This image was released by NASA on Memorial Day. This is the Mars Phoenix Lander parked on the surface of the red planet. In addition to the American Flag, note the DVD, which contains information for future explorers.

~Capt’n Chirs

Filed under: TidBits | |

With great relief at NASA, the Phoenix Mars Lander arrived safely on the Martian arctic plains Sunday.

The lander sent back 48 amazing pictures of the it’s surroundings.

Preparations are now under way for the lander to use it’s trench-digging robotic arm, it’s primary task to check the surrounding soil for signs of life.

The lander’s mission will last for 90 days and as more photos come, I will be posting them here!

Check out one of the lander’s images so far:

Filed under: Fast News! | |

Check out this bald eagle. His name is Challenger and he has learned to fly into stadiums during sporting events.

According to his trainer he was blown out of his nest as a chick, raised and then re-released, only to return to humans for food. In other words, he had become imprinted.

So now Challenger travels to sporting events nationwide and thrills audiences everywhere he goes. One of the things I found fascinating is that with this bird’s large size and 6 foot wing span, he only weighs 6 pounds.

Amazing!
~Capt’n Chris

Filed under: Videos | |

Check out this amazing video of a hydrofoil record speed attempt. It really is amazing and reminds me of a scene right out of the 1995 movie Water World. And the coolest part (at least to me) are the underlying physics that make it all happen.

Basically it’s really simple- A hydrofoil is a submerged wing that’s attached to the boat above it. As the boat accelerates, the wing under the water produces lift- Just like a wing on an airplane. Remember it’s still fluid dynamics, whether it’s air or water.

The great part about hydrofoils is that as the boat accelerates, overall drag is reduced- The opposite of aircraft. That is because as the foils produce lift they raise the boat out of the water and walla, the drag of all that water on the boat’s hull is gone!

Check this next video out. This guy is a retired Boeing engineer who converted his Bayliner with hydrofoils. The other part I thought was really cool is that he uses his laptop as an autopilot to control bank angle!

And last, check out how much fun the guy in this next video is having. It’s a great video to watch and is of a hydro wakeboarder being pulled behind a boat. I’d embed the video here, but it’s author has requested that it not have that capability, so I’ll post the link instead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoGqdZNdb_o.

Well, that’s about it for hydrofoils today. Check back though because I find hydrofoils so fascinating, I just may do another post about them in the near future!
~Capt’n Chris

Filed under: Videos | |

A TV crew filming off the southern tip of Japan has captured remarkable footage of a flying fish. The fish was in the air for a whopping 45 seconds, and the boat they were filming from was pacing along at around 20MPH - See video below.

There are 40 species of flying fish in the world and are found in warmer waters just about everywhere. The species has probably been doing occasional long flights for thousands of years, only to be captured on film finally by today’s camera laden society; Which brings up another point- You would think that these flying fish would be like fillet mignon for the local sea birds, or sort of like that rare, really good tasting treat they only get once in a while. Or, perhaps they eat them quite a bit, as it would seem like they’d be easy prey.

Anyhow, thinking of the mechanics behind the unique ability these fish have demanded that I do some further research. According to the National Geographic website, the fish actually begins it’s flight underwater. Like an airplane accelerating down a runway for take off, it propels itself to about 37 miles (60 kilometers) per hour. Seriously, just like an airplane, once Vr is achieved the fish literally angles itself upward until it leaves the water. Once out the water these fish can reach heights of 4 feet (1.2 meters) and have been known to glide 655 feet (200 meters).

The thing that sets this fish apart from other animals that break the water’s surface is that it takes actions to stay airborne and commonly achieves success in doing that. The fish beats it’s tail like the propeller on a hydrofoil, serving to propel the fish, which creates more lift and therefore… prolongs it’s flight.

It’s really quite amazing, but even more so to watch.

~ Capt’n Chris

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