XB-70A

Florida Man Arrested While Launching Under Influence A Florida Man looked very pleased with himself in his mugshot despite being arrested for his third LUI on Tuesday after leading police on a high-speed chase. Ignoring police sirens and emergency lights, Florida Man continued to climb between 1500 and 3500 mph and at one point hit an NRO low-orbiting reconnaissance satellite, NASA TV reported. Florida Man was eventually thwarted when authorities used stop sticks. Investigators said he claimed his Astronaut license had been suspended — but when they checked the system, they reportedly noticed his license had been revoked since July 1991 and he had four previous LUI convictions to his name. Officials said the ordeal was Florida Man's 12th arrest for driving with a suspended or revoked license. ----- Good source for creativity:

September 2019... We lost Robert Hunter on the 23rd

Just learnt it, but... Sigmund Jähn died yesterday. Originally a MiG-21 pilot in the Luftstreitkräfte, he became the first German to go in space, reaching and living aboard Salyut 6 in 1978. I still have his 1/72 MiG-21 Revell model to build one day

Good bye.

I will have so many "likes" to give once the option will be back... Meanwhile:

Calling 911 so they can like posts I cannot.

Oh, it is well known at the CNES that taxes subsidize this kind of research,so... WhY nOt, DuH? When you know the country still got the largest wind tunnel in the world...

Maiden flight for Éole (Aeolus) at the CSG. This reduced model is expected to provide aerodynamic data for the Altaïr project, aimed at providing low-cost launches in ultra-light and light payloads range. Concepts: With the imminent end of the Pegasus program, and the cancellation of Stratolaunch, the only competitor in this sector would be LauncherOne.

Fair enough.

Pictures taken the 3rd and 4th, right before and following the pass of Dorian out of the coast. With an iPhone X, so not really great... Young gull is "playing" with a turtle's egg. Same place, after the storm.

Some photos taken in Brittany and Eusa (Ouessant/Ushant) a few months ago (all taken with the pocket-sized RX100 IV). The Stiff lighthouse, active since 1700, with a typical Peugeot 205 made of tin-can metal. Looking East-North-East, with the Stiff radar tower. Its building was decided following the successive shipwrecks of the Olympic Bravery and Amoco-Cadiz tankers in 1976 and 1978, in order to set up a surveillance of the commercial navigation off the coast of Brittany. Originally inhabited when it was commissioned in 1982, it is now fully automatic and monitored from different coastal traffic control centers. Improvised bunker from the Luftwaffe, made of stones and land. Such as the Channel Islands, the Wehrmacht's considered Ushant more like an early warning observation site, rather than a defense system against a landing. Most of the installations around were for detection, anti-aircraft purposes, and electronic intelligence. A propeller shaft, stranded on the rocks and covered of fuel oil. It's hard to know from which ship it came from, but the technology and the shape of the propeller are more likely showing a ship that was probably sunk during one of the two World Wars. The Créac'h lighthouse insight. Rising to 70 meters, it remains one of the most powerful coastal lighthouses in service in the world, with an intensity of 500 million candelas, giving an effective range of nearly 59 km (32 nm). A closer look of it. The whole building surrounding it used to be the offices and accommodations of the guardians, it is now a museum devoted to lighthouses. Another sight of it. Just another of those aggressive gull, standing on its throne of stone. I don't know about the history of this house, but I would bet she served the guardians of the Nividic lighthouse that can be seen in the center left of the photo. It is known as one of the ugliest lighthouses in the region, its shape, location, and lack of paint make it a grim-looking building. This area is well known in the region for its pretty inclement weather along the year, and everything can change pretty fast. Here is an example: Taken around 12:30 local time. Cloudy but still enough natural light. About 30 minutes later: A stormy front is now approaching. Here, we can understand why this lighthouse is not so much appreciated for its appearance. However, it remains essential to the safety of navigation in this area full of shoal and reefs that have taken many lives. Typical coastal rocks. The old cemetery is full of tombs and monuments dedicated to sailors and passengers who have perished in this area, including those of SS Drumond Castle (of which only 3 people survived on 361). A plate dedicated to Flight-Lieutenant H. Jeffreys and Flight-Officer D.A. Burden from the Royal Air Force, they crashed off the coast of the island on-board their deHavilland Mosquito Mk XVIII (HR117) after being hit by AA-fire from an R-boot, four days after the D-Day. The whole story of this event is disturbing. It all began when the U-821 was attacked in the morning of 10th June by four Mosquito Mk XVIII of the RAF. Severely damaged, the submarine was terminated by a Liberator of 206. Sq around 11:15. Later, while an R-boot was recovering the survivors, another Mosquito wing arrived, and the R-boot fired at the HR117. Hit, the deHavilland went to crash at sea, less than 500 m off the coast of Ushant. However, the three remaining Mosquito returned fire with their 57 mm Molins cannons (a compact adaptation of the traditional QF-6 Pounder), and hit the minesweeper. Of the 50 crew members of the U-821 and the R-boot, only one survived. More available here: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/70517 Despite the cold atmosphere of the place, a cat found a good source of heat on one of the gravestones. The local monument to the fallen, the two central plates being dedicated to those who perished during WW1, and those at the ends to WW2. When we know that the population in 1911 was 2953 individuals, that would mean about 3% of the population would have perished during the First World War. The long-range radio antenna of Lampaul. A couple of friends taking a break, with La Jument insight. This is the place where one of the most famous picture of a lighthouse was taken, in 1989. Looking at the South-East, the island of Molene is visible at the middle-right. Time to leave.

Six years ago, Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) was launched atop a Minotaur-5 (1) for its 223 days-long journey. Although this launch did not make the headlines of the general press, it remains known in the aerospace enthusiasts community for a particular photo... On the positive side, the mission was extended to more than twice its presumed length of 100 days, providing amazing pictures of the lunar environment.

Donald Sutherland in the casting? On my watch list now.

Wait...

Press release from the Independent Inquiry Commission about their investigations in the failure of Vega's 15th flight: Vega Flight VV15: Findings of the Independent Inquiry Commission’s investigations The Independent Inquiry Commission, tasked with analyzing the failure of Vega Flight VV15, submitted its findings on Wednesday, September 4, 2019. Co-chaired by the Inspector General of the European Space Agency (ESA); and the Senior Vice President, Technical and Quality of Arianespace; the Commission was appointed on Thursday, July 11, 2019. According to its assigned task, after having analyzed the flight data, the Commission identified possible causes for the anomaly and drew up recommendations for Vega to resume launches under the requisite conditions of safety, security and reliability. The Commission identified the anomaly’s most likely cause as a thermo-structural failure in the forward dome area of the Z23 motor. Based on this, the Commission has proposed: An exhaustive verification plan of its findings, A set of corrective actions on all subsystems, processes and equipment concerned. After these actions are completed, the resumption of Vega launches is planned by the first quarter of 2020, enabling a return to the string of 14 successful launches already recorded by Vega. Flight data analysis The Vega launcher lifted off as scheduled on July 10, 2019 at 10:53 p.m. (local time in French Guiana). At precisely 130s 850ms after liftoff – and shortly after ignition of the second stage (Zefiro 23) –an anomaly occurred on the launcher, leading to the premature end of the mission. The work of the Independent Inquiry Commission is based on the following: A complete analysis of measurements recorded during Flight VV15. The study of documents concerning Vega’s production, quality and technical history, including the 14 successful Vega launches to date. Investigations at different production and operational sites involving the staff from the prime contractor, Avio. These investigations confirm that all preparation and countdown operations for the VV15 launch, as well as the flight conditions until after the ignition of the Zefiro 23 second stage (Z23) proceeded normally. In particular: The operation of the P80 first stage (engine ignition, atmospheric phase, P80 propulsion and separation) was nominal; all parameters were as expected and in line with those from preceding flights. The ignition and powered phase of the Z23 stage was nominal during the first 14s 25ms and all parameters were as expected and in line with those for preceding flights. The anomaly occurred at 130s 850ms, based on the following observations: At 130s 850ms, a sudden and violent event occurred on the Z23 motor. This event led to a breakup of the launcher in two main parts: the Z23; and the assembly composed of the fairing, satellite, flight adapter, AVUM and the Zefiro 9 stage (Z9). After this event, the key telemetry measurements and observations were as follows: At 135s: the upper assembly trajectory started to deviate from the nominal one. At 213s 660ms: in accordance with the safety procedures in force at the Guiana Space Center, a neutralization command was sent by range safety authorities, and was confirmed as executed by analysis of telemetry data. At 314s 25ms: telemetry data and signals from the launcher were no longer received by ground radar and telemetry stations. The mission came to a premature end, without causing any damage to people or property. Causes of the anomaly and work plan Based on these observations, and additional analyses concerning the few milliseconds around the anomaly, the Commission has performed a systematic and exhaustive analysis of the possible causes. The Commission identified as the most likely cause of the anomaly a thermo-structural failure in the forward dome area of the Z23 motor. Other possible causes such as inadvertent activation of the Z23 neutralization system have been found unlikely. Furthermore, after specific investigations, the Independent Inquiry Commission did not find any evidence of a malicious act. The Commission has proposed: An exhaustive verification plan of its findings based on analyses and tests, A set of corrective actions on all subsystems, processes and equipment concerned. This action plan shall enable a resumption of Vega launches under all requisite conditions of reliability by the first quarter of 2020. A key point will validate the effective implementation of Independent Inquiry Commission recommendations prior to flight resumption and submit its final conclusions to ESA and Arianespace. Daniel Neuenschwander, ESA Director of Space Transportation, said: “In the past weeks, members of the inquiry commission have done a remarkable job, with the support of the prime contractor Avio. I want to encourage all the teams to implement corrective measures for the reliable return to flight of Vega, securing Europe’s full autonomy of access to space.” Stéphane Israël, Arianespace CEO added: “I would like to thank the co-chairs of the Independent Inquiry Commission, as well as all members. Their work on identifying the causes of the Flight VV15 anomaly, and the well-defined actions to be carried out from now until the end of the year, will pave the way for a resumption of Vega launches as from the first quarter of 2020, under the requisite conditions of reliability. Along with our industrial partner Avio, we will be doing everything in our power to reconnect with the 14 successful launches already recorded by our light launch vehicle.” Source: http://www.arianespace.com/press-release/vega-flight-vv15-findings-of-the-independent-inquiry-commissions-investigations/ I hope they will make the full report available, just like they did in the past for VA88 (Ariane 501). --- Reminder: despite her "youth", Vega is the descendant of a 40-year-old program. Everything started back in 1977, when the University of Rome and officials from the San Marco Launch Platform suggested to "upgrade" the Scout light launchers. The development was a literal chaos, leading to the unique launch of the real ancestor of Vega, Scout 2 on the 19 March 1992: Despite its name, this launcher had nothing to do with the original Scout, the main stage being no longer powered by an Algol from Rocketdyne, but by a vectorable P.A.P from Ariane 3/4. Both "boosters" aside of the P.A.P actually were mock-ups of what will become the Zefiro 2nd and 3rd stage of Vega.

Eureka, USA ...

Trusting the best hero ever to take care of it.

Welcome on Cyclone-Gambling, chose your favorite depression: Pictures of Dorian taken 17 hours ago Just an hour ago Impressive to see the remnants of the eye still present.

In the "Don't let it's appearance fool you...", I present...

Those tin-can wagons are outdated.

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