The Superaviator Mini-Sub

Check out the article by Caroline Graham on the Daily Mail website.

The white mini-sub is airplane-like and is 22ft long with a 12.2 foot wingspan. Has a weight of 3,800 lbs. Top speed is 6 knots (but can be boosted to 7.9 knots with thrusters). It is electric powered.

Former U.S. Navy nuclear attack submarine commander, Captain Alfred McLaren said the following about this vehicle, "This is to underwater exploration what the first Wright Brothers plane was to commercial flight."

The sub can dive down to a depth of over 1,000ft at a top speed of six knots. So far, the deepest it has travel is down to 1250 feet down. It is intended to explore the limits of the continental shelves where marine archaeologists would look for ancient ship wrecks, etc. The pilots are encased in one of two cockpit 'pods', which are pressurised spaces topped with thick Perspex domes allowing for a 360-degree view underwater.

Quote: 'This submersible represents a revolution in underwater adventure and exploration. Most subs go up and down using a ballast system, similar to a hot-air balloon. They have limited manoeuvrability and range. Then you have unmanned subs, but they are normally tethered to a mother ship.

'This craft offers a freedom of movement never seen before. It's built along the principles of flight, with thrust, lift and drag allowing you to "fly" beneath the waves. It has wings and a joystick to bank like an aeroplane and it can turn and curve at will. Plus the visibility is much better than with scuba diving. You're not loaded down with heavy gear and you don't have to exert yourself physically in the way you do on a dive. Our sub has the ability to cover large areas for hours at a time without fatigue or decompression worries.

___

Ref: DailyMail, November 10, 2009. by Caroline Graham. (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/moslive/article-1225515/Its-plane-sailing-The-Super-Aviator-sub-action.html#ixzz0WZDLDiXD).

www.subaviators.com.

Shipment of first two Soyuz to French Guiana Anounched

Arianespace announched the shipment of the first two Soyuz vehicles from Russia to their (Arianespace) Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, will bring that company closer to its next major expansion of its growing commercial launcher family.

The Soyuz 2-1a launcher versions have been loaded onboard the MN Colibri, a roll-on/roll-off cargo ship which has now departed the Russian port city of St. Petersburg for the two week crossing of the Atlantic Ocean to South America.

It is expected that these two Soyuz's will be launched in 2010. Arianespace uses the Kourou, French Guiana spaceport, to launch their heavy-lift Ariane 5 booster.

For this, its maiden ocean voyage with Soyuz, the MN Colibri is loaded with a total of some 50 containers. Each three-stage launch vehicle is divided into 10 containers, which carry the four first-stage strap-on boosters, its Block A core stage (which is transported in two segments), the Block I third stage, the Fregat upper stage and the Soyuz 2-1a’s ST-type payload fairing (shipped in two separate half-shells). Also, there is a quantity of refined kerosene propellant for the launcher’s strap-on boosters, as well as its Block A and Block I stages; along with UDMH, N2O4 and hydrazine for its Fregat upper stage.

Cargo for these two Soyuz launchers is the HYLAS telecommunications satellite for Avanti Communications Group plc., and the French CNES space agency’s Pléiades Earth observation satellite.

Launching from the Spaceport in French Guiana, the Soyuz is capable of carrying telecommunications satellites weighing up to three metric tons on missions to geostationary orbit. The vehicle also is well tailored for the lofting of medium-sized scientific, Earth observation and constellation spacecraft on flights to low Earth orbit, medium Earth orbit and on Earth escape trajectories.

___

REf. Arianespace.com press release (http://www.arianespace.com/news-soyuz-vega/2009/2009_11_07.asp).

(http://www.comspacewatch.com/news/viewpr.rss.html?pid=29584).

"V" is Back

"V" is Back - this time on ABC and an update retelling of Aliens who appear as human in the beginning, but are really lizards in human disguise who wants to use humans as livestock. Oh, and in the original mini-series of the same name(created by Kenneth Johnson back in 1984); they also need our water.

But doing some websurfing today before going to visit some friends tonight for the broadcast of this new version, I came across this story in the Chicago Tribune, written by Glenn Garvin; 'V' aims at Obamamania. Take a look at the first two paragraphs:

Imagine this. At a time of political turmoil, a charismatic, telegenic new leader arrives virtually out of nowhere. He offers a message of hope and reconciliation based on compromise and promises to marshal technology for a better future that will include universal health care.

The news media swoons in admiration -- one simpering anchorman even shouts at a reporter who asks a tough question: "Why don't you show some respect?!" The public is likewise smitten, except for a few nut cases who circulate batty rumors on the Internet about the leader's origins and intentions. The leader, undismayed, offers assurances that are soothing, if also just a tiny bit condescending: "Embracing change is never easy."

Glenn Garvin states later on in his article the following: 'it's also a barbed commentary on Obamamania that will infuriate the president's supporters and delight his detractors.' I will cross link this to my other blog as well - The Shanks Dimension (http://www.theshanksdimension.com/).

This new version of "V" is suppose to focus on Erica Evans, a Homeland Security officer who has a son that just loves the idea of working with the aliens. And like in the original V, there will be other story lines as well. This might very well turn into another "V" tv series. If it does, lets hope it gets the same type of revamp that "Battlestar Galactica" got.

Image above is of the 'new' Vistor's vessels arriving on earth.

UPDATE: Now having viewed the first episode of the new (possible) TV series, the main complaint I heard my fellow viewers talk about was the fast pace of 'discovering' the aliens true nature. Also, the character of Erica Evans is a FBI agent. And her partner - it turns out - is one of the aliens who have been here on earth for years. As in part of a 5th column type agent.

I will also add that the "motherships" hovering over Earth's major cities are now shown to be like triangle shape colony ships.

__

Ref. Chicago Tribune, November 3, 2009. "'V' aims at Obamamania" by Glenn Garvin. (http://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/chi-tc-tvcolumn-v-1102-1103nov03,0,7062976.story).

image from Film Fetish(dot) com. (http://www.filmfetish.com/2009/05/20/trailer-for-the-new-v-sci-fi-mini-series-now-online/)

Nuclear Power Spaceship to Fly to Mars - Russia Hopes!

Russia wants to build a new nuclear-powered spaceship for prospective manned space missions to the planet Mars and other more distant planets. So states Anatoly Perminov - Russian space chief stated on October 29th.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has backed the project and is urging the government to find the money needed to back the project.

These remarks were posted on the Russian space agency website. Perminov said that the nuclear spaceship preliminary design work could be done by 2012. It would take an additional 9-10 years to build the spacecraft and cost 17 billion rubles, which equal to about $600 million US dollars. The nuclear reactor that will be on this ship would be in the Megawatt power range. And the engines to be powered by this reactor would be a electric rocket engine. So says Igor Lisov who is a Moscow-base expert on the Russian space program.

"The project is aimed at implementing large-scale space exploration programs, including a manned mission to Mars, interplanetary travel, the creation and operation of planetary outposts." So stated Anatoly Perminov on the website.

The AP/Yahoo news article then went into the odd comparsion of Russian still using the 40-year old Soyuz design that are still used to send crews up to the International Space Station(ISS). Despite the older technology, Russia will take on a greater role in space exploration in the coming decade. Since NASA is planning on retiring the shuttle soon - and this will cause NASA to rely on the Russians and their Soyuz to travel up to the ISS until the Orion capsule is operational.

_

Ref. Yahoo new (October 29, 2009) by Vladimir Isachenkov of AP. "Russia hopes nuclear ship will fly humans to Mars"

(http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091029/ap_on_sc/eu_russia_nuclear_spaceship).

image of Star Trek Enterprise starship USS Enterprise (http://www.fanpop.com/spots/star-trek-enterprise/images/3999066/title/nx-01-enterprise)

Asteroid blast reveals holes in Earth's defences - space - 26 October 2009 - New Scientist

Asteroid blast reveals holes in Earth's defences - space - 26 October 2009 - New Scientist

Ares-1X Test Launch Success!

From Launch Pad 39B at Cape Canaveral, FL, NASA finally launched its unmanned prototype of the Ares-1X booster rocket. Lift-off took place at 11:30am EDT. Foul weather earlier in the week prevented earlier launch attempts.

The flight peaked at an altitude of 28 miles and then dropped into the Atlantic Ocean - parachutes softening its landing.

The test vehicle here was basically a 4-element solid rocket booster off of the shuttle with a dummy fith element added plus the dummy Orion capsule/and second stage. The dummy second stage was designed to impact the ocean and sink. This vehicle is pretty tall at 327 feet while sitting on the launch pad.

___

Ref. Space.com. October 28, 2009. By Clara Moskowitz.(http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/091028-ares-1x-2nd-launch-day-wrap.html)

Ares-1X Test Launch. image by Roger Guillemette of SPACE.com.

Buzz Asks Prez Obama for Space Leadership

Found this article on the Huffington Post today. It was orginally posted there on October 21st.

The Special committee lead by Chairman Norm Augustine (aka the Augustine Panel), put forward several options to President Obama recently.

This article by Buzz Aldrin, second man on the moon and the biggest space promotor around is asking President to go along with Option 5 that the Augustine Panel put forth.

Bottom line of course is "No bucks, then No Buck Rogers!"

One can read the article on Huffington Post to read about options one thru four. Option Five known as the "Flexible Path" seems to get everyone who supports manned space exploration a tiggly senstion down their leg to modify a famous quote of Chris Matthews(ie reguarding his support for then candiate Barrack H. Obama).

Basically - Option Five uses as much shuttle hardware and ground support equipment as possible. And the mission makeup is very different than just returning to the moon. Such as visits to the Lagrane points, near-Earth objects, lunar fly-bys, and possible rendezvous with Mars's moons. There are still plans for a lunar landing by 2020.

Please use the url below to read the full article on the Huffington Post. Image is of President Obama at NASA's White House star party to view the LCROSS impact. Wife Michelle Obama is nearby.


___
REf. Huffington Post, Oct 21, 2009 (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/buzz-aldrin/mr-president-will-you-lea_b_328975.html)