Fungi grow in the forest at the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art near Millersburg, Pa., on Oct. 28, 2016. Fungi play a major role in regenerating the forest by digesting fallen trees and plant matter, effectively recycling the nutrients back into the soil. (Photo by Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

USAGE REQUEST INFORMATION

The Chesapeake Bay Program's photographic archive is available for media and non-commercial use at no charge.

 

To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.

 

A photo credit mentioning the Chesapeake Bay Program is mandatory. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way or used in any way that suggests approval or endorsement of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Requestors should also respect the publicity rights of individuals photographed, and seek their consent if necessary.

RESTORATION INFO - Original digital image held in the New South Wales State Library online image collection. This copy was downloaded & restored by myself using Adobe Photoshop Creative Suite 8.0 (with duo-tone enhancement) for public share via Flickr.

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

CREDITS & COPYRIGHT

Credits go to -

(a) Star Photo Co. (1894-1928), the creator of the original image, &

(b) The Mitchell & State Libraries of New South Wales, for their valuable historic photograph digitization & archiving program(s).

 

The original image is no longer restricted by any form of Copyright, per State Library of New South Wales copyright advice -

"Out of Copyright

Reason for copyright status: Created/Published Date is Before 1955

Material type: Photograph

 

COPYRIGHT AND PERMISSIONS:

This image may be used freely for research and study purposes. Further use may require permission. Please acknowledge that the image is from the collections of the State Library of New South Wales".

 

As for my own work in creating, enlarging & substantially restoring this unique version of the original image, the only Copyright form I have applied is "Attribution-Non Commercial Use-No Derivatives".

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

IMAGE VIEW INFORMATION

The date of this image (and others taken by Star Photo Co. at the same time) is likely to be prior to approx. mid 1895, since J.H. Wills' first boatshed (approved for construction in Dec 1894) had not yet been built in their other images of the series, taken no doubt at the same time.

 

This view is most likely looking south-west from where the Woronora River meets the Georges River, west of the old rail bridge towards an old fisherman with his hut, boat & nets. I believe the fisherman shown here is "Old Dick" - one and the same with one mentioned in an old newspaper article in the Australian Star (Sydney), dated Wednesday 17 Apr 1889, which I found in Trove, which reads (quote) -

 

"OLD DICK, OF COMO --

--- A good many visitors to Como who have enjoyed their visit to that locality have patronised old Dick, the fisherman, who has been on the George and Woronoo(sic) Rivers for over 50 years, and is regarded as the pioneer fisherman of the place. They will be sorry to hear that a few nights ago his fishing net was stolen, and his boat stove in by some ill-disposed persons, and that he is left without the means of subsistence. It is proposed to lend him a hand in his trouble, and the Como people have decided to subscribe for a new boat and net for "Old Dick", and it is hoped that Sydney people who have had many good days' outing with him will bear a hand. Mr George Agnew, of Como, will gladly supply further particulars or receive further subscriptions."

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

ADDITIONAL HISTORIC INFORMATION

 

STAR PHOTO CO. was operated by the proprietor William Livermore (chief photographer). I found an early notice in the Daily Commercial News & Shipping List (Sydney) which shows the Star Photo Co. had imported 1 case of "pictures" (probably photographic glass plates) from Victoria, passing Customs on 3 Apr 1894. I would suggest that other biographical entries found on websites that claim the Star Photo Co. was only operational from 1898 would therefore appear to be incorrect. Clearly, the Co. was already actively engaged in the photographic business from at least as early as Apr 1894.

Downtown Baltimore is seen facing west toward the Inner Harbor from Dundalk, Md., on June 27, 2016. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program with aerial support by LightHawk)

 

USAGE REQUEST INFORMATION

The Chesapeake Bay Program's photographic archive is available for media and non-commercial use at no charge. To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.

 

A photo credit mentioning the Chesapeake Bay Program is mandatory. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way or used in any way that suggests approval or endorsement of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Requestors should also respect the publicity rights of individuals photographed, and seek their consent if necessary.

The OrbitBeyond lunar lander is seen, Friday, May 31, 2019, at Goddard Space Flight Center in Md. Astrobotic, Intuitive Machines, and OrbitBeyond have been selected to provide the first lunar landers for the Artemis program's lunar surface exploration. Photo credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Spartan Stadium (formerly College Field, Macklin Field and Macklin Stadium) opened in 1923 in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It is primarily used for football, and is the home field of the Michigan State University Spartans. After the addition of luxury boxes and club seating in 2004–2005, the capacity of the stadium grew from 72,027 to 75,005—though it has held more than 80,000 fans—making it the Big Ten's sixth largest stadium.

 

In the early 1920s, school officials decided to construct a new stadium to replace Old College Field. The resulting stadium—the lower half of the current stadium—was ready in the fall of 1923 with a capacity of 14,000. Over the years, the stadium grew. In 1935, the seating capacity increased to 26,000 and the facility was dedicated as Macklin Field. John Macklin, football coach from 1911 to 1915, put Michigan State football on the map with a 29–5 record over five seasons with victories over big name programs such as Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin. After admittance into the Big Ten in 1948, Michigan State increased stadium capacity to 51,000 and the field was renamed Macklin Stadium. With Spartan football attracting national attention under Clarence "Biggie" Munn and Hugh "Duffy" Daugherty, 9,000 seats were added in 1956. The following season upper decks were added to the east and west sides boosting the capacity to 76,000. That same season Michigan State dropped the name Macklin Stadium in favor of Spartan Stadium.

 

In 1969, TartanTurf replaced the natural grass field and a modern scoreboard was added in 1973. Later in the 1970s, AstroTurf replaced the TartanTurf. A new modern video scoreboard was added before the 1991 season. Renovations improving sight lines, field security, handicap access, and club seats in 1994 reduced Spartan Stadium's capacity to 72,027. New turf was also installed in the summer of 1994. In 1998, Spartan Stadium's sound system was upgraded, adding a 21' x 27' Mitsubishi Diamond Vision video board to the south end and a message board to the north end. Home to one of the top turfgrass research programs in the nation, Michigan State installed a natural grass field in 2002. The most recent expansion was completed in August 2005. A new press box, 24 luxury suites, and 862 club seats were constructed on the west side of Spartan Stadium. This addition made Spartan Stadium the tallest building in East Lansing.

 

Through the 2012 season until their game against Notre Dame, the Spartans had won 15 straight games in Spartan Stadium—the program's longest home streak since winning 19 straight from 1950-53. Michigan State went undefeated at home in back-to-back seasons (2010 and 2011) including marquee wins over Wisconsin, Michigan, and Notre Dame, marking the first consecutive perfect home seasons since 1955-56.

 

For almost 9 years, the stadium held the world record for the largest ice hockey crowd in history. On October 6, 2001, a rink was constructed at the center of the stadium for Michigan State's season-opening game against archrival Michigan.

 

Dubbed "The Cold War", 74,554 watched No. 1 nationally ranked Michigan State and No. 4 nationally ranked Michigan to a 3–3 tie. Country artist Shannon Brown sang during the second intermission. The game set off a wave of outdoor ice hockey games in large stadiums. The record for the highest-attended outdoor hockey game is now held by the University of Michigan where 104,173 came to Michigan Stadium to watch Michigan beat Michigan State 5-0 in The Big Chill at the Big House.

 

Game days at Spartan Stadium provide opportunity for tailgating. Popular locations include the tennis courts, "the rock", and around the MSU library area on north campus. Open alcohol is permitted on campus during tailgating hours, with the exception of Munn field.

 

On the morning of each home game, the team completes a 10-minute walk from their hotel at the Kellogg Center, crossing the Red Cedar River, passing the Spartan Statue and finally into the stadium. The sidewalks are lined with fans applauding and cheering "Go Green, Go White."

 

"It's a beautiful day for football!" – Just before kickoff, the PA announcer gives the weather forecast and, with the help of the fans, declares that "it's a beautiful day for football!" This tradition takes place even during games played in poor weather.

 

Introduced in 2007, clips from the movie 300 were added to the "Thunderstruck" introduction sequence. A clip of Spartan King Leonidas shouting, "Spartans! What is your profession?" is played whenever the opponent is in a third down situation. The crowd responds with an emphatic "Ha-Ooh! Ha-Ooh! Ha-Ooh!" while thrusting their fists in the air as if they were carrying spears like in the movie. This is very popular with the football team. On October 16, 2010, 300 star Gerard Butler attended the Spartans' homecoming game. At the beginning of the game Butler walked onto the field repeating the familiar call to fans.

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spartan_Stadium_(East_Lansing%2C_Michigan)

 

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_Creative_Commons_...

 

The OrbitBeyond lunar rover is seen, Friday, May 31, 2019, at Goddard Space Flight Center in Md. Astrobotic, Intuitive Machines, and OrbitBeyond have been selected to provide the first lunar landers for the Artemis program's lunar surface exploration. Photo credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

Forested wetlands are seen near Chenango Lake in Chenango Valley State Park in Broome County, N.Y., on May 26, 2015. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

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Love on Wheels – Arnie🐶

 

Wednesday afternoon I got to photograph the Love on Wheels dogs before they boarded the transport headed to Helping Hounds Dog Rescue in New York. It is always my pleasure to help these dogs on their journey to finding their forever homes and a volunteer opportunity I truly enjoy. These people rock!

 

🐾🐾Meet Arnie, he was getting last minute snuggles from his foster mom before boarding the truck to New York. (THOSE EARS!!) Arnie will be available for adoption through Helping Hounds Dog Rescue in New York when he arrives on Saturday morning.

 

Each of these dogs would of been euthanize due to over crowding if not for the Love on Wheels program and fosters who took them in.

 

Interested in helping? Contact humanetomorrow.org/programs/loveonwheels.html

 

ADOPT Don’t SHOP

 

The Love on Wheels program’s mission is to alleviate the dog overcrowding problem in DFW shelters by transporting adoptable dogs to areas where demand for adoptable dogs cannot currently be met.

 

© Cathy Neth #beEpic

Portfolio | thedook.com |

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Third Thursday Wine Walk in Downtown Baker City Oregon

 

Enjoying beautiful evening for Third Thursday in historic downtown Baker City, Oregon.

 

The monthly Third Thursday Wine Walk is one of numerous events hosted by the Baker City Main Street Program, Baker City Downtown giving customers an opportunity to visit and explore downtown after hours.

 

Visitors to downtown will find numerous art galleries throughout Baker City’s historic downtown including the Crossroads Carnegie Art center in the restored Carnegie Library building as well as multiple restaurants and a variety of gourmet and artisan food and spirits.

 

For more information about Third Thursday Wine Walk or other downtown Baker City events visit the Baker City Main Street Program's website at www.bakercitydowntown.com

 

For more information about other community events in Baker County visit the Baker County Tourism website at www.travelbakercounty.com

  

The Potomac River is seen from Westmoreland State Park in Westmoreland County, Va., on June 18, 2008. (Photo by Alicia Pimental/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

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© all rights reserved

 

Ph.: Orarossa - Ascoli Piceno, Italy

 

Make: NIKON

Model: D810

Data Time: 09/02/2016 - 16:50

Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec

Exposure Program: S

F-Stop: f/5

ISO Speed Ratings: 200

Focal Length: 85 mm

Flash: OFF

jsc2018e076655 (Aug. 23, 2018) --- Vice President Mike Pence visited NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on Aug. 23, 2018, to discuss the future of space exploration and other elements of human spaceflight. During his trip to the Johnson Space Center, the Vice President also toured the laboratory housing the moon rocks retrieved during the Apollo program’s lunar missions and extraterrestrial samples from other uncrewed sample return missions. Apollo Lunar Sample Principle Scientist Andrea Mosie held a lunar sample up for inspection by the Vice President, who was joined in the viewing room behind protective glass by Apollo Lunar Sample Curator Ryan Ziegler, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and Apollo 17 astronaut and retired Sen. Harrison Schmitt.

“MOON INSTRUMENTS—An Apollo-suited Manned Spacecraft Center technician [is seen] as he deploys an Apollo Lunar Experiments Package on the moonscape at the Houston space center. The scientific experiments will be carried to the surface of the moon in a LEM similar to the mockup in the background. The scientific package weighs about 170 pounds, but on the moon its weight is only about 30 pounds.”

 

The technician is possibly Jack “Jackie” D. Mays, who was basically the non-Astronaut 'face' of the Apollo program's vacuum chamber & outdoor terrestrial/Terran Extravehicular Activity, testing, assessing/evaluating, etc. lunar space suit designs/configurations & associated lunar surface tasks, during their development.

 

I wonder if it could also possibly be John B. “Jack” Slight?

 

Two of many unsung Apollo Program contributors.

 

www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum38/HTML/002223.html

Credit: collectSPACE website

 

My SWAG: Mr. Mays appears to be carrying the Magnetometer. From left-to-right: possibly two components of the Solar Wind experiment; definitely the Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator; possibly two components of the Supra Thermal Ion Detector experiment, and obviously, the ALSEP central station.

 

Note all of the Guest Book entries at Legacy.com, substantially more than I’ve normally come across. Obviously, Mr. Mays was more than just a dependable space suit tester.

Thank you Mr. Mays, continue to Rest In Peace Sir:

 

www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/jack-mays-obituary?pid=183...

Credit: Legacy.com website

 

www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/webster-tx/jack-mays-7...

Credit: Dignity Memorial website

I found some of these clipped together in a pile of random papers and junk in these industrial ruins on Chicago's SE side. I'll replace this with a better scan, the program's acting slow and weird right now.

Chino Farms Grasslands Plantation is seen on the Chester River in Queen Anne's County, Md., on June 27, 2016. Chino Farms is home to 278 acres of native warm season grasses, arranged in sections that are managed with controlled burning by the Washington College Chester River Field Research Station at the farm. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program with aerial support by LightHawk)

 

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BBC program's today (news ,breakfast, Look east etc) are full of the weekends wading bird spectacular @ Snettisham. Sorry if you are fed up of Knot wading birds, this is just a close up video of a tiny few of them bathing on the edge of the mass crowd

+++ DISCLAIMER +++

Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!

  

Some background:

The Bell XP-68A owed its existence to the manufacturer’s rather disappointing outcome of its first jet fighter design, the XP-59A Airacomet. The Airacomet was a twin jet-engined fighter aircraft, designed and built during World War II after Major General Henry H. "Hap" Arnold became aware of the United Kingdom's jet program when he attended a demonstration of the Gloster E.28/39 in April 1941. He requested, and was given, the plans for the aircraft's powerplant, the Power Jets W.1, which he took back to the U.S. He also arranged for an example of the engine, the Whittle W.1X turbojet, to be flown to the U.S., along with drawings for the more powerful W.2B/23 engine and a small team of Power Jets engineers. On 4 September 1941, he offered the U.S. company General Electric a contract to produce an American version of the engine, which subsequently became the General Electric I-A. On the following day, he approached Lawrence Dale Bell, head of Bell Aircraft Corporation, to build a fighter to utilize it. As a disinformation tactic, the USAAF gave the project the designation "P-59A", to suggest it was a development of the unrelated, canceled Bell XP-59 fighter project. The P-59A was the first design fighter to have its turbojet engine and air inlet nacelles integrated within the main fuselage. The jet aircraft’s design was finalized on 9 January 1942 and the first prototype flew in October of the same year.

 

The following 13 service test YP-59As had a more powerful engine than their predecessor, the General Electric J31, but the improvement in performance was negligible, with top speed increased by only 5 mph and a slight reduction in the time they could be used before an overhaul was needed. One of these aircraft, the third YP-59A, was supplied to the Royal Air Force, in exchange for the first production Gloster Meteor I for evaluation and flight-offs with domestic alternatives.

British pilots found that the YP-59A compared very unfavorably with the jets that they were already flying. The United States Army Air Forces were not impressed by its performance either and cancelled the contract when fewer than half of the originally ordered aircraft had been produced. No P-59s entered combat, but the type paved the way for the next design generation of U.S. turbojet-powered aircraft and helped to develop appropriate maintenance structures and procedures.

 

In the meantime, a new, more powerful jet engine had been developed in Great Britain, the Halford H-1, which became later better known as the De Havilland Goblin. It was another centrifugal compressor design, but it produced almost twice as much thrust as the XP-59A’s J31 engines. Impressed by the British Gloster Meteor during the USAAF tests at Muroc Dry Lake - performance-wise as well as by the aircraft’s simplicity and ruggedness - Bell reacted promptly and proposed an alternative fighter with wing-mounted engine nacelles, since the XP-59A’s layout had proven to be aerodynamically sub-optimal and unsuited for the installation of H-1 engines. In order to save development time and because the aircraft was rather regarded as a proof-of-concept demonstrator instead of a true fighter prototype, the new aircraft was structurally based on Bell’s current piston-engine P-63 “Kingcobra”. The proposal was accepted and, in order to maintain secrecy, the new jet aircraft inherited once more a designation of a recently cancelled project, this time from the Vultee XP-68 “Tornado” fighter. Similar to the Airacomet two years before, just a simple “A” suffix was added.

 

Bell’s development contract covered only three XP-68A aircraft. The H-1 units were directly imported from Great Britain in secrecy, suspended in the bomb bays of B-24 Liberator bombers. A pair of these engines was mounted in mid-wing nacelles, very similar to the Gloster Meteor’s arrangement. The tailplane was given a 5° dihedral to move it out of the engine exhaust. In order to bear the new engines and their power, the wing main spars were strengthened and the main landing gear wells were moved towards the aircraft’s centerline, effectively narrowing track width. The landing gear wells now occupied the space of the former radiator ducts for the P-63’s omitted Allison V-1710 liquid-cooled V12 engine. Its former compartment behind the cockpit was used for a new fuel tank and test equipment. Having lost the propeller and its long drive shaft, the nose section was also redesigned: the front fuselage became deeper and the additional space there was used for another fuel tank in front of the cockpit and a bigger weapon bay. Different armament arrangements were envisioned, one of each was to be tested on the three prototypes: one machine would be armed with six 0.5” machine guns, another with four 20mm Hispano M2 cannon, and the third with two 37mm M10 cannon and two 0.5” machine guns. Provisions for a ventral hardpoint for a single drop tank or a 1.000 lb (550 kg) bomb were made, but this was never fitted on any of the prototypes. Additional hardpoints under the outer wings for smaller bombs or unguided missiles followed the same fate.

 

The three XP-68As were built at Bell’s Atlanta plant in the course of early 1944 and semi-officially christened “Airagator”. After their clandestine transfer to Muroc Dry Lake for flight tests and evaluations, the machines were quickly nicknamed “Barrelcobra” by the test staff – not only because of the characteristic shape of the engine nacelles, but also due to the sheer weight of the machines and their resulting sluggish handling on the ground and in the air. “Cadillac” was another nickname, due to the very soft acceleration through the new jet engines and the lack of vibrations that were typical for piston-engine- and propeller-driven aircraft.

 

Due to the structural reinforcements and modifications, the XP-68A had become a heavy aircraft with an empty weight of 4 tons and a MTOW of almost 8 tons – the same as the big P-47 Thunderbolt piston fighter, while the P-63 had an MTOW of only 10,700 lb (4,900 kg). The result was, among other flaws, a very long take-off distance, especially in the hot desert climate of the Mojave Desert (which precluded any external ordnance) and an inherent unwillingness to change direction, its turning radius was immense. More than once the brakes overheated during landing, so that extra water cooling for the main landing gear was retrofitted.

Once in the air, the aircraft proved to be quite fast – as long as it was flying in a straight line, though. Only the roll characteristics were acceptable, but flying the XP-68A remained hazardous, esp. after the loss of one of the H-1s engines: This resulted in heavily asymmetrical propulsion, making the XP-68A hard to control at all and prone to spin in level flight.

 

After trials and direct comparison, the XP-68A turned out not to be as fast and, even worse, much less agile than the Meteor Mk III (the RAF’s then current, operational fighter version), which even had weaker Derwent engines. The operational range was insufficient, too, esp. in regard of the planned Pacific theatre of operations, and the high overall weight precluded any considerable external load like drop tanks.

However, compared with the XP-59A, the XP-68A was a considerable step forward, but it had become quickly clear that the XP-68A and its outfit-a-propeller-design-with jet-engines approach did not bear the potential for any service fighter development: it was already outdated when the prototypes were starting their test program. No further XP-68A was ordered or built, and the three prototypes fulfilled their test and evaluation program until May 1945. During these tests, the first prototype was lost on the ground due to an engine fire. After the program’s completion, the two remaining machines were handed over to the US Navy and used for research at the NATC Patuxent River Test Centre, where they were operated until 1949 and finally scrapped.

  

General characteristics.

Crew: 1

Length: 33 ft 9 in (10.36 m)

Wingspan: 38 ft 4 in (11.7 m)

Height: 13 ft (3.96 m)

Wing area: 248 sq ft (23 m²)

Empty weight: 8,799 lb (3,995 kg)

Loaded weight: 15,138 lb (6,873 kg)

Max. take-off weight: 17,246 lb (7,830 kg)

 

Powerplant:

2× Halford H-1 (De Havilland Goblin) turbojets, rated at 3,500 lbf (15.6 kN) each

 

Performance:

Maximum speed: 559 mph (900 km/h)

Range: 500 mi (444 nmi, 805 km)

Service ceiling: 37,565 ft (11,450 m)

Rate of climb: 3.930 ft/min (20 m/s)

Wing loading: 44.9 lb/ft² (218.97 kg/m²)

Thrust/weight: 0.45

Time to altitude: 5.0 min to 30,000 ft (9,145 m)

 

Armament:

4× Hispano M2 20 mm cannon with 150 rounds

One ventral hardpoint for a single drop tank or a 1.000 lb (550 kg) bomb

6× 60 lb (30 kg) rockets or 2× 500 lb (227 kg) bombs under the outer wings

  

The kit and its assembly:

This whiffy Kingcobra conversion was spawned by a post by fellow user nighthunter in January 2019 at whatifmodelers.com about a potential jet-powered variant. In found the idea charming, since the XP-59 had turned out to be a dud and the Gloster Meteor had been tested by the USAAF. Why not combine both into a fictional, late WWII Bell prototype?

The basic idea was simple: take a P-63 and add a Meteor’s engine nacelles, while keeping the Kingcobra’s original proportions. This sounds pretty easy but was more challenging than the first look at the outcome might suggest.

 

The donor kits are a vintage Airfix 1:72 Gloster Meteor Mk.III, since it has the proper, small nacelles, and an Eastern Express P-63 Kingcobra. The latter looked promising, since this kit comes with very good surface and cockpit details (even with a clear dashboard) as well as parts for several P-63 variants, including the A, C and even the exotic “pinball” manned target version. However, anything comes at a price, and the kit’s low price point is compensated by soft plastic (which turned out to be hard to sand), some flash and mediocre fit of any of the major components like fuselage halves, the wings or the clear parts. It feels a lot like a typical short-run kit. Nevertheless, I feel inclined to build another one in a more conventional fashion some day.

 

Work started with the H-1 nacelles, which had to be cut out from the Meteor wings. Since they come OOB only with a well-visible vertical plate and a main wing spar dummy in the air intake, I added some fine mesh to the plate – normally, you can see directly onto the engine behind the wing spar. Another issue was the fact that the Meteor’s wings are much thicker and deeper than the P-63s, so that lots of PSR work was necessary.

 

Simply cutting the P-63 OOB wings up and inserting the Meteor nacelles was also not possible: the P-63 has a very wide main landing gear, due to the ventral radiators and oil coolers, which were originally buried in the wing roots and under the piston engine. The only solution: move the complete landing gear (including the wells) inward, so that the nacelles could be placed as close as possible to the fuselage in a mid-span position. Furthermore, the - now useless - radiator openings had to disappear, resulting in a major redesign of the wing root sections. All of this became a major surgery task, followed by similarly messy work on the outer wings during the integration of the Meteor nacelles. LOTS of PSR, even though the outcome looks surprisingly plausible and balanced.

 

Work on the fuselage started in parallel. It was built mainly OOB, using the optional ventral fin for a P-63C. The exhaust stubs as well as the dorsal carburetor intake had to disappear (the latter made easy thanks to suitable optional parts for the manned target version). Since the P-63 had a conventional low stabilizer arrangement (unlike the Meteor with its cruciform tail), I gave them a slight dihedral to move them out of the engine efflux, a trick Sukhoi engineers did on the Su-11 prototype with afterburner engines in 1947, too.

 

Furthermore, the whole nose ahead of the cockpit was heavily re-designed, because I wanted the “new” aircraft to lose its propeller heritage and the P-63’s round and rather pointed nose. Somewhat inspired by the P-59 and the P-80, I omitted the propeller parts altogether and re-sculpted the nose with 2C putty, creating a deeper shape with a tall, oval diameter, so that the lower fuselage line was horizontally extended forward. In a profile view the aircraft now looks much more massive and P-80esque. The front landing gear was retained, just its side walls were extended downwards with the help of 0.5mm styrene sheet material, so that the original stance could be kept. Lots of lead in the nose ensured that the model would properly stand on its three wheels.

 

Once the rhinoplasty was done I drilled four holes into the nose and used hollow steel needles as gun barrels, with a look reminiscent of the Douglas A-20G.

Adding the (perfectly) clear parts of the canopy as a final assembly step also turned out to be a major fight against the elements.

  

Painting and markings:

With an USAAF WWII prototype in mind, there were only two options: either an NMF machine, or a camouflage in Olive Drab and Neutral Grey. I went for the latter and used Tamiya XF-62 for the upper surfaces and Humbrol 156 (Dark Camouflage Grey) underneath. The kit received a light black ink wash and some post shading in order to emphasize panels. A little dry-brushing with silver around the leading edges and the cockpit was done, too.

 

The cockpit interior became chromate green (I used Humbrol 150, Forest Green) while the landing gear wells were painted with zinc chromate yellow (Humbrol 81). The landing gear itself was painted in aluminum (Humbrol 56).

Markings/decals became minimal, puzzled together from various sources – only some “Stars and Bars” insignia and the serial number.

  

Somehow this conversion ended up looking a lot like the contemporary Soviet Sukhoi Su-9 and -11 (Samolyet K and LK) jet fighter prototype – unintentionally, though. But I am happy with the outcome – the P-63 ancestry is there, and the Meteor engines are recognizable, too. But everything blends into each other well, the whole affair looks very balanced and believable. This is IMHO furthermore emphasized by the simple paint scheme. A jet-powered Kingcobra? Why not…?

Government Island Park is seen in Stafford County, Va., on Dec. 3, 2016. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

USAGE REQUEST INFORMATION

The Chesapeake Bay Program's photographic archive is available for media and non-commercial use at no charge.

 

To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.

 

A photo credit mentioning the Chesapeake Bay Program is mandatory. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way or used in any way that suggests approval or endorsement of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Requestors should also respect the publicity rights of individuals photographed, and seek their consent if necessary.

The Nature Conservancy hosts a group of roughly 30 visitors for a vernal pool hike at Forest Pools Preserve, adjacent to Kings Gap State Park in Cumberland County, Pa., on March 25, 2016. Because vernal pools, or seasonal wetlands, dry up every year, they don't harbor fish and thus are critical habitat for many amphibian species. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

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The Chesapeake Bay Program's photographic archive is available for media and non-commercial use at no charge. To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.

 

A photo credit mentioning the Chesapeake Bay Program is mandatory. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way or used in any way that suggests approval or endorsement of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Requestors should also respect the publicity rights of individuals photographed, and seek their consent if necessary.

141205-N-OM642-567

PACIFIC OCEAN (Dec. 5, 2014) The Orion crew module is in the well deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS Anchorage (LPD 23). Navy divers assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 11 and Mobile Diving and Salvage Company 11‐7, recovered the module during the Orion Program’s first exploration flight test, EFT-1. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Gary Keen/Released)

  

A blue crab is caught while oyster dredging near upper Tangier Sound on Maryland's Eastern Shore on March 30, 2012. (Photo by Steve Droter/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

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To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.

 

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The Nature Conservancy hosts a group of roughly 30 visitors for a vernal pool hike at Forest Pools Preserve, adjacent to Kings Gap State Park in Cumberland County, Pa., on March 25, 2016. Because vernal pools, or seasonal wetlands, dry up every year, they don't harbor fish and thus are critical habitat for many amphibian species. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

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The Chesapeake Bay Program's photographic archive is available for media and non-commercial use at no charge. To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.

 

A photo credit mentioning the Chesapeake Bay Program is mandatory. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way or used in any way that suggests approval or endorsement of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Requestors should also respect the publicity rights of individuals photographed, and seek their consent if necessary.

Penn Theatre Arts Program

Spring 2016 Mainstage Production

 

April 7–10, 2016

@ Penn Museum

 

'The Eumenides' is the third play in Aeschylus’ great masterpiece, the tragic trilogy 'The Oresteia,' written more than 2,500 years ago. In response to the pleadings of his sister Electra and at the command of the god Apollo, Orestes has murdered his mother, Clytemnestra, who was wife and murderer of his father Agamemnon. As a consequence, Orestes finds himself tormented by the terrible Furies, hideous ancient goddesses of the underworld divinely charged with punishing blood murders. Guests follow the actors through Penn Museum’s third floor galleries.

 

Directed by Marcia Ferguson and featuring original music by composer Patrick Lamborn, this production is performed in collaboration with the University of Pennsylvania Theatre Arts Program’s Artistic Resident for 2016, Sebastienne Mundheim/White Box Theatre, who created the production design, with additional support from the Provost’s Interdisciplinary Arts fund.

 

theatre.sas.upenn.edu/events/theatre-arts-spring-2016-mai...

NELLIS AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. - Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 'Wake Island Avengers,' 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, tow a Lockheed Martin F-35B "Lightning II" into a hangar for maintenance at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., July 10. A total of 10 aircraft and more than 250 Marines with VMFA 211 will participate in Red Flag 17-3, a realistic combat training exercise hosted by the U.S. Air Force to assess the squadron’s ability to deploy and support contingency operations using the F-35B.

  

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

The Lockheed Martin F-35 "Lightning II" is a family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather, stealth, fifth-generation, multirole combat aircraft, designed for ground-attack and air-superiority missions. It is built by Lockheed Martin and many subcontractors, including Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, and BAE Systems.

 

The F-35 has three main models: the conventional takeoff and landing F-35A (CTOL), the short take-off and vertical-landing F-35B (STOVL), and the catapult-assisted take-off but arrested recovery, carrier-based F-35C (CATOBAR). The F-35 descends from the Lockheed Martin X-35, the design that was awarded the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program over the competing Boeing X-32. The official "Lightning II" name has proven deeply unpopular and USAF pilots have nicknamed it "Panther", instead.

 

The United States principally funds F-35 development, with additional funding from other NATO members and close U.S. allies, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Canada, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, and formerly Turkey. These funders generally receive subcontracts to manufacture components for the aircraft; for example, Turkey was the sole supplier of several F-35 parts until its removal from the program in July 2019. Several other countries have ordered, or are considering ordering, the aircraft.

 

As the largest and most expensive military program ever, the F-35 became the subject of much scrutiny and criticism in the U.S. and in other countries. In 2013 and 2014, critics argued that the plane was "plagued with design flaws", with many blaming the procurement process in which Lockheed was allowed "to design, test, and produce the F-35 all at the same time," instead of identifying and fixing "defects before firing up its production line". By 2014, the program was "$163 billion over budget [and] seven years behind schedule". Critics also contend that the program's high sunk costs and political momentum make it "too big to kill".

 

The F-35 first flew on 15 December 2006. In July 2015, the United States Marines declared its first squadron of F-35B fighters ready for deployment. However, the DOD-based durability testing indicated the service life of early-production F-35B aircraft is well under the expected 8,000 flight hours, and may be as low as 2,100 flight hours. Lot 9 and later aircraft include design changes but service life testing has yet to occur. The U.S. Air Force declared its first squadron of F-35As ready for deployment in August 2016. The U.S. Navy declared its first F-35Cs ready in February 2019. In 2018, the F-35 made its combat debut with the Israeli Air Force.

 

The U.S. stated plan is to buy 2,663 F-35s, which will provide the bulk of the crewed tactical airpower of the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps in coming decades. Deliveries of the F-35 for the U.S. military are scheduled until 2037 with a projected service life up to 2070.

 

Development

 

F-35 development started in 1992 with the origins of the "Joint Strike Fighter" (JSF) program and was to culminate in full production by 2018. The X-35 first flew on 24 October 2000 and the F-35A on 15 December 2006.

 

The F-35 was developed to replace most US fighter jets with the variants of a single design that would be common to all branches of the military. It was developed in co-operation with a number of foreign partners, and, unlike the F-22 "Raptor", intended to be available for export. Three variants were designed: the F-35A (CTOL), the F-35B (STOVL), and the F-35C (CATOBAR). Despite being intended to share most of their parts to reduce costs and improve maintenance logistics, by 2017, the effective commonality was only 20%. The program received considerable criticism for cost overruns during development and for the total projected cost of the program over the lifetime of the jets.

 

By 2017, the program was expected to cost $406.5 billion over its lifetime (i.e. until 2070) for acquisition of the jets, and an additional $1.1 trillion for operations and maintenance. A number of design deficiencies were alleged, such as: carrying a small internal payload; performance inferior to the aircraft being replaced, particularly the F-16; lack of safety in relying on a single engine; and flaws such as the vulnerability of the fuel tank to fire and the propensity for transonic roll-off (wing drop). The possible obsolescence of stealth technology was also criticized.

  

Design

 

Overview

 

Although several experimental designs have been developed since the 1960s, such as the unsuccessful Rockwell XFV-12, the F-35B is to be the first operational supersonic STOVL stealth fighter. The single-engine F-35 resembles the larger twin-engined Lockheed Martin F-22 "Raptor", drawing design elements from it. The exhaust duct design was inspired by the General Dynamics Model 200, proposed for a 1972 supersonic VTOL fighter requirement for the Sea Control Ship.

 

Lockheed Martin has suggested that the F-35 could replace the USAF's F-15C/D fighters in the air-superiority role and the F-15E "Strike Eagle" in the ground-attack role. It has also stated the F-35 is intended to have close- and long-range air-to-air capability second only to that of the F-22 "Raptor", and that the F-35 has an advantage over the F-22 in basing flexibility and possesses "advanced sensors and information fusion".

 

Testifying before the House Appropriations Committee on 25 March 2009, acquisition deputy to the assistant secretary of the Air Force, Lt. Gen. Mark D. "Shack" Shackelford, stated that the F-35 is designed to be America's "premier surface-to-air missile killer, and is uniquely equipped for this mission with cutting-edge processing power, synthetic aperture radar integration techniques, and advanced target recognition".

  

Improvements

 

Ostensible improvements over past-generation fighter aircraft include:

 

Durable, low-maintenance stealth technology, using structural fiber mat instead of the high-maintenance coatings of legacy stealth platforms.

 

Integrated avionics and sensor fusion that combine information from off- and on-board sensors to increase the pilot's situational awareness and improve target identification and weapon delivery, and to relay information quickly to other command and control (C2) nodes.

 

High-speed data networking including IEEE 1394b and Fibre Channel (Fibre Channel is also used on Boeing's "Super Hornet".

 

The Autonomic Logistics Global Sustainment, Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS), and Computerized maintenance management system to help ensure the aircraft can remain operational with minimal maintenance manpower The Pentagon has moved to open up the competitive bidding by other companies. This was after Lockheed Martin stated that instead of costing 20% less than the F-16 per flight hour, the F-35 would actually cost 12% more. Though the ALGS is intended to reduce maintenance costs, the company disagrees with including the cost of this system in the aircraft ownership calculations. The USMC has implemented a workaround for a cyber vulnerability in the system. The ALIS system currently requires a shipping-container load of servers to run, but Lockheed is working on a more portable version to support the Marines' expeditionary operations.

 

Electro-hydrostatic actuators run by a power-by-wire flight-control system.

 

A modern and updated flight simulator, which may be used for a greater fraction of pilot training to reduce the costly flight hours of the actual aircraft.

 

Lightweight, powerful lithium-ion batteries to provide power to run the control surfaces in an emergency.

 

Structural composites in the F-35 are 35% of the airframe weight (up from 25% in the F-22). The majority of these are bismaleimide and composite epoxy materials. The F-35 will be the first mass-produced aircraft to include structural nanocomposites, namely carbon nanotube-reinforced epoxy. Experience of the F-22's problems with corrosion led to the F-35 using a gap filler that causes less galvanic corrosion to the airframe's skin, designed with fewer gaps requiring filler and implementing better drainage. The relatively short 35-foot wingspan of the A and B variants is set by the F-35B's requirement to fit inside the Navy's current amphibious assault ship parking area and elevators; the F-35C's longer wing is considered to be more fuel efficient.

  

Costs

 

A U.S. Navy study found that the F-35 will cost 30 to 40% more to maintain than current jet fighters, not accounting for inflation over the F-35's operational lifetime. A Pentagon study concluded a $1 trillion maintenance cost for the entire fleet over its lifespan, not accounting for inflation. The F-35 program office found that as of January 2014, costs for the F-35 fleet over a 53-year lifecycle was $857 billion. Costs for the fighter have been dropping and accounted for the 22 percent life cycle drop since 2010. Lockheed stated that by 2019, pricing for the fifth-generation aircraft will be less than fourth-generation fighters. An F-35A in 2019 is expected to cost $85 million per unit complete with engines and full mission systems, inflation adjusted from $75 million in December 2013.

Trash Free Maryland Director Julie Lawson holds a sample collected by a manta trawl used in a microplastics study on the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland on Sept. 4, 2015. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

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The Chesapeake Bay Program's photographic archive is available for media and non-commercial use at no charge. To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.

 

A photo credit mentioning the Chesapeake Bay Program is mandatory. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way or used in any way that suggests approval or endorsement of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Requestors should also respect the publicity rights of individuals photographed, and seek their consent if necessary.

© all rights reserved

 

Ph.: Orarossa - Ascoli Piceno, Italy

 

Make: NIKON

Model: D810

Data Time: 07/02/2016 - 12:48

Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec

Exposure Program: S

F-Stop: f/2,5

ISO Speed Ratings: 320

Focal Length: 85 mm

Flash: OFF

The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program and Latinos and Society Program hosted a joint discussion, "Drivers of Opportunity: How Will Latinos Shape the Future of the American Dream?” on February 21, 2018. Panelists at the event — including Office of Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf’s Jose Corona, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley’s Marie Mora, Nation Waste, Inc.’s Maria Rios, The Workers Lab’s Carmen Rojas, and Marketplace’s Kimberly Adams — discussed how we can secure economic stability and mobility for Latino workers, families, and communities. The event was part of the Economic Opportunities Program’s Working in America series and the Latinos and Society Program’s Latino Economic Advancement series.

 

Property of the Aspen Institute / Credit: Laurence Genon

Flames from the solid rocket boosters lit up the clouds of smoke and steam trailing behind shuttle Atlantis on May 19, 2000, as it lifted off on mission STS-101. It was the shuttle program's third space station assembly flight, and first space flight for astronaut Jeff Williams, currently aboard the station as a member of the Expedition 47 crew. via NASA ift.tt/20aXPa5

Dave, one of our volunteers, helps sort and pack the 2,000 cell phones we're sending out to field offices for phone banks and our new class of summer organizers in preparation for the program's kick-off next weekend.

Photo by Christopher Dilts for Obama for America

Two killdeer visit the mudflats in the 18-acre wetland on Cottingham farm in Easton, Md., on July 21, 2015. The area once was a cornfield, but around 2003 farm owner Cleo Braver employed the expertise of Ned Gerber of Chesapeake Wildlife Heritage, a private non-governmental non-profit, to design, build, and manage a wetland habitat to replace it. CWH helps landowners enroll in the Conservation Research Enhancement Program (CREP), a federal USDA farm bill program that can be used to fund the building of such habitat on private land. Ninety percent of the cost of the Cottingham wetland was funded through CREP, with the remaining ten percent covered by Maryland's Department of Natural Resources. Along with shorebirds, the wetland attracts green wing teal, wood duck, black duck, wigeon, gadwall, heron, and egret. (Photo by Keith Rutowski/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

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To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.

 

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Members of the family-owned Misty Meadows Farm Creamery in Smithsburg, Md., host a tour of the 500-acre farm on Oct. 2, 2016. The tour was part of the 2016 Chesapeake Watershed Forum. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

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© all rights reserved

 

Ph.: Orarossa - Ascoli Piceno, Italy

 

Make: NIKON

Model: D810

Data Time: 07/02/2016 - 16:30

Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec

Exposure Program: S

F-Stop: f/5

ISO Speed Ratings: 200

Focal Length: 85 mm

Flash: OFF

Marcia Watson and Gene Scarpulla of Bowie, Md., participate in the National Audubon Society's 117th annual Christmas Bird Count in Anne Arundel County, Md., on Dec. 18, 2016. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

USAGE REQUEST INFORMATION

The Chesapeake Bay Program's photographic archive is available for media and non-commercial use at no charge. To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.

 

A photo credit mentioning the Chesapeake Bay Program is mandatory. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way or used in any way that suggests approval or endorsement of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Requestors should also respect the publicity rights of individuals photographed, and seek their consent if necessary.

Item 3, folder "School and Fire-Safe Education Program - S. A. F. E. - Promotional Folders, 1980 – 1988," Fire Department Public Education and Fire Safety Records (Record Series 2810-06), Seattle Municipal Archives.

The Copperhead, produced in the late 1980s and shown here impacting its target, was -consistently lethal against its target set. With a few modifications to the program’s development process—a better-defined goal and a clear metric for measuring achievement of it—the round might have seen more usage in combat.

The Cash for Clunkers program, which gives up to a $4,500 rebate if they trade in a car with low fuel economy for one with high fuel economy, was re-funded by Congress last week. While the program’s impact on the environment and the economy is still being debated, it did spark hundreds of thousands of purchases of new cars with much higher fuel efficiency. This week’s original Transparency is a look at the top 10 trade-ins and new purchases under Cash for Clunkers so far.

 

A collaboration between GOOD and Gavin Potenza.

 

Click here to view the full transparency.

Pentax MX + Pentax M 35/2.8 + Ilford XP2 + Epson V600.

The voyage of Apollo 17 marked the program’s concluding expedition to the moon. The mission lifted off after midnight on December 7, 1972 from Kennedy Space Center and touched down on the lunar surface on December 11. The crew spent almost 75 hours on the lunar surface, conducted nearly 22 hours of extravehicular activities (EVAs), and traveled almost 19 miles in the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). During lunar lift-off on December 14, Apollo 17 Mission Commander Eugene A. Cernan remarked that the astronauts were leaving as they came, “with peace and hope for all mankind.” In this photo, taken during the second spacewalk on December 12, 1972, Cernan is standing near the lunar rover designed by Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.

Dan Small of Washington College leads a planting of bayberry in a strip between two agricultural fields at Chino Farms in Queen Anne's County, Md., on April 13, 2016. When the plants mature they will provide shelter habitat for northern bobwhite quail. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

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A photo credit mentioning the Chesapeake Bay Program is mandatory. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way or used in any way that suggests approval or endorsement of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Requestors should also respect the publicity rights of individuals photographed, and seek their consent if necessary.

Jerry Hassinger, a fungi enthusiast and volunteer for the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art, points out the characteristics of a wood-eating fungus called false turkey tail on the Center's lands near Millersburg, Pa., on Oct. 28, 2016. (Photo by Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

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To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.

 

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Wiconisco Creek runs through the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art near Millersburg, Pa., on Oct. 28, 2016. The creek empties into the Susquehanna River nearby. (Photo by Leslie Boorhem-Stephenson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

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To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.

 

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Volunteer Brigid Krizek participates in the 2016 Project Clean Stream by picking up trash at the Ellen O. Moyer Nature Park at Back Creek in Annapolis, Md., on April 2, 2016. Project Clean Stream is a program of the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay, and includes dozens of cleanup events across the Chesapeake Bay watershed. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

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Rich Hines (left), who owns Springboro Tree Farms in Brookston, Indiana, has worked with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service to implement conservation practices on his 33 acres of his forestland in Brookston, Indiana. Hines used the forest for maple syrup production as well as recreation. His brother Jim Hines (center) and friend Joe Velovitch (right) help with Hines worked with NRCS through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program to implement brush management, trail improvements and a forest management plan. He also utilized the Conservation Stewardship Program’s forest songbird habitat maintenance, forest stand improvement and tree planting enhancements. (NRCS photo by Brandon O’Connor)

Florence Shelly Preserve in Susquehanna County, Pa., on Aug. 2, 2016. The 357-acre preserve is owned by the Nature Conservancy and features forest, fields, a stream, and glacial pond surrounded by a floating bog. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

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The Chesapeake Bay Program's photographic archive is available for media and non-commercial use at no charge. To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.

 

A photo credit mentioning the Chesapeake Bay Program is mandatory. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way or used in any way that suggests approval or endorsement of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Requestors should also respect the publicity rights of individuals photographed, and seek their consent if necessary.

Dan Small of Washington College leads a planting of bayberry in a strip between two agricultural fields at Chino Farms in Queen Anne's County, Md., on April 13, 2016. When the plants mature they will provide shelter habitat for northern bobwhite quail. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

USAGE REQUEST INFORMATION

The Chesapeake Bay Program's photographic archive is available for media and non-commercial use at no charge. To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.

 

A photo credit mentioning the Chesapeake Bay Program is mandatory. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way or used in any way that suggests approval or endorsement of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Requestors should also respect the publicity rights of individuals photographed, and seek their consent if necessary.

Beech leaves cling to winter branches at Government Island Park in Stafford County, Va., on Dec. 3, 2016. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

USAGE REQUEST INFORMATION

The Chesapeake Bay Program's photographic archive is available for media and non-commercial use at no charge. To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.

 

A photo credit mentioning the Chesapeake Bay Program is mandatory. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way or used in any way that suggests approval or endorsement of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Requestors should also respect the publicity rights of individuals photographed, and seek their consent if necessary.

Among the galaxies, there are billions of planets and stars, among them, only a few million that support life. The inhabitants name this planet; Spectra.

 

The species that evolved into sentience was spread throughout the planet by a drastic geological event. This resulted in the isolated and continued evolution of new forms of previously similar species. Eventually, this resulted in over thirty species of sentient species inhabiting a planet far larger than any lesser planet; I.E. Earth. Eventually the barriers that created these species were broken due to natural weathering. The different colored species all adapted to their endemic environments were suddenly thrown into the mix together. At first, wars broke out and chaos reigned, but over a million years, give or take a few hundred thousands years, the dust settled and most of these genetically dissimilar species became one and unified. In the aftermath, the smartest and bravest of these factions crafted a way in which a war amongst the species would never again break out; The Archwielder Program.

 

Each species on this planet, that are related, have different colors due to the different environments that they adapted to over the millennia. Not only do they have different colors, but each individual has their own unique genetic ability. This planet is not like most planets. It was created by another race of mysterious beings that were able to fuse mechanical, biological, and cybernetic material together. This is how the beings of this world have abilities that would seem “supernatural” to an ignorant mind. These beings are inexplicably linked to their environments and because of this they have control over their environments.

 

The Archwielder Program was instituted by the survivors of the Millennial Wars the leading heads of which include; lieutenant Dextrix (Who was one of the elite guards for royalty and led the Golden Sect), Captain Dreadnaught(A rogue that took control of the rebellion), and Admiral Aurora(Who took charge of her own brigade of peacekeepers to keep the streets clean during the war).

 

The Archwielder Program’s initiative was to create a system in which individuals were sorted into the field that the individual excelled in or found interest in. These individuals were gathered into groups of the same species and then sent out across the planet to keep the peace in any way that they could in the environment they were most suited for.

 

The Districts of the planet are artificial by name alone but have been divided by the sloppy hand of nature itself. These districts include;

 

Stone District: Brown, Tan, Black, and Purple species reside hear.

 

Water District: Various shades of Blue reside hear.

 

Fire District: Various shades of red, orange, and yellow reside hear.

 

Electricity District: Various shades of yellow and green reside hear.

 

Flora District: Various shades of Green reside hear.

 

Radon District: Various shades of Phosphorescence reside hear.

 

Ice District: Various shades of white, blue, and transparents reside hear.

 

The unusual abilities of the members of each of these species include;

 

Red: Pyromancy, Magmanacy, etc.

 

Orange: Photokinesis, Levitation, Etc.

 

Yellow: Heliokinesis, Electrokinesis, etc.

 

Green: Aerokinesis, Air mimicry, etc.

 

Lime: Acidokinesis, Radiokinesis, etc.

 

Blue: Hydrokinesis, etc.

 

Purple: Crystallokinesis, etc.

 

Violet: Telekinesis, etc.

 

Brown: Ferrokinesis, Geokinesis, etc,

 

White: Cryokinesis, Umbrakinesis, etc.

 

Black: Necromancy, Geomancy, Levitation, etc.

 

Neons: Plasmakinesis, Dynamokinesis, etc.

 

Individuals within a specific species can also generate different abilities due to genetic variability granted from parental mating. When individuals of different species mate their offspring may have more of one parent’s abilities and color or a mixture creating a hybrid of abilities, or creation of new abilities altogether.

 

The ranks within the system include;

 

Scout: lowest ranking individual, new recruit learning in the academy, signified by three buttons of their respective color.

 

Gladiator: More experienced individual, knows their way around, signified by custom made holster of their respective make.

 

Warrior: At least 5 years of experience can defend themselves and knows which profession they are going into, signified by custom markings of their respective color.

 

Wielder: At least 10 years of experience, has near-complete control of their natural ability, signified by twin black straps over shoulders with respective make and color.

 

Lieutenant: At least 30 years of experience, has complete control of their natural ability, signified by ceremonial necklace of respective color and make.

 

Captain: At least 50 years of experience, has not only complete control of their natural abilities but has near-complete understanding of their role in the program, signified by armband of respective make and color.

 

Admiral: At least 100 years of experience, has complete and utter control of their ability to an extreme, is an expert in their field, signified by custom weapon of their respective color and design.

 

Archwielder: At least 200 years of experience, has such a complete understanding of their abilities and role within existence that they can only be challenged of an equally experienced individual, signified by lack of a weapon and evolution of facial mask/helmet of respective color and make.

 

The groups of individuals tasked with keeping quadrants/districts safe and free of unnecessary violence are known as Garrisons. These Garrisons are rotated semi-annually and the participants are also rotated to avoid creation of racial/genetic divisions amongst the students. The Garrisons that exist include;

 

The Lightning Garrison (Full Charge)

 

The Magma Garrison (Spicy Sauce)

 

The Bezerker Garrison (The Bludgeoners)

 

The Firecracker Garrison (Lit Fuses)

 

The Hydra Garrison (Ebb and Flow)

 

The Flora Garrison (Peace on Earth)

 

The Fauna Garrison (Tooth and Claw)

 

The Phota Garrison (Best and Brightest)

 

The Terra Garrison (The Crusties)

 

The Dust Devil Garrison (The Dust Devils)

  

The Nature Conservancy hosts a group of roughly 30 visitors for a vernal pool hike at Forest Pools Preserve, adjacent to Kings Gap State Park in Cumberland County, Pa., on March 25, 2016. Because vernal pools, or seasonal wetlands, dry up every year, they don't harbor fish and thus are critical habitat for many amphibian species. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

USAGE REQUEST INFORMATION

The Chesapeake Bay Program's photographic archive is available for media and non-commercial use at no charge. To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.

 

A photo credit mentioning the Chesapeake Bay Program is mandatory. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way or used in any way that suggests approval or endorsement of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Requestors should also respect the publicity rights of individuals photographed, and seek their consent if necessary.

The 2016 Chesapeake Executive Council Meeting is held at Blandy Experimental Farm in Boyce, Va., on Oct. 4, 2016. It was announced that Pennsylvania will get $28 million in the next year to combat agricultural pollution, with $12.7 million coming from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, $4 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and $11.8 coming mostly from shifts within the Pennsylvania budget. (Photo by Will Parson/Chesapeake Bay Program)

 

USAGE REQUEST INFORMATION

The Chesapeake Bay Program's photographic archive is available for media and non-commercial use at no charge.

 

To request permission, send an email briefly describing the proposed use to requests@chesapeakebay.net. Please do not attach jpegs. Instead, reference the corresponding Flickr URL of the image.

 

A photo credit mentioning the Chesapeake Bay Program is mandatory. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way or used in any way that suggests approval or endorsement of the Chesapeake Bay Program. Requestors should also respect the publicity rights of individuals photographed, and seek their consent if necessary.

This week in 1966, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center technicians acceptance-fired the S-IC-3, or first stage of the Saturn rocket, for 121.7 seconds. This was the last planned firing of the S-IC at Marshall. The S-IC was powered by five F-1 engines, each producing 1.5 million pounds of thrust. Here, an F-1 engine is test fired at Marshall’s S-IC Static Test Stand. From October 2018 through December 2022, NASA will mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Program that landed a dozen astronauts on the Moon between July 1969 and December 1972, and the first U.S. crewed mission -- Apollo 8 -- that circumnavigated the Moon in December 1968. Today, Marshall is developing NASA's Space Launch System, the most powerful rocket ever built, capable of sending astronauts to the Moon, Mars and deeper into space than ever before. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage.

 

Image credit: NASA

 

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Marshall History

 

For more NASA History photos

 

NASA Media Usage Guidelines