From a 1946 NACA wind tunnel test report, a diagram of the 1/4 scale model of the Bell XS-1 (Army Project MX-653, later known as just the X-1).
A higher rez of this diagram is HERE.
Jun 182012
Jun 182012
A NASA video about the development and NASA utilization of the Lockheed YF-12, the interceptor predecessor to the SR-71.
[youtube Z1FLEbAbl4Q]
Includes footage of a test launch of the AIM-47 missile; it looks like it was launched from low Earth orbit. Also included are images and info about early 1970’s computer finite element analysis modeling of the YF-12.
Jun 172012
Last night the northern lights sprang up. Here’s a panorama:
Some other photos of the aurora are HERE.
As seen on Spaceweather.com.
Jun 172012
The USAF X-37B, after spending a year in space, landed at Vandenberg yesterday. A video of the landing in infra red:
[youtube YYTTfGiSO-E]
Another video using the same clips, but with a news announcer with a supervillain accent:
[youtube 0o8KvD-TcHY]
And on the opposite end of a space mission, here’s footage inside mission control and the capsule for Chinas Shenzou-9 launch, featuring Chinas first female astronaut:
[youtube ODOBYZpDtDE&NR]
And outside:
[youtube cR7wR0aUpuE]
Jun 172012
Rodney King dead at 47
Famous ass-whoopin’ victim, amateur driver and booze-addled dumbass Rodney King has died. Given his life spent in the orbit of drugs, I would have expected him to get shot in a drug deal gone bad. But as it turns out, he apparently spent his last day getting drunked up, and decided to top it off with a swim to the bottom of his swimming pool, where he stayed until emergency personnel fished him out. Interestingly, while his fiance called 911 when she found him at the bottom of the pool, apparently she didn’t try to pull him out. Now, THAT is love and devotion.
In honor of Mr. King’s most noteworthy accomplishment, here is Chris Rock giving some tips on “how to not get your ass kicked by the police.” Some NSFW language, but on the whole, some remarkably good advice.
[youtube haiHGlo7O4o]
Jun 162012
OK, yes, the skunk is an adorable little monster. He/she was wandering my front yard again, and this time I had a ready camera.
After all I did for it the little ingrate actually chased me around the yard, once it actually noticed me.
Sure, it’s a tiny little thing, probably only weighs a few pounds… but c’mon, man, it’s a skunk.
Jun 162012
If you contributed to my “I need a computer” funding project, check your email inbox. I have sent off the promised $10-level illustrations in PDF format. As the file is just shy of 10 meg, some email systems may have trouble with it. It should look like this:
If you didn’t contribute… why the hell not?
Jun 162012
[youtube vPPKp1_GhO4]
Jun 152012
Taken from a January 1947 NACA-Langley wind tunnel test report are some images describing the Naval Aircraft Factory “Float wing convoy interceptor.” This was an unconventional single-engine, single-seat fighter plane designed to be catapulted off of a ship (a cargo ship, presumably), land in the water and then be picked up by crane and returned to service. There was no landing gear. The unusual fuselage had substantially more drag than a conventional one, due to the cutout needed for the mid-ship mounted propeller. The model was 1/4 scale. Full-scale information includes:
Engine: one Ranger XV-770-9, max 625 hp
Normal gross weight: 4000 lbs
Fighter overload gross weight: 4319 lbs
Wingspan: 29.83 ft
Wing area: 160 sq. ft
It seemed to be a poor performer. Not only lots of drag, but the rudder had a tendency to shake badly. This was clearly a WWII-era design; by 1947, not only was its design obsolete, so was its role.
Jun 152012
11:30 PM tonight I stepped outside to do some star gazing. After a number of years out here I am pretty familiar with the sorts of sounds you can expect as perfectly normal, but tonight I heard something new. Something alive. Something… stinky.
A few things to note:
1) It seems that this particular window well is where stuff gets blown to when the wind picks up.
2) It seems that I need to do a bit of cleanup.
3) It seems there’s a skunk in my window well.
Little bugger must’ve fallen in and got trapped… it’s something like 3 feet deep with smooth metal walls.
Also: man, that little fellers *aggressive.* The whole time I was looking down on it (going, “Huh.”), it had its ass up in the air like it wanted to spray me, and danced around like “it’s on now, bee-yotch.” It’s a juvenile skunk, but it it has a functional stank gland… while it never sprayed up at me, it must’ve sprayed *somewhere,* because that burnt rubber nasty smell came up from time to time.
I have no well-thought-out plans on how to extract it. An active retrieval would be certain to result in chemical warfare, lacerations, harsh language and hospitalization, so the best I could do on short notice and unwillingness to get too deeply involved was to put a piece of old lumber into the well:
If it’s smart, once it stops trying to *fight* the lumber, it’ll realize that it can use it as a ladder and climb itself out.
And yes, my first thought on looking down into the well was “Oh, look, a kitty!” My second thought was “Ummm, wait…”
There’s hate in them there eyes…
UPDATE: Several hours later I went out to check on Stinky, and he/she was still there, huddled in a corner of the window well, looking miserable. Apparently “self rescue” was out of the picture. So, I found two 8 foot long 2X2’s and used them like chopsticks. Grabbed Stinky by the tail (eventually… it wasn’t easy) and simply pulled him out. No chemical attack, fortunately.