aviation – Page 40 – Take off with Natarajan

Image of the Day…Moon Set Behind Trees…

November 11, 2014November 11, 2014Natarajan1 Comment

Moonset behind trees

Increasingly golden or orange color as the moon sets is due to the fact that – as it sinks – you’re seeing the moon through more and more of Earth’s atmosphere.

Ken Christison posted this photo to EarthSky Facebook and wrote:

Watching the moon set behind the trees. I always liked to get clean images of the moon, but this morning I just kept it running through the trees. I think it does add to the whole atmosphere.

SOURCE::::Deborah Byrd IN earthsky.org Photo By …Ken Christison

Natarajan

Virgin Galactic disaster: Survivor Pilot’s Version…

November 9, 2014November 9, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

THE pilot who miraculously survived the Virgin spaceship disaster has revealed how he was blasted from the wreckage of the disintegrating rocket ship and plummeted nearly ten miles back to Earth.

Having suffered serious injuries, the experienced test pilot only regained consciousness halfway into his fall but was composed enough to give a thumbs-up to colleagues in a passing aircraft to show he was alive.

Peter Siebold spoke for the first time about the tragedy that killed his close friend, copilot Mike Alsbury, revealing he blacked out as the craft broke up around him at 50,000ft but was saved by his emergency parachute.

Siebold, 43, a married father of two, said: “I must have lost consciousness at first. I can’t remember anything about what happened but I must have come to during the fall. I remember waving to the chase plane and giving them the thumbs-up to tell them I was OK. I know it’s a miracle I survived.”

Perished … Mike Alsbury was a close friend and colleague of Peter Siebold. Source: AP

Survivor … Peter Siebold can’t remember much of what happened that day. Source: AP

The Mail on Sunday reported that despite his injuries, Siebold — who is yet to speak to crash investigators — returned home to his family on Monday, just three days after Sir Richard Branson’s SpaceShipTwo tore apart.

He gave his amazing account of survival to his father, Dr Klaus Siebold, who visited him yesterday at his modest ranch home in Tehachapi, California, on the edge of the Mojave Desert where the spaceship crashed.

CRASHING DOWN: Is this the end of Branson’s space dreams?

PILOT IDENTIFIED: Michael Alsbury named as the man who perished.

LONG ROAD AHEAD: Investigation may take a year

Dr Siebold, who is also a pilot, travelled to California from his home in Seattle to see his son. He said Peter was in good spirits despite suffering serious injuries, including a shattered shoulder.

Both pilots were strapped into standard pilot seats and wearing thin flight suits and emergency parachutes when SpaceShipTwo was released from its mothership WhiteKnightTwo shortly after 10am on October 31.

Explosion … These three images show the space craft’s demise. Source: AP

The craft’s rocket was ignited at 50,000ft (15.24km). The pilots, wearing oxygen masks, were pinned against their seats by gravitational forces as the craft accelerated at more than 1500km/h.

Then disaster occurred. Preliminary investigations suggest that the rocket ship’s folding wings — designed to slow it down and achieve safe speeds during landing — deployed early, causing the ship to break up due to the tremendous turbulence around the craft.

Alsbury was trapped in the cockpit but Siebold was thrown clear of the wreckage or somehow unbuckled his seatbelt. He then plunged towards Earth at speeds topping 193km/h. Witnesses reported seeing Siebold descending with part of the base of his seat still attached. It is likely that his oxygen mask, attached to a portable tank, remained in place. But at that altitude, the sudden decompression and extreme G-forces would have caused him to black out in seconds.

His emergency parachute deployed t about 20,000ft. It is not known if he pulled the cord or if it unfurled automatically. Both pilots were wearing parachutes calibrated to open automatically at a certain height in the event they became unconscious during an emergency.

Incredible … Siebold has no idea how he managed to exit the space ship, given it has no ejection seat. Source: AFP

Dr Siebold, 79, explained: “He doesn’t know how he managed to exit SpaceShipTwo. They don’t have an ejection seat. They have a panel they take out and they have to crawl towards the hole and jump out. But the plane broke up suddenly. I’m sure he was unconscious because he could not have maintained consciousness at 50,000ft.

“He doesn’t remember anything from the actual crash. He came to during the descent. He must have woken up about halfway down. When he was on the way down the chase plane was circling him and he was waving and giving the thumbs-up to indicate he was all right while he was dangling from the parachute.

“He’s recovering at home. He broke the head of the humerus bone that sits in the right shoulder. He’s got a rib and lung contusion and there is an issue with his eyes because of the cold. It was around minus 60 degrees up there.

“It’s a medical miracle he survived considering the temperature, the lack of oxygen and the barotrauma [injury caused by a sudden change in pressure].”

The pilot’s horrified wife, Traci, and children 12-year-old Alexandra and Nick, nine, were standing with the family of Mike Alsbury as the tragedy unfolded.

The body of Alsbury, 39, was found still strapped into his seat on a desert road by construction workers. His parachute did not deploy. His wife Michelle said she had “lost the love of my life”.

Dr Siebold said: “Mike’s children and my grandchildren were all watching the flight so the emotional impact of that is tremendous.

Mike, second from right, was a friend and neighbour of Siebold. Source: Supplied

“Mike was a friend and neighbour. Their children are the same age and friends. Peter is asking himself whether he could have done more and why he got out and Mike didn’t? Traci is a strong woman. She’s drained but very much in charge.

“She’s protecting Peter and she’s holding up incredibly well most of the time. He’s on pain medication, which is making him tired and confused.” Dr Siebold, who split with Peter’s mother Barbara when his son was five, spoke proudly of teaching his son to fly: “Flying was the only thing Peter was ever really interested in. I flew privately — that was my recreation — so he grew up with it. It’s what we did together. We would go to the airport after school.”

At 16, Siebold studied aviation at California State University and landed a job with Scaled Composites — the company conducting last week’s test flight for Virgin Galactic — before he graduated.

“He worked as an engineer and pilot, starting from the bottom and working his way up,” Dr Siebold said proudly.

Siebold began working as a test pilot and engineer with Virgin Galactic at the start of its space program a decade ago.

“He told me straight away he was involved with Virgin Galactic,” his father continued. “Safety was a great concern but I had total confidence in his piloting skills.

“Peter would say, ‘These aeroplanes fly just beautifully.’ He was never worried about the safety aspect of it.”

Big sky dreaming … Sir Richard Branson vowed to become an astronaut by the end of the year. Source: AP

The October 31 flight was so routine that Dr Siebold had no idea his son was piloting the pioneering craft that day until his panicked daughter-in-law phoned.

“I picked up the phone oblivious to what had happened. I said, ‘Hi Traci, how are you?’ cheerful as usual and she said, ‘It’s serious. Peter had an accident. We don’t know exactly but it looks like he hurt his shoulder and he’s on his way to the hospital.’

“We were worried but the main thing was we knew he was alive.

“I hope he’s going to recover enough to be able to fly again. That’s his life. We’re focusing hour to hour rather than day to day.”

Yesterday, it was revealed that 24 passengers who have paid $A290,000 each for the chance to go into space — alongside celebrities including Angelina Jolie and Kate Winslet — have demanded their money back.

Virgin Galactic chief executive George Whitesides claimed it was unsurprising passengers had pulled out, adding: “I think what is relevant is that the vast majority have said, ‘Don’t give up, keep going, we’re with you’.”

Before the accident, billionaire Sir Richard Branson vowed he and son Sam would become astronauts by the end of this year and the first space tourist flights would begin next spring. But the Virgin Galactic project has been beset by years of delays and safety fears, including previous accidents with SpaceShipOne which necessitated a redesign of the ship’s engines and fuel.

The investigation into this month’s crash is now likely to delay any commercial flight for at least another year. But Branson has vowed to press ahead with the project, while acknowledging the risks taken by his test pilots. Last night, Mr Whitesides paid tribute to Siebold, saying: “It will be regarded as one of the most amazing test flight survival stories of all time.

SOURCE:::: Peter Sheridan IN NEWS.COM.AU

Natarajan

“Out of This World …” !!!

November 8, 2014November 8, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

An American astronaut has offered a rare look inside the International Space Station, with a unique video tour showing viewers his intergalactic workplace.

Reid Wiseman records himself floating through International Space Station
He travels through the dining area and labs before finishing at front end
Space Station is 205 miles from Earth and travels at 18,000 m
Beginning at one end of the ISS, Reid Wiseman, from Baltimore, Maryland, floats through the station in just over a minute and a half as he explains its different rooms.

As he enters one area, Russian religious icons can be seen on the wall behind him, offering a glimpse of a rare personal touch in the highly-functional station.

PL CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK FOR VIDEO CLIP ….

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2825624/Out-world-American-astronaut-gives-fascinating-video-tour-International-Space-Station.html#v-3880543431001

Reid Wiseman bumps into his colleague Maxim in the dining area, but thankfully there is enough room to pass

Just another day in the office: Reid Wiseman (pictured) continues his scintillating ISS tour

A narrow tube-shaped hallway connects the station’s laboratory, crew quarters and dining area.

Mr Wiseman is greeted by Russian cosmonaut Maxim Surayev in the dining area, which resembles most of the other sections of the station.

The tour also offers a glimpse at the close-quarter manoeuvres astronauts must adopt to function inside the ISS, which travels at a rate of 18,000 mph.

Breathtaking: Wiseman’s photos from the space station have proved hugely popular on Twitter

This incredible shot was taken by the Baltimore astronaut from high above earth

Mr Wiseman takes us to ‘the very front end’ of the International Space Station

Viewers pass through the dining area and the lab as the astronaut gives an insight into his workplace

Reid Wiseman and his colleagues appear in good spirits despite being over 200 miles from Earth

Wiseman has amassed 361,000 followers on Twitter following his postings from outer space

‘Butch, go high,’ Mr Wiseman says as he floats beneath his fellow ISS resident, making sure the two don’t crash into each other.

He ends the brief tour on the front side of the station, roughly 200ft from the back end.

Mr Wiseman has become a Twitter sensation since he joined the ISS crew. He has shared hundreds of photos of Earth from outer space and now has 361,000 followers.

His photos have frequently been used on NASA’s official website as their ‘photo of the day’.

He is due to return to Earth this weekend after spending 165 days orbiting the planet.

Natarajan

Which Bird Migrates Farthest ?

November 7, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

The bird that flies farthest is the Arctic Tern, an elegant white seabird. This bird also sees more daylight than any other.

Over its lifetime of about 25 years, an Arctic Tern can fly a million kilometers – nearly three times the distance from the Earth to the moon.

The Arctic Tern breeds on the shores of the Arctic Ocean in northern hemisphere summer. And it feeds over the oceans of the southern hemisphere half a year later – in southern hemisphere summer. So, like many birds, this bird flies great distances every year to maintain its life of endless summertime.

North American Arctic Terns fly about 40,000 kilometers – or 24,000 miles – each year. That’s a distance about equal to the distance around the Earth.

An Arctic Tern can live for 25 years, so in its life-long quest for summer it can fly a million kilometers – nearly three times the distance from the Earth to the moon.

By the way, there are about 120 migratory bird species with populations in the United States and south of the equator. Most of these species cross the equator during migration. For example, the Red Knot flies from New England to far southern South America.

Other birds stay in one hemisphere, but go farther. For example, the Wandering Albatross spends most of its life aloft, circling the world over the oceans of the southern hemisphere. It stops only to breed on storm-swept islands near Antarctica.

A Wandering Albatross might fly 30,000 kilometers – that’s 18,000 miles – between breedings.

So while the Arctic Tern flies farthest of all birds, there are other bird species that come in a close second!

SOURCE:::: earthsky.org

Natarajan

November….Aviation History Month …A Look @ Oldest Airlines in the World !!!

November 7, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

November has arrived, which means it is Aviation History Month!

Oldest Airlines in the World - Aviation History Month

To coincide with the event, Routesonline delved into the history of some of the world’s oldest airlines, and chose some of our favourite historical photos. Beginning with one of the first ever airlines (KLM), we took a look at the first 20 years of commercial aviation, and some of the airlines that were founded between 1920 and 1940.

KLM

KLM is the oldest running airline still operating under its original name. The airline was founded on October 7, 1919 as ‘Dutch Royal Airlines for the Netherlands and its Colonies’ (Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij voor Nederland en Koloniën) – KLM. The first flight by the airline was piloted by Jerry Shaw and it flew from Croydon Airport, London to Amsterdam on May 7, 1920 in a leased De Havilland DH-16.

PH-AJU KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Douglas DC-2 [Image by KLM]

Qantas

Qantas is Australia’s largest airline, and the second oldest airline in the world, founded in November 1920. In 1921, the airlines’ fleet consisted of two biplanes, one Avro 504K with a 100 horsepower water-cooled engine and a Royal Aircraft Factory BE2E with a 90 horsepower air-cooled engine. Qantas began to operate a scheduled airmail service in November 1922 between Charleville and Cloncurry, and this became the first scheduled air service for the airline. Qantas operated its first overseas passenger flight in February 1935 from Brisbane to Singapore using its four-engine DH86 aircraft.

Economy class cabin of a Qantas Boeing 747B in the early 1970s. [Image by Qantas]

Finnair

Finnair, which was founded in 1923, is the fifth oldest airline in the world with continuous operation. The airline was originally founded under the name ‘Aero Yhtiö’ (Aero Company) which is where the airlines’ code ‘AY’ originates from. Aero took delivery of its first aircraft, a German-registered Junkers F 13 D-335, on 14 March 1924, and its maiden commercial flight was on 20 March 1924, when it carried 162 kilos of mail from Helsinki to Tallinn.

Finnair inauguration flight to London Heathrow airport August 29th, 1954. [Image byFinnair]

Czech Airlines

Czech Airlines was founded in 1923 as Czechoslovak State Airlines and completed its first transport from Prague to Bratislava on October 29 of the same year. On the 1^st July 1930, CSA operated its first international flight with a Ford 5AT plane on from Prague to the Croatian capital, Zagreb. It was in 1937 when Czech Airlines introduced cabin attendants on board to improve the passenger experience.

Czech Airlines Tupolev Tu-104. [Image by Czech Airlines]

Icelandair

Icelandair was originally founded in 1937 under the name Flugfélag Akureyrar, before becoming grounded again in 1939 after a capsizing accident destroyed the airlines’ only aircraft. The airline was re-launched in 1940 under the name ‘Flugfélag Íslands’ but was often referred to as Iceland Airways for international purposes. The airline did not adopt its current name until 1979 when it merged with Loftleiðir.

Icelandair Pilots 1942. [Image by Icelandair]

SOURCE::::Poppy Marello, in http://www.routesonline.com

Natarajan

Image of the Day… View Of Earth Over the Far side Of Moon !!!

November 2, 2014Natarajan1 Comment

Extraordinary shot of moon’s far side and Earth, from Chang’e

China’s Chang’e 5 spacecraft rounded the lunar far side earlier this week, on the return leg of its journey to the moon. It’s now safely back on Earth.

The Chinese Chang’e 5 test vehicle captured this extraordinary view of Earth over the far side of the moon on October 28, 2014. From Earth on this date, the phase of the moon was a waxing crescent. From the moon that day, the Earth was in a waning gibbous phase.

Mare Moscoviense – one of the very few lunar maria on the lunar far side, 277 kilometers / 127 miles wide – is visible in the image near the center of the lunar far side.

Tsiolkovskiy Crater with its dark lava flooded floor – 180 kilometers / 112 miles wide – is visible to the lower left on the far side of the moon.

The Chinese Chang’e 5 spacecraft, which is testing lunar sample return technology, has rounded the lunar far side and is now on the return leg of its journey to the moon. It is landed back on Earth on Friday, October 31, 2014.

Bottom line: As it prepared to leave the moon and return to Earth, the Chinese Chang’e 5 spacecraft captured this image of the moon’s far side, with Earth in the background.

SOURCE:::::: earthsky.org

Natarajan

Longest and Shortest Dreamliner Routes In the World…

October 31, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

As United Airlines launches the longest Dreamliner route to date, here at Routesonline we decided to look at the top 10 longest and shortest Dreamliner routes in the world.

Longest and Shortest Dreamliner Routes in the World

United Airlines announced earlier this year that they were introducing a new route between Los Angeles and Melbourne starting from October 26, 2014 using Boeing 787-9 aircraft.

The 787-9’s extended range – 13,760 kilometres compared to the 787-8’s 13,197 kilometres enables United to launch the new service, which will be the longest Dreamliner route in the world to date.

Flying times will be approximately 15 hours, 45 minutes’ westbound and 14 hours, 35 minutes eastbound and United has timed the new flights to conveniently connect at Los Angeles with an extensive network throughout the US, Canada and Latin America.

We took a look at the top 10 longest and shortest Dreamliner routes in the world:

Top 10 Longest Dreamliner Routes in the World:

10. United Airlines 10,655 km

The airline, which operates the route between Houston and Tokyo Narita, introduced a second daily offering in the spring of this year (2014). The route is a distance of 10,655 kilometres and takes 14 hours, 5 minutes.

9. Aeromexico 10,680 km

The Monterrey to Tokyo Narita route which takes a little under 14 hours was introduced earlier this year, and the skyteam member operates the route four times weekly. The Carrier started operating the Dreamliner in October 2013, first serving the Mexico City – Monterrey and Mexico City – Tijuana routes.

8. LAN Airlines 10,712 km

The South American Airline group operate routes between Santiago and Madrid which takes 12 hours and 40 minutes. LAN took delivery of its first Boeing 787 in late 2012, making it the first South American airline to add the Dreamliner to its fleet. The aircraft is configured with 217 economy seats in a 3-3-3 layout and 30 in business class in a 2-2-2 layout.

7. Japan Airlines 10,758 km

The Japanese carrier holds two spots in the top ten, with its Tokyo Narita – Boston route as the shorter of the two, operating daily.

6. Hainan Airlines 10,813 km

The 13 and a half hour Beijing – Boston route is operated by the privately owned airline, configured with 177 economy seats and 36 flat-bed business seats.

5. Japan Airlines 10,828 km

70km longer than Japan Airlines’ other top ten entry is the Tokyo Narita – New York JFK route. The airline released a second daily flight between the two cities earlier this year, and the flight time is 12 hours, 30 minutes.

4. United Airlines 11,029 km

The American airline operates a San Francisco – Chengdu route with a flight time of 14 hours, 30 minutes. United 787’s are configured with 30 flat-bed seats in BusinessFirst class, 70 Economy Plus and 113 economy seats.

3. Aeromexico 11,249 km

The airline operates its Mexico City – Tokyo Narita route 4 times weekly and the cabin is configured with 32 seats in Premier Business class and 211 economy seats.

2. Ethiopian Airlines 11,494 km

Ethiopian Airlines was the first African carrier to take delivery of the Boeing Dreamliner aircraft in 2012. It offers a direct route between Toronto and Addis Ababa which takes approximately 13 hours and 20 minutes and operates three times weekly.

1. United Airlines 12,751 km

The newly operated 787-9 Los Angeles – Melbourne route has a flight time of 15 hours, 45 minutes, and is the longest Dreamliner route to date.

The table is soon to change however, with Etihad Airways and China Southern introducing new routes in 2015. Etihad Airways will operate an Abu Dhabi – Brisbane route (12,004 km) and an Abu Dhabi – Washington route (11,383 km) in June 2015 and January 2015 respectively, stealing second and fourth place on our table. China Southern will commence a Guangzhou – San Francisco route (11,075 km) in June 2015.

Top 10 Shortest Dreamliner Routes in the World

10. Ethiopian Airlines 402 km

Although the African airline holds the number 2 spot in the longest Dreamliner routes in the world, it also claims three spots in the shortest Dreamliner routes list. This is a perfect example of the versatility of the Dreamliner aircraft, with Ethiopian Airlines operating a Lusaka – Harare route, a mere 50 minute flight.

9. All Nippon Airways 402 km

The first of the Japanese airline’s entries is its Tokyo Haneda – Osaka Itami route with a flight time of 1 hour, 5 minutes with 787-9 aircraft.

8. Qatar Airways 377 km

The state-owned flag carrier operates a Doha – Dubai with a flight time of 1 hour, 5 minutes. The airline currently has 9 Dreamliner aircraft, with another 51 on order for delivery throughout 2018.

7. All Nippon Airways 315 km

With a flight time of one hour, the Japanese Airline operates a Tokyo Haneda – Komatsu domestic route. The carrier was the launch customer for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

6. All Nippon Airways 261 km

With a flight time of 55 minutes, the Tokyo Haneda – Toyama route is the shortest Dreamliner route the airline offers.

5. Ethiopian Airlines 253 km

The Paris CDG – Brussels route is the shortest European Dreamliner route in the world, with a flight time of 50 minutes.

4. Qatar Airways 146 km

From the airline’s base in Doha, the carrier’s shortest route flies to Bahrain in a mere 45 minutes.

3. Arkefly 119 km

The Dutch charter carrier became ‘Arkefly’ after the German group, TUI took over the financially struggling Holland Air. The Aruba – Curacao route has a flight time of 35 minutes.

2. Ethiopian Airlines 116 km

The airline operates the Malabo – Douala route four times weekly with a flight time of 35 minutes.

1. Arkefly 74 km

The carrier operates the shortest Dreamliner route in the world, between Bonaire – Curacao with a flight time of 25 minutes. Arkefly has one 787 in operation and one on order.

The Dreamliner operates routes between 74km – 12,751km making it one of the most versatile aircraft available. Used for both international and domestic use, the 787-8 Dreamliner can carry 242 passengers while the longer 787-9 can carry 280 passengers. The new 787-10, launched in June 2013, will extend and complement the family, carrying 323 passengers up to 7,020 nautical miles (13,000 km), or more than 90 percent of the world’s twin-aisle routes.

SOURCE:::: Poppy Marello,
Digital Content Executive, Routesonline IN http://www.routesonline.com

Natarajan

” Why you are asked to Raise Your Window shades For Take off and Landing … ” ?

October 28, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Have you ever wondered why cabin crew on commercial flights ask you to raise your window shade for takeoff and landing?

We asked around the office and got all sorts of answers, from passenger curiosity to conspiracy theories about terrorism threats.

We decided to ask Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) corporate communications manager Peter Gibson to explain the real reason behind it.

“The simple answer is, for safety reasons,” Gibson told Business Insider Australia. “In case of an emergency, cabin crew need to decide which side of the aircraft is safest to disembark from. Leaving the window shade up allows them to make a quick call.”

Gibson said the measures were part of commercial airline safety procedures in Australia and applied to all large commercial aircraft.

SOURCE:::: BUSINESSINSIDER.COM

Untold Story of MH 17… As Told By Russia Today ….

October 27, 2014October 27, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

The Russian government's English news outlet, Russia Today, released a 26-minute documentary about the "untold story" of the MH-17 tragedy.

The film’s major thesis is that a BUK missile did not – and could not – have been what hit the MH-17 plane. Instead, it was actually a cannon fire from a (presumably) Ukrainian jet.

“The film attempts to establish what might have brought down the ill-fated airline and all 298 people abroad,” RT’s website says.

The mainstream consensus is that the plane was hit by a BUK missile fired by pro-Russia Ukrainian separatists.

And interestingly, Bellingcat’s Eliot Higgins points out that another Russian propaganda outlet disproves that the plane was shot down by a canon.

RT: It Was A Fighter Jet

In the film, one female witness says that the plane “was flying, but there were literally no windows. Well, [the plane was] on the level of the tallest trees.”

“Within a couple of minutes, there was the sound of a plane flying away. There were two planes,” she insists.

This second plane, according to the RT documentary, is the jet that allegedly fired at the MH-17.

Later on in the film, a team tests the cannon fire on aircrafts, and compares the damage to the damage of the MH-17.

“Here the results of the strike,” a man says, and points to the damaged aircrafts. The documentary also shows a side-by-side comparison to the MH-17 debris.

However, Higgins has seen all of this and explain how the comparisons actually prove the opposite of what’s intended:

“Another example of MH17 entry holes comes from ANNA News, a Russian language news channel embedded with separatists in Ukraine. … as we can see, compared to the [RT] piece on the damage done to MH17 there’s a significant size difference.”

“Based on the Russian channel’s own tests it seems clear that the entry holes visible in the above examples do not match what’s shown in the Russian channel’s own tests. It seems that rather than prove MH17 was shot down by cannon fire as they claim, they’ve inadvertently provided evidence that it wasn’t,” he adds.

RT: Why it “could not” have been the BUK missile

The documentary also attempts to disprove why the BUK missile could not have hit the MH-17.

Ivan Andrievsky, the vice president of the Russian Union of Engineers, says: “When a BUK missile is launched, it leaves a long vapor trail … This huge vapor trail would be about 15 kilometers long.”

“And given the meteorological conditions, [it would be visible for] up to 10 minutes. Imagine a huge vapor trail like that not being noticed by anyone,” he adds.

Nevertheless, all non-Russian analysis of the debris have concluded that the plane was most likelyhit by a missile.

The documentary concludes with an poignent interview of a victim’s parents, who visited the scene of the crash.

They were hoping that their daughter might have still been alive, and went toinvestigate for themselves.

“We are for peace. She was for peace. She is for peace. And she will forever be for peace,” says the father.

You can watch the whole documentary here.

SOURCE:::: http://www.businessinsider.in

Natarajan

Image of the Day…Comet Siding Spring Near MARS !!!

October 25, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Cool composite of Comet Siding Spring near Mars

Hubble image of close passage of Comet Siding Spring near Mars. The comet passed Mars at about a third the distance between Earth and the moon on October 19.

This NASA Hubble Space Telescope composite image captures the positions of Comet Siding Spring and Mars in a never-before-seen close passage of a comet by the Red Planet. The close encounter took place at 2:28 p.m. EDT October 19, 2014. The comet passed by Mars at approximately 87,000 miles, or about one-third of the distance between Earth and the moon! At that time, the comet and Mars were approximately 149 million miles from Earth.

The comet image shown here is a composite of Hubble exposures taken between Oct. 18, 8:06 a.m. EDT to Oct. 19, 11:17 p.m. EDT. Hubble took a separate photograph of Mars at 10:37 p.m. EDT on Oct. 18. It’s a composite image because a single exposure of the stellar background, comet Siding Spring, and Mars would be problematic. Mars is actually 10,000 times brighter than the comet, and so could not be properly exposed to show detail in the Red Planet. The comet and Mars were also moving with respect to each other and so couldn’t be imaged simultaneously in one exposure without one of the objects being motion blurred. Hubble had to be programmed to track on the comet and Mars separately in two different observations.

The Mars and comet images have been added together to create a single picture to illustrate the distance between the comet and Mars at closest approach. The separation is approximately 1.5 arc minutes, or one-twentieth of the angular diameter of the full moon. The solid icy comet nucleus is too small to be resolved in the Hubble picture. The comet’s bright coma, a diffuse cloud of dust enshrouding the nucleus, and a dusty tail, are clearly visible.

Moonset behind trees

SOURCE:::: By JOHN HUTCHINSON FOR MAILONLINE

Extraordinary shot of moon’s far side and Earth, from Chang’e

Cool composite of Comet Siding Spring near Mars