Dit is ons nieuw hondje Kira, een kruising van een waterhond en een Podenko. Ze is sinds 7 februari 2024 bij ons en druk bezig ons hart te veroveren. Het is een lief, aanhankelijk hondje, dat zich op een week snel aan ons heeft aangepast. Ze is heel vinnig en nieuwsgierig, een heel ander hondje dan Noleke.
This is our new dog Kira, a cross between a water dog and a Podenko. She has been with us since February 7, 2024 and is busy winning our hearts. She is a sweet, affectionate dog who quickly adapted to us within a week. She is very quick and curious, a very different dog than Noleke.
DEAR VISITOR,
MY BLOG EXISTS ALREADY 13 YEARS AND 2 MONTH.
ON 06/08/2024 MORE THAN 2.161.100
VISITORS FROM 135 DIFFERENT NATIONS ALREADY FOUND THEIR WAY TO MY BLOG.
THAT IS AN AVERAGE OF 400GUESTS PER DAY.
THANK YOU FOR VISITING MY BLOG AND HOPE YOU ENJOY EACH TIME.
The purpose of this blog is the creation of an open, international, independent and free forum, where every UFO-researcher can publish the results of his/her research. The languagues, used for this blog, are Dutch, English and French.You can find the articles of a collegue by selecting his category. Each author stays resposable for the continue of his articles. As blogmaster I have the right to refuse an addition or an article, when it attacks other collegues or UFO-groupes.
Druk op onderstaande knop om te reageren in mijn forum
Zoeken in blog
Deze blog is opgedragen aan mijn overleden echtgenote Lucienne.
In 2012 verloor ze haar moedige strijd tegen kanker!
In 2011 startte ik deze blog, omdat ik niet mocht stoppen met mijn UFO-onderzoek.
BEDANKT!!!
Een interessant adres?
UFO'S of UAP'S, ASTRONOMIE, RUIMTEVAART, ARCHEOLOGIE, OUDHEIDKUNDE, SF-SNUFJES EN ANDERE ESOTERISCHE WETENSCHAPPEN - DE ALLERLAATSTE NIEUWTJES
UFO's of UAP'S in België en de rest van de wereld In België had je vooral BUFON of het Belgisch UFO-Netwerk, dat zich met UFO's bezighoudt. BEZOEK DUS ZEKER VOOR ALLE OBJECTIEVE INFORMATIE , enkel nog beschikbaar via Facebook en deze blog.
Verder heb je ook het Belgisch-Ufo-meldpunt en Caelestia, die prachtig, doch ZEER kritisch werk leveren, ja soms zelfs héél sceptisch...
Voor Nederland kan je de mooie site www.ufowijzer.nl bezoeken van Paul Harmans. Een mooie site met veel informatie en artikels.
MUFON of het Mutual UFO Network Inc is een Amerikaanse UFO-vereniging met afdelingen in alle USA-staten en diverse landen.
MUFON's mission is the analytical and scientific investigation of the UFO- Phenomenon for the benefit of humanity...
Je kan ook hun site bekijken onder www.mufon.com.
Ze geven een maandelijks tijdschrift uit, namelijk The MUFON UFO-Journal.
Since 02/01/2020 is Pieter ex-president (=voorzitter) of BUFON, but also ex-National Director MUFON / Flanders and the Netherlands. We work together with the French MUFON Reseau MUFON/EUROP.
ER IS EEN NIEUWE GROEPERING DIE ZICH BUFON NOEMT, MAAR DIE HEBBEN NIETS MET ONZE GROEP TE MAKEN. DEZE COLLEGA'S GEBRUIKEN DE NAAM BUFON VOOR HUN SITE... Ik wens hen veel succes met de verdere uitbouw van hun groep. Zij kunnen de naam BUFON wel geregistreerd hebben, maar het rijke verleden van BUFON kunnen ze niet wegnemen...
18-04-2016
UFO Over Downtown Metz, France During Day On Google Map! April 2016, Photos, UFO Sighting News.
UFO Over Downtown Metz, France During Day On Google Map! April 2016, Photos, UFO Sighting News.
Date of discovery: April 2016 Location of discovery: En Fournirue, Metz, France Source Google Map URL:https://goo.gl/maps/vLsDbp5piqx French UFO Site:http://ovniparanormal.over-blog.com This UFO was found by a reader of the French UFO site Ovni Paranormal run by UFO researcher Christian Mace. This UFO is tilted to one side...much like Bob Lazar said he saw in area S4. To move he said...the UFO must tilt slightly. This UFO Shows us that. This UFO also has a tiny antenna sticking out of one side. If you look carefully you will see that the bottom has a raised center. This kind of UFO has been seen around the world, often near power lines tapping into communication and information networks. I am in awe at the detail of this UFO. Its just so beautiful. Scott C. Waring www.ufosightingsdaily.com
Russian police officers found the body of a little creature in the town of Kyshtym in the Chelyabinsk region in 1996. The local media dubbed the thing as Kyshtym alien due to its minute size and unusual features. A local doctor did an autopsy on the body and discovered it was neither animal nor human, probably a lifeform that was not yet discovered.
The unearthly body was brought to the anatomy department of the local hospital and the in charge of the anatomy department Dr. Stanoslav Samoshkin made the following conclusion after an examination.
The skull of the creature was made up of 4 bones, but human skull consists of six bones. The skeleton structure of the body was different to a person, and it did not look like any congenital malformations known even today.
The mummified creature measured nearly 10 inches in length with enlarged and disfigured head. It had huge eye sockets that occupied a lot of space in the face. The Kyshtym alien presumably looked different from humans when it was still alive. However, a seemingly the same mummified body called Ata was discovered in the Atacama Desert in 2003.
The international media named the mummified body as Uralian Alien. The exact origins of the Kyshtym alien were not yet established, but it has been a discovery that arouses the attention of people worldwide. Analyst and paranormal researcher Vadim Chernobrov went to Moscow to examine the body and concluded that it was not human after performing a genetic analysis.
The gene samples did not match to the ones in the laboratory. DNA experts failed to find any creatures with the same elongated DNA molecule.
Strangely, the mummified alien body disappeared all of a sudden, thus making it impossible to conduct further research and confirm Chernobrov’s claims. Numerous investigations and searches of the lost body were made, but all have been a failure.
Rumors started to spread about the mummified alien body being cursed. Researchers and people who got involved with the creature had fatal accidents and tragedies, including Prosvirina and Chernobrov.
Massive triangle UFO over Hessdalen, Norway 16-Apr-2016
Massive triangle UFO over Hessdalen, Norway 16-Apr-2016
Here0s one really interesting footage of a triangular-shaped craft hovering in the sky aboveUFO hotspot Hessdalen in Norway. This happened on 16th April 2016.
Massive triangle UFO over Hessdalen, Norway 16-Apr-2016
Massive triangle UFO over Hessdalen, Norway 16-Apr-2016
Here0s one really interesting footage of a triangular-shaped craft hovering in the sky aboveUFO hotspot Hessdalen in Norway. This happened on 16th April 2016.
Massive triangle UFO over Hessdalen, Norway 16-Apr-2016
Massive triangle UFO over Hessdalen, Norway 16-Apr-2016
Here0s one really interesting footage of a triangular-shaped craft hovering in the sky aboveUFO hotspot Hessdalen in Norway. This happened on 16th April 2016.
This day in UFO History: The UFO Chase Story in Portage County, Ohio
This day in UFO History: The UFO Chase Story in Portage County, Ohio
On April 17, 1966, exactly 50 years ago, the dramatic encounters experienced by police officers with low-level structured UFO took place. Ohio officers saw the object appeared from ground level, bathing near Ravenna about 5:00 AM. As soon as the sergeant finds out the existence of the object, he ordered his team to chase it. Just like the pursuit of the cat and mouse, they chase it eighty-five miles across the border into Pennsylvania. On Route 224, Deputy Wilbur ‘Barney’ Neff and Deputy Sheriff Dale Spaur had left their scout car to determine the abandoned automobile. According to Spaur, the sighting looked behind him. When he looked back, he saw this thing. When it came up, it started moving toward them.
Barney was still watching the car as it came over the trees. The object was kept on getting brighter. It sounded like a hum as in the case of the transformer being loaded. Sergeant Schoenfelt told his team to follow and retain the object under observation while taking photos of the scene. On Route 183Neff and Spear turned south, then on Route 224, they turned back east which placed the object to their right and left window afterward.
Spaur and Neff saw the mysterious object in silhouette as the sky became brighter with predawn light. As the chase continued, the object started transforming into a metallic appearance. Police cars were trying to catch up with them as Spaur kept up a running conversation with them. Once they made a wrong turn, the object stopped, then came back to their position. Shortly afterward, it passed by on a sheriff’s cruiser in hot pursuit. According to Spaur, when the four officers watched and stood the UFO, there was radio traffic about jets scrambled to chase the mysterious object, and could see these planes coming in.
The Air Force believed that the strange object had been seen. Under pressure from Ohio officials, chief of PROJECT BLUE BOOK, Major Hector Quintanilla had a confrontation with the witnesses, and he refused to alter the identification, even though it pointed out to him that they had seen the object apart from Venus. William B. Weitzel conducted a further investigation obtaining signed statements, taped interviews, sketches, and all relevant data which assembled in a massive report that was made available to investigators.
This day in UFO History: 1897 Texas Encounter: Most Bizarre UFO Story
This day in UFO History: 1897 Texas Encounter: Most Bizarre UFO Story
The number one inquiry against the UFO existence is “Are there enough evidence?” This section provides evidence before you attempt to debunk this claim. First, begin with verified alien quotes from high ranking and credible sources. Keep in mind that hundreds of testimonies are made available to the public. Aurora is a small town in Wise County, Texas, United States. Aurora is best known for the extraterrestrial crash which took place in April 1897, and the legend that the pilot is buried in the cemetery.
Alien Gravesite in Aurora Cemetery
On the same day, people started their day taken spotting an airship moving slowly at a speed ranging from ten to twelve miles. According to the residents, the slow speed was the result of damage or malfunction in the airship machinery. However, several accounts claimed that this mysterious object had never been flying to the Earth before it was being spotted. The UFO gradually flew on the public square before heading towards the Northern area, with the residents watching the encounter. When it reached the Northern Part, it hit the property owned by a Judge J.S. Proctor. Since the impact is high, the aircraft was burst into pieces, leading a terrific explosion. The Aurora residents rushed to discover the debris. Since the area was completely ruined, the debris was scattered. Despite the terrible happening, still no sufficient information with regards to the wreckage type and the debris obtained at the site. According to some rumours, the debris includes hieroglyphic-type etching. On a close examination, the residents spotted a severely disfigured body.
With this encounter slowly gaining prominence, the investigators began investigating this encounter. Attempts were made to examine and exhume the remains of this “unearthly body” which were buried by the residents. The Aurora Cemetery Association challenged this course of action and hence was prosperous in hampering the attempts to exhume the alleged body. The alien body continues to be a mystery, with no information readily available on this subject.
A mysterious giant hole and crater have suddenly appeared in Siberia, Russia. There are not many details right now, but the video captured from a helicopter shows a weird configuration with debris and signs of combustion around it.
In the summer of 2014, some people stumbled across bizarre 30-meter-wide (100 feet) craters in the middle of Yamal Peninsula in Siberia, Russia.
All sorts of theories about their formation have flown around over the past two years, from asteroids to – inevitably – UFOs. However, the reality is perhaps even more startling.
New research from Emory University School of Medicine, in Atlanta, has shown that it is possible for some information to be inherited biologically through chemical changes that occur in DNA. During the tests they learned that that mice can pass on learned information about traumatic or stressful experiences – in this case a fear of the smell of cherry blossom – to subsequent generations.
According to the Telegraph, Dr Brian Dias, from the department of psychiatry at Emory University, said: ”From a translational perspective, our results allow us to appreciate how the experiences of a parent, before even conceiving offspring, markedly influence both structure and function in the nervous system of subsequent generations.
“Such a phenomenon may contribute to the etiology and potential intergenerational transmission of risk for neuropsychiatric disorders such as phobias, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.”
This suggests that experiences are somehow transferred from the brain into the genome, allowing them to be passed on to later generations.
The researchers now hope to carry out further work to understand how the information comes to be stored on the DNA in the first place. They also want to explore whether similar effects can be seen in the genes of humans.
Professor Marcus Pembrey, a paediatric geneticist at University College London, said the work provided“compelling evidence” for the biological transmission of memory.
He added: “It addresses constitutional fearfulness that is highly relevant to phobias, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorders, plus the controversial subject of transmission of the ‘memory’ of ancestral experience down the generations.
“It is high time public health researchers took human transgenerational responses seriously.”
“I suspect we will not understand the rise in neuropsychiatric disorders or obesity, diabetes and metabolic disruptions generally without taking a multigenerational approach.”
Professor Wolf Reik, head of epigenetics at the Babraham Institute in Cambridge, said, however, further work was needed before such results could be applied to humans.
He said: “These types of results are encouraging as they suggest that transgenerational inheritance exists and is mediated by epigenetics, but more careful mechanistic study of animal models is needed before extrapolating such findings to humans.”
May our DNA Carrying also spiritual and cosmic memories passed down in genes from our ancestors?
Teleportation may stay in the realm of science fiction for the foreseeable future, but scientists say that our brains already react favorably to instantaneously being transported across space.
In a study published in the journal Neuron on Thursday, neuroscientists from the University of California, Davis studied how the brain would react if it were to be“beamed up” from one place to another using a virtual simulation.
When volunteers entered a virtual teleportation device ‒ similar to the ones made famous in the Star Trek franchise ‒ researchers found that that their brains gave off certain “rhythmic oscillations” of electric signals like the ones that a rat brain creates when the animal navigates a maze.
Arne Ekstrom, associate professor at the UC Davis’ Centre for Neuroscience, conducted the study to learn more about how people memorizes routes and learn to find our way around.
“There is this rhythmic firing in the brain during navigation and while remembering things, but we don’t know if it is triggered by sensory input or by the learning process,” Ekstrom said in a statement.
Ekstrom’s team was able to solve this problem by working with three patients diagnosed with a severe form of epilepsy. They already had electrodes implanted on their brains to find out where exactly the seizure activity occurs in their brains and identify possible treatments.
The team took advantage of this by asking the patients to navigate through a street simulation on a computer screen. At some points, they were able to enter a virtual store with a teleporter inside, which took them to a different location on the map that they had already visited.
“Critically, teleportation allowed patients to experience movement to a known location in space in the absence of any sensory feedback because they remained seated on a hospital bed and viewed a black screen during this time,” the research team wrote.
The brain’s oscillations weren’t interrupted, but the rhythm changed depending on how far the virtual teleportation took the participants. This led to the team concluding that the brain’s oscillations are controlled by memory and learning processes.
“The frequency-wise pattern of oscillation prevalence during teleportation contained spatial information capable of classifying the distance teleported,” the researchers wrote.
While one of the three patients in the study demonstrated the same results, the study should not necessarily be taken as conclusive. The three of them share the same severe neurological condition, meaning that they are not a representative sample of the population.
Spacecraft Powered by 'Green' Propellant to Launch in 2017
Spacecraft Powered by 'Green' Propellant to Launch in 2017
By Leonard David, Space.com's Space Insider Columnist
Spacecraft Powered by 'Green' Propellant to Launch in 2017
Credit: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
BOULDER, Colo. — A spacecraft that will test the unique attributes of a high-performance, nontoxic, "green" fuel on orbit is being prepped for launch in 2017.
NASA's Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) is set to blast off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station next year aboard SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket. The launch is part of the Air Force's Space Test Program 2 (STP-2) mission.
GPIM is the nation's first mission to exhibit, in a relevant space environment, an alternative to the highly toxic and corrosive hydrazine fuel commonly used by spacecraft today. [NASA's Quest for Green Rocket Fuel (Video)]
The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Edwards Air Force Base in California developed the new propellant, which is a hydroxyl ammonium nitrate fuel/oxidizer mix called AF-M315E. This fuel is 45 percent denser than hydrazine, meaning more of it can be stored in containers of the same volume. The propellant also offers nearly 50 percent higher performance for a given propellant tank volume compared to a conventional hydrazine system, the researchers said.
GPIM is a technology demonstration mission made possible by NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, and it draws upon a government-industry team of specialists.
On-orbit maneuvers
"The spacecraft is finished and in storage," said Chris McLean, principal investigator for GPIM at Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colorado, which is the prime contractor for GPIM and is leading the demonstration of the alternative fuel for future space vehicles.
"We're now writing the flight manuals and flight procedures … all the detailed documentation that is required to fly the spacecraft," he added.
McLean said that, as of right now, GPIM is headed for a March 2017 liftoff.
"During the 13-month test period in orbit, we'll be running basically four series of experiments with the propulsion," he told Space.com.
GPIM's on-orbit test of the "green" fuel — whose actual hue is closer to peach — will make use of a set of thrusters that fire in different scenarios to test engine performance and reliability. Planned on-orbit maneuvers also include attitude control demonstrations, spacecraft pointing and hold, inclination change and orbit lowering.
Ideally, the new technology will enable longer spacecraft mission durations, added maneuverability and more payload space, and will cut the time needed for the launch processing of future spacecraft, NASA officials have said. [Satellite Quiz: How Well Do You Know What's Orbiting Earth?]
A technician works on NASA's Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) at Ball Aerospace, the prime contractor for the spacecraft.
Credit: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
Hotter than hydrazine
The green propellant propulsion subsystem was built by Aerojet Rocketdyne in Redmond, Washington. GPIM's propulsion hardware uses a catalyst technology pioneered by Aerojet Rocketdyne that breaks down the green fuel, generating gaseous products that come out the engine nozzle to provide thrust.
"That breakthrough in catalyst technology enabled these thrusters to be developed," McLean said.
The American-made green propellant burns hotter than hydrazine, so different metals than those traditionally used were incorporated into GPIM's thrusters to withstand the high temperatures.
McLean said the green propulsion system will fly aboard the tried-and-true Ball Configurable Platform 100 spacecraft bus — a cost-saving approach.
Dry runs
Before GPIM takes to space next year, a number of milestones are on the calendar.
McLean said work is underway to prepare for GPIM's arrival at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, which is next door to Cape Canaveral, and over to SpaceX's launch facilities. Dry runs of green-propellant loading are in order, he said.
"This is the first new fuel there since the 1970s," McLean said. So there are efforts underway to get everyone involved more familiar with the fuel, handling requirements and other procedures, he added.
In addition, McLean said that propellant-loading tests are on tap in about a month at the AFRL in California. "We're going to run a mock loading of the fuel with an actual propellant tank," to make sure no issues crop up in fueling GPIM in Florida, he said,
The processes that are developed with GPIM in Florida will work at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, Wallops Island in Virginia and other launch sites, McLean added.
NASA's Green Propellant Infusion Mission (GPIM) will demonstrate an alternative to traditional hydrazine fuel, which is highly toxic and corrosive.
Credit: Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
Cross-country team
Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, said that developing and using green propellant technology not only increases protection for launch personnel and the environment but also offers the potential to reduce space mission price tags. If GPIM achieves its goals, the mission can spearhead widespread use of the fuel on future NASA and commercial missions, he said.
GPIM team co-investigators are based at multiple NASA research centers and the AFRL, with additional mission support from the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. The GPIM effort is managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
McLean said that NASA, the Air Force and industry participants formed an impressive and very successfully integrated team. The GPIM mission, he added, will showcase the benefits of green propellant and help to improve spacecraft missions in Earth orbit and beyond.
Leonard David is author of "Mars: Our Future on the Red Planet," to be published by National Geographic this October. The book is a companion to the National Geographic Channel six-part series coming in November. A longtime writer for Space.com, David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades.Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
XS-1: A US Military Space Plane in Pictures (Gallery)
XS-1: A US Military Space Plane in Pictures (Gallery)
Artist's Concept of DARPA's XS-1 Vehicle
DARPA
The U.S. military is developing the XS-1 Experimental Spaceplane to launch space missions faster and cheaper than ever before. See photos and images of the DARPA-led XS-1 space plane project in this Space.com gallery. Pictured here: An artist's concept of DARPA's Experimental Spaceplane (XS-1).
Northrop Grumman's XS-1 Space Plane Design
Northrop Grumman
On Aug. 21, 2014, Northrop Grumman unveiled its design concept for the XS-1 military space plane. The company is partnering with Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic on the project for DARPA. [Read the Full Story Here.
XS-1 Space Plane Ascent Illustration
DARPA
This DARPA artist's concept depicts the launch of a U.S. military XS-1 Experimental Spaceplane carrying an rocket booster and satellite payload on its back. The XS-1 space plane could launch horizontally or vertically, depending on its final design. Read the Full Story Here.
XS-1 Space Plane Launch Concept
DARPA
A rocket upper stage carrying a satellite payload launches into orbit in this artist's concept of the U.S. military's XS-1 Experimental Spaceplane, a project overseen by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. Read the Full Story Here.
XS-1 Space Plane: Boeing Illustration
Boeing
This Boeing illustration depicts a possible design for the XS-1 experimental space plane, a robotic reusable military spacecraft envisioned for launching satellites and payloads into orbit. The XS-1 space plane project is overseen by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Read the Full Story Here.
DARPA XS-1 Space Plane Concepts
DARPA
This image, taken from a DARPA presentation, shows several potential designs for the U.S. military's planned XS-1 Experimental Spaceplane, an innovative robotic spacecraft project to launch satellites into orbit cheaply and efficiently.
XS-1 Experimental Spaceplane Project
DARPA
The U.S. military's planned XS-1 Experimental Spaceplane project aims to build a robotic spacecraft capable of launching satellites into orbit much faster and cheaper than ever before. This slide, taken from a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) presentation, depicts some details about the innovative concept.
Air Force's X-37B Space Plane: OTV-2 Hangar
Boeing
DARPA's XS-1 Experimental Spaceplane program is not the first military space plane project. In fact, the U.S. Air Force has two operational robotic space planes in service today. Those two spacecraft, twin versions of the X-37B spacecraft shown above, are capable of long-duration missions in Earth orbit and have flown three missions since 2010.
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is now entering the second and third phases of its ambitious Experimental Spaceplane (XS-1) program, which aims to make launching satellites a daily occurrence.
"I can tell you officially now that we have been funded by the [Obama] Administration for the next phase of XS-1," DARPA's Jess Sponable told applauding attendees at the Space Access '16 Conference in Phoenix last week. "What I can tell you right now is that we have $146 million."
DARPA launched the XS-1 program in 2014 with the goal of developing a reusable launch system capable of flying 10 times in 10 days with aircraftlike operability, at a cost of no more than $5 million per flight. [XS-1: A US Military Space Plane in Pictures (Gallery)]
Over the past two years, DARPA has funded Phase 1 studies by three companies: Boeing, which partnered with Blue Origin; Masten Space Systems, which partnered with XCOR Aerospace; and Northrop Grumman, which partnered with Virgin Galactic.
This artist's illustration shows one possible Boeing design for the U.S. military's XS-1 Experimental Spaceplane concept.
Credit: Boeing
The goal of the next phases of the program is to take the program beyond studies to flight tests. The solicitation will be open to all companies, not just the ones that were funded in Phase 1. Sponable said that although he expects more than three bids, the level of detail required for the next phases will make it difficult for new entrants to compete with the companies that are already in the program.
DARPA will kick off Phase 2 with a proposers' day on April 29 in Arlington, Virginia. The agency will send out a solicitation following the meeting, with the goal of selecting a single contractor early in fiscal year 2017. Flights of the vehicle would occur in the 2019 to 2020 time frame.
Sponable said that the $146 million DARPA has received is sufficient to begin to support a single contractor. "That's enough to pick someone and go," he said. "It's probably not enough to fully fund what we have envisioned."
Bidders will be required to bring their own funding to the table as part of a public-private partnership, Sponable said. The days of the federal government fully funding development programs is over, he added.
The initial version of the launch vehicle must be capable of placing a 900-lb. (408 kilograms) payload into low Earth orbit. The contractor will need to show how the vehicle can be upgraded to carry 3,000-lb. (1,360 kg) payloads in commercial operations using an expendable upper stage.
Sponable said that a number of companies are working on small-satellite launch vehicles, whose engines might be used as an upper stage on the XS-1.
A low-cost, reusable launch vehicle capable of flying every day would have numerous military and commercial applications, he added. The military would be able to disaggregate its large satellites into smaller constellations and be able to rapidly and affordably replace spacecraft that failed or were taken out by enemy action.
The emerging commercial small-satellite market is projected to require hundreds of XS-1-class launches annually, Sponable said.
Artist's concept of the space plane being designed by Northrop Grumman, with help from Scaled Composites and Virgin Galactic, for DARPA's XS-1 program.
Credit: Northrop Grumman
He acknowledged that previous government efforts at producing low-cost launchers have fallen significantly short of the mark.
"This is not new," he admitted. "We've been pursuing this low-cost, aircraftlike access to space literally since the 1960s, and seriously since the 1980s. And we've had failure after failure after failure."
Past efforts have been handicapped by a combination of lofty goals and immature technology at low levels of development, Sponable said. Today, the various technologies needed for low-cost launch are much more mature, giving XS-1 a greater chance at success.
This wide-field view of the sky around the bright star Alpha Centauri was created from photographic images forming part of the Digitized Sky Survey 2. The star appears so big just because of the scattering of light by the telescope's optics as well as in the photographic emulsion. Alpha Centauri is the closest star system to the Solar System. Image released Oct. 17, 2012.
Credit: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2
Stephen Hawking, Yuri Milner and Mark Zuckerberg helm the board for a new initiative, Breakthrough Starshot, whose technology could be used to someday reach Earth's neighboring star Alpha Centauri after just a 20-year journey. Besides being an easy target — it's among the closest stars to the sun — astronomers have been eying our stellar neighbors for potential Earth-like planets.
"This is Alpha Centauri, our neighboring star," Milner said in a news conference yesterday (April 12). "But in space, neighboring does not mean very near. Alpha Centauri is over 4 light-years away […] that's 25 trillion miles. And the problem is, space travel as we know it is slow. If [humanity's fastest-moving spacecraft] Voyager had left our planet when humans first left Africa, travelling at 11 miles a second, it would be arriving at Alpha Centauri just about now." [Alpha Centauri: Earth's Neighboring Star System (Infographic)]
Milner said that his proposed Starshot technology could get a tiny spacecraft to the system, traveling at 20 percent the speed of light, in around 20 years. But barring that, it would be a long trip indeed.
The stars of Alpha Centauri lie 4.3 light-years from us, which is around 270,000 times the distance from the Earth to the sun. To travel that distance within a generation, Milner said, a chemical rocket like the ones we use today would need fuel equivalent to the weight of all the stars in the Milky Way. A fusion rocket could reach the system in 50 years, but the technology is still far from viable. His proposed Starshot technology would make it there in just over 20.
This chart shows most of the stars visible with the unaided eye on a clear night. The star Alpha Centauri is one of the brightest stars in the southern sky (marked with a red circle). It lies just 4.3 light-years from the Earth and one component in a triple star system. Image released Oct. 17. 2012.
From Earth, Alpha Centauri appears as a single point of light: It's one of the brightest stars in the southern sky. Through a telescope, one can make out the system's two stars Alpha Centauri A and its smaller, dimmer companion Alpha Centauri B. Each has a mass that is about the same as the Earth's sun, and they orbit one another at about the same distance that Uranus orbits the sun.
A third star, Proxima Centauri, is slightly closer to Earth — it's actually the nearest star outside the Earth's solar system. That star is much smaller and dimmer: it's just 0.12 times the mass of the sun, or 1.5 times the size of Jupiter, and it shines faintly at a cautious distance from the other two. In fact, some astronomers question whether it's part of the system at all, or just passing through.
Astronomers first realized the bright star Alpha Centauri was a tightly orbiting pair in 1689, and Proxima Centauri was first spotted in 1915.
In 2012, researchers used an instrument called the High Accuracy Radial velocity Planet Searcher to detect a planet around Alpha Centauri B. The instrument, which is part of the European Space Agency's La Silla Observatory in Chile, measured tiny wobbles in the star that suggested that a planet was orbiting it — likely just a bit bigger than Earth, orbiting its star every 3.24 days.
Since then, researchers have tried to verify the planet's existence using transits — a slight dimming in the star as the planet passes by — but haven't found additional, conclusive evidence. And a re-examination of the original study suggested that the planet might be an artifact of the data processing, according to a report by the deep-space exploration site Centauri Dreams.
Regardless, because of their nearness, the Alpha Centauri twins and Proxima Centauri offer a promising location to look for planets at a distance — especially using direct imaging — if researchers can filter out the complexities of the double star. And they also seem to be a good place to visit. The distance may be vast, but it could be relatively easy for Starshot's nanocraft or other interstellar travelers to blast through and beam back information to Earth about the system with a bit more than a four-year delay. While planets orbiting those stars would see a starscape that is quite different from Earth's, the stars' similarity to the sun would make their habitable zones an intriguing place to look for Earth analogues.
"Astronomers estimate that there is a reasonable chance of an Earth-like planet existing in the 'habitable zones' of Alpha Centauri's three-star system," Breakthrough Starshot representatives said in a statement. "A number of scientific instruments, ground-based and space-based, are being developed and enhanced, which will soon identify and characterize planets around nearby stars."
Virtual Reality Comes to Spaceflight: Rocket Tours and Walks on Mars
Virtual Reality Comes to Spaceflight: Rocket Tours and Walks on Mars
By Calla Cofield, Space.com Staff Writer
Space.com reporter Calla Cofield is thoroughly engrossed by ULA's virtual-reality view of a rocket launch.
Credit: Calla Cofield/Space.com
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — This week, the 32nd Space Symposium took place in Colorado, but it might as well have been at Cape Canaveral. A virtual-reality app created by United Launch Alliance (ULA) dropped me onto a launchpad next to a Delta IV rocket, and watching it take off gave me nearly the same thrill as seeing a launch in person.
Humans should never actually get as close to a rocket launch as I got to the Delta IV rocket that took off in the VR app. Cameras positioned at three different positions on or near the launchpad captured the explosive column of fire that erupted from the bottom of the rocket, and headphones blasted the booming sound. It was astounding to see the details of the rocket body and the pillar flame up close. Two of the cameras were quickly overwhelmed by smoke, but a third let me look up at the rocket as it became a smaller and smaller point of light overhead.
The VR app is for the Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset, which provides a 3D, 360-degree view of the launch, meaning the user can "look around" while the video plays. Even though I knew I was just looking at a video, the responsiveness of the system to the movement of my head quickly suspended my disbelief.
The ULA app is available for download from the company's website. Users who don't want to buy a VR headset can use Google Cardboard, which is an assemble-it-yourself cardboard VR headset (smartphone required). It's obviously less impressive than an actual VR headset, but much, much less expensive.
ULA wasn't the only booth with a VR experience — Lockheed Martin also had a short VR tour of the facility where the Orion capsule is loaded onto a specially designed airplane called the "Super Guppy." Additionally, Lockheed Martin had a virtual-reality game in which players navigate a Mars rover along the surface of the Red Planet, trying to reach specific locations without tipping over the rover. Another game lets the user walk around a section of the Martian surface. The company is involved in the development of some very advanced virtual-reality tech, and is trying to use VR as part of STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) education and outreach. However, the programs we saw at the Space Symposium are not currently available to the public.
A virtual reality game created by Lockheed Martin lets the user drive a rover around on the surface of Mars.
Credit: Calla Cofield/Space.com
However, anyone who wants to take a virtual tour of the Red Planet should consider visiting the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex this summer — the facility is opening a new exhibit called "Destination: Mars," in which visitors don VR headsets that give them a 3D, 360-degree virtual-reality view of the surface of Mars, created using real images taken by Red Planet rovers. Plus, the Red Planet tour is led by a VR projection of Buzz Aldrin! In addition, the exhibit will have a space where visitors (wearing the headsets) can walk around, making it seem as though they are really walking around on the surface of Mars.
Finally, at the Space Symposium, NASA had a virtual-reality tour of the Space Launch System (SLS), the agency's new megarocket that will carry the Orion spacecraft. Once again, the VR tour isn't yet available to the public. A NASA representative said there were restrictions on how much information can be released about the rocket at this stage in its development, but he added that he'd like to see the VR tour made available in the next few years.
DAUGHTER AND MOMS ALIEN CRAFT ENCOUNTER IN FLORIDA
FEBURARY 10, 2015 ……….. MERRITT ISLAND FLORIDA
It was a over cast and cloudy day, with a chance of showers. My four kids just got home from school and they were riding their bicycles, as I was watching them and doing yard work, around 16:00 hrs. I stopped yard work, facing North, to watch the kids and one of my daughter’s, (age 7) rode her bike up to me, stopped and asked me; “What’s that?”…. I looked Westward and saw a black dot, just below the clouds heading Eastward and told her; ” It’s a helicopter…. As I started to go back to doing yard work. My daughter, still looking the this object, yelled out; “It’s a flying car!”…. Me, looking down the neighborhood street, asked her; ” Where?” and she pointed West and said; “No!.. Up there!” As I looked and saw this object get closer; I could see that it wasn’t a helicopter!….
The object looked black in color, with wear..(Like it did a lot of traveling) and rectangular, in shape, with rounded edges. There was a light, white in color with what looked like a thruster in the center? It was traveling in a straight line, as it was slowly rotating and didn’t made a sound. I told my daughter to keep her eyes on it, so that I could get my binoculars out of my truck; in which we both and the truck, were on our driveway. As I looked through the binoculars. I could see that it had no numbers or letters on it and this was not a helicopter nor a plane. Being, that we do live near a very small airport, with Cesena’s flying in and out all the time..
But, it wasn’t a good day to fly, due to the weather and this object wasn’t a drone either, for the fact that it didn’t have any propellers and it was flying too high. It flew Eastward and suddenly changed direction and went back the other way! It flew then, Westward, slowly rotating and then stopped, mid point to were we first saw it. By then; I could see that it had a dome on top, as it had a smaller white light on top of it, too. It hovered for a few seconds, while still rotating slowly and then, it started spinning faster; just below the cloud line, still as I looked at it. It started to look more like a saucer, as it was spinning.
And then, there was like a flash… And the object shot straight up into the clouds!…. Felt like I was in a dream, while looking at this object.. (From the distance and the height of this object. I would say that it had to be approximately 8 ft. high and 40 to 50 ft. wide? And maybe, even the size of a 2 or 3 bedroom home…?)
My daughter and I saw this object for approximately 2 minutes. I made a model of it, out of styro foam because I got a very good look at this object, through my binoculars…. (Not sure how to post the pictures of my model, that I made, on the files part….? Sorry……
NOTE:The above image is real from a sightings in Kanarraville Utah.
Un mystérieux complexe futuriste identifié en Égypte
Un mystérieux complexe futuriste identifié en Égypte
Le mystérieux complexe dans le désert égyptien. Capture d'écran Gentside
S’il y a bien quelque chose dont les amateurs d’OVNI ne manquent pas, c’est de patience. Ces derniers sont en effet capables de sonder chaque recoin de la Terre sur Google Earth, à la recherche de quelques mystérieuses structures susceptibles de confirmer l’existence d’extraterrestres.
Grâce à eux de nombreux monuments à l’identité douteuse sont sortis de l’ombre. Le dernier en date se trouve dans le désert égyptien, à l’Est du Caire. Situé près d’une route, il se présente sous la forme d’un complexe au design futuriste.
UNE STRUCTURE PRINCIPALE ET SIX ANNEXES
Son bâtiment principal se compose de deux ailes en pointe et est entouré de six annexes circulaires. Son existence a été mise en évidence par un internaute connu sous le pseudonyme de «Secureteam10».
L’internaute se décrit comme un informateur et un fournisseur de «vidéos d’OVNI» attestant d’une activité extraterrestre que le gouvernement s’attèle à camoufler. Comme on pouvait s’y attendre, sa nouvelle vidéo sur le monument du désert a déclenché un vif débat sur internet, alimenté par des vagues de spéculations.
Certains voient en cette découverte l’entrée d’une base secrète souterraine. D’autres ont de leur côté exprimé leur scepticisme.
DES THÉORIES PLUS OU MOINS DOUTEUSES
Parmi les théories évoquées, on retrouve notamment celle d’un entrepôt nucléaire, d’une plateforme de lancement de missiles, d’une aire d’atterrissage pour un vaisseau extraterrestre ou encore d’un symbole de la franc-maçonnerie.
Quoi qu’il en soit, une chose est sûre: la position du complexe près d’une route trafiquée n’est pas l’endroit idéal pour construire un bâtiment censé être ignoré de tous, a fait remarquer un internaute. Avec un peu de chance, peut-être que l’identité et la fonction du bâtiment se révèlera d’elle même d’ici quelques temps.
2012: Magnetic Pole Reversal Happens All The (Geologic) Time
2012: Magnetic Pole Reversal Happens All The (Geologic) Time
Schematic illustration of Earth's magnetic field.
Credits: Peter Reid, The University of Edinburgh
Scientists understand that Earth's magnetic field has flipped its polarity many times over the millennia. In other words, if you were alive about 800,000 years ago, and facing what we call north with a magnetic compass in your hand, the needle would point to 'south.' This is because a magnetic compass is calibrated based on Earth's poles. The N-S markings of a compass would be 180 degrees wrong if the polarity of today's magnetic field were reversed. Many doomsday theorists have tried to take this natural geological occurrence and suggest it could lead to Earth's destruction. But would there be any dramatic effects? The answer, from the geologic and fossil records we have from hundreds of past magnetic polarity reversals, seems to be 'no.'
Reversals are the rule, not the exception. Earth has settled in the last 20 million years into a pattern of a pole reversal about every 200,000 to 300,000 years, although it has been more than twice that long since the last reversal. A reversal happens over hundreds or thousands of years, and it is not exactly a clean back flip. Magnetic fields morph and push and pull at one another, with multiple poles emerging at odd latitudes throughout the process. Scientists estimate reversals have happened at least hundreds of times over the past three billion years. And while reversals have happened more frequently in "recent" years, when dinosaurs walked Earth a reversal was more likely to happen only about every one million years.
Sediment cores taken from deep ocean floors can tell scientists about magnetic polarity shifts, providing a direct link between magnetic field activity and the fossil record. The Earth's magnetic field determines the magnetization of lava as it is laid down on the ocean floor on either side of the Mid-Atlantic Rift where the North American and European continental plates are spreading apart. As the lava solidifies, it creates a record of the orientation of past magnetic fields much like a tape recorder records sound. The last time that Earth's poles flipped in a major reversal was about 780,000 years ago, in what scientists call the Brunhes-Matuyama reversal. The fossil record shows no drastic changes in plant or animal life. Deep ocean sediment cores from this period also indicate no changes in glacial activity, based on the amount of oxygen isotopes in the cores. This is also proof that a polarity reversal would not affect the rotation axis of Earth, as the planet's rotation axis tilt has a significant effect on climate and glaciation and any change would be evident in the glacial record.
Earth's polarity is not a constant. Unlike a classic bar magnet, or the decorative magnets on your refrigerator, the matter governing Earth's magnetic field moves around. Geophysicists are pretty sure that the reason Earth has a magnetic field is because its solid iron core is surrounded by a fluid ocean of hot, liquid metal. This process can also be modeled with supercomputers. Ours is, without hyperbole, a dynamic planet. The flow of liquid iron in Earth's core creates electric currents, which in turn create the magnetic field. So while parts of Earth's outer core are too deep for scientists to measure directly, we can infer movement in the core by observing changes in the magnetic field. The magnetic north pole has been creeping northward – by more than 600 miles (1,100 km) – since the early 19th century, when explorers first located it precisely. It is moving faster now, actually, as scientists estimate the pole is migrating northward about 40 miles per year, as opposed to about 10 miles per year in the early 20th century.
Another doomsday hypothesis about a geomagnetic flip plays up fears about incoming solar activity. This suggestion mistakenly assumes that a pole reversal would momentarily leave Earth without the magnetic field that protects us from solar flares and coronal mass ejections from the sun. But, while Earth's magnetic field can indeed weaken and strengthen over time, there is no indication that it has ever disappeared completely. A weaker field would certainly lead to a small increase in solar radiation on Earth – as well as a beautiful display of aurora at lower latitudes - but nothing deadly. Moreover, even with a weakened magnetic field, Earth's thick atmosphere also offers protection against the sun's incoming particles.
The science shows that magnetic pole reversal is – in terms of geologic time scales – a common occurrence that happens gradually over millennia. While the conditions that cause polarity reversals are not entirely predictable – the north pole's movement could subtly change direction, for instance – there is nothing in the millions of years of geologic record to suggest that any of the 2012 doomsday scenarios connected to a pole reversal should be taken seriously. A reversal might, however, be good business for magnetic compass manufacturers.
Something very strange is going on in recent years in the atmosphere on the planet Whether it comes to aliens, changes in the earth’s core or CHEMTRAILS, HAARP? People all around the world take photos of this strange phenomena. Why are they appear and what is the meaning of them? What is going on? Can it affect a human evolution? What do you think about that? Watch the video and judge for yourself.
Wie denkt dat er niets gebeurt op UFO gebied in onze contreien, raden wij aan eens wat vaker naar de lucht te kijken.
Naar aanleiding van de Turkse UFO met inzittenden, nu een opname uit Azië die daar heel veel op lijkt.
Er zijn mensen die per ongeluk vreemde vliegende objecten waarnemen in de lucht, maar ook die er bewust op jagen, de zogenaamde UFO-hunters.
Eén ervan is Dennis uit Twente die ons het volgende verhaal stuurt (dank!):
We waren aan het ufohunten in een gebied waar we al jaren komen om oranje bollen te fotograferen en te filmen.
We reden net de helling op van een berg en ik zag een oranje bol. Dus gelijk de auto uit en net op het moment dat ik de camera aanklik verdwijnt de oranje bol zo in het niets.
Ik maakte toch nog wat foto's in de hoop dat de oranje bol terug zou komen. Maar helaas zagen we er geen enkele meer verschijnen. Thuis gekomen bekeek ik de foto's nog eens of er misschien toch nog ergens vaag een bol op was gekomen maar niets te zien.
Dit was in februari, begin april zag ik het mapje en dacht laat ik nog eens kijken. En toen met vergroten zag ik ineens een langwerpig object met meerdere lichten erop.
Op 7 foto's geschoten van 21.20 tot 21.22 is het object zichtbaar. De 4 beste foto's heb ik in een filmpje verwerkt met de originele foto's en vergroot.
Misschien dat iemand dit wel herkend. Ik spot al lange tijd en bijna dagelijks maar dit heb ik nooit eerder gezien.
Eerder deze week schreven wij een artikel over een UFO die na lange tijd waarschijnlijk weer terug was in Turkije. Naar aanleiding daarvan ontvingen wij het volgende bericht (dank!):
Zat mijn oude ufo's filmpje door te spitten zag iets wat verdacht veel op de ufo die leek open te staan met een inzittende. Het filmpje is van 26 Juli 2012 uit China en het lijkt er veel op.:
Het is inderdaad een heel bijzonder opname, alleen is hij gemaakt in Zuid Korea en niet China volgens de makers, maar kniesoor die daar over valt.
Beste bezoeker, Heb je zelf al ooit een vreemde waarneming gedaan, laat dit dan even weten via email aan Frederick Delaere opwww.ufomeldpunt.be. Deze onderzoekers behandelen jouw melding in volledige anonimiteit en met alle respect voor jouw privacy. Ze zijn kritisch, objectief maar open minded aangelegd en zullen jou steeds een verklaring geven voor jouw waarneming! DUS AARZEL NIET, ALS JE EEN ANTWOORD OP JOUW VRAGEN WENST, CONTACTEER FREDERICK. BIJ VOORBAAT DANK...
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Alvast bedankt voor al jouw bezoekjes en jouw reacties. Nog een prettige dag verder!!!
Over mijzelf
Ik ben Pieter, en gebruik soms ook wel de schuilnaam Peter2011.
Ik ben een man en woon in Linter (België) en mijn beroep is Ik ben op rust..
Ik ben geboren op 18/10/1950 en ben nu dus 73 jaar jong.
Mijn hobby's zijn: Ufologie en andere esoterische onderwerpen.
Op deze blog vind je onder artikels, werk van mezelf. Mijn dank gaat ook naar André, Ingrid, Oliver, Paul, Vincent, Georges Filer en MUFON voor de bijdragen voor de verschillende categorieën...
Veel leesplezier en geef je mening over deze blog.