havilland Tiger Moth, Polikarpov Po-2, Arado Ar 66, Naval Aircraft Factory N3N Canary, Fleet Finch, Gotha Go 145, Bucker Bü 131 Jungmann, PWS-26, Focke-Wulf Fw 144, etc), so the Stearmans 75 usually equipped with any of those engines aren´t often used in aerobatics competitions.
In spite of it, the Stearmans 75 featuring any of those basic engines boast a remarkable aerobatic ability for a basic training plane created in mid thirties, and thanks to its exceedingly tough airframe, it is able to endure 12Gs positive and 8Gs negative.
It shouldn´t be forgotten that during thirties and forties, both the U.S Army, the U.S Navy and the Canadian Air Force used the Stearman 75 with its two besic 220-225 hp engines as a primary trainer and aerobatic plane.
b) In its configuration as an aerobatic aircraft featuring a constant speed propeller (mostly Hamilton Standard 2B/20) and equipped with engines Lycoming R-680-13 300 hp, Wright J-6-9 Whirlwind 300 hp, Jacobs R-755-A2 300 hp, Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior R-985 450 hp and even more powerful power plants like the Osmoh 600 hp and the Pratt & Whitney R-1340 Wasp 600 hp, often being provided with two extra ailerons under the upper wing, the Stearman 75 becomes a high performance aerobatic aeroplane, with the added benefit that each version is unique and has its own flight dynamics.
The installing of all of these very powerful engines boasting greater performance and weight than the basic 215-225 hp power plants of the Stearman 75 is feasible thanks to the very sturdy structure of the aircraft, full of pipe size reinforced aluminum tubes, which provides outstanding resistance and versatility to the airship, enabling to make spins, inner loops, quick rolls under 108.7 mph (175 km/h), slow rolls under 126.78 mph (204 km/h), Immelmann turns, inverted flight, inverted spins, etc.
EXCELLENT PLANE IN FUMIGATION LABOURS
Throughout many consecutive decades after Second World War, the Stearman 75 became the backbone of aircraft fleets used in agriculture, above all in United States and Canada, specializing in fumigation and seed-planting and mainly equipped with the high efficiency Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Jr 450 hp engine, which delivered double the power than the original Continental R-670-5 220 hp, since the pilots devoted to these toils in rural areas needed a superior response control on flying at a height of five feet, since besides, this biplane doesn´t allow to see utterly around it, and at so low flight, any unexpected obstruction of sight could be fatal.
A Stearman 75 aircraft intended for fumigation missions and appearing in the 1959 movie North by Northwest, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and featuring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and James Mason as main characters made this already highly famous plane even more popular worldwide.
Type: two-seat primary trainer
Crew: 2: pilot, trainee
Length: 25' 0.25" (7.63 m)
Height: 9' 2" (2.79 m)
Wingspan: 32' 2" (9.80 m)
Wing area: 297 sq. ft (27.59 sq. m)
Empty Weight: 1936 lb (878 kg)
Max Weight: 2717 lb (1232 kg) max at takeoff
Propulsion: A Continental R-670-5 220 hp radial engine or a Lycoming R-680-5 225 hp radial engine
Range: 505 miles (813 km)
Cruise Speed: 106 mph ( 171 km/h)
Max Speed: 124 mph ( 200 km/h)
Ceiling: 11,200 ft (3415 m)
Copyright Text and Indicated Photographs: José Manuel Serrano Esparza


Herpa Wings Singapore Airlines A340-300 "Celestar"
A standard livery version of the Singapore Airlines A340-300 'Celestar'. When Singapore Airlines first put the 'Celestar' on it's Perth to Singapore route to compete against the B777-200s that Malaysia Airlines were using the Perth to Kuala Lumpur route. They proclaimed it had the quietest cabin in the sky. However by the time we got to fly on Singapore Airlines between Perth and Japan, Singapore Airlines had replaced the Celestars on most Perth to Singapore flights with B777-200s. Only on our last flight on the trip between Singapore and Perth did we get to try the Celestar, yes it was a bit quieter than the B777-200, but the seating in economy class was not as spacious and the inflight entertainment system not as good.
From Going Back in Time