Posted on 2008 under Digital News, Aero, Miscellaneous |
6
Jan
According to disheartening news out of Korea, the country’s Aerospace Research Institute is reporting that they’ve lost contact with its first multipurpose satellite, the Arirang 1. The satellite, which was launched December 21st, 1999, is suspected of having encountered a mechanical malfunction or misalignment which would have affected power generation. “If the satellite loses proper alignment, its solar panels cannot generate power that is vital for the machine,” said an “expert” — which the source material suspiciously won’t name — which further reinforces our belief that the satellite was appropriated by an alien lifeform, for use in a bizarre mating ritual.
Posted on 2007 under Digital News, Science, Aero |
24
Dec
In a landmark launch that will supposedly “contribute to bridging the digital divide within Africa and between Africa and the rest of the world,” the continent’s first satellite successfully made it into orbit aboard a French-made rocket last night. The so-called RASCOM-QAF1 — named after the Regional African Satellite Communication Organization which is funding the venture — lifted off from the European space base in Kourou, French Guiana stowed inside an Ariane 5, the sixth such launch this year and 36th overall of that particular model, manufactured by Paris-based Arianespace. Read more… »
Posted on 2007 under Aero |
7
Nov
A couple of bold Swiss adventurers just unveiled a prototype of Solar Impulse, a carbon fiber solar-powered airplane they plan to fly around the world in 2011. The 3000-pound aircraft will have a wingspan that’s about the same as the Airbus A380, but instead of streaking around the globe at 560 mph, this one will poke along at a mere 40 mph. At that rate, it’ll take four weeks for it to carry its single passenger all the way around the planet.
The solar cells on the wings will Read more… »
Posted on 2007 under Aero |
23
Oct
A 24-year-old undergraduate from Nigeria is building helicopters out of old car and bike parts. Mubarak Muhammed Abdullahi, a physics student, spent eight months building the yellow model seen here, using the money he makes from repairing cellphones and computers. While some of the parts have been sourced from a crashed 747, the chopper contains all sorts of surprises.
The 12-meter-long aircraft, which has never flown above a height of seven feet, is powered by a secondhand 133 horsepower engine from a Honda Civic. In the basic cockpit there are two Toyota car seats, with a couple more in the cabin behind. Controls are simple, with an ignition button, an accelerator lever to control vertical thrust and a joystick that provides balance and bearing. A camera beneath the chopper connected to a small screen on the dash gives the pilot ground vision, and he communicates via a small transmitter. Read more… »