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Thursday 91 20% 75
Saturday 90 60% 75
ULA Owns the Sky launches two payloads in week’s span GPS IIF-7
AFSPC-4 Trey Henderson/The Avion Newspaper
Trey Henderson Photo Editor For the third time this year, United Launch Alliance has launched two payloads in a week’s span. Despite the first of last week’s two launches being delayed four times, three of which were due to inclimate Florida weather, this did not prevent ULA from continuing on schedule for their second launch.
Remembering Connie
Friday 90 50% 75
Trey Henderson/The Avion Newspaper
AFSPC-4: Fifth time is the Charm
GPS IIF-7 Pierces the Night Sky
The AFSPC-4 mission delivered two Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program (GSSAP) satellites as well as an Automated Navigation and Guidance Experiment for Local Space (ANGELS) satellite aboard a ULA Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) on July 28, 2014. Though originally scheduled to launch Wednesday, July 23, mere hours before launch engineers detected a mechanical fault at the pad that required a 24 hour delay. For the next three days in a row, rainy Florida weather proved to hault the launch team’s efforts delaying the launch ultimately until Monday, July 28 where clear skies provided a perfect opportunity to place the classified Air Force payload into near geosynchonous orbit.
The seventh installation to the Air Force’s Block 2F Global Positioning Satellite program was launched aboard a ULA Atlas V in 401 configuation in the late night hours of Friday, Aug. 1. The 401 configuration rocket is the base-configuration Atlas V, having a four meter fairing, no solid rocket boosters, and a single Centaur upper-stage engine. The late night hours provided a better launch window than the afternoon window of AFSPC-4, allowing the Altas V to take flight flawlessly on the first attempt. IIF-7 is to join the other 30 satellites currently on orbit in the Air Force’s GPS constellation. Five more Block 2F GPS satellites are slated to be launched by mid-2016.
Courtney Byrd Senior Copy Editor It’s been 59 years since the historic Hurricane Connie ravaged the East Coast, causing significant damage to several states and killing a total of 74 people. Hurricane Connie left at least a quarter of a million people without power and left a total damage of $86 million. In today’s economy, that’s equivalent to $764,832,014.93. What made Connie a historic hurricane wasn’t that it was the first hurricane of the 1955 Atlantic Hurricane season- it was the storms persistent rainfall that was it’s biggest aspect. Hurricane Connie first formed west of the Cape Verde islands on August 3rd, 1955. On August 4th, Hurricane Hunters flew into Connie and reported an intensifying eye wall. The following day, Connie strengthened into a category three hurricane where it remained a major hurricane for the next four days as it moved northwest. By August 11th, Connie weakened due to upwelling and entrainment of cool air which allowed it to turn north-northeast on August 12th where it made landfall in North Carolina near Fort
Macon State Park with winds of 80 mph, although, researchers have debated that Connie made landfall with winds of at least 115 mph. Connie then moved offshore and made landfall on the Eastern shore of Virginia near Cape Charles. As Connie moved through Virginia it weakened into a tropical storm and continued to move inland. Connie weakened into a tropical depression near the Pennsylvania/New York border and on August 15th near Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, Connie dissipated. Although researchers have debated on Connie’s wind speeds when it made landfall in North Carolina, a Frying Pan Shoals that sits offshore reported wind gusts of 92 mph. Aside from the flooding, Connie produced at least six tornadoes in its rain bands - five in North Carolina and one in South Carolina. Residents saw tides 8 feet above normal as the hurricane made landfall. Due to significant rainfall from Connie, rivers flooded and the National Guardsmen were ordered to help 1,000 residents in North Carolina evacuate during the storm. As Connie once again made landfall in Virginia, flooding continued to be severe and widespread as it
moved inland. Affecting every state the storm moved through, Connie was to blame for the multiple deaths due to drowning, traffic accidents and electrocutions. In the days leading to Hurricane Connie’s landfall, towns along the East Coast - stretching from North Carolina to Pennsylvaniawere ordered to evacuate. An estimated 14,000 residents evacuated their coastal cities to further inland towns; but not everyone chose to leave. A Southport, North Carolina resident, 80-year-old Jessie Taylor, a U.S. weather observer, “staunchly” refused to leave her post and town. “There was nothing heroic about my refusal to leave,” she said, “I’m just plain stubborn.” The aftermath of Connie did not receive much publicity nationally. However, just five days after Connie struck the East Coast, Hurricane Diane slammed into the same area and six states were declared federal disaster areas from the combined hurricanes’ impact. Due to it’s destructive impacts, the name Connie was retired and will never again be used to name an Atlantic Hurricane.
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Executive Board Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Photography Editor Advertising Manager
Zachary Wilkinson Michael Wildes Jeff Icker Trey Henderson Matthew Rutowski
Page Editors Front Editor Campus Editor Opinions Editor I&T Editor Comics Editor Entertainment Editor
Trey Henderson Zachary Wilkinson Nathan Sonnenfeld Matt Rutowski Courtney Byrd Courtney Byrd Zachary Wilkinson
A Real Modern Airliner Zack Wilkinson Editor-In-Chief
Staff Contributors Reporters
Photographers
Micahael Wildes Courtney Byrd Trey Henderson Matt Rutowski Trey Henderson Zack Wilkinson
Correspondents Nathan Sonnenfeld
Staff Advisor Wesley Lewis, Asst. Director, Media & Marketing
Contact Information Main Phone: (386) 226-6049 Ad Manager: (386) 226-7697 Fax Number: (386) 226-6727 Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor News Editor Business Manager Photography Editor Advertising Manager
editor@theavion.com managing@theavion.com news@theavion.com business@theavion.com photo@theavion.com advertising@theavion.com
Whenever a different plane stops by DAB, it’s a big deal for Riddlekids. Whether it’s the Thunderbirds, a B-52, a 787, or ‘Fifi’, you can guarantee crowds will show up to wait hours in the blazing summer sun to get a look inside. The Sheltair ramp was busy last Wednesday the 30th as an uncommon visitor was welcomed on the ramp. A United Express Embraer 175LR landed at 1824 local time and headed to the ramp where a line of excited spectators was already waiting. It left that morning from the factory in Brazil, and didn’t even have a galley installed yet. The aircraft, N93305, is brand new and comes equipped with 2x General Electric CF34-8E5 turbofan engines producing 14,500 pounds of thrust. The aircraft
is expected to enter service with United Express sometime in the next 4 weeks. Mesa airlines is a regional affiliate with United Express and will operate the Jet. Most are confused when they see two airlines’ names on an aircraft. This is commonly the case when a regional carrier operates flights for a larger parent carrier. The recruiting department of the airline arranged the visit and several pilots we’re present to talk to visitors. Students and Instructors from Embry-Riddle and Phoenix East Aviation were spread about the ramp in groups talking, taking selfies, and getting unique perspectives of the aircraft with cameras on their cellphones. The E175 is part of Embraer’s ‘E-jet’ family, which includes the 170, 190, and 195. The 175 ‘Advanced range’ can take a full load of passengers up to 2,000 miles. Interest-
ingly enough, across the E-Jet family there is an 86% commonality in parts allowing for maintenance costs to be reduced for carriers operating more than one variant; said the company’s website. The Fly-By-Wire Jet comes with Embraer’s AHeAD-PRO system, an innovative aircraft health, analysis and diagnostic system. AHeAD-PRO is a computational, fault detecting, web-based platform that allows pilots to continuously monitor the performance of an E-jet while in flight. “It’s in place to tell you something is wrong with the aircraft before it becomes a problem.” Said Ian Patterson, a pilot with Mesa Airlines who was answering questions about avionics in the rear of the aircraft. The plane also has a Central Maintenace Computer, or CMC, which acts as a ‘brain’ for fault reports and
maintenance messages to asssit with troubleshooting. The CMC can be accessed in the cockpit and from four LAN ports on the aircraft via a laptop computer for data analysis. The cockpit of the plane was attractive and modern, and just about every visitor stopped to take the classic ‘Airline-Pilot’ over the shoulder photo in the left seat. The company’s website states that E-Jets incorporate a human-centered design emphasizing physical and cognitive requirements and abilities. The Ergonomic placement of instruments and controls in a dark and quiet environment creates unsurpassed situational awareness that reduces pilot workload. Overall, the E175 is a very neat jet, and it’s surely to end up all over the airspace near you. Mayb eyou’ll even find yourself on one next time you buy a ticket
Website: theavion.com
The Avion is produced weekly during the fall and spring term, and bi-weekly during summer terms. The Avion is produced by a volunteer student staff. Student editors make all content, business and editorial decisions. The editorial opinions expressed in The Avion are solely the opinion of the undersigned writer(s), and not those of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the Student Government Association, The Avion, or the student body. Letters appearing in The Avion are those of the writer, identified at the end of the letter. Opinions expressed in the “Student Government” and “Student Life” sections are those of the identified writer. Letters may be submitted to The Avion for publication, provided they are not lewd, obscene or libelous. Letter writers must confine themselves to less than 800 words. Letters may be edited for brevity and formatted to newspaper guidelines. All letters must be signed. Names may be withheld at the discretion of the Editor-in-Chief. The Avion is an open forum for student expression. The Avion is a division of the Student Government Association. The Avion is a member of the Associated Collegiate Press. The costs of this publication are paid by the Student Government Association and through advertising fees. The Avion distributes one free copy per person. Additional copies are $0.75. Theft of newspapers is a crime, and is subject to prosecution and Embry-Riddle judicial action. This newspaper and its contents are protected by United States copyright law. No portion of this publication may be reproduced, in print or electronically, without the expressed written consent of The Avion. Correspondence may be addressed to: The Avion Newspaper, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 600 S. Clyde Morris Blvd., Daytona Beach, Florida 32114. Physical office: John Paul Riddle Student Center, Room 110. Phone: (386) 226-6049. Fax: (386) 226-6727.
LeftTop: The E175 flares for landing on runway 25R at Daytona Middle: A Cessna Citation passes as the E175 touches down Bottom: The throttle quadrant of the Embraer and instrument panels. AboveTop: Ian Patterson, a Mesa employee, was available to visitors for answering questions about aircraft systems. Bottom: The tail of the E175 against the fading light of Wednesday evening All Photos: Zachary Wilkinson /The Avion Newspaper
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“A Draught of Cool Air”
Photo Courtesy: Mark Ricklick Aerospace Engineering students making contributions to the reseatch project which aims to design a better cooling mechanism for turbine blades.
Research Project Hopes to Cool Things Down It’s not easy being a turbine blade in an engine. All things considered, turbine blades work under the most stressful conditions, probably more than any other parts of an aircraft. Still, because they are not readily seen, it is easy to take for granted the importance of the work they do, or the intricate attention to details which went into their design, which allows a plane to fly safely. Turbines are machines that work to convert energy in a fluid to useful work. Water and air are two types of fluid, and they can be moved around to get work done. Simple examples of these are windmills and waterwheels. These early mechanisms would use the moving fluid to turn a rotor, which could be directed to produce some form of energy. Aerospace engineers paid attention to this and figured out how to transfer that system to engines of an aircraft. For flight to have progress to the realms of transatlantic hops, which people casually take today, a lot of thought had to go into figuring out how to get a powerplant to transfer air to energy and to function as efficiently as possible. Engine evolution has come a far way since dedicated engineers figured out how to make them better, and how to protect them
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The GE90 experiences turbine temperatures anywhere between 2500-2900 degrees Fahrenheit.
for longer use. Inside a gas turbine, turbine blades are subjected to high heat, high stresses, and vibrations. These conditions really work together to reduce the life of blade in flight, and may cause them to fail. One of the world’s most powerful engines, the GE90 can produce close to 130,000 pounds of thrust and experiences turbine temperatures anywhere between 2500-2900 degrees Fahrenheit. That is both heavy and hot. Each condition alone requires the attention of skilled individuals who are working to mitigate or lessen the conditions turbine engine blades have to face. This article brings to light the work which one group is doing to lower the high temperatures imposed on blades through a very promising research project. It is noteworthy to think that a next Manhattan-like Project could be taking place in aEmbry-Riddle’s own Aerospace department. Now, the focus is very different, but this local endeavor is relatable to that historical project because, J. Robert Oppenheimer and his team realized that it only required atomic adjustments to make a massive change in the world. Likewise, in the world of turbine cooling, a small change could change the nature of the aviation world. Recently, the Avion interviewed Assistant Professor of Aerospace Engineering, Dr. Mark Ricklick regarding a very bright project, which he and a group of dedicated students have been working on over the summer. Professor Ricklick has his own prolific background in all things relating to propulsion, having published a plethora of
research papers, while also developing some of the most promising projects in the thermal management aspect of engines. It is safe to say that the students whom have worked with him this summer follow keenly in his footsteps, and under his tutelage to forward this project, which could directly change the airline industry, providing things go according to plan. In the interview, he shared generously on a few things he and his group was working on. Each undertaking aims to solve one of the issues that turbine blades face, namely, high heat. If it isn’t clear already, it is completely necessary for these types of research endeavors to take place because, even though aviation is a booming business, it actually has a long way to go. Business may be on an all time high, but on paper, the potential for growth is baffling. As far as the main project goes, the aim is to increase the tolerance of the engine to high intake temperatures, as this will actually increase the efficiency, but to also cool turbine blades better so that they can last longer or do more work. A process known as Impingement Cooling, which just required the air coming into the turbine to be redirected so that it cools the blade more directly, is doing this. Currently, the high temperatures that turbine blades have to endure significantly reduce engine performance efficiency, and lower the useful life of a turbine blade. Consequently, it is very expensive to operate and maintain a turbine engine. The said GE90 turbine engine mentioned earlier houses over
100 blades which each cost something close to, or even above a hundred thousand dollars.
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Airline customers are really who foot these bills, so projects like these should be meaningful to [a] regular flier
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Michael Wildes Managing Editor
Keep in mind that each piece of metal is no longer than a regular skateboard, 3 or 4 feet long. Yet, the cost of manufacturing a blade is nowhere close to the cost of maintaining one in the long run. Gas temperatures flowing around turbine blades can sometimes be a thousands times hotter than the actual safe operating temperature of the metals themselves.
In other words, the thermal environment of the blade is enough to weaken its structure to the point that it starts to bend, similar to the manner a piece of metal in fire bends. This should matter to anyone who goes through an airport because, unless airlines and plane manufacturers can keep their operational and maintenance cost of their equipment down, then it will be increasingly expensive to travel. At the end of the day, airline customers are really the people who foot these bills, someway or the other, and so research projects like these should be meaningful to anyone who is a regular flier. So, the Impingement cooling project will be pursued through a series of lab experiments and computation, which should progressively become a report to be published in the respective engineering journals. If they can prove their findings, then the project could receive external funding to further it. Professor Ricklick was realistic however to point out that their work was being completed at a basic level, and it wouldn’t be wise to expect the entire project to be implemented in the industry. Rather, he hopes that the realistic concepts and some of the designs could be considered for implementation. Right now, this project is designed so that the turbine blades would essentially be modified differently so that the incoming air, which the turbine blade has to move to create energy and then cool itself, would be less yet more uniformed, hence increasing efficiency. It would also cool the inside of the blade to the same effect. As far as the work goes,
it’s more than just drilling and twisting metal to get the air to go where they want it to go. There is an extensive amount of math, precise design, and wind tunnel testing which must be done to get it right. To measure the temperature spread, they ingeniously use temperature sensitive paint to record heat, which they can track on a computer. Obviously, there’s a lot of attention to detail. Imaginably, this is very time-consuming as well. Yet, the rewards are far reaching. They hope to present their papers at The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) SCITECH Conference in Orlando, in January of next year to an audience that includes who’s who in the airline industry and top Washington officials. Here, they’ll produce their computational findings from all their research. A year from now, at the AIAA Joint Propulsion Conference, they’ll hope to present their experimental results. As the time draws close, it will be interesting to see how they have progressed towards their goal, and what other details they will uncover. There are many fronts on which air travel can get better, but this is certainly a foremost one. The idea of getting to your destination possibly faster and safer has never made anyone disappointed, so it isn’t hard to hope that this project is a success. What if their project doesn’t get pick up in the industry? Professor Ricklick asserts that the market for this type of system isn’t limited to aviation, and so the future is still bright for their work on many levels.
Photo Courtesy: Mark Ricklick Graphic depiction of a turbine blade and the various forms of cooling, including the Impingement cooling method which is being used in the research project.
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Airshow Center Melbourne Air & Space Show Melbourne, FL October 4-5
• Sponsered by Northrop Grumman, the Melbourne Air & Space Show takes place on Paradise Beach with big names such as the USAF Thunderbirds, the US Army Silver Wings Parachute Team, the F4U Corsair, and many more. _________
Wings & Waves 2014 Daytona Beach, FL October 11-12
• Embry-Riddle hosts their bi-
enniel airshow on the ‘World’s Most Famous Beach’ with performances by the USAF Thunderbirds, Geico Skytypers, Lucas Oil Skydivers, Matt Chapman, Rob Hollan, Patty Wagstaff, ERAU Alumnus Scott “Scooter” Yoak in his silver P-51, and many more! Free shuttles will be offered for ERAU students from the DAB Campus to the Bandshell at beachside.
This Week in Aviation History August 8, 1901
Wilbur Wright achieves a flight of 389 feet (118.5 m) at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in the Wright 1901 glider.
August 12, 1985
Japan Airlines Flight 123, a Boeing 747, crashes into Mount Osutaka after catastrophic failure of the tailplane severs all hydraulic lines and renders the aircraft uncontrollable. 520 of 524 people on board are killed. To date, it is the worst single-aircraft disaster in history.
August 12, 1944
Joseph P. Kennedy Jr., eldest son of Joseph and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, was killed with his co-pilot when their explosives-laden Navy plane blew up over England.
August 17, 1946
The first person in the U. S. to be ejected from an airplane by means of its emergency escape equipment is Sergeant Lambert at Wright Field in Ohio.
August 18, 1930
Captain Wolfgang von Gronau and crew make the first east to west crossing of the Atlantic from Germany to New York.
August 19, 1871
Orville Wright was born in Dayton, Ohio. He was co-inventor, with his brother Wilbur, of the first airplane to achieve powered, sustained, and controlled flight and the first fully practical powered airplane.
ATP Alumnus Eagerly Awaits Return To The Flight Deck
Matthew Rutowski/The Avion Newspaper
Matthew Rutowski Advertising Manager Over 100,000 alumni make up the ERAU family worldwide. Professions ranging from blue-chip careers such as commercial pilots and engineers to nuance trades like homeland security and aviation safety have molded what we know today as the Embry-Riddle family. Each alumnus has a story. Each has a vision. Each has a future. Many never know what the future will hold. This was certainly the case for Mr. Christian Pezalla ’07, now owner and operator of his very own ‘Three Point Aviation’. Christian was a Commercial Pilot by the age of 18, and flight instructor not long after. He taught with
the university during his undergrad for over a year until the successful completion of his A.S. degree. Like many A.S. majors of the time, opportunity was prolific as stood in line for First Officers fresh out of college. With just over 1000 hours Pezalla took to the skies in an ATR out of Puerto Rico operating for American Eagle. “I really wanted to operate internationally. As I was graduating overseas and international became my career focus. I was given two options with Eagle: fly a turbo prop ATR from Puerto Rico, island hoping and cruising in the Caribbean, or fly jets out of DFW- a good career move, sure to give promotions and pay raises. I went for the obvious pick of course, and within a
few months was in Puerto Rico!” Christian explained. With Almost 1000 hours SIC in the ATR Christian made his move into the ERJ line, holding the right seat in the 135 and 145 series. With almost 2500 SIC in the E145’s, Eagle made Pezalla an offer. With a chance to save his place in line, Christian was given the opportunity to take a leave of absence in pursuance of his law degree. He never wavered far from aviation however when in 2012 he founded ‘Three Point Aviation’ and published a book the following year. Three Point Aviation, an aviation consulting firm, also holds seminars and information sessions on various aspects of flight. Working hand in hand with the FAA Wings program, Pezalla trav-
els around the country to teach about IFR holding. “I always love when people ask me as a flight instructor, ‘do you know much about holding?’” Pezalla laughs, with his favorite response “Yes actually, I wrote the book on it”. And he certainly did. ‘The Advanced Guide to Holding Patterns’ which was released in mid 2013 is Christian’s first published work. Christian held a seminar at Jacksonville Executive airport last week with attendance numbers well over 70. Pilots from the locality ranged in experience from Instrument students to seasoned recreational pilots. St. Johns County’s Sheriff ’s office even had one of their deputies in attendance, getting a refresher for his work in the county’s Aerostar.
Christian covered the material in a short 50 minute presentation answering questions and offering advice. “The program is a lot of fun actually” Pezalla says, who dedicates his time and travel costs for free to the organization. “It’s great to see the kind of interest that’s generated in general aviation recently” Christian remarked. Upon completion of the last two years of law school, Christian hopes to find himself back behind the familiar stick of an ERJ under the company’s new name, Envoy Air. In the meantime however, Christian will continue his work with Three Point Aviation, and maybe even push out a couple more books. You can follow Christian on his website, www.3pointaviation.com.
Controversy Curbs Seaworld’s Contract Christian Pezalla Alumnus After 26 years and millions of frequent flyer miles, Southwest Airlines announced Friday that it would not renew its paint scheme marketing agreement with SeaWorld Entertainment. Over the years, a select number of Southwest airplanes have flown with the colors of Shamu, representing Orca whales at SeaWorld, all of which are named Shamu. In a short press release, Southwest cited “shifting priorities” as the reason for discontinuing the black and white Shamu livery, currently displayed on two Boeing 737 aircraft. A third plane, sporting SeaWorld Penguins will also be discontinued at the end of 2014. According to the press release, all three “airplanes will return to the company’s traditional livery.” Southwest Airlines began its agreement with
Southwest Airlines Says Sea Ya Later To Shamu
SeaWorld in 1988, as part of the “New Friends” partnership to promote tourism in Texas. Growing from 85 airplanes in 1988, Southwest is now the largest operator of Boeing 737s worldwide, with more than 600 in service. Prior to acquiring AirTran Airways in 2011, Southwest operated Boeing 737s exclusively. The move to repaint the SeaWorld aircraft came as a surprise to many, including those who recall
the 2011 Penguin flight from San Francisco to San Diego. On that occasion, SeaWorld Penguins traveling to a convention were allowed to roam the cabin, delighting passengers prompting several youtube videos. Friday’s statement failed to make mention of the public relations nightmare that has plagued SeaWorld following the 2013 release of the documentary “Blackfish.” The film highlighted concerns
about both the condition of animals at SeaWorld as well as the safety of the handlers, including an incident that resulted in the death of a SeaWorld Orca handler in 2010 at its Orlando Park. In November of 2013, following wide distribution of the Blackfish film, a petition was launched at Change.org requesting Southwest stop promotion of SeaWorld. Change.org, a website that promotes social change, received
Photo Courtesy: www.change.org
over 32,000 thousand digital signatures in support of the petition. When interviewed, the founder of the petition and former PETA worker, Robin Merritt stated that losing the Southwest agreement “would be a big wake-up call” to SeaWorld. In a telephone interview with a major news network, she expressed contentment with the airline’s decision, citing it as “the compassionate choice.” While many will be sad to see the legendary Color Scheme vanish, Southwest’s other specialty planes will continue to display everything from sports teams to state flags. Only time will tell what the next generation of Southwest 737s will look like, but with new Boeing 737 Max on order, there will be many opportunities to show off Southwest’s lively style.
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Launch Control Center Asiasat 8- Falcon 9
August 5 @ 1325-1525 EDT Cape Canaveral AFS SLC-40
Asiasat 6 - Falcon 9 (2)
(1)
August 25 @ TBD Cape Canaveral AFS SLC-40
SpaceX CRS 4 - Falcon 9 September 12 @ TBD Cape canaveral AFS SLC-40
CLIO - Atlas 5
September 16 @ TBD Cape Canaveral AFS SLC-41
GPS 2F-8 - Atlas 5 October 29 @ TDB Cape Canaveral AFS SLC-41
(3)
(4)
(5)
GPS IIF-7
(1) The Atlas V streaks across the sky as Air Force and media members watch from ITL Causeway at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. (2) Shortly after rollout, the Atlas V sits atop its mobile launch platform while media set up remote cameras at SLC-41.
AFSPC-4
(3) For the third time in a row, culumus clouds approach the launch platform preventing launch of the Delta IV. (4) A Delta IV Medium+ awaits launch at SLC-37B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. (5) After four previous attempts, the Delta IV takes flight with multiple satellites on board.
August 5
All Photos Credit: Trey Henderson/The Avion Newspaper
SpaceX Soft Lands Falcon 9 First Stage Nathan Sonnenfield Correspondent According to a SpaceX press release on July 22nd, the Falcon 9 rocket’s first stage reentered the atmosphere and soft landed in the Atlantic Ocean – verifying the Falcon 9 booster’s capability to consistently reenter the atmosphere from space at a hypersonic velocity, restart its main engines twice, deploy landing gear, and touch down at virtually zero velocity. As planned, the vehicle tipped sideways to its final water-safe state in a nearly horizontal position. The ocean impact caused a small loss of hull integrity, but engineers at SpaceX gathered all of the necessary data from this test in order to achieve successful landings on future flights. SpaceX is also taking steps to minimize the accumulation of ice on the camera housing in order to record improved video from their future launches. “We are highly confident of being able to land successfully on a floating launch pad or back at the launch site and re-fly the rocket
with no required refurbishment,” states the SpaceX press release, “However, our next couple launches are for very high velocity geostationary satellite missions, which don’t allow enough residual propellant for landing. In the longer term, missions like that will fly on Falcon Heavy, but until then Falcon 9 will need to fly in expendable mode.” This news follows the announcement of Falcon 9’s tenth consecutive successful launch, when the rocket lofted a constellation of six ORBCOMM OG2 satellites to orbit – the first takeoff in a series of ORBCOMM’s OG2 machine-to-machine communications satellites launching on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 vehicle. “ORBCOMM’s OG2 satellites will provide existing customers with significant enhancements, such as faster message delivery, larger message sizes and better coverage at higher latitudes, while dramatically increasing network capacity,” according to the previous SpaceX press release. Satellite deployment for the ORBCOMM mission initiated approximately fifteen
minutes into spaceflight. All six satellites were successfully deployed into their target orbits, and Falcon 9 met one hundred percent of its mis-
sion objectives. The company intends to attempt their next water landing on flight thirteen of falcon 9, but with an admittedly
ISS Sightings
low probability of success. Flights fourteen and fifteen will attempt to land on solid surfaces with an improved probability of success.
9:14pm - Visible for two minutes. Max height: 20 degrees. Appears 20 degrees above NNW and disappears 10 degrees above NNE.
This Week in Space History August 5, 1930
The first man to walk on the moon, Neil Armstrong, was born in Wapakoneta, Ohio.
He would make ‘That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind,’ in 1969. August 7, 1959 The first ever television images of earth from space are transmitted from the Explorer 6 satellite. August 11, 1991 Space shuttle Atlantic lands after completing mission STS-43. August 12, 1960 The first balloon satellite _ the Echo l _ was launched by the United States from Cape Canaveral. August 19, 1982 Soviet cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya became the second woman to be launched into space. Photo Courtesy: SpaceX
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Bitcoin - Chamber of Digital Commerce Nathan A. Sonnenfeld Correspondent On Saturday, July 12th at the North American Bitcoin Conference in Chicago, the Chamber of Digital Commerce announced its creation and its goal to legitimize the digital currency in the eyes of Washington D.C. politicians, and to provide a place where those politicians can get unbiased information outside of media. Registered as a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization and led by Perianne Boring – former journalist and Congressional staffer – this trade association shows that representatives are beginning to take cryptocur-
rency seriously. The group had early backing from RRE Ventures, which has provided more than a billion dollars in venture capital financing to its other companies. “Digital currencies and assets, such as Bitcoin, have captured the imagination of Silicon Valley and technology innovators around the globe,” stated Boring. “Digital assets will soon be as important as email, web browsing, and e-commerce. We are here to educate policymakers and consumers about how this new technology and asset class will improve the economy and access to financial services.” According to their website, “The Digital Chamber is the
authoritative representative for the industry in Washington, D.C. We will provide quick and accurate responses to the press and explaining to government and the larger public how digital assets work and add value to our society. The mission of the Chamber of Digital Commerce is to promote acceptance and use of digital currencies and digital assets among government and the larger public.” Although Bitcoin may not be the “end-all, be-all” of crytocurrencies, it is the effort of organizations such as The Chamber of Digital Commerce that shall bring the benefits of the technology to the mainstream public mindset.
Photo Courtesy of www.ikipedia.org
Crowdfunding Life Extension Nathan A. Sonnenfeld Correspondent
This July, scientists affiliated with the Institute for Ethics & Emerging Technologies (IEET) have strongly voiced their opinions about what needs to be done to achieve radical life extension. Their answer: Crowdfunding. “Theoretically, the program is already solved,” states Maria Konovalenko, a molecular biophysicist and the program coordinator for the Science for Life Extension Foundation, “It is now quite obvious what kind of research should be done for life extensi0on. For example, testing various combinations of different things that extend lifespan in old mice. Particularly important is longevity gene therapy development.” Konovalenko mentions that there are nearly fifty labs in the United States that are moving in the right direction, but also confers that they could do so much more for humanity if they
had the appropriate funding. “Delivering 5-7 gene vectors simultaneously carrying longevity-associated genes into an old animal could prove to be quite beneficial, because similar approach already works. It is also clear that there are several experiments in the area of therapeutic cloning that should be done immediately,” she asserts, and stresses the importance of implementing aging diagnostics into regular clinical practice. The progression of science leads straight to life extension, but the process – held back by piously-influenced government policy and unsubstantiated disagreement over humanity’s role in the universe – is much too slow for researchers like Maria Konovalenko on the frontlines of science and technology; “Our goal is to accelerate.” “Unfortunately, molecular biology is not a part of [layperson’s] background. We will make people more educated; show them how diseases orig-
Photo Courtesy of Maria Konovalenko
inate, progress, and how they relate to aging. We will also tell the people what can be done.” With the success of start-ups receiving funding from places such as Kickstarter and Indiegogo, Konovalenko believes that “even only by preparing the campaigns, we will influence the society by on once again providing the proof of the possibility of significant life extension… while working on the [campaigns] we will mobilize our supporters by giving them a concrete tool and a plan of action… crowdfunding will become a very powerful transhumanist organizational tool.” One such project – developed by a team from Belgium – is an Android mobile game designed to spread the message of indefinite life extension to the general public. It is called “LEV: The Game”, and the premise of the Indiegogo-funded game is to live for as long as possible and attain longevity escape velocity by reversing the damage of
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Black is Back in Vogue Nathan A. Sonnenfeld Correspondent Goths, artists, scientists, poets, and fashion aficionados: Black is back in style. Surrey NanoSystems launched the blackest material on record at the Farnborough International Air Show (July 14th – 20th), which improves the range and sensitivity performance of electro-optical imaging and target-acquisition systems. It’s a densely packed “forest” of vertically aligned carbon nanotubes that may be applied to light-weight and temperature-sensitive structures such as aluminum, while absorbing 99.96% of incident radiation (all but 0.035% of visual light).
The result of applying Surrey NanoSystems’ patented low-temperature carbon nanotube growth process to the UK Technology Strategy Board’s “Space for Growth” program – working alongside the National Physical Laboratory and Enersys’ ABSL Space Products division – Vantablack’s ultralow reflectance “improves the sensitivity of terrestrial, space, and airborne instrumentation”, “[permits] sensitive telescopes to see the faintest stars”, and “allows the use of smaller, lighter sources in space-borne black body calibration systems”, according to Ben Jensen, Chief Technology Officer at Surrey NanoSystems. This means that astronomical telescopes, cameras, and
infrared scanning systems will be able to function more effectively; “We are now scaling up production to meet the requirements of our first customers in the defense and space sectors, and have already delivered our first orders”, expressed Jensen. “Many people think black is the absence of light. I totally disagree with that. Unless you are looking at a black hole, nobody has actually seen something which has no light,” conveyed Dr. Stephen Westland, Chair of Colour Science and Technology & Director of Research at Leeds University. “These new materials, they are pretty much as black as we can get, almost as close to a black hole as we could imagine.”
Photographs Courtesy of www.ikipedia.org
senescence (aging) at a faster rate than it accumulates. Reviewed on the IEET website by Gennady Stolyarov II – actuator, novelist, essayist, and Editor-in-Chief of Rational Argumentor – “Every year in the game, the character receives an allotment of energy points with which to purchase power-ups, such as stem-cell therapies, applications of nanomedicine, cybernetic enhancements, or simple increments of diet and exercise. Hoping to increase the game’s current victory condition of age 200 to age 1000, the game is still in its Alpha stage of development – but is currently free to download and try. One of the “concrete tools” Maria Konovalenko discoursed of, Stolyarov also views LEV: The Game to be immensely important for increasing public awareness of life extension: “Our ability to achieve indefinite life extension personally will depend on the amount of resources and support from the general public invested in the overcoming of age-related bodi-
ly damage. Most people, unfortunately, continue to either be resigned to the inevitability of death, or argue against the desirability of indefinite longevity due to extremely basic misconceptions.” Stolyarov elaborates, “Even apart from the absurdly false boredom argument, overpopulation argument, and “playing God” argument, there is a more basic fallacy – the Tithonus error – which posits that becoming chronologically older necessarily means becoming biologically more decrepit.” The importance of this game, Stolyarov argues, is that “the only way indefinite longevity could be achieved would be for people to remain biologically young, so that their susceptibility to deadly diseases does not increase beyond that of people in their twenties today. How could longevity advocates get the general public to understand this? Convincing people through arguments along may often fail…” he admits, “but a game gives a fresh, different, and engaging way to see and experience what indefinite longevity
would truly entail.” “Anyone playing LEV: The Game would quickly see that becoming increasingly frail is no way to increase life expectancy. Your character will die if [they] experience sufficient biological decay… furthermore, [LEV: The Game] encourages its players to engage in paradigm-shifting thinking about their own future trajectories. Instead of planning for gradual debilitation and eventual death, as people do today… a strikingly different mindset can take hold – the quest for perpetual maintenance and a return to youthfulness that may be possible at any chronological age, with sufficient technological advances and vigilance regarding one’s health.” For students and faculty on the frontlines of scientific and technological advancement – life extension is a topic that we may all have to consider in our lifetimes. Is crowdfunding the answer to the question of radical life extension, or does it simply need more support from all other fields of academia?
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Entertainment
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The Avion
Hercules is Dumb Fun But Not Much Else Matthew Liddell Correspondent Director Brett Ratner hasn’t had the best career, whether we’re looking at his filmography or his personal life, with disappointing entries into blockbuster franchises and his politically incorrect vocabulary leading to the loss of many jobs. You can’t blame anyone for thinking that his new film, Hercules, will ring true to his somewhat trashy career, and you’d be mostly right. Hercules is a very light, unremarkable action film, but it’s also relatively enjoyable and inoffensive entertainment if you happen to be in the mood to just watch anything at all. Dwayne Johnson stars as Hercules, a more grounded version of his mythological inspiration, fighting alongside a group of like-minded and skilled mercenaries who travel across Greece working for the highest bidder. Their
latest buyer is John Hurt as Lord Cotys, a king warring whose motivations are unknown and (dun-dundun) more than they seem. Annnnnd that’s about it. It’s a brisk 90 minutes and really isn’t anything to write home about, but the action scenes are surprisingly ok given how little anyone could have cared about this movie. Hercules uses a massive club instead of a sword, leading to many cool-looking moments of enemies being smacked across the screen by his might. I had seen The Purge: Anarchy shortly before seeing this film, and was disappointed that the former was very tame in terms of violence and action, but somehow Hercules ended up being more brutal and a constant barrage of violence despite little bloodiness. Dwayne Johnson is also fun as the title hero, and he feels believable and weighty in light of some of the film’s other issues. The
biggest is it just doesn’t seem to have any motivation to do anything all that interesting. None of the bad guys are particularly engaging, Hercules’ team is serviceable (if very generic), and the tone doesn’t quite fit the overall story. Ratner and writers Ryan Condal and Evan Spiliotopoulos decide to take away the supernatural elements that are in the classic Greek mythology, opting to make Hercules a normal but incredibly strong barbarian. All of the fantastical elements come through by Hercules’ squire named Iolaus, played by Reece Ritchie, who tells of the various monsters that Hercules has fought over the years and of his Zeus heritage only in order to strike fear into their enemies. One positive way this helps the film is it severely limits the poor CG moments to the very beginning of the movie. Those Hydras and giant boars
and lions you see Hercules fight in the trailers are whisked away in the first five minutes, telling us that this isn’t what the movie is going to be. But at the same time, the movie still retains its super-heroic tone, as if the fantasy elements were still there. There are also a pack of enemies who are a little too unrealistic and a few action moments for Hercules that defy any and all laws of physics. It makes the movie feel confused and feel like there was some serious studio-meddling going on during production, with some wanting the classic Greek hero and others wanting a more realistic feel. But all in all, Hercules isn’t the worst movie you could see in theaters right now, and there at least a few action moments and even design elements that are impressive enough to warrant a rental. Hercules isn’t exactly heroic, but it’s mild amusement while it lasts.
Marvel’s Latest is Weird, Funny, and Their Next Big Step Matthew Liddell Correspondent Marvel has really been finding their stride lately, with Iron Man 3 being a fun flip on the expectations of the modern superhero movie, and Captain America: The Winter Soldier being a surprising take on the spy genre. But I’m sure many out there were thinking like I was, that Marvel tends to get very generic and predictable with their films, and that the next steps to Avengers 2 and beyond would start to blend together just as the first pre-Avengers films would. And then came Guardians of the Galaxy, probably the first entry in the Marvel movie universe that the average viewer has not heard of whatsoever. It’s also the riskiest one so far, with a gun-totting raccoon and tree creature flying
across the galaxy fighting other alien thugs and stealing precious artifacts. It’s got some serious 80s inspiration, a dash of the bizarre, and a fast, frisky tone that frankly doesn’t care what you think. And it pretty much all works together as a cohesive whole, and is one of the most exciting Marvel installments so far. Guardians follows Chris Pratt as Peter Quill, aka Star Lord, a 30-something space traveler who was abducted back in the 80s from Earth. That 80s feel mentioned earlier comes from the music choices and pop culture references, which would all have been relevant to the only Earth culture that Quill is aware of in the film. He is a robber going after a spherelike artifact, which he soon discovers holds massive power and is the object of interest by just about every
last person in the universe, whether lawful or nefarious. Quill meets Rocket, a talking raccoon voiced by Bradley Cooper; Groot, a tree creature voiced by Vin Diesel; Gamora, a greenskinned assassin played by Zoe Saldana who has ties to the overall villain of the Marvel universe, Thanos; and Drax, a bulky monster of a man played by WWE star Dave Bautista. The entire hero cast is great in their roles, with all of them having suitable motivation and a lot of humor to keep them engaging through the whole film. A lot of credit needs to be given to writer/director James Gunn, whose typically-weird-and-insane style fits perfectly for this ragtag group of bandits. Gunn really nails the humor and even the more serious moments, giving a surprising amount of gravity to a
hero as strange as a talking rodent. Really the only issue keeping Guardians from being the outright-best Marvel film yet is the lack of any interesting villains. There are plenty of cool looking ones, like Gunn-regular Michael Rooker as Yondu, the alien who abducted Quill and took him under his wing, or Karen Gillan as Nebula, a daughter of Thanos and right hand of the film’s main villain, Ronan, played by Lee Pace. Ronan is the most uninteresting of the bunch, reminding me heavily of whatever the bad guy’s name was in Thor: The Dark World. He quickly mentions how he seeks power to destroy a planet that has warred against his people for a millennia, but it doesn’t do much to make him a strong villain.
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