Tuesday, April 25, 2017

Aeronautical Tidbits

Sometimes stuff accumulates.  A collection of aerostuff. Click on the titles for original articles.

Rover Wheel Damage
I saw these abominations being designed/built at JPL.  I was so horrified the only things I said were to the machinsts "I hope you don't get blamed."  The whispered reply: "Never worry, we've made it clear we are doing exactly as directed and not what we know needs to be done." 


How cool?  Extra credit.  How long until the tow plane is automated? 

Some readers may recognize the design as very close to mine before I decided the weather buffet versus size/lift didn't make sense. 

15 comments:

Cinco-X said...

First

Cinco-X said...

Is that blimp like thing neutral bouancy?

Rob Dawg said...

I hope not.

Rob Dawg said...

> A federal judge on Tuesday blocked a Trump administration order to withhold funding from communities that limit cooperation with U.S. immigration authorities, saying the president has no authority to attach new conditions to federal spending.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article146688344.html#storylink=cpy

Yes. We appoint incompetent judges.

LBD said...

Now we have to worry about self driving Blimps and pilots losing their job.

LBD said...

Judges don't vote, do they?

Lawyerliz said...

I have mixed feelings about this. Basically, I think it is low level Civil war.

On the other hand enforcement is so random, seems there is a lack of due process.

Lawyerliz said...

You know, pot enforcement is the same.

Lawyerliz said...

House up another 100$!

Lawyerliz said...

Liz Hub here. She asked me to comment on Dawg's post re Mars rover, electric plane and blimp. No comment on rover wheels. I have no background in mechanical engineering or materials science. Big blimps have a lot of potential as heavy lift, low fuel consumption aircraft. As the link shows, there are challenges. I'm glad to see someone giving it another shot. The electric aircraft excites me. This has nothing to do with reducing carbon emissions. Electric A/C won't make a dent in that even if commercially successful. The neat thing is the combination of new technologies of much broader application : lightweight, high-capacity batteries and motors, and high lift, low drag wings and airframes. Neat stuff!

Rob Dawg said...

> "Electric A/C won't make a dent in that even if commercially successful. The neat thing is the combination of new technologies of much broader application : lightweight, high-capacity batteries and motors, and high lift, low drag wings and airframes. Neat stuff!"

Testify brother! Agreed. Still the idea of not needing to have AvGas refined, transported and lying around and instead just a plug has certain environmental positives not involving CO2.

Rob Dawg said...

> "Big blimps have a lot of potential as heavy lift, low fuel consumption aircraft. As the link shows, there are challenges. I'm glad to see someone giving it another shot."

Again the true benefits are ancillary. The worst part about logging is the roads. Blimpage allows us to be far more selective and able to harvest in a more sustainable manner.

Lawyerliz said...

He say he thinks you are on the same page.

Rob Dawg said...

Now he prolly wants me to talk about the time I straped my boss to the top of the hanger with my rock climbing equipment so he could fly control line models in 270 degrees of sphere instead of the usual hemisphere. Burt Rutan.

Lawyerliz said...

We covered the wind tunnel in Goldwater stickers