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| Remarkable cloud view during space flight reentry |
THE CONTINUING SAGA OF ONE MAN'S EXPLORATION OF SPACE
THE BIG BRAIN INITIATIVE - NEAR SPACE PROGRAMNEAR SPACE LAUNCH JULY 17TH, 2013
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| History: Micro Space rocket launch |
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| Early Big Brain |
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| History: Next Space view |
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| Powerful telescopes probe Deep Space |
by putting humans up 2,000 to 3,000 feet using country mega projects. The next step was Near Space exploration, launching a human upwards towards the ten mile mark. All during this time, the watchful eye of the Big Brain has become ever more powerful, with the construction of increasingly more and more powerful telescopes and machines probing Deep Space in a cosmic quest to conquer the Universe and beyond.
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| Spectacular view from Near Space at 10,000 feet as seen through the buffeted and reflective cockpit window |
Things were very busy in July with two daytime manned spacecraft launches into Near space on the same day. The first on lifted off on the morning of July 17th, 2013. The flight lifted up over the Sea of China, passed downrange over China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, as it made several discoveries about space, weather, rainbows, and in flight operations. The TST Tiny Space Telescope was deployed to get shots of the atmosphere, space objects and the Earth. Be sure to review the previous post about a rainbow, as the craft rose above and over the majestic site. (link below)
INTRODUCTION
The Near Space flight was a great success with discoveries and surprises. During the flight, the Tiny Space Telescope was deployed to obtain all daytime shots and record very interesting space phenomenon. It's targets were celestial objects, various locations on the earth and highly unusual weather nodes.
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| Tiny Space Telescope captures Sun and objects |
The TST was always viewed as a night time telescope for study of star fields and celestial objects in the night sky. Now the TST is being deployed for other uses. Earth reconnaissance is one use and this flight captured various views of ocean islands and land masses for mapping and surveillance. Daytime celestial observing is also possible, even there is motion due to the spacecraft. The Tiny Space Telescope TST captured a view of the sun seen with other objects during the daytime. The image is corrected for two main window cockpit defects that occurred during flight.
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| Man made islands seen during reentry |
The above target photo shows a series of islands, in particular, these man-made islands that are built up extensions, like anchored and rooted platforms that go out into to sea to reclaim and establish more land for refineries and other activities. These Asian land locations have shortages of land due to great masses of population and large cities that have populated available space.
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| Near Space flight support machine |
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| Engine refueling flight operations machine |
The flight's air space and equipment were sanctioned and approved by Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and other space agencies.
SPACE FLIGHT COSTS AND BUDGET
The cost invested for this manned flight and the related equipment and rental of the crafts multi turbo engines came to about $1,000.00. With rising costs of spacecraft engine refined liquid fuel, and to compensate and commensurate the Big Brain's budget for its space exploration initiative in the upcoming year, the number of manned flights are now reduced from twelve per year to eight per year.
SPACE FLIGHT OPERATIONS SUPPORT MACHINES
Two photos show the site support machines. Some machines have large reels with hoses to supply and pressure pump liquid propellant fuel. Others with pressure tanks, valves and pipes seem to have an unidentified purpose.
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| Second location remote space launch facility has numerous windmills generating electrical power. In the forefront, a radio weather radar observatory has a dome to house a rotating dish antenna. |
The space complex view shows a radio telescope facilities housed inside a dome that contains a rapidly moving radar dish antenna to give instantaneous weather data for "near space" flight operations. This is remotely linked to space command center. Launches can take place in somewhat adverse weather, like rain, but not high winds or conditions related to a typhoon. In the previous space flight, the launch took place during a rain storm. It was only a matter of minutes later and the spacecraft had risen above the weather reaching clear skies.
ELECTRICITY FROM WIND
Six electric windmill generators pepper the background as these use wind to turn turbine generators that generate electrical power. It's important to note, there are more than one space complex utilized in this space program. The lift off location is not necessarily the same as the landing location. A landing location can also serve as a lift off location and visa versa. The facilities are also powered by the wind.
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| Slight Earth curvature begins above seven miles |
One thing enjoyed by manned Near Space launches is the fascination with seeing the barely visible detection of the Earth's curvature, but this is more readily seen above the seven mile mark.
WEIGHTLESSNESS & SPACECRAFT DESIGN
No weightlessness is noticed at these Near Space altitudes. Outside the craft, temperatures can become colder than -70 deg. F. and the air is too thin to breathe. Therefore, the spacecraft is both heated and pressurized, and thus no space suit is required.
VIEWPORT
The majority of the work takes place behind a multiple layered safety glass viewing port. From time to time, condensation can form in between the layers and particles can attract to the surfaces due excess ionic charge collection. This flight was free of condensation, as this happens most during winter months. Of course ions can collect at any time causing particle attraction. The effect of window scratches is still noticeable at times with a particular solar lighting, though there is not much we can do about it. It's unknown when the windows will be replaced in the used spacecraft.
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| High altitude cloud banding above the ocean |
One effect seen on numerous space flights is high altitude cloud banding above the ocean. A good photo of the effect was captured during this flight out above the ocean across the Sea of China, climbing above the five mile, then six mile altitude mark.
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| Head cloud phenomena rises above the strata gradient in this TST low FL image |
Three prominent cloud fronts had arisen out of the strata and were first imaged with the TST a the smallest focal length. The next image shows a 50% larger image scale and more detail on the three largest structures. The final image shows the largest TST image scale and the highest level of cloud detail.
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| A 50% increase in EFL shows more head clouds rising above the strata |
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| Above: with a three image study, captured by the TST, the greatest EFL view shows a highly detailed cloud structure rising above the strata level. The TST has zoomed in on a particular formation. |
This flight included numerous rare images taken as the TST was never before deployed this way during take-off and landing. It was also the first time for imaging the cloud banding effect above the ocean, viewing rise-up strata cloud formations, recording a round rainbow from the top down, striking cloud filters, capturing the sun and the surrounding space field of objects, plus capturing Earth's man-made islands, performing island and land mass reconnaissance from Near Space, and gaining other spectacular views.
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| The advantages of a Near Space engine: powerful use of air turbines is viable |
A Near Space Spacecraft can still operate using engine turbos that displace air, providing the altitude of the spacecraft does not exceed the 7 to 10 mile mark. At higher Near Space altitude flights, two spacecraft engines are required. Here we see statically see one of two massive engines. The crafts are powered by various engines, in particular a Rolls-Royce Trent 700 with 71,100 foot pounds of thrust (316 kN), a Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engine with increased turbo size to augment power at 70,000 lbf (311 kN), or a General Electric CF6-80E at 72,000 lbf (320kN). It can thrust upwards to an altitude around the 7-mile demarcation point at MACH .86.
SPACECRAFT
The spacecraft is 209 feet long with a range of 5,700 nautical miles and weighs around 240 tons. If you want to buy one, it costs about $222.5 million dollars. We suggest renting one at a thousand dollars per use. Space travel in this spacecraft is not 100% safe and the risk has led to 13 large scale failure occurrences with a total of 339 deaths over the years of operation. The craft also requires a large crew to maintain and keep it in operations. During flight, two people are required to navigate and fly the craft from the cockpit. It holds 25,760 US gallons of fuel per flight. That's equivalent to 2,576 cars with ten gallon fuel tanks.
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| At the juncture of ocean to land, with coddling mountains, striking parallel Sun rays are created from numerous cloud filters |
Dramatic striking cloud filters are set up by the Sun and clouds that filter the sunlight to create parallel bands of striking sun rays.
TEMPERATURE
Also in reviewing in-flight data, a trend was noticed. During the summer months, temps are warmer at the same altitude compared to winter launches, in this case around -42 deg. F. instead of -71.
LINKS
Over the Rainbow
http://humanoidolabs.blogspot.tw/2013/07/over-rainbow-space-flight.html