This month's AE presenter: Jeff
Date of presentation: 16-Nov-2015 (? - not sure, could be a week either way)
Subject: Strange Aircraft
Description: For this presentation, Jeff scraped the dust off an old favorite that he's given at least once before and which proved popular again this time. Over the century plus that mankind have been building heavier-than-air craft, some designs have definitely worked out better than others. This presentation "celebrates" some of the less-successful designs throughout aviation history. Note that these are not necessarily all "bad" designs, although most of them were, and several had fatal flaws (literally) that resulted in spectacular failures. But they were all unusual designs by today's standards.
Download a zipped PDF of this presentation (1839 KB).
30 November 2015
31 October 2015
No presentation: October 2015??
Due presumably to random brain fluctuations, Jeff has no memory of giving a presentation in October 2015, though he is not 100% certain that he did not, as he has no memory of NOT giving one either. This blog entry may change if new, more definitive information about the existence of such a presentation becomes available.
28 September 2015
Presentation: September 2015
This month's AE presenter: Jeff
Date of presentation: 28-Sept-2015
Subject: Truly World-Wide Web
Description: Jeff's presentation for September discussed the possibility of making Internet access widely available even in remote areas of the world. Even if the local economy can't support a traditional Internet infrastructure (cable TV, fiber optic lines, etc.), aerial options may still exist. Google is experimenting with balloons that carry a telecom payload, Facebook is designing solar-powered drones, and other companies are thinking about creating constellations of communication satellites, all of which serve to tie this presentation in to the "aerospace" mission.
Download a zipped PDF of this presentation (817 KB).
Date of presentation: 28-Sept-2015
Subject: Truly World-Wide Web
Description: Jeff's presentation for September discussed the possibility of making Internet access widely available even in remote areas of the world. Even if the local economy can't support a traditional Internet infrastructure (cable TV, fiber optic lines, etc.), aerial options may still exist. Google is experimenting with balloons that carry a telecom payload, Facebook is designing solar-powered drones, and other companies are thinking about creating constellations of communication satellites, all of which serve to tie this presentation in to the "aerospace" mission.
Download a zipped PDF of this presentation (817 KB).
25 August 2015
Presentation: August 2015
This month's AE presenter: Jeff
Date of presentation: 24-Aug-2015
Subject: The New Horizons mission
Description: The August presentation covered the New Horizons mission to Pluto. I talked about the origins and impetus behind the mission, then discussed some of the technical details of the launch, the craft itself and its payload, the flybys of Jupiter and Pluto, and what to expect in the future. I concluded with a series of photographs taken at various points in the mission.
Download a zipped PDF of this presentation (5803 KB)
Date of presentation: 24-Aug-2015
Subject: The New Horizons mission
Description: The August presentation covered the New Horizons mission to Pluto. I talked about the origins and impetus behind the mission, then discussed some of the technical details of the launch, the craft itself and its payload, the flybys of Jupiter and Pluto, and what to expect in the future. I concluded with a series of photographs taken at various points in the mission.
Download a zipped PDF of this presentation (5803 KB)
31 July 2015
No presentation: July 2015
Due to scheduling constraints, there was no aerospace education presentation given to the squadron in July 2015. (I had one prepared, but no opportunity to deliver it!)
15 June 2015
Presentation: June 2015
This month's AE presenter: Jeff
Date of presentation: 15-Jun-2015
Subject: Solar Impulse 2
Description: Jeff's presentation for June was about the Solar Impulse 2 - a solar-powered airplane currently making an around-the-world flight (as of this writing, it is in Nagoya, Japan). The presentation began with a video of the construction of the plane, then touched on the history of solar-powered aviation, the prototype Solar Impulse 1 which flew across the USA in 2013, and finally discussed the Solar Impulse 2 and the current status of its mission.
Download a zipped PDF of this presentation (196 KB).
Date of presentation: 15-Jun-2015
Subject: Solar Impulse 2
Description: Jeff's presentation for June was about the Solar Impulse 2 - a solar-powered airplane currently making an around-the-world flight (as of this writing, it is in Nagoya, Japan). The presentation began with a video of the construction of the plane, then touched on the history of solar-powered aviation, the prototype Solar Impulse 1 which flew across the USA in 2013, and finally discussed the Solar Impulse 2 and the current status of its mission.
Download a zipped PDF of this presentation (196 KB).
18 May 2015
Presentation: May 2015
This month's AE presenter: Jeff
Date of presentation: 18-May-2015
Subject: Aerospace Game (Jeopardy-like Quiz)
Description: For May, Jeff wanted to try something a bit different, so he created a Jeopardy-like game show and got the squadron involved in playing. The game consisted of questions in four Aerospace-related categories: General Aviation History, Aerodynamics, Aviation Safety, and Aeromedical. Team 2 (the left side of the room) won by a substantial margin.
The game can be found at this URL to play, or this URL to edit (password required).
Date of presentation: 18-May-2015
Subject: Aerospace Game (Jeopardy-like Quiz)
Description: For May, Jeff wanted to try something a bit different, so he created a Jeopardy-like game show and got the squadron involved in playing. The game consisted of questions in four Aerospace-related categories: General Aviation History, Aerodynamics, Aviation Safety, and Aeromedical. Team 2 (the left side of the room) won by a substantial margin.
The game can be found at this URL to play, or this URL to edit (password required).
27 April 2015
Presentation: April 2015
This month's AE presenter: Jeff
Date of presentation: 27-April-2015
Subject: The USS Macon - A Piece of Local History
Description: Jeff's presentation for the month of April was a documentary of sorts about the airship USS Macon - its history, its design and construction, its service, and ultimately its loss in 1935 off the shore of Northern California near Monterey. The fallout of this loss was the death knell for rigid airship designs considered by the US Navy. Also mentioned were expeditions undertaken in 1991 and 2006 to view, photograph, and recover artifacts from the wreckage, among which were the remains of parasitic biplanes that had been carried aboard the Macon.
Download a zipped PDF of this presentation (303 KB).
Date of presentation: 27-April-2015
Subject: The USS Macon - A Piece of Local History
Description: Jeff's presentation for the month of April was a documentary of sorts about the airship USS Macon - its history, its design and construction, its service, and ultimately its loss in 1935 off the shore of Northern California near Monterey. The fallout of this loss was the death knell for rigid airship designs considered by the US Navy. Also mentioned were expeditions undertaken in 1991 and 2006 to view, photograph, and recover artifacts from the wreckage, among which were the remains of parasitic biplanes that had been carried aboard the Macon.
Download a zipped PDF of this presentation (303 KB).
31 March 2015
No presentations: February, March 2015
Due to various time constraints and other issues within the squadron, no AE presentations were given in the months of February and March, 2015. Normal presentation schedule resumed in April.
26 January 2015
Presentation: January 2015
This month's AE presenter: Jeff
Date of presentation: 26-January-2015
Subject: Astrophysical Fitness
Description: January's presentation was an exploration of the effects of prolonged space travel on the human body. Some effects can be controlled - analgesics help with general body pain, exercise prevents muscle atrophy, sleep medications help with disrupted sleep cycles, etc. - but some are not so easily controlled at all, and very little research has been done with psychological effects - loneliness, isolation, etc. The presentation touched on an upcoming ISS mission in which astronaut Steve Kelly (brother of Mark Kelly, who was in the news recently when his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona congresswoman, was shot by a would-be assassin) will spend over a year traveling to and from the ISS plus time spent onboard the station. His physical and psychological effects will be closely monitored and studied.
Download a zipped PDF file of this presentation (83KB).
Date of presentation: 26-January-2015
Subject: Astrophysical Fitness
Description: January's presentation was an exploration of the effects of prolonged space travel on the human body. Some effects can be controlled - analgesics help with general body pain, exercise prevents muscle atrophy, sleep medications help with disrupted sleep cycles, etc. - but some are not so easily controlled at all, and very little research has been done with psychological effects - loneliness, isolation, etc. The presentation touched on an upcoming ISS mission in which astronaut Steve Kelly (brother of Mark Kelly, who was in the news recently when his wife, Gabrielle Giffords, an Arizona congresswoman, was shot by a would-be assassin) will spend over a year traveling to and from the ISS plus time spent onboard the station. His physical and psychological effects will be closely monitored and studied.
Download a zipped PDF file of this presentation (83KB).
31 December 2014
No presentation: December 2014
Due to fewer meetings being scheduled in December and other scheduling difficulties, there was no AE presentation given in Squadron 80 for the month of December.
17 November 2014
Presentation: November 2014
This months's AE presenter: David Hartman
Date of presentation: 17-November-2014
Subject: the Rosetta Mission
Description: Provided a brief status of the Rosetta mission and Philae probe.
The Rosetta mission reached its goals of intercepting 67P and landing Philae probe on its surface. This was an 11 year mission, and included fly-bys of earth and Mars. The lander was successful in photographing the surface, but it came to rest in the shadow of a cliff. Lack of power from its solar cells eventually resulted in loss of contact with the lander. The AE presentation included details of he mission including efforts to recover the lander. Photos of the comet were displayed and discussed.
Date of presentation: 17-November-2014
Subject: the Rosetta Mission
Description: Provided a brief status of the Rosetta mission and Philae probe.
The Rosetta mission reached its goals of intercepting 67P and landing Philae probe on its surface. This was an 11 year mission, and included fly-bys of earth and Mars. The lander was successful in photographing the surface, but it came to rest in the shadow of a cliff. Lack of power from its solar cells eventually resulted in loss of contact with the lander. The AE presentation included details of he mission including efforts to recover the lander. Photos of the comet were displayed and discussed.
21 October 2014
Presentation: October 2014
This month's AE presenter: Jeff
Date of presentation: 20-October-2014
Subject: The Lockheed Vega - History Comes To Life
Description: Jeff's October 2014 presentation talked about the Lockheed Vega, a record-setting airplane from the 1920s and 1930s, its history, significant accomplishments, and the efforts made by one man to restore the last one still flying to its original condition.
Most of the information and images were taken from Air & Space / Smithsonian Magazine, Oct/Nov 2014 issue, a corresponding article on their website, and the Wikipedia article on the Lockheed Vega.
Download a zip file containing both a PDF file of this presentation and the accompanying video that should (but doesn't) display as frame #2 in the presentation (1220 KB).
Date of presentation: 20-October-2014
Subject: The Lockheed Vega - History Comes To Life
Description: Jeff's October 2014 presentation talked about the Lockheed Vega, a record-setting airplane from the 1920s and 1930s, its history, significant accomplishments, and the efforts made by one man to restore the last one still flying to its original condition.
Most of the information and images were taken from Air & Space / Smithsonian Magazine, Oct/Nov 2014 issue, a corresponding article on their website, and the Wikipedia article on the Lockheed Vega.
Download a zip file containing both a PDF file of this presentation and the accompanying video that should (but doesn't) display as frame #2 in the presentation (1220 KB).
14 October 2014
Reports: 2014 2nd Half AE Report and 2015 POA
Two PDFs were submitted to the group AEO on 14-Oct-2014, one containing the squadron's second half ("h2")
of 2014 AE report, and one containing the squadron's 2015 AE POA.
These had to be sent out in October rather than January in order to meet the new requirement to switch to the fiscal year rather than the calendar year for such things, and to submit these reports by 15 October. Therefore the h2 report only covers the period from July - September 2014 despite the "July to December" box being checked.
These had to be sent out in October rather than January in order to meet the new requirement to switch to the fiscal year rather than the calendar year for such things, and to submit these reports by 15 October. Therefore the h2 report only covers the period from July - September 2014 despite the "July to December" box being checked.
06 October 2014
Aerospace Minute by David
On 6 Oct, David gave an update on the Cessna/Textron Scorpion jet. The Scorpion is designed as a light attack and reconnaissance aircraft. The news is that Textron is actually flying prototypes at airshows. It was demonstrated at Farnborough Airshow last summer. Textron plans this as an export fighter, so focus is on demonstrating it in Europe.
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