What NASA earlier reported as an “unidentified” object ‘floating” (UFLO….my acronym) away from space shuttle Discovery, which is on a return trip from the international space station, has now been identified.  The 1.5 foot long object is a clip that is part of the rudder speed brake insulation.  No worries, says NASA, this has happened before…..


“NASA says the missing clip isn't critical for landing. It's used to protect the speed brake from high temperatures during the shuttle's launch. "Orbiters have come back with those missing. It's just not a factor for entry," Mission Control told the shuttle crew. “

Oh, my…I know I feel better.  I hope the crew does.

Read about it from Breitbart   ç  here





Space Shuttle Discovery being
prepared for mission

….I’m Rambo, damn it!

Too bad there isn’t a way to make sure these weapons never get in the hands of the enemy.  But that’s impossible. 

The close-up of the ammunition was pretty chilling.  

In the end, it's just like when the military used to throw a grenade into a building before they went in...now, they use this weapon instead.

Don't forget about military  Robobugs .


If you're interested, here's a link to  BLACKWATER  Ã

Looks like airports are going to be seeing a little more than your underpants, since eventually over 2000 of the nation's airports will be replacing metal detectors with body-scanners that can see through your clothing.  You've probably heard of these scanners before...they can see your body parts very clearly.






"Body-scanning machines that show images of people underneath their clothing are being installed in 10 of the nation's busiest airports in one of the biggest public uses of security devices that reveal intimate body parts.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) recently started using body scans on randomly chosen passengers in Los Angeles, Baltimore, Denver, Albuquerque and at New York's Kennedy airport.

Airports in Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas and Miami will be added this month. Reagan National Airport in Washington starts using a body scanner today. A total of 38 machines will be in use within weeks.

"It's the wave of the future," said James Schear, the TSA security director at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, where two body scanners are in use at one checkpoint.

Schear said the scanners could eventually replace metal detectors at the nation's 2,000 airport checkpoints and the pat-downs done on passengers who need extra screening. "We're just scratching the surface of what we can do with whole-body imaging," Schear said."

Read the full story on USA Today

But I know they are necessary on this Earth (at least most of them).

I really don’t like those insects that run faster than I do…and I guess that’s most of them nowadays.

I’m one of those people who calls for HELP! to get rid of a bug. 

Other critters in the animal kingdom? 

I can handle them…no problem.

But what about this?


BAE Systems is creating a series of tiny electronic spiders, insects and snakes that could become the eyes and ears of soldiers on the battlefield, helping to save thousands of lives.




Plans for a robot that can crawl like a spider are 'well developed'



Now, if these “bugs” are for "real"…I’ll change my opinion (somewhat).

Are we seriously at this point?

I know we use drones (UAVs) – and they’re much larger than insect robots.

So I suppose we can produce a functional “Robobug.”

Now we'll have these bug robots released by soldiers, into buildings and combat areas to scout the scene, take pictures and report back. 



Simulation showing a 'bug' being sent into a danger zone in a special vehicle

Of course this is all good. 

It will help to save lives.

That said, I can't help but look at the bigger picture...

The future picture.

The one that is a bit more Terminator-like, with all-robot armies.

Those robot soldiers will save lives, people will say...as we march on closer to the end of civilization (maybe).

That's a long way off in the future.

But for now, picture this....

                               BAE promotional video

 

Read the article from Union Leader.com "The Spy Who Bugged Me"

BAE Systems Develops Combat Devices    á  here



And from Popular Mechanics:


Unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) have already flooded the battlefield. There are at least 6000 robots in use by the Army and Marine Corps in Iraq and Afghanistan. For years these small, remote-control vehicles have allowed troops to peek around corners and investigate suspected bombs. And while unmanned aerial vehicles have been loaded with missiles since 2001, the arming of ground robots is relatively uncharted territory.

Last June the Army deployed the first-ever armed UGVs. Three SWORDS (Special Weapons Observation Remote Direct-Action System) robots landed in Iraq, each equipped with an M249 light machine gun. These UGVs are essentially guns on tracks, a variant of the remote-control Talon bots routinely blown up while investigating improvised explosive devices. When the trio was approved for combat duty, the potential for historic robot-versus-human carnage lit up the blogosphere. Never mind the dozens of air-to-ground Hellfire missiles that have already been launched by a squadron of armed Predator drones over the past seven years—this was a robot soldier, packing the same machine gun used by ground troops.

America's Robot Army: Are Unmanned Fighters Ready for Combat?  á  here


So, maybe this isn’t so farfetched after all….

At least in the movies, humans always win…

Good news!

The story from January, about the Spy Satellite that is supposed to fall from the sky in March; well it looks like the U.S. is here to save the day.

Our Navy is planning to shoot down the broken satellite, according to the Pentagon.

Officials said we would most likely shoot it down before it re-enters the atmosphere, using a special missile modified for the task.

The last time the U.S. attempted to do such a thing was 20 years ago. 

China did the same sort of thing just last year.

If the mission should fail, the satellite would fall to earth as anticipated.

Read the story from the International Herald Tribune

U.S. Officials Say Broken Satellite Will Be Shot Down   ¡ here


______________________________


Remember Skylab?

Do you know where you were when it fell in 1979?

I remember where I was.

There was so much hype about Skylab falling...

No one was sure where it would fall.

For some reason I was up visiting the Cave of the Mounds.

Don't know if that was on purpose. 

I do love looking at caves.

I remember they were selling novelty spray cans of Skylab repellent!

Guess what?

There's a new kid in town....


U.S. Spy Satellite Falling To Earth   ç  here

P.S.

An Australian municipality, the Shire of Esperance, fined the United States $400 for littering when Skylab fell.  In 2004, the History Channel documentary "History Rocks" stated, in an episode covering major events of 1979, that this fine has never been paid.

 

 
News about US Air National Guard F-15C involved in accident on November 2, 2007.

An Air Force investigation of the crash last fall of an F-15C Eagle fighter jet concluded that a defective metal beam in the frame cracked, causing it to disintegrate during flight.

In a report released last week, Air Force investigators said they had found the sole reason for the accident was the faulty support beam, called a longeron, which failed to meet the manufacturer's specifications.

Gen. John Corley, the top officer at Air Combat Command at Langley Air Force Base, Va., called the situation a "crisis" that would be best solved by an infusion of costly new aircraft rather than fixing jets that are 25 years old.

The mechanical troubles, most acute in the F-15 Eagles used to protect the United States, also have led to a patchwork approach to filling critical air missions at home and in Iraq and Afghanistan.

With nearly a third of the F-15 fleet grounded due to a defective support beam in the aircraft's frame, other fighter aircraft, including F-16s and new F-22s, are being shifted from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"It's a rob Peter to pay Paul," Corley said at a Pentagon news conference. "It's unprecedented to have an air superiority fleet that's on average 25 years old."



Read the article from Military.com 
Air Force Fighter Fleet In Crisis  ÷here






Produced by Boeing Phantom Works as part of the US Air Force accident investigation, this animation reconstructs the in-flight structural failure of a US Air National Guard F-15C on November 2, 2007. The breakup was caused by fatigue cracking of a forward fuselage longeron. IMPORTANT - this is slowed down to one-fifth the actual speed of the event!

 

ST. LOUIS, Dec. 10, 2007 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] has installed a high-energy chemical laser aboard a C-130H aircraft, achieving a key milestone for the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration program.

Boeing completed the laser installation Dec. 4 at Kirtland Air Force Base, N.M. The laser, including its major subsystem, a 12,000-pound integrated laser module, was moved into place aboard the aircraft and aligned with the previously-installed beam control system, which will direct the laser beam to its target.

With the laser installed, Boeing is set to conduct a series of tests leading up to a demonstration in 2008 in which the program will fire the laser in-flight at mission-representative ground targets to demonstrate the military utility of high-energy lasers. The test team will fire the laser through a rotating turret that extends through the aircraft's belly.

"The installation of the high-energy laser shows that the ATL program continues to make tremendous progress toward giving the warfighter a speed-of-light, precision engagement capability that will dramatically reduce collateral damage," said Scott Fancher, vice president and general manager of Boeing Missile Defense Systems. "Next year, we will fire the laser at ground targets, demonstrating the military utility of this transformational directed energy weapon."

The program achieved two other major milestones earlier this year. "Low-power" flight tests were completed in June at Kirtland; the ATL aircraft used its flight demonstration hardware and a low-power laser to find and track moving and stationary ground targets. The flight demonstration hardware includes the beam control system; weapon system consoles, which display high-resolution imagery and enable the tracking of targets; and sensors. The low-power laser, a surrogate for the high-energy laser, hit its intended target in each of more than a dozen tests. Also, in late July, the high-energy laser concluded laboratory testing at the Davis Advanced Laser Facility at Kirtland, demonstrating reliable operations in more than 50 firings.

ATL, which Boeing is developing for the U.S. Department of Defense, will destroy, damage or disable targets with little to no collateral damage, supporting missions on the battlefield and in urban operations. Boeing's Advanced Tactical Laser industry team includes L-3 Communications/Brashear, which made the laser turret, and HYTEC, Inc., which made various structural elements of the weapon system.

-----------------------------

Cool . . . The sooner we use it against terrorists, the better .....

 

Sign Of Times: NJ School Cameras Fed Live To Cops

 

Demarest School District Installs Laptop Surveillance Videos Monitored,
Operated By Local Police

 

DEMAREST, N.J. (CBS) Jay Dow  ― Surveillance cameras rolling inside our local schools is nothing new, but what's taking place inside Demarest's public schools is truly cutting edge: a live feed from more than two dozen cameras with a direct connection to the police.

It's an expensive, but effective tool that could be a sign of the times with an increase in school shootings over the years.

The system, which cost about $28,000.00 can even track movement in a crowded room.

"When they arrive, they can pull up the school's live feed and do a sweep instantly," Demarest Police Chief James Powderley tells CBS 2.

Patrolling officers have access to the video feed from headquarters and several laptops. To address privacy concerns, all of the cameras are installed in public areas and are not equipped to pick up audio.

The video capabilities are extremely impressive. Each of the laptops can pick up 16 different angles at one time, turning a single operator into a mobile surveillance team.

In an emergency situation, Powderley says the cameras -- complete with zoom and pan functions -- also cut down search and response times. "One officer has 17 eyes in multiple locations. It's amazing," he says.

Schools Superintendent Larry Hughes says if nothing else, the ability to digitally timestamp and archive the video should discourage bad, even criminal behavior.

"It doesn't hurt that people know and that if something is going to take place at your facility, if it does deter people from doing that, it's an added benefit," says Hughes.

Students seem pleased with the high-tech devices.

"I would want the police to be there right away if something happened to our school. Especially with all these bomb scares happening now, I know the high school had a couple," says one student.

Plans are already underway to install a more advanced system in Northern Valley High school, which can alert a patrolling officer when someone is in distress or suddenly falls down.

FAIR USE NOTICE: The above may be copyrighted material and is made available on "Unglued" on a non-profit basis for educational and/or discussion purposes only. This is believed to constitute a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 USC § 107. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.   If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for  purposes of your own that go beyond "fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

 

 

Well, here's the BUMP... 

As far as I know, it doesn't look like  Franklin Public School's will be installing the high-tech laptop surveillance video monitoring system at the high school any time soon. 

Not with a price tag of $28,000.  Especially after the Board just surprised us with a 5.9% school tax increase, rather than the 5.6% we didn't want, but were expecting.

I suppose it would be nice, though.  After all, we do have several bomb-threats each year.  We can be thankful we haven't had to deal with any type of school shooting and we hope that time will NEVER come. 

The reality is though, FHS is very close to the House of Correction, and it has had several escapees. 

And, on Nov. 2nd, three of our elementary schools were put in a precautionary "hold" due to an armed robbery during the morning hours down on 27th Street at a restaurant/bar. 

I don't know about you, but I would rather see this surveillance system installed at the schools than an auditorium.  A Franklin Cultural Center shared with the high school would do just fine in my opinion.

 To be continued in next post  . . . "The First of All Fears" . . .


What do you think about high-tech surveillance at schools?  At our schools?   

What about the safety of our students?