Zephyr-6 uses solar power to fly for three days

A UK-built solar-powered plane has set an unofficial world endurance record for a flight by an unmanned aircraft.

The Zephyr-6, as it is known, stayed aloft for more than three days, running through the night on batteries it had recharged in sunlight.

The flight was a demonstration for the US military, which is looking for new types of technology to support its troops on the ground.

Craft like Zephyr might make ideal platforms for reconnaissance.

They could also be used to relay battlefield communications.

Chris Kelleher, from UK defence and research firm QinetiQ, said Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) offer advantages over traditional aircraft and even satellites.

"The principal advantage is persistence - that you would be there all the time," he told BBC News. "A satellite goes over the same part of the Earth twice a day - and one of those is at night - so it's only really getting a snapshot of activity. Zephyr would be watching all day."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7577493.stm

UAV shot down by Russian MiG

When smart bombs began offering video of their missions, the public was amazed and impressed. The same view into a mission exists with UAVs controllable from across the world.

Last week a UAV was shot down by a Russian MiG in a contested airspace conflict. Regardless of who is right or wrong, this show of force is a reminder about the power of machines in the sky.

Outflying SAMs over Libya at Mach 3

In April 1986, following an attack on American soldiers in a Berlin disco, President Reagan ordered the bombing of Muammar Qaddafi's terrorist camps in Libya. My duty was to fly over Libya and take photos recording the damage our F-111's had inflicted. Qaddafi had established a 'line of death,' a territorial marking across the Gulf of Sidra, swearing to shoot down any intruder that crossed the boundary. On the morning of April 15, I rocketed past the line at 2,125 mph.

I was piloting the SR-71 spy plane, the world's fastest jet, accompanied by Maj Walter Watson, the aircraft's reconnaissance systems officer (RSO). We had crossed into Libya and were approaching our final turn over the bleak desert landscape when Walter informed me that he was receiving missile launch signals. I quickly increased our speed, calculating the time it would take for the weapons-most likely SA-2 and SA-4 surface-to-air missiles capable of Mach 5 - to reach our altitude. I estimated that we could beat the rocket-powered missiles to the turn and stayed our course, betting our lives on the plane's performance.

http://maggiesfarm.anotherdotcom.com/archives/7821-Major-Brian-Shul-I-loved-that-jet.ht

Origins of traffic jams

The Mathematical Society of Traffic Flow has put together a demonstration of how traffic jams occur for no reason. A small slowdown ripples through the chain, slowing all following cars and creating the traffic jam. The visual on this tells the story.

Make your own UAV

Amateur engineers can build their own UAVs similar to what NASA or the military is creating. This success mirrors the innovation in computing during the 1970s.

Son of Concord to offer commercial flights at 3400mph

The revolutionary plane called A2 will fly at a top speed of 3,400mph and should be able to carry 300 passengers. To reach Mach 3 the plane initially generates thrust through engines similar to those used in conventional jet aircraft. Beyond Mach 3, the super-heated air is pre-cooled before it enters the turbines, preventing the engines from melting. The plane has a minimal carbon footprint because it is fueled by liquid hydrogen, producing only water vapor and nitrous oxide as exhaust.

The A2 will cruise at an altitude of 100,000ft. A ticket from Europe to Australia is estimated to cost around $4000.

Modern education kills creativity

Sir Ken Robinson tells us how efforts to train children to respond predictably and protect them from experiencing the world causes an inhibition of their instinctual creativity. The modern approach to education is boring and badly misses the mark on its attempt to educate. In a misguided effort to be "progressive", the educational system has forgotten the basics that worked so well for centuries. It has fallen off track and fails to provide our youth with what is most important for their growth.

No wonder home schooling is increasingly popular. You can go much farther and it is interesting, with ideas alive and open to being explored. In contrast, modern educational systems tell students what to think and then test them on their ability to repeat dogma. This removes not only critical thinking skills but also creativity.

It just doesn't make sense to bore curious youth with subpar material of no interest. Give them something interesting and let them run with it. Intellect has natural structure and has done just fine for centuries. We don't need new age educators justifying their failed experimentations on our children. Let's go back to something that has a long history of working. Repeating failed experiments and expecting a different result is insanity.