#Observation Aircraft

[nocternalrandomness]

OA-37 over the Gila Bend Range in Arizona - 1986

[lonestarflight]

The Vought XO5U-1 (BuNo 9399) parked on land. "The United States Navy contracted three companies to produce prototypes to meet a requirement for a catapult launched biplane, with a central float and folding wings. Douglas produced the XO2D-1, Curtiss the XO3C-1 and Vought the XO5U-1. It was powered by a single Pratt & Whitney R-1340-12 piston engine and first flew on May 8, 1934." It lost to the Curtiss O3C-1, which became the Curtiss SOC Seagull.

Date: May 14, 1936

SDASM Archives: 40959541, 40959528, 00028776

[bigglesworld]

Vought OS2U Kingfisher. Observation and Scout aircraft. Mounted on the catapult of USS Miami (CL-89). 2 March 1945.

[lonestarbattleship]

A Loening X02L-2 being launched from the catapult attached to turret 3 of USS Oklahoma (BB-37).

Date: October 1930

source

[usafphantom2]

Grumman OV-1 Mohawk

@ron_eisele via X

[carbone14]

Hydravion de reconnaissance Curtiss SOC-1 Seagull de l'US Navy – 2 juillet 1939

©Naval History and Heritage Command – 80-G-5885

[wanderlustt-615]

Nashville Aircraft Observation Area Located on Vultee Blvd. in Nashville.

It’s a wonderful hidden gem and would be the perfect place for a lunch date. You can either stay In your car or, can bring a blanket/foldable chair etc. and sit on the lawn. I have found that It’s best to go afternoon or evening times to watch the most take offs.There’s only a few parking spots hours are as follows 9:00am6:00pm. If you do get out and watch you can only stay in the grass it’s all fenced off. Do not feed the birds If you see them I know how tempting it is to do but there is a sign there advising you not to. While visiting be aware there is no restrooms here so best to go before you head out. I find myself here any chance I get while In Nashville, it’s strangely peaceful especially when watching the sunset. I also have found there’s not many people that come here. I’d recommend this to anyone who likes airplanes and jets, anyone with kiddos and anyone looking for a nice place for me time.

Is this something you would want to check out while visiting in Nashville? I highly recommend it(: take a snack or lunch with you and just enjoy the sounds of the aircraft’s, feel the breeze and just live in the moment while you’re there.

[nasa]

All-Star Moments in Space Communications and Navigation

How do we get information from missions exploring the cosmos back to humans on Earth? Our space communications and navigation networks – the Near Space Network and the Deep Space Network – bring back science and exploration data daily.

Here are a few of our favorite moments from 2024.

1. Hip-Hop to Deep Space

The stars above and on Earth aligned as lyrics from the song “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” by hip-hop artist Missy Elliott were beamed to Venus via NASA’s Deep Space Network. Using a 34-meter (112-foot) wide Deep Space Station 13 (DSS-13) radio dish antenna, located at the network’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California, the song was sent at 10:05 a.m. PDT on Friday, July 12 and traveled about 158 million miles from Earth to Venus — the artist’s favorite planet. Coincidentally, the DSS-13 that sent the transmission is also nicknamed Venus!

NASA's PACE mission transmitting data to Earth through NASA's Near Space Network.

2. Lemme Upgrade You

Our Near Space Network, which supports communications for space-based missions within 1.2 million miles of Earth, is constantly enhancing its capabilities to support science and exploration missions. Last year, the network implemented DTN (Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking), which provides robust protection of data traveling from extreme distances. NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) mission is the first operational science mission to leverage the network’s DTN capabilities. Since PACE’s launch, over 17 million bundles of data have been transmitted by the satellite and received by the network’s ground station.

A collage of the pet photos sent over laser links from Earth to LCRD and finally to ILLUMA-T (Integrated LCRD Low Earth Orbit User Modem and Amplifier Terminal) on the International Space Station. Animals submitted include cats, dogs, birds, chickens, cows, snakes, and pigs.

3. Who Doesn’t Love Pets?

Last year, we transmitted hundreds of pet photos and videos to the International Space Station, showcasing how laser communications can send more data at once than traditional methods. Imagery of cherished pets gathered from NASA astronauts and agency employees flowed from the mission ops center to the optical ground stations and then to the in-space Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD), which relayed the signal to a payload on the space station. This activity demonstrated how laser communications and high-rate DTN can benefit human spaceflight missions.

4K video footage was routed from the PC-12 aircraft to an optical ground station in Cleveland. From there, it was sent over an Earth-based network to NASA’s White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico. The signals were then sent to NASA’s Laser Communications Relay Demonstration spacecraft and relayed to the ILLUMA-T payload on the International Space Station.

4. Now Streaming

A team of engineers transmitted 4K video footage from an aircraft to the International Space Station and back using laser communication signals. Historically, we have relied on radio waves to send information to and from space. Laser communications use infrared light to transmit 10 to 100 times more data than radio frequency systems. The flight tests were part of an agency initiative to stream high-bandwidth video and other data from deep space, enabling future human missions beyond low-Earth orbit.

The Near Space Network provides missions within 1.2 million miles of Earth with communications and navigation services.

5. New Year, New Relationships

At the very end of 2024, the Near Space Network announced multiple contract awards to enhance the network’s services portfolio. The network, which uses a blend of government and commercial assets to get data to and from spacecraft, will be able to support more missions observing our Earth and exploring the cosmos. These commercial assets, alongside the existing network, will also play a critical role in our Artemis campaign, which calls for long-term exploration of the Moon.

On Monday, Oct. 14, 2024, at 12:06 p.m. EDT, a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket carrying NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

6. 3, 2, 1, Blast Off!

Together, the Near Space Network and the Deep Space Network supported the launch of Europa Clipper. The Near Space Network provided communications and navigation services to SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, which launched this Jupiter-bound mission into space! After vehicle separation, the Deep Space Network acquired Europa Clipper’s signal and began full mission support. This is another example of how these networks work together seamlessly to ensure critical mission success.

Engineer Adam Gannon works on the development of Cognitive Engine-1 in the Cognitive Communications Lab at NASA’s Glenn Research Center.

7. Make Way for Next-Gen Tech

Our Technology Education Satellite program organizes collaborative missions that pair university students with researchers to evaluate how new technologies work on small satellites, also known as CubeSats. In 2024, cognitive communications technology, designed to enable autonomous space communications systems, was successfully tested in space on the Technology Educational Satellite 11 mission. Autonomous systems use technology reactive to their environment to implement updates during a spaceflight mission without needing human interaction post-launch.

A first: All six radio frequency antennas at the Madrid Deep Space Communication Complex, part of NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN), carried out a test to receive data from the agency’s Voyager 1 spacecraft at the same time.

8. Six Are Better Than One

On April 20, 2024, all six radio frequency antennas at the Madrid Deep Space Communication Complex, part of our Deep Space Network, carried out a test to receive data from the agency’s Voyager 1 spacecraft at the same time. Combining the antennas’ receiving power, or arraying, lets the network collect the very faint signals from faraway spacecraft.

Here’s to another year connecting Earth and space.  

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

[vestaignis]

Подводный водопад на острове Маврикий.

Маврикий – островное государство в Индийском океане, лежащее в 2000 км от юго-восточного побережья африканского континента. Один из самих красивых островов нашей планеты хранит на своих просторах удивительную достопримечательность – иллюзию подводного водопада, которая с высоты птичьего полета имеет неимоверно эффектный вид. Впечатляющая природная аномалия, предстающая перед воздушным наблюдателем как исполинский водопад, находится у берегов пол-ва Ле-Морн-Брабан (Le Morne Brabant), в юго-западной части островного государства Маврикий.

Причудливый ландшафт, образовавшийся под влиянием кораллового рифа, и стал причиной этого известного феномена, которым славится Маврикий. Подводный уникальный водопад – это оптическая иллюзия, игра свет, тени, цветов воды, перепада глубины, движения песка. Это своего рода естественный 3D рисунок, который создала сама природа. Вода вокруг острова настолько прозрачная, что даже с высоты многих километров отчётливо видно водопад под морем. Маврикий, снятый из космоса, тоже позволяет увидеть эту иллюзию.

Это уникальное природное явление. Ученые знают достоверно о 5 таких водопадах по всему миру. 3 из них находятся в очень отдаленных частях океана. И туда массовому туристу никак не добраться. Еще один у берегов Тасмании. Но выглядит он менее впечатляюще, да и до Тасмании добраться тоже не просто.

Если вы хотите увидеть подводный водопад острова Маврикий во всей красе, то заказывайте вертолетную экскурсию. Стоимость такой экскурсии будет зависеть от длительности полета, количества человек и типа летательного средства. Можно попытаться рассмотреть его с воды, заказав экскурсию на катамаране, с такого ракурса может быть виден только контур водопада. Еще можно подняться на вершину горы Ле Морн, откуда будут видны границы водопада, но, не насколько хорошо, как если бы вы совершали полет над ним. Дайвить в этом месте нельзя из-за сильного течения, поэтому поплавать и рассмотреть эту природную достопримечательность не получится.

Underwater waterfall on the island of Mauritius.

Mauritius is an island state in the Indian Ocean, located 2000 km from the south-eastern coast of the African continent. One of the most beautiful islands on our planet keeps in its vastness an amazing attraction - the illusion of an underwater waterfall, which from a bird's eye view has an incredibly spectacular view. An impressive natural anomaly, which appears to an aerial observer as a gigantic waterfall, is located off the coast of Le Morne Brabant peninsula, in the southwestern part of the island state of Mauritius.

The bizarre landscape, formed under the influence of a coral reef, became the cause of this famous phenomenon, for which Mauritius is famous. The underwater unique waterfall is an optical illusion, a play of light, shadow, water colors, depth differences, and sand movement. This is a kind of natural 3D drawing created by nature itself. The water around the island is so clear that even from a height of many kilometers you can clearly see the waterfall under the sea. Mauritius, photographed from space, also allows you to see this illusion.

This is a unique natural phenomenon. Scientists know for sure about 5 such waterfalls around the world. 3 of them are located in very remote parts of the ocean. And there is no way for a mass tourist to get there. Another one is off the coast of Tasmania. But it looks less impressive, and it is also not easy to get to Tasmania.

If you want to see the underwater waterfall of Mauritius in all its glory, then order a helicopter tour. The cost of such an excursion will depend on the duration of the flight, the number of people and the type of aircraft. You can try to see it from the water by ordering an excursion on a catamaran, from this angle only the outline of the waterfall can be seen. You can also climb to the top of Mount Le Morne, from where the boundaries of the waterfall will be visible, but not as well as if you were flying over it. Diving in this place is not possible due to the strong current, so you won’t be able to swim and see this natural attraction.

Источник: /t.me/roundtravel, /advantiko.com/countries/mauritius/ podvodnii-vodopad-na-ostrove-mavrikii/, /dzen.ru/a/YxZgsAg7OlV-76IQ, /multiurok.ru/blog/opticheskaia-illiuziia-podvodnogo-vodopada-mavrikii-1.html, /mauritius360.ru/podvodnyj-vodopad-mavrikiya/,//elite-voyage.com.ru/podvodnij-vodopad-na-mavrikii-ekskursii/.

[sayruq]

Here's more of what's been happening on the ground. (Once again I'm not an expert in war).

Palestinian fighters are still waging war on the state of Israel

It is clear that Hamas and other groups have access to anti aircraft weaponry and long range missiles, partly from looting Israeli bases but partly from (and this is unconfirmed) from the Russia-Ukraine war. It's not unexpected for weapons to end up smuggled into other countries during a war.

On the other hand, Israel went from swearing it would invade Gaza on the ground to doing just about anything but that

It's understandable why Israel would hesitate even with its 300,000 strong army

IDF is made up of mostly conscripted soldiers who normally act as civilians once they've served their 2.5 year mandatory conscription. Not only that, IDF acts more like a police force than an army. Its soldiers simply don't have the training or mentality to fight militia groups in their home turf.

America itself doubts its capabilities no matter how it words it. This is a country that has yet to win against a guerilla army so it has experience when it comes to this

Edit:

Edit 2: above Hamas states the obvious

In my previous post I highlighted how disorganised the Israel military was in response to Operation Flood Al Aqsa.

This hasn't changed in the days. Israel is behaving more like a cornered animal lashing out than the so called 'strongest army in the Middle East.'

It has been dropping bombs on Syria, Lebanon and Egypt aimlessly, more out of anger than calculated strategy

Its efforts to pushing back against the Palestinian militia isn't going well either

in addition to naked, barbaric cruelty towards Gaza because it is not producing results elsewhere

The tweet below is important as Russia is an Israeli ally. The Israeli right wing has been very favourable towards Putin, even willing to disagree with the US and EU policies on Russia. However Israel repeatedly bombing Syria is quickly souring Russia on the country. While Putin doesn't want to go against Israel at this point, he has become increasingly critical of the country in the past couple of days.

Saudi went from making a half-hearted 'both sides need to stop statements to cutting ties with Israel (ties Israel and America have worked very hard to form) to outrightly condemning Israel's treatment of the people of Gaza.

Naturally, with all of this happening, Israel has responded, not with ceasing the bombardment of Gaza, but by killing and assaulting journalists covering the genocide.

so that it could committ war crimes without it being documented and seen by the world. War crimes such as announcing that they'd bomb a hospital in Gaza and giving doctors and nurses just hours to evacuate their patients.

This, btw, is part of the reason they cut electricity so that Palestinians can't post their own genocide on social media. Israel brutality is costing them allies but they have no intention of stopping.

Despite all of this, there has been a great deal of support for Palestinians globally

In short, this war is not going the way Israel thought it would. They didn't crush Hamas and the other Palestinian military groups immediately after the battle of Re'im. In fact, they're still struggling against those groups right now. They've been humiliated in front of the world after being revealed to be paper tigers and as such, they're going after Palestinian civilians in increasingly horrific ways.

The Palestinian resistance is still optimistic and they're still carrying out their plan. There's still hope for a future without apartheid.

[diejager]

Hi! I got the notification that your requests are open skjsjsjs so exciting, can you do something about the noodle dragon with Monster!Task Force 141 please? That would be all, thank you and have a nice day! ❤️✨

Cw: canon-typical violence, weird water magic, weird dragon/monster shit and lore, death, crash, tell me if I missed any.

They’d gotten used to you over the month, watching you prance around them like a graceful panther in hunt, stalking around them with that cheeky smile of yours and a clawed hand always ready to patch someone up. You were a might dragon, a warm to some classifications and an Asian one to others, but the consensus was that you weren’t one to be trifled with —as most dragons were, but if anything, you were so a feline in a body of a dragon than the ferocious monster you were. Always prowling and on guard, watchful and observant, aware of the events transpiring around you like a protective cat.

They took well to you, forgoing the paranoia and apprehension at your eagerness to help them and you openness, your long tail, hard scales protecting the thick cords of sinewy muscles curled ever so softly around them, and the tuff of fur tickling any naked piece of skin. And however tender and soft-hearted you were, they’d seen the dangerous part of you, the draconic one with a strange affinity to water rather than the destructive fire they were so familiar with. Whereas Price was a chaotic force, burning everything on his path and leaving nothing but cinder and ash, you were an unmoving force of water, a typhoon and cyclone that would crash the land and leave broken pieces of what remained, cold and drowned —the calm before the storm as people said, a perfect imagery of you.

Yet there was a lingering suspicion that it was all, that there was a more monstrous part of you hidden away from their eyes. Horangi had shared such thoughts - another mythical creature of sacredness and nobility - and showed them what hehad heard of eastern dragons: giant snake-like creatures with the faces of lions and crowns of graceful antlers, born with lustrous manes and hard but flexible scales that let them dance and twirl as they wished it. Destructive beauty, Horangihad mumbled, a creature who’s image is drawn to represent beauty and nobility. 

They knew, they were fully aware, that you had more to show, yet they couldn’t hold back the awe and amazement that followed the gut-deep fear and worry after they saw you fall, your figure shrinking as you plummeted into the dark and silent ocean, gone into the wide, open sea. Rather than seeing your head pop out, gasping for air while they clung to their straps and helicopter, Nikolai screaming through the comma about holding onto something, swirling left and right to avoid being hit a second time by the war ship, it was calm, a smooth plain growing in darkness, a shape forming beneath the veil of a blue ocean. 

Then, before they knew it, a majestic serpent erupted from the sea, wet scales gleaming under the sun while you rose into the sky in a spiral, white fur floating like you hadn’t just come out of water. You were swift, curling in the air, your magicworking it’s wonder when you flew, stubby arms and legs moving as if you were swimming, looping around them to shield them from being narrowly hit. It was as Horangi gushed, water rose and fell with you, tendrils of salty water reaching out to curl around you, rising high to swarm the enemy ship the same way you did, circling around it until it was left submerged, swallowed up by your hydromancy. You had drowned warship in the depth of the abyss, a dark and cold pit that promised a lonely death, forgotten and painful. You had caused the deaths of hundreds with a twirling dance, an alluring, yet deadly show, like an oleander.

You made no show of joining them in the aircraft, keeping your distance from them, adequate enough to protect them from further damage without becoming a danger to them. They - especially Price, since he had never seen an eastern dragon, only from files and catalogues - gawked, gazing at your head-sized eye, blinking owlishly at them with a narrowed eyes, slitted pupil gleaming with glee at their admiration. You purred, a growling rumble that shook your gills, a deep sound shuddering through them like thunder, low and booming, but it was a happy sound, meant to comfort them from the near sinking that you’d saved them from.

Even in this situation, where they’d been saved by you, you were still trying to comfort them and reassure them despite having taken a hit or two. They were glad Laswell found you.

Taglist: @craxy-person @crowbird-kamakse @dead-cipher @iwannabealocalcryptid @iizx7y @mxtokko @capricorn-anon @perfectus-in-morte @sae1kie @yeoldedumbslut @bvxygriimes @distracteddragoness @konigsblog @angelcakes-22 @ramadiiiisme @ramblingsofachaoticthinker @im-making-an-effort @love-dove-noora @jinxxangel13 @daisychainsinknots @h0n3y-l3m0n05 @mul-pi @danielle143 @beau-min @makayla-666 @urfavsunkissedleo @notspiders @brokenpieces-72 @luvecarson @petwifed @randominstake @heartelysia @jggykhug09090 @hayleybarnesx @shironasumi @sparky--bunny @bloobewy @call-me-nyxx @sans-chara @cod-z @sweetnanah @aldis-nuts @thigh-o-saur @evolutionarry @kaoyamamegami @cassiecasluciluce @sobbingnshtting

[nocternalrandomness]

Seagull SOC-3A from VS-201 onboard the carrier USS Long Island photographed on 16 Dec. 1941

[lonestarflight]

The Vought XO5U-1 (BuNo 9399) at Annapolis.

Date: 1930s

SDASM Archives: 40959554

[bigglesworld]

North American O-47. Observation aircraft which first flew in 1935. Windows in the deep belly overcame the obstacle that the wings presented to downward observation and photography. 239 of the type were built. Officers pose during a photoshoot. ca1942

[lonestarbattleship]

A Vought O2U-1 Corsair floatplane being lifted onboard USS TEXAS (BB-35).

Photographed sometime between January and June 1930.

source

[usafphantom2]

@MAC_VSOG via X