Shinjuku, Tokyo, is a dynamic district that perfectly encapsulates the essence of modern Japan. This image showcases the vibrant energy of Shinjuku, a place where tradition meets innovation. The towering buildings, adorned with a plethora of colorful advertisements and neon lights, create a visually stimulating environment that is both captivating and overwhelming. The architecture in Shinjuku is a testament to Japan's rapid modernization, with sleek skyscrapers standing alongside older, more traditional structures. This juxtaposition highlights the district's historical significance and its role as a hub of contemporary culture.

Shinjuku is not just a commercial center; it is also steeped in history. The area has been a significant part of Tokyo since the Edo period, serving as a post town on the Koshu Kaido, one of the five routes of the Edo period. Today, Shinjuku Station is one of the busiest railway stations in the world, a testament to the district's enduring importance. The streets are lined with a variety of shops, restaurants, and entertainment venues, offering something for everyone. From high-end department stores to quirky boutiques, Shinjuku is a shopper's paradise. Food enthusiasts can indulge in a wide range of culinary delights, from traditional Japanese cuisine to international fare. The district is also home to numerous entertainment options, including theaters, karaoke bars, and nightclubs.

Shinjuku's unique blend of history, culture, and modernity makes it a must-visit destination for anyone exploring Tokyo. Whether you're interested in shopping, dining, or simply soaking in the urban atmosphere, Shinjuku offers an unparalleled experience that captures the essence of modern Japan.

Christo Vladimirov Javacheff (1935–2020) and Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon (1935–2009), known as Christo and Jeanne-Claude, were artists noted for their large-scale, site-specific environmental installations, often large landmarks and landscape elements wrapped in fabric, including the Wrapped Reichstag, The Pont Neuf Wrapped, Running Fence in California, and The Gates in New York City's Central Park. Born on the same day in Bulgaria and Morocco, respectively, the pair met and married in Paris in the late 1950s. Originally working under Christo's name, they later credited their installations to both "Christo and Jeanne-Claude". Until his own death in 2020, Christo continued to plan and execute projects after Jeanne-Claude's death in 2009. Their work was typically large, visually impressive, and controversial, often taking years and sometimes decades of careful preparation – including technical solutions, political negotiation, permitting and environmental approval, hearings and public persuasion. The pair refused grants, scholarships, donations or public money, instead financing the work via the sale of their own artwork. Christo and Jeanne-Claude described the myriad elements that brought the projects to fruition as integral to the artwork itself, and said their projects contained no deeper meaning than their immediate aesthetic impact; their purpose being simply for joy, beauty, and new ways of seeing the familiar.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude met in October 1958 when he was commissioned to paint a portrait of her mother, Précilda de Guillebon. Their first show, in Cologne, 1961, showcased the three types of artworks for which they would be known: wrapped items, oil barrels, and ephemeral, large-scale works.[3] Near Christo's first solo show in Paris, in 1962, the pair blocked an alley with 240 barrels for several hours in a piece called Iron Curtain, a poetic reply to the Berlin Wall. They developed consistent, longtime terms of their collaboration. They together imagined projects, for which Christo would create sketches and preparatory works that were later sold to fund the resulting installation. Christo and Jeanne-Claude hired assistants to do the work of wrapping the object at hand. They originally worked under the name "Christo" to simplify dealings and their brand, given the difficulties of establishing an artist's reputation and the prejudices against female artists,[6] but they would later retroactively credit their large-scale outdoor works to both "Christo and Jeanne-Claude". They eventually flew in separate planes such that, in case one crashed, the other could continue their work. Within a year of Wrapped Coast, Christo began work on Valley Curtain: an orange curtain of fabric to be hung across the mountainous Colorado State Highway 325.[ They simultaneously worked on Wrapped Walk Ways (Tokyo and Holland) and Wrapped Island (South Pacific), neither of which came to fruition. The artists formed a corporation to benefit from tax and other liabilities, a form they used for later projects. Following a failed attempt to mount the curtain in late 1971, a new engineer and builder-contractor raised the fabric in August 1972. The work only stood for 28 hours before the wind again destroyed the fabric. This work, their most expensive to date and first to involve construction workers, was captured in a documentary by David and Albert Maysles. Christo's Valley Curtain was nominated for Best Documentary Short in the 1974 Academy Awards.[15] The Maysles would film many of the artists' later projects.Inspired by a snow fence, in 1972, Christo and Jeanne-Claude began preparations for Running Fence: a 24.5- mile fence of white nylon, supported by steel posts and steel cables, running through the Californian landscape and into the ocean. In exchange for temporary use of ranch land, the artists agreed to offer payment and use of the deconstructed building materials. Others challenged its construction in 18 public hearings and three state court sessions. The fence began construction in April 1976 and the project culminated in a two-week display in September, after which it was deconstructed. Christo and Jeanne-Claude planned a project based on Jeanne-Claude's idea to surround eleven islands in Miami's Biscayne Bay with 603,850 m2 (6,499,800 sq ft) of pink polypropylene floating fabric. Surrounded Islands was completed on May 7, 1983, with the aid of 430 workers and could be admired for two weeks. The workers were outfitted with pink long sleeve shirts with pale blue text written on the back reading “Christo Surrounded Islands”, and then in acknowledging the garment's designer, "designed and produced by Willi Smith". Their 1991 The Umbrellas involved the simultaneous setup of blue and gold umbrellas in Japan and California, respectively. The 3,100-umbrella project cost US$26 million and attracted three million visitors. Christo closed the exhibition early after a woman was killed by a windblown umbrella in California. Separately, a worker was killed during the deconstruction of the Japanese exhibit. Christo and Jeanne-Claude wrapped the Berlin Reichstag building in 1995 following 24 years of governmental lobbying across six Bundestag presidents. Wrapped Reichstag's 100,000 square meters of silver fabric draped the building, fastened with blue rope. Christo described the Reichstag wrapping as autobiographical based on his Bulgarian upbringing. The wrapping became symbolic of unified Germany and marked Berlin's return as a world city. The Guardian posthumously described the work as their "most spectacular achievement". In 1998, the artists wrapped trees at the Beyeler Foundation and its nearby Berower Park. Prior attempts had failed to secure government support in Saint Louis, Missouri, and Paris. The work was self-funded through sale of photographic documentation and preparatory works, as had become standard for the couple. Work began on the installation of the couple's most protracted project, The Gates, in New York City's Central Park in January 2005. Its full title, The Gates, Central Park, New York, 1979–2005, refers to the time that passed from their initial proposal until they were able to go ahead with it with the permission of the new mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. The Gates was open to the public from February 12–27, 2005. A total of 7,503 gates made of saffron-colored fabric were placed on paths in Central Park. They were five meters (16 ft) high and had a combined length of 37 km (23 mi). The mayor presented them with the Doris C. Freedman Award for public art.[30] The project cost an estimated US$21 million, which the artists planned to recoup by selling project documentation. Christo filled the Gasometer Oberhausen from March 16 until December 30, 2013 with the installation Big Air Package. After The Wall (1999) as the final installation of the Emscher Park International Building Exhibition, Big Air Package was his second work of art in the Gasometer. The "Big Air Package – Project for Gasometer Oberhausen, Germany" was conceived by Christo in 2010 (for the first time without his wife Jeanne-Claude). The sculpture was set up in the interior of the industrial monument and was made of 20,350 m3 (719,000 cu ft) of translucent fabric and 4,500 m (14,800 ft) of rope. In the inflated state, the envelope, with a weight of 5.3 tonnes (5.8 short tons), reached a height of more than 90 m (300 ft), a diameter of 50 m (160 ft) and a volume of 177,000 m3 (6,300,000 cu ft). The monumental work of art was, temporarily, the largest self-supporting sculpture in the world. In the accessible interior of Big Air Package, the artist generated a unique experience of space, proportions, and light. The Floating Piers were a series of walkways installed at Lake Iseo near Brescia, Italy. From June 18 to July 3, 2016, visitors were able to walk just above the surface of the water from the village of Sulzano on the mainland to the islands of Monte Isola and San Paolo. The floating walkways were made of around 200,000 polyethene cubes covered with 70,000 m2 (750,000 sq ft) of bright yellow fabric: 3 km (1.9 mi) of piers moved on the water; another 1.5 km (0.93 mi) of golden fabric continued along the pedestrian streets in Sulzano and Peschiera Maraglio. After the exhibition, all components were to be removed and recycled.[33] The installation was facilitated by the Beretta family, owners of the oldest active manufacturer of firearm components in the world and the primary sidearm supplier of the U.S. Army.[34] The Beretta family owns the island of San Paolo, which was surrounded by Floating Piers walkways. The work was a success with the Italian public and critics as well. The London Mastaba was a temporary floating installation exhibited from June to September 2018 on The Serpentine in London. The installation consisted of 7,506 oil barrels, in the shape of a mastaba, a form of an early bench in use in ancient Mesopotamia, with a flat roof and inward sloping sides. It sat on a floating platform of high-density polyethene, held in place by 32 anchors. It was 20 m (66 ft) in height and weighed 600 tonnes (660 short tons). The vertical ends were painted in a mosaic of red, blue and mauve, whilst the sloping sides were in red with bands of white. Simultaneously with the display of The London Mastaba, the nearby Serpentine Gallery presented an exhibition of the artists' work, entitled Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Barrels and The Mastaba 1958–2018. The exhibition comprised sculptures, drawings, collages, scale-models and photographs from the last 60 years of the artists' work. Christo and Jeanne-Claude announced plans for a future project, titled Over The River, to be constructed on the Arkansas River between Salida, Colorado, and Cañon City, Colorado, on the eastern slope of the Rocky mountains. Plans for the project call for horizontally suspending 10.8 km (6.7 mi) of reflective, translucent fabric panels high above the water, on steel cables anchored into the river's banks. Project plans called for its installation for two weeks during the summer of 2015, at the earliest, and for the river to remain open to recreation during the installation. Reaction among area residents was intense, with supporters hoping for a tourist boom and opponents fearing that the project would ruin the visual appeal of the landscape and inflict damage on the river ecosystem. One local rafting guide compared the project to "hanging pornography in a church." The U.S. Bureau of Land Management released a Record of Decision approving the project on November 7, 2011. Work on the project cannot begin, however, until the Bureau of Land Management issues a Notice to Proceed. A lawsuit against the Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife was filed on July 22, 2011, by Rags Over the Arkansas River (ROAR), a local group opposed to the project. The lawsuit is still awaiting a court date.[ Christo and Jeanne-Claude's inspiration for Over the River came in 1985 as they were wrapping the Pont-Neuf and a fabric panel was being elevated over the Seine. The artists began a three-year search for appropriate locations in 1992, considering some eighty-nine river locations. They chose the Arkansas River because its banks were high enough that recreational rafters could enjoy the river at the same time. Christo and Jeanne-Claude spent more than $6 million on environmental studies, design engineering, and wind tunnel testing of fabrics. As with past projects, Over The River would be financed entirely by Christo and Jeanne-Claude, through the sale of Christo's preparatory drawings, collages, scale models, and early works of the 1950s/1960s. On July 16, 2010, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management released its four-volume Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which reported many potentially serious types of adverse impact but also many proposed "mitigation" options. In January 2017, after the election of President Trump, Christo canceled the controversial project citing protest of the new administration as well as tiring from the hard-fought legal battle waged by local residents.

L'Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped

Continuing their series of monumental "wrapping" projects, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris is to be wrapped in 30,000 square meters of recyclable polypropylene fabric in silvery blue, and 7,000 meters (23,000 feet) of red rope, originally scheduled for autumn of 2020.[54] This was postponed a year to Saturday, September 18 to Sunday, October 3, 2021, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in France and its impact on the arts and cultural sector worldwide. Following Christo's death, his office stated that the project would nevertheless be completed.

Reception

Christo and Jeanne-Claude's work is held by many major public collections. The artists received the 1995 Praemium Imperiale, the 2006 Vilcek Prize,[59] and the 2004 International Sculpture Center's Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award. Art critic David Bourdon described Christo's wrappings as a "revelation through concealment."[61] Unto his critics Christo replied, "I am an artist, and I have to have courage ... Do you know that I don't have any artworks that exist? They all go away when they're finished. Only the preparatory drawings, and collages are left, giving my works an almost legendary character. I think it takes much greater courage to create things to be gone than to create things that will remain."[ Jeanne-Claude was a firm believer in the aesthetic beauty of works of art; she said, "'We want to create works of art of joy and beauty, which we will build because we believe it will be beautiful.'"

Biographies

Christo

Young Christo

Christo Vladimirov Javacheff (Bulgarian: Христо Владимиров Явашев, [xrisˈtɔ vlɐˈdimirof jaˈvaʃɛf]) was born on June 13, 1935, in Gabrovo, Bulgaria, as the second of three sons to Tzveta Dimitrova (a Macedonian Bulgarian from Thessaloniki) and Vladimir Javacheff, who worked at a textile manufacturer. Christo was shy and had a predilection for art. He received private art instruction at a young age and the support of his parents, who invited visiting artists to their house.[65] Christo was particularly affected by events from World War II and the country's fluid borders. During evacuations, he and his brothers stayed with a family in the rural hills outside town, where Christo connected with nature and handicraft. While Bulgaria was under repressive totalitarian rule, and Western art was suppressed, Christo pursued realistic painting through the mid-1950s. He was admitted into the Sofia Academy of Fine Arts in 1953[68] but found the school dull and stifling. Instead, he found inspiration in Skira art books, and visiting Russian professors who were older than he and once active in Russian modernism and the Soviet avant-garde. On the weekends, academy students were sent to paint propaganda and Christo unhappily participated. He found work as a location scout for the state cinema and served three tours of duty during summer breaks. In 1956, he used an academy connection to receive permission to visit family in Prague, where the theater of Emil František Burian reinvigorated him. Amid fears of further Russian suppression in Hungary, Christo decided to flee to Vienna as a railcar stowaway. He had little money after paying the bribe, did not speak the language, had deserted during his Bulgarian military service, and feared being trapped in a refugee camp. In Vienna, he stayed with a family friend (who had not expected him), studied at the Vienna Fine Arts Academy, and surrendered his passport to seek political asylum as a stateless person. There, he supported himself with commissions and briefly visited Italy with the academy, whose program he found equally unhappy as the one before it. At the behest of a friend relocated from Sofia, he saved up to visit Geneva in late 1957. In violation of his visa, he continued to pursue commissions (whose works he would sign with his family name, reserving his given name for more serious work) and was transformed after visiting the Kunstmuseum Basel and Kunsthaus Zürich. In January 1958, he first began to wrap things, as would become his trademark, starting with a paint can. His collection of wrapped household items would be known as his Inventory. In February 1958, Christo left for Paris, having received a visa with the assistance of a Sofia academy connection. In 1973, after 17 stateless years, Christo became a United States citizen.[80] He died at his home in New York City on May 31, 2020, at 84. No cause of death was specified.[81] L’Arc de Triomphe, Wrapped, a planned work by Christo and Jeane-Claude, is to go ahead posthumously in Paris in September 2021.

Jeanne-Claude

Jeanne-Claude Denat de Guillebon (French: [ʒan klod dəna də gijəbɔ̃]) was born in Casablanca, Morocco, where her father, an army officer, was stationed. Her mother, Précilda, was 17 when she married Jeanne-Claude's father, Major Léon Denat. Précilda and Léon Denat divorced shortly after Jeanne-Claude was born, and Précilda remarried three times. Jeanne-Claude earned a baccalauréat in Latin and philosophy in 1952 from the University of Tunis.[5] After Précilda married the General Jacques de Guillebon in 1947, the family lived in Bern (1948–1951) and Tunisia (1952–1957) before returning to Paris.[ Jeanne-Claude was described as "extroverted" and with natural organizational abilities. Her hair was dyed red, which she claimed was selected by her husband.[84] She took responsibility for overseeing work crews and for raising funds. Jeanne-Claude died in New York City on November 18, 2009, from complications due to a brain aneurysm. Her body was to be donated to science, one of her final wishes.[85] When she died, she and Christo were at work on Over the River[86] and the United Arab Emirates project, The Mastaba.[5] She said, "Artists don't retire. They die. That's all. When they stop being able to create art, they die."

Marriage

Christo and Jeanne-Claude met in October 1958 when he was commissioned to paint a portrait of her mother, Précilda de Guillebon. Initially, Christo was attracted to Jeanne-Claude's half-sister, Joyce. Jeanne-Claude was engaged to Philippe Planchon.Shortly before her wedding, Jeanne-Claude became pregnant by Christo. Although she married Planchon, Jeanne-Claude left him immediately after their honeymoon. Christo and Jeanne-Claude' s son, Cyril, was born on May 11, 1960. Jeanne-Claude became an American citizen in March 1984.[19] The couple received permission to wrap the Pont Neuf, a bridge in Paris, in August and the wrapped the bridge in for two weeks in August 1985. The Pont Neuf Wrapped attracted three million visitors. Wrapping the Pont Neuf continued the tradition of transforming a sculptural dimension into a work of art. The fabric maintained the principal shapes of the Pont Neuf but it emphasized the details and the proportions. As with Surrounded Islands, workers who assisted with the installation and deinstallation of Pont Neuf Wrapped wore uniforms designed by Willi Smith.

The couple relocated to New York City, the new art world capital, in 1964. Christo began to make Store Fronts, wooden facades made to resemble shop windows, which he continued for four years. His largest piece was shown in the 1968 Documenta 4. In the mid-1960s, they also created Air Packages,[8] inflated and wrapped research balloons.[9] In 1969, at the invitation of the museum director Jan van der Marck they wrapped the Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art while it remained open.[10] It was panned by the public and ordered to be undone by the fire department, which went unenforced.[11] With the help of Australian collector John Kaldor, Christo and Jeanne-Claude and 100 volunteers wrapped the coast of Sydney's Little Bay as Wrapped Coast, the first piece for Kaldor Public Art Projects.[12]

There are many smaller stories within the larger sweep of history. Christo, the Bulgarian-born artist who died on 31 May 2020, famous for his gigantic wrapping works at the scale of Paris’s Pont Neuf in 1985 and the Berlin Reichstag ten years later, first came into existence thanks to a hairdresser. When Christo was a young artist, this hairdresser, René Bourgeois, introduced him to rich ladies whose portraits he painted to survive. And it was within this context that he was introduced to Précida Guillebon who had a daughter named Jeanne Claude; a young upper class girl who would eventually become Christo’s wife, his accomplice, and the linchpin of his sprawling projects, whose name would end up appearing with his on their works. She died in 2009. Between 1958 and 1964 Christo lived in Paris, before going to spend the rest of his life in New York. The Centre Pompidou’s exhibition focuses on this particular period, which would determine the rest of his creative output, followed by two large rooms homing in on the “making of” the project that remains etched in memory but which lasted only two weeks (like all of his monumental works): the wrapping of the Pont Neuf. It was in 1958 that Christo, a young refugee from Eastern Europe who crossed the border hidden in the back of a truck, began wrapping objects. He was interested in their volume and he talks about this as a process of “mummifying”, a practice he performed unconsciously: “I don’t know why I wrapped things”. At the time it was interpreted as the actions of a nomad figuratively packing his bags. Christo went off to explore different directions, including the “Wall of Oil Barrels” which the influential art critic of the time Pierre Restany referred to as “cathedrals of an unknown religion”. This description also perfectly encapsulates the artist’s future monumental practice. On 18 September 2021 he was due to wrap the Arc de Triomphe in Paris over a period of two weeks. The project, the ultimate ephemeral cathedral to the cult of Christo, had to be delayed owing to rare birds nesting on top of the Napoleonic edifice.

judithbenhamouhuet.com/centre-pompidou-why-did-christo-wr...

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christo_and_Jeanne-Claude

twig in ice at cascade falls

103/365

Sorry i didn't put an upload on this earlier, i had to rush out quickly and wasn't sure if id be back. I was in the garden this morning and noticed the ducks hovering round the greenhouse, the frost had condensed on the door and was melting in the sun. So i grabbed my camera and ran out there to take advantage. I know it's not that creative but i was happy with the textures that were present and thought id like to use a shot outside again. Wish i had my camera today though, it was really dead on the roads so i could have done some really creative shots, oh well there's always next year.

p.s. those are lemon trees and peppers growing in there, i planted them a while back and they're still going strong!

This little dragonfly encapsulates many, many gratitudes in one pic. My f-friend alanj2007's gorgeous pic inspired me to post this amazing little critter today. Thanks, Alan. :)

I'm thankful for the beauty of nature and all her wonders. And, I'm thankful for warm, sunny summer days. And, for good friends, like Lea and Ant, who like to share such days and sights poking around looking at butterflies and strolling through gardens, like Brookside Gardens. And, of course for my dear friend crittrs, who had the wonderful suggestion to share a gratitude month for November. Yeah, this little dragonfly carries with it a whole lot for which to be grateful. :)

Happy Sunday, everyone!

Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T1i

Lens: EF70-200mm f/2.8L IS II USM

Filter: none

ISO Speed: 200

Focal Length: 200mm

Exposure Value: 0

Aperture: f/8

Shutter Speed: 1/200 sec

Flash: Off, did not fire

Post-processing: a bit of a crop

Young Man is listening music and reading on his smartphone in the New York metro.

Sehnsucht (German pronunciation: [ˈzeːnˌzʊxt]) is a German noun translated as "longing", "pining", "yearning", or "craving", or in a wider sense a type of "intensely missing". However, Sehnsucht is difficult to translate adequately and describes a deep emotional state. Its meaning is similar to the Portuguese word Saudade, or the Romanian word dor. Sehnsucht is a compound word, originating from an ardent longing or yearning (das Sehnen) and a long or lingering illness (das Siechtum). However, these words do not adequately encapsulate the full meaning of their resulting compound, even when considered together.

Some psychologists use the word sehnsucht to represent thoughts and feelings about all facets of life that are unfinished or imperfect, paired with a yearning for ideal alternative experiences. It has been referred to as “life’s longings”; or an individual’s search for happiness while coping with the reality of unattainable wishes. Such feelings are usually profound, and tend to be accompanied by both positive and negative feelings. This produces what has often been described as an ambiguous emotional occurrence.

Psychologists have worked to capture the essence of Sehnsucht by identifying its six core characteristics: “(a) utopian conceptions of ideal development; (b) sense of incompleteness and imperfection of life; (c) conjoint time focus on the past, present, and future; (d) ambivalent (bittersweet) emotions; (e) reflection and evaluation of one's life; and (f) symbolic richness.”

In a cross-cultural study conducted to determine whether the German concept of Sehnsucht could be generalized to the United States, four samples of American and German participants “rated their 2 most important life longings and completed measures of subjective well-being and health.” German and American participants did not differ in their ability to identify life longings or the intensity of their Sehnsucht. However, German participants associated it more with unattainable, utopian states while Americans reported the concept as not as important to everyday life.

Some researchers posit that Sehnsucht has a developmental function that involves life management. By imagining overarching and possibly unachievable goals, individuals may be able to create direction in their life by developing more tangible goals, or “stepping stones” that will aid them on their path toward their ideal self. "[Sehnsucht has] important developmental functions, including giving directionality for life planning and helping to cope with loss and important, yet unattainable wishes by pursuing them in one's imagination." It can also operate as a self-regulatory mechanism.

However, in a study that attempted to discover whether Sehnsucht played an active role in one’s ability to influence their own development, psychologists asked 81 participants to report “their most important personal goals and life longings, and [evaluate] these with respect to their cognitive, emotional, and action-related characteristics.”Results showed that goals were perceived as more closely linked to everyday actions, and as such more controllable. Sehnsucht, on the other hand, was reported as more related to the past and future, and therefore more emotionally and developmentally ambiguous.

Also, in a study conducted in 2009, 168 middle-aged childless women were asked to rate their wish for children according to intensity and attainability. If the women rated their wish as intense and long-standing, their wish was considered a life-longing. If they rated their wish as intense and attainable, it was simply a goal. “The pursuit of the wish for children as a life longing was positively related to well-being only when participants had high control over the experience of this life longing and when other self-regulation strategies (goal adjustment) failed.”

Saudade (European Portuguese: [sɐwˈðaðɨ], Brazilian Portuguese: [sawˈdadi] or [sawˈdadʒi], Galician: [sawˈðaðe]; plural saudades) is a deep emotional state of nostalgic or profound melancholic longing for an absent something or someone that one loves. Moreover, it often carries a repressed knowledge that the object of longing might never return. One English translation of the word is missingness, although it might not convey the feeling of deep emotion attached to the word "saudade". Stronger forms of saudade might be felt towards people and things whose whereabouts are unknown, such as a lost lover, or a family member who has gone missing, moved away, separated, or died.

Saudade was once described as "the love that remains" after someone is gone. Saudade is the recollection of feelings, experiences, places, or events that once brought excitement, pleasure, well-being, which now triggers the senses and makes one live again. It can be described as an emptiness, like someone (e.g., one's children, parents, sibling, grandparents, friends, pets) or something (e.g., places, things one used to do in childhood, or other activities performed in the past) that should be there in a particular moment is missing, and the individual feels this absence. It brings sad and happy feelings altogether, sadness for missing and happiness for having experienced the feeling.

Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt

Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt

Weiß, was ich leide!

Allein und abgetrennt

Von aller Freude,

Seh ich ans Firmament

Nach jener Seite.

Ach! der mich liebt und kennt,

Ist in der Weite.

Es schwindelt mir, es brennt

Mein Eingeweide.

Nur wer die Sehnsucht kennt

Weiß, was ich leide!

Only those who know longing

Know what sorrows me!

Alone and separated

From all joy,

I behold the firmament

From yonder side.

Ah! the one who loves and knows me

Is in the vast unknown.

It dizzies me, it burns

my guts.

Only those who know longing

Know how I suffer!

None but the lonely heart

Can know my sadness

Alone and parted

Far from joy and gladness

Heaven's boundless arch I see

Spread out above me

O(h) what a distance drear to one

Who loves me

None but the lonely heart

Can know my sadness

Alone and parted far

From joy and gladness

Alone and parted far

From joy and gladness

My senses fail

A burning fire

Devours me

None but the lonely heart

Can know my sadness

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sehnsucht

Saudade is a word in Portuguese and Galician that claims no direct translation in English. In German it is equivalent to Sehnsucht. In Portuguese, "Tenho saudades tuas" (European Portuguese) or "Estou com saudades de você" (Brazilian Portuguese), translates as "I have (feel) saudade of you" meaning "I miss you", but carries a much stronger tone. In fact, one can have saudade of someone whom one is with, but have some feeling of loss towards the past or the future. For example, one can have "saudade" towards part of the relationship or emotions once experienced for/with someone, though the person in question is still part of one's life, as in "Tenho saudade do que fomos" (I feel "saudade" of the way we were). Another example can illustrate this use of the word saudade: "Que saudade!" indicating a general feeling of longing, whereby the object of longing can be a general and undefined entity/occasion/person/group/period etc. This feeling of longing can be accompanied or better described by an abstract will to be where the object of longing is.

Despite being hard to translate, saudade has equivalent words in other cultures, and is often related to music styles expressing this feeling such as the blues for African-Americans, dor in Romania, Tizita in Ethiopia, or Assouf for the Tuareg people, appocundria in Neapolitan. In Slovak, the word is clivota or cnenie, in Czech, the word is stesk and Sehnsucht in German.

The similar melancholic music style is known in Bosnia-Herzegovina as sevdah (ultimately from Arabic سَوْدَاء sawdā' : 'black [bile]', translation of the Greek µέλαινα χολή, mélaina cholē from which the term melancholy is derived).

Nascimento and Meandro (2005)cite Duarte Nunes Leão's definition of saudade: "Memory of something with a desire for it."

In Brazil, the day of Saudade is officially celebrated on 30 January.

The word saudade was used in the Cancioneiro da Ajuda (13th century), in the Cancioneiro da Vaticana and by poets of the time of King Denis of Portugal (reigned 1279–1325). Some specialists say the word may have originated during the Great Portuguese Discoveries, giving meaning to the sadness felt about those who departed on journeys to unknown seas and disappeared in shipwrecks, died in battle, or simply never returned. Those who stayed behind—mostly women and children—suffered deeply in their absence. However, the Portuguese discoveries only started in 1415 and since the word has been found in earlier texts, this does not constitute a very good explanation. The Reconquista also offers a plausible explanation.

The state of mind has subsequently become a "Portuguese way of life": a constant feeling of absence, the sadness of something that's missing, wishful longing for completeness or wholeness and the yearning for the return of that now gone, a desire for presence as opposed to absence—as it is said in Portuguese, a strong desire to matar as saudades (lit. to kill the saudades).

In the latter half of the 20th century, saudade became associated with the feeling of longing for one's homeland, as hundreds of thousands of Portuguese-speaking people left in search of better futures in South America, North America and Western Europe. Besides the implications derived from a wave of emigration trend from the motherland, historically speaking saudade is the term associated with the decline of Portugal's role in world politics and trade. During the so-called "Golden Age", synonymous with the era of discoveries, Portugal undeniably rose to the status of a world power, and its monarchy became one of the richest in Europe. But with the rise of competition from other European nations, the country went both colonially and economically into a prolonged period of decay. This period of decline and resignation from the world's cultural stage marked the rise of saudade, aptly described by a sentence in Portugal's national anthem: Levantai hoje de novo o esplendor de Portugal (Lift up once again today the splendour of Portugal).

Saudade is similar but not equal to nostalgia, a word that also exists in Portuguese.

In the book In Portugal of 1912, A. F. G. Bell writes:

The famous saudade of the Portuguese is a vague and constant desire for something that does not and probably cannot exist, for something other than the present, a turning towards the past or towards the future; not an active discontent or poignant sadness but an indolent dreaming wistfulness.

A stronger form of saudade may be felt towards people and things whose whereabouts are unknown, such as old ways and sayings; a lost lover who is sadly missed; a faraway place where one was raised; loved ones who have died; feelings and stimuli one used to have; and the faded, yet golden memories of youth. Although it relates to feelings of melancholy and fond memories of things/people/days gone by, it can be a rush of sadness coupled with a paradoxical joy derived from acceptance of fate and the hope of recovering or substituting what is lost by something that will either fill in the void or provide consolation.

To F. D. Santos, Saudade as a noun has become a longing for longing itself:

There was an evolution from saudades (plural) to Saudade (singular, preferably written with a capital S), which became a philosophical concept. ... Saudade has an object; however, its object has become itself, for it means 'nostalgia for nostalgia', a meta-nostalgia, a longing oriented toward the longing itself. It is no more the Loved One or the 'Return' that is desired, based on a sense of loss and absence. Now, Desire desires Desire itself, as in the poetry of love for love's sake in Arabic, or as in Lope de Vega's famous epigram about the Portuguese who was crying for his love for Love itself. Or, rather, as poetess Florbela Espanca put it, I long for the longings I don't have ('Anoitecer', Espanca 1923).

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saudade

jsc2019e012766 (March 6, 2019) --- In the Integration Building at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft is lowered into position March 6 prior to its encapsulation into the nose fairing of the Soyuz booster rocket. Expedition 59 crew members Nick Hague and Christina Koch of NASA and Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos will launch on March 14, U.S. time, on the Soyuz MS-12 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome for a six-and-a-half month mission on the International Space Station. Credit: NASA/Victor Zelentsov

1932 Chevrolet Confederate Series BA

General Motors marketed the Chevy Confederate as the 'Baby Cadillac' and shared many design similarities to its larger, more expensive, and more exclusive sibling. It wore a Cadillac-style integrated radiator shell, a longer hood, new deep crown front fenders encapsulating 18-inch wire wheels, and chrome-plated rectangular opening doors to cool the engine in the hood sides instead of louvers. Deluxe models, which added approximately $20 to the base price, added chrome-plated door louvers. The list of standard amenities included a tilting non-glare windshield, an adjustable seat, and a built-in sun visor. The six-cylinder engine displaced 194 cubic-inches, had 5.2:1 compression, overhead valves, solid valve lifters, and developed 60 horsepower. The one-barrel downdraft carburetor and counter-balanced crankshaft were new features for 1932, endowing the engine with ten additional horsepower over the previous year. The engine was backed by a three-speed manual synchromesh transmission with a single plate clutch and floor shift controls. This was the first year that synchromesh transmission was offered in all three forward gears. Mechanical features included the semi-floating rear axle, Selective Free-Wheeling (first offered in 1932), and an added frame cross-member to aid in ride comfort. Free wheeling allowed the car to coast when the driver took their foot off the accelerator pedal, offering greater fuel economy. Customers soon found the lack of downhill engine braking to be more harrowing than it was worth and the option soon fell out of favor.

The interiors had gas gauges located on the dashboard, plus additional gauges with a circular shape and dark-colored faces.

Factory literature claimed a top speed of 70-mph and period Chevrolet advertising stated 'Looming larger every day as the Great American Value.'

The 1932 Chevrolet Confederate Series BA rested on a comfortable 109-inch wheelbase and rode on 18x5.25 tires. Its wheelbase was slightly longer than the Ford Model 18 which measured 106-inches and both the Chevy and Ford price ranges were nearly identical. 1932 was the first year that Ford switched from the four-cylinder power to the flathead V8 offering 65 horsepower from its 221 cubic-inch displacement. The Fords had all-steel bodies, while the Chevrolets had the solid Fisher Body using wood and steel framing construction, plus a more rigid chassis structure and hard-rubber engine mounts affording the Chevy a smooth and refined ride at a reasonable cost. Closing a Chevy door framed in wood had a favorable and solid 'thunk' while the Ford and had a 'tiny clank.' Buyers preferred the solid nature, styling, affordability, and amenities of the Chevy, resulting in 306,716 examples built during the calendar year compared to Ford's production of 287,285 units.

Body styles and Price

The Fisher-built bodies included a roadster priced at $445, a sport roadster at $485, a coupe and five-window coupe at $490, a phaeton and coach at $495, and a sport coupe at $535. The Deluxe five-window coupe listed for $510 and the Deluxe coach was priced at $515. A five-passenger coupe was $575, the sedan at $590, and the convertible at $595. The most expensive body styles were the special sedan at $615 and the landau phaeton at $625. The special sedan was equipped with front and rear bumpers, dome light, silk assist cords, and a robe rail.

Production

The most popular body style was the two-door coach with seating for five, with 132,109 examples built. The second most popular body style was the special sedan with 52,446 units built, followed by 34,796 examples of the five-window coupe, 27,718 of the sedan, and 26,623 of the Deluxe five-window coupe. The most exclusive was the phaeton with 419 examples built, followed by 1,118 of the roadster, 1,602 of the landau phaeton, 2,226 of the sport coupe, 7,566 coupes, 8,552 of the sport roadster, and 8,874 of the sport roadster. 9,346 examples were Deluxe Coach.

Optional Equipment

The list of optional equipment was extensive, catering to popularity features that buyers preferred including single and dual side mount tires, a standard and deluxe tire cover plus metal tire covers, heater, outside mirror, pedestal mirror, trunk rack, dual horns, cowl lights, and fender well or rear tire lock. The list of Deluxe equipment that added comfort and a level of distinction included armrests, assist cords, curtains for the rear and rear quarter windows, a vanity case, chrome hood louvers, and two ashtrays.

The Confederate Series BA was Chevrolet's only model for 1932, albeit with 'Special and 'Deluxe' body styles. The company had used the single model theme since 1924, but for 1933 their lineup included the Standard Mercury (Series CC) and the Master Eagle (Series CA), both with six-cylinder power. The Standard had a 181 cubic-inch six with 60 horsepower and the Master had 194 CID with 5 additional horsepower. The Master rested on a 110-inch wheelbase while the Standard Mercury was three-inches shorter. Prices on the Master ranged from $485 to $565 and consisted of eight body styles, while the Standard prices ranged from $445 to $475 and included three body styles. The Master Eagle had an airplane-type dashboard and the Standard Mercury had safety plate glass. The Master Eagle proved to be far more popular with 450,530 examples built compared to the 35,848 of the Standard Mercury. The total production was 486,378 representing a significant increase from the 1932 model year. This trend would continue into the years that followed, with 556,666 (model year production; calendar year production: 620,726) examples built in 1934 and 544,457 (model year production; calendar year production of 793,437) in 1935.

Chevrolet would continue to use six-cylinder power, and two model lineup throughout the 1930s and into the 1940s, with wheelbase sizes that remained fairly consistent, growing to 116-inches by 1941.

ESA's Hera asteroid mission encapsulated within its Falcon 9 launcher fairing in preparation to be attached to its launcher. The fairing features the patches of Hera and its CubeSats Milani and Juventas, plus the ESA logo. This image was acquired on 3 October 2024.

Credits: SpaceX

Sentinel-3A satellite encapsulated within its Rockot fairing, on 9 February 2016, at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia.

Once safely in orbit and fully commissioned, this new satellite will begin its mission to map Earth’s oceans and land surfaces with its powerful optical and radar systems. The Sentinel-3 mission is set to play a key role in the world’s largest environmental monitoring programme – Copernicus.

Credit: ESA–Stephane Corvaja, 2016

Capturing the historic heart of Granada, this panoramic shot encompasses the majestic Alhambra, the ancient Realejo district, and the evocative Oficios Street with the iconic Madraza Palace. Photographed from the elevated vantage point of the Sagrario Church, adjacent to the imposing Cathedral, this image encapsulates the allure of the city.

LISA Pathfinder being encapsulated within the half-shells of the Vega rocket fairing on 16 November 2015, at the Centre Spatial Guyanais in Kourou, French Guiana.

LISA Pathfinder will test the fundamental technologies and instrumentation needed for such an observatory, demonstrating them for the first time in space. LISA Pathfinder is currently scheduled for launch with Arianespace flight VV06 – the sixth launch of Europe's small Vega launcher – on 2 December at 04:15:00 UTC.

Credit: ESA-Manuel Pedoussaut, 2015

Antarctica is Earth's southernmost continent, encapsulating the South Pole. It is situated in the Antarctic region of the Southern Hemisphere, almost entirely south of the Antarctic Circle, and is surrounded by the Southern Ocean. At 14.0 million km2 (5.4 million sq mi), it is the fifth-largest continent in area after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. For comparison, Antarctica is nearly twice the size of Australia. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that averages at least 1 mile (1.6 km) in thickness.

The title of this photo perfectly encapsulates how I feel as I embark on a new year.

This aerial panorama, taken at sunset, captures a sweeping curve in the road surrounding a small, serene lake at its edge. From this perspective, the interplay between the flowing road and still water creates a dynamic yet tranquil composition—a perfect metaphor for the balance I aim to achieve in photography and in life.

In many ways, drone photography opens new horizons for me, both literally and figuratively. It's a challenge to step out of my comfort zone and embrace an entirely different way of capturing the world. While motivation can sometimes falter, moments like these remind me of the joy in seeking new perspectives and pushing past limits.

It's about looking forward, holding onto aspirations, and rediscovering the awe and curiosity that fueled me at the beginning of this journey.

Here’s to new perspectives, new learnings, new challenges and the pursuit of creativity in 2025.

so I finally decided to start the 365 challenge. I had a little push by my boyfriend. I know this will be hard but I am prepared and will try to keep up with my photos. This photo represent me starting this new journey. As a 21 year old I'm still trying to figure out my life and trying to figure out who I am as an artist. The 365 challenge will help me and push me to get the best images I have ever made. So I start with a human Cocoon and once I'm done would I would have broken out of my own cocoon. Hope you join me in this journey.

nhq201609150021 (09/15/2016) --- The Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft is seen as while being encapsulated in its fairing on Thursday, Sept. 15, 2016 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Expedition 49 flight engineer Shane Kimbrough of NASA, flight engineer Andrey Borisenko of Roscosmos, and Soyuz commander Sergey Ryzhikov of Roscosmos are scheduled to launch to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz MS-02 spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. Photo Credit: (NASA/Victor Zelentsov)

AEHF SV4 encapsulation

Birchen Edge, Derbyshire Peak District

14/4/17, 8.00am

Linhof Technikardan S45, Nikkor W 210mm f/5.6

Fujichrome Velvia 50

380mm bellows,

15mm front shift right

6º front tilt, 14mm front fall

35" f/32

An encapsulation/homage to David Ward (delete as appropriate!). A revisit of a shot I took on digital a year or so back. The lengthy exposure created some colour casts on Velvia which I've done my best to correct in post. Have now uploaded a revised version which is truer to the original rendering, though with some long-exposure colour correction using a #85 warming filter layer in CS6.

Digitized with D800E/60mm micro on lightbox, stitch of 4 frames

Three days of snow followed by a night of freezing rain produced this amazing effect.

Leica M8.2

Summicron M 50mm f2

London, UK

I think this view right here encapsulates everything that makes the Magic Kingdom in Florida different than Disneyland in California, as well as being my favorite of the "classic" Castle views. You don't get views like this, with moats and epic scale, in Disneyland. Add to the fact that Cinderella Castle is a place you can actually go inside and spend some time to eat, and I'd have to agree that it's an overall a better experience than the modest castle in Anaheim. Throw in the Christmas lights as an added bonus and it's just a beautiful sight.

That said I do have a problem with this particular castle: you can never actually walk through it. Try and walk through during the day and it's closed for some random stage show. Try and walk by later and it's closed because some parade is going by. Try to walk through at night and it's closed for the fireworks. I was in the Magic Kingdom for better part of three days and not once did I manage to walk through the castle to Fantasyland, which is supposed to be one of the quintessential Disney moments. Sad. Mark me down in the camp that's against Disney shutting down large portions of the park for parades/fireworks/shows/pin-trading/whatever.

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The MetOp-SG-A1 satellite being enclosed within the Ariane 6's rocket fairing - a key milestone that marks the end of hands-on work for the team, and always an emotional moment. No one will actually see the satellite anymore – the fairing will not be opened until three minutes 30 seconds after liftoff as MetOp-SG-A1 is taken into orbit around Earth.

MetOp-SG-A1 is the first in a series of three successive pairs of satellites that will deliver global observations from polar orbit for weather forecasting and climate analysis. The A-type satellites, the first of which is the soon-to-launch MetOp-SG-A1, carry six instruments, including the European Commission’s Copernicus Sentinel-5 spectrometer.

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Credits: ESA - M. Pédoussaut

Encapsulated by my yard's tree. Washington state, United States.

Sentinel-3A satellite encapsulated within its Rockot fairing, on 9 February 2016, at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia.

Once safely in orbit and fully commissioned, this new satellite will begin its mission to map Earth’s oceans and land surfaces with its powerful optical and radar systems. The Sentinel-3 mission is set to play a key role in the world’s largest environmental monitoring programme – Copernicus.

Credit: ESA–Stephane Corvaja, 2016

AEHF SV4 encapsulation

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASAâs Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the agencyâs Mars 2020 Perseverance rover is being prepared for encapsulation in the United Launch Alliance Atlas V payload fairing on June 18, 2020. The Mars Perseverance rover is scheduled to launch in July 2020, atop the Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rover is part of NASAâs Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The roverâs seven instruments will search for habitable conditions in the ancient past and signs of past microbial life on Mars. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management. Photo credit: NASA/Christian Mangano

NASA image use policy.

This photograph encapsulates the two things I like taking photographs of the most Trains & Trees. I’m not sure what the tree is, but the locomotive is Hudswell, Clarke 0-4-0ST ‘No. 19’ Works No. 1056 of 1914. Taken at Statfold Barn Railway at their ‘Spectacle of Steam’ event.

1/14/12 - 14/366

I was chasing a sunrise this morning. But glittering balls of light kept capturing my attention. A little bit of belly crawling onto the (rather dirty) ice and I had my shot. Along with a pair of sopping wet, filthy jeans and coat.

But since life is about the little things and exploring the world around you; I found it completely worth it.

Capturing the historic heart of Granada, this panoramic shot encompasses the majestic Alhambra, the ancient Realejo district, and the evocative Oficios Street with the iconic Madraza Palace. Photographed from the elevated vantage point of the Sagrario Church, adjacent to the imposing Cathedral, this image encapsulates the allure of the city.

GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The Core Observatory will link data from a constellation of current and planned satellites to produce next-generation global measurements of rainfall and snowfall from space.

On Feb. 11, the Core Observatory was moved into the spacecraft fairing assembly building and into the Encapsulation Hall. Final inspections and preparations were completed for the installation into the fairing, which began on Feb 13. The fairing is the part of the rocket that will contain the spacecraft at the top of the H-IIA rocket.

The encapsulation process for the H-IIA is very different than for most U.S. rockets. For U.S. rockets, the fairing is usually in two pieces that close around the payload like a clamshell. To install the GPM Core Observatory into the fairing of the H-IIA rocket, first the Core Observatory and the Payload Attach Fitting (PAF) are set up in scaffolding in the Encapsulation Hall. Then, the fairing is lifted above and lowered onto the fitting. When only a few feet remain above the final position, stanchions support the fairing while technicians go inside to complete the electrical connections. When this is completed, they remove the stanchions and lower the fairing to its final position, where it is bolted in place.

The GPM mission is the first coordinated international satellite network to provide near real-time observations of rain and snow every three hours anywhere on the globe. The GPM Core Observatory anchors this network by providing observations on all types of precipitation. The observatory's data acts as the measuring stick by which partner observations can be combined into a unified data set. The data will be used by scientists to study climate change, freshwater resources, floods and droughts, and hurricane formation and tracking.

Credit: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

NASA image use policy.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.

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Is it his encapsulating eyes? His enticing smile? His nonchalence which translates into mystery, or his casual charms? What draws you in, what breaks your heart?

Inspired by.

- because we all have a friend with that jar of hearts, who captures them from the innocent and then carelessly moves on.

- because if one of these dudes ever hurts my friends, he's in trouble. Big trouble.

- HEY LOOK FLICKR. I put effort in today :D :D

Sorry about my unresponsiveness recently, I was busy having an amazing weekend. Hehee. 1,2,3, get ready for the influx of catching up on streams! I just opened my diary and realised I have practically no homework today. YAY!

Although I should do history.

I'll do some history.

Oh look! The msn icon is flashing! Let's see who's talking to me...

... I am such an epic procrastinator. EPIC.

That is summerfruitsjuice, in the jar. ^_^

How are y'all?

Have you ever encountered a guy with a jar of hearts? :)

- I switched them over, and now I want to switch them back.. FAIL. :)

Engineers at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia prepare to encapsulate the LADEE spacecraft into the fairing of the Minotaur V launch vehicle nose-cone.

Credit: NASA/Wallops/Terry Zaperach

-----

What is LADEE?

The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) is designed to study the Moon's thin exosphere and the lunar dust environment. An "exosphere" is an atmosphere that is so thin and tenuous that molecules don't collide with each other. Studying the Moon's exosphere will help scientists understand other planetary bodies with exospheres too, like Mercury and some of Jupiter's bigger moons. The orbiter will determine the density, composition and temporal and spatial variability of the Moon's exosphere to help us understand where the species in the exosphere come from and the role of the solar wind, lunar surface and interior, and meteoric infall as sources. The mission will also examine the density and temporal and spatial variability of dust particles that may get lofted into the atmosphere.

The mission also will test several new technologies, including a modular spacecraft bus that may reduce the cost of future deep space missions and demonstrate two-way high rate laser communication for the first time from the Moon.

LADEE now is ready to launch when the window opens on Sept. 6, 2013. Read more: www.nasa.gov/ladee

NASA image use policy.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.

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GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The Core Observatory will link data from a constellation of current and planned satellites to produce next-generation global measurements of rainfall and snowfall from space.

On Feb. 11, the Core Observatory was moved into the spacecraft fairing assembly building and into the Encapsulation Hall. Final inspections and preparations were completed for the installation into the fairing, which began on Feb 13. The fairing is the part of the rocket that will contain the spacecraft at the top of the H-IIA rocket.

The encapsulation process for the H-IIA is very different than for most U.S. rockets. For U.S. rockets, the fairing is usually in two pieces that close around the payload like a clamshell. To install the GPM Core Observatory into the fairing of the H-IIA rocket, first the Core Observatory and the Payload Attach Fitting (PAF) are set up in scaffolding in the Encapsulation Hall. Then, the fairing is lifted above and lowered onto the fitting. When only a few feet remain above the final position, stanchions support the fairing while technicians go inside to complete the electrical connections. When this is completed, they remove the stanchions and lower the fairing to its final position, where it is bolted in place.

The GPM mission is the first coordinated international satellite network to provide near real-time observations of rain and snow every three hours anywhere on the globe. The GPM Core Observatory anchors this network by providing observations on all types of precipitation. The observatory's data acts as the measuring stick by which partner observations can be combined into a unified data set. The data will be used by scientists to study climate change, freshwater resources, floods and droughts, and hurricane formation and tracking.

Credit: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency

NASA image use policy.

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.

Follow us on Twitter

Like us on Facebook

Find us on Instagram

Inside SpaceX's Payload Processing Facility at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, the U.S.-European Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich ocean-monitoring satellite is being encapsulated in the SpaceX Falcon 9 payload fairing on Nov. 3, 2020. Sentinel-6 is scheduled to launch on Nov. 21, 2020, at 12:17 p.m. EST (9:17 a.m. PST), atop the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management. Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin

NASA image use policy.

GPS III SV04 is encapsulated in its protective launch fairings. (Photo courtesy of the 45th Space Wing Public Affairs.)

GPS III SV04 is encapsulated in its protective launch fairings. (Photo courtesy of the 45th Space Wing Public Affairs.)

via Instagram ift.tt/2t9TbA5

A previously unseen and unique portrait of Prince Harry, younger son of the Prince of Wales and the late Diana, Princess of Wales, goes on show in London this coming week.

Entitled "Harry: HRH Prince Harry of Wales" the portrait painted by expressionist artist Stephen B Whatley, will be on show for collectors at the Argyll Etkin Ltd Stand at the Winter Fine Art & Antiques Fair at London's Olympia; bringing a contemporary flash of vibrance to this glittering show.

Argyll Etkin Ltd are London dealers in worldwide stamps, postal history and Royal memorabilia and artefacts.

The exhibition actually opens on Prince Harry's father's 63rd birthday, November 14th, running until November 20th 2011. Also available at The Argyll Etkin stand will be new brochures that encapsulate Stephen B Whatley's career.

Further info:

www.olympia-antiques.com

www.stephenbwhatley.com

It is difficult in a way to describe or encapsulate Rowland Emett's work! Emett (1906 - 1990) was foremost a cartoonist and illustrator but he also designed whimsical kinetic scultures and models based on his drawings, several of which were for commercial or advertising projects. Transport, such as steam trains and trams were close to Emett's heart and much of his work and this 1952 brochure, by the British Travel Association, plays on his sense of fancy to the greatest extent!

The event featured three typical London red Central Area buses making their way in a 'caravan' across the US and back, along with 'authentic Cockney conductors' and a team of mechanics and engineers to make sure the vehicles did their duty. The brochure shows a vivid description of the buses and crews, a map of the journey with the major stops and an exhortation to "visit Britain", the latetr being the main reason for the trip. The buses were associated with displays of the charms of the UK and associated literature.

The three buses were two AEC built RT-types, RT 2775 (LYR 826) and RT 2776 (LYR 827) along with a Leyland RTL-type RTL 1307 (LYR 395), all three new in 1952. They were shipped aboard SS Parthia and on arrival were given New York registrations (NY53.114 - 116) and the whole affair was such a success the tour was extended to include various Canadian cities.

Back in the UK the buses went into normal passenger service having been where necessary re-fitted and they received, from memory, commemorative plaques on the interior of the vehicles as one plate survives in the LTM Collection. Indeed, one bus survives in preservation, RT 2775, the other two having been sold to Ceylon (RT 1307) and RT 2776 being scrapped in 1976.

Sentinel-2A being encapsulated within the half-shells of the Vega rocket fairing.

Liftoff from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, is set for 23 June at 01:52 GMT (03:52 CEST; 22:52 local time on 22 June), on 6 June 2015 at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

For more information on the mission, visit www.esa.int/sentinel2

Credit: ESA–M. Pedoussaut, 2015

Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Mars 2020 logo is installed on the United Launch Alliance Atlas V payload fairing on June 18, 2020. Secured inside the fairing is the agency’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover. The rover is scheduled to launch in July 2020, atop the Atlas V 541 rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The rover is part of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, a long-term effort of robotic exploration of the Red Planet. The rover’s seven instruments will search for habitable conditions in the ancient past and signs of past microbial life on Mars. The Launch Services Program at Kennedy is responsible for launch management. Photo credit: NASA/Christian Mangano

NASA image use policy.

On 25 June, with just a few days to go before scheduled launch, the Meteosat Third Generation Sounder (MTG-S1) satellite, that is hosting the instrument for the Copernicus Sentinel-4 mission, was ready to be placed inside the launch rocket.

This is the last time the satellite engineers have hands-on manual control of the MTG-S1 satellite – and is the last time the team will see the satellite and instruments that have taken years of planning, design and testing. Mating and encapsulation are the final phases of activity before launch. During these activities, the satellite keeps its solar arrays in a folded position like a moth inside its cocoon.

Once the satellite is attached to its flight adaptor, it is encapsulated inside the tip of the rocket, known as the fairing, where the cone-shaped structure provides a protective case during the initial phase of the launch ascent. This encapsulated assembly, with the MTG-S1 satellite inside, is then mated with the rocket after its transportation to the hangar at the launch pad.

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Credits: SpaceX