La châsse initiale fut achevée en 1477 par Jean Adam, orfèvre à Saint-Pourçain. Elle était en argent et elle représentait une petite église surmontée par des lions, elle fut fondue à la Révolution. La châsse actuelle date de 1814 ; elle fut réalisée par Laroze orfèvre à Clermont. Elle est en bois de noyer plaqué d'argent et de vermeil et forme une église à dôme surmontée d'une effigie de saint Amable.

A circa 1988? Martin Marietta artist’s concept depicting an unmanned nuclear powered Mars rover in action. The articulating (I think) chassis & hybrid mesh/”elastic conoid shaped” wheels remind me of the iconic (in my world) GAEC lunar Mobility Test Article (MTA) linked to below.

Thanks to input from David S. F. Portree regarding a previous Martin Marietta Mars artist’s concept I posted to Twitter, this might be part of NASA’s ‘Code Z’ Program pertaining to solar system exploration case studies?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The Martin Marietta artist is the talented Charles O. Bennett.

"This photograph shows how Krafft A. Ehricke pictures man going to the moon by nuclear rocket. The manned payload hangs 1000 feet below the nuclear power plant after having been boosted from Earth into space by a chemical rocket. Upon reaching the Moon, the nuclear rocket is set down some distance from where the capsule lands. This arrangement protects the crew from the radiation of the nuclear rocket. (Convair, General Dynamics Corp.)"

Above credit: Leo Boudreau/Man on the Moon from "Rocket to the Moon" by Erik Bergaust and Seabrook Hull (1958), 1st ed. See linked image below.

In my world, this image is rather iconic, especially WRT to the Ehricke & Sentovic collaboration, as it was (relatively speaking), extensively used for press purposes. As such, this rare remnant has obviously been around the block. Despite that, it’s still retained its gloss and is bright & crisp image.

Note the stylized lower-case “dp” next to Mr. Sentovic’s signature, surely by him. No idea what it means/refers to.

Last, but not least - John Michael Sentovic:

e05.code.blog/2022/01/03/artist-profile-john-sentovic/

Credit: Garrett O’Donoghue/“numbers station” blog. I love this guy.

DSC_1720. Cactus fruit.

L'ancien portail de l'église abbatiale fut réalisé entre 1137 et 1147, après l'incendie qui ravagea la ville de Dijon le 28 juin 1137. Il disparut en 1813, lors du réaménagement de l'église devenue cathédrale. Seuls les piedroits furent conservés et en partie refaits.

Nous avons connaissance du portail d'origine par une gravure du XVIIIe siècle de Dom Urbain Plancher, moine bénédictin. Au XIVe siècle, lors de la reconstruction, ce portail roman est mis en place à la porte occidentale de la nouvelle église gothique. Au tympan, on retrouve le Christ en majesté et la représentation allégorique de l'Église et de la Synagogue (Ecclesia et Synagoga).

On y trouve également les thèmes de la Nativité, l'Annonce aux bergers, les rois mages à cheval. Le tympan est encadré de quatre voussures sur lesquelles se trouvent les anges, Hérode et le massacre des Innocents, les vieillards de l'Apocalypse, ainsi que des rinceaux de feuillages avec des oiseaux et des sphinx. Sur le trumeau une sculpture de saint Bénigne. Sur les huit piédroits des statues colonnes de 2 mètres de haut, représentant de gauche à droite : Salomon, Aaron, saint Paul, Ezéchias, David, saint Pierre, Moïse, et la reine de Saba.

De ce portail, il ne reste plus aujourd'hui que cinq morceaux : la tête de saint Bénigne qui provient de la statue du trumeau, la tête de saint Pierre, deux violes qui faisaient partie d'un voussure, ainsi qu'un morceau de l'archivolte.

The old portal of the abbey church was built between 1137 and 1147, after the fire that ravaged the city of Dijon on June 28, 1137. It disappeared in 1813, during the redevelopment of the church that became a cathedral. Only the jambs were preserved and partly redone.

We know of the original portal from an 18th century engraving by Dom Urbain Plancher, a Benedictine monk. In the 14th century, during the reconstruction, this Romanesque portal was installed at the western door of the new Gothic church. On the tympanum, we find Christ in Majesty and the allegorical representation of the Church and the Synagogue (Ecclesia et Synagoga).

We also find the themes of the Nativity, the Annunciation to the Shepherds, the Three Wise Men on horseback. The tympanum is framed by four arches on which are the angels, Herod and the massacre of the Innocents, the elders of the Apocalypse, as well as foliage scrolls with birds and sphinxes. On the trumeau a sculpture of Saint Benignus. On the eight jambs are 2-meter-high column statues, representing from left to right: Solomon, Aaron, Saint Paul, Hezekiah, David, Saint Peter, Moses, and the Queen of Sheba.

Of this portal, only five pieces remain today: the head of Saint Benignus which comes from the statue of the trumeau, the head of Saint Peter, two viols which were part of an arch, as well as a piece of the archivolt.

"...Shuttle's remote manipulator arm lifts antenna sections onto a trolley that scoots them down to cherry picker for positioning. Large solar arrays power this equipment, which is fashioning the nucleus of a giant solar power station..."

The above is an extract from a March 1979 Popular Science article, "Giant Space Structures: How We'll Build Them", which featured the image as well. Thanks to the excellent Secret Projects website, and user osmosis. Both can be seen as part of an Apr 11, 2011 post:

www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/sps-solar-power-satellit...

Specifically (for those with a 'Secret Projects' account):

www.secretprojects.co.uk/attachments/page-78-jpg.129166/

Credit: Secret Projects website

Also…interesting:

www.aerospaceprojectsreview.com/blog/?m=202501

Credit: Aerospace Projects Review website

Yet another beautiful work showcasing Mr. Kavafes' boundless talent.

And check this out, this enterprising SOB has gone apeshit with a bunch of photos I’ve posted and/or linked to in my postings:

www.redbubble.com/i/photographic-print/Shuttle-s-remote-m...

All kinds of activity in lunar orbit.

A visual feast, possibly rendered by either Ludwik Źiemba, William Collopy or Anthony Saporito, or some combination thereof.

By extrapolation of other works, possibly on behalf of Lockheed Missiles & Space Company.

Deschambault-Grondines, Comté de Portneuf, Québec, Canada

Voici un aperçu de mon village natal qui a plus de quatre siècles d’histoire en commençant par la visite des deux premiers explorateurs européens à fouler le sol de Deschambault. Le premier fut Jacques Cartier, lors de son deuxième voyage, en 1535. À la hauteur du Cap Lauzon, il fut arrêté par les dangereux rapides Richelieu. En 1603, Champlain passa à Deschambault, 68 ans après la visite de Cartier. C'était son premier voyage dans la vallée du Bas-Saint-Laurent et il n'allait fonder Québec que cinq ans plus tard.

Habité depuis 1674, le cœur du village s’est développé sur le Cap Lauzon, une longue pointe de terre surplombant le majestueux fleuve Saint-Laurent. On y trouve un ensemble d’édifices patrimoniaux groupés autour de l’église Saint-Joseph-de-Deschambault (1838) et du cimetière, le vieux (1815) et le nouveau presbytère (1872) (occupé maintenant par la municipalité), le couvent (1861) et la salle des habitants (1848). Quelques pas plus loin, le magasin général Paré demeure en opération depuis 1866 et la maison de mon grand-père, construite en 1880, est maintenant un restaurant. En 1921, mon grand-père, J.B.H. Gauthier, fonde et opère le premier service d’autobus entre Deschambault et Québec. Il fut aussi le maire de Deschambault de 1947 à 1956. En 2002, les deux villages voisins de Deschambault et de Grondines se sont fusionnés pour devenir la municipalité de Deschambault-Grondines.

Tous ces éléments forment un ensemble unique dans un environnement naturel exceptionnel permettant une vue saisissante sur le fleuve. Le village offre aussi un ensemble exceptionnel de bâtiments traditionnels de pierre et de bois dont plusieurs sont classés historiques, de bons restaurants et boutiques offrant les meilleurs produits du terroir. Pour sa richesse historique et ses beaux paysages, Deschambault-Grondines est considéré comme l’un des plus beaux villages du Québec.

************

Deschambault-Grondines, County of Portneuf, Quebec, Canada

Here is an overview of my native village which has more than four centuries of history, starting with the visit of the first two European explorers to set foot on the soil of Deschambault. The first was Jacques Cartier, during his second trip, in 1535. Near Cap Lauzon, he was stopped by the dangerous Richelieu rapids. In 1603, Champlain visited Deschambault, 68 years after Cartier's visit. It was his first trip to the Bas-Saint-Laurent valley, and he would not found Quebec until five years later.

Inhabited since 1674, the heart of the village developed on Cap Lauzon, a long point of land overlooking the majestic St. Lawrence River. There is a group of heritage buildings grouped around the Saint-Joseph-de-Deschambault church (1838) and the cemetery, the old (1815) and the new presbytery (1872) (now occupied by the municipality), the convent (1861) and the residents’ room (1848). A few steps further, the Paré general store has remained in operation since 1866 and the house of my grandfather, JBH Gauthier, built in 1880, is now a restaurant. In 2002, the two neighboring villages of Deschambault and Grondines merged to become the municipality of Deschambault-Grondines.

All these elements form a unique ensemble in an exceptional natural environment offering a breathtaking view of the river. The village also offers an exceptional collection of traditional stone and wood buildings, several of which are listed as historic, good restaurants and shops offering the best local products. For its rich history and beautiful landscapes, Deschambault-Grondines is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Quebec.

Hiroshima fut entièrement reconstruite après la guerre. À l'initiative de son maire, Shinzō Hamai, elle fut proclamée Cité de la Paix par le parlement japonais en 1949.

En guise de témoignage, les ruines du Genbaku Dome, l'un des seuls bâtiments à ne pas avoir été entièrement détruits par l'explosion, furent conservées.

La reconstruction de la ville intègre un Musée de la Paix, dont les bâtiments ont été conçus par l'architecte Kenzō Tange. Un vaste parc, le Parc du Mémorial de la Paix, s'étend sur 12 hectares, à proximité de l'hypocentre de l'explosion, dans lequel chaque année, le 6 août, une cérémonie commémorative est organisée. Ce parc abrite de nombreux monuments à la mémoire des victimes de la bombe. Le cénotaphe contient le nom de toutes les victimes connues de la bombe ; une flamme de la paix y brûle, destinée à rester allumée tant que des armes nucléaires existeront.

En novembre 2010 lors du sommet de Hiroshima, le dalaï-lama et cinq autres lauréats du Nobel de la paix ont participé au sommet des prix Nobel de la Paix. Ce sommet était consacré au désarmement nucléaire et organisé à Hiroshima. Le premier Prix Nobel de la paix Chinois Liu Xiaobo, emprisonné en Chine, a été représenté à ce sommet par Wuer Kaixi, un des leaders étudiants lors des manifestations de la place Tian'anmen en 1989. Ce dernier a appelé à la libération de Liu Xiaobo. Il a par ailleurs déclaré : « Les militants en faveur de la démocratie et les avocats défenseurs des droits de l'homme continuent d'être harcelés et emprisonnés en Chine, au moment où nous sommes réunis à Hiroshima ».

Cataratas do Iguaçu - Brazil

Situées entre le Brésil et l'Argentine, les chutes d'Iguazù sont parmi les plus impressionnantes du Monde. Le prix a payer pour cette photo en longue exposition, fut de me retrouver trempé... dù à la vapeur d'eau dégagée par les remous, mais ca en valait la peine. Nikon D90

Dans l’église Saint-Mathieu de Salers, cette mise au tombeau fut achevée en 1495 par un maître inconnu.

“FUTURISTIC SPACE STATION WITH ION ROCKET SHIP IN ORBIT ABOVE ANTARCTICA

CONCEPT PAINTED BY WILLIAM C. HOUSE OF AEROJET-GENERAL”

11” x 13.875”.

A cropped version of the image is available at the excellent & informative ATOMIC ROCKETS website, specifically:

www.projectrho.com/public_html/rocket/images/spacestation...

William C. House - The Real Deal. Multiple extracts from disparate sources, sort of chronologically:

“One of the best known champions of the turborocket was William C. House, who proposed a cycle in 1949 while an employee of the Aerojet Engineering Corporation.* House examined a number of bipropellants including liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. He apparently proposed this combination to the Air Force in September 1953 and later, but nothing came of it (fig. 30, bottom):

history.nasa.gov/SP-4404/p123.jpg

“William C. House, director of NERVA (nuclear engine for rocket vehicle application) operations of the Aerojet-General Corporation, has been named a vice president of the company. He has been with Aeroject since 1949. Four months ago he received the Navy’s Meritorious Public Service Citation for his work on the Polaris missile.”

In 1956, the Awards Committee of the Aerospace Research Council selected Mr. House to become a Fellow Member of American Rocket Society, forerunner of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Some of the others selected that year: William H. Pickering, director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology; Simon Ramo, executive vice president, The Ramo-Wooldridge Corp., and Fred S. Whipple, chairman, Department of Astronomy, Harvard University & director, Astrophysical Observatory of the Smithsonian Institute.

mypatentprints.com/products/space-vehicle-patent-1960-spa...

Credit: ‘MyPatentPrints’ website

They’re ALL cool, but the “Fuel Station”, apparently a variant of this, is also courtesy of Mr. House:

paleofuture.com/blog/2013/9/12/space-taxis-air-sleds-and-...

Credit: “Paleofuture” website - which BTW is excellent…I’d almost forgotten about it!

From a 1969 citation:

“His education includes a B.S. (Aeronautical Engineering), California Institute of Technology. Prior experience includes service with Northrop Aircraft Company; U.S. Naval Engineering Experimental Station; Project SQUID, Princeton University; General Tire and Rubber Company of California and presently with Aerojet-General Corporation. His present position is Vice President and General Manager, Surface Effect Ships Division, Aerojet General Corporation.”

Finally, at least as of December 1972, Mr. House served on the board of directors of Caltech’s Alumni Association, being class of 1940.

Mr. House, as stated earlier, the real deal…rocket scientist…and talented artist!

Continue to RIP Good Sir and Thank You.

“A variety of Artificial Gravity/Mars Transfer Vehicle (AG/MTV) concepts were developed by the Martin Marietta Astronautics Group for NASA’s Mars Exploration Case Studies in 1988 to 1989. Each of these concepts used a large diameter (~39 to 46 m) aerobrake (AB) with a low lift to drag (L/D) ratio of ~0.2 for Mars Orbit Capture (MOC). These large ABs required assembly in LEO before being outfitted with habitation, auxiliary Photo-Voltaic Array (PVA) power and chemical propulsion system elements within their protective envelope. By rotating the AB about its central axis at different spin rates and mounting the habitat modules near the outer perimeter of the AB to increase the rotation radius, a range of centrifugal forces can be generated for the crew during the transit out to Mars and back…

However, initial concepts had several drawbacks, to include being very large, requiring significant orbital assembly for the AB and overall vehicle, with large Initial Mass in Low Earth Orbit (IMLEO) requirements. Additionally, problems of the five different concepts developed ranged from incompatible internal arrangements of varying habitation modules, the required movement of major pressurized mechanical joints, large propellant consumption to start/stop a tethered combination along with associated dynamic control problems & possible critical mechanical failures, even the possibility of crew isolation from systems enclosed within the AB e.g., Mars Descent/Ascent Vehicle (MDAV).

To avoid the deficiencies of those concepts, Martin Marietta proposed ‘Concept 6’, an AG/MTV design that used chemical propulsion and carried twin cylindrical Space Station Freedom (SSF) habitation modules whose long axes were oriented perpendicular to the longitudinal spin axis of the MTV—referred to as the Dumbbell B configuration. The hab modules were connected to a central logistics and docking hub by two pressurized tunnels each ~12.5 m long. Each hab module—designed to accommodate two to three crewmembers—had excess capacity so that either could serve as a safe-haven for the entire crew in case of an emergency. Attached to the Sun-facing side of each tunnel and hab module were ~30 and 75 m2, respectively, of PVAs producing ~26 kWₑ of electrical power for the spacecraft’s various systems. Once fully assembled, the rotation radius from the center of the logistics module to the floor of each hab module was ~17 m allowing centrifugal acceleration levels ranging from 0.38-g to 0.68-g for vehicle spin rates of 4.5 to 6 rpm. At a slightly higher spin rate of 7.25 rpm, 1-g could be achieved. The pressurized logistics hub also provided a shirt-sleeve environment and anytime crew access to the MDAV docked to the front of the vehicle.

The aft end Mars Orbit Capture Stage (MOCS) and forward Trans-Earth Injection Stages (TEIS) used four ~25 thousand-pound thrust liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen (LOX/LH₂) RL10B-2 engines with an Iₛₚ of ~460 s. The MOCS also functioned as the TMI stage using propellant supplied from six surrounding drop tanks jettisoned in pairs as they are drained. The vehicle IMLEO at TMI was ~710.8 t.”

The above, at/per:

ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20160014801/downloads/2016001...

The second paragraph consists of my paraphrasing, the rest is direct copy/paste.

The two capsules docked to the ‘top’ SSF habitation module are referred to as Earth Crew Capsule Vehicles (ECCV).

Who knew?!?

Did YOU!?!

I didn’t!!!

While I’ve never paid close attention to artificial gravity considerations with regard to a Mars Transfer Vehicle, I know I’ve NEVER seen this distinctive “dumbbell” design!

FINALLY, as if ALL of the linked to above/below, wasn’t enough…which it should be frankly, this beautiful work is by Martin Marietta artist Robert S. Murray. I like the clever framing of the AG/MTV by an obliquely viewed Arsia Mons (below) & Pavonis Mons (above), capped off by the tenuous upper atmosphere layer of haze visible on the Martian limb…nice, very nice.

A WIN:

www.paintingsbyrobertsmurray.com/about-me.html

Credit: “Paintings by Robert S. Murray” website

midcurrent.com/art/robert-s-murray/

Credit: “MIDCURRENT” website

La photo fut effectuée pour un défi photo ayant pour sujet: "Chandelle"

This photo was made for a photo challenge with "Candle" as a subject...

La imagen fue hecha para un desafío de imagen con asunto: "vela"

Les bougies flottent sur l'eau et une des réflections fut , par hasard, en forme de coeur. /The candles float on water and , by chance, one of the lights reflections had a heart shaped...

Merci beaucoup pour votre visite, les gentils commentaires et les favoris. / Many thanks for your visit, kind comments and favs.

The finished lunar base: consisting of - laboratories, astronauts' quarters, storage - are covered with a layer of lunar regolith. A radio telescope can be seen, placed in a small lunar crater.

The above is my butchering of Swedish, of the abbreviated photo caption, and there’s no way I’m translating the rest of it. Suffice it to say that there’s obviously a whole lot more than that going on, possibly as a result of a temporal rift that brought this mix of disparate spacecraft and the like all together in this area on/near the moon.

Although no signature is present, it has a Roy Scarfo look to it. In fact, the space station is nearly identical to a confirmed work by him, in which it's the primary subject.

Based on the appearance of the Lunar Module & derivatives, I think the original artwork was ~4/4+ years prior to the date stamp on the verso.

Le Passage Jouffroy (Paris 9)

10-12 boulevard Montmartre / 9 rue de la Grange-Batelière

Le Passage Jouffroy fut construit en 1836 dans le prolongement du Passage des Panoramas, afin de profiter de la population parisienne drainée par ce dernier. Il est, depuis, l'un des passages les plus fréquentés de la capitale.

Le Passage Jouffroy servit de terrain aux nombreuses révolutions architecturales de l'époque : il fut ainsi le premier passage parisien a être doté d'une charpente en métal et en verre, et le premier a être chauffé par le sol. Le sol de ce beau passage couvert est dallé de noir, de gris et de blanc.

Le Passage Jouffroy a été entièrement rénové en 1987, 13 ans après avoir été classé monument historique, et abrite de nombreuses boutiques de livres anciens.

Source : www.sortiraparis.com/arts-culture/histoire-patrimoine/gui...

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

The ‘Passage Jouffroy’ was built in 1836 as an extension of the Passage des Panoramas, in order to take advantage of the Parisian population drained by the latter. Since then, it has been one of the busiest passages in the capital.

The Passage Jouffroy served as a site for numerous architectural revolutions of the time: it was thus the first Parisian passage to have a metal and glass frame, and the first to be heated by the ground. The floor of this beautiful covered passage is tiled in black, grey and white.

Passage Jouffroy was completely renovated in 1987, 13 years after being classified as a historic monument, and is home to many old book shops.

Based on the photo ID number, this intriguing work, along with the following linked artist's concepts and my other Flickr photos (below), look to have been part of the same family/series of contractor concepts, proposals, etc., solicited/entertained by NASA ca. 1969:

www.aerospaceprojectsreview.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2...

www.aerospaceprojectsreview.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2...

Both above credit: "Aerospace Projects Review" website

In fact and in confirmation of such; in January - February 1969, NASA Administrator Thomas O. Paine oversaw the creation of a Space Station Task Force, a Space Station Steering Group, and an independent Space Station Review Group. These bodies prepared a Phase B Space Station Study Statement of Work (SOW), which NASA released to industry on 19 April 1969. So, I'm pretty sure these works are some of the responses/submittals to that SOW.

"The SOW solicited proposals to study a 12-man Space Station, the design of which would eventually serve as a building block for a 100-man Earth-orbital Space Base. The 12-man Station was to reach orbit on a Saturn V rocket in 1975 and to remain in operation for 10 years...

Grumman, North American Rockwell (NAR), and McDonnell Douglas Aerospace Company (MDAC) submitted proposals in response to the SOW."

The above is a combination of paraphrasing & cut/paste from David S. F. Portree's superlative (as always) article at his wonderful "No Shortage of Dreams" blog. The entire informative content at:

spaceflighthistory.blogspot.com/2015/03/outpost-in-leo-mc...

As an aside, I’ve never seen any artist’s concept with this many Lunar Module ascent/descent stage-derived components. There are five…count ‘em, FIVE. AND, there are at least FOUR different configurations of them…maybe five. Furthermore, is the one under the solar array departing? Station keeping? Approaching? If so, where’s it going to dock? How about the one in the back…departing/approaching/station keeping? Or, is it docked? If so, there’s a docking port back there? As if all of this wasn’t enough, there’s also an Apollo Command/Service Module…in an odd location (at least to me).

Last but NOT least, the inset, which I think depicts the optional(?), subsequent/eventual(?) artificial gravity-inducing component. If it is such, does it rotate independently of the primary “orbital workshop”?

Initially, I'd missed Craig Kavafes signature. It's presence is what allowed me to associate this with some of his other associated works. It also explains the swarm of LM derivatives.

Prior to finding his signature, those LMs led me to consider (erroneously I think) that this was an Apollo Applications Program concept. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

(I think) within, or as an evolution of NASA’s grand/grandiose “Integrated Program Plan”, incorporating the modularized multi-purpose “Space Tug” concept, a Lunar Surface Base is depicted in this possible 1971 artist’s concept.

The habitable shirtsleeve-environment module is in the foreground, with a/the cargo lander variant in the background. Further to the left is a cargo module, emplaced/partially buried along/within the ridge of the small lunar graben/rille(?). Behind the cargo module is a lunar drill. The lunar rover is of course, self-evident.

Artist unknown. Albert Lane maybe? Renato Moncini? Lois A. Smith? Likely never to be determined? Yeah, that sounds about right.

A variant, and if the hand-annotated identification/year extrapolation is correct, a/the possible precursor of this depiction is featured as Figure 29 within the following document:

ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19700026519

Many wonderful artist’s concepts within the above can be found all over the place, with very little rhyme or reason actually. But hey, at least they’re out there.

The “Integrated Program Plan”. If you can’t trust David S. F. Portree, who can you trust WRT this stuff:

spaceflighthistory.blogspot.com/2016/01/thinking-big-traf...

Credit: David S. F. Portree/”No Shortage of Dreams” blogspot

Halloween decorations

Thanks to the contributions of Garrett O'Donoghue/"Numbers Station", on this image hosting 'service':

www.flickr.com/photos/numbersstation/albums

...and the knowledgeable folks at the "SECRET PROJECTS Forum", specifically:

www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/by-solids-to-the-moon-al...

And:

forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?topic=40012.60

Credit: "NASA Spaceflight" website

Incorporating their content, I hope to have a coherent description/caption some day.

In the meantime...

Additional items of interest/amusement, to me at least. Excuse the pointless blathering, or just move on:

The similarity of the ‘launcher umbilical tower’ on rails to those of Apollo LUTs is uncanny. I would've expected 1959 to be well before anything that looked like the final configuration. No?

There’s also the monolithic launch pedestal, which looks to be capable of being raised & lowered, to possibly facilitate exhaust/blast deflection. Maybe even the elevated inner core pedestal being retractable - into a silo directly underneath? This looks like a hardened military launch site to me.

Note also a surface reflection of the fellow, lower left, ground guiding the possible fuel truck. Reflected in/by what...ice, spilled fuel, pooled water, what? The localized nature of whatever it is, is curious, i.e., not the result of rainfall.

A rare, dramatic, imposing and almost ominous work by the immensely talented, imaginative & irrepressible Roy Kerswill. A huge WIN:

www.jhnewsandguide.com/valley/feature/a-big-painting-is-a...

Credit: Jackson Hole News & Guide website

Fitting for him to have depicted the following mega-unicorn as well - Aldebaran - apparently the brainchild of Martin Aircraft Company Engineer Dandridge Cole:

i.redd.it/67r6awtkriq21.jpg

Credit: Reddit/user “NinetiethPercentile”

Nous fêtons les 50 ans des premiers pas sur la Lune. Si Neil Armstrong a été le premier humain à y marcher le 21 juillet 1969, David Scott fut le premier à conduire sur la Lune, le 31 juillet 1971 dans le cadre de la mission Apollo 15. Il y aura donc eu 6 astronautes qui ont roulé sur la Lune. Leur véhicule a été développé par Boeing avec, entre autres, la participation de Delco (General Motors) et Goodyear. Il était « pliable » pour pouvoir être intégré au module lunaire. Mais surtout, son développement n’a pris que 17 mois et ce véhicule a parfaitement fonctionné durant les 3 missions sur l’astre (Apollo 15, 16 et 17).

Le Lunar Roving Vehicule (LRV), sorte de "dune buggy" alimenté par deux batteries zinc-argent non rechargeables d’une autonomie de 92 km, fut le premier véhicule tout-terrain conduit par un humain ailleurs que sur Terre qui se déplaçait à une vitesse d’environ 14 km/h. Chaque batterie pèse 27 kg, a une capacité de 121 A.h et délivre le courant sous une tension de 36 volts. Une seule batterie est utilisée en opération et dispose d'une capacité suffisante pour alimenter les moteurs (la deuxième batterie est présente par sécurité). Ce véhicule ne pèse que 210 kg avec une charge utile de 490 kg (363 kg pour les astronautes avec leur combinaison et 172 kg pour les échantillons lunaires). En masse lunaire, où la gravité est 6 fois moindre que sur Terre, il ne pèse plus que « 35 kg » à vide. Son châssis réalisé en tubes d'alliage d'aluminium mesure 3,1 m de long pour 1,8 m de large avec un plancher en aluminium.. La hauteur maximale est de 1,14 m et la garde au sol à pleine charge de 35 cm. Le châssis est rattaché à chaque roue par une suspension à double triangulation comportant un amortisseur hydraulique à huile pour limiter les mouvements verticaux. Chaque bras (triangle de suspension) est lié au châssis via une barre de torsion (2 barres de torsion par roue).

Le système de propulsion du Rover lunaire utilise des moteurs électriques (un moteur de 190 W (0,25 ch) dans chaque roue de 32 pouces (81 cm), large de 9 pouces (23 cm)), qui doivent satisfaire plusieurs contraintes : couple variable (élevé pour franchir les obstacles), vitesse variable (pour maximiser le temps consacré à l'exploration scientifique), rendement élevé (pour limiter la consommation électrique). En outre, ces moteurs doivent fonctionner dans le vide qui limite la dissipation de la chaleur. Les quatre roues sont motrices et individuellement directrices. Chaque roue pouvait être découplée et passer en roue libre en cas d’avarie moteur. Pour permettre une progression plus facile sur la surface poudreuse de la Lune, le pneu conventionnel est remplacé par un treillis métallique constitué de cordes à piano tressées. La résille est constituée de 800 fils d'acier zingués à haute résistance. Sous la résille se trouve une deuxième enveloppe plus rigide de 64,8 cm de diamètre, qui limite la déformation de l'enveloppe extérieure en cas de gros chocs. Cette structure est constituée de 20 bandes cintrées en titane. Chaque roue pèse 5,4 kg et est conçue pour pouvoir rouler au moins 180 km (chacune coûte 85 000 $). Les jantes sont en titane et les enjoliveurs en aluminium.

Sur le plan technique, le véhicule devait fonctionner dans un environnement particulièrement hostile : températures extrêmes le jour comme la nuit (les températures au sol y passent de 130 °C à −130 °C), absence d'atmosphère, faible gravité, terrain accidenté et meuble. Le LRV ne possède pas de volant, il est commandé par une simple manette en T pour contrôler les virages, l'accélération et le freinage, d’une seule main, mais gantée ! Le tableau de bord restitue les principales informations permettant de contrôler la navigation et le fonctionnement du véhicule. Les données fournies sont : la vitesse du Rover, la distance parcourue (avec une précision de 100 mètres), la pente et le dévers, le cap suivi (sur une rose graduée de 5° en 5°), la position du module lunaire, la tension et la charge restante des batteries, la température des batteries et des moteurs électriques de traction. Le Rover dispose d'un système de télécommunication permettant à ses occupants de dialoguer entre eux ainsi qu'avec la station de contrôle sur Terre. Le Rover est également équipé d'une caméra de télévision couleur, installée à l'avant du véhicule, qui permet aux astronautes de transmettre à l'arrêt des images en temps réel : elle peut être contrôlée à distance depuis la Terre. Les contrôleurs de mission ainsi que les scientifiques sur la Terre peuvent ainsi assister les cosmonautes dans leur exploration du sol lunaire. L'image est transmise par une antenne en forme de parapluie montée sur un mât situé sur l'avant du châssis ; celle-ci doit être réorientée à chaque arrêt par les astronautes vers la Terre.

Le Buggy de Boeing et GM estimé à 19 millions de dollars par la NASA atteindra un prix final de 38 millions de dollars (environ 265 millions de dollars en 2019). Grâce aux Rovers, les astronautes purent prospecter un plus grand nombre de sites, permettant d'améliorer notre compréhension de la géologie et de la formation de la Lune. Quatre LRV ont été construits, trois sont toujours sur la surface de notre satellite naturel, après avoir parcouru un total combiné de 57 milles (91,7 km). Ce sera sans doute un lieu de visite incontournable pour les futurs touristes sur la Lune …

We are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first steps on the moon. If Neil Armstrong was the first human to walk there on July 21, 1969, David Scott was the first to drive on the Moon, July 31, 1971 as part of the Apollo 15 mission. There will have been 6 astronauts who have rolled on the moon. Their vehicle was developed by Boeing with, among others, the participation of Delco (General Motors) and Goodyear. It was "foldable" to be integrated into the lunar module. But above all, its development took only 17 months and this vehicle worked perfectly during the 3 missions on the star (Apollo 15, 16 and 17).

The Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), a sort of "dune buggy" powered by two non-rechargeable zinc-silver batteries with a range of 92 km, was the first all-terrain vehicle driven by a human anywhere on Earth that moved to a speed of about 14 km / h. Each battery weighs 27 kg, has a capacity of 121 A.h and delivers the current under a voltage of 36 volts. Only one battery is used in operation and has sufficient capacity to power the motors (the second battery is present for safety). This vehicle weighs only 210 kg with a payload of 490 kg (363 kg for astronauts with their combination and 172 kg for lunar samples). In lunar mass, where the gravity is 6 times less than on Earth, it weighs only "35 kg" empty. Its chassis made of aluminum alloy tubes is 3.1 m long and 1.8 m wide with an aluminum floor. The maximum height is 1.14 m and the ground clearance is fully loaded. 35 cm. The frame is attached to each wheel by a double wishbone suspension with an oil hydraulic damper to limit vertical movements. Each arm (wishbone) is connected to the chassis via a torsion bar (2 torsion bars per wheel).

The Lunar Rover propulsion system uses electric motors (a 190 W (0.25 hp) motor in each 32 inch (81 cm), 9 inch (23 cm) wide wheel), which must meet several constraints: variable torque (high to overcome obstacles), variable speed (to maximize the time spent on scientific exploration), high efficiency (to limit power consumption). In addition, these motors must operate in a vacuum that limits heat dissipation. The four wheels are driving and individually guiding. Each wheel could be decoupled and freewheel in case of engine failure. To allow easier progression on the powdery surface of the Moon, the conventional tire is replaced by a wire mesh consisting of braided piano strings. The mesh consists of 800 high-strength galvanized steel wires. Under the mesh is a second, more rigid envelope of 64.8 cm in diameter, which limits the deformation of the outer shell in case of big shocks. This structure consists of 20 curved strips of titanium. Each wheel weighs 5.4 kg and is designed to ride at least 180 km (each costs $ 85,000). The rims are in titanium and the hubcaps in aluminum.

On the technical side, the vehicle had to operate in a particularly hostile environment: extreme temperatures day and night (ground temperatures go from 130 ° C to -130 ° C), lack of atmosphere, low gravity, rough terrain and furniture. The LRV does not have a steering wheel, it is controlled by a simple T-handle to control turns, acceleration and braking, with one hand, but gloved! The dashboard provides the main information to control the navigation and operation of the vehicle. The data provided are: the speed of the Rover, the distance traveled (with a precision of 100 meters), the slope and the slope, the course followed (on a rose graduated 5 ° in 5 °), the position of the lunar module, the voltage and the remaining charge of the batteries, the temperature of the batteries and electric traction motors. The Rover has a telecommunication system allowing its occupants to interact with each other and with the control station on Earth. The Rover is also equipped with a color television camera, installed at the front of the vehicle, which allows astronauts to transmit images in real time at a stop: it can be controlled remotely from Earth. Mission controllers and scientists on Earth can assist cosmonauts in their exploration of the lunar soil. The image is transmitted by an umbrella-shaped antenna mounted on a mast located on the front of the chassis; it must be redirected at each stop by astronauts to Earth. The Boeing Buggy and GM estimated at 19 million dollars by NASA will reach a final price of 38 million dollars (about 265 million dollars in 2019). Thanks to the Rovers, the astronauts were able to explore more sites, improving our understanding of the geology and formation of the Moon. Four LRVs were built, three are still on the surface of our natural satellite, having traveled a combined total of 57 miles (91.7 km). It will undoubtedly be a must-visit place for future tourists on the Moon …

Il fut un temps très lointain où l'Encyclopaedia Universalis s'apparentait à une sorte de Saint-Graal. De nos jours elle a perdu de sa superbe. Ces volumes gisaient honteux entre deux canettes de bière et un étron. Je les soupçonne de servir de papier hygiénique (mais pas l'hygiène de l'esprit).

“A nuclear-propelled spacecraft, shown being assembled in an orbit around the earth, prepares for take-off to Mars. An orbital assembly team is depicted swinging a second stage assembly into position, using space tugs. This second stage will brake the craft into its orbit around Mars. A cluster of four cylinders (upper right), will house the astronauts during the long Martian voyage. At right angles to the astronauts’ quarters are temporary living quarters of the assembly team, which will spend nearly four months in earth orbit assembling the spacecraft for the Mars mission. This “typical” Mars mission was conceived by scientists at the Westinghouse Electric Corporation’s Astronuclear Laboratory and was described by Dr. William M. Jacobi of Westinghouse, at the American Institute of Astronautics and Aeronautics meeting. Heart of the system is a nuclear reactor (housed in the engine at lower left) which Westinghouse is developing in connection with the Rover Program, the nation’s effort to develop nuclear rocket propulsion systems for advanced space missions. The reactor will be incorporated into the NERVA (Nuclear Engine for Rocket Vehicle Application) engine under development by Aerojet-General Corporation for the AEC-NASA Space Nuclear Propulsion Office, based on a concept originated by the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory.”

Additionally. It’s very long but incredibly informative, enlightening & pertinent, with LOTS of content I wasn’t aware of. Not to mention, who knows how long it’ll continue to be available online:

“Before his death, renowned science fiction writer, inventor, and futurist Arthur C. Clarke (1917–2008) confidently declared the space age had not yet begun, and would only commence when reliable nuclear-powered space vehicles become available to drastically reduce the cost of moving humans and heavy payloads from the surface of the earth to the farthest reaches of the solar system. It is a little appreciated fact that Pittsburgh’s Westinghouse Electric Company played a central role in bringing that vision much closer to reality through its participation in the Nuclear Energy for Rocket Vehicle Applications (NERVA) program between 1959 and 1973. With recently renewed interest in the human exploration of Mars and destinations in the outer solar system, attention is once again focusing on the remarkable accomplishments that Westinghouse made in the development of the largely untapped potential of the nuclear thermal rocket.

As early as 1949, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico, conducted research to develop a solid core nuclear thermal rocket engine to power intercontinental ballistic missiles. The idea of a nuclear-powered rocket had already captured the imagination of many serious science fiction writers, evidenced by Robert A. Heinlein’s 1948 novel Space Cadet that featured a sleek nuclear-powered rocket ship that inspired the 1950 CBS television series Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, starring Frankie Thomas (1921–2006). With encouragement from science advisor Willy Ley, in 1951 Joseph Lawrence Greene, writing under the pseudonym Carey Rockwell at the publishing house of Grosset and Dunlap, launched Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, a juvenile novel series that fired the imagination of an entire generation of America’s youth with images of a streamlined manned single-stage-to-deep space atomic-powered rocket called the Polaris.

Similar to the nuclear rocket engine eventually developed under the NERVA program, the Polaris employed turbo-pumps to supply propellant to a uranium-fueled reactor core. Virtually all of the single-stage rockets of the golden age of science fiction were described at the time as using some form of atomic energy for propulsion. In a classic example of scientific theory inspiring art and, in turn, inspiring practical engineering concepts, by 1957 Los Alamos Laboratory had acquired a test facility at Jackass Flats, Nevada, to test the first KIWI series of nuclear rocket engines as part of Project Rover. Because these were ground tests rather than actual flight tests, the early engines were named after the flightless Kiwi bird endemic to New Zealand. The trials were conducted with the engines mounted upside down on their test stands with the rocket plume firing upward into the atmosphere.

In 1959, the Westinghouse Electric Company of Pittsburgh and its Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory in nearby West Mifflin, also in Allegheny County, were busy building nuclear reactors for the U.S. Navy and had also designed the nation’s first commercial nuclear power plant at Shippingport, Beaver County, that went online in December 1957. In anticipation of landing more lucrative government contracts, John Wistar Simpson, Frank Cotter, and Sidney Krasik convinced Westinghouse CEO Mark W. Cresap Jr. in 1959 to approve the creation of the Westinghouse Astronuclear Laboratory (WANL) to investigate the feasibility of building nuclear rocket engines.

Authorized in May 1959, WANL officially became a Westinghouse division on July 26, 1959, and consisted of just six employees with Simpson at the helm. Krasik, a Cornell University physicist, served as technical director and Cotter worked as Simpson’s executive assistant and marketing director. Born in 1914, Simpson graduated from the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, joined Westinghouse in 1937, and earned an MS from the University of Pittsburgh in 1941. Working in the switchgear division of Westinghouse’s East Pittsburgh plant, Simpson helped develop electric switchboards that could survive the extreme impacts experienced by naval vessels under bombardment in the Pacific Theater during World War II. In 1946, he took a leave of absence from Westinghouse to work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, to familiarize himself with atomic power. Upon his return three years later, he became an assistant manager in the engineering department of Westinghouse’s Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory. He subsequently managed the construction of the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in 1954 and the following year was promoted to general manager of the Bettis Laboratory. He was elected a Westinghouse vice president in 1958. By 1959 Simpson and his team had become enthusiastic about taking on the new challenge of building nuclear-powered rockets to explore the solar system.

WANL was first headquartered in a shopping mall in the Pittsburgh suburb of Whitehall. By 1960 its staff and the leaders of Aerojet General had pooled resources to compete for the lucrative NERVA program contract from NASA’s Space Nuclear Propulsion Office (SNPO). Aerojet and Westinghouse won the contract to develop six nuclear reactors, twenty-eight rocket engines, and six Rocket In Flight Test (RIFT) flights the following year. With a substantial contract in hand, WANL increased its staff to 150 and relocated to the former site of the Old Overholt Distillery. By 1963, Westinghouse and its collaborators employed eleven hundred individuals on the project, based near the small town of Large, thirteen miles south of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County. Large was named for a former distillery founded during the early nineteenth century by Joseph Large. Together, Aerojet and Westinghouse developed the NRX-A series of rocket test engines based on an 1120 megawatt Westinghouse reactor. Assembled at Large, the reactors were loaded on rail cars for delivery to the nuclear test facility at Jackass Flats for field testing.

The initial objective of the NERVA program was to build a rocket engine that could deliver at least eight hundred seconds of specific impulse, fifty-five thousand pounds of thrust, at least ten minutes of continuous operation at full thrust, and the ability to start-up on its own with no external energy source. Seventy pounds per second of liquid hydrogen pumped from the propellant tank into the reactor nozzle would provide regenerative cooling for the rocket nozzle. The cylindrical graphite core of the nuclear reactor was surrounded by twelve beryllium plates mounted on control drums to reflect neutrons. The drums, also containing boral plates on opposite sides to absorb neutrons, were rotated to control the chain reaction in the core. The core consisted of clusters of hexagonal graphite fuel elements, the majority of which consisted of six fueled element sectors and one unfueled sector. The fuel, pyrographite-coated beads of uranium dicarbide, was coated with niobium carbide to prevent corrosion caused by exposure to hydrogen passing through the core. Each fuel rod cluster was supported by an Inconel tie rod that passed through the empty center section of each fuel rod cluster, and a lateral support and seal was used to prevent any of the hydrogen from bypassing the reactor core. Inconel is a high-temperature alloy, one version of which was being used at the time as the skin on the famous X-15 rocket plane.

The solid core nuclear thermal rocket used highly enriched uranium embedded in a graphite matrix. As the highly fissionable uranium 235 atoms absorb a neutron they split to form lighter elements, more neutrons, and a large amount of thermal energy. The nuclear rocket uses the thermal energy generated by a nuclear chain reaction to heat hydrogen, forced through narrow channels in the reactor core. The hydrogen propellant is delivered under pressure to the reactor core using turbo-pumps. The nuclear chain reaction in the reactor core causes the hydrogen to become superheated and expelled through the rocket nozzle at extremely high velocity as an explosively expanding reaction mass resulting in a high specific impulse of 825 seconds. In a chemical rocket, where a fuel (such as liquid hydrogen) and an oxidizer (such as liquid oxygen) are brought together and burned in a combustion chamber, the maximum specific impulse achievable is only about 450 seconds. Specific impulse is a measure of efficiency of a rocket and is defined by Konstantin Tsiolkovsky’s rocket equation as the pounds of thrust produced for the pounds of fuel consumed per second and is expressed in seconds.

With a high specific impulse, the ability to conduct multiple shutdowns and restarts, and a highly favorable energy to weight ratio, the nuclear rocket was the kind of vehicle that the early rocket pioneers Robert Goddard, Herman Oberth, Wernher von Braun, and Tsiolkovsky had long envisioned. As early as 1903, Tsiolkovsky, a Russian mathematics teacher, had hoped that it might be possible to somehow extract atomic energy from radium in order to power a rocket, but it was not until 1938 that Otto Hahn in Germany first succeeded in causing uranium to fission. Hahn’s former colleague Lise Meitner, living in exile in Sweden, realized the significance of what he had done—and the door to the atomic age flung open!

The power density of traditional chemical rockets is puny compared to the extraordinarily high power density of a nuclear rocket engine. Chemical rockets consist of numerous throwaway stages and require an enormous volume of their mass devoted to carrying both a propellant and an oxidizer. A nuclear rocket can be built as a single-stage vehicle, and requires no oxidizer because it heats a propellant that serves as the reaction mass, and is also able to undergo numerous shutdowns and restarts, making lengthy missions to the ends of the solar system both possible and economical. While the inefficiencies inherent in chemical rockets result in nominal costs of $3,500 to $5,000 per pound to deliver payload to low earth orbit, the more favorable propellant to payload mass ratio of the nuclear rocket promises costs in the range of just $350 to $500 per pound.

After radiation safety concerns were raised by SNPO at NASA over launching nuclear-powered rockets directly from the earth’s surface, von Braun at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, developed a proposal to boost a nuclear-propelled second-stage NERVA rocket to the edge of space using his Saturn V first-stage before firing the nuclear rocket engine after it was well above the densest part of the atmosphere. There is some debate as to whether this precaution is necessary for a well-designed nuclear rocket, but the prevailing cautiousness regarding anything nuclear renders it unlikely that direct ascent from the earth’s surface will be found acceptable anytime soon. The early NERVA rocket engine tests were, in fact, open atmospheric tests.

Westinghouse Astrofuel’s fabrication plant at Cheswick, Allegheny County, supplied nuclear fuel for the NERVA project. Fuel element corrosion was tested by heating the fuel elements by their own resistance, first at the Large site, and later at a new facility at Waltz Mill, Westmoreland County. In order to ensure fuel corrosion resistance and the stability of dimensional tolerances to several thousandths of an inch, the materials in the core elements were extruded into a bar possessing a hexagonal cross section having nineteen longitudinal holes. The extrusion was then polymerized, baked at a low temperature, and graphitized at a higher temperature of about 2200 degrees Centigrade. The resulting unfinished fuel element was subjected to a high-temperature chemical vapor process to coat the surfaces of the longitudinal channels with a gas mixture of niobium pentachloride, hydrogen, and methane. This mixture reacted with the graphite to form a niobium carbide coating intended to prevent corrosion of the core when it was exposed to the hydrogen propellant. The great challenge was to achieve a good match between the thermal expansion coefficients of the graphite and the niobium carbide to prevent cracking.

On September 24, 1964, the NRX-A2 established proof of concept by providing six minutes of power. By April 23, 1965, Aerojet and Westinghouse tested the NRX-A3 nuclear rocket engine at full power for sixteen minutes and demonstrated a three-minute restart. Pulse cooling was also introduced at this time in which bursts of LH₂ were used to cool the reactor core. This was followed by a test of the NRX/Engine System Test (EST) engine equipped with Aerojet’s new nozzle and turbo-pump mounted next to the engine in place of the earlier Rocketdyne pump that had been housed separately behind a concrete wall. This permitted full operational testing of all of the equipment in a high radiation environment typical of an actual spaceflight. In 1966, Aerojet and Westinghouse commenced an additional series of tests to demonstrate ten startups on the NRX-A4/EST and full power operation of the NRX-A5 engine for two periods totaling thirty minutes of operation. On December 13, 1967, the NRX-A6 reached sixty minutes of operation at full power. According to data compiled by Aerojet and Westinghouse, on June 11, 1969, the XE engine was started twenty times for a total of three hours and forty-eight minutes, eleven of which were at full power. By 1970, the proposed NERVA I concept vehicle that evolved out of this work was projected to be capable of delivering 1500 MW of power and 75,000 pounds of thrust. It also had a projected lifetime runtime of ten hours and could be started and stopped 60 times while delivering 825 seconds of specific impulse for each hour of continuous operation. Especially encouraging was the fact that it was projected to have a total weight of less than fifteen thousand pounds.

Capable of starting up on its own in space and reaching full power in less than one minute, the design operating temperature of the reactor was 2071 degrees Centigrade and its reliability was projected to be at least 0.997. The .003 projected failure rate covered all forms of operational deficiencies, not just a catastrophe such as a crash or explosion. In one test conducted at Jackass Flats on January 12, 1965, a KIWI-TNT nuclear rocket engine reactor was intentionally exploded to more accurately assess the consequences and cleanup implications of a truly catastrophic launch pad accident. Off-site radiation from the test was judged to be statistically insignificant, adding just 15 percent to an individual’s average annual exposure at a distance of 15 miles from ground zero, and technicians were able to thoroughly clean up the site at ground zero within a matter of weeks.

Aerojet and Westinghouse prepared to begin construction of five reactors and five NERVA I rocket test engines for actual flight testing from the Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island in Florida beginning in 1973, the year the federal government terminated the NERVA program. Total government expenditure by that time on the combined Rover/ NERVA program from 1955 to 1973 had reached more than $1.45 billion (equivalent to roughly $4.5 billion today). As a result of the cancellation of this program, a NASA plan to use a NERVA-type vehicle to place humans on Mars by 1981 was quietly shelved.

Based on the rapid improvements made to the design of the NRX engines in little more than a dozen years, it has been argued that with subsequent improvements in materials science, coupled with a better understanding of physics, the solid core nuclear thermal rocket would have been improved to the point where it could have delivered at least 1000 seconds of specific impulse, 3000 MW of power, and been capable of perhaps 180 recycles. Such a rocket would have been capable of continuously cycling back and forth to Mars about fifteen times with each transit taking as little as 45 to 180 days depending upon the transfer orbit configuration chosen, instead of the six to nine months required for a chemical powered rocket to make the same trip. The faster transit would actually lower astronauts’ exposure to radiation from cosmic rays, the van Allen radiation belts, and solar flares; it would also make it possible to launch heavier vehicles with larger crews and better shielding against cosmic radiation.

After the NERVA program ended, the Westinghouse Astronuclear Laboratory in Pittsburgh continued to work on several other projects, including the development of a nuclear-powered artificial heart. Amidst a changing political climate concerned with finding “green” energy sources, the laboratory became the Westinghouse Advanced Energy Systems Division (AESD) in 1976. Engineers at AESD experimented with a heliostat and worked on the Solar Total Energy Project in Shenandoah, Georgia, that used five acres of solar collectors to power a knitting factory. AESD also worked on a prototype for a magnetohydrodynamic system which reuses exhaust gases to increase the electrical output of a coal-powered plant by 30 percent. Following Westinghouse’s shuttering of AESD, several former employees formed Pittsburgh Materials Technology Inc. in 1993 at the former Westinghouse Astronuclear Laboratory. Pittsburgh Materials Technology specializes in producing high temperature specialty metal alloys for government and industrial customers.

During the 1970s, Westinghouse Electric Corporation sold its home appliance division and oil refineries, and in 1988 closed its East Pittsburgh manufacturing plant. In 1995, the company purchased CBS and the following year acquired Infinity Broadcasting. Renaming itself CBS Corporation in 1997, it sold off the nuclear energy business to British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. which, in turn, sold it to Toshiba in 2006. Under the wing of Toshiba, the nuclear energy business continues to operate under the name Westinghouse Electric Company and, because of rapid expansion in overseas demand for nuclear power plants, moved its corporate headquarters in 2009 to a new larger campus in Cranberry Township, Butler County.

In 1963, when Cresap died, Simpson was responsible for eighteen major Westinghouse divisions. Six years later he became president of Westinghouse Power Systems. He earned the Westinghouse Order of Merit and was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 1966. In 1971, he won the prestigious Edison Medal. A member of the board of governors of the National Electric Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and chairman of NEMA’s Power Equipment Division, he was also a fellow of the American Nuclear Society where he served on the board of directors, on the executive committee, and as chairman of the finance committee. In 1995, the American Nuclear Society published his book Nuclear Power from Underseas to Outer Space, in which he recounted his experiences at Westinghouse. The book includes a detailed description of the company’s astronuclear program. Simpson died at the age of ninety-two on January 4, 2007, at Hilton Head, South Carolina.

The Westinghouse Astronuclear Laboratory was a product of an era of bold optimism in the promise of science and technology to solve problems and to bring to fruition a vision long shared by rocket pioneers Sergei Korolev, Stanislaw Ulam, Freeman Dyson, Tsiolkovsky, Goddard, Oberth, von Braun, and many others to eventually spread mankind across the vast solar system. Much of the science fiction of the era, such as the Tom Corbett television and juvenile novel series, was grounded in hard science as it was understood at the time. Overtaken by the social and political upheavals that accompanied the growing disillusionment with the Vietnam War and social dissension at home, the NERVA program nonetheless achieved remarkable successes that were ultimately cut short by shifting political events and a narrowing of national horizons. Despite a long hiatus, those successes are now inspiring a new generation of aerospace engineers to once again think boldly and embrace the difficult challenges articulated by President John F. Kennedy, a strong early supporter of the NERVA Program, at Rice University, Houston, Texas, in 1962: “We choose to go to the moon in this decade, and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.”

The collaboration of Westinghouse Electric and Aerojet General in tackling the difficult work of developing a viable solid core nuclear thermal rocket engine is a down payment on the eventual human exploration and settlement of the solar system. The full utilization of such nuclear technology will make possible the fulfillment of the dream first enunciated by Tsiolkovsky who more than a century ago proclaimed, “The earth is the cradle of mankind, but a man cannot live in the cradle forever.” Nurtured by the dreamers in the cradle of western Pennsylvania’s Three Rivers Valley for a brief but shining period of fourteen years, the dream of one day boldly setting off into the new frontier moved a little closer to reality.”

At:

paheritage.wpengine.com/article/aiming-stars-forgotten-le...

Credit: “PENNSYLVANIA HERITAGE” website

Although no signature is visible, to me, there’s a Ludwik Źiemba influence visible, although not as exquisitely detailed or precise. Maybe by one of his protégés? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Citadelle Royale du pays de Saintonge.

Commune de Hiers-Brouage, Charente maritime

Le port de Brouage fut construit au milieu du XVIème siècle afin de commercialiser le sel produit dans les marais salants situés autour du village de Hiers.

Brouage deviendra sous Louis XIV l'un des plus important port pour l'approvisionnement du sel, "l'or blanc", de toute l'Europe.

Place stratégique de la région, la citadelle sera fortifiée et agrandie par plusieurs grands ingénieurs du royaume de France dont le célèbre Vauban.

Aujourd'hui, la mer s'est retirée à une dizaine de km et le port est fermé.

Les marais salants ont été remplacés par de nombreuses exploitations ostréicoles.

BROUAGE, oyster farms

Charente maritime, la France.

The port of Brouage was built in the middle of the sixteenth century to market the salt produced in salt marshes around the village of Hiers.

Brouage will become under Louis XIV one of the most important port for the supply of salt, "white gold", from all over Europe.

Strategic place of the region, the citadel will be fortified and enlarged by several great engineers of the kingdom of France including the famous Vauban.

Today, the sea has withdrawn to about ten km and the port is closed.

The salt marshes have been replaced by many oyster farms.

One of the plethora of gorgeous depictions by Convair’s master artist, John M. Sentovic. His destiny…err, I mean collaboration with Dr. Krafft Ehricke, also of Convair, gifted us with some spectacular visualizations of the good Doctor’s visionary future of space travel & space exploration not yet, if ever to be realized.

Fortunately, the image was published as part of a brief biography of Mr. Sentovic in the March 1960, Volume 2, Number 2 issue of “SPACE AGE: The Fact Reporter for the Worlds of Science and Space” magazine, with the following caption:

“This drawing shows breakaway of the nuclear stage. The chemically powered winged glider is dropped away at left, while the nuclear-powered unit, containing a passenger compartment, heads into orbit to rendezvous with permanent satellite station. Nuclear stage can also be used in glider fashion for return trips to Earth.”

WOW…a nuclear powered spacecraft gliding…ummm...NO, but still!

Additionally, per the official Convair description associated with the image:

“NUCLEAR-POWERED PASSENGER ROCKET ASCENDS TO ORBITAL SATELLITE

SAN DIEGO, Calf.--When a manned satellite has been established in an orbit around the earth, personnel may travel to and from the satellite in vehicles such as this two-stage nuclear-powered rocket glider now being studied by Krafft A. Ehricke of the Convair Division, General Dynamics Corporation. The glider would take off horizontally, as an airplane, using a wheeled undercarriage which remains on the ground as the ship rises. Picture above shows vehicle about 30 miles up, at which point the lower stage is detached and guided safely back to earth. The second stage (right), carrying the passengers, would continue to the satellite orbit. For the return trip, the firing of small retarding rockets would reduce the ship's speed to less than orbital velocity, permitting it to descend gradually to the ground. The glider would land horizontally on skids retracted during flight. The lower stage reactor would heat ammonia and the upper stage reactor would heat hydrogen to produce thrust. The ship would measure 180 feet in length and have a wingspan of 50 feet. It would weigh between 350,000 and 400,000 pounds at takeoff, approximating the maximum takeoff weight of a B-36 bomber. This weight is considerably less than that of a three-stage chemical-powered rocket designed for the same mission. The horizontal takeoff feature would provide added safety in that the ship would be under control in the event of a power failure near the ground. Also, less power would be required for take-off, which in turn reduces the requirement for shielding from nuclear radiation. Shielding remains a major design problem, however. If it can be solved satisfactorily, the nuclear-powered glider should be feasible in ten years. Ehricke is assistant to the technical director of Convair-Astronautics, builder of the Atlas ICBM.

06618A”

Fascinating!

Who knew???

Did you???

I didn’t!!!

The mystery of life. How a plodding effort you regularly consider futile, pointless & inane, albeit a labor of love, can beget something else (thanks to an esteemed colleague), along with an against all odds “sighting”, yield, in at least this instance, the following:

e05.code.blog/2022/04/19/meet-john-sentovic/

Credit: Garrett O’Donoghue/’numbers station’ blog

A WIN.

Last (for now), but NOT least:

www.secretprojects.co.uk/threads/convair-nuclear-powered-...

Credit: SECRET PROJECTS Forum website

Boeing artist’s concept, ca. 1964, of (I think) an Early Manned Planetary-Interplanetary Roundtrip Expedition (EMPIRE) vehicle IVO Mars.

Thanks to the input of Flickr user Y Z, not only confirmation of this work's Boeing origination, but ALSO the content associated with it! Which further enabled me to find the following. BRAVO:

digitalprojects.uah.edu/items/show/1656

Credit: The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) website

j'ai arrêté de fumer en 1979 !! je n'ai jamais repris, mais j'avais dans mon entourage des collectionneurs de paquets de cigarettes!

J'ai retrouvé certains paquets !

“Photo shows Boeing conception of a photovoltaic (solar cell) power satellite being constructed in low Earth orbit. A Space Shuttle Orbiter (upper right) docks at the facility’s assembly bay. To the left, an upper stage of a heavy lift launch vehicle approaches the facility to discharge its cargo of construction material. The weightlessness of space allows the use of weblike structures of a sort which would be crushed if used on Earth. The satellite would be deployed in geosynchronous orbit after completion.”

Above per the affixed official Boeing caption, below from the affixed associated newspaper clipping:

“Boeing Spaces Out on a Sunny Idea

A mammoth solar energy satellite dwarfs a space shuttle orbiter (arrow, upper right) docking at the facility’s assembly bay in this sketch from the Boeing Co. To the left, an upper stage of a heavy launch vehicle approaches the facility to discharge its cargo of construction material. The weightlessness of space allows the use of weblike structures of a sort which would be crushed on earth. The satellite could be erected 22,000 miles above earth, in a fixed orbit, and transmit power to a receiving system on the ground. It would cover 50 square miles, equivalent to the area of a small city and would supply enough electricity for a million homes. The sun’s power collected by the satellite would be beamed to earth in the form of microwaves, which in turn would be converted to usable electricity. Boeing’s Ralph Nansen, manager of space-based solar power systems, says it’s an idea whose time has come.”

8.5” x 11”. The markings along/within the white border clearly identify this as having been used as the source for press reproduction. Interestingly, a previous ‘owner’ had already attempted to remove the markings, which were in pencil fortunately. The slightly faded area to the immediate upper right of the orbiter is where the referenced (and at some point, affixed) arrow had been removed.

Gorgeous work by John J. Olson, and pretty much iconic (in my world), when it comes to Solar Power Satellites. Despite that, there doesn’t seem to be a high-resolution version of it anywhere, not even at the arrogant “Boeing Secure Image” website.

Finally, for purists…or probably just purist, WITH the official Boeing photo number AND caption. BFD though I suppose. If nothing else, at least now there’s a high-res black & white version online. Yay.

The second image at the following link, and diagram below it, looks to be the referenced Heavy Lift Launch Vehicle (HLLV):

www.pmview.com/spaceodysseytwo/spacelvs/sld044.htm

Credit: PMView Pro website

If so, which I never really paid attention to before, the eight engines visible on the HLLV were to each have been a Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). Damn, who knew? Did you??? I didn’t!!!

And finally, trivial & obscure, which I’m all about, note the apparent “SSI” logo…I think. I’ve passingly noted it before, without giving it really any consideration. However, now, FINALLY, due to the high resolution, after 44+ years, which I didn’t even know was there, printed beneath the SSI lettering is…”SUNSAT SPACEWAYS”…maybe followed by “INC”, it’s kind of blurred. Tah Dah! Yet another one-off WIN. Yay II.

In all seriousness, yet another gorgeous & detailed work by Jack Olson.

Jack Olson, continue to Rest In Peace Brother. Thank You:

www.398th.org/Images/Images_Association/Text/Olson_Cleari...

Credit: ‘398th Bomb Group Memorial Association’ website

space.nss.org/national-space-society-governor-jack-olson-...

Credit: National Space Society (NSS) website

A rarely seen ca. 1969/70 Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation (GAEC) artist’s concept of a rotating space station concept. This, the following linked designs & my other linked Flickr photos of GAEC designs below - based on the photo identification number - look to have been part of the same family/series of contractor concepts, proposals, etc., solicited/entertained by NASA ca. 1969:

www.aerospaceprojectsreview.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2...

www.aerospaceprojectsreview.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2...

Both above credit: the excellent Aerospace Projects Review website

In confirmation…IMHO…of such; in January - February 1969, NASA Administrator Thomas O. Paine oversaw the creation of a Space Station Task Force, a Space Station Steering Group, and an independent Space Station Review Group. These bodies prepared a Phase B Space Station Study Statement of Work (SOW), which NASA released to industry on 19 April 1969. So, I'm pretty sure these works are some of the responses/submittals to that SOW.

"The SOW solicited proposals to study a 12-man Space Station, the design of which would eventually serve as a building block for a 100-man Earth-orbital Space Base. The 12-man Station was to reach orbit on a Saturn V rocket in 1975 and to remain in operation for 10 years...

Grumman, North American Rockwell (NAR), and McDonnell Douglas Aerospace Company (MDAC) submitted proposals in response to the SOW."

The above is a combination of paraphrasing & cut/paste from David S. F. Portree's superlative (as always) article at his wonderful "No Shortage of Dreams" blog. The entire wonderfully informative content at:

spaceflighthistory.blogspot.com/2015/03/outpost-in-leo-mc...

Further, particularly regarding the space station depiction itself, thanks to a posting on this image hosting ‘service’ by James Vaughan (also linked to below) of a GAEC ad, it’s source, along with the other linked ‘iconic’ concept was identified. Additionally, the ad contained some descriptive information and a wonderful, although slightly confusing diagram. The text from which follows:

“What form will the nation’s first earth orbiting space station take?

Experienced Grumman design and development engineers continue to investigate all types of space station concepts—from Zero G nonrotating to rotating types. All this design effort results from the basic study of the many uses that space stations might have. As an example, earth orbiting space stations might conceivably be a twin-bladed configuration as shown above [the more ‘iconic’ image], or a multiple canister type, shown below [this posted image]. Whatever the final design may be, the mechanical and human problems involved are enormous, demanding unique capabilities for integrating the most complex components. At Grumman, this capacity for integration is in the hands of an experienced hard core of engineers who, with free exchange of ideas in design and development, provide total systems in space technology.”

As if all of the above weren’t enough, confirmation that this work is by none other than Craig Kavafes, and by extrapolation/comparison, the other ‘iconic’ design. Oddly/interestingly though, is his use of a lower-case block letter signature, something I’d associate with an earlier work. Regardless, a multifaceted “WIN”!

But now…get this, the ad (along with a bunch of other cool ones) was featured in the September 1963 issue of “AIR FORCE/SPACE DIGEST” magazine, page 109. At:

books.google.com/books?id=zz0PAAAAIAAJ&printsec=front...

Credit: Google Books website

That certainly explains Mr. Kavafes’ signature style. Does that mean GAEC just pulled these off the shelf, dusted them off & submitted them (maybe again?) In 1969?

“Drawing of Proposed Capsule To Aid Moon Exploration

1/5/1960-Chicago: A collapsible capsule designed to facilitate man's exploration of the moon, this unusual moon sac provides protection and mobility for future spacemen. This cut-away drawing shows how the pod-shaped vehicle allows two men inside to roll along the Lunar Surface simply by walking-as on a treadmill-in squirrel cage compartments at either end of pod. See negative for full caption.”

Also:

"DO-IT-YOURSELF MOON AUTO -- This unusual collapsible moon sac would provide both protection and transportation for men exploring the moon. Cutaway drawing shows how the pod-shaped vehicle would allow two men to roll along the lunar surface simply by walking a treadmill."

Above at, also probably taken from a press photo caption. On page five, and an excellent presentation:

www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/creel_lrv_experiences_alsj.pdf

www.hq.nasa.gov/alsj/lrv_thermal_alsj.pdf

Both above credit: ALSJ website

'My' description, along with the image, at:

www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/collapsible-capsu...

“Credit”: Getty Images website

Very gratifying to ‘take’ something from them, instead of the other way around! They’re selling the ‘small’ (594 x 464 px (20.96 x 16.37 cm) 72 dpi | 0.3 MP) version of this image for $175. $499 for the “large” (3130 x 2446 px (26.50 x 20.71 cm) 300 dpi | 7.7 MP). Goliath takes one in the eye...yess!

Granted, only if/when somebody stumbles upon mine, who also happens to really want/need a high resolution version of it. But, hey, even if just ONE person can save $175 - $499, it’s a win. But I digress...

Unfortunately, the article affixed to the verso of the photo, although it features the photo, is irrelevant. The Chicago Daily News folks appear to have just pulled this out, since it is a very interesting, odd…and ridiculous depiction.

Among many other WTF questions, how did they see/know where they were going?

How about turning? Does one guy slow down, or just stop completely? How about for a tight/emergency turn? Backpedal...turn the other way? 😉

I do like the Dr. Octopus goggles though, along with the spacecraft’s external tri-rail elevator.

As zany as it is, it was ‘outside the box’ thinking, and it's what makes it so enjoyable. 😄👍

Artist unknown. However, it has a John Gorsuch look to it.

“Moon man has controls for suit and vehicle.”

“After Apollo – Exploring the Moon

After the Apollo spacecraft lands its three-man crew on the moon and brings them back safely, what’s the next step in lunar exploration?

A 12-man expedition to make a 500-mile research trip across the surface of the moon is proposed by Allyn B. Hazard, an engineer at Aerojet’s subsidiary, Space-General Corporation.

It could be done in this decade, he says.

The spacemen would travel to the moon in four rockets – three round-trip passenger vehicles, the other a one-way cargo ship with 30,000 pounds of supplies to support the men and their scientific studies.

Each of the astronauts would be a highly trained scientist or technologist in some particular field; some would be experts in several areas. On the moon, only four of them would make the trans-lunar journey, while the others remained at the rockets’ landing site to conduct research.

The four explorers would wear special tub-like spacesuits in which they would have to live and work, eat and sleep, for the entire trip. They couldn’t get out of the suits because of the airlessness and super-cold of the moon.

That’s the reason for the suit’s peculiar shape – the wearer can slip his arms out of the sleeves to eat, adjust controls, make notes, or even to scratch his nose.

Umbilical connections would link each suit to a tractor-like “moon mobile” carrying the oxygen and life support system for two men. These would carry their passengers across the lunar landscape at five miles an hour. A 500 mile journey (for instance, from Crater Gruithuisen to Crater Aristarchus and back) would take 10 earth days. It would be made during the 330-hour lunar night, to avoid exposing the men to the sun’s radiation.”

All of the above is from the 1962 edition of “AEROJET-GENERAL SPACELINES AND ROCKET REVIEW”. Conscientiously made possible/available by Mr. John Sisson, at his absolutely WONDERFUL “Dreams of Space - Books and Ephemera” blogspot:

dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2013/06/after-apollo-exploring...

Specifically, the image (from the publication):

2.bp.blogspot.com/-1bVrH2BpGW8/UcCnYRYjBSI/AAAAAAAAFUw/jK...

Also. Wow. Note the umbilical. And, as if all of this wasn’t enough already…a “FLYING BELT”?! You’re kidding me! At least the risk assessment matrix for this would’ve been really simple, consisting of a single red cell at the intersection of the following column/row:

- Probability: HIGH

- Severity - Effect of Hazard: LOSS OF MISSION CAPABILITY, UNIT READINESS OR ASSET; DEATH:

3.bp.blogspot.com/-1yN70bdibrk/UcCndD9y9oI/AAAAAAAAFVA/pI...

So, now that the outlandish premise/proposal has been established:

An excellent photo looking into/at the control panel of the delightful, albeit preposterous MK-I Lunar Exploration Suit. At the controls is the man himself, Allyn Hazard. Per the Aerojet-General publication, the integrated space suit – moonmobile design concept is evident. Due to being confined to the suit, the Astronaut must “plug into/integrate” with the vehicle in order to control it.

I don't quite understand the handheld remote control to the left. If not for its voice communications functionality - requiring a breathable atmosphere in which employ it - I might've considered it to be for lunar use. Like maybe when walking along with the moon mobile if/when "unmanned"? If so, I assume the remote’s connectivity is also via the umbilical to the vehicle, it also serving as the primary source of power & life support?

Maybe it’s just for terrestrial testing/training?

Note the labeling, primarily the one at eye level, on the ‘helmet interface ring?’ – ”THINK”.

Ya ‘think’?!

Whether driving or walking, or both concurrently, AND if/when connected to the vehicle, it’s painfully obvious one had to constantly be alert, attentive and keenly situationally aware…over the course of traveling - up to 500 miles - at night!!!

Catastrophes waiting to happen.

Despite the obvious 'lunacy' of this whole thing, there’s something eminently likable about Mr. Hazard. Like Clarence when seeing the image of George Bailey the first time, from “It’s a Wonderful Life”:

“It’s a good face. I like it.”:

siarchives.si.edu/collections/siris_arc_393495

Credit: Smithsonian Institution Archives website

See also:

paleofuture.com/blog/2009/6/28/a-suit-for-the-first-man-o...

Credit: Paleofuture blog website

The zany & eccentric nature of Mr. Hazard and his ‘moon suit’ on full display at a home show held at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in 1965.

Per the original June 12, 1965 caption of the “Valley Times” newspaper:

“Home show queen Janice Johnson is helped out of a model of the Apollo spacecraft by Hap Hazard, space engineer, wearing the very latest design in suits for moon crawling. Cutaway model of Apollo is now on exhibit in Sports Arena, along with other aerospace features, 12:30 to 11 p.m. daily through June 20."

At:

calisphere.org/item/3b322fc826a4c1fa8152387936870fef/

Credit: The Los Angeles Public Library & University of California/CALISPHERE website

Regardless, continue to Rest In Peace Good Sir:

www.findagrave.com/memorial/87516589/allyn-b-hazard

Credit: “Find a Grave” website

con fut y cream de huelva . pintando muy relajado y muy agustooo

“Artist Concept - Shuttle on 747 piggyback.”

With that kind of in-depth, well-articulated word picture, I'm guessing this is of NASA origin. Loosely supported by the lack of a signature.

A really really nice work by Boeing artist/illustrator Bart Hunt. Even at just a minimal/moderate distance, it legitimately looks like a photograph.

The numeral 7 on the orbiter possibly reflects the optimism of the size of the shuttle fleet, along with the mundane identification one would ascribe based on the expectation of numerous & routine missions.

“Launch Platform for Mars Ascent Vehicle”

And/or, per the following linked document & near equivalent depiction within it (Page 97, Figure 43):

“Mars excursion module configuration.”

ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19700026519/downloads/1970002...

See also:

www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/19690804_man...

Last, but not least, with a vivid color version of the image and superior caption of:

“MEM ascent stage liftoff. The ascent stage was a stage-and-a-half design with a cluster of approximately conical expendable propellant tanks and integral tanks in its cylindrical core feeding a single engine.”

At/from:

spaceflighthistory.blogspot.com/search?q=integrated+progr...

Credit: David S. F. Portreee/”No Shortage of Dreams” blog

Unfortunately, no signature is visible. A very similar Mars Excursion Module (MEM) depiction, also within NASA’s grand Integrated Program Plan (IPP) is by Renato Moncini. However, its depiction of the Martian landscape doesn’t agree with that of my posted photo, sooo…possibly/probably not by him. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

“FUTURE SPACE STATION CONCEPT---In the summer of 1982 NASA sponsored industry studies to examine mission requirements for a possible U.S. space station. The studies analyzed future missions in space to determine what attributes a space station would have to have to fulfill these missions. While the studies focused on mission requirements and appropriate space station “architecture,” several renderings were produced to enable a possible station configuration to be envisioned. This picture, an artist’s concept, portrays one possible space station, as conceived by Rockwell International’s North American Space Operations Division.

The picture shows a mature space station configuration, which includes two solar panels to provide power; several modules for command, habitation and experimental activity; a Shuttle-sized unpressurized rack for storage of payloads; advanced remote manipulator systems for the assembly of large structures and servicing/storage of satellites and instruments; and a locking/utility hub that might serve in addition as a “safe haven” in case of emergency.

Attached to the station in this picture is a Shuttle orbiter. The Space Shuttle would periodically visit the space station, delivering new crews, supplies, and payloads as required.

Also shown in this picture is an Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) delivering an advanced communications satellite to geosynchronous orbit. Such a vehicle could be space-based at the station, providing a significant gain in economy and capability.”

And/or:

“Relative size of the space shuttle and the space station is emphasized in this picturization of a typical resupply mission. The shuttle is docked, and a communications satellite has been removed from its payload bay and stored temporarily in the open-sided assembly bay, where manipulator arms and astronauts performed the final assembly and checkout. Then, attached to an orbital transfer vehicle, the satellite (upper right) is ferried to a higher orbit.”

The image (on page 28) and above, at:

docshare01.docshare.tips/files/4606/46060281.pdf

Credit: “NASA Space Station” (EP-211), 1985, by David A. Anderton

The beautiful depiction is surely by Ted Brown.

See also:

www.astronautix.com/s/spacestation1984.html

Credit: Astronautix website

I really don't know...looks like some sort of lunar version of the space tug concept...conducting mining operations? Or maybe fueling operations? Since it looks like there are two hoses running from the two tugs/modules in the foreground to the two manned(?) landing craft in the background. However, on one lander, the hose interface is aft, and on the other, forward. Or is that one leading to the communications(?) antenna just beyond the vehicle? Boeing? Grumman? Lockheed? NASA-design?

Note also the astronaut taking off/landing via a Lunar Flyer/Lunar Flying Vehicle, in addition to the MOLAB-looking vehicle in the foreground.

I'm not completely sure if this is/was a color photo. It seems to have more vestigial tones to it than if it were just sepia toned (either due to aging or originally), along with the yellowing of the white border, which is commensurate with many color photos of this period. That, along with being on "A KODAK PAPER", almost exclusively used with color photographs, leads me to think color...maybe.

Unfortunately, no signature. Although, stylistically, clues abound: the sinuous cracks/rilles, manor of the brushstrokes, crater depiction, the perspective of the receding background to the lunar horizon, the verticality & semi-jagged nature of some of the peaks, etc., etc. But alas, I'm outta Schlitz with all of this & just don't know.

Seen at the Redbourn Classics Motor Show in Redbourn, Hertfordshire on 04 September 2021.

FUT721C is a 1965 MG MGB.

First registered in March 1965.

“U.S. INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION PHASE III – This is a representation illustrating the United States’ international cooperation in space. Phase III of the international Space Station is depicted in its completed/fully operational state, with elements from the United States, Europe, Canada and r****a. This updated version shows a centrifuge module attached. Artwork done by John Frassanito and Associates.”

Interesting:

www.esa.int/esapub/sp/sp1201/images/sp1201f1.gif

Credit: ESA website

Widely reproduced…by many…although surprisingly, a reverse image search yielded a plethora of almost exclusively Godless sites.

This is dark, like pretty much every reproduction I’ve previously seen it. Why? Intentional? NASA ‘photo’ buffoonery? Unfortunately, I can see them originally getting ahold of it, and whoever being asleep at the wheel when it was processed/reproduced/printed. And from that point on, “bam”, the die is cast…and here we are. Also, two Soyuz spacecraft, but no shuttle, hmmm.

I’m pretty sure the snow-covered landmass is Greenland. If so, I don’t think the orbital track of the ISS offers this near. as steep a perspective. “Software user’s” license?

Although I don’t begrudge those with expertise in computer generation/manipulation of images, it just doesn’t do it for me. Does it require skill? Absolutely. Artistic talent? To a degree, I suppose. However, to me, nothing equals knowing that what you’re looking at was literally created by hand. Keeping such steady, using whatever the physical tool was; brush, airbrush, pallet thingy or whatever was at the artist’s disposal. And, the image possibly exhibiting texture, and if seeing it in person - without being subsequently apprehended - being able to reach out & tactilely experience/confirm.

Nothing digital provides that appreciation, satisfaction or gratification.

Le château fut construit sur les ruines d'un oppidum celte, à un endroit où la présence humaine remonte à l'époque néolithique. Les Romains y établirent plus tard un camp fortifié. Au début du VIIIe siècle, Pépin de Landen éleva une villa au même endroit.

Vers 844, Adelard, comte de La Roche, y établit le premier château. Après la mort de Henri de la Roche en 1152, le comté passa à Henri l'Aveugle comte de Namur et à sa mort en 1196 à sa fille Ermesinde de Luxembourg et ainsi à la lignée des comtes de Luxembourg.

Au XIVe siècle, les habitants de La Roche furent autorisés par Jean l'Aveugle, comte de Luxembourg, à protéger leur ville par une muraille et des tours qui vinrent ainsi renforcer le système défensif du château.

L'importance stratégique du château fort n'échappa pas à Louis XIV. Celui-ci investit les lieux de 1681 à 1688 et en profita pour le faire transformer et renforcer par un disciple de Vauban. Toutefois, ces travaux ne lui profitèrent guère puisque le château fut remis entre les mains des vainqueurs de la guerre de Succession d'Espagne et ceux-ci le négligèrent peu à peu.

Les malheurs du château ne faisaient que commencer puisqu'en 1721, il fut gravement endommagé par un incendie provoqué par la foudre. Joseph II d'Autriche le fit ensuite démanteler. Il fut la proie des vandales au XIXe siècle et pour couronner le tout, subit, lors de la bataille des Ardennes, le terrible bombardement de décembre 1944.

Fort heureusement pour les passionnés d'histoire et d'architecture, les ruines du château de La Roche-en-Ardenne n'en constituent pas moins, encore aujourd'hui, un bel exemple d'architecture militaire à travers les âges.

The castle was built on the ruins of a Celtic oppidum, in a place where human presence dates back to the Neolithic period. The Romans later established a fortified camp there. At the beginning of the 8th century, Pépin de Landen built a villa on the same site.

Around 844, Adelard, Count of La Roche, established the first castle there. After the death of Henri de la Roche in 1152, the county passed to Henri l'Aveugle, Count of Namur and on his death in 1196 to his daughter Ermesinde of Luxembourg and thus to the line of the Counts of Luxembourg.

In the 14th century, the inhabitants of La Roche were authorized by Jean l'Aveugle, Count of Luxembourg, to protect their city with a wall and towers which thus reinforced the defensive system of the castle.

The strategic importance of the fortified castle did not escape Louis XIV. He invested the place from 1681 to 1688 and took advantage of it to have it transformed and reinforced by a disciple of Vauban. However, this work did not benefit him much since the castle was handed over to the victors of the War of the Spanish Succession and they gradually neglected it.

The misfortunes of the castle were only just beginning since in 1721, it was seriously damaged by a fire caused by lightning. Joseph II of Austria then had it dismantled. It fell prey to vandals in the 19th century and to top it all off, suffered, during the Battle of the Bulge, the terrible bombardment of December 1944.

Fortunately for history and architecture enthusiasts, the ruins of the castle of La Roche-en-Ardenne nevertheless constitute, even today, a fine example of military architecture through the ages.

“SPACE TRANSPORTATION EVOLUTION”

Unfortunately, “NO”.

A veritable flotilla comprised primarily of never/not to be spacecraft are depicted enroute to fanciful destinations.

I’m having a hard time determining where the boundary - if such even exists - is between computer-generation & time-tested, old-fashioned, hand-created artwork within this. Although the spacecraft have an airbrushed appearance, their ‘geometry’, along with the grid lines – which I’ve always attributed to be an ‘artifact’ of early computer-generated depictions – imparts a sort of clinical artificiality.

Oddly & thankfully, not a single NASA worm logo to be seen.

Other than the space shuttle stack on the far left - with the multi-nozzled "stielhandgranate" solid? rocket booster design and the twin-engine mini-shuttle/lifting body/sortie vehicle/X-?? thing on the far right, I think I've identified the other craft in "Tags".

Also thankfully, the artist’s first name & first letter of last name is visible, who’s likely Doug McLeod. Thereby a WIN.

The great rainstorm having temporarily abated, I went for a walk to feed the local peacocks some scraps and was rewarded with this! (Two young and rather small males.)

20260101-IMG_1930

FR

Ce type de bateau fut utilisé au Portugal pour le transport fluvial des fûts de vin. Les embarcations naviguaient sur le fleuve Douro entre les régions viticoles en amont et les villes de production du vin de porto : Porto et Vila Nova de Gaia.

Les rabelos se laissaient entraîner par le courant la plupart du temps. Pour remonter le courant, ils se laissaient haler.

Aujourd'hui, ces bateaux ont perdu leur fonction d'origine, mais conservent encore un attrait touristique. Les derniers sont ancrés devant les sociétés de vente de porto, sur les rives du Douro. Certains prennent part à des régates.

EN

That kind of boat was used in Portugal to trasnport wine barrels on the Douro river. They were sailing from the winyards upstream to the place where the porto wine is procuded : Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia.

To go downstream the just let them carried by the river. To go upstream they were towed.

Nowadays, these boats have lost their original fuction but are now a verry attractive touristic activity.

Last ones are anchored in front of the companies that sell porto wine on the banks of Douro river.

“Many space stations and space platforms are now on the drawing boards. The first ones will be unmanned, instrumented “observatories” for different purposes. With the Saturn booster, space stations of 2,000 pounds’ weight will be placed in orbit. This communications satellite or station will be placed in orbit 22,400 miles above the earth where it will remain in “fixed” position and be used to relay radio, television and long-distance (international) telephone calls.”

The above, with the image, at/from John Sisson’s wonderful “Dreams of Space - Books and Ephemera” website. The image was featured in the 1962 book “Space Stations”, written by Erik Bergaust:

dreamsofspace.blogspot.com/2020/08/space-stations-1962.html

Specifically:

1.bp.blogspot.com/-kbTK-75-p64/XwUMg4bn3vI/AAAAAAAASvI/ch...

Note the Sputnik-like appearance of the satellite. Although the book was published in 1962, I think the image is from a few years prior.

A trademark & beautiful work by the enigmatic Nick Stanilla.

☾ Il fut un temps où les gardiennes découvrirent les brumes pour la première fois. De leurs émois naquirent de nouvelles formes de pouvoir, engeances de leur époque.☽

Photo : Gaël Sacré ~ www.ether.4ormat.com

Muse : Magdalène

L'un des 5 phares visités sur la Côte-Nord fut celui de l'île aux perroquets. Nous avons eu la chance d'être les premiers clients de la nouvelle Auberge de l'île aux Perroquets. C'est un terrain de jeu incroyable pour un photographe. Tout y est magnifique.

Canon EOS 6D

EF70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS USM à 300 mm, f/5.6, ISO 640

Découvrez mes autres photos de phares sur le site www.chasseurdephares.com.

© 2015 Patrick Matte

Älvros Suède

The Bell tower belonging to The old church of Älvros en Suède.

Le clocher en bois appartenant à la vieille église d'Älvros.

L'ancienne église d'Älvro date peut-être du 16ème siècle . L'église fut déplacée à son emplacement actuel en 1638 et doublée de longueur. Dans les années 1739-1740 , elle fut transformée en église en croix . En 1806, les murs extérieurs furent enduits de plâtre blanc. Une restauration a été réalisée dans les années 1929 – 1932 . Un programme d'action a été réalisé en 1968 par Erik Ring de Sveg . Du bois a été ajouté et les façades ont été enduites et repeintes. Une restauration approfondie a été réalisée dans les années 2003 et 2004, avec la réparation du toit ébréché et le remplacement d'un certain nombre de pannes endommagées par la pourriture. Les murs ont reçu un nouveau plâtre, qui a été peint en blanc et rouge selon la coloration de 1806 .

L'église est flanquée d'un beffroi érigé en 1795 par le maître d'œuvre Pål Persson , connu pour la construction d'un grand nombre de beffrois au style caractéristique.

D'après diapositive.

Pépin le Bref (714-768) fut maire du palais puis roi des Francs. Lui et son épouse Berthe au Grand Pied (726-783) sont les parents de Charlemagne.

L’église St-Denis, de style gothique, située au centre de la ville de Saint-Denis, à 5 kilomètres au nord de Paris. Fondée à l'origine en tant qu'abbatiale, elle a le statut de cathédrale du diocèse de Saint-Denis depuis 1966. L'église abbatiale a été dénommée « basilique » dès l'époque mérovingienne (comme beaucoup d'autres églises). Elle s'élève sur l'emplacement d'un cimetière gallo-romain, lieu de sépulture de saint Denis martyrisé vers 250.

Le transept de l'église abbatiale, d'une ampleur exceptionnelle, était destiné dès le début à accueillir les tombeaux royaux et l'édifice est ainsi devenu la nécropole des rois de France depuis les Robertiens et Capétiens directs, même si plusieurs rois mérovingiens puis carolingiens avaient choisi d'y reposer avant eux. Au total, 46 rois, 32 reines, 63 princes et princesses et 10 grands du royaume y reposèrent jusqu’à la Révolution.

www.facebook.com/Jean-Baptiste-Debourle-Photographe-13743...

www.jean-baptiste-debourle.fr/la-nocturne-2015/

The Volkswagen Beetle, officially the Volkswagen Type 1, or informally the Volkswagen Bug, is a two-door, four passenger, rear-engined economy car manufactured and marketed by German automaker Volkswagen (VW) from 1938 until 2003. The need for this kind of car, and its functional objectives, were formulated by Adolf Hitler, leader of Nazi Germany, wishing for a cheap, simple car to be mass-produced for the new road network of his country. He contracted Porsche in 1934 to design and build it to his exacting standards. Ferdinand Porsche and his team took until 1938 to finalise the design. This is one of the first rear-engined cars. With over 21 million manufactured (21,529,464) in an air-cooled, rear-engined, rear-wheel drive configuration, the Beetle is the longest-running and most-manufactured car of a single design platform, worldwide.

La Volkswagen Coccinelle — officiellement Volkswagen type 1 — est la première automobile construite par le constructeur allemand Volkswagen, ainsi nouvellement créée et dont le nom signifie « voiture du peuple ». Produite en 1938, elle est conçue par l'ingénieur autrichien Ferdinand Porsche à la demande du chancelier Adolf Hitler, alors à la tête du Troisième Reich allemand. Outil de propagande pour le régime national-socialiste, elle devient remarquable dans le monde de l'automobile pour sa diffusion et sa longévité. Elle dépasse, le 17 février 1972, le record de modèles vendus, détenu par la Ford T. Elle fut au total produite à plus de 21 529 464 exemplaires à travers le monde.

La fontaine fut réalisée en décembre 1885 par Gaspard André (1840-1896) à qui nous devons également le théâtre des Célestins. En marbre blanc, elle représente Philibert Delorme ou de l'Orme, Guillaume Coustou, Gérard Audran et Hippolyte Flandrin.

Philibert Delorme, architecte (Lyon 1514, Paris 1570), a bâti les châteaux d'Anet et des Tuileries. Guillaume Coustou, sculpteur, (Lyon 1677, Paris 1746). Gérard Audran, artiste, (Lyon 1640, Paris 1703). Hippolyte Flandrin, peintre, (Lyon 1809, Rome 1864).

La place des Jacobins où se dresse la fontaine, d'une superficie de 6320 m², s'est appelée place Confort jusqu'en 1782, du nom d'une chapelle dédiée à Notre-Dame de Confort puis, place des Jacobins du nom du couvent des Dominicains ou Jacobins. Au sud de la place se trouvait leur église et leur couvent. Dans cette église, le Pape Jean XXII fut élu en 1316.

Elle s'est appelée place de la Fraternité de 1794 à 1871.

La fontaine est inscrite à l'inventaire supplémentaire des monuments historiques (ISMH, 18/05/1992).