Sunday, September 26, 2010

How sad! UN showing India, a downtrodden country

It is disgusting to see UN's milestones website at http://www.un.org/Overview/milesto4.htm

They are still showing India as a downtrodden country.

Countries like Bangala Desh where there is poverty to the the depth of the earth and
Cambodia, with complete absence of law and order are given the impressions of flourishing nations.

What our representatives at the UN are doing for this negative publicity?

Excepts from UN Website

http://www.un.org/Overview/milesto4.htm

The website shows

1. Photo of a dust clad Indian boy carrying bricks on his head to earn a living.

2. Bangladeshi soldier teaching de-mining to a Cambodian in Cambodia.

3. A Cambodian girl holding UN flag.

Will any one please raise a voice for this disgusting negative publicity of India and forward it to person(s) who matter at the UN?

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Difference between Parasailing and Paragliding

I always mixed Parasailing and Paragliding till yesterday (25th September 2010), when I myself did parasailing at Lake Tahoe (California) USA.

I found the following answer:

Parasailing, also known as parascending, is a recreational activity where a person is towed behind a boat attached to a specially designed parachute, known as a parasail. The harness attaches the pilot to the parasail, which is connected to the boat, or land vehicle, by the tow rope.

Paragliding is a recreational and competitive flying sport. A paraglider is a free-flying, foot-launched aircraft. The pilot sits in a harness suspended below a fabric wing, whose shape is formed by its suspension lines and the pressure of air entering vents in the front of the wing. Paragliding can be powered by a small engine with a propeller.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Smithsonian

This is a year by year compilation of information collected after my ambitious and most desired visit to
Home
Washington DC, on 8 September 2010.
This is a knowledge based data, you may like to store in your keep-sake mail.

1903
1903 Wright Flyer
Milestone: First Successful Airplane
Date of Milestone: December 17, 1903
Aircraft: 1903 Wright Flyer
Pilot: Orville Wright
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1926
Goddard Rockets
Milestone:
First Successful Liquid-Propellant Rocket
Date of Milestone: March 16, 1926
Rocket: Goddard 1926 Liquid-Propellant Rocket
Engineer: Robert H. Goddard
Artifact Location: Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight Gallery
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1927
Spirit of St. Louis
Milestone:
First Nonstop Solo Transatlantic Flight
Date of Milestone: May 21, 1927
Aircraft: Ryan NYP "Spirit of St. Louis"
Pilot: Charles A. Lindbergh
Aircraft Location: Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight Gallery
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1942
XP-59A
Milestone:
America's First Turbojet Aircraft
Date of Milestone: October 1, 1942/October 2, 1942
Aircraft: Bell XP-59A
Pilot: Robert M. Stanley/Col. Laurence C. Craigie
Aircraft Location: Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight Gallery
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1947
Bell X-1
Milestone:
First supersonic aircraft.
Date of Milestone: October 14, 1947
Aircraft: Bell X-1 "Glamorous Glennis"
Pilot: Capt. Charles E. "Chuck" Yeager, USAF
Aircraft Location: Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight Gallery

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1957
Sputnik
Milestone: SPUTNIK
First Artificial Satellite
Date of Milestone: October 4, 1957
Spacecraft: Sputnik 1
Mission Operated by: USSR
Spacecraft Location: Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight Gallery
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1958
Explorer 1
Milestone:
First Successful United States Satellite
Date of Milestone: 1958
Spacecraft: Explorer 1
Operated by: NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Spacecraft Location: Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight Gallery
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1959
X-15
Milestone:
First winged aircraft to achieve Mach 4, 5, & 6 and to operate at altitudes above 30,500 meters (100,000 feet)
Date of Milestone: Test flights in 1959
Aircraft: North American X-15
Operated By: NASA
Aircraft Location: Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight Gallery

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1962
Mercury Friendship 7
Milestone:
First American to orbit the Earth.
Date of Milestone:
February 20, 1962
Spacecraft:
Mercury "Friendship 7"
Astronaut:
John H. Glenn Jr.
Spacecraft Location:
Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight gallery
-----------------------------------------

1962
Apollo 11 Command Module "Columbia"
Milestone: First Manned Lunar Landing Mission
Date of Milestone: July 16-24, 1969
Spacecraft: Apollo 11 Command Module "Columbia"
Astronauts: Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, and Michael Collins
Aircraft Location:
Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight Gallery
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1962
Mariner 2
Milestone:
First Spacecraft to Study Another Planet
Date of Milestone:
December 14, 1962
Spacecraft:
Mariner 2
Mission Operated by:
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Spacecraft Location:
Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight Gallery

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1969
March 25, 1969
Aircraft: Boeing 747 (Not displayed at the Museum)
Mission Operated by: Boeing Aircraft Company USA


Milestone:
The first Boeing 747-100 was flown for the first time at 11:34 AM on February 9, 1969. The subsequent problems have their roots in the early days for the construction of the Boeing 747's. The aircraft construction business in the early 1970's was extremely difficult. In fact, one wag wrote in the Seattle Times, "Would the last person to leave Seattle please turn out the lights!" Boeing was under pressure to cut costs. According to my sources, to cut the costs Boeing discovered that it could purchase aluminum parts from a plant in the USSR (now Russia). The Russians could produce the aluminum to the exacting specifications of the Boeing engineers and did so for the first fifteen planes. Then Russia decided that it was not profitable to make the aluminum to the Boeing specifications and decide to cheat. The Russians produced an inferior product but sent it to the USA as meeting all of the requirements. It was not until Boeing had made 686 planes including the 747-100's. the 747-200's and some 747-300's, that it realized what had been going on. Boeing knew there was a problem and designed the necessary modification to remedy the situation. Boeing was a major source of export revenues for the USA and the planes were in big demand since commercially they were very successful. The problem was discovered in the early eighties when there was over a thousand planes flying passengers and freight all over the world. In fact, to shut down over six hundred planes would be a disaster for world commerce apart from the loss of prestige, national pride, and competition from the Europeans who were developing the now equally famous Airbus.

1972
Lunar Touchrock
Milestone:
One of a collection of rocks returned from the Apollo manned missions to the Moon.
Date of Milestone: 1972
Artifact: Lunar Basalt returned by Apollo 17 Astronauts
Artifact Location: Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight Gallery
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1976
Viking Lander
Milestone: VIKING LANDER
First Spacecraft to Operate on the Surface of Mars
Date of Milestone: July 20, 1976
Spacecraft: Viking Lander
Operated By: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Spacecraft Location:
Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight Gallery
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1987
Pershing II & SS-20

Milestone: Weapons eliminated under first International Treaty to control nuclear arms.
Date of Milestone: INF Treaty signed December, 1987
Artifacts: Pershing II and SS-20
Operated by:
United States (Pershing II) and U.S.S.R. (SS-20)
Location:
Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight Gallery
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1999
Breitling Orbiter 3 Gondola
Smithsonian Institution
photograph
Milestone:
First Nonstop Flight Around The World by Balloon
Date of Milestone:
March 21, 1999
Vehicle:
Breitling Orbiter 3 Gondola
Artifact Location:
Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, Milestones of Flight Gallery

On March 1, 1999, Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones lifted off from the Swiss alpine village of Chateau d’Oex in the Breitling Orbiter 3 balloon. On March 21, 1999. 19 Days, 21 hours and 55 minutes later, they landed in the Egyptian desert after traveling 45,755 kilometers (28,431 miles) and completing the first non-stop flight around the world in a balloon.

Pressurization: Cabin pressure dropped as the balloon climbed. At 10,000 meters (33,000 feet), the cabin pressure was raised to atmospheric pressure at 3,000 meters (10,000 feet).

Temperature: Burners maintained the cabin temperature at 15 °C (59 °F).
Solar panels: Solar panels beneath the gondola recharged the onboard lead batteries that provided electrical power.
Instrumentation: The forward cockpit contains the controls and instruments needed to monitor and operate the aircraft and systems. The crew used satellite-based systems to communicate and navigate.

Gondola:

Weight, empty:2,000 kg (4,400 lb)
Fuel:Propane
Manufacturer:Cameron Balloons, Bristol, England, 1998
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2004
SpaceShipOne
Milestone: First privately developed, piloted vehicle to reach space.
Date of Milestone: June 21, 2004
Spacecraft: SpaceShipOne

Artifact Location:Smithsonian Institution, National Air and Space Museum, National Mall building, Milestones of Flight Gallery

Launched from its White Knight mothership, the rocket-powered SpaceShipOne and its pilot ascended just beyond the atmosphere, arced through space (but not into orbit), then glided safely back to Earth. The flight lasted 24 minutes, with 3 minutes of weightlessness.

With SpaceShipOne, private enterprise crossed the threshold into human spaceflight, previously the domain of government programs. The SpaceShipOne team aimed for a simple, robust, and reliable vehicle design that could make affordable space travel and tourism possible.

Records and Awards: SpaceShipOne won the $10 million Ansari X-Prize for repeated flights in a privately developed reusable spacecraft, the Collier Trophy for greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in 2004, and the National Air and Space Museum Trophy for Current Achievement. Its three record-setting flights:

• 100 kilometers (62 miles) altitude*; Mike Melvill, pilot; June 21, 2004.

• 102 kilometers (64 miles) altitude; Mike Melvill, pilot; September 29, 2004.

• 112 kilometers (70 miles) altitude; Brian Binnie, pilot; October 4, 2004.

* The official boundary of space defined by the Fédération Aéronautique International.

Gift of Paul G. Allen, Microsoft co-founder and sole investor in SpaceShipOne

Unique Design Features

• Three-person vehicle for suborbital spaceflight.

• Lightweight composite structure with twin swept wing-tail booms.

• Hybrid ascent rocket, burning both solid and liquid propellants

• Wings that pivot up (feather) for stable, safe reentry.

Credits

Investor and philanthropist Paul G. Allen funded the project.

Aeronautical engineer Burt Rutan, Scaled Composites, designed the vehicle.

Pilots Mike Melvill and Brian Binnie , Scaled Composites, became the first pilots to earn FAA commercial astronaut wings.

SpaceShipOne, N328KF

White Knight and SpaceShipOne

SpaceShipOne is carried aloft to 15 kilometers (50,000 feet) by its mothership, White Knight.


SpaceShipOne in Flight

Released from White Knight, SpaceShipOne gets a rocket-powered boost into space.

Candies Floating Inside Cockpit

Candies float inside the cockpit during the time in space.


SpaceShipOne Feathered Wings

In space, the pilot raises, or feathers, the wings for the coasting suborbital arc and initial descent. This brakes the spacecraft for reentry into the atmosphere.


SpaceShipOne Flight Profile

SpaceShipOne suborbital flight profile.

Pilots Brian Binnie and Mike Melvill

SpaceShipOne pilots Mike Melvill (right) and Brian Binnie.


Burt Rutan and Paul Allen

Investor Paul G. Allen and designer Burt Rutan with SpaceShipOne.

View from SpaceShipOne

View from SpaceShipOne. Photo by pilot Brian Binnie.

Courtesy of Discovery Channel and Vulcan Productions, Inc.



How was it?

Regards,

V S Saxena
Rocklin: CA. (USA)



First Day of Blogging

Hello Friends,

This is my first try at blogging. I have recently retired and have a lot of free time. I am very interested in various aspects of aviation. This is my attempt to share my knowledge with all my friends and family about aviation and everything else.

Vijay Saxena