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Posted on 03/19/2002 12:18:15 AM PST by Snow Bunny
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Click on the picture.
Now let's have a blessed day.
Hey COB, in response to your yesterday's comment ;I'll come out there if you'll promise to teach me how to make beer, and if you'll write a letter to my neighbor stating that I DO know how to make beer instead of beer BOMBS!
I 've only had two bottles explode on me, and both times my mother-in-law was in the house...coincidence?...
Mr. Teacup and I will "learn you good" in the fine art of homebrewin'...course, ya can't make homebrew without drinkin' homebrew...
Lord Robertson Unveils Commemorative Picture
NATO Secretary General Lord Robertson unveiled a picture commemorating the terrorist attacks against the United States on 11 September 2001 by the British artist Ashley Jackson at NATO headquarters. The picture, which was donated to NATO by the renowned painter, is a drawing of Manhattan on that fateful day with flames billowing out of the World Trade Center's twin towers. It will be hung at the entrance to the room in which the North Atlantic Council met on the evening of 11 September and is meant as a reminder of the mission entrusted to NATO when the North Atlantic Treaty was signed: to defend the common values uniting the Alliance and forming the foundation of our societies against external aggression.
"The unveiling of Ashley Jackson's painting is a solemn commitment we shall never forget. All those who seek to attack the freedoms and values we cherish will find us blocking in their way," Lord Robertson said.
ST. LOUIS, July 8, 1997 -- Performing flawlessly, the tailless X-36 prototype fighter built by McDonnell Douglas (NYSE: MD) completed Phase 1 flight testing June 30 at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in Edwards, Calif.
"The aircraft is performing so well that we not only completed Phase 1 on schedule and within budget, but were also able to conduct flights on a daily basis and expand the Phase 1 flight envelope," said McDonnell Douglas' X-36 program manager Gary Jennings.
Phase 1 testing of the subscale, remotely piloted aircraft began May 17. In a series of eight test flights, a NASA/McDonnell Douglas team verified the aircraft's control software, ground station, data system and air data calibrations.
"We're delighted with the results of Phase 1 testing," Jennings said. "The aircraft is performing flawlessly, and its handling qualities and stability margins prove to be better than predicted. As a result, we were able to complete the last four flights in four consecutive working days -- which is quite a feat in the flight test world."
According to Jennings, two new software programs proved to be very effective during Phase 1 testing. Parameter Identification, produced by McDonnell Douglas, was used to determine individual flight control surface effectiveness. Real-Time Stability Margin, developed by NASA, was used to monitor the aircraft's phase and gain margins for the flight control system in real-time.
"The Real-time Stability Margin program was a key element in successfully completing Phase 1 in record time and on budget," said Rod Bailey, X-36 program manager for NASA. It worked so well, he said, that it allowed the X-36 team to expand the aircraft's maximum angle-of-attack from 15 degrees to 20 degrees in Phase 1.
The results of Phase 1 will be used to expand the flight envelope of the X-36 during Phase 2 flight testing, scheduled to begin in late July. Objectives include expanding the angle-of-attack envelope to 35 degrees and demonstrating agility that is equal to or better than that of current fighter aircraft at these elevated angles of attack.
McDonnell Douglas has fabricated two 28 percent scale aircraft for the X-36 program -- each measuring 18 feet long, 3 feet high, with a 10-foot wing span and weighing 1,250 pounds. Each is also powered by a Williams Research F112 turbofan engine that produces 700 pounds of thrust.
The tailless design of the X-36 greatly enhances the stealth characteristics of the airplane and promises to provide greater agility than current fighter aircraft have. The design also reduces weight and drag and explores new flight control technologies, such as split ailerons and thrust vectoring.
The X-36 is remotely controlled by a pilot in a ground station cockpit that receives an "out the window" view from a camera in the aircraft, complete with an overlay of a head-up display. This pilot-in-the-loop approach eliminates the need for expensive and complex autonomous flight control systems and allows for a quick-paced, aggressive flight test program.
NASA's Ames Research Center leads the X-36 program, which is funded under a roughly 50/50 cost sharing arrangement with McDonnell Douglas. The combined program cost for development, fabrication and flight testing is about $20 million.
NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center is hosting the X-36 program and providing range support
This is still my favorite
How gratifying it is to know that a treaty that is over 50 years old is still relevant and effective today.
I remember the world-wide tributes posted here on FR during the week immediately after that fateful day, and I remember losing it, emotionally, as each image scrolled across the screen... For all her faults, America is still the greatest nation in the world, and I couldn't be prouder to be an American citizen.
2 Corinthians 3:17
...and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
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War has come to our shores. It was committed on American soil. We have been able to live in Freedom only because of those who have fought in the past wars giving life, limb and all the sacrifices for us to live in Freedom and go about our day without fear. 
This is the Freeper version of the USO Canteen. Where soldiers could come and feel a small part of being at home. It is a place where you that have family in the military can post a thought to a loved one that might be able to read it far away from home. A place where we that support our military can help support them, post to them, fun graphics showing the price in America and our troops. Poems, quotes, cartoons, or articles of how America is behind our troops.
