From: skunk-works-digest-owner@mail.orst.edu To: skunk-works-digest@mail.orst.edu Subject: Skunk Works Digest V5 #608 Reply-To: skunk-works-digest@mail.orst.edu Errors-To: skunk-works-digest-owner@mail.orst.edu Precedence: Skunk Works Digest Monday, 29 January 1996 Volume 05 : Number 608 In this issue: Re: "Aurora" over the UK - and B-2 trivia Re: KH (11-14) coverage -Reply Re: SR-71 fuel question Seeking pictures of re-activated SR-71s how to buy CIA documents, including CORONA report Re: Aurora pics Groom Lake Speculation Revisited Re: Pictures of Aurora ? Re: "Aurora" over the UK - and B-2 trivia WWW satellite tracking Pictures of Aurora - the 'truth' What's at Tonopah today? Re: ... B-2 trivia Re: Pictures of Aurora Re: Reactivated SR-71 Pictures Area 51 firsthand Re: SR-71 fuel question Loral Press Release a present to the list Aisan Aerospace 96 - and B-2 trivia 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: Mary Shafer Date: Fri, 26 Jan 1996 13:24:48 -0500 (EST) Subject: Re: "Aurora" over the UK - and B-2 trivia I believe the control surfaces on the B-2 are (or were) called "ruddevators" (although "reddevatervons" would be more accurate). However, they may have come out with something more euphonious by now. Regards, Mary Mary Shafer DoD #0362 KotFR shafer@ursa-major.spdcc.com URL http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/People/Shafer/mary.html Some days it don't come easy/And some days it don't come hard Some days it don't come at all/And these are the days that never end.... ------------------------------ From: MICHAEL WEATHERSBY Date: Fri, 26 Jan 1996 15:21:50 -0500 Subject: Re: KH (11-14) coverage -Reply >>>I'm sorry, that was irresistable. Chuck is entirely right about the gullability of Congress and other politicians. They're all lawyers, and think that the laws of physics can be amended with a voice vote. Mary, Mary, Mary... you mean that they can't??? :) ------------------------------ From: Mary Shafer Date: Fri, 26 Jan 1996 15:52:43 -0500 (EST) Subject: Re: SR-71 fuel question Blackbirds only burn JP-7 (and TEA/TEB, of course). I've never even heard it suggested that we use JP-8. JP-7 reminds me of 3-in-1 oil, but JP-8 is just kerosine, essentially. Regards, Mary Mary Shafer DoD #0362 KotFR shafer@ursa-major.spdcc.com URL http://www.dfrc.nasa.gov/People/Shafer/mary.html Some days it don't come easy/And some days it don't come hard Some days it don't come at all/And these are the days that never end.... On Tue, 23 Jan 1996, ALBERT DOBYNS wrote: > Hello Mary! > > Somewhere along the line I've become confused about the different jet > fuels. It seems like JP-8 is or already has become the fuel used for > most jets, but can the SR-71's burn JP-8? I feel like someon's note > implied that it could, but I want to find out from a person who is > currently involved with the Blackbirds. I don't know much about JP-8's > characteristics but I would think that if the Blackbirds can use it and > they use a chemical ignition system, then wouldn't all jets that burn > JP-8 have to have their fuel ignition systems changed. > > Sometimes it's very late at night when I go through my email and so > maybe part of my brain went to sleep while I was reading many posts. > I am inclined to believe that JP-7 is the only fuel that the Blackbirds > can use, but I've been wrong before (quite a few times!) Thanks in > advance for sorting it out for me. > -Al- > --- > ~ SLMR 2.1a ~ Unknown Error on Unknown Device for Unexplainable Reason. ------------------------------ From: Jeff H Clark Date: Fri, 26 Jan 1996 19:10:13 -0500 (EST) Subject: Seeking pictures of re-activated SR-71s Can anyone tell me where I can find a few pictures of the reactivated USAF SR-71s? Computer files would be fine, but I'd also like to know any print references. I have been kind of watching Aviation Week, but I haven't seen any pictures yet. I would have figured they'd be all over the place. Thanks, Jeff Clark jclark@freenet.scri.fsu.edu ------------------------------ From: TRADER@cup.portal.com Date: Fri, 26 Jan 96 15:48:51 PST Subject: how to buy CIA documents, including CORONA report Since a number of people have asked me how to get the CIA's 376 page history of the Corona spy satellite program (KH-1 to KH-4 series) I will post this information publicly. The Corona report, "Corona: America's First Satellite Program", 1995 can be purchased for $44.50 per copy plus $6.00 postage and handling from the address below. U.S. Department of Commerce National Technical Information Service 5285 Port Royal Road Springfield, VA 22161 USA telephone: (703) 487-4650 (Use NTIS Accession Number PB95-928007 to order this report) Hopefully, if you order, they will still have the nicely bound blue book version of this. If not, you'll get a photocopy. The $44.50 price is for the U.S., Canada, and Mexico -- the charge is $89.00 for countries outside NAFTA, and the postage is $8.00 per copy.) The CIA also has a videotape on CORONA -- here's the database entry: 1871002 NTIS Accession Number: AVA19783-VNB1/XAB Corona: Teamwork and Technology (Video) (Audiovisual) National Reconnaissance Office, Washington, DC. Corp. Source Codes: 111166000 c1995 VHS video Languages: English Journal Announcement: GRAI9522 Not cleared for TV. Copyrighted material. Cannot be reproduced for resale. This VHS video is 1/2 inch, color with playing time of 20 minutes. NTIS Prices: AV$45.00 Country of Publication: United States The 20 minute video documentary tells the story of Corona, America's first imaging-satellite reconnaissance program, declassified by President Clinton in February 1995. The video opens with a description of the Cold War climate which led President Eisenhower to establish the covert reconnaissance program in 1957. Through a series of interviews, the documentary reveals how early Corona pioneers overcame unprecedented technical challenges in developing such an innovative system. Viewers also learn of the extraordinary cooperation among the Air Force, CIA and industry which led to the program's success. Using archive film and animation sequences, the video demonstrates how the system worked, including launch of the satellite into space, imaging of the earth's surface and the mid-air recovery of exposed film as it returned to earth. Descriptors: *Video tapes; *Satellites; Reconnaissance; Imaging Identifiers: *Corona; Politico-military impacts; NTISAVNRO Section Headings: 84G (Space Technology--Unmanned Spacecraft) (items released in the last thirty days by NTIS can be found on Fedworld's free Web site, http://www.fedworld.gov . To search the full NTIS database, you need to go through a commercial database service, such as Dialog.) Another thing that I need to do is to subscribe to the CIA's infamous journal, "Studies in Intelligence". This generally requires that you open a deposit account for at least $100 with NTIS. The subscription number is PB95-928000. You can call the Subscription Section at (703) 487-4630 for more information. Having them automatically debit a deposit account to get "Studies in Intelligence" is somewhat cheaper than paying $27 for a single copy (about 140 pages) of the journal. Paul McGinnis / TRADER@cup.portal.com / PaulMcG@aol.com http://www.portal.com/~trader/secrecy.html ------------------------------ From: Brett Davidson Date: Sat, 27 Jan 1996 16:48:45 +1300 (NZDT) Subject: Re: Aurora pics I seem to remember seeing it _somewhere_ captioned as a "reconstruction" of the Gibson sighting. That may have been the original image, and it just snowballed from there, as such things tend to do amongst the aliens-abducted-me-and-took-samples-of-my-navel-lint fraternity. - --Brett ------------------------------ From: ConsLaw@aol.com Date: Sat, 27 Jan 1996 00:15:10 -0500 Subject: Groom Lake Speculation Revisited ALBERT DOBYNS wrote: >I am not sure why so many people have such strong beliefs that the area is used for various projects that include the use of UFOs of the extraterrestrial kind, not to mention the conspiracies they believe in. I think of it as a place located in an area that most people can't get close enough to find out what really goes on there. Several Skunk Works aircraft have used the facility in that area for test flights. In some cases, the first flight of a classified aircraft were flown from there. Other aircraft made there first flights elsewhere and then flew othere test flights from(to) the facility there.< Although I don't believe the UFO stories, I do understand why the Groom base raises such speculation. Two reasons: 1. It's huge 2. It has been kept secret for a long time. With thirty dormitories each 200 feet long, Groom can house a lot of people. This is at least as large an enterprise as Los Alamos was in World War II. (Granted though, most of the Manhatten Project money was not spent at Los Alamos, it was spent at Haneford, Oak Ridge and many other places all over the country.) What would justify an ongoing "Manhatten Project" type of program in PEACETIME for THIRTY YEARS? The Manhatten Project lasted less than five, and much of the secrecy was lifted at the end of the war. The cold war has been over for five years, yet if anything secrecy efforts are intensifying at Groom. Flying saucers are no more exotic to us in the late 1990s than atomic bombs were in the 1940s. There has been serious speculation on this list about the scientific possibility of anti-gravity propulsion. Of course people doubt whether it is possible, but similar doubts existed about nuclear power. The Groom Base was nothing when the U-2 was tested there, not much more when the SR-71 was tested. Much of the growth has occurred since the F-117 was tested there - the last semi-publicly acknowledged project. Reading between the lines of the Ben Rich book, flight testing of the U-2 and SR-71 took place with as few people around as possible. Flight testing does not take the kind of manpower they have at Groom, and flight testing is rarely consistent enough to justify the regular "Janet" flights of 737s servicing the base. Yes, they do flight testing there, but I don't think flight testing is the main enterprise. There is some kind of technology development there. Given that there are other top secret enterprises operated in large populated areas all over the country, areas with lower personnel & material costs, there must be some reason that they haul the people to that remote area (and pay the $ premium for the inconvenience). If you assume the work they're doing at Groom Lake 1) isn't flying saucers and 2) is something they can't do anywhere else, then I'm interested in what other people on the list speculate is the most active project there. (I believe it is probably chemical or biological weapons - in violation of treaties and international law, but I hope I'm wrong. The other probable alternative is that they are manufacturing RAM coatings which can't be manufactured anywhere where environmental laws are monitored. ) What do you think? If not flying saucers, what ARE they making at Groom? - - Steve Hofer aka Conslaw ------------------------------ From: Andrew Hutchings Date: Fri, 26 Jan 1996 11:09:32 +0000 Subject: Re: Pictures of Aurora ? > BTW I cannot remember the exact date when the "mystery plane" crashed at > Boscombe Down but I'm sure it was about this time. Could be a photo of this > aircraft. That was the 26th of September *1994*. Could be a clue to a big hoax !. Andy - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Andrew Hutchings Newcastle, UK _|___|_ | | | E-mail: andy@airnorth.demon.co.uk \ ATC / o | | WorldWideWeb: http://metro.turnpike.net/ \___/ \___-( )-___/ | | A/airnorth/index.html | | o o | - --------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ From: Wei-Jen Su Date: Sat, 27 Jan 1996 07:15:56 -0500 (EST) Subject: Re: "Aurora" over the UK - and B-2 trivia On Fri, 26 Jan 1996, Greg Fieser wrote: > this topic is that the B-2s have in fact been overseas several times on > "Power Projection" missions. The Paris airshow was one of these. The A/C > departed Whiteman AFB and flew non-stop to Paris, did a few touch-n-gos > and fly-bys, then returned to Whiteman (via the UK, I think). Other missions > have been to other countries/continents, including the UK. Again, this doesn't > mean you heard a B-2, but it definitely is possible. If I remember I read that mission of the B-2 in AW&ST. The B-2 flew first to Netherland I believe and drop some bomb there for practice and then flew non-stop to Paris Airshow. Landed for less than two hours only in Paris for security reason and then flew back to USA. May the Force be with you Su Wei-Jen E-mail: wsu02@barney.poly.edu ------------------------------ From: Andrew Lynch Date: Sat, 27 Jan 1996 08:22:59 -0800 Subject: WWW satellite tracking >From: Charles_E._Smith.wbst200@xerox.com >Date: Fri, 26 Jan 1996 05:43:25 PST >Subject: KH (11-14) coverage > [snip] > >Also- satellites are the most "unstealthy" aircraft in the arsenal. >They don`t fly low, they have BIG RCS`s, they emit EM out the kazoo. >They are visible to the naked eye, and anyone with a PC on the WWW ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ >can get a plot of where they are, and are going to be. Its nice >to know exactly when the people you`re hiding from will be looking >at you. > [snip] > >Chuck > >------------------------------ Chuck, Where? Thank you. Andrew Lynch ------------------------------ From: Ian Metson <100614.2154@compuserve.com> Date: 27 Jan 96 12:51:16 EST Subject: Pictures of Aurora - the 'truth' The March issue of 'Encounters' has just dropped through the postbox and includes an article which clears up the mystery of the triangular craft. The editor speaks... 'We bought the negative and......went to the Daily Mail offices with an interest to sell it on to the newspaper. The Mail blew up the negative to a large print. The picture desk expert said that the photo was a fake as the negative shows a frame around the actual photo, a shadow around it and what appears to be a raised curve and a 'blotchy appearance'. This post mortem resulted in The Mail kindly turning it down on the basis that it was probably a photo taken of another photo published in a newspaper or magazine.' 'Meanwhile, I received faxes from the public and UFO organisations indicating the truth about the picture. Soon after that, I received a fax from a Mr (Bill) Rose who is irate that we have used his picture without permission. It transpires that the picture of the UFO refuelling was in fact a simulated mock-up picture used as an illustration in the October edition of Astronomy Now magazine. We in turn upset Quest and Pole Star Publications who were involved with Bill. Oh dear. We goofed, we messed up, we jumped the gun.' There you are. They seem genuinely apologetic in the mag; but the increased sales of the 'fake triangle' issue should keep their publisher happy! Ian ------------------------------ From: "Earl Needham, KD5XB, in Clovis, NM" Date: Sat, 27 Jan 96 10:55 PST Subject: What's at Tonopah today? I'm wondering what's at Tonopah now. I think it's unlikely that a base like Tonapah would be built up as much as it was and then be shut down when the 117's moved out. Anybody got any ideas on what's there now? --You mean you've jumped...ROUNDS??!! (Overheard at the Clovis, NM DZ) (Of course, silly! Hasn't everyone?) Member Bonus Days Club since 1980 NeedhamE@3lefties.com ------------------------------ From: dick@smith.chi.il.us (Dick Smith) Date: Sat, 27 Jan 96 12:06:03 CST Subject: Re: ... B-2 trivia Mary Shafer wrote: > > I believe the control surfaces on the B-2 are (or were) called > "ruddevators" (although "reddevatervons" would be more accurate). > However, they may have come out with something more euphonious by now. I remember hearing them called "elevrons", but that was just in passing. I was once involved in, among other things, developing hydraulic test equipment for the aircraft at the factory, which doesn't bring you that close to people who actually fly the thing, and would therefore call stuff by its right (that is, operational) name. You are, Mary, certainly more likely to run into those. Unless we have someone on the list at Whiteman? Best, - -- Dick Smith dick@smith.chi.il.us Web page at: "http://www.rice.iit.edu/~rgrhs393/" DUFF: Yes, Danny Heap for DUFF! ------------------------------ From: "Art Hanley" Date: Sat, 27 Jan 1996 22:23:30 +0700 Subject: Re: Pictures of Aurora The "mystery plane" crashed at Boscombe Down the night of Sept 26, 1994. This is the plane that has been referred to as the "A-17",. This is thought to be a different aircraft from Aurora, and is postulated to be a stealthy strike or EW aircraft. Some sources have even speculated that there is no Aurora, and what people have been seeing are A-17s at altitude. I have a couple of BMP files made from scanned drawings of this aircraft. Unfortunately the original source is copyrighted, so I don't know if it's kosher to send them out here. However, if anyone can get Air Forces Monthly for February 1995, you'll be able to see good drawings there. Art ------------------------------ From: "Art Hanley" Date: Sat, 27 Jan 1996 22:54:33 +0700 Subject: Re: Reactivated SR-71 Pictures Jeff: Aside from pictures of Mary's birds, pictures of the reactivated birds were publsihed in the October, 1995 Aircraft Illustrated and the October/November 1995 Air Combat. Avitation Week published a picture of them undergoing refurbishment in the April 10, 1995 issue, and the Fall 1995 issue of World Airpower Journal showed the Air Force birds in storage and the delivery of NASA 832 to Palmdale. Art ------------------------------ From: Robert Christiansen Date: Sun, 28 Jan 1996 13:25:40 -0700 (MST) Subject: Area 51 firsthand I grew up in a town whose largest source of employment was the Nevada Test Site. We heard many intresting ideas and crazy theories about what Area 51 might be. A year or two ago the federal government aknowleged the exsistence of Area 51, but did not say what it was used for. Any reliable map of the Test Site shows a un labeled section on the western edge of the property. Verfication that this is Area 51 is impossible becausse of the extremely high amount of guns in one's face less than five minutes after they step across the line. Assuming one makes it that far in the first place. The only way this is on topic is if they test unknown (Aurora?) aircraft there and the security is to keep spies out. Robert Christiansen - --------------------------------------------- tip for the day: never eat a food whose ingredients you can pronounce R.C. - --------------------------------------------- ------------------------------ From: albert.dobyns@mwbbs.com (ALBERT DOBYNS) Date: Sun, 28 Jan 96 16:42:00 -0500 Subject: Re: SR-71 fuel question CC: shafer@ursa-major.spdcc.com MS> Date: Fri, 26 Jan 1996 15:52:43 -0500 (EST) > From: Mary Shafer > Subject: Re: SR-71 fuel question > To: ALBERT DOBYNS > Cc: SKUNK-WORKS@MAIL.ORST.EDU MS> Blackbirds only burn JP-7 (and TEA/TEB, of course). I know what 2 out of 3 of them are, but I don't know what TEA is. Could this be something similar to TEB? MS> I've never even heard it suggested that we use JP-8. JP-7 reminds me of > 3-in-1 oil, but JP-8 is just kerosine, essentially. Actually I can't remember why I thought there was a connection between JP-8 being a possible substitue for JP-7. I think I read various posts of the different jet fuels being used and made a connection that doesn't exist. There seemed to be so many variation of jet fuel that it reminded me of those old Sunoco gas stations where you could select the octane rating you wanted (or could afford). I think there were around 6 choices. It's been so long since I've seen one that I doubt if any still exist. Anyway thanks for clearing up my error. MS> Regards, > Mary Regards to you also, Al ps: did I tell you another Blackbird nut sent me a part that is used on my favorite plane? It's an odd shaped thing that is part of the "turkey-feathers" used to vary the exhaust nozzle area. I think it's made of titanium alloy, and it looks somewhat like stainless steel but it's very light weight. It doesn't look like it has been used so I assume it's a reject. It's still nice to have! - --- þ SLMR 2.1a þ "If You Can't Fly It, What Good Is It?" ------------------------------ From: Kathryn & Andreas Gehrs-Pahl Date: Mon, 29 Jan 1996 01:19:25 -0500 (EST) Subject: Loral Press Release Loral Federal Systems to upgrade USAF F-117A Stealth Fighter Computer OWEGO, N.Y. -- January 24, 1996 -- Loral Federal Systems-Owego, a division of Loral Corporation (NYSE:LOR), has been awarded a contract by Lockheed Advanced Development Company (LADC) for an AP-102A computer upgrade for the F-117A Stealth fighter. A total of five production phases, with a potential value of more than $10 million, is anticipated through the year 2000. [Either the contract dates back a while, or they missed the renaming to LMSW (Lockheed Martin Skunk Works.] The initial production lot and spare sets awarded to Loral is valued at $1.4 million and an additional increment of this upgrade activity will be awarded later this year. The AP-102A computer upgrade provides significant memory and performance enhancements, while reducing weight, minimizing power requirements and improving reliability and maintainability for the aircraft. Manufactured by Loral, the AP-102 computers were originally developed for the United States Air Force/Lockheed-Martin F-117 Stealth Fighter. The computers are used for flight control on-board a number of other aircraft currently in inventory throughout the world. The AP-102 computer provided a variety of aircraft control functions during Operation Desert Storm. Loral Federal Systems-Owego provides solutions in systems integration, program management, hardware and software development, manufacturing and logistics support for a variety of government, civilian and international customers. Loral Corporation, headquartered in New York City, is a high-technology company that primarily concentrates in defense electronics, communications, systems integration and space. On January 8, 1996, Loral Corporation and Lockheed Martin Corporation (NYSE:LMT) announced an agreement regarding Lockheed Martin's intent to acquire Loral's defense electronics and systems integration businesses, which include Loral Federal Systems-Owego. - -- Andreas - --- --- Andreas & Kathryn Gehrs-Pahl E-Mail: schnars@ais.org 313 West Court St. #305 or: gpahl@raptor.csc.flint.umich.edu Flint, MI 48502-1239 Tel: (810) 238-8469 WWW URL: http://www.umcc.umich.edu/~schnars/ - --- --- ------------------------------ From: "Art Hanley" Date: Sun, 28 Jan 1996 23:09:13 +0700 Subject: a present to the list This doesn't directly bear on any topic discussed here, but might be helpful to those bouncing around the web. I've started using a (free) search engine that is by far the best I've ever seen. It's run by Digital Equipment Corporation (with which I have no relationship, in case you're curious). The URL is www.altavista.digital.com. There is serious horsepower behind this engine. While I have a T-1 at work, I'm using a 14.4 modem here. Yet it comes up and is ready to take queries in less ten seconds from the time you tell your browser to find its address. It found both of Mary's web pages in about 5 seconds {Eunuch??!!!???), tons of links to Aurora (the mystery one) in about 10 and at least a thousand links to the SR-71 in about 7, only a few of which referred to State Route 71 here in California. Actually, it found over 2,000 links but I haven't checked most of them yet so who knows what they refer to. I should have asked for SR-71 aircraft. Aurora took longer because it had to search for Aurora, hypersonic and aircraft. Of course it hot-links you to whatever it finds. I'm not putting in a plug per se, just passing this on as a useful research tool. It is much faster and more extensive than Yahoo and Lycos (even the new one), at least for now. Art ------------------------------ From: pytan@singnet.com.sg (Tan Ping Yee) Date: Mon, 29 Jan 1996 18:10:30 +0800 Subject: Aisan Aerospace 96 - and B-2 trivia > > >On Fri, 26 Jan 1996, Greg Fieser wrote: >> this topic is that the B-2s have in fact been overseas several times on >> "Power Projection" missions. The Paris airshow was one of these. The A/C >> departed Whiteman AFB and flew non-stop to Paris, did a few touch-n-gos >> and fly-bys, then returned to Whiteman (via the UK, I think). Other missions >> have been to other countries/continents, including the UK. Again, this doesn't >> mean you heard a B-2, but it definitely is possible. > > If I remember I read that mission of the B-2 in AW&ST. The B-2 >flew first to Netherland I believe and drop some bomb there for practice >and then flew non-stop to Paris Airshow. Landed for less than two hours >only in Paris for security reason and then flew back to USA. > The B-2 will be making its Asian debut next week here in sunny Singapore on the opening day of Asian Aerospace 96. According to press report, it will be flown from Guam and will stop for 1.5 hrs to allow for a change of crew. _ Tan Ping Yee _ pytan@singnet.com.sg _ http://www.singnet.com.sg/~pytan ------------------------------ End of Skunk Works Digest V5 #608 ********************************* 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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