The SR71 Blackbird super high performance recon aircraft was born out of the cold war requirement for an information gathering aircraft which could operate over potentially unfriendly skies without getting shot down. The Blackbird effectively replaced the covert U-2 which had been successfully used for a few years in this role until the plane flown by Powers was shot down. The SR71 was a true quantom leap forward in aviation. The awe-inspiring performance of over three times the speed of sound, at heights in excess of 85,000 ft was unmatched. This extreme performance was required to give the Blackbird virtual invulnerability when on an intelligence gathering mission.

The US forces have been operating their own version of the Harrier for some years. Known as the AV8 it performs an important role in the US Marine Corp. The first of these aircraft in US service were Harrier AV8A machines, these were delivered in 1971. Furthur development has been made by both Hawker Siddeley (British Aerospace) and McDonnel Douglas. Uprated AV8B aircraft with increased power and load capability entering service. The VSTOL ability of the harrier has always given a significant tactical advantage to the force that operates the aircraft. The ability to fly off roads, forest clearings, small carriers and ships without the need for a long hard surfaced (easily knocked out) runway offers huge benefits. It also allows the aircraft to operate close behind the lines.

The Harrier was developed by Hawker as a private venture in the UK during the 1950s and 60s. Early experiments with a vectoring jet engine mounted to a wingless metal frame known as the flying bedstead proved the feasibility of engine borne controlled flight. Furthur development work with the Kestrel aircraft eventually led to the Harrier. The Hawker Siddeley Harrier was eventually to become the first operational V/STOL (vertical/short take off & landing) fixed wing combat aircraft in the world. First vertical take off a prototype that was to become the Harrier was achieved in October 1960 and nearly a year later flight transition from hovering to forward wing borne flight was achieved

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Multi role Starfighters could carry a 4000lb ordance load, up to 4 AAMs and a 20mm M61 Vulcan. Normal take off weight was approaching 20,000 lb. The plane found many buyers around the world including Germany, Japan, Jordan, Pakistan, Taiwan, Holland, Belgium, Italy, Denmark, Greece and Norway amongst others. Many of these F104s were built by the countries under license. A true classic of aviation, who needs wings when you've got power!

F104 Starfighter belonging to NASA.

Phantoms were replaced gradually in the various services by several different aircraft. The US Navy phased them out in favour of the F14 Tomcat. In the USAF the F15 Eagle displaced the aircraft and in RAF units the Phantom was largely superceded by the Panavia Tornada in various marks. The fact that one aircraft type was replaced by all these shows the great all-round ability and high importance possessed by the F-4. The Phantom largely replaced the BAC Lightning in RAF service.

F-4 Phantom in 1990 Gulf region, recon unit
Originally built to a US Navy specification the McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom was quickly adopted by the USAF and Marine Corp and became one of the mainstay aircraft in several airforces around the world including Great Britain's RAF and Germany's airforce. Capable of pushing mach 2 at altitude on it's twin engines this high performance aircraft had an operational ceiling of over 70,000 ft depending on the version and could carry up to 8 AAMs or 16,000 lb ordnance externally

"F-16 Fighting Flacon"An F-16 Fighting Flacon cruises over the landscape. (U.S. Air Force photo)

a photo over 800 ft.a pilot is flying this without any fear.it is crossing landscapes.streams,seas,river,rocks,mountains. etc.

"F-16 Fighting Falcon"OPERATION ENDURING FREEDOM -- A F-16 Fighting Falcon from the 174th Fighter Wing, Syracuse, New York, soars over Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Suzanne M. Jenkins).

The Airplane Before the '20sOn December 17, 1903, the Wright brothers showed the world that man could fly. Their invention of the airplane astounded everyone; poorp people, rich people, and especially the middle-class people. At first it was not as great a hype as some other inventions during its time because of how dangerous flying still was. But through various twists and turns, the airplane was a ble to become a great success in the 1920s and even gaining the rank of being one of the most important inventions of the 1920s.
During the decade preceding the 20s, airplanes had been used in World War I for reconnassance and attacks, but its high instability and poor control made it less glamorous as other weapons of World War I. So it was tossed aside as an impractical invention. After World War I, the airplane started to become a hit again. At local carnivals and fairs, airplane pilots would fly around in the air doing various tricks and stunts to entertain an audience. Gradually, the airplane stunts at local carnivals became commonplace throughout America.

Gallery 5: On short finals for Runway 16. Some very close-up images of aircraft, including a British Airways 767, Sky Europe 737 and a Czech Airlines 737-400.
Gallery 6: Unusual photographs of aircraft - a gallery of images of planes taken from a different angle, including some high altitude jet trails. Spot the Lufthansa Airbus A340!

Not a single human being had ever flown a powered aircraft when the 20th century began. By century's end, flying had become relatively common for millions of people, and some were even flying through space. The first piloted, powered, controlled flight lasted 12 seconds and carried one man 120 feet. Today, nonstop commercial flights lasting as long as 15 hours carry hundreds of passengers halfway around the world.

Scientists have a special system to keep track of plants and animals. They don't want to confuse a dog with a coyote, or a honey bee with a killer bee.
Every kind of plant or animal belongs to its own group, or "species." Similar species belong to a larger group, called a "genus." For example, dogs and wolves are two species. They are cousins belonging to the same "genus" (Canis) and the same "family:" canines, or Canidae.
These families belong to larger groups, too. Today, we'll look at members of a big group called the vertebrates. These are animals that have backbones. Do you have a backbone? Great. You're part of this group!



Ever wonder where a butterfly comes from? It comes from a chrysalis (KRIS-uh-liss) which is also called a pupa. A chrysalis looks like a tiny leathery pouch. You can find one underneath some leaves in the summer.
Some animals don't change much as they grow up. Think about it: someone your age looks a lot like a grown-up. Grown-ups have more wrinkles and gray hair. But they still have two arms, two legs and one head—just like you.
We're going to meet an animal that's very different—the butterfly. Butterflies go through four life stages, and they look very different at each stage.

Science for KIDS

Better Than Tea Leaves
In 1855, surgeon John Snow, using a simple map, identified contaminated water as a source of cholera—marking a milestone in epidemiological history. More recently, HHMI Investigator Mercedes Pascual used mathematical models to reveal that complex climate patterns influence the incidence of infectious disease epidemics. Read the May 2009 HHMI Bulletin article to learn how Pascual discovered that cholera epidemics in Bangladesh vary in accordance with sea-surface temperatures 10,000 miles away in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. The image below, which shows the correlation between sea surface temperature anomalies in January and cholera cases in September in Matlab, Bangladesh, helps demonstrate her findings.



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About WSTA



The concept of formation of Water Science and Technology Association (WSTA) was the result of individual efforts of some of those concerned with water affairs in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Countries. The Government of Bahrain consented to register the Association in Bahrain, and the Association was formally founded in September 1987, to be the first scientific association in the field of water science and technology in the Arabian Gulf region. The WSTA membership is open to all water professionals in the GCC, water-related national and international organizations, educational institutes, consultants, and companies.

(a) Then Energy Secretary Federico Peña joined Laboratory Director Bruce Tarter and Congresswoman Ellen Tauscher on May 29, 1997, to break ground for the National Ignition Facility (NIF). (b) California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (left) is briefed by Ed Moses, principal associate director of NIF, while on a tour of the laser facility in November 2008. (c) In the 1970s, fusion fuel was compressed to about the density of lead in the Shiva target chamber. (d) In the NIF target chamber, fuel will be imploded and compressed to nearly 100 times the density of lead and a temperature of 100 million kelvins.