You are hereArchive - 2009
Archive - 2009
Solar plane, 1st of its kind, Airbus-sized, around the world without fuel & with zero emissions: prototype runway debut
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The prototype of a solar-powered plane, the size of an Airbus and the weight of a mid-sized car, destined for a record round-the-world journey has made its 1st trip across a runway. The plane covered at least 2km at speeds of up to 5 knots on the landing strip in Switzerland. This test run saw the Solar Impulse plane outside its hangar for the first time, with tests of its motors and computer. As wide as a jumbo jet but weighing just 1,500 kg, the plane's maiden flight is scheduled for February in 2010, and a final version will attempt to cross the Atlantic in 2012. HB-SIA’s mission is to demonstrate the feasibility of a night flight making sole use of solar energy. It is a “no frills” plane built solely for verifying our technological choices. It is a true “flying lab”. The results gained from it will be used for optimizing the construction of the HB-SIB, whose mission it will be to fly around the world without fuel and with zero emissions as from 2012.
Photos: Santa Claus running in blizzard; White Christmas in London; skis in Capitol Hill; snow-covered Great Wall
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Air passengers are facing delays and cancellations as freezing temperatures and heavy snow sweep across Britain and much of Northern Europe. Many flights in and out of Manchester airport were cancelled today as staff cleared the runway of snow and ice. Many homes have been without power since Thursday night as a result of snow, an energy supplier said today. About 330 homes in the east of England were still without power supplies this morning, an EDF Energy spokesman said. He said staff had worked tirelessly to restore the power for thousands of homes affected by the severe weather. 'With snow and ice still across the region, travel between faults remains difficult,' he added.
COP15: what does encroaching seas and melting of Arctic ice cap tell us?
How simple the question: do we have Planet B, or Earth C? Can we ask Nature to wait for our negotiation while CO2 are being pumped non-stop into our atmosphere; temperature goes higher, ice cap becomes thinner; sea level is rising and our land is shrinking? Lord Stern described the summit as the "most important gathering since the second world war, given what is at stake". Scientists say, "on climate, lost decade now leads to final chance, 'last' decade." "The decade of the 2000s will end as the warmest ever on global temperature charts. Warmer still lies ahead. Through 10 years of global boom and bust, of breakneck change around the planet, of terrorism, war and division, all people everywhere under that warming sun faced one threat together: the buildup of greenhouse gases, the rise in temperatures, the danger of a shifting climate, of drought, weather extremes and encroaching seas, of untold damage to the world humanity has created for itself over millennia." Al Gore is calling for "Humanity's Fateful Fight", "latest science on melting of Arctic ice cap, evidence "only reckless fools would ignore".
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"I do not believe we can wait till next November or December." read more »
"Ring out the old, ring in the new / Ring, happy bells, across the snow..." - Alfred Lord Tennyson
Ring out the old, ring in the new,
Ring, happy bells, across the snow:
The year is going, let him go;
Ring out the false, ring in the true.
New Jersey ("The Garden State") became third of the original 13 US states on 18 Dec 1787 with motto "Liberty and Prosperity"
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Garden State
18 Dec 1787. New Jersey, constituent state of the United States of America. One of the original 13 states. New Jersey is called the Garden State because it became famous in the 18th century for the fertility of its land. For hundreds of thousands of visitors it offers long stretches of fine beaches along the Atlantic Ocean, and the resort town of Atlantic City may be better known than the state itself.
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Image courtesy Wikipedia
A human being is a part of a whole, called by us 'universe'..separated from the rest.. optical delusion..kind of prison for us
A human being is a part of a whole, called by us 'universe', a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
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