Daniel Day-Lewis transforms into Abraham Lincoln in first official picture from Spielberg’s biopic
Aug 082012
Aug 082012
A 1963-vintage NASA illustration of the NERVA nuclear rocket engine. This is schematic only, depicting the main components of the nuclear engine. Not labeled are the two vernier thrusters; these take the otherwise wasted hydrogen exhaust from the turbopump and direct it more or less aft for some additional thrust. Further, they could, unlike the main engine, gimbal; this would provide a measure of thrust vectoring.
Aug 072012
OK, so here are the generators:
The larger generator in back looks like this:
This is a Caterpillar XQ400 genset. XQ400 as in 400 kilowatts of electrical output. That’s enough, at 25% efficiency, to run the proposed operational LaWS anti-aircraft/missile laser.
The smaller generator in front looks like it might be one of these:
… which is a Caterpillar XQ100 genset producing, as may be surmised, 100 kilowatts.
So, there is certainly sufficient electrical power on display just in the larger generator to power the LaWS laser to operational levels, assuming they can actually get 25% efficiency out of it. As for the second, smaller generator? A few theories:
1) It runs what may be a smaller MLD laser
2) It provides makeup power because the LaWS doesn’t actually get 25% efficiency
3) It powers secondary systems like tracking sensors and mechanical actuators
4) It powers the not-insubstantial cooling system needed to safely shed 300 kilowatts of heat.
5) I bet there’s a Caterpillar rental agent with an interesting story to tell.
Aug 072012
Not for the faint of heart…
[youtube I5DH2-kDLXk]
Aug 062012
NOW AVAILABLE: PACKFILE NO.2 “GERMAN ROCKET PLANES”
the latest from Justo Miranda, 180 pages including three-view 1/72 scale drawings of 98 airplanes together with a brief history and technical data (English text).
| Arado Ar 234 R(a) Arado Ar 234 R(b) Arado E 381/I Arado E 381/II Arado E 381/III Arado TEW 16/43-13 Arado TEW 16/43-15 Bachem Ba 349 A “Natter” Bachem Ba 349 A-1 “Natter” Bachem Ba 349 B “Natter Blohm und Voss BV 40 Blohm und Voss BV P.178 Von Braun Interceptor (Stage I) Von Braun Interceptor (Stage II) DFS 194 DFS 228 DFS 230 DFS 332 DFS 346 DFS “Rammer” EMW/A4b EMW A9/A10 EMW A6 Espenlaub/Valier “Rak 3” Espenlaub EA-1 Espenlaub E-15 Fieseler Fi 166 “Höhenjäger I” Fieseler Fi 166 “Höhenjäger II” Focke Wulf P.011.001 (PV) Focke Wulf Ta 183 Ra-1 Focke Wulf P IV Focke Wulf P VII “Flitzer” |
Focke Wulf Ta 283 Focke Wulf Fw 250 “Super Lorin” Focke Wulf “Triebflügel” Focke Wulf “Volksjäger” Focke Wulf “Rammjäger” “Frau im Mond” Lunar Rocket Gotha Go 345 Gotha “Rammer” Heinkel He 112 V3 Heinkel He 176 V1 Heinkel He 176 V2 Heinkel He P.1077 “Julia I” Heinkel He P.1077 “Julia II” Horten HoXIIIB Junkers EF-127 “Dolly” Junkers EF.127 A “Wally” Lippisch “Ente” Lippisch/Fritz von Opel Rak 1929 Lippisch P01-113 Lippisch P01-114 Lippisch P01-115 Lippisch P01-116 Lippisch P01-117 Lippisch P01-118 Lippisch P01-119 Lippisch P05 (August 1941) Lippisch P09 (May 1942) Lippisch P11 (September 1942) Lippisch P11 (December 1942) Lippisch DM-1 Lippisch DM-1 (NACA #8) Lippisch DM-2 Lippisch DM-3 |
Lippisch P.13a Entwurf I Lippisch P.13a Entwurf II Lippisch P.13a Entwurf III Messerschmitt Me 163 A Messerschmitt Me 163 B-1 Messerschmitt Me 163 C Messerschmitt Me 263/Ju 248 Messerschmitt Me 262 C-1a “Heimatschützer I” Messerschmitt Me 262 C-1b “Heimatschützer II” Messerschmitt Me 262 C-3a “Heimatschützer III” Messerschmitt Me 262 “Interceptor” Messerschmitt Me 262 HG III Entwurf III Messerschmitt Me P1092B Messerschmitt Me P1103 (6 July 1944) Messerschmitt Me P1103 (6 July 1944) Messerschmitt Me P1103 (12 Setp 1944) Messerschmitt Me P1104 (10 Aug 1944) Messerschmitt Me P1104 (22 Sept 1944) Messerschmitt Me P1103 B Messerschmitt Me P1106 R Opel-Saunders/Hatry “Rak-1” Sänger Rocket Plane 1931 Sänger Bredt Rocket Bomber 1943 Siebel Mistel Projekt Entwurf I Siebel Mistel Projekt Entwurf II Sombold So.344 Valier Rocket Airplane Type 1 Valier Rocket Airplane Type 2 Valier Rocket Airplane Type 3 Valier Rocket Airplane Type 4 Valier RF-1 Zeppelin “Fliegende Panzerfaust” Zeppelin “Rammer”
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Packfile #2 can be purchased as a downloadable 100 megabyte PDF for $24.
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Be sure to check out the rest of Justo Mirandas publications HERE.
Aug 062012
Curiosity had a camera onboard as it landed. The quality is pretty craptacular, sorta webcamish, but still..
[youtube UcGMDXy-Y1I]
Aug 062012
If’n you’re interested in advertising hereabouts, send me an email:
I’m instituting ads on the side of the page, basically like the “Drawings & Documents” and “Aerospace Projects Review” and “cyanotype blueprints” links off to the right in the “My Stuff” category box thingie. $50 per month for the link and the image.
The Unwanted Blog gets between 1500 and 2000 views per day, so that’s not too shabby.
Aug 062012
UPDATE: For the answer, look HERE.
Aug 062012
A drawing of the T250 Vigilante anti-aircraft gun, towed version. The T250 is fairly poorly documented, even though it was built, tested and mounted to an extended M-113 chassis. The T250 certainly looks like the M61 Vulcan gatling gun, but there was a difference: unlike the 20mm M61, the T250 was a hefty 37mm caliber.
The T250 was begun in 1956 at Springfield Armory. It had a rate of fire of 3000 rpm, and had a 192 round drum magazine. While the 37mm round hit like a freight train, apparently the problem was that the integrated system couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn, so the Vigilante system was replaced with the Mauler automated anti-aircraft missile system… which was also cancelled.
Aug 062012
NASA’s Curiosity Rover Caught in the Act of Landing
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter caught Curiosity coming in under parachute. I’ve gotta wonder what the view was during the powered skycrane part of the mission.
