From owner-skunk-works-digest@netwrx1.com Wed Feb 26 16:51:19 2003 Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2003 15:39:42 -0600 From: skunk-works-digest Reply-To: skunk-works@netwrx1.com To: skunk-works-digest@netwrx1.com Subject: skunk-works-digest V12 #1 skunk-works-digest Wednesday, February 26 2003 Volume 12 : Number 001 Index of this digest by subject: *************************************************** C-5 sounds Re: Goin' high and fast: ISINGLASS, SCIENCE DAWN and beyond Re: SR-71 moved to outside storage. Re: Goin' high and fast: ISINGLASS, SCIENCE DAWN and beyond Strange contrail story Re: Strange contrail story Re: Strange contrail story? Slow day Re: Slow day RE: Slow day Santa Beetle Bailey Re: Beetle Bailey A-12 imagery of USS Pueblo in captivity Desert Storm air campaign Re: Sonic Boom over Baghdad Early Warning Dragon Lady Packages Two bits o' news New SR-71 Book Re: New SR-71 Book Re: New SR-71 Book F-117 Dragon Lady Down Re: Dragon Lady Down UK realfast plane concepts, 1950s Tu-22 in Zaire Morph us out of here, Scotty! Space Shuttle Columbia lost on Reentry NOVA show on F-35 NASA's ER-2 in use.. *************************************************** ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 2 Dec 2002 08:55:03 -0800 (PST) From: David Lednicer Subject: C-5 sounds Part of the reason that the C-5 engines sound so wierd is that they are the only turbofans with "1.5 stage" fans. Most turbofan engines have a single row of fan blades (called a "fan stage"), followed by a high pressure compressor. On the C-5, there are two rows of fan blades, but the first row is really wierd - the outer half is fixed and only the inner half rotates. Hence, the wake off the fixed part produces interesting acoustics when it hits the rotating row behind it. -David Lednicer ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 02 Dec 2002 21:20:41 -0500 From: John Szalay Subject: Re: Goin' high and fast: ISINGLASS, SCIENCE DAWN and beyond At 09:43 PM 12/1/02 -0600, you wrote: >http://hypersonic2002.aaaf.asso.fr/papers/17_5143.pdf > >Anyone know more about ISINGLASS? All I could find.. http://www.blackbirds.net/sr71/successortou2.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 02 Dec 2002 18:25:11 -0800 From: Art Hanley Subject: Re: SR-71 moved to outside storage. Jon wrote: > > SR-71 # 971 was towed to outside storage last week, after having the wings > removed. It will stay in its current location until spring, 2003, when it > will be transported by truck to the Evergreen Aviation Museum in the state > of Oregon. These pictures were taken by Doug Nelson, Director of the AFFTC > Museum @ Edwards AFB. > > http://home.earthlink.net/~cur8mach/index.htm > > PJ [sigh] Oh well. At least we can rest assured in the knowledge that the N. Koreans weren't hiding a nuclear capability all those years where our systems couldn't see it, Saddam Hussein allowed U-2s to fly wherever they wanted and... oh wait a minute....never mind. Art ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 2 Dec 2002 20:32:16 -0600 From: "thomsona" Subject: Re: Goin' high and fast: ISINGLASS, SCIENCE DAWN and beyond > >Anyone know more about ISINGLASS? > > All I could find.. > > http://www.blackbirds.net/sr71/successortou2.html Yes. Apparently FISH, KINGFISH, ISINGLASS and RHEINBERRY were all part of a loose sequence. It would be interesting to see if there are pictures of the ISINGLASS/RHEINBERRY large-scale mock-up around. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2002 00:11:42 +0000 From: Adrian Mann Subject: Strange contrail story Hi All, I came across this recently at space.com - but I haven't heard anyhting else of it or seen a follow-up - anyone know anything else? November 28 Curious Contrail: What was it? Late Wednesday the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) received unverified reports of what appeared to be a contrail of unknown origin in the vicinity of the Turks and Caicos Islands in the Caribbean. Initially, it was reported to be heading northwestward toward the United States. Commercial airline pilots later reported the contrail over Florida and later over Indiana. Thereafter, no other sightings were reported. In a Pentagon-released statement Thursday, it was noted that NORAD scrambled fighter aircraft from several bases in an attempt to intercept and identify the source of the contrail. No visual or confirmed radar contact was made with the source of the contrail. NORAD continues to investigate these reports. NORAD is coordinating with the FAA to determine any further information on the nature of these reports, the Pentagon statement said. ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 9 Dec 2002 20:35:00 -0600 From: "thomsona" Subject: Re: Strange contrail story > NORAD is coordinating with the FAA to determine any further information on > the nature of these reports, the Pentagon statement said. > It should have shown up on various metsat pictures. Has anyone checked? ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 10 Dec 2002 07:08:32 EST From: SecretJet@aol.com Subject: Re: Strange contrail story? In a message dated 10/12/02 00:13:13 GMT Standard Time, aemann@blueyonder.co.uk writes: << I haven't heard anyhting else of it or seen a follow-up - anyone know anything else? >> Sadly Nothing heard - Yet... (Seems like a true 'Unknown'!) - ------------------ Clear Skies! Bill Turner, B-T 'Admin'. http://www.secretjet.net Black-Triangle E-Group HQ. Near London Heathrow, UK. http://members.aol.com/BlackTriangles/index.html - ----------------------------------------------------------------- Trust No-One! - ----------------------------------------------------------------- http://members.aol.com/Secretjet/Links.html Black-Triangle Links ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 13 Dec 2002 21:33:21 -0500 From: John Szalay Subject: Slow day Since things seem to be slow on the list. a little media coverage.. U2 spy plane takes pit stop at Hickam http://starbulletin.com/2002/12/13/news/story11.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Dec 2002 12:56:29 -0800 From: Art Hanley Subject: Re: Slow day John Szalay wrote: > > Since things seem to be slow on the list. > a little media coverage.. > > U2 spy plane takes pit stop at Hickam > > http://starbulletin.com/2002/12/13/news/story11.html Well, here's some news... The following information is the latest on the new film "Heavy Metal-Blackbird Stealth" to be aired on the History Channel: A new film produced by Flashback Television for the History Channel will be first aired in the United States on December 15, 2002 at 8PM (ET/PT). The title is: "Heavy Metal-Blackbird Stealth". Many former SR-71 crewmembers were interviewed by Flashback Television in June of 2002. Some of the personnel included: Pat Halloran; Bob Murphy; Jim Shelton; Robbie Robertson; Don Emmons; Terry Pappas; Bob Gilliland; Reggie Blackwell; Brian Shul, Leland Haynes and others. Dates and times of airing have been confirmed by the History Channel. Access the History Channel at this URL: http://www.historychannel.com/index2.html ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 14 Dec 2002 21:00:55 -0000 From: "Gavin Payne" Subject: RE: Slow day Does anyone know much about these stopovers? We sometimes get them near me calling by but wondered if there was any logic to the timings! - -----Original Message----- From: owner-skunk-works@netwrx1.com [mailto:owner-skunk-works@netwrx1.com] On Behalf Of John Szalay Sent: 14 December 2002 02:33 To: skunk-works@netwrx1.com Subject: Slow day Since things seem to be slow on the list. a little media coverage.. U2 spy plane takes pit stop at Hickam http://starbulletin.com/2002/12/13/news/story11.html ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 16:03:30 -0500 From: John Szalay Subject: Santa http://www.af.mil/news/Dec2002/121802344.shtml A Stealthy Christmas Have A Stealthy Christmas! 'Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the skies, Air defenses were up, with electronic eyes. Combat pilots were nestled in ready-room beds, As enemy silhouettes danced in their heads. Every jet on the apron, each SAM in its tube, Was triply-redundant linked to the Blue Cube, And ELINT and AWACS gave coverage so dense, That nothing that flew could slip through our defense. When out of the klaxon arose such a clatter, I dashed to the screen to see what was the matter, I dialed up the gain and then quick as a flash, Fine-adjusted the filters to damp out the hash. And there found the source of the warning we'd heeded, An incoming blip, by eight escorts preceded. "Alert status red!" went the word down the wire, As we gave every system the codes that meant "FIRE"! On Aegis! Up Patriot, Phalanx and Hawk! And scramble our fighters -- let's send the whole flock! Launch decoys and missiles! Use chaff by the yard! Get the kitchen sink up! Call the National Guard! They turned toward the target, moved toward it, converged, Till the tracks on the radar all finally merged, And the sky was lit up with a demonic light, As the foe met his fate in the high arctic night. So we sent out some recon to look for debris, Yet all that they found, both on land and on sea, Were some toys, a red hat, a charred left leather boot, Broken sleighbells, white hair, and a deer's parachute. Now it isn't quite Christmas, with Saint Nick shot down. There are unhappy kids in each village and town. For the Spirit of Christmas can't hope to evade, All the web of defenses we've carefully made. Just look how the gadgets we use to protect us, In other ways alter, transform, and affect us. They keep us from things that make life more worth living, Like love for each other, and thoughts of just giving. But a crash program's on: Working hard, night and day, All the elves are constructing a radar-proof sleigh. So let's wait for next Christmas, in cheer and in health, For the future has hope: Santa's coming by stealth! ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 17:27:24 -0500 From: John Szalay Subject: Beetle Bailey Anyone else notice the Beetle Bailey comic strip in to-day's paper ? Stealth Related.. :-) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 16:36:42 -0600 From: "thomsona" Subject: Re: Beetle Bailey > Anyone else notice the Beetle Bailey comic strip in > to-day's paper ? > > Stealth Related.. :-) I couldn't see what they were talking about. :-) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 19 Dec 2002 17:09:28 -0600 From: "thomsona" Subject: A-12 imagery of USS Pueblo in captivity Of historical interest: http://www.globalsecurity.org/intell/library/imint/pueblo-imagery-1.htm ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 28 Dec 2002 13:50:08 -0500 From: "James P. Stevenson" Subject: Desert Storm air campaign There is an interesting book on the air campaign in Desert Storm at this link: http://www.rossperry.com/operation_desert_storm.html Jim Stevenson ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Dec 2002 18:55:53 EST From: MELUMAN@aol.com Subject: Re: Sonic Boom over Baghdad (Boom reported today, 12/29/02, by CNN) Supercruise reconnaisance? (Prize for the guy who identifies the A/C) M. Loufek ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 29 Dec 2002 19:42:52 -0500 From: John Szalay Subject: Early Warning Just an very early TV warning. VERY early... Kelly Johnson worked on Lockheed's P-38 in the early days. Glacier Girl is a P-38 that was abandoned on the Greenland icecap in 1942, recovered a few years ago. and restored to flying condition. We have followed the restoration over the years with many visits to Middlesboro KY. We were there for the first engine start, and had the honor of being there for the first flight in Sept. The History channel has filmed a lot of the process and sent film crews for the flight. A history of the project with film of the first flight from the ground & from the air, That show is set to air on the History Channel. on March 3,2003 at 9:00PM EST. Heck of a project............. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 11 Jan 2003 23:16:05 -0000 From: "Gavin Payne" Subject: Dragon Lady Packages Can anyone tell me if Senior Spur configs can still be seen in use? ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 12 Jan 2003 13:20:07 -0800 From: Art Hanley Subject: Two bits o' news Col. Richard Graham, who wrote the excellent SR-71 Revealed: The Inside Story has edited "SR-71 Blackbird, Stories Tales and Legends", ISBN 0-7603-1142-0. It's a number of reminisces of various crews throughout the program and makes great reading for those familiar with the program. Some of those are of the years of close down and depict some of the bureaucratic shenanigans that went on ( ala 'You can't say that, it makes the plane look good'). Major Mike Zimmerman confirms the rumor that on Sept 13, 2001 the Pentagon queried whether it was possible to bring the plane back. According to him (and he's in the position to know), the answer was yes. Of course after that the assets have been dealt with in a way to insure that won't happen. I suspect that his career is now pretty much over. Second note: ON Feb 4, PBS' Nova program is presently scheduled to do an hour on the JSF selection. Aside from the planes themselves, JSF turned out to be one of the very few true tactical fixed wing flyoffs of the last 45 years. You basically have the F8U-3/F4H, F-16/F-17, A-9/A-10, JSF and that's about it. The Nova team was one of a very few groups of people that were allowed access to both teams, so if this report is objective it should make for good viewing. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/xplanes/ Art Art ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 09:07:40 -0600 From: "Robert S. Hopkins, III" Subject: New SR-71 Book FYI--- Yet another SR-71 book has been released, this one from Aerofax by Jim Goodall and Jay Miller. If you haven't been buying any Sled books lately for fear of repetition, don't pass this one by. This book is full of new material, and includes excellent photos and discussion of KINGFISH and other early stuff, and has proposal drawings of a tanker version (KSR-71?) and a CARRIER BASED version of the SR-71 (complete with JATO bottles and tail hook). Definitely worth adding to the collection. Robert Hopkins p.s. DISCLAIMER --- Jay is a good friend of mine, but I wouldn't hold that against him! :) ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 13 Jan 2003 20:48:26 -0800 From: Art Hanley Subject: Re: New SR-71 Book I haven't seen this book yet, but I've been eagerly awaiting it. If it's the one I'm thinking of, it's title is "Lockheed's SR-71 Blackbird Family, and the ISBN is 1857801385 $24.95, I think. Art "Robert S. Hopkins, III" wrote: > > FYI--- > > Yet another SR-71 book has been released, this one from Aerofax by > Jim Goodall and Jay Miller. If you haven't been buying any Sled books > lately for fear of repetition, don't pass this one by. > > This book is full of new material, and includes excellent photos and > discussion of KINGFISH and other early stuff, and has proposal > drawings of a tanker version (KSR-71?) and a CARRIER BASED version of > the SR-71 (complete with JATO bottles and tail hook). > > Definitely worth adding to the collection. > > Robert Hopkins > > p.s. DISCLAIMER --- Jay is a good friend of mine, but I wouldn't hold > that against him! :) ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 14 Jan 2003 07:45:46 -0800 From: Joy Subject: Re: New SR-71 Book At 08:48 PM 1/13/03 -0800, you wrote: > I haven't seen this book yet, but I've been eagerly awaiting it. If >it's the one I'm thinking of, it's title is "Lockheed's SR-71 Blackbird >Family, and the ISBN is 1857801385 $24.95, I think. I had a chance to speak with Jim Goodall a month or so back and from what he described, it's got a lot of new material. Makes me wonder where it all came from, out of curiosity's sake. (Though I myself have a nice selection of Nighthawk detail shots from Holloman that need a new home. Anyone putting together a new book on the 117? I've got some Aerophile, Replica in Scale and Lockheed Horizons, for that matter.) Jim, btw, is currently involved with the restoration of a DeHavilland Comet in Washington State. Perhaps we'll see something on that bird, too. Joy "Ne imeyi sto rubleyi a imeyi sto druzeyi." ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 25 Jan 2003 12:27:43 -0800 (PST) From: Wei-Jen Su Subject: F-117 Hello, since the list is slow, I was wondering why I don't hear any news of F-117 sending to the Middle East with the current build up for possible confrontation with Iraq? I know the B-2 may be base in Diego de Garcia, but not news of F-117. Do you think that Iraq got technology and experience transfer from Serbia since they shoot down a F-117 and damage another one in the air during Kosovo war? Or they just want to keep it quiet? May the Force be with you Wei-Jen Su E-mail: wsu@caltech.edu - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting" Sun Tzu, The Art of War ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 10:09:12 -0000 From: "Gavin Payne" Subject: Dragon Lady Down http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/01/26/skorea.crash/index.html ------------------------------ Date: Sun, 26 Jan 2003 15:07:54 -0500 From: John Szalay Subject: Re: Dragon Lady Down At 10:09 AM 1/26/03 +0000, you wrote: >http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/asiapcf/east/01/26/skorea.crash/index.html of Tail number appears to be 80-095 and MAY be #80-1095 as listed on John Stones site http://search.news.yahoo.com/search/news?p=U-2&c=news_photos http://www.blackbirds.net/u2/u2local.html ------------------------------ Date: Mon, 27 Jan 2003 12:58:29 -0600 From: "thomsona" Subject: UK realfast plane concepts, 1950s http://www.skomer.u-net.com/projects/or330.htm ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 07:50:15 -0600 From: "thomsona" Subject: Tu-22 in Zaire I got this query forwarded from another list, and thought someone here might know some of the details. My very vague memory of the incident is that the Tu-22 was operated by Libya, but that might not be right. TIA - ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Does anyone on this list know where I might find info on the case of a Soviet Tu-22 Blinder bomber, outfitted as a recce aircraft, that crashed in the Zaire jungle, allegedly in the 1979 timeframe? The aircraft, together with sensitive intelligence-related materials was supposedly recovered by the CIA not long after it went down. Any data or suggested source-books would be much appreciated. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 28 Jan 2003 16:05:04 -0600 From: "thomsona" Subject: Morph us out of here, Scotty! Slow times, so http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jan2003/c01242003_ct036-03.html HyPerComp, Westlake Village, Calif., is being awarded a $9,591,266 cost-plus fixed-fee contract to provide for the next generation aircraft morphing structures program to provide research and development to develop morphing wing designs whose geometric parameters (wing area, aspect ration, sweet[sic], twist, dihedral) can be significantly varied to provide optimal performance at drastically different flight conditions. HyPerComp Inc., will perform this effort in Westlake Village and NexGen Aeronautics, Inc., Rancho Palos Village, Calif. At this time, $700,000 of the funds has been obligated. Further funds will be obligated as individual delivery orders are issued. This work will be completed by October 2005. Solicitation began September 2001 and negotiations were completed in December 2002. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio (F33615-02-C-3257). Lockheed Martin Corp., Palmdale, Calif., is being awarded a $9,288,304 cost-plus fixed-fee contract to provide for the morphing aircraft structures program will develop and demonstrate technologies required for a seamless, aerodynamically efficient, aerial vehicles capable of radical shape change. At this time, $1,125,000 of the funds has been obligated. Further funds will be obligated as individual delivery orders are issued. This work will be complete by November 2006. Solicitation began September 2001 and negotiations were completed January 2003. The Air Force Research Laboratory, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, is the contracting activity (F33615-02-C-3258). ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 01 Feb 2003 11:48:35 -0600 From: George Kasica Subject: Space Shuttle Columbia lost on Reentry Condolences to all the Families and NASA personnel on this sad day. I and Rachel knew one of the crew slightly, the MD from Racine WI was a class mate of Rachel's in HS/College. George ===[George R. Kasica]=== +1 262 677 0766 Skunk-Works ListOwner +1 206 374 6482 FAX http://www.netwrx1.com/georgek Jackson, WI USA georgek@netwrx1.com ICQ #12862186 Digest Issues at: http://www.netwrx1.com/skunk-works/ S L O W E R T R A F F I C K E E P R I G H T tm / \ / \ _/ ___ \_ ________/ \_______/V!V\_______/ \_______ \__/ \___/ \__/ www.habu.org The OnLine Blackbird Museum ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 04 Feb 2003 10:13:52 -0500 From: "James P. Stevenson" Subject: NOVA show on F-35 This may turn out to be a good overview. I haven9t seen it but they interviewed me. Jim - ------------------------------------------------------------------------ February 4, 2003 Workhorse Warplanes and a $200 Billion Bill By THOM SHANKER If all the departments, agencies and bureaus that make up the United States government, none is so much like an ancient Greek city-state as the Pentagon, in that it makes budgets and it makes war. On television scant attention is given the former s except during the annual budget roll-out of proposed federal spending, under way in Washington this week, while the drama of armed combat holds undeniable visual appeal. The producers of the acclaimed "Nova" documentary series on PBS made a courageous decision, then, in devoting their efforts to a detailed inquiry into how the Defense Department spends hundreds of billions of dollars. Tonight's case study examines a jet-fighter program that is expected to be the most lucrative contract in military history. "Battle of the X-Planes" tracks a five-year dogfight for dollars, a competition for the $200 billion contract to build the Joint Strike Fighter, envisioned as a workhorse warplane that could be fielded in larger numbers than the more sophisticated F-22. With the F-22's greatest vulnerability its cost, the documentary argues that "the spreadsheet is mightier than the sword." The Pentagon pushed the aerospace industry to build the Joint Strike Fighter as a one-size-fits-all warplane to replace aging jets of the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. The requirements? Evade radar. Include the newest electronics. Fly faster than sound. Be sturdy enough to land on a carrier deck for the Navy, yet graceful enough to hover like a helicopter and gently land straight down on unimproved runways used by frontline marines. Two very different companies made the finals, and they offered the Pentagon two very different designs. Boeing, best known in the commercial air fleet, built its military offering with a delta-shaped wing, looking for a "signature advantage" over Lockheed Martin's more traditional fighter design. But Lockheed Martin, whose Skunk Works in the California desert has given birth to generations of famous American warplanes, created a radical new system of internal fans to meet the need for short takeoff and vertical landing. The Pentagon announced the winner of the Joint Strike Fighter contract in October 2001. (Stop reading here if you don't want to know who won.) But to avoid spoiling the surprise for those outside the weapons world who didn't hear of Lockheed Martin's victory, the documentary maintains the tension with MTV-style quick cuts and the image of a general strolling along with the contract decision under lock and key. There was no need for false drama. The program illustrates a world of vicious procurement Darwinism in which natural bureaucratic selection dealt a death blow to one of America's most famous industrial names, the McDonnell Douglas Corporation, which failed to make the final cut. Within two years it was sold to Boeing. During the fighter competition Lockheed Martin was troubled by financial management questions, and Boeing was temporarily shut down by a strike. "Nova" received insider access to all the right people with all the right stuff: Pentagon program directors and corporate heavyweights, engineers, designers, computer wonks and of course swaggering test pilots. Even in this high-tech world, superstition survives. Whenever a hand-built Lockheed Martin experimental jet makes its maiden flight, the test pilot carries away the wallets and keys of the production team, a mutual compact that the aircraft will make it up and down without ending in a fireball. It is all but impossible not to share the giddiness felt by the two corporate teams when their jets slip into the skies for the first time, and safely. There is one significant omission in the narrative. America's new national security strategy moves the nation away from decades in which it shaped and sized the military to counter specific enemies, whether the old Soviet Union or the new China or a rogue leader in North Korea or Iraq. Today's military is organizing and training and equipping itself based not on these traditional assessments of who might pose the threat, but to deter and, if necessary, destroy the capabilities that may be possessed by any enemy, known or unanticipated. But the program gives no discussion to explaining how the Joint Strike Fighter, now renamed the F-35, fits into the new American strategy. That criticism aside, the program is a thorough introduction to Pentagon procurement. Every taxpayer in America can benefit from spending two hours watching "Battle of the X-Planes." At the end they will better understand how the Pentagon is going to spend their $200 billion. And that's real money. NOVA Battle of the X-Planes On most PBS stations tonight (check local listings) A co-production of Nova with Myth Merchant Films for WGBH, Boston. Executive producer, Paula S. Apsell; produced by Michael Jorgensen. Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company | Permissions | Privacy Policy ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2003 16:38:08 -0500 From: John Szalay Subject: NASA's ER-2 in use.. Michael Braukus Headquarters, Washington Feb. 26, 2003 (Phone: 202/358-1979) Fred Johnsen Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. (Phone: 661/276-2998) RELEASE: 03-079 NASA RESEARCH AIRCRAFT SEARCHES COLUMBIA'S PATH FOR DEBRIS A NASA high-altitude research aircraft flew over portions of the Space Shuttle Columbia's flight path Saturday. NASA's ER-2 used special cameras to search for debris that may have separated from Columbia as it returned to Earth Feb. 1. Columbia disintegrated over the western United States during its descent, and investigators are collecting debris in an effort to determine the cause of the accident. The ER-2 is similar to U.S. Air Force U-2 reconnaissance aircraft. NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards, Calif., operates a pair of ER-2s for earth and environmental science missions. Saturday's seven-hour flight was flown at 40,000 feet over parts of western Texas. Imagery obtained during the flight is being studied to determine if it can show the location of Shuttle debris. To help searchers analyze the imagery, various samples of debris (not from Columbia) were placed on the ER-2's flight path for comparison purposes. Anyone who finds material, suspected to be from the Shuttle, is urged to avoid contact, because it may be hazardous due to fuel residue. Report possible debris by calling, toll-free: 1-866/446-6603. Shuttle material may not look like typical aircraft components. Pictures of examples of Shuttle debris may be viewed on the Internet at: www.nasa.gov/columbia/COL_debris_pix.html All debris is U.S. government property and may be critical to the investigation of the mishap. Debris from the accident should be left in place and reported to Government authorities. Unauthorized persons found in possession of accident debris will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Photos of the NASA ER-2 aircraft are available, in high resolution suitable for publication, in the Gallery section of the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center Web site at: www.dfrc.nasa.gov ------------------------------ End of skunk-works-digest V12 #1 ******************************** To subscribe to skunk-works-digest, send the command: subscribe skunk-works-digest in the body of a message to "majordomo@netwrx1.com". If you want to subscribe something other than the account the mail is coming from, such as a local redistribution list, then append that address to the "subscribe" command; for example, to subscribe "local-skunk-works": subscribe skunk-works-digest local-skunk-works@your.domain.net To unsubscribe, send mail to the same address, with the command: unsubscribe skunk-works-digest in the body. Administrative requests, problems, and other non-list mail can be sent to georgek@netwrx1.com. A non-digest (direct mail) version of this list is also available; to subscribe to that instead, replace all instances of "skunk-works-digest" in the commands above with "skunk-works". Back issues are available for viewing by a www interface located at: http://www.netwrx1.com/skunk-works/ If you have any questions or problems please contact me at: georgek@netwrx1.com Thanks, George R. Kasica Listowner