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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard launches from Space Launch Complex 41, Thursday, May 19, 2022, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) is Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test and will dock to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. OFT-2 launched at 6:54 p.m. ET, and will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Orbital Flight Test-2 mission, Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 will be Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test and will dock to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission, currently targeted for launch on 6:54 p.m. ET on May 19, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
Boeing hazmat teams work around Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft after it landed at White Sands Missile Range’s Space Harbor, Wednesday, May 25, 2022, in New Mexico. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) is Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. OFT-2 serves as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen after being rolled out of the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission, Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 will be Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test and will dock to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission, currently targeted for launch at 6:54 p.m. ET on May 19, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission, Thursday, July 29, 2021 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 will be Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test and will dock to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission, currently targeted for launch at 2:53 p.m. EDT Friday, July 30, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
What a cracking graphic - the owl, Leeds city's symbol, taking flight to publicise the then municipally owned public transport system's night bus services in 1965. Sadly now, Leeds, one of the largest conurbation's in Western Europe with the worst public transprt network and poor air quality, has no municipal transport service nor a night bus system. Progress.
This was taken early on in the Chessie System's operations of their New Rock Sub, the former Rock Isalnd LInes between Rockdale and Henry, IL. Big changes were in store, one of them being a good maintenance of way program. You can see the new ties ready to go in. New power in the form of C&O GP15T's would arrive soon, too. But right now, GP30's, 35's, and 9's hold down the jobs here in 1982. This is the Henry Job leaving DePue and headed west.
The AAPRCO's Autumn Explorer is starting east on Vermont Rail System's Clarendon and Pittsford Railroad mainline having just swung off the Canadian Pacific mainline. They just crossed the main channel of the Champlain Canal and are now crossing an oxbow near where Mud Creek flows in as they approach the Williams Street crossing at MP A78.
The train left Albany-Rensselaer in the morning behind two Amtrak P42s as extra train 863 and traveled up CP's ex D&H Canadian main. At Whitehall they diverged on to CLP mainline, the former D&H Rutland branch (hence the milepost prefix of A for Albany as measured by that historic road). In Rutland the Amtrak power will be exchanged for red GP40-2 307 that will take the train south all the way to Hoosick Junction before returning to North Bennington to spend the night. The following day the train will travel north to Burlington where it will spend a few days.
The eight PVs on this year's trip listed in order are the: NYC 3, Promontory Point, Northern Sky, Northern Dreams, Dagny Taggart, San Marino, Wisconsin, and Chapel Hill.
Whitehall, New York
Sunday September 27, 2020
The test area where the second and final qualification motor (QM-2) test for the Space Launch System’s booster is seen through the window of a camera bunker, Sunday, June 26, 2016, at Orbital ATK Propulsion Systems test facilities in Promontory, Utah. The test is scheduled for Tuesday, June 28 at 10:05 a.m. EDT (8:05 a.m. MDT). Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen as it is rolled out of the Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) mission, Wednesday, May 18, 2022 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 will be Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test and will dock to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission, currently targeted for launch at 6:54 p.m. ET on May 19, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
Workers assist as the payload fairing containing NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is lowered onto the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V Centaur second stage in the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base in Florida on Oct. 7, 2021. Lucy is scheduled to launch no earlier than Saturday, Oct. 16, on the ULA Atlas V 401 rocket from Launch Pad 41. NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at Kennedy Space Center, America’s premier multi-user spaceport, is managing the launch. Over its 12-year primary mission, Lucy will explore a record-breaking number of asteroids, flying by one asteroid in the solar system’s main belt and seven Trojan asteroids. Additionally, Lucy’s path will circle back to Earth three times for gravity assists, making it the first spacecraft ever to return to the vicinity of Earth from the outer solar system. Photo credit: NASA/Isaac Watson
Boeing Starliner Launch Conductor Louis Atchison, left, and NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore look at Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft after it landed at White Sands Missile Range’s Space Harbor, Wednesday, May 25, 2022, in New Mexico. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) is Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. OFT-2 serves as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
With the growing success of their VCS line, EP Industries decided to delve into the drone market with their ACS (Automated Combat System) line. The first in the series was the RF-X02A, which uses a heavily modified AI system from a Hornet system. The unit saw moderate success, but it was not until the release of the unit's full-armor set that it came into widespread use. The extra armor not only adds new weapons, but covers most of the system's more integral parts with bio-laminate plates, greatly increasing its effectiveness in battle, at the cost of higher energy consumption.
This is based around Lu Sim's reFrame design. I swear it's coincidence that we both built mass-produced looking frames at the same time :P They even share some ideas and techniques!
I was impressed by the customizability & proportions of the reFrame, although the articulation of the basic design was kinda limited (namely in the arms) so I had to address that in this build. When the base mech was built, I felt like it needed something more, and thus the armor set was born. The armor doesn't really hinder the articulation at all, although it does make the waist joint want to bend all the time. I also tried to combine a more Japanese-esque head with a drone-like one, and I think it turned out okay.
Next up: Droneuary!
(Although I guess this technically counts as a drone, doesn't it?)
A view from inside the Vertical Integration Facility near Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, as the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Centaur stage for NASA’s Lucy mission is lifted by crane for transfer into the facility on Sept. 16, 2021. Lucy is scheduled to launch no earlier than Saturday, Oct. 16, on a ULA Atlas V 401 rocket from Pad 41. NASA’s Launch Services Program based at Kennedy Space Center is managing the launch. Over its 12-year primary mission, Lucy will explore a record-breaking number of asteroids, flying by one asteroid in the solar system’s main belt and seven Trojan asteroids. Additionally, Lucy’s path will circle back to Earth three times for gravity assists, making it the first spacecraft ever to return to the vicinity of Earth from the outer solar system. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
“This Mars mosaic is fashioned from seven wide-angle TV pictures taken by Mariner 6 during its close passage of the planet on July 30, 1969. The six individual frames are high resolution narrow-angle pictures that fall within the overlapping areas of the horizontal swath of seven wide-angle photos. Craters as small as 300 yards in diameter can be seen in the high resolution pictures. The three pictures at top make up the second leg of a three-segmented trace across the equatorial zone of Mars. The equator bisects the three frames and the prominent feature Meridiani Sinus (0° longitude) appears in the lower portion of pictures 6N11 and 6N13. The east-west swath of four pictures was taken after the Mariner scan platform slewed again during the spacecraft’s traverse eastward into the night-time shadow (to the right). The four frames, which cover an area 450 miles wide and 2500 miles long, are parallel to and about 15° south of the equator.”
The Mars Exploration Rover B (MER-B)/Opportunity landing site is actually located in Frame 6N11, a little east of "center". In fact, Bopolu Crater & Endeavour Crater are both discernible!
I still find it amazing how early flybys imaged the very few dull/boring regions of the planet. Even as a mosaic!!! IMHO Mars has the most amazing variety of spectacular surface features of all the solar system's rocky planets.
The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is seen atop the company's Falcon 9 rocket on the launch pad of Launch Complex 39A before the early Saturday morning launch of the Demo-1 mission, Friday, March 1, 2019 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Demo-1 mission launched at 2:49am ET on Saturday, March 2 and was the first launch of a commercially built and operated American spacecraft and space system designed for humans as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. (Photo credit: NASA/Joel Kowsky)
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Orbital Flight Test-2 mission, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 will be Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test and will dock to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission, currently targeted for launch at 1:20 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 3, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
The quench system arm and nozzle, foreground, are seen next to the Space Launch System’s booster a few hours ahead of the second and final qualification motor (QM-2) test, Tuesday, June 28, 2016, at Orbital ATK Propulsion Systems test facilities in Promontory, Utah. During the Space Launch System flight the boosters will provide more than 75 percent of the thrust needed to escape the gravitational pull of the Earth, the first step on NASA’s Journey to Mars. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Dogma is a principle or set of principles laid down by an authority as incontrovertibly true. It serves as part of the primary basis of an ideology, nationalism or belief system, and it cannot be changed or discarded without affecting the very system's paradigm.
It feels that the new management of Flickr is folowing such a path. There are now reports that the views in Flickr have dropped by fifty percent. I am not sure how true thsi is but it may be that we are seeing the effects of Dogma by the leading managers. no matter the evidence they Will be right.
Flickr seeing Red (BLUE) day
Cornwall Holiday 2013 04 1624 Lost Gardens Of Heligan RAW
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft onboard is seen on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Orbital Flight Test mission, Thursday, Dec. 19, 2019, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The uncrewed Orbital Flight Test will be Starliner’s maiden mission to the International Space Station for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission, currently targeted for a 6:36 a.m. EST launch on Dec. 20, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
The Space Launch System’s booster is seen a few hours ahead of the second and final qualification motor (QM-2) test, Tuesday, June 28, 2016, at Orbital ATK Propulsion Systems test facilities in Promontory, Utah. During the Space Launch System flight the boosters will provide more than 75 percent of the thrust needed to escape the gravitational pull of the Earth, the first step on NASA’s Journey to Mars. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
State Raiway of Thailand (SRT) diesel locomotive 4220
Bangkok Railway Station (Thai: สถานีรถไฟกรุงเทพ), unofficially known as Hua Lamphong Station (หัวลำโพง), is the main railway station in Bangkok, Thailand. It is in the center of the city in the Pathum Wan District, and is operated by the State Railway of Thailand.
The station is officially referred to by the State Railway of Thailand as Krungthep Station in Thai ('Krungthep' is the transliteration of the common Thai language name of Bangkok) and Bangkok Station in English. Hua Lamphong is the informal name of the station, used by both foreign travellers and locals. The station is often named as Hua Lamphong in travel guide books and in the public press.
In other areas of Thailand the station is commonly referred to as Krungthep Station, and the name Hua Lamphong is not well-known.
In all documents published by the State Railway of Thailand (such as train tickets, timetables, and tour pamphlets) the station is uniformly transcribed as Krungthep (กรุงเทพฯ) in Thai.
The station was opened on June 25, 1916 after six years' construction. The site of the railway station was previously occupied by the national railway's maintenance centre, which moved to Makkasan in June 1910. At the nearby site of the previous railway station a pillar commemorates the inauguration of the Thai railway network in 1897.
The station was built in an Italian Neo-Renaissance-style, with decorated wooden roofs and stained glass windows. The architecture is attributed to Turin-born Mario Tamagno, who with countryman Annibale Rigotti (1870–1968) was also responsible for the design of several other early 20th century public buildings in Bangkok. The pair designed Bang Khun Prom Palace (1906), Ananta Samakhom Throne Hall in the Royal Plaza (1907–15) and Suan Kularb Residential Hall and Throne Hall in Dusit Garden, among other buildings.
There are 14 platforms, 26 ticket booths, and two electric display boards. Hua Lamphong serves over 130 trains and approximately 60,000 passengers each day. Since 2004 the station has been connected by an underground passage to the MRT (Metropolitan Rapid Transit) subway system's Hua Lamphong Station.
The station is also a terminus of the Eastern and Oriental Express luxury trains.
From Wikipedia
Boeing and NASA teams participate in a mission dress rehearsal to prepare for the landing of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner spacecraft in White Sands, New Mexico, Monday, May 23, 2022. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) is Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. OFT-2 serves as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
On 21 September 2018, 180 million miles from Earth, a roughly 1.5 square-metre cube descended towards a primitive space rock. After years of planning and 4 years in flight, this tiny spacecraft captured this ‘shadow selfie’ as it closed in on asteroid Ryugu, just 80 metres from the remnant of our Solar System’s formation, 4.6 billion years ago.
The Hayabusa2 spacecraft is operated by the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA), supported in part by ESA's Estrack Malargüe deep-space tracking station. The spacecraft carries four small landers that will investigate the asteroid’s surface, all four designed to gently fall onto the surface of the rocky boulder, taking advantage of its low gravity environment.
Around the time this remarkable picture was taken, the spacecraft released its two MINERVA-II1 rovers which have since successfully landed and demonstrated an ability to hop around this rock-strewn body.
"I cannot find words to express how happy I am that we were able to realize mobile exploration on the surface of an asteroid" enthused Yuichi Tsuda, Hayabusa2 Project Project Manager, "I am proud that Hayabusa2 was able to contribute to the creation of this technology for a new method of space exploration by surface movement on small bodies."
The next stage will see the Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout (MASCOT) lander released onto the asteroid’s surface. Developed by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in cooperation with the French Space Agency (CNES) MASCOT has enough power for a 12-hour mission, in which it will analyse the asteroid’s surface at two different sites.
The Hayabusa2 spacecraft itself will collect three samples from Ryugu, bringing them back to Earth in December 2020. These strange specimens will provide insights into the composition of this carbonaceous asteroid — a type of space rock expected to preserve some of the most pristine materials in the Solar System.
As well as hopefully shining light on the origin and evolution of the inner planets, and the sources of water and organic compounds on Earth, this knowledge should help in efforts to protect our planet from marauding masses that come too close for comfort to our home planet.
Understanding the composition and characteristics of near-Earth objects is vital to defending ourselves from them, if one were to head in our direction. ESA’s proposed Hera mission to test asteroid deflection is an ambitious example of how we can get to know these ancient bodies better, all in the name of planetary defence.
Credits: JAXA
NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore, right, watches as teams work around Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft after it landed at White Sands Missile Range’s Space Harbor, Wednesday, May 25, 2022, in New Mexico. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) is Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. OFT-2 serves as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen illuminated by spotlights on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Orbital Flight Test-2 mission, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 will be Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test and will dock to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission, currently targeted for launch on 1:20 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 3, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
GP30 6932 sits at Depue on the New Rock Sub, Chessie System's pride and joy. The New Rock was a money maker from the first day that the "Cat" took over. The 6932 is representative of the type of power that was first used on the sub, along with GP35's and GP38's. The old depot in the picture wasn't in use at this time; the crew had simply taken a short break. You can see new ties ready to be installed. Chessie didn't waste any time getting the plant up to snuff.
Lost Lake is a lake located in Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. The area around it, Lost Lake Park, is part of the municipal park system's cross-country skiing trails and, until hotel development overshadowed views of the park's swimming docks, was Whistler's long-time nude sunbathing beach. It has multiple public docks, which can be accessed by swimming in warmer months.
Our solar system's largest moon Ganymede, imaged by Voyager 1 on March 5, 1979. Color-composite from images acquired in orange, green, and blue filters from a distance of 194,000 km and processed to approximate natural color.
Canadian Pacific Railway station Vancouver. Once the terminus of transcontinental passenger trains, this elegant structure ( the third CPR station on this site) remains a transportation hub for Vancouver transit system's Seabus and Skytrain.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft onboard is seen inside the Vertical Integration Facility before being rolled out to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Orbital Flight Test mission, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2019 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. The Orbital Flight Test with be Starliner’s maiden mission to the International Space Station for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission, currently targeted for a 6:36 a.m. EST launch on Dec. 20, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
ithe entrance to the PATH station at Christopher St..
seeing this made me a little bit giddy, and i could've stayed here for an hour taking shots of it. but then again, no i couldn't - because PATH is not so very photo-friendly.
and there seems to be a higher number of cops than usual throughout the subway system(s) lately.
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen illuminated by spotlights on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Orbital Flight Test-2 mission, Monday, Aug. 2, 2021 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 will be Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test and will dock to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission, currently targeted for launch on 1:20 p.m. EDT Tuesday, Aug. 3, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Joel Kowsky)
Boeing and NASA teams work around Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft after it landed at White Sands Missile Range’s Space Harbor, Wednesday, May 25, 2022, in New Mexico. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) is Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. OFT-2 serves as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Overseas from the conflict in Europe, America has been designing its own VCS units to support both its own military and to hopefully sell to the URE. The ALDIS (Armored Long-Distance Infantry Support) is the first system to go into full production. It is designed to support regular tanks and infantry from a distance, and can utilize its legs to reach previously treacherous strategic positions. Each ALDIS system is equipped with a light railgun, and a short-range missile launcher. Although not designed for close combat, the ALDIS has two light machine guns affixed to the underside of its "head." The head does not serve any purpose other than carrying the guns, as it is a residual relic from the system's initial design phase. Most of the ALDIS's sensors are built into the main body, and it uses a back mounted non-combustible high-capacity battery pack for power. Each ALDIS system has one human pilot, but similar to the URE's Hornet, have a basic AI system which puts them into an "overwatch" mode. ALDIS systems have been deployed to great success, and currently have a very low pilot death count.
This started out as a Power-Miners inspired humanoid mech, but I didn't like how the legs clashed with the rest of it so I made something new out of them. This was a pretty fun build, I might do more like this in the future.
Scarring the southern highlands of Mars is one of the Solar System’s largest impact basins: Hellas, with a diameter of 2300 km and a depth of over 7 km.
Hellas is thought to have formed between 3.8 and 4.1 billion years ago, when a large asteroid hit the surface of Mars. Since its formation, Hellas has been subject to modification by the action of wind, ice, water and volcanic activity.
Impact craters have also since pock-marked this vast basin floor, two of which are the focus of this image, taken by the High Resolution Stereo Camera on ESA’s Mars Express on 17 December 2013. The ground resolution is about 15 metres per pixel.
These craters lie in the deepest, western portion of Hellas, and such a clear view is unusual because dust clouds typically obscure the basin floor. Indeed, this region seems to be covered by a thick blanket of dust.
The larger of the two craters is about 25 km across. A flow of material appears to have been transported from the top left of the scene and into the crater. Zooming in to the smooth mound and the area immediately around it reveals interesting textures that likely resulted from this flow.
Flow features are also seen outside of the craters, and in particular, at the centre left of the image near the top of the frame. Material also seems to have cascaded from the larger crater’s rim and into a neighbouring smaller crater, at the far left of the image.
The morphology of many features in the Hellas Basin and its surroundings strongly suggests the presence of ice and glaciers.
For example, in the foreground and around the crater rim, polygons of patterned ground are visible which indicates the presence of water – this pattern occurs when fine grained and porous wet soil freezes.
Indeed, in the deepest parts of the basin, the atmospheric pressure is about 89% higher than at the surface, which may even offer conditions suitable for water. Radar images from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter suggest that some craters in Hellas might contain water-ice glaciers several hundred metres thick, buried under layers of dust.
Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum), CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
Copyright Notice:
This work is licenced under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO (CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO) licence. The user is allowed to reproduce, distribute, adapt, translate and publicly perform this publication, without explicit permission, provided that the content is accompanied by an acknowledgement that the source is credited as 'ESA/DLR/FU Berlin’, a direct link to the licence text is provided and that it is clearly indicated if changes were made to the original content. Adaptation/translation/derivatives must be distributed under the same licence terms as this publication. To view a copy of this license, please visit creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/igo/
Gare de Lyon 14/02/2019 12h17
Like if we were back in the 1980's and 1990's when the TGV colors were orange like here.
Set TGV 01, named ‘Patrick’, retires after 41 years of service. For this occasion, both power cars got back their original orange livery. Intermediate cars got back SNCF older blue-silver paint scheme, so TGV 01 now sports all three liveries it has had during its active career.
TGV 01 "Patrick"
An explosion of colors to say farewell to the first TGV Sud-Est high-speed train. Set TGV 01, named ‘Patrick’, retires after 41 years of service. For this occasion, both power cars got back their original orange livery. Intermediate cars got back SNCF older blue-silver paint scheme, so TGV 01 now sports all three liveries it has had during its active career.
The SNCF TGV Sud-Est or TGV-PSE was a French high speed TGV train built by Alstom and operated by SNCF, the French national railway company. It is a semi-permanently coupled electric multiple unit and was built for operation between Paris and the south-east of France.
The TGV Sud-Est fleet was built between 1978 and 1988 and operated the first TGV service from Paris to Lyon in 1981.
Originally the sets were built to run at 270 km/h (168 mph) but most were upgraded to 300 km/h (186 mph) during their mid-life refurbishment in preparation for the opening of the LGV Méditerranée. The few sets which still have a maximum speed of 270 km/h (168 mph) operate on routes which have a comparatively short distance on the lignes à grande vitesse, such as those to Switzerland via Dijon. SNCF did not consider it financially worthwhile to upgrade their speed for a marginal reduction in journey time.
In December 2019, all TGV Sud-Est sets were retired from service. In early 2020, a farewell service which included TGV01 (Nicknamed Patrick), the very first TGV train ever build. This train included all 3 liveries that were worn during it's service.
FACTS & FIGURES (SNCF TGV "Sud-Est")
In service: 1981-December 2019
Manufacturer: GEC-Alsthom
Number built: 111
Numbers preserved / scrapped: 7 / 107
Formation: 10 cars (2 power cars, 8 passenger cars)
Capacity: 350
Length: 200 meters
Speed: 300 km/h
Electric system(s): 25 kV 50 Hz AC 1500 V DC
Safety system(s): TVM 300/TVM 430
[ Source & More: Wikipedia - SNCF TGV Sud-Est ]
Boeing and NASA teams work around Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft after it landed at White Sands Missile Range’s Space Harbor, Wednesday, May 25, 2022, in New Mexico. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2) is Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. OFT-2 serves as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
The United Launch Alliance (ULA) Centaur stage for NASA’s Lucy mission is lifted by crane into the Vertical Integration Facility near Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Sept. 16, 2021. Lucy is scheduled to launch no earlier than Saturday, Oct. 16, on a ULA Atlas V 401 rocket from Pad 41. NASA’s Launch Services Program based at Kennedy Space Center is managing the launch. Over its 12-year primary mission, Lucy will explore a record-breaking number of asteroids, flying by one asteroid in the solar system’s main belt and seven Trojan asteroids. Additionally, Lucy’s path will circle back to Earth three times for gravity assists, making it the first spacecraft ever to return to the vicinity of Earth from the outer solar system. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett
Interstellar asteroid ʻOumuamua on 2017 December 12.
Each color represents one of five exposures used to look at ʻOumuamua. Background stars and galaxies look like they are smeared because Hubble was tracking tiny, faint ʻOumuamua, located roughly in the center of the image as a little white dot. If you don't know where to look, it is pretty much impossible to find ʻOumuamua's signal in the raw data. Once the cosmic rays are removed and it's all added up, though, a clear speck emerges.
Data from Proposal 15405 were used to create this image.
Which way home? Finding the origin of our Solar System's first interstellar visitor
The only camera and filter used was WFC3/UVIS F350LP.
List of files used:
idqn04hjq_flc, idqn04hkq_flc, idqn04hnq_flc, idqn04hqq_flc, idqn04hsq_flc
I did not use geometric distortion corrected images because it seemed to make it that much harder to find ʻOumuamua.
North is 63.81° counter-clockwise from up.
Two of Guilford Rail System's first-generation EMDs, GP9r ST 51 and GP7 ST 12 approach Fairfield, Maine, not far from their final destination, with SAPI-1 (Hinckley, ME. to Waterville, ME. trip) on March 20th, 2005.
Gornergratbahn AG (GGB, BVZ Holding AG): The Gornergrat rack railway connects Zermatt (1605 m a.s.l.) with the summit of Gornergrat (3089 m a.s.l.), in a route of 9.3 km. Of metric gauge, it is one of the few railways in the world that has a three-phase electrification, at 750 V/50 Hz. It uses the Abt system's rack. The line was put into service in 1898, and is electrified from the beginning. The service is mainly provided with EMUs of two cars, of three different generations.
Here we see train 234 to Gornergrat leaving the Zermatt terminal. It consits of two of the most modern EMUs of this railway, the Bhe 4/6 3093 and 3091. They are part of a series of five built by Stadler Ral in 2022 (Polaris type, series 3091-3095).
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard is seen on the launch pad at Space Launch Complex 41 ahead of the Orbital Flight Test-2 mission, Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2 will be Starliner’s second uncrewed flight test and will dock to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The mission, currently targeted for launch at 1:20 p.m. EDT, will serve as an end-to-end test of the system's capabilities. Photo Credit: (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)
Freshly restored former Maidstone Corporation Sunbeam trolleybus 72 (HKR11) was decked out in flags to celebrate the so-called Wedding of the Century, the marriage of HRH Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer. Amid much national rejoicing, the happy event duly took place a few days later. Sadly, we all know how that turned out.
The location is the Sandtoft Trolleybus Museum, a place of regular pilgrimage over several decades. Dating from 1947, HKR11 served the Kentish county town for 20 years until the trolleybus system’s demise in March 1967. It carries bodywork by Northern Coachbuilders.
July 1981
Yashica FR-1 camera
Agfa CT18 film.
Platform edge at metro station Avtovo on the Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line (Line 1), Avtovo district, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Some background information:
The Saint Petersburg Metro is the underground railway system of the city of Saint Petersburg. It has been open since 15th November 1955. Formerly known as the V.I. Lenin Order of Lenin Leningrad Metropoliten, the system exhibits many typical Soviet designs and features exquisite decorations and artwork making it one of the most attractive and elegant metros in the world, maybe only excelled by the Moscow Metro. Due to the city's unique geology, the Saint Petersburg Metro is also one of the deepest metro systems in the world and the deepest by the average depth of all the stations. The system's deepest station, Admiralteyskaya, is located 86 metres below ground. Serving 2.1 million passengers daily (resp. 763.1 million passengers per year), the Saint Petersburg Metro is the 19th busiest metro system in the world.
Avtovo is a station on the Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line of the Saint Petersburg Metro. Designed by architect Yevgenii Levinson, it opened as part of the first Leningrad Metro line on 15th November 1955. In 2014, the British newspaper "The Guardian" included it on its list of the twelve most beautiful metro stations in the world.
Avtovo's unique and highly ornate design features columns faced with ornamental glass manufactured at the Lomonosov factory. Although the original plan envisaged using glass on all of the columns in the station, white marble was substituted on some due to time constraints. This marble was supposed to be temporary, but it has never been replaced. The walls are faced with white marble and adorned on the north side by a row of ornamental ventilation grilles. At the end of the platform a mosaic by V.A. Voronetskiy and A.K. Sokolov commemorates the Leningrad Blockade (1941 to 1944) during the Second World War.
Unlike the other stations on the first line, Avtovo is a shallow-level station, located just 12 metres below ground level and constructed using the cut and cover method. It belongs to the shallow column class of underground stations. Avtovo has as its entrance vestibule a large Neoclassical building with a domed cupola, located on the east side of Prospekt Stachek.
In Saint Petersburg’s history, the question of building an underground transport system arose several times, the first time in 1820, when the idea was hatched to build an underground road in a tunnel. By the end of the 19th century, certain interested parties began discussing the possibility of opening the Russian Empire's first metropolitan railway system. Almost all pre-revolutionary designs featured the concept of an elevated metro system, similar to the Paris or Vienna metros. However, as was later discovered through the experience of operating open (ground-level) metro lines in the city, such schemes would likely have resulted in a poor metro service. Unfortunately, at the time, Russian engineers did not have sufficient expertise or technical resources for the construction of deep underground tunnels through the bedrock located far beneath St Petersburg. Hence, it was finally Moscow that got the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union in 1935.
In 1938 the question of building a metro for Saint Petersburg (by then renamed to Leningrad), resurfaced again. The initial project was designed by the Moscow institute 'Metrogiprotrans', but on 21st January 1941, "Construction Directorate № 5 of the People's Commissariat" was founded as a body to specifically oversee the design and construction of the Leningrad Metro. By April 1941, 34 shafts for the initial phase of construction had been finished. During the Second World War construction works were frozen due to severe lack of available funding, manpower and equipment. At this time, many of the metro construction workers were employed in the construction and repair of railheads and other objects vital to the besieged city.
In 1946 Lenmetroproyekt was created, to finish the construction of the metro first phase. A new version of the metro project, devised by specialists, identified two new solutions to the problems to be encountered during the metro construction. Firstly, stations were to be built at a level slightly raised above that of normal track so as to prevent drainage directly into them, whilst the average tunnel width was to be reduced from the 6 metres (20 feet) standard of the Moscow Metro to 5.5 metres (18 feet).
On 3rd September 1947, construction in the Leningrad subway began again and eight years later, on 7 October 1955, the electricity was turned on in the metro l. On 15th November 1955, the subway grand opening was held, with the first seven stations being put into public use. These stations later became part of the Kirovsko-Vyborgskaya Line, connecting the Moscow Rail Terminal in the city centre with the Kirovsky industrial zone in the southwest. Subsequent development included lines under the Neva River in 1958, and the construction of the Vyborgsky Radius in the mid-1970s to reach the new housing developments in the north. In 1978, the line was extended past the city limits into the Leningrad Oblast.
By the time of the USSR's collapse, the Leningrad Metro comprised 54 stations and 94.2 kilometres (58.5 miles) of track. But development even continued in the modern, post-Soviet period. Today, the Saint Petersburg metro comprises five lines with altogether 69 stations and 118,6 kilometres (74 miles) of track. However, the present state is not meant to be the end of the story. Plans have been made to extend the Saint Petersburg Metro to nine lines with altogether 126 stations and 190 kilometres (118 miles) of track. But delays due to the difficult geology of the city's underground and to the insufficient funding have cut down these plans to 17 new stations and one new depot until 2025. At the same time, there are several short and mid-term projects on station upgrades, including escalator replacements and lighting upgrades.
On 3rd April 2017, a terrorist bombing caused an explosion on a train between Sennaya Ploshchad and Tekhnologicheski Institut stations, on the Line 2. 14 people died and over 50 sustained injuries, while Russian president Vladimir Putin was in the city, when the attack happened. On the same day, Russia's National anti-terrorist unit defused another explosive device at Ploshchad Vosstaniya station.
Saint Petersburg (in Russian: Санкт-Петербу́рг) is Russia's second-largest city after Moscow, with currently 5.3 million inhabitants, part of the Saint Petersburg agglomeration with a population of 6.2 million (2015). An important Russian port on the Baltic Sea, it has a status of a federal city. Saint Petersburg is also the fourth-largest city in Europe, only excelled by Istanbul, London and Moscow. Other famous European cities like Paris, Berlin, Rome and Madrid are smaller. Furthermore, Saint Petersburg is the world’s northernmost megapolis and called "The Venice of the North", due to its many channels that traverse the city.
Situated on the Neva River, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea, it was founded by Tsar Peter the Great on 27th May 1703. On 1st September 1914, the name was changed from Saint Petersburg to Petrograd, on 26 January 1924 to Leningrad, and on 7 September 1991 back to Saint Petersburg. Between 1713 and 1728 and again between 1732 and 1918, Saint Petersburg was the capital of Imperial Russia. In 1918, the central government bodies moved to Moscow, which is located about 625 kilometres (388 miles) to the south-east.
Saint Petersburg is also the cultural capital of Russia. Today, the city is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list as an area with 36 historical architectural complexes and around 4000 outstanding individual monuments of architecture, history and culture. It has 221 museums, 2,000 libraries, more than 80 theaters, 100 concert organizations, 45 galleries and exhibition halls, 62 cinemas and around 80 other cultural establishments. Saint Petersburg is home to the Hermitage, one of the largest art museums in the world.
Every year the city hosts around 100 festivals and various competitions of art and culture, including more than 50 international ones. In 2017, the city was visited by 7.2 million tourists and it is expected that in the years ahead the number of tourists will still be on the rise. Furthermore, many foreign consulates, international corporations, banks and businesses have offices in Saint Petersburg. The multinational Gazprom company has its headquarters in the newly erected Lakhta Center.
+++ DISCLAIMER +++
Nothing you see here is real, even though the conversion or the presented background story might be based historical facts. BEWARE!
Some background (including material from fellow modeler Devilfish at whatifmodelers.com):
The SEPECAT Cheetah was a more sophisticated variable geometry wing derivative of the Anglo-French Jaguar attack aircraft, similar to the Su-7 and later Su-17/2022 evolution.
The Jaguar programme began in the early 1960s, in response to a British requirement for an advanced supersonic jet trainer to replace the Folland Gnat T1 and Hawker Hunter T7, and a French requirement (ECAT or École de Combat et d'Appui Tactique, "Tactical Combat Support Trainer") for a cheap, subsonic dual role trainer and light attack aircraft to replace the Fouga Magister, Lockheed T-33 and Dassault Mystère IV.
Cross-channel negotiations led to the formation of SEPECAT (Société Européenne de Production de l'Avion d'École de Combat et d'Appui Tactique – the "European company for the production of a combat trainer and tactical support aircraft") in 1966 as a joint venture between Breguet and the British Aircraft Corporation to produce the airframe.
Though based in part on the Breguet Br.121, using the same basic configuration and an innovative French-designed landing gear, the Jaguar as built also incorporated major elements designed by BAC – notably the wing and high lift devices. Production of the aircraft components would be split between Breguet and BAC and these would be assembled on two production lines; one in the UK and one in France.
The first of eight prototypes flew on 8 September 1968, a two-seat design fitted with the first production model Adour engine. The second prototype flew in February 1969; a total of three prototypes appeared in flight at the Paris Air Show that year. The first French "A" prototype flew in March 1969. In October a British "S" conducted its first flight.
A navalized "M" prototype flew in November 1969. The "M" had a strengthened airframe, an arrester hook and different undercarriage: twin nose wheel and single mainwheels. After testing in France it went to RAE at Thurleigh for carrier landing trials from their land based catapult. In July 1970 it made real take offs and landings from the French carrier Clemenceau.
The RAF accepted delivery of the first of 165 single-seat Jaguar GR1s (the service designation of the Jaguar S) in 1974, and it remained in service until 2007. Anyway, the Jaguar's all-weather capacity was limited and the airframe still offered development potential, so that from 1976 on the Anglo-French SEPECAT consortium looked at improved versions with radar, more powerful engines and improved avionics and aerodynamics.
This led in late 1975 to the Cheetah project, which incorporated a variable geometry wing that could be mounted to the Jaguar's airframe without major structural modifications.
The Cheetah was designed as a multirole, twin-engined aircraft designed to excel at low-level penetration of enemy defences, but also for battlefield reconnaissance and maritime patrol duties, and both naval and land-based versions were developed.
The Cheetah’s primary mission envisaged during the Cold War was the delivery of conventional and nuclear ordnance on the invading forces of the Warsaw Pact countries of Eastern Europe. Advanced navigation and flight computers, including the then-innovative fly-by-wire system, greatly reduced the workload of the pilot during low-level flight and eased control of the aircraft.
Compared with the Jaguar, the Cheetah’s nose section was widened to carry an Ericsson PS 37 X-band mono pulse radar, which used a mechanically steered parabolic dish housed in a radome. This radar performed several functions, including air-to-ground telemetry, search, track, terrain-avoidance and cartography. Air-to-air telemetry was also provided. This capability was not the system’s functional focus, but allowed the Cheetah to engage in all weather air-to-air combat and to act as a point defense interceptor with short range AAMs (e. g. up to six AIM-9 Sidewinder).
Honeywell provided an automatic digital flight control system for the Cheetah, one of the first such systems in a production aircraft. To assist low altitude flight and navigation, a Honeywell radar altimeter with transmitter and receiver was used, and the aircraft was also fitted with a Decca Type 72 Doppler navigation radar. TILS (Tactical Instrument Landing System), a landing-aid system made by Cutler-Hammer AIL, improved landing accuracy to 30 m.
From this basis, the Cheetah’s airframe was adapted to a naval version first, which featured a more rigid structure, a beefed-up landing gear for carrier operations and other suitable modifications. This evolved into the Cheetah FRS.1 for the Royal Navy. The FRS.1 was a separate development from the Jaguar, and catered to a very different specification. By the late 60's the Royal navy knew that their big carriers were due for scrapping and that plans for the proposed CVA 01 carrier were already being shelved. In a desperate attempt to hold on to naval air power, the Admiralty put forward a plan to buy two ex-US Navy Kittyhawk class supercarriers and refit them with British equipment (mostly salvaged from the outgoing carriers, Ark Royal and Eagle).
Because of the cancellation of TSR.2, the treasury, in a strange turn of events, agreed that air power at sea was definitively needed. They approved the acquisition of at first one, then later a second US carrier. To supplement them, two Centaur class carriers were to be retrofitted to act as tactical carriers to aid in smaller conflicts.
As these were not big enough to carry and deploy the larger American types being used on the supercarriers, a smaller multi-purpose aircraft was needed. With the Cheetah, BAC offered a version of the Jaguar, fitted with the variable geometry wing, then being designed for the MRCA, to aid with slower and shorter take offs and landings. Renamed the Cheetah, the FRS.1 entered service aboard the HMS Hermes in 1978, seeing service during the Falklands conflict in 1982.
The land-based Cheetah differed in many details from the naval version, though, the first prototype flew in early 1977 and the RAF’s GR.2 was primarily designed for the RAF Germany forces, since the continental theatre of operations was regarded as the most critical NATO flank of that time. The RAF Cheetahs were supposed to carry out conventional and nuclear point strikes against targets in the GDR, Poland and Czechoslovakia, and defend coastal lines against fast invasion fleets, esp. in the Baltic Sea.
The biggest visible difference to the FRS.1 was a different variable wing geometry mechanism and a modified wing shape with a dog tooth close to the pivot section and an extended leading edge fairing at the wing roots. The GR.2’s VG mechanism was more compact than the Tornado structure originally used in the FRS.1, but also simpler in order to save as much weight as possible.
The GR.2’s wings could be swept backwards between 16° and 72°, and the horizontal stabilizers were adapted in shape to form a quasi delta wing when the wings were fully swept back, allowing for minimal drag during the critical low-level dash towards a well-prepared enemy. The sweep angle could be altered manually by the pilot, but also automatically. The different VG wings basically improved low altitude aerodynamics and handling of the Cheetah, as well as its STOL capabilities. With its rugged undercarriage, lent from the Jaguar, the Cheetah GR.2 was, more than the bigger and heavier Tornado, suited for tactical front line service from improvised airstrips, together with the RAF’s Harrier fleet.
The Cheetah FRS.1 and the GR.2 carried the Jaguar’s pair of 30mm cannon, but due to the different wing structures the hardpoints for external ordnance differed. The Cheetah was typically equipped with a total of seven hardpoints: three underneath the fuselage, and more under the wings. The FRS.1 had four wing pylons which could, thanks to the Tornado ancestry, be swept together with the wings.
The GR.2’s capacity was more limited, as it carried two large tandem pylons under each wing root, each also carrying a launch rail for defensive AAMs, and a further pair of optional wing-mounted, fixed hardpoints. This facility was rarely used, though, and they were basically reserved for drop tanks for ferry flights, but could also take weapon racks. External ordnance capacity was similar to the original Jaguar, with 10,000 lb (4,500 kg).
The first Cheetah GR.2 entered RAF service in 1980, and replaced basically the RAF Buccaneers as well as an early part of the Jaguar GR.1 fleet (the Jaguars kept in service were later modernized to GR.3 standard).
The RAF Cheetahs served together with the Jaguar Force until 2007, when both types were retired. Following their retirement from flying service, some Cheetahs continue to serve as ground instructional airframes, most notably at RAF Cosford, used in the training of RAF fitters.
General characteristics:
Crew: One
Length: 16.83 m (55 ft 2½ in)
Wingspan: 13.97 m (45 ft 10 in) spread 16°, XXX swept 72°
Height: 4.89 m (16 ft 0½ in)
Wing area: 37.35 m² spread, 34.16 m² swept (402.05 ft² / 367.71 ft²)
Empty weight: 7,848 kg (17,286 lb)
Loaded weight: 12,200 kg (26,872 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 15,700 kg (34,612 lb)
Powerplant:
2 × Rolls-Royce/Turbomeca Adour Mk 105 turbofans
with 24.50 kN (5,508 lbf) dry thrust each and 35.5 kN (7,979 lbf) with afterburner
Performance:
Maximum speed: Mach 1.8 (1,870 km/h, 1,161 mph) at 11,000 m (36,000 ft)
Mach 1.1 (1,350 km/h, 839 mph) at sea level
Combat radius: 908 km (490 nmi, 564 mi) (lo-lo-lo, external fuel)
Ferry range: 3,524 km (1,902 nmi, 2,190 mi)
Service ceiling: 14,000 m (45,900 ft)
Rate of climb: 200 m/s (39,400 ft/min)
Climb to 9,145 m (30,000 ft): 1 min 30 sec
Armament:
2× 30 mm (1.18 in) DEFA cannons in the lower front fuselage, 150 RPG
7 hardpoints; 1× center-line pylon stations Fore & Aft plus a pair of pylons in front of the main landing gear wells; twin inner pylon (Fore & Aft) plus launch rails for AAMs, and single Outer Pylon pair under the wings, non-moveable. Total capacity of 10,000 lb (4,500 kg) for a wide range of guided and unguided ordnance, including:
- Matra rocket pods with 18× SNEB 68 mm rockets each (up to seven at once)
- AS.37 Martel anti-radar missiles
- AS-30L laser guided air-to-ground missiles
- Various unguided or laser-guided bombs of up to 2.000 lb (907 kg) caliber
- 2× WE177A nuclear bombs
- 1× AN-52 nuclear bomb
- ECM protection pods
- Reconnaissance pods
- ATLIS laser/electro-optical targeting pod
- External drop tanks for extended range/loitering time
The kit and its assembly:
The final contribution to the “Cold War” Group Build at whatifmodelers.com, and another realization of a plan from the long agenda – and triggered by a similar build at the board from fellow modeler Devilfish who built a naval VG Jaguar with Tornado wings in 1:48. I took the opportunity and inspiration to build my interpretation of that theme, lending the Cheetah designation from Devilfish’s build, though, and some of the naval version’s background.
Anyway, my conversion plan had been different. I wanted to create an RAF aircraft, true to the Jaguar’s strike/recce role, and the VG mechanism and wings would come from a MiG-23 – inspired by a similar transplant with a Mirage F.1C I saw many moons ago (and a beautiful result, I want to try that stunt, too!).
I also had the donation kits stashed away: a Heller SEPECAT Jaguar A (actually, I had already piled up four kits for this task…) and an Academy MiG-23S.
Wing transplantation went straightforward and with surprisingly little difficulties. The MiG’s wings were cut out together with the spinal section and the lower wing gloves, so that the VG geometry remained unchanged. On the other side, this package went into a shallow gap that I carved out from the Jag’s ventral section. Some putty and body sculpting merged the parts, easier than expected.
The rest saw only minor modifications. A radome was implanted (from an Italeri F-18 Hornet), which needed some body sculpting around the nose and the MiG-23’s stabilizers were used, too, in order to form a clean wing shape. I tailored their trailing edges a bit, so that the shape would not remind too much of the MiG heritage.
An RAF style radar warning receiver, scratched from 1.5mm styrene, was installed into the French version’ fin. Under the wing roots a pair of pylons from a Matchbox F-14 were added, together with Sidewinder launch rails from a Tornado ADV (Italeri). The jet exhausts were drilled open for more depth, and some sensors/pitots added to the nose, made from wire. Cockpit and landing gear were taken OOB, even though I used a different ejection seat and faired the original dashboard over with a piece of styrene.
The BL 755 bombs and their twin racks come OOB from the Heller kit, the Sidewinders from an ESCI kit, IIRC.
Painting and markings:
The RAF was settled as an operator, but for a whiffy twist I applied the all-green scheme that the RAF’s Harrier GR.5 carried in the late Eighties – exclusively, AFAIK. While the all NATO Green upper side appears a bit dull, the Lichen Green underside and the very low waterline look rather psychedelic and unique. Anyway, it works well on the Cheetah, and I can imagine that other RAF aircraft would also look cool in this simple scheme?
The basic colors I used are Humbrol 105 (Army Green) and 120 (Light Green, FS 34227), both are pretty approximates. The basic paintwork was later panel-shaded with lighter mixes of these two tones – actually brightened up with RAF Cockpit Green (Humbrol 78). In fact, the Heller Jaguar is almost totally devoid of any surface detail... A light black ink wash was also used to emphasize edges and deepen the contrast. The wings’ leading edges were painted in a very dark green (Humbrol 91) and the cockpit interior was painted in dark grey (FS 36076 from Model Master). The landing gear struts were painted light grey, while the wells and covers became Zinc Chromate Yellow.
The decals are a mix of the OOB Heller sheet and aftermarket sheets for RAF Jaguars, an Italeri Tornado and a Harrier GR.5. A coat of matt acrylic varnish finally sealed everything and the ordnance was mounted.
An interesting conversion, and the result looks very plausible! I am certain that this thing would make people seriously wonder and think when displayed on a convention. The VG Jag looks very natural – but not much sexier than the original? Anyway, the transplantation does not look out of place, because the Jaguar’s layout is very similar to the Panavia Tornado, so that the VG wing does not appear like the total fake it actually is. ^^