From: skunk-works-digest-owner@mail.orst.edu To: skunk-works-digest@mail.orst.edu Subject: Skunk Works Digest V5 #491 Reply-To: skunk-works-digest@mail.orst.edu Errors-To: skunk-works-digest-owner@mail.orst.edu Precedence: bulk Skunk Works Digest Tuesday, 31 October 1995 Volume 05 : Number 491 In this issue: Re: Re[2]: Report: U.S. May Use Big Blimp Re: Re[2]: Report: U.S. May Use Big Blimp Re: GPS Re[2]: Report: U.S. May Use Big Blimp Suicide injection for spy pilots Re: Re[2]: Report: U.S. May Use Big Blimp See the end of the digest for information on subscribing to the skunk-works or skunk-works-digest mailing lists and on how to retrieve back issues. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- From: Greg Fieser Date: Mon, 30 Oct 1995 15:56:44 -0600 Subject: Re: Re[2]: Report: U.S. May Use Big Blimp Okay, okay - I'm not an aeronautical engineer either, but I am a mechanical engineer, so... here goes (in layman's terms, I hope). The structure that is the blimp/baloon/aerostat/whatever is heavier than air. When that structure is filled with a gas, be it helium or hot air or gaseous silly putty, the combination of the structure and the gas can "weigh" less than the equivalent volume of ambient air/atmosphere it displaces (thank you, Mr. Boyle). Actually, for the altitude of the "blimp" to remain constant, the blimp+gas and the displaced atmosphere must be equal in weight (I'm deliberately avoiding any mass/weight comparisons here). This "equal" idea only applies when the airspeed of the craft is at/near zero, i.e. no lift being generated by the structure (courtesy of Mr. Bernoulli). It's the same theory that makes big heavy boats float in the ocean - their displacement/draft has to do with the density of the medium, be it water or air. I hope this isn't too simplistic, but it should help some of our non-aero's comprehend phrases like "lighter than air"... Greg Fieser (since I am self-employed, the views expressed ARE those of my employer...) ------------------------------ From: Greg Fieser Date: Mon, 30 Oct 1995 16:32:12 -0600 Subject: Re: Re[2]: Report: U.S. May Use Big Blimp Okay, okay - I'm not an aeronautical engineer either, but I am a mechanical engineer, so... here goes (in layman's terms, I hope). The structure that is the blimp/balloon/aerostat/whatever is heavier than air. When that structure is filled with a gas, be it helium or hot air or gaseous silly putty, the combination of the structure and the gas can "weigh" less than the equivalent volume of ambient air/atmosphere it displaces (thank you, Mr. Boyle). Actually, for the altitude of the "blimp" to remain constant, the blimp+gas and the displaced atmosphere must be equal in weight (I'm deliberately avoiding any mass/weight comparisons here). This "equal" idea only applies when the airspeed of the craft is at/near zero, i.e. no lift being generated by the structure (courtesy of Mr. Bernoulli). It's the same theory that makes big heavy boats float in the ocean - their displacement/draft has to do with the density of the medium, be it water or air. I hope this isn't too simplistic, but it should help some of our non-aero's comprehend phrases like "lighter than air"... Greg Fieser (since I am self-employed, the views expressed ARE those of my employer...) ------------------------------ From: Greg Fieser Date: Mon, 30 Oct 1995 16:50:32 -0600 Subject: Re: GPS > synchronized to UTC (Universal Time Coordinated). Since then, planet earth > slowed down its rotation, and UTC was corrected. GPS time wasn't, so we have > to take into account this shift. It is transmitted as a piece of information > contained inside the satellite signal, and today it's equal to 10 seconds. A > further second is expected on December, 31st, 1995. Ah, that explains it! Without going into detail, I worked on a project where our "device" got a time sync off the 1 PPS (pulse per second) signal from GPS satellites. No big deal, then our customer-san stated we needed to account for "leap-seconds"! We had some trouble understanding this requirement, largely due to a language barrier with our customer... They wanted us to correlate with a time source that could add/subtract one second every six months in order to maintain synchronization. Greg Fieser (since I am self-employed, these views ARE those of my employer...) ------------------------------ From: BaDge Date: Mon, 30 Oct 1995 18:01:48 -0500 (EST) Subject: Re[2]: Report: U.S. May Use Big Blimp Is it time for my Stealth Blimp repost again??? Once you think of a craft navigating the air as though it were in a fluid, it's pretty easy to understand Blimpology. I'm not kidding about the stealth blimp. The article I have is from the '80s, from one of the west coast newspapers. regards, ________ BaDge ------------------------------ From: Wei-Jen Su Date: Mon, 30 Oct 1995 20:52:31 -0500 (EST) Subject: Suicide injection for spy pilots Sorry if I often anyone the following topic... I heard that pilots for U-2 and SR-71 always have with them a suicide injection just in case they were surround by enemies... It is true?? And if it is true, Gary Power suppose to use when he was shoot down in URSS but he didn't... May the Force be with you Su Wei-Jen E-mail: wsu02@barney.poly.edu ------------------------------ From: hoar@agdis01.newark.af.mil ( Stephen Hoar) Date: Tue, 31 Oct 95 01:38:10 -0500 Subject: Re: Re[2]: Report: U.S. May Use Big Blimp In your message of 30 Oct 1995 at 1832 EST, you write: > Okay, okay - I'm not an aeronautical engineer either, but I am a mechanical > engineer, so... here goes (in layman's terms, I hope). > > You guys still don't get it. It all works by magic. All you have to do is stand at the departure end of the runway and watch tons and tons of metal lift into the air with a great noise to realize tha there is powerful magic here. Look at what happens. A great metal device is formed.The true believers in the faith go inside the massive metal temple. People in dark clothing go into the altar chamber, open their prayer books and begin to read aloud pages of incantations. Outside the menials pour special conctions of liquid into the temple. If the right prayers have been offered the beast roars his satisfactions and the priests at the altar hear approving words from the gods at ATC. Then with a great noise and the sound of a thunderclap, the devotees of the faith Aviation are lifted into the air and are transported to wonderous locations. It all works as long as the inhabitants of the temple believe. All it takes is one worshiper to doubt then the magic ends and the great temple falls from the heavens and the temple with all within are dashed to the earth. Mere mortals are not privy to the priestly books of prayer as they are not initiates of the temple language of jargon. You cannot deceive the priests in their prayer spires of tower or dark dungeons of traffic control as they all receive their enlightment from the all seeing demons eye of radar. A pox on all you worshipers of the false faith of engineering. The magic faith of religions only works because we believe! ------------------------------ End of Skunk Works Digest V5 #491 ********************************* To subscribe to skunk-works-digest, send the command: subscribe skunk-works-digest in the body of a message to "majordomo@mail.orst.edu". 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