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Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Science
- Hindustan Times
HT This Day: May 27, 1969 -- Apollo men are back: Pin-point landing in South Pacific
Aboard USS Princeton: Climaxing a voyage of discovery, the Apollo-10 moon explorers came safely home from the heavens today blazing back through the earth's atmosphere to a bull's eye landing in the South Pacific within sight of the recovery ship Princeton. America's newest space heroes ended man's greatest and most dangerous space adventure when their sturdy six-ton spaceship parachuted into the gently rolling seas about three miles (4.8 km) from the Princeton. Air Force Col. Thomas P. Stafford and Navy Commdrs. John W. Young and Eugene A. Cernan landed at 16.52 GMT (10.22 p.m. IST). The touchdown was about 400 miles (643 km) east of Pago Pago just at dawn in this part of the world. As the craft descended its tracking lights blinked in the semidarkness. The pinpoint landing was a fitting climax to the near-flawless eight-day flight, a final dress rehearsal which cleared the way for two astronauts to walk on the moon in less than two months. 'We are in great shape.' Stafford radioed. 'We should be right on top of you if you're down there' Stafford radioed minutes before landing. 'I tell you this thing is beautiful,' Young exulted. Television pictures, relayed through a communications satellite, enabled millions to share the triumphal return of the three astronauts. Red carpet welcome Viewers had a ringside seat as cameras focused on Apollo-10 floating down from space, dangling under three orange and white parachutes. Hundreds of sailors wearing white dress, lined the deck of the Princeton and cheered as they watched the stirring sight. Helicopters spotted the astronauts several minutes before the splashdown and were hovering overhead within minutes. Within minutes, navy frogmen leaped from a helicopter. They attached a floatation collar and plugged in a telephone to talk with the astronauts. The recovery helicopter landed the moon-probe trio on the carrier Princeton only 12 minutes after the recovery. A red carpet was rolled out for them. All three emerged smiling and waving to their rescuers and to a world television audience. The astronauts looked nearly as fresh as when they left the earth for their record eight-day flight. Col. Thomas Stafford said: 'First of all it's great to be back on earth. We thank all on earth who helped our tremendous team effort and we hope we have added to man's knowledge.' Commander Eugene Cernan hit a patriotic note when he told his welcomers and world listeners: 'It's great to come back to the greatest country in the world.' Commander Young thanked 'a big part of the navy coming to pick up a small part of the navy.' The astronauts walked briskly across the carrier's deck for a medical examination. Commentators remarked: 'All the men look marvellous. Commander Young almost seemed to be skipping along instead of walking.' All the navy welcomers agreed 'all the astronauts look great.' They strode bouncingly and smiling-showing no signs of occasional wobbliness that afflicted some previous space returnees. Fastest re-entry To reach the Pacific, the astronauts survived man's fastest re-entry through the atmosphere. The craft's heat shield protected the craft from burning up and the temperature inside the cabin remained a comfortable 70 deg. F. Before entering the atmosphere Stafford, Young and Cernan jettisoned a service module attached to the command ship. The shedding of this equipment reduced Apollo-10's weight from 31, 500 to about 12, 000 lb. During the hottest, fastest part of the re-entry, radio communications from the speeding vehicle were blacked out for about three minutes. An error of more than one degree either way in the angle of re-entry would have meant a fiery death for the three spacemen, or their being marooned permanently in space. Right after the blackout ended, two recovery force planes and the Princeton reported radar contact with the spaceship. Minutes later, the spacecraft, dangling under its parachutes, came within the view of the ship. As the thickening atmosphere braked the spacecraft the men were subjected to a gravitational force seven times the normal. The braking speed made possible for three small parachutes to pop out and stabilize the spacecraft. Ships and planes quickly picked up the descending ship on radar. At 10, 000 ft. the three main 83.5 ft. chutes blossomed majestically and Apollo-10 floated gently downward into the Pacific at a comparative snail's pace of 22 m.p.h. Three hours before re-entry, the astronauts had fired thrusters for 6.6 seconds to make a slight course adjustment that zeroed them in on the landing site. AFP, Reuter add: At 10-07 p.m. (IST) Apollo-10 had crashed into the earth's atmosphere at 36, 310 feet per second or 24, 760 miles per hour. The bell-shaped command capsule landed right side up about 192 hours and three minutes after the blast off from Cape Kennedy. The astronauts skipped on the Princeton deck to prove to photographers that their legs were steady. Later, the three men will be reporting on the 'brownish gray' seas and 'chalkish white' craters they saw from close-up on Thursday and Friday. The live colour television shots they broadcast of the moon and earth-another space first time as the U.S. Congress has been showing signs of balking at freeing massive credits for future space programmes. Dr Werner von Braun, Designer of the giant Saturn 5 booster which shot Apollo-10 into space a week ago on Sunday, has said that, funds permitting, NSSA could put men on Mars by 1985. Congress has already approved four manned trips to the moon before the end of next year. Thanks to Apollo-10, it was expected today that Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin would step out of a lunar module on to the moon as planned on July 20.
Yemen Online
17-04-2025
- Politics
- Yemen Online
Second US carrier arrives off coast of Yemen
A second US aircraft carrier has arrived off the coast of Yemen as Washington ramps up its attacks on Houthi militia targets, according to new satellite images. The USS Carl Vinson is operating in key shipping routes northeast of Socotra island in the Indian Ocean near the mouth of the Gulf of Aden. The carrier is accompanied by the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Princeton and two Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, the USS Sterett and the USS William P. Lawrence. The US sent the Vinson to back up the carrier USS Harry S. Truman, which has been launching airstrikes against the Houthis since March 15. Video footage released by the US Navy showed the Vinson preparing ordinance and launching F-35 and F/A-18 fighter jets off its deck. US Central Command also posted videos saying there had been '24/7 strikes' on the Houthis by the two carriers.
Boston Globe
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Another US aircraft carrier in Mideast waters ahead of second round of Iran-US nuclear talks
Advertisement The stakes of the negotiations couldn't be higher for the two nations closing in on half a century of enmity. Trump repeatedly has threatened to unleash airstrikes targeting Iran's nuclear program if a deal isn't reached. Iranian officials increasingly warn that they could pursue a nuclear weapon with their stockpile of uranium enriched to near weapons-grade levels. U.S. Mideast envoy Steve Witkoff, who represented America in last weekend's talks in Oman, separately signaled that the Trump administration may be looking at terms of the 2015 nuclear deal that the president unilaterally withdrew from in 2018 as a basis for these negotiations. He described the talks last weekend as 'positive, constructive, compelling.' 'This is going to be much about verification on the enrichment program, and then ultimately verification on weaponization,' Witkoff told Fox News on Monday night. 'That includes missiles, the type of missiles that they have stockpiled there. And it includes the trigger for a bomb.' Advertisement He added: 'We're here to see if we can solve this situation diplomatically and with dialogue.' Vinson joins Truman as second US aircraft carrier in Mideast Satellite photos taken Monday by the European Union's Copernicus program showed the Vinson, which is based out of San Diego, California, operating northeast of Socotra, an island off Yemen that sits near the mouth of the Gulf of Aden. The Vinson is accompanied by the Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser USS Princeton and two Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyers, the USS Sterett and the USS William P. Lawrence. The U.S. ordered the Vinson to the Mideast to back up the USS Harry S. Truman, which has been launching airstrikes against the Houthis since the American campaign started March 15. Footage released by the Navy showed the Vinson preparing ordinance and launching F-35 and F/A-18 fighter jets off its deck in recent days. The U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, which oversees the Mideast, declined to discuss details of the Vinson's operations. Witkoff suggests 3.67 percent uranium enrichment for Iran Meanwhile, Witkoff offered for the first time a specific enrichment level he'd like to see for Iran's nuclear program. Today, Tehran enriches uranium to up to 60% — a short, technical step from weapons-grade levels of 90%. 'They do not need to enrich past 3.67%,' Witkoff told Fox News. 'In some circumstances, they're at 60%, in other circumstances, 20%. That cannot be. 'And you do not need to run, as they claim, a civil nuclear program where you're enriching past 3.67%. So this is going to be much about verification on the enrichment program, and then ultimately verification on weaponization.' Advertisement The 2015 nuclear deal Iran agreed to with world powers under President Barack Obama saw Tehran agree to drastically reduce its stockpile of uranium and only enrich up to 3.67% — enough for its nuclear power plant at Bushehr. Iran in exchange received access to frozen funds around the world, and sanctions were lifted on its crucial oil industry and other sectors. Iran's Javan newspaper, which is believed to be close to its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, suggested in an editorial Tuesday that Tehran would be open to reducing its enrichment. 'Something that we have done before, why should we not carry it again and reach a deal?' the editorial asked. 'This is not called a withdrawal by Islamic Republic from its ideals anywhere in the world.' When Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, however, he pointed at Iran's ballistic missile stockpile as one reason to leave the deal. Witkoff said any deal with Iran would have to include 'missiles, the type of missiles that they have stockpiled there and it includes the trigger for a bomb.' Iran relies on its ballistic missiles as a hedge against regional nations armed with advanced fighter jets and other American weaponry. Getting it to abandon its missile program likely will be difficult in negotiations. Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Yahoo
Commander, Command Master Chief Fired from Navy Expeditionary Security Squadron
The Navy relieved the commanding officer and top enlisted official of a small boat unit Friday, according to a statement from the service. Cmdr. Brett Robblee and Command Master Chief Felix Phillips were relieved from leadership of Maritime Expeditionary Security Squadron 4 by Capt. Christopher Milner, the commander of Maritime Expeditionary Security Group 2, headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The squadron is one of a handful of units that provide "anti-terrorism defense for American assets around the globe using well-trained and highly mobile security forces," according to the MESG 2 website. Read Next: Gen. Caine Has Taken Over as Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Robblee's relief, which was officially over a "loss of confidence in his ability to command," appears to be the Navy's third firing of a commanding officer this year. The executive officer of the unit, Cmdr. Dan Ciullo, was not relieved. Loss of confidence is a boilerplate reason provided by the military services that can encompass anything from consistent poor performance by a commander on key evaluations to personal actions like drunken driving. A Navy official told on condition of anonymity that both Robblee and Phillips were fired over performance-based issues and not any misconduct on either of their parts. Based on public announcements, it appears that the Navy fired 14 commanding officers in 2024. In 2023, the official relief total was 15. There are currently around 1,600 commanding officers in the active-duty Navy across all communities. According to his now-removed official Navy biography, Robblee was commissioned after graduating from the Naval Academy in 2007 with a bachelor's degree in economics. Robblee went on to serve aboard the destroyers USS Sterett and USS Stethem, as well as a mine countermeasure ship and the cruiser USS Princeton. Robblee's biography does not list his awards beyond noting that he has "received various personal, unit and campaign awards." Phillips' now-removed official biography says that he enlisted in the Navy from Greenwood, Mississippi, in August 1996. After completing boot camp, Phillips was assigned to Naval Activity Support Adak, Alaska, before moving on to tours aboard the aircraft carriers USS Carl Vinson and USS Harry S. Truman, as well as the amphibious assault ships USS Iwo Jima and USS Ponce. His assignment as command master chief was at Airborne Command and Control Squadron 121 in Norfolk, Virginia. Phillips' personal awards include two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals and five Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, as well as numerous other unit and campaign awards. According to the Navy's statement, Capt. Jason Labott, deputy commander for MESG 2, will temporarily serve as MSRON 4's commanding officer. Similarly, Command Master Chief Clayton Alek-Finkelman, former command master chief for MESG 2, is assuming the duties of command master chief for the squadron. Both Robblee and Phillips have been temporarily reassigned to the staff at Navy Expeditionary Combat Command. Related: Commander in Top Colorado Information Operations Post Sacked by Navy
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Don't Think Aliens Are Real? These 7 Reasons Might Change Your Mind
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Are aliens real? We don't know for sure, but we want to believe. Outer space is a vast expanse that we have so much more to learn about, which is why it's hard to flat-out deny the possibility that other intelligent lifeforms exist. If life can exist—and persist—in seclusion, and in some of the harshest conditions on Earth (just look at tardigrades), it's likely that other interplanetary lifeforms have evolved and acclimated to conditions in space, too. As the renowned science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke once said, 'Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying.' Several discoveries and theories from some of the greatest minds in science point to the likelihood that there's something beyond us in the universe, so there's a pretty decent chance we have neighbors somewhere in the ether. It's time to consider the evidence—here are seven solid reasons for believing aliens are among November 14, 2004, a training mission near San Diego became one that Commander David Fravor will never forget—and remains one he still can't explain. Fravor recalls seeing a Tic Tac-shaped object that moved much faster than the capability of any known weaponry that currently exists. 'We're flying brand new Super Hornets. It was an air defense exercise—two good guys against two bad guys,' Fravor said in a History Channel video interview. Everything seemed normal until the USS Princeton called upon Fravor and company for a real-world task. Changing course, it wasn't long before Fravor and the other pilots saw something strange: what appeared to be a sunken plane or submerging submarine moving erratically right under the water's surface. 'It's white, it has no wings, it has no rotors, I go 'holy, what is that?''' Fravor said. The UFO had no windows, and it's reported that infrared monitors failed to pick up on any exhaust fumes. Fravor says it wasn't long before his curiosity got the best of him, and he decided to get a closer look. As Fravor began descending toward the water, the craft surfaced, rapidly ascended, and began mirroring Fravor's flight pattern. Then, in an instant, it zipped past the nose of Fravor's jet and disappeared. When Fravor and the other pilots got back to the USS Nimitz, they shared their experiences with the rest of the crew. Shortly afterward, another pilot took off in search of the UFO—and succeeded. This pilot managed to get a lock on the Tic Tac, which happens to be the footage seen here. The Navy has officially released the footage (after it had originally been leaked), but says the public was never supposed to see it in the first place. See the original post on YoutubeIn November 1944, several members of the U.S. Air Force saw what would come to be known as 'Foo Fighters,' a name borrowed from the 'Smokey Stover' comic strip. The Foo Fighters were described as a type of mysterious aircraft that glowed red and could zip and turn through the skies with incredible ease. Lt. Fred Ringwald, who happened to be a passenger in a night fighter that was flying over the Rhine Valley, was the first to see the lights. Airmen reported seeing between eight and ten of the aircraft lined up in a row. Concerned that they might be enemy aircraft, the group checked with the ground radar team, who hadn't registered any odd activity. One of the pilots turned his aircraft around in preparation for a fight, only to find the lights had vanished as quickly as they appeared. The sightings didn't stop there, though. In mid-December 1944, a different pilot saw what was described as a display of flashing red and green lights that created a T-formation, which also disappeared as quickly as they came. Several more sightings ensued, and although people tried to come up with explanations for them—the airmen were suffering from 'combat fatigue,' the lights were a result of some kind of weird weather phenomena, they came from some new, groundbreaking Nazi technology—they still remain a mystery. See the original post on YoutubeAvi Loeb, an impressively credentialed scientist who taught at Harvard and chaired the university's Astronomy Department, has put forth an interesting, but seemingly far-fetched, hypothesis: the asteroid Oumuamua is actually space debris from an alien structure or a defunct alien spacecraft. Coming from anyone else, this might seem crazy. But again, Loeb knows a thing or two about the machinations of space. While truthers are soaking up the Oumuamua theory, however, Loeb's colleagues are highly disappointed and upset that he's posited what they're calling an 'insult [to] honest scientific inquiry.' A March 2021 study by Arizona State University astrophysicists posits that the object is a nitrogen iceberg broken off from a Pluto-like planet in a distant star system. In part, it would explain how reflective the object is. Loeb countered that the chunk would have had to originate on a planet with an unrealistically high density. So the jury's still out on this mysterious chunk of space March 21, 2022, NASA confirmed the number of exoplanets is over 5,000, and we can expect that figure to only grow as we improve technology that's able to probe the nether regions of space. This means there are thousands of known planets that haven't been explored at length and several more awaiting discovery that could be comprised of environments with the ability to sustain life. Who's to say one (or multiple) exoplanets aren't already home to intelligent extraterrestrial beings? See the original post on YoutubeIn 2007, the Department of Defense (DoD) created a program called the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program (AATIP) to study 'space-related phenomena that could not be easily explained, usually involving the appearance of high-speed, unidentified aircraft,' per New York Magazine's Intelligencer. The covert program was headed by military intelligence official Luis Elizondo, who sought to investigate reports of UFO encounters. A decade later, Elizondo quit working at the Pentagon and confirmed AATIP's existence to the New York Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute was founded by Carl Sagan and Jill Tarter, two astronomers who believe there's more to interplanetary life than us. SETI's mission is 'to explore, understand, and explain the origin and nature of life in the universe and the evolution of intelligence.' The Institute works with NASA and the National Science Foundation as a research contractor to pool resources and explore the possibility of intelligent life on other planets. Aside from optical and radio wave signals, SETI uses a laser detection system to look for signs of alien technology. Yep, an entire scientific organization that seeks to find other intelligent life in the universe actually exists. You Might Also Like 30 Anti-Aging Foods for Women That'll Keep You Feeling Young A Definitive Ranking of Popular Potato Chip Brands
