View allAll Photos Tagged Payloader
PictionID:53758155 - Catalog:14_031668 - Title:Atlas Centaur 6 Details: Surveyor SD-2 Mating to AC-6 at Cape Date: 08/02/1965 - Filename:14_031668.tif - Images from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection. The processing, cataloging and digitization of these images has been made possible by a generous National Historical Publications and Records grant from the National Archives and Records Administration---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
The Payload and Service Modules of the satellite were loaded onto the second Antonov transport plane in Toulouse, bound for Moscow and then Baikonour Cosmodrome.
To read more about the Metop-B satellite launch, please click here.
Copyright 2012 EUMETSAT.
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians have opened the hatch on the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module to prepare for late stowage of supplies and hardware. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station targeted for March 24, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson
KSC payload processing team members in the Vertical Processing Facility prepare to close the doors of a payload canister after installation of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-G (TDRS-G) and its Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) in the container. The NASA communications satellite is the primary payload for the STS-70 mission. After closeout, the TDRS-G and its booster will be carried out to Launch Pad 39B atop the canister transporter vehicle. Hoses running from the vehicle to the canister will provide an environmentally-controlled atmosphere for the payload during the move. Once at the pad, the canister will be hoisted to the Payload Changeout Room in the Rotating Service Structure and transferred into the payload bay of the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery.
Image from NASA, originally appeared on this site: science.ksc.nasa.gov/gallery/photos/
Reposted by San Diego Air and Space Museum
The service and payload modules are unloaded from the Antonov transport.
To read more about the Metop-B satellite launch, please click here.
Copyright 2012 EUMETSAT.
The Payload and Service Modules of the satellite were loaded onto the second Antonov transport plane in Toulouse, bound for Moscow and then Baikonour Cosmodrome.
To read more about the Metop-B satellite launch, please click here.
Copyright 2012 EUMETSAT.
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, preparations are underway to install the Nanoracks on the exterior of the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than March 21, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician adjusts the thermal blankets around the area where several Nanoracks will be installed on the exterior of the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than March 21, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston
Arriving by hybrid sailship Canopée, Europe will soon be taking another leap forward in its weather forecasting capacity as the first MetOp Second Generation, MetOp-SG-A1, satellite is now at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, marking a pivotal moment on the road to launch. This new polar-orbiting weather satellite also carries the Copernicus Sentinel-5 instrument to deliver daily global data on air pollutants and other atmospheric trace gases.
The two payloads will head to space on Europe's Ariane 6 rocket, flight VA264. The rocket and payloads were manufactured in mainland Europe and transported by the novel ship Canopée (canopy in French). The ship is the first custom-built transporter to use sails, reducing emissions and saving on fuel by up to 30%.
Credits: ESA-CNES-ARIANESPACE/Optique vidéo du CSG–S. Martin
Astronaut John M. Grunsfeld, payload commander, waves to a crewmate inside Space Shuttle Columbia's crew cabin during a brief break in work on the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in the cargo bay of the shuttle during the STS-109 mission's third spacewalk. The primary purpose of the extravehicular activity (EVA) of astronauts Grunsfeld and Richard M. Linnehan was to replace the Power Control Unit on the giant telescope.
Credit: NASA
With its tremendous payload capability, the gigantic C-5 Galaxy, an outsized-cargo transport, provides the Air Mobility Command intertheater airlift in support of United States national defense. The C-5 is one of the largest aircraft in the world. It can carry outsized cargo intercontinental ranges and can take off or land in relatively short distances. Ground crews can load and off load the C-5 simultaneously at the front and rear cargo openings since the nose and aft doors open the full width and height of the cargo compartment. It can also "kneel down" to facilitate loading directly from truck bed levels. (U.S. Air Force photo by Brett Snow) .
United Launch Alliance (ULA) hoists the Amazon Leo mission payload atop the Atlas V rocket in the Vertical Integration Facility adjacent to Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Atlas V will launch the Leo 8 mission for Amazon's broadband satellite constellation. Photo credit: United Launch Alliance
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare several Nanoracks for installation on the exterior of the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than March 21, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston
PictionID:53761783 - Catalog:14_031944 - Title:Atlas Centaur 7 Details: AC-7 Nose Cone/Fairing Date: 1966 - Filename:14_031944.tif - Images from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection. The processing, cataloging and digitization of these images has been made possible by a generous National Historical Publications and Records grant from the National Archives and Records Administration---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Discovery SSTO V8.2 - Single Stage to Orbit Heavy Lift, Hypersonic Aircraft - 70 TON Payload - IO Aircraft
IO Aircraft: www.ioaircraft.com/hypersonic/discovery-218.php
Discovery SSTO V8.2 Specs
Length: 218FT/ Span: 102.58FT / Palyload Bay: 60' L X 16' 7" W X 16' 7" H / Span: 70 Ton (140,000 LBS)
Engines: U-TBCC (Unified Turbined Based Combined Cycle) Inc/Zero Atmosphere
Inlets: Adaptive REST, Originally Hapb/Larc NASA
Fuel: 140,000 Gallons 12,000+ PSI H2 / 90,000 Gallons 12,000+ PSI O2
Fuel Weight: Apx 72,000 LBS Total / *If liquid, would be 1.4 Million LBS
Weight: Apx 250,000 LBS EOW/Dry Weight / Apx 510,000 T/O Weight, Max Payload
Airframe: 75+% Proprietary Advanced Composites, 400,000 PSI Tensile Strength Airframe / *NO Ceramic Tiles
Thermals: 6,000F Thermal Resistance
Estimated Cost: $1.2 Billion Each (Fly Away Price) or $900 million in batches of 5
Estimated Launch Cost: Apx $30 Million at 140,000 LBS, Including Maintenance Costs / Under $250 per pound at Maximum Paylaod Wieght *Could Drop to Below $50 per LBS
-----------------------------
single stage to orbit, ssto, space plane, falcon heavy, delta iv, hypersonic commercial aircraft, hypersonic commercial plane, hypersonic aircraft, hypersonic plane, ICAO, International Civil Aviation Orginization, hypersonic airline, tbcc, glide breaker, fighter plane, hyperonic fighter, boeing phantom express, phantom works, boeing phantom works, lockheed skunk works, hypersonic weapon, hypersonic missile, scramjet engineering, scramjet physics, boost glide, tactical glide vehicle, scramjet, turbine based combined cycle, ramjet, dual mode ramjet, darpa, onr, navair, afrl, air force research lab, office of naval research, defense advanced research project agency, defense science, missile defense agency, aerospike, hydrogen fueled, hydrogen aircraft, virgin airlines, united airlines, sas, finnair ,emirates airlines, ANA, JAL, airlines, military, physics, airline, british airways, air france, aerion supersonic, aerion, spike aerospace, boom supersonic,
-----------------------------
Unified Turbine Based Combined Cycle. Current technologies and what Lockheed is trying to force on the Dept of Defense, for that low speed Mach 5 plane DOD gave them $1 billion to build and would disintegrate above Mach 5, is TBCC. 2 separate propulsion systems in the same airframe, which requires TWICE the airframe space to use.
Unified Turbine Based Combined Cycle is 1 propulsion system cutting that airframe deficit in half, and also able to operate above Mach 10 up to Mach 15 in atmosphere, and a simple nozzle modification allows for outside atmosphere rocket mode, ie orbital capable.
Additionally, Reaction Engines maximum air breather mode is Mach 4.5, above that it will explode in flight from internal pressures are too high to operate. Thus, must switch to non air breather rocket mode to operate in atmosphere in hypersonic velocities. Which as a result, makes it not feasible for anything practical. It also takes an immense amount of fuel to function.
Astronauts John M. Grunsfeld, payload commander, and Richard M. Linnehan (out of frame) mission specialist, participate in the final of five STS-109 spacewalks in March 2002. The two went on to install an experimental cooling system for the Hubble Space Telescope’s Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS). This image was recorded with a digital still camera by a crewmate inside the shuttle's crew cabin. NICMOS had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out.
Credit: NASA
STS-95 Payload Specialist John H. Glenn Jr., senator from Ohio, smiles as he dons his flight suit in the Operations and Checkout Building. The final fitting takes place prior to the crew walkout and transport to Launch Pad 39B. Targeted for launch at 2 p.m. EST on Oct. 29, the mission is expected to last 8 days, 21 hours and 49 minutes, and return to KSC at 11:49 a.m. EST on Nov. 7. The STS-95 mission includes research payloads such as the Spartan solar-observing deployable spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker, as well as the SPACEHAB single module with experiments on space flight and the aging process. Image from NASA, originally appeared on this site: science.ksc.nasa.gov/gallery/photos/ Reposted by San Diego Air and Space Museum
PictionID:44811785 - Catalog:14_014458 - Title:Atlas Payload Component - Filename:14_014458.TIF - - - - Image from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection. The processing, cataloging and digitization of these images has been made possible by a generous National Historical Publications and Records grant from the National Archives and Records Administration---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
STS-103 Payload Commander Steven L. Smith and his wife, Peggy, smile for the camera on the runway at Patrick Air Force Base in Cocoa Beach, Fla. The STS-103 crew and their families are preparing to board an airplane that will return them to their home base at the Johnson Space Center in Houston following the successful completion of their mission. Discovery landed in darkness the previous evening, Dec. 27, on runway 33 at KSC's Shuttle Landing Facility at 7:00:47 p.m. EST. This was the first time that a Shuttle crew spent the Christmas holiday in space. The other STS-103 crew members are Commander Curtis L. Brown Jr.; Pilot Scott J. Kelly; and Mission Specialists C. Michael Foale (Ph.D.), John M. Grunsfeld (Ph.D.), Claude Nicollier of Switzerland and Jean-Frangois Clervoy of France. The STS-103 mission accomplished outfitting the Hubble Space Telescope with six new gyroscopes, six new voltage/temperature improvement kits, a new onboard computer, a new solid state recorder and new data transmitter, a new fine guidance sensor along with new insulation on parts of the orbiting telescope. This was the 96th flight in the Space Shuttle program and the 27th for the orbiter Discovery. Image from NASA, originally appeared on this site: science.ksc.nasa.gov/gallery/photos/ Reposted by San Diego Air and Space Museum
Though the A-4 Skyhawk was by no means outdated by 1962, the US Navy began work on a replacement with better range and heavier payload. The designs submitted would be necessarily heavier than the A-4, but this was not seen as much of a problem, nor was a lack of speed: the Navy was willing to trade subsonic performance for increased range and more bombs. Ling-Temco-Vought (LTV) submitted a design based loosely on its successful F-8 Crusader fighter, which was enough to beat out three other designs, and it was ordered into production as the A-7A Corsair II, named for the successful Chance-Vought fighter of World War II.
Though the A-7 was based on the F-8, the two shared very little other than basic configuration: the A-7 was stubby and wide, and definitely subsonic as intended, though it initially used the same powerplant as the F-111 Aardvark. Turn performance was excellent, if acceleration was indifferent, but the centerpiece of the Corsair II was its integrated bomb delivery system. This included the APQ-116 radar, a heads-up display, traveling map display below the radarscope, and a digital computer. Ease of maintenance was also emphasized. With no problems encountered in flight testing, the A-7A entered fleet service in 1967.
It was immediately committed to fighting in Vietnam. Though A-7s would only see action in the tail end of Operation Rolling Thunder, they were to be used extensively in South Vietnam, due to their accuracy: A-7s were capable of putting ordnance within sixty feet of friendly troops, making it well-liked. The Navy liked the USAF's A-7D variant, and subsequently adopted it, with changes for naval operations, as the A-7E. This was to be the definitive model of the Corsair II, and surviving A-7As and A-7Bs were converted to E standard.
It was a mixed batch of A-7 models that finished the war in Vietnam: A-7Bs were mostly used in the suppression of enemy air defenses (SEAD) Wild Weasel role, and increasingly Corsair IIs were armed with precision weapons such as the AGM-62 Walleye, which proved capable enough to destroy the infamous Thanh Hoa Bridge—albeit temporarily—in 1972. The workhorse A-7 also struck targets in the Hanoi area extensively, making it second only to the B-52 in amount of ordnance dropped on the North Vietnamese capital. Navy A-7s from USS Coral Sea participated in the last combat missions of the Vietnam War, the Mayaguez rescue mission in May 1975. 98 Navy A-7s were shot down during the conflict.
Following the end of the Vietnam War, the A-7 replaced the A-4 in Navy light attack squadrons, standardizing on the A-7E. Aside from minor upgrades, this would remain the type used by Navy units for the duration of the Corsair II’s career. A-7s would go on to participate in every military operation undertaken by the United States in the 1980s—attacks on Lebanon and the invasion of Grenada in 1983, operations against Libya in 1985, during the “Tanker War” in the Persian Gulf in 1987, and finally in the First Gulf War in 1991. In these operations, the A-7 was able to use its pinpoint bombing ability to good use; in Libya and the Persian Gulf, Corsair IIs attacked and sank numerous Libyan and Iranian patrol boats with unguided bombs. It also was the Navy’s Wild Weasel of choice during the 1980s, using the Vietnam-era Shrike before upgrading to the far superior HARM.
In Operation Desert Storm, two A-7 squadrons from John F. Kennedy were used both to attack fixed targets with “iron” bombs and Walleyes in “tank plinking”—knocking out Iraqi tanks with precision weapons. Despite there being less than 30 A-7s in theater, these aircraft were able supplements to the USAF’s A-10s and F-111s.
The First Gulf War was the A-7’s swan song. The last squadrons gave up their Corsair IIs for F/A-18 Hornets by May 1991, ending nearly thirty years of operations. Some ex-Navy A-7s were passed on to Greece, Portugal, and Thailand, and some still remain in service with Thailand and Greece. Of the 1569 A-7s built, about half were Navy types, and today 20 former US Navy A-7s are on display as gate guards and museum pieces.
BuNo 152673's delivery date is unknown, as is its history before 1973; it may have seen combat over Vietnam. In 1973, it was assigned to VA-93 ("Blue Blazers") aboard USS Midway (CV-41), and as such it would have been involved in Operation Frequent Wind, the final evacuation of Americans from South Vietnam in 1975. 152673 was retired in 1977, and in 1983, was used by the Portuguese Air Force as a source for spares. At some point afterwards, it may have been on display in North Hollywood, California, but by 2013 it was at Planes of Fame in Chino.
Clearly this picture does not show 152673 at its best; the aircraft is practically a hulk, though VA-93's colors are still quite visible, if faded, including the sharkmouth. A lot of parts are missing, and much will have to be done to get 152673 back to static display.
Discovery SSTO V8.2 - Single Stage to Orbit Heavy Lift, Hypersonic Aircraft - 70 TON Payload - IO Aircraft
IO Aircraft: www.ioaircraft.com/hypersonic/discovery-218.php
Discovery SSTO V8.2 Specs
Length: 218FT/ Span: 102.58FT / Palyload Bay: 60' L X 16' 7" W X 16' 7" H / Span: 70 Ton (140,000 LBS)
Engines: U-TBCC (Unified Turbined Based Combined Cycle) Inc/Zero Atmosphere
Inlets: Adaptive REST, Originally Hapb/Larc NASA
Fuel: 140,000 Gallons 12,000+ PSI H2 / 90,000 Gallons 12,000+ PSI O2
Fuel Weight: Apx 72,000 LBS Total / *If liquid, would be 1.4 Million LBS
Weight: Apx 250,000 LBS EOW/Dry Weight / Apx 510,000 T/O Weight, Max Payload
Airframe: 75+% Proprietary Advanced Composites, 400,000 PSI Tensile Strength Airframe / *NO Ceramic Tiles
Thermals: 6,000F Thermal Resistance
Estimated Cost: $1.2 Billion Each (Fly Away Price) or $900 million in batches of 5
Estimated Launch Cost: Apx $30 Million at 140,000 LBS, Including Maintenance Costs / Under $250 per pound at Maximum Paylaod Wieght *Could Drop to Below $50 per LBS
-----------------------------
single stage to orbit, ssto, space plane, falcon heavy, delta iv, hypersonic commercial aircraft, hypersonic commercial plane, hypersonic aircraft, hypersonic plane, ICAO, International Civil Aviation Orginization, hypersonic airline, tbcc, glide breaker, fighter plane, hyperonic fighter, boeing phantom express, phantom works, boeing phantom works, lockheed skunk works, hypersonic weapon, hypersonic missile, scramjet engineering, scramjet physics, boost glide, tactical glide vehicle, scramjet, turbine based combined cycle, ramjet, dual mode ramjet, darpa, onr, navair, afrl, air force research lab, office of naval research, defense advanced research project agency, defense science, missile defense agency, aerospike, hydrogen fueled, hydrogen aircraft, virgin airlines, united airlines, sas, finnair ,emirates airlines, ANA, JAL, airlines, military, physics, airline, british airways, air france, aerion supersonic, aerion, spike aerospace, boom supersonic,
-----------------------------
Unified Turbine Based Combined Cycle. Current technologies and what Lockheed is trying to force on the Dept of Defense, for that low speed Mach 5 plane DOD gave them $1 billion to build and would disintegrate above Mach 5, is TBCC. 2 separate propulsion systems in the same airframe, which requires TWICE the airframe space to use.
Unified Turbine Based Combined Cycle is 1 propulsion system cutting that airframe deficit in half, and also able to operate above Mach 10 up to Mach 15 in atmosphere, and a simple nozzle modification allows for outside atmosphere rocket mode, ie orbital capable.
Additionally, Reaction Engines maximum air breather mode is Mach 4.5, above that it will explode in flight from internal pressures are too high to operate. Thus, must switch to non air breather rocket mode to operate in atmosphere in hypersonic velocities. Which as a result, makes it not feasible for anything practical. It also takes an immense amount of fuel to function.
Discovery SSTO V8.2 - Single Stage to Orbit Heavy Lift, Hypersonic Aircraft - 70 TON Payload - IO Aircraft
IO Aircraft: www.ioaircraft.com/hypersonic/discovery-218.php
Discovery SSTO V8.2 Specs
Length: 218FT/ Span: 102.58FT / Palyload Bay: 60' L X 16' 7" W X 16' 7" H / Span: 70 Ton (140,000 LBS)
Engines: U-TBCC (Unified Turbined Based Combined Cycle) Inc/Zero Atmosphere
Inlets: Adaptive REST, Originally Hapb/Larc NASA
Fuel: 140,000 Gallons 12,000+ PSI H2 / 90,000 Gallons 12,000+ PSI O2
Fuel Weight: Apx 72,000 LBS Total / *If liquid, would be 1.4 Million LBS
Weight: Apx 250,000 LBS EOW/Dry Weight / Apx 510,000 T/O Weight, Max Payload
Airframe: 75+% Proprietary Advanced Composites, 400,000 PSI Tensile Strength Airframe / *NO Ceramic Tiles
Thermals: 6,000F Thermal Resistance
Estimated Cost: $1.2 Billion Each (Fly Away Price) or $900 million in batches of 5
Estimated Launch Cost: Apx $30 Million at 140,000 LBS, Including Maintenance Costs / Under $250 per pound at Maximum Paylaod Wieght *Could Drop to Below $50 per LBS
-----------------------------
single stage to orbit, ssto, space plane, falcon heavy, delta iv, hypersonic commercial aircraft, hypersonic commercial plane, hypersonic aircraft, hypersonic plane, ICAO, International Civil Aviation Orginization, hypersonic airline, tbcc, glide breaker, fighter plane, hyperonic fighter, boeing phantom express, phantom works, boeing phantom works, lockheed skunk works, hypersonic weapon, hypersonic missile, scramjet engineering, scramjet physics, boost glide, tactical glide vehicle, scramjet, turbine based combined cycle, ramjet, dual mode ramjet, darpa, onr, navair, afrl, air force research lab, office of naval research, defense advanced research project agency, defense science, missile defense agency, aerospike, hydrogen fueled, hydrogen aircraft, virgin airlines, united airlines, sas, finnair ,emirates airlines, ANA, JAL, airlines, military, physics, airline, british airways, air france, aerion supersonic, aerion, spike aerospace, boom supersonic,
-----------------------------
Unified Turbine Based Combined Cycle. Current technologies and what Lockheed is trying to force on the Dept of Defense, for that low speed Mach 5 plane DOD gave them $1 billion to build and would disintegrate above Mach 5, is TBCC. 2 separate propulsion systems in the same airframe, which requires TWICE the airframe space to use.
Unified Turbine Based Combined Cycle is 1 propulsion system cutting that airframe deficit in half, and also able to operate above Mach 10 up to Mach 15 in atmosphere, and a simple nozzle modification allows for outside atmosphere rocket mode, ie orbital capable.
Additionally, Reaction Engines maximum air breather mode is Mach 4.5, above that it will explode in flight from internal pressures are too high to operate. Thus, must switch to non air breather rocket mode to operate in atmosphere in hypersonic velocities. Which as a result, makes it not feasible for anything practical. It also takes an immense amount of fuel to function.
The United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket and its GOES-R payload were moved to the launch pad on November 18, 2016 as preparations continue for Saturday’s launch from Space Launch Complex 41. The Atlas V is in its 541 configuration, which means it has the 5-meter-diameter payload fairing, four solid-fueled boosters and the Centaur upper stage is equipped with a single engine.
GOES-R is scheduled to launch at 5:42 p.m. EST on November 19.
Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky
For the latest on the GOES-R launch, visit www.nesdis.noaa.gov/GOES-R-Launch
While the C-141A Starlifter had done well in the 1960s, especially in supply efforts over Vietnam, the aircraft had one glaring problem: it would “bulk out” before it reached its projected payload weight: the fuselage would be full, but the aircraft was capable of carrying more. In response to this and the C-141’s need for fueling stops on long trips, the USAF began upgrading the C-141A fleet to C-141B standard.
By adding two plugs fore and aft of the wings, the fuselage was stretched 23 feet. While the Starlifter was still incapable of carrying oversize loads, it now could carry up to its full weight. Inflight refuelling capability was also added. All surviving C-141As were upgraded between 1977 and 1982 to B standard, essentially adding 90 new C-141s to the fleet without building new aircraft. With the C-5B Galaxy also entering service, the C-141B gave the USAF unmatched air transport capability, something that would be very useful in time of war. Its first wartime service would be Operation Desert Shield, the buildup to the First Gulf War of 1991. Starlifters carried nearly half of all payloads delivered to the Southwest Asia theater.
The 1990s would see the most use of the aircraft, especially over the wartorn former nations of Yugoslavia. During NATO efforts to resupply Bosnian towns cut off by Serbian forces, C-141s were flown from Rhein-Main airbase at low level over Bosnia, where cargo pallets were dropped from the rear filled with food. As these pallets could cause damage when they hit the ground, the pallets were replaced by food boxes tied together: these boxes would break apart in midair and float down on individual parachutes. These “food bombs” would be used later in other areas where the C-141 was unable to land. Other Rhein-Main based Starlifters made the trip into the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo, the airport of which was considered one of the most dangerous spots on earth, constantly subject to mortar and sniper fire, and required a diving approach to avoid being shot at by Serbian antiaircraft units posted in the mountains around the airport. C-141s and other NATO transports kept the city alive during its three-year siege, which finally ended in 1995.
In response to this, 13 C-141Bs were modified to SOLL II standard, with low-light vision equipment, GPS, and defensive chaff/flare countermeasures, for operations over high-threat areas or in conjunction with Special Forces units. Later, about a third of the lowest-timed Starlifters were modified to C-141C standard, with a new “glass” cockpit and upgraded avionics.
Despite the upgrade, the days of the C-141 were numbered. It was getting old, and wing cracks had begun to appear on older aircraft. As the C-17 Globemaster III was now coming into service, Starlifters began to be retired. The C-141Cs soldiered on long enough to be used in Afghanistan and Iraq, where they finally used their paratroop-carrying capability in combat, dropping elements of the 101st Airborne Division near Tikrit in northern Iraq. After 2004, the Starlifter was retired from active units and passed on to Air National Guard and Reserve units; the last eight operational C-141s were used to shuttle supplies into New Orleans after the Hurricane Katrina disaster of 2005. This was the Starlifter’s swan song, as after this operation ended the C-141 finally left USAF service after forty years of service. Of 285 aircraft, 19 were lost in accidents; 13 are preserved in museums.
67-0013 joined the USAF's 438th Military Airlift Wing at McGuire AFB, New Jersey in 1967, and would remain at McGuire until 1996, even after it was modified to a C-141B. (As my dad was a "frequent flyer" aboard McGuire-based C-141s on deployment to Iceland, he may have flown in this aircraft.) In 1996, it was given the SOLL II upgrade for night special operations, and reassigned to the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston AFB, South Carolina, but was not there long before returning to McGuire and finishing its career with the 305th AW. It was retired in 2000 and donated to the Pima Air and Space Museum in 2003.
67-0013's overall AMC Gray paint has faded quite a bit, but still looks impressive. The SOLL II modifications can be seen on the nose.
In response to a specification issued by the US Army Air Corps in 1939, Martin Aircraft designed and submitted the Model 179. Martin had a longstanding reputation as a designer of superb medium bombers, and the Model 179 showed much the same promise. It was very revolutionary: the aircraft used a circular fuselage to maximize payload and aerodynamics simultaneously. A twin-gun powered dorsal turret was added, a design so good that it would become the standard turret design for USAAC/USAAF bombers for the entire World War II period. Despite being half the size of the B-17 Flying Fortress, it could carry a similar bombload at three times the speed.
To further enhance the Model 179’s performance, Martin intended to “bake” the fuselage in a heating process designed to smooth out any wrinkles that occurred during construction. In fact, the latter was the only problem the USAAC had with the aircraft: the Model 179, shortly designated B-26 Marauder, would be very expensive and time-consuming to build. Nonetheless, the USAAC placed an order for 201 aircraft, with the runner-up in the competition, the North American B-25 Mitchell, being selected to supplement Martin’s design due to lower cost and quicker manufacturer. The first B-26A flew in November 1940, and deliveries began immediately.
Also immediately, the B-26 began to run into problems. It was not necessarily a fault of the aircraft: the Marauder was simply too “hot” an aircraft for pilots experienced in slower, more docile designs, much less pilots fresh out of flight school. The B-26 had to be flown carefully at all times, especially takeoff and landing, due to a comparatively small wing for its size. The landing speed was 105 mph, equal to that of many modern jet fighters. Landing too hard would inevitably collapse the nose landing gear. At MacDill Field in Tampa, Florida, 28 B-26s were lost in less than a year, 15 in a single month, leading to the phrase “One a day in Tampa Bay” and new monikers for the bomber: the “Martin Murderer,” the “Widowmaker,” “Baltimore Whore,” and the “Flying Prostitute” (as it had no visible means of support). Accident rates were so high that cancelling the B-26 entirely in favor of the B-25 was considered.
Martin attempted to alleviate the problem with the B-26B, with longer wings, but some pilots flatly refused to pilot the Marauder. Martin asked two famous test pilots—James Doolittle and Jacqueline Cochran—to fly it. Doolittle successfully looped the B-26 on one engine, while Cochran said that anyone who was afraid to fly the B-26 was a “sissy.”
Slowly, the B-26 began to shed its murderous reputation. Its combat debuts in the Pacific and Europe had not gone well. Nonetheless, despite these initial failures, the B-26 proved itself in the tactical bomber role in the Italian theater from late 1943 on, and over Europe after the Normandy landings. The B-26’s high speed allowed it to attack from low-level and high speed, which could surprise the enemy defenders, and its crews gained a reputation for precision strike rivaled only by British Royal Air Force Mosquito units. It was especially effective in destroying bridges in northern Italy, denying German forces supplies, and in Operation Crossbow attacks against V-1 launching sites. With refined tactics, the B-26 was to post the lowest loss rate of any bomber in Europe.
Despite its advanced design and enviable war record, the B-26 could never quite get rid of its initial poor reputation, and the advent of the Douglas A-26 Invader gave the USAAF a bomber with all the capability of the B-26 with half the cost. As a result, at the end of World War II, the Marauder fleet was rapidly withdrawn and nearly all the 5288 B-26s met the scrapper’s torch. Only two flyable aircraft would see the 1950s, both serving as crew trainers and engine testbeds with Air France. Both of these aircraft survived and are among the only seven Marauders known to exist today.
I built this 1/144 scale Academy B-26B out of the box. B-26s arrived in theater in bare metal by 1944, but as they tended to operate a lot level, most Marauder units painted the upper fuselage, tail and wings olive drab. This aircraft carries D-Day invasion stripes, which many units carried until the end of the war. 42-107812 KS-J served with the 387th Bombardment Group (Medium), based at RAF Chipping Ongar, UK.
The Kaman K-MAX (Company designation K-1200) is an American helicopter with intermeshing rotors (synchropter) built by Kaman Aircraft. It is optimized for external cargo load operations, and is able to lift a payload of over 6,000 pounds (2,722 kg), which is more than the helicopter's empty weight. An optionally remote controlled unmanned aerial vehicle version is being developed and is being evaluated in extended practical service in the war in Afghanistan..
.
In June 2015, Kaman announced restarting the K-MAX production due to 10 commercial orders.[2] First deliveries are planned early 2017.
Unmanned remote control version[edit]
Kaman has been developing the Unmanned K-MAX since 1998. In March 2007, Kaman and Lockheed Martin (Team K-MAX) signed a Strategic Relationship Agreement (SRA) to pursue U.S. DoD opportunities.[21][22] An unmanned mostly autonomously flying, optionally remote controlled and optionally piloted vehicle (OPV) version, the K-MAX Unmanned Multi-Mission Helicopter, was developed for hazardous missions. It can be used in combat to deliver supplies to the battlefield, as well as civilian situations involving chemical, biological, or radiological hazards. A prototype of this was shown in 2008 for potential military heavy-lift resupply use,[23] and again in 2010.[24]
In December 2010 the Naval Air Systems Command awarded a $46 million contract to Kaman for two aircraft,[25] and in 2011 they completed a five-day Quick Reaction Assessment.[26]
In December 2011 an unmanned K-MAX was reported to be at work in Afghanistan.[27] On 17 December 2011, the U. S. Marine Corps conducted the first unmanned aerial system cargo delivery in a combat zone using an unmanned version of the Kaman K-MAX. The unmanned K-MAX moved about 3,500 pounds of food and supplies to troops at Combat Outpost Payne.[28] As of February 2013, the K-MAX had delivered 2 million pounds of cargo in 600 unmanned missions over more than 700 flight hours.[29]
Unmanned K-MAX
A third unmanned K-MAX, based in the U.S., was tested in 2012 to deliver cargo to a small homing beacon with three-meter precision.[30]
On July 31, 2012, Lockheed announced a second service extension for the K-MAX in Afghanistan for the Marines. This extended operations to the end of March 2013, with the option to extend to the end of September 2013.[31] On 18 March 2013, the Marine Corps extended its use of the unmanned K-MAX helicopters indefinitely. The Corps does not currently have plans to buy more, but the two aircraft in use would remain "until otherwise directed". At the time of the announcement, they had flown over 1,000 missions and hauled over three million pounds of supplies. Assessments for their use after deployment are being studied. While proving useful, their "niche" in future Marine Corps aviation is not yet clear.[32]
The unmanned K-MAX has won awards from Popular Science and Aviation Week & Space Technology,[33] and was nominated for the 2012 Collier Trophy.[34]
On June 5, 2013, one of the unmanned K-MAX helicopters crashed in Afghanistan while resupplying Marines. No injuries occurred and the crash was investigated. Pilot error was ruled out, as the aircraft was flying autonomously to a predetermined point. The crash happened during the final stages of cargo delivery.[35] Operational flights of the remaining unmanned K-MAX were suspended following the crash. On August 14, 2013, the Navy said the K-MAX could resume flying by the following week, with the final decision resting with operational commanders. The week before, the K-MAX flew 16 hours. Swing load was seen as the prime cause of the crash. The Marine Corps is considering turning the K-MAX into a program of record, with possible uses including ship-to-shore deliveries.[36] The investigation determined that the crash was not caused by mechanical problems,[37] but by unexpected tailwinds. As the helicopter was making a routine food delivery, it experienced tailwinds instead of headwinds, causing it to begin oscillating. Operators employed a weathervane effect to try and regain control, but its 2,000 lb load began to swing, which exacerbated the effect and caused it to contact the ground. The crash report determined that it could have been prevented if pilots intervened earlier and mission planned received updated weather reports; diverging conditions and insufficient programming meant it could not recover on its own and required human intervention.[38]
At the 2013 Paris Air Show, Kaman promoted the unmanned K-MAX to foreign buyers. Several countries have reportedly expressed interest in the system.[39]
The K-MAX supporting Marines in Afghanistan was planned to remain in use there until at least August 2014. The Marine Corps is looking into acquiring the unmanned K-MAX as a program of record, and the U.S. Army is also looking into it to determine cost-effectiveness. If it is accepted into service, the adapted commercial rotorcraft would re-enter production and Kaman would reopen the facility to build it. Lockheed and Kaman estimate re-establishing the line would take nine months, with the first aircraft delivered three months later. In theater, the unmanned K-MAX performed most missions at night and successfully lifted loads of up to 4,500 lb (2,000 kg). Hook-ups of equipment were performed in concert with individuals on the ground, but Lockheed is looking into performing this action automatically. It is building a device to be mounted atop the package that the helicopter can hook up to by itself, and this feature was demonstrated in 2013.[40] Other features are being examined, including the ability to be automatically re-routed in flight, and to fly in formation with other aircraft.[41]
The House Armed Services Committee has shown its support for the unmanned K-MAX. It has urged the Army to look into the cargo UAV concept, as 30,000 lb (13,600 kg) of cargo were successfully delivered in one day over the course of six missions (average 5,000 lb (2,270 kg) transported cargo per mission). Lockheed and Kaman have discussed the purchasing of 16 helicopters with the Navy and Marine Corps for a baseline start to the program.[37]
The unmanned K-MAX is competing with the Boeing H-6U Little Bird for the Marine Corps unmanned lift/ISR capability.[42] In April 2014, Marines at Quantico announced they successfully landed an unmanned K-MAX, as well as a Little Bird, autonomously using an iPad-like mini-tablet. The helicopters were equipped with Autonomous Aerial Cargo/Utility System (AACUS) technology, which combines advanced algorithms with LIDAR and electro-optical/infrared sensors to enable a user to select a point to land the helicopter at an unprepared landing site.[43] The Office of Naval Research selected Aurora Flight Sciences and the Unmanned Little Bird to complete development of the prototype AACUS system, but Lockheed is continuing to promote the K-MAX and develop autonomous cargo delivery systems.[44]
Both unmanned K-MAX helicopters in use by the Marine Corps returned to the United States in May 2014, when the Corps determined that they were no longer needed to support missions in Afghanistan. After deploying in December 2011, originally planned for six months, it stayed for almost three years and lifted 2,250 tons of cargo. The aircraft were sent to Lockheed's Oswego facility in New York, while the service contemplated the possibility of turning the unmanned K-MAX from a proof-of-concept project into a program of record. Formal requirements for unmanned aerial cargo delivery are being written to address expected future threats, including electronic attack, cyber warfare, and effective hostile fire; these were avoided in Afghanistan quickly and cheaply by flying at night at high altitudes against an enemy with no signal degradation capabilities.[45][46] Officials are assessing the K-MAX model that crashed and plan to repair it in 2015. Until then, the helicopters, ground control stations, and additional equipment will be stored at Lockheed's facility in Oswego. Renewed flight demonstrations were planned for 2015 to show their continued utility for Marine Corps missions, including small-unit responses and amphibious operations in the Pacific theater.[47]
Lockheed Martin demonstrated a firefighting version in November 2014,[19] and again in October 2015, when it delivered over 24,000 pounds (11,000 kg) water in one hour.[48][49] A casualty evacuation exercise was performed in March 2015 in coordination with an unmanned ground vehicle and mission planning system.[50] A medic launched the UGV to evaluate the casualty, then used a tablet to call in and automatically land the K-MAX. The medic strapped a mannequin to a seat aboard the helicopter, which then flew to a safe area.[51] The two unmanned K-MAXs, designated the CQ-24A, were to be moved to a Marine Corps base in Arizona by the end of September 2015 to develop tactics and operations concepts to inform an official program of record for a cargo UAV. Lockheed continues to favor the K-MAX as their platform offering and an aircraft could enter service by 2022.[52]
Repetindo Santos Dumont e seus LTA no Século XXI
País entra para o seleto clube dos dirigíveis com a Air Ship do Brasil
A Airship do Brasil realizou o voo público inaugural do ADB-3-X01, primeiro dirigível (lighter than air ou LTA) tripulado desenvolvido na América Latina, em suas instalações/hangar localizado na Chácara das Rosas, município de São Carlos, interior do Estado de São Paulo. O evento contou cerca de 800 pessoas, dentre convidados, autoridades, empresários do Cluster Aeroespacial do Estado de São Paulo e imprensa. Destaque para as presenças do prefeito de São Carlos, Airton Garcia, do presidente da Empresa Brasileira de Correios e Telégrafos, Guilherme Campos, do presidente da Transportes Bertolini, Dr. Irani Bertolini, e o presidente da Airship do Brasil, Dr, Paulo Vicente Caleffi.
O desenvolvimento do projeto ADB-3-X01 teve a participação da Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (ANEEL) e das Centrais Elétricas do Norte do Brasil S.A (Eletronorte), que muito agregaram na customização para o emprego do dirigível no Sistema Elétrico. Com 49 metros de comprimento e 17 metros de altura, o modelo ADB-3-X01 tem um payload de uma tonelada, usado para transportar diversos equipamentos para uso no sistema elétrico, na versão civil, ou sensores ópticos/radar, equipamentos de comunicações, holofotes (incluindo luz infravermelha), na versão militar. O tipo tem uma gôndola (posto de pilotagem) com espaço para cinco passageiros mais o piloto, construída com estrutura em aço revestida com fibra de vidro moldada a vácuo. A aviônica de navegação e pilotagem Garmin apresenta duas telas principais LCD coloridas para o comandante, sentado a esquerda. O motor, um Lycoming IO 540 K2 A5, entrega 300 HP de potência e pode acelerar o dirigível até 85 km/h. A visibilidade é ampla em todas as direções, exceto para trás e para cima.
Para flutuar, é usado o princípio/conceito de suspensão aerostática, onde 90% da flutuabilidade é obtida através do uso de gás hélio inerte acondicionado dentro do chamado "envelope", o charuto do dirigível, os 10% restantes são obtidos com a eficiência dos controles aerodinâmicos montados a meia nau e na cauda, efetivos a partir de uma certa velocidade, e somente quando o motor de tração está acionado. A sustentação aerodinâmica é gerada graças ao formato especial do casco, que funciona parcialmente como asa, e depende da velocidade atingida e do ângulo de incidência comandado para o veículo em relação ao escoamento do ar em torno do mesmo.
Enquanto o dirigível não alcança essa condição ele pode apenas subir e descer. Um duto coletor da exaustão do motor Lycoming (montado em configuração pusher) serve para aquecer e inflar os "balonetes" internos, dispostos em volta do envelope. Na entrada do duto existe uma válvula. Quando o piloto quer inflar mais os balonetes (subir), a válvula é aberta e o fluxo de ar quente do motor é liberado para o interior destes, o contrário para conseguir descer. Com esse procedimento se obtém o controle de pressão no interior do envelope e o controle aerostático (subida e descida do dirigível). Isso representa uma enorme economia de combustível, e mais manobrabilidade e estabilidade.
O grande avanço nas ferramentas computacionais para modelagem estrutural e aerodinâmica fez com que o projeto se tornasse altamente dimensionado, com consequente redução de peso e aumento da carga paga da aeronave. Sistemas de controle com motores vetorados (nos quais o empuxo é direcionado de acordo com a manobra a ser executada) permitiram que as manobras em voo, na navegação e em missões ganhassem precisão. O uso do hélio como gás sustentador, mesmo sendo aproximadamente 9% menos eficiente do que o hidrogênio e relativamente escasso (é retirado por fracionamento de gás natural), tornou-se a alternativa mais viável e segura para a sustentação dos dirigíveis, já que não é inflamável nem poluente.
Avaliado em cerca de US$ 20 milhões, o modelo ADB-3-3 (baseado no protótipo ADB-3-X01 mas com capacidade de carga expandida três toneladas) deverá ser comercializado no segmento civil ao final de 2018, segundo previsões da ADB. O dirigível é bastante versátil, atuando no treinamento de pilotos, voos de reconhecimento vigilância e patrulhamento, propagandas (publicidade em grandes eventos), apoio e manutenção de linhas de transmissão de energia elétrica, prevenção de queimadas, controle de fronteiras, busca e salvamento e o transporte de pequenas cargas ou passageiros para áreas de difícil acesso e sem infraestrutura aeroportuária.
“Nós temos um acordo com as Forças Armadas que prevê o monitoramento da Calha Norte, na região amazônica”, conta o gaúcho Paulo Caleffi, presidente da Airship, “Mas esta parceria também prevê o treinamento de pilotos e a disponibilização do dirigível para eventuais missões, como já ocorreu com outros produtos da empresa durante o período dos Jogos Olímpicos Rio 2016, junto à Força Aérea Brasileira”. Segundo Caleffi "A ADB já iniciou o procedimento de "procurement" e aguarda autorização na Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) para iniciar a construção do primeiro exemplar do ADB-3-3, prevista para ser concluída em um prazo de 12 meses. Dessa forma, e através de tecnologias desenvolvidas localmente, o Brasil torna-se o quinto País a dominar o ciclo completo para construir esse tipo de aeronave, juntamente com Estados Unidos, França, Alemanha, Reino Unido e China", completa o executivo.
Uma empresa 100% brasileira
A Airship do Brasil Indústria e Serviços Aéreos Especializados desenvolve, fabrica, comercializa e opera aeronaves e soluções utilizando tecnologias mais leves que o ar (lighter than air - LTA). Empresa 100% nacional pertencente ao Grupo Bertolini, a ADB é reconhecida por incorporar em seus projetos tecnologia avançada. Conta, ainda, com um escritório de relações institucionais na capital federal, Brasília (DF). A empresa é focada no desenvolvimento de equipamentos mais leves que o ar voltados para o transporte de carga, patrulhamento de infraestruturas, serviços de sensoriamento e monitoramento. Oferece ainda serviços de apoio logístico, segurança, vigilância, publicidade, geofísica aérea, meteorologia e meio ambiente.
Inicialmente, as instalações da ADB foram baseadas na cidade de Barueri (2005), mas a companhia mudou-se para São Carlos em 2010. Seus primeiros produtos foram os dirigíveis não tripulados radiocontrolados (modelos ADB-1 e ABD-2), introduzidos a partir de 2009. A empresa também atuou no desenvolvimento de balões cativos de vigilância empregados nos Jogos Olímpicos Rio 2016.
Em 27 de março de 2015, a ADB inaugurou suas instalações as margens da rodovia Presidente Washington Luiz (49 hectares), um investimento de R$ 10 milhões, vertidos principalmente na área de pesquisa e projetos. Também foram empenhados créditos de R$ 9 milhões oriundos do Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Social (BNDES), primeira parcela de um financiamento acordado em R$ 103 milhões.
A fábrica foi dimensionada para atender a uma encomenda de sete dirigíveis ADB-3-3 (mais a construção e o desenvolvimento do protótipo ADB-3-X01) colocada pela Centrais Elétricas do Norte do Brasil S.A. (Eletronorte), sociedade anônima de economia mista e subsidiária da Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras S.A (Eletrobrás). Com sede no Distrito Federal, a Eletronorte gera e fornece energia elétrica aos nove estados da Amazônia Legal (Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima e Tocantins).
O ADB-3-3 (payload ampliado para três mil quilos) vai atuar na manutenção de linhas de transmissão de energia elétrica em lugares remotos e de difícil acesso por terra, modificando por completo uma doutrina de emprego que hoje se utiliza de uma complexa e dispendiosa logística de helicópteros e/ou balsas.
Esse primeiro modelo dará lugar, mais a frente, ao gigantesco ADB-3-30, o primeiro dirigível cargueiro do seu tipo no mundo com capacidade de suspender até 30 toneladas. Atingindo quase 150 metros de comprimento, diâmetro do envelope de 35 m e altura de 50 m (equivalente a um prédio de 18 andares), ele será capaz de realizar a inspeção, manutenção e construção de linhas de transmissão elétrica; prover logística pesada pelo ar em regiões sem infraestrutura para outros modais de transporte; levar grandes containers com carga sensível entre pontos distantes nos chamados vazios logísticos, etc. Só existem 22 dirigíveis similares ao brasileiro certificados nos Estados Unidos e três na Europa, e nenhum com as dimensões a capacidades do proposto ADB 3-30.
O modelo despertou o interesse de outra nação que também possui grandes vazios territoriais/logísticos, o Canadá, através da Universidade de Manitoba. Essa prestigiosa instituição de ensino assinou acordo de desenvolvimento conjunto com a Air Ship do Brasil. O projeto foi mencionado pelo Departamento de Estado do Governo dos Estados Unidos da América, que incentiva a ideia.
O ADB-3-30 irá revolucionar completamente o trabalho de construção das linhas de transmissão de energia elétrica em locais de difícil acesso ou isolados, pois ao invés de transportar pequenas partes de uma torre, como um helicóptero de médio/grande porte faria, para serem encaixadas e montadas (com todo o risco inerente a esse tipo de operação), ele simplesmente transporta a torre inteira, pré montada em um sítio especialmente preparado, até o seu local de instalação!
Nas manutenções, o ADB-3-30 poderá "descer/subir" pessoal e equipamentos até a torre danificada através da gôndola sem a necessidade de contato com o solo, eliminando dispendiosas operações de apoio TASA por terra, necessárias para apoiar helicópteros voando a dezenas de quilômetros de sua base, em meio a um ambiente inclemente.Esse colosso vai demandar a criação de uma nova e maior fábrica, segundo executivos da ADB e investidores parceiros. Na fábrica atual, a máquina de corte existente, CNC a laser, pode cortar peças de 50 metros de comprimento, ainda muito pouco para as partes previstas, muito maiores, do ADB-3-30. A grande "sacada" na construção de dirigíveis é justamente diminuir a quantidade de emendas (feitas com solda a quente) no tecido do "envelope".
Complementarmente a esses projetos, a ADB vem trabalhando na montagem e estruturação dos currículos e de cursos a serem ministrados para a formação de recursos humanos tanto para a operação como para a manutenção dos equipamentos por ela produzidos, estando prevista para funcionar em São Carlos, a primeira escola latino-americana formadora de pilotos, tripulações, mecânicos e gestores operacionais de dirigíveis. A empresa também atua em paralelo com ANAC e o Departamento de Controle Espaço Aéreo (Decea) no sentido de organizar os regulamentos ainda inexistentes no Brasil para certificar a construção e a operação destas aeronaves.
O instrutor-chefe dessa escola, em fase de planejamento, é o comandante Charles Chueiri, atualmente piloto-chefe da ADB e responsável pelos controles do ADB-3-X01. Piloto de origem militar, o Comandante Charles foi instrutor de voo na Academia da Força Aérea Brasileira, e sua experiência com pilotagem de LTA é bastante conhecida, pois comandou o dirigível "The Spirit of Goodyear", presença comum em grandes eventos na região sudeste do país, nos anos de 1990/2000. O protótipo ADB-3-X01 inclusive é muito similar ao famoso dirigível da Goodyear , pois copia a maioria de suas características, incluindo peso e dimensões.
A Airship também conta com o auxílio de várias instituições de pesquisa para o desenvolvimento dos LTA. A Universidade de São Paulo (USP) de São Carlos, a Universidade de Brasília e o Parque Tecnológico de Itaipú, além de vários fornecedores privados, atuam para viabilizar o estabelecimento de uma cadeia logística para a produção dos dirigíveis. Entre as empresas do cluster aeroespacial do Estado de São Paulo parceiras da ADB, destacam-se a Proar, Avionics Services, AGS Aerohoses, Aerowood, APS, Plasmatec, RCA e TAM.
Nichos de mercado e a missão militar
A logística militar empregando dirigíveis teve sua gênese no seio do Exército Brasileiro durante os anos de 1990. Em 2004, a força terrestre coordenou a criação de uma sociedade de propósito específico (SPE) para o desenvolvimento de dirigíveis, materializada na assinatura de um memorando de entendimento. Diferentes empresas foram signatárias do documento, dentre elas a Transportes Bertolini Ltda (TBL). O projeto evoluiu e, em 1° de junho de 2005, formalizou-se a constituição da Airship do Brasil Indústria Aeronáutica Ltda. (ADB), uma sociedade que contava com a participação inicial de três outros sócios, além da própria TBL. Instalada inicialmente no município paulista de Barueri, onde o Exército possui o Arsenal de Guerra de São Paulo (AGSP - grande organização militar de apoio logístico), a empresa foi transferida posteriormente para São Carlos, 240 km a nordeste da cidade de São Paulo, em 2010.
Atualmente existem diversos nichos de mercado que podem ser adequados aos dirigíveis, entre eles as cargas para locais inacessíveis por outros modais; cargas de grandes dimensões (indivisíveis) e alto valor agregado (pré-moldados pás de geradores eólicos, entre outros), que necessitam de carretas especiais, horários, trajetos e equipes especiais, o que eleva demasiadamente o custo com a utilização de modais tradicionais; cargas de elevado valor agregado, que ficam sujeitas a assaltos, exigindo elevados dispêndios com sistemas de segurança nos modais tradicionais; logística militar, especialmente para unidades de fronteira. Os dirigíveis também podem ser empregados como plataformas para sensores e antenas integrantes de sistemas de vigilância e/ou monitoramento e/ou telecomunicações (leia-se SISFRON e SGDC) sendo possível que todas essas funções sejam atendidas simultaneamente em função dos equipamentos que estiverem instalados como carga paga (payload).
Segundo estudos feitos pelo Exército Brasileiro dentro do Projeto Dirigível, oficializado em 1997, dirigíveis construídos para atender requisitos militares poderiam facilmente ser utilizados em quase todo o território nacional, em distâncias de até 1.900 km, elevação do relevo de 1.000 m (embora o dirigível esteja sendo projetado para ter possibilidade de ascensão até 3.000 m de forma estática), espectro meteorológico bastante amplo, com grandes variações térmicas (com temperaturas de até 40°C), grande incidência de nuvens de chuva (Cumulus Nimbus –CB) e grande incidência de descargas elétricas (fazendo com que o dirigível seja projetado para suportar, sem riscos ou a necessidade de manutenção imediata, grande incidência de raios), infraestrutura mínima, pois todos os pontos onde ocorrerão as operações de carga e descarga estarão providos de condições mínimas para tal, sendo que, em vários pontos, essas operações serão feitas com o apoio de balsas.
Mais de 95% do território nacional está abaixo de 1.500 metros de altitude (dado um determinado volume fixado para o gás de flutuação do dirigível, sua capacidade de carga será maior quanto menos ele precisar ascender na atmosfera), as temperaturas variam entre 7°C e 38°C na média anual para as diversas regiões do país e os ventos atingem normalmente entre cinco e dez nós de velocidade. Não há registros de ocorrência sistemática de nevascas, e as chuvas torrenciais da Região Amazônica são bem conhecidas em termos de duração, horários e locais afetados. Assim, o Brasil se configura território altamente compatível com a operação de aeronaves que utilizem a flutuação aerostática.
O uso militar de LTA, por exemplo, poderá ser feito em proveito da logística nas fronteiras e apoio médico nas áreas englobadas pelo Projeto Calha Norte, na região norte do país. A possibilidade de apoio logístico pesado, pelo meio aéreo, sem a necessidade de se contar com infraestrutura terrestre significativa, é por demais atrativa para ser ignorada ou incompreendida, algo que ainda acontece em pleno século XXI. Os LTA também podem atuar em patrulha oceânica, função já desempenhada pelos dirigíveis blimps da Marinha dos Estados Unidos (US Navy) nos 16 anos subsequentes ao final da Segunda Guerra Mundial (1945-1961), na costa leste desse país.
O custo de operar uma frota de dirigíveis é muito inferior quando comparado ao necessário para se manter diversos navios de patrulha, a velocidade superior dos LTA frente as embarcações é mais uma vantagem, além da autonomia de voo ser medida em dias ao invés de horas, isso quando comparado ao emprego de aeronaves convencionais de patrulha e esclarecimento marítimo, de asas fixas ou rotativas. Tal capacidade seria especialmente relevante quando se consideram operações não só sobre o mar territorial brasileiro, mas se inclui também a chamada Zona de Exploração Econômica (ZEE) e suas valiosas plataformas de petróleo e gás natural. Um LTA em patrulha, por exemplo, pode ser a base de lançamento e recolhimento de aeronaves remotamente pilotadas usadas para verificar contatos na superfície, evitando expor o dirigível a qualquer risco ou ameaça não identificada.
A concorrência norte-americana
Durante a 51ª edição do Salão de Aeronáutica e Espaço de Le Bourget, na França (2016), Orlando P. Carvalho (vice-presidente executivo da divisão de Aeronáutica da Lockheed Martin) anunciou a oferta ao mercado um novo dirigível (ou LTA), com capacidade de transportar até 20 toneladas. O chamado veículo LMH-1 (Lockheed Martin Híbrido-1), baseado no protótipo Skunk Works P-791, que voou pela primeira vez em 2006, é o resultado de mais de 20 anos em pesquisas da Lockheed Martin no campo da tecnologia dos dirigíveis híbridos (flutuação + propulsão).
Trata-se de um veículo dotado de quatro motores diesel de 300 HP, com velocidade de cruzeiro em torno dos 60 nós e capacidade de voar por 1.400 milhas (o equivalente a 2.520 km) antes de precisar voltar ao chão. Sua capacidade de carga é de 21 toneladas, ou até 19 passageiros. Cerca de 80% da sua capacidade de decolagem é determinada pela flutuabilidade do gás hélio encerrado dentro do envelope do dirigível.
O LMH-1 não requer postes de amarração ou o esquema de tie-down (pontos para fixá-lo no chão). Em vez disso, ele usa um sistema de colchão de ar semelhante ao de um hovercraft, permitindo que o veículo manobre no terreno. O modelo também produz um jato de sucção que o prende de maneira mais eficiente ao solo, mecanismo utilíssimo durante as fainas de carregar ou descarregar cargas.
At T-3 seconds, the countdown to liftoff was aborted for this Palm Tree 9 rocket.
The Palm Tree 9 is a liquid fuel rocket carrying a payload of coconuts bound for low Earth orbit.
NASA said the launch would be rescheduled once the palm tree was relocated to Cape Canaveral and replaced with a real rocket and payload. :P
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians are opening the hatch on the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module to prepare for late stowage of supplies and hardware. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station targeted for March 24, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson
VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, CALIF. The SciSat-1 payload and Pegasus launch vehicle are lifted and mated to the L-1011 carrier aircraft. The SciSat-1 weighs approximately 330 pounds and after launch will be placed in a 400-mile-high polar orbit to investigate processes that control the distribution of ozone in the upper atmosphere. The data from the satellite will provide Canadian and international scientists with improved measurements relating to global ozone processes and help policymakers assess existing environmental policy and develop protective measures for improving the health of our atmosphere, preventing further ozone depletion. The mission is designed to last two years. Image from NASA, originally appeared on this site: science.ksc.nasa.gov/gallery/photos/ Reposted by San Diego Air and Space Museum
(South Dakota Air and Space Museum collection, Ellsworth Air Force Base, Rapid City, South Dakota, USA)
----------------------
From exhibit signage:
B-1B Lancer
Top Speed - 950 miles per hour
Crew - 4
Range - Intercontinental
Payload - 75,000 pounds of guided and unguided munitions
A Bomber for the 21st Century
Designed and built to fight a Cold War enemy, the B-1 bomber and its crews adapted to the threat of international terrorism. Features that made the B-1 effective against the Soviet Union are now used to directly support ground troops and to target hidden and scattered terrorist groups. Simply put, airmen in the "Bone" can get to any place in the world, bring a huge quantity and variety of weapons, and destroy their targets with near perfect accuracy.
The 28th Bomb Wing at Ellsworth Air Force Base is home to two of the nation's three combat B-1 squadrons.
After 9/11, B-1s deployed to the island of Diego Garcia. From there, they bombed targets in Afghanistan.
Loaded with Features
The most visible B-1 technology is its variable-sweep wings, which can almost double its wingspan for greater lift. The "Bone" can fly on auto-pilot at a constant height above changing terrain. It has features that deceive radar. And of course, it carries the largest load of bombs in the Air Force today.
A B-1 can carry 24 GBU-31 guided bombs, each of which weighs 2,000 pounds.
Operation Odyssey Dawn
In March 2011, under blizzard conditions, the call came: could the 28th Bomb Wing be ready for action in Libya, in less than two days? Despite freezing metal and icy pavement, airmen began working around the clock. Experts in electronics, engines, and life support systems applied their skills. Munition teams built 145 weapons in 20 hours. Logistics specialists delivered parts from the warehouse to the flightline. Weather forecasters and intelligence analysts, lawyers, and chaplains lined up to brief the crews. From this enormous effort, aircrews launched the first B-1 combat mission ever flown from the continental United States. They returned 72 hours and two bombing missions later, exhausted, having hit nearly 100 targets with 98% accuracy.
"It's hard to overstate how important the ground support teams were to our success." - Lead aircraft weapons systems officer
Mission crews launched in heavy fog with terrible visibility for their long journey to North Africa.
Cold metal made it hard for maintainers to work quickly.
----------------------
See info. at:
Presentations on the ExoMars payload by Daniil Rodionov (ACS, FREND) IKI Moscow, Manish Patel (NOMAD) Uni Padua, and Gabriele Cremonese, Co-PI for CASSIS, Astronomical Observatory, Padua. Images credit: ESA/R. Palmari
Repetindo Santos Dumont e seus LTA no Século XXI
País entra para o seleto clube dos dirigíveis com a Air Ship do Brasil
A Airship do Brasil realizou o voo público inaugural do ADB-3-X01, primeiro dirigível (lighter than air ou LTA) tripulado desenvolvido na América Latina, em suas instalações/hangar localizado na Chácara das Rosas, município de São Carlos, interior do Estado de São Paulo. O evento contou cerca de 800 pessoas, dentre convidados, autoridades, empresários do Cluster Aeroespacial do Estado de São Paulo e imprensa. Destaque para as presenças do prefeito de São Carlos, Airton Garcia, do presidente da Empresa Brasileira de Correios e Telégrafos, Guilherme Campos, do presidente da Transportes Bertolini, Dr. Irani Bertolini, e o presidente da Airship do Brasil, Dr, Paulo Vicente Caleffi.
O desenvolvimento do projeto ADB-3-X01 teve a participação da Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica (ANEEL) e das Centrais Elétricas do Norte do Brasil S.A (Eletronorte), que muito agregaram na customização para o emprego do dirigível no Sistema Elétrico. Com 49 metros de comprimento e 17 metros de altura, o modelo ADB-3-X01 tem um payload de uma tonelada, usado para transportar diversos equipamentos para uso no sistema elétrico, na versão civil, ou sensores ópticos/radar, equipamentos de comunicações, holofotes (incluindo luz infravermelha), na versão militar. O tipo tem uma gôndola (posto de pilotagem) com espaço para cinco passageiros mais o piloto, construída com estrutura em aço revestida com fibra de vidro moldada a vácuo. A aviônica de navegação e pilotagem Garmin apresenta duas telas principais LCD coloridas para o comandante, sentado a esquerda. O motor, um Lycoming IO 540 K2 A5, entrega 300 HP de potência e pode acelerar o dirigível até 85 km/h. A visibilidade é ampla em todas as direções, exceto para trás e para cima.
Para flutuar, é usado o princípio/conceito de suspensão aerostática, onde 90% da flutuabilidade é obtida através do uso de gás hélio inerte acondicionado dentro do chamado "envelope", o charuto do dirigível, os 10% restantes são obtidos com a eficiência dos controles aerodinâmicos montados a meia nau e na cauda, efetivos a partir de uma certa velocidade, e somente quando o motor de tração está acionado. A sustentação aerodinâmica é gerada graças ao formato especial do casco, que funciona parcialmente como asa, e depende da velocidade atingida e do ângulo de incidência comandado para o veículo em relação ao escoamento do ar em torno do mesmo.
Enquanto o dirigível não alcança essa condição ele pode apenas subir e descer. Um duto coletor da exaustão do motor Lycoming (montado em configuração pusher) serve para aquecer e inflar os "balonetes" internos, dispostos em volta do envelope. Na entrada do duto existe uma válvula. Quando o piloto quer inflar mais os balonetes (subir), a válvula é aberta e o fluxo de ar quente do motor é liberado para o interior destes, o contrário para conseguir descer. Com esse procedimento se obtém o controle de pressão no interior do envelope e o controle aerostático (subida e descida do dirigível). Isso representa uma enorme economia de combustível, e mais manobrabilidade e estabilidade.
O grande avanço nas ferramentas computacionais para modelagem estrutural e aerodinâmica fez com que o projeto se tornasse altamente dimensionado, com consequente redução de peso e aumento da carga paga da aeronave. Sistemas de controle com motores vetorados (nos quais o empuxo é direcionado de acordo com a manobra a ser executada) permitiram que as manobras em voo, na navegação e em missões ganhassem precisão. O uso do hélio como gás sustentador, mesmo sendo aproximadamente 9% menos eficiente do que o hidrogênio e relativamente escasso (é retirado por fracionamento de gás natural), tornou-se a alternativa mais viável e segura para a sustentação dos dirigíveis, já que não é inflamável nem poluente.
Avaliado em cerca de US$ 20 milhões, o modelo ADB-3-3 (baseado no protótipo ADB-3-X01 mas com capacidade de carga expandida três toneladas) deverá ser comercializado no segmento civil ao final de 2018, segundo previsões da ADB. O dirigível é bastante versátil, atuando no treinamento de pilotos, voos de reconhecimento vigilância e patrulhamento, propagandas (publicidade em grandes eventos), apoio e manutenção de linhas de transmissão de energia elétrica, prevenção de queimadas, controle de fronteiras, busca e salvamento e o transporte de pequenas cargas ou passageiros para áreas de difícil acesso e sem infraestrutura aeroportuária.
“Nós temos um acordo com as Forças Armadas que prevê o monitoramento da Calha Norte, na região amazônica”, conta o gaúcho Paulo Caleffi, presidente da Airship, “Mas esta parceria também prevê o treinamento de pilotos e a disponibilização do dirigível para eventuais missões, como já ocorreu com outros produtos da empresa durante o período dos Jogos Olímpicos Rio 2016, junto à Força Aérea Brasileira”. Segundo Caleffi "A ADB já iniciou o procedimento de "procurement" e aguarda autorização na Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) para iniciar a construção do primeiro exemplar do ADB-3-3, prevista para ser concluída em um prazo de 12 meses. Dessa forma, e através de tecnologias desenvolvidas localmente, o Brasil torna-se o quinto País a dominar o ciclo completo para construir esse tipo de aeronave, juntamente com Estados Unidos, França, Alemanha, Reino Unido e China", completa o executivo.
Uma empresa 100% brasileira
A Airship do Brasil Indústria e Serviços Aéreos Especializados desenvolve, fabrica, comercializa e opera aeronaves e soluções utilizando tecnologias mais leves que o ar (lighter than air - LTA). Empresa 100% nacional pertencente ao Grupo Bertolini, a ADB é reconhecida por incorporar em seus projetos tecnologia avançada. Conta, ainda, com um escritório de relações institucionais na capital federal, Brasília (DF). A empresa é focada no desenvolvimento de equipamentos mais leves que o ar voltados para o transporte de carga, patrulhamento de infraestruturas, serviços de sensoriamento e monitoramento. Oferece ainda serviços de apoio logístico, segurança, vigilância, publicidade, geofísica aérea, meteorologia e meio ambiente.
Inicialmente, as instalações da ADB foram baseadas na cidade de Barueri (2005), mas a companhia mudou-se para São Carlos em 2010. Seus primeiros produtos foram os dirigíveis não tripulados radiocontrolados (modelos ADB-1 e ABD-2), introduzidos a partir de 2009. A empresa também atuou no desenvolvimento de balões cativos de vigilância empregados nos Jogos Olímpicos Rio 2016.
Em 27 de março de 2015, a ADB inaugurou suas instalações as margens da rodovia Presidente Washington Luiz (49 hectares), um investimento de R$ 10 milhões, vertidos principalmente na área de pesquisa e projetos. Também foram empenhados créditos de R$ 9 milhões oriundos do Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Social (BNDES), primeira parcela de um financiamento acordado em R$ 103 milhões.
A fábrica foi dimensionada para atender a uma encomenda de sete dirigíveis ADB-3-3 (mais a construção e o desenvolvimento do protótipo ADB-3-X01) colocada pela Centrais Elétricas do Norte do Brasil S.A. (Eletronorte), sociedade anônima de economia mista e subsidiária da Centrais Elétricas Brasileiras S.A (Eletrobrás). Com sede no Distrito Federal, a Eletronorte gera e fornece energia elétrica aos nove estados da Amazônia Legal (Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima e Tocantins).
O ADB-3-3 (payload ampliado para três mil quilos) vai atuar na manutenção de linhas de transmissão de energia elétrica em lugares remotos e de difícil acesso por terra, modificando por completo uma doutrina de emprego que hoje se utiliza de uma complexa e dispendiosa logística de helicópteros e/ou balsas.
Esse primeiro modelo dará lugar, mais a frente, ao gigantesco ADB-3-30, o primeiro dirigível cargueiro do seu tipo no mundo com capacidade de suspender até 30 toneladas. Atingindo quase 150 metros de comprimento, diâmetro do envelope de 35 m e altura de 50 m (equivalente a um prédio de 18 andares), ele será capaz de realizar a inspeção, manutenção e construção de linhas de transmissão elétrica; prover logística pesada pelo ar em regiões sem infraestrutura para outros modais de transporte; levar grandes containers com carga sensível entre pontos distantes nos chamados vazios logísticos, etc. Só existem 22 dirigíveis similares ao brasileiro certificados nos Estados Unidos e três na Europa, e nenhum com as dimensões a capacidades do proposto ADB 3-30.
O modelo despertou o interesse de outra nação que também possui grandes vazios territoriais/logísticos, o Canadá, através da Universidade de Manitoba. Essa prestigiosa instituição de ensino assinou acordo de desenvolvimento conjunto com a Air Ship do Brasil. O projeto foi mencionado pelo Departamento de Estado do Governo dos Estados Unidos da América, que incentiva a ideia.
O ADB-3-30 irá revolucionar completamente o trabalho de construção das linhas de transmissão de energia elétrica em locais de difícil acesso ou isolados, pois ao invés de transportar pequenas partes de uma torre, como um helicóptero de médio/grande porte faria, para serem encaixadas e montadas (com todo o risco inerente a esse tipo de operação), ele simplesmente transporta a torre inteira, pré montada em um sítio especialmente preparado, até o seu local de instalação!
Nas manutenções, o ADB-3-30 poderá "descer/subir" pessoal e equipamentos até a torre danificada através da gôndola sem a necessidade de contato com o solo, eliminando dispendiosas operações de apoio TASA por terra, necessárias para apoiar helicópteros voando a dezenas de quilômetros de sua base, em meio a um ambiente inclemente.Esse colosso vai demandar a criação de uma nova e maior fábrica, segundo executivos da ADB e investidores parceiros. Na fábrica atual, a máquina de corte existente, CNC a laser, pode cortar peças de 50 metros de comprimento, ainda muito pouco para as partes previstas, muito maiores, do ADB-3-30. A grande "sacada" na construção de dirigíveis é justamente diminuir a quantidade de emendas (feitas com solda a quente) no tecido do "envelope".
Complementarmente a esses projetos, a ADB vem trabalhando na montagem e estruturação dos currículos e de cursos a serem ministrados para a formação de recursos humanos tanto para a operação como para a manutenção dos equipamentos por ela produzidos, estando prevista para funcionar em São Carlos, a primeira escola latino-americana formadora de pilotos, tripulações, mecânicos e gestores operacionais de dirigíveis. A empresa também atua em paralelo com ANAC e o Departamento de Controle Espaço Aéreo (Decea) no sentido de organizar os regulamentos ainda inexistentes no Brasil para certificar a construção e a operação destas aeronaves.
O instrutor-chefe dessa escola, em fase de planejamento, é o comandante Charles Chueiri, atualmente piloto-chefe da ADB e responsável pelos controles do ADB-3-X01. Piloto de origem militar, o Comandante Charles foi instrutor de voo na Academia da Força Aérea Brasileira, e sua experiência com pilotagem de LTA é bastante conhecida, pois comandou o dirigível "The Spirit of Goodyear", presença comum em grandes eventos na região sudeste do país, nos anos de 1990/2000. O protótipo ADB-3-X01 inclusive é muito similar ao famoso dirigível da Goodyear , pois copia a maioria de suas características, incluindo peso e dimensões.
A Airship também conta com o auxílio de várias instituições de pesquisa para o desenvolvimento dos LTA. A Universidade de São Paulo (USP) de São Carlos, a Universidade de Brasília e o Parque Tecnológico de Itaipú, além de vários fornecedores privados, atuam para viabilizar o estabelecimento de uma cadeia logística para a produção dos dirigíveis. Entre as empresas do cluster aeroespacial do Estado de São Paulo parceiras da ADB, destacam-se a Proar, Avionics Services, AGS Aerohoses, Aerowood, APS, Plasmatec, RCA e TAM.
Nichos de mercado e a missão militar
A logística militar empregando dirigíveis teve sua gênese no seio do Exército Brasileiro durante os anos de 1990. Em 2004, a força terrestre coordenou a criação de uma sociedade de propósito específico (SPE) para o desenvolvimento de dirigíveis, materializada na assinatura de um memorando de entendimento. Diferentes empresas foram signatárias do documento, dentre elas a Transportes Bertolini Ltda (TBL). O projeto evoluiu e, em 1° de junho de 2005, formalizou-se a constituição da Airship do Brasil Indústria Aeronáutica Ltda. (ADB), uma sociedade que contava com a participação inicial de três outros sócios, além da própria TBL. Instalada inicialmente no município paulista de Barueri, onde o Exército possui o Arsenal de Guerra de São Paulo (AGSP - grande organização militar de apoio logístico), a empresa foi transferida posteriormente para São Carlos, 240 km a nordeste da cidade de São Paulo, em 2010.
Atualmente existem diversos nichos de mercado que podem ser adequados aos dirigíveis, entre eles as cargas para locais inacessíveis por outros modais; cargas de grandes dimensões (indivisíveis) e alto valor agregado (pré-moldados pás de geradores eólicos, entre outros), que necessitam de carretas especiais, horários, trajetos e equipes especiais, o que eleva demasiadamente o custo com a utilização de modais tradicionais; cargas de elevado valor agregado, que ficam sujeitas a assaltos, exigindo elevados dispêndios com sistemas de segurança nos modais tradicionais; logística militar, especialmente para unidades de fronteira. Os dirigíveis também podem ser empregados como plataformas para sensores e antenas integrantes de sistemas de vigilância e/ou monitoramento e/ou telecomunicações (leia-se SISFRON e SGDC) sendo possível que todas essas funções sejam atendidas simultaneamente em função dos equipamentos que estiverem instalados como carga paga (payload).
Segundo estudos feitos pelo Exército Brasileiro dentro do Projeto Dirigível, oficializado em 1997, dirigíveis construídos para atender requisitos militares poderiam facilmente ser utilizados em quase todo o território nacional, em distâncias de até 1.900 km, elevação do relevo de 1.000 m (embora o dirigível esteja sendo projetado para ter possibilidade de ascensão até 3.000 m de forma estática), espectro meteorológico bastante amplo, com grandes variações térmicas (com temperaturas de até 40°C), grande incidência de nuvens de chuva (Cumulus Nimbus –CB) e grande incidência de descargas elétricas (fazendo com que o dirigível seja projetado para suportar, sem riscos ou a necessidade de manutenção imediata, grande incidência de raios), infraestrutura mínima, pois todos os pontos onde ocorrerão as operações de carga e descarga estarão providos de condições mínimas para tal, sendo que, em vários pontos, essas operações serão feitas com o apoio de balsas.
Mais de 95% do território nacional está abaixo de 1.500 metros de altitude (dado um determinado volume fixado para o gás de flutuação do dirigível, sua capacidade de carga será maior quanto menos ele precisar ascender na atmosfera), as temperaturas variam entre 7°C e 38°C na média anual para as diversas regiões do país e os ventos atingem normalmente entre cinco e dez nós de velocidade. Não há registros de ocorrência sistemática de nevascas, e as chuvas torrenciais da Região Amazônica são bem conhecidas em termos de duração, horários e locais afetados. Assim, o Brasil se configura território altamente compatível com a operação de aeronaves que utilizem a flutuação aerostática.
O uso militar de LTA, por exemplo, poderá ser feito em proveito da logística nas fronteiras e apoio médico nas áreas englobadas pelo Projeto Calha Norte, na região norte do país. A possibilidade de apoio logístico pesado, pelo meio aéreo, sem a necessidade de se contar com infraestrutura terrestre significativa, é por demais atrativa para ser ignorada ou incompreendida, algo que ainda acontece em pleno século XXI. Os LTA também podem atuar em patrulha oceânica, função já desempenhada pelos dirigíveis blimps da Marinha dos Estados Unidos (US Navy) nos 16 anos subsequentes ao final da Segunda Guerra Mundial (1945-1961), na costa leste desse país.
O custo de operar uma frota de dirigíveis é muito inferior quando comparado ao necessário para se manter diversos navios de patrulha, a velocidade superior dos LTA frente as embarcações é mais uma vantagem, além da autonomia de voo ser medida em dias ao invés de horas, isso quando comparado ao emprego de aeronaves convencionais de patrulha e esclarecimento marítimo, de asas fixas ou rotativas. Tal capacidade seria especialmente relevante quando se consideram operações não só sobre o mar territorial brasileiro, mas se inclui também a chamada Zona de Exploração Econômica (ZEE) e suas valiosas plataformas de petróleo e gás natural. Um LTA em patrulha, por exemplo, pode ser a base de lançamento e recolhimento de aeronaves remotamente pilotadas usadas para verificar contatos na superfície, evitando expor o dirigível a qualquer risco ou ameaça não identificada.
A concorrência norte-americana
Durante a 51ª edição do Salão de Aeronáutica e Espaço de Le Bourget, na França (2016), Orlando P. Carvalho (vice-presidente executivo da divisão de Aeronáutica da Lockheed Martin) anunciou a oferta ao mercado um novo dirigível (ou LTA), com capacidade de transportar até 20 toneladas. O chamado veículo LMH-1 (Lockheed Martin Híbrido-1), baseado no protótipo Skunk Works P-791, que voou pela primeira vez em 2006, é o resultado de mais de 20 anos em pesquisas da Lockheed Martin no campo da tecnologia dos dirigíveis híbridos (flutuação + propulsão).
Trata-se de um veículo dotado de quatro motores diesel de 300 HP, com velocidade de cruzeiro em torno dos 60 nós e capacidade de voar por 1.400 milhas (o equivalente a 2.520 km) antes de precisar voltar ao chão. Sua capacidade de carga é de 21 toneladas, ou até 19 passageiros. Cerca de 80% da sua capacidade de decolagem é determinada pela flutuabilidade do gás hélio encerrado dentro do envelope do dirigível.
O LMH-1 não requer postes de amarração ou o esquema de tie-down (pontos para fixá-lo no chão). Em vez disso, ele usa um sistema de colchão de ar semelhante ao de um hovercraft, permitindo que o veículo manobre no terreno. O modelo também produz um jato de sucção que o prende de maneira mais eficiente ao solo, mecanismo utilíssimo durante as fainas de carregar ou descarregar cargas.
John M. Grunsfeld, STS-109 payload commander, attired in an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit, is in the Space Shuttle Columbia’s airlock. Grunsfeld and Richard M. Linnehan, mission specialist, were about to conduct the fifth spacewalk of the mission. Their activities during EVA-5 centered around installation of a Cryogenic Cooler and Cooling System Radiator. for Hubble's Near-Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS).
Credit: NASA
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a technician open the hatch on the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module to prepare for late stowage of supplies and hardware. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station targeted for March 24, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Glenn Benson
John M. Grunsfeld (left), payload commander, and Richard M. Linnehan, mission specialist, anchored to a restraint on Columbia's robotic arm, participate in the final of five STS-109 spacewalks in March 2002. The two went on to install an experimental cooling system for the Hubble Space Telescope’s Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS). This image was recorded with a digital still camera by a crewmate inside the shuttle's crew cabin. NICMOS had been dormant since January 1999 when its original coolant ran out.
Credit: NASA
PictionID:55951549 - Catalog:14_038179.tif - Title:Atlas Centaur Testing Details: Positioning Movie Camera For Centaur Nose Cone Jettison Test Date: 01/23/1961 - Filename:14_038179.tif - ---- Images from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection. The processing, cataloging and digitization of these images has been made possible by a generous National Historical Publications and Records grant from the National Archives and Records Administration---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
United Launch Alliance (ULA) hoists the Amazon Leo mission payload atop the Atlas V rocket in the Vertical Integration Facility adjacent to Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Atlas V will launch the Leo 7 mission for Amazon's broadband satellite constellation. Photo credit: United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance (ULA) hoists the Amazon Leo mission payload atop the Atlas V rocket in the Vertical Integration Facility adjacent to Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Atlas V will launch the Leo 7 mission for Amazon's broadband satellite constellation. Photo credit: United Launch Alliance
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare thermal blankets for several Nanoracks that will be installed on the exterior of the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than March 21, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston
The payload fairing for an Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket is inspected in Building 1555 at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
The fairing will protect NASA's Cyclone Global Navigation Satellite System (CYGNSS) spacecraft during launch. The rocket and spacecraft are being prepared at Vandenberg, then will be attached to the Orbital ATK L-1011 carrier aircraft and transported to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. CYGNSS will launch on the Pegasus XL rocket from the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. CYGNSS will make frequent and accurate measurements of ocean surface winds throughout the life cycle of tropical storms and hurricanes. The data that CYGNSS provides will enable scientists to probe key air-sea interaction processes that take place near the core of storms, which are rapidly changing and play a critical role in the beginning and intensification of hurricanes.
Photo credit: NASA/Randy Beaudoin
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. In the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility, workers secure the Mars Exploration Rover-1 (MER-B) to a spin table during preflight processing of the spacecraft. The rover is scheduled to launch aboard a Delta II rocket on June 25. NASAs twin Mars Exploration Rovers are designed to study the history of water on Mars. These robotic geologists are equipped with a robotic arm, a drilling tool, three spectrometers, and four pairs of cameras that allow them to have a human-like, 3D view of the terrain. Each rover could travel as far as 100 meters in one day to act as Mars scientists' eyes and hands, exploring an environment where humans are not yet able to go. The launch of MER-2 (MER-A) is tentatively set for June 8. Image from NASA, originally appeared on this site: science.ksc.nasa.gov/gallery/photos/ Reposted by San Diego Air and Space Museum
United Launch Alliance (ULA) hoists the Amazon Leo mission payload atop the Atlas V rocket in the Vertical Integration Facility adjacent to Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Atlas V will launch the Leo 8 mission for Amazon's broadband satellite constellation. Photo credit: United Launch Alliance
STS-45/Atlantis carried the first Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-1) on Spacelab pallets mounted in the orbiter's cargo bay. The non-deployable payload, equipped with 12 instruments from the U.S., France, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Japan, conducted studies in atmospheric chemistry, solar radiation, space plasma physics and ultraviolet astronomy.
Shown here are the prime and backup payload specialists:
Dirk D. D. D. Frimout flew as the (Belgian) prime payload specialist. During the nine-day flight, ATLAS-1 obtained a vast array of detailed measurements of atmospheric chemical and physical properties, which contributed significantly to improving our understanding of our climate and atmosphere.
In addition, this was the first time an artificial beam of electrons was used to stimulate a man-made auroral discharge. At mission conclusion, Frimout had traveled 3.2 million miles in 143 Earth orbits and logged over 214 hours in space.
Frimout was the backup payload specialist for the Spacelab EOM-1/2 flight, Mission 61K in 1986. The Challenger accident that January delayed that flight, evolving to ATLAS-1.
He was still originally an alternate for ATLAS-1; By the 1992 launch, however, Michael L. Lampton had a medical condition which disqualified him from flying, and Frimout took his seat.
Michael L. Lampton was the original prime payload specialist. He was the alternate for the first Spacelab mission (STS-9/Columbia) in 1983 and was named as prime for the Spacelab EOM-1/2 flight, a combined Spacelab EOM-1 (scheduled for launch in late 1985, and postponed; Lampton was also prime for that flight) and Spacelab EOM-2 mission.
Byron K. Lichtenberg was the prime payload specialist for STS-9, the first U.S. payload specialist. Altogether, he has flown 310 orbits, and has logged 468 hours in space.
Charles R. "Rick" Chappell was also training for Spacelab EOM-1.
I had gotten the OK to interview Chappell at a National Science Teachers Association conference down in Alabama, but didn't have the means to do so.
PictionID:53761157 - Catalog:14_031900 - Title:GD/Astronautics Details: Surveyor Test; Reading for Air Conditioner Test Date: 01/03/1964 - Filename:14_031900.tif - Images from the Convair/General Dynamics Astronautics Atlas Negative Collection. The processing, cataloging and digitization of these images has been made possible by a generous National Historical Publications and Records grant from the National Archives and Records Administration---Please Tag these images so that the information can be permanently stored with the digital file.---Repository: San Diego Air and Space Museum
Inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, technicians prepare several Nanoracks for installation on the exterior of the Orbital ATK Cygnus pressurized cargo module. The Orbital ATK CRS-7 commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station is scheduled to launch atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station no earlier than March 21, 2017. Cygnus will deliver 7,600 pounds of supplies, equipment and scientific research materials to the space station. Photo credit: NASA/Cory Huston