CoolPix - X Planes: Neil Armstrong And The X-15 In 1960

(click pic for hi-res)

 This is definitely a great image for the CoolPix - X Planes category… Neil Armstrong in January 1960 standing in front of X-15 ship #1 after having landed on the dry lakebed at the Dryden Flight Research Center.  It’s just awesome to see him here about 9 years before he was the first man to walk on the moon.  Some interesting things to note are the skid tracks from the main gear legs, the apparent bottle jack under the nose gear, and Neil’s right hand placed just above the ball nose, also called the ‘Q ball’.

 Here’s some great NASA info that tells more about Neil and the X-15:

 Armstrong was actively engaged in both piloting and engineering aspects of the X-15 program from its inception. He completed the first flight in the aircraft equipped with a new flow-direction sensor (ball nose) and the initial flight in an X-15 equipped with a self-adaptive flight control system. He worked closely with designers and engineers in development of the adaptive system, and made seven flights in the rocket plane from December 1960 until July 1962. During those fights he reached a peak altitude of 207,500 feet in the X-15-3, and a speed of 3,989 mph (Mach 5.74) in the X-15-1.

 Read more about Neil Armstrong and the X-15.

CoolPix - NASA: STS-130 Endeavour Night Landing At KSC On 2-21-10

(click pic for hi-res)

 Another new CoolPix category… this time it’s NASA, and the pic isn’t even 48 hours old!  It’s the beautiful landing of the Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-130) on runway 15 at the Shuttle Landing Facility - Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  It has a bit of a ’computer generated’ look to it given that it was a low light image, but it’s the real thing to be sure… and an awesome sight!  (lots more STS-130 NASA pix) 

 It’s also a fitting image given that there are only 4 launches left before the Space Shuttle program is scheduled to retire.  The image here speaks to that with the dark sky and overwhelming stillness in the air.  Yet, this image also shows the Shuttle looking proud, strong, and very American.  It was an excellent landing that once again demonstrated the rather amazing accomplishment of ’re-usable’ spacecraft.

 The Shuttle Program has certainly had it’s difficulties, setbacks and tragedies.  But ALL endeavors of mankind that stretch us to the limit carry great risk… and without question, the risk of death.  That IS the human experience. 

 The ’explorer’ in all of us is the most alive when these risks are faced head on.

 FYI: the small puffs of fire seen on the left side of the leading edge of the vertical fin are from one of the auxiliary power units as it does a controlled burn-off of the highly toxic and dangerously unstable hydrazine fuel that powers them.  It's completely normal, just not usually noticeable on daytime landings.  If you look close at the CoolPix image, you'll see a small puff is visible there as well.

CoolPix - X Planes: Vertol VZ-2 Tiltwing Research Aircraft Circa 1960

 (click pic for hi-res)

 Another new category for the CoolPix feature here at AirPigz… this time it’s ’X Planes’, which is meant to reflect predominately any experimental or research aircraft sponsored by a government agency.  That means that while it certainly includes the ‘official’ X-Planes that started with the X-1, it also includes many other ‘X’ designated aircraft, like the XFY-1 Pogo (video) as well as others like this sorta freakish looking Vertol VZ-2, which doesn't have an ‘X’ in the designation at all.  I hope that all makes sense.

 As with all the CoolPix, viewing the hi-res version is what it’s all about.  This pic was taken in December 1960 and shows several of the rather bizarre features of the VZ-2.  It was powered by a single turboshaft engine in the 700hp range that sits on top of the fuselage, right behind the tiltable wing.  That engine drives to the prop/rotors (presumably via shafting) which allows the wing-mounted nacelles to be rather small.  The engine also drives two small ducted fans at the rear, incorporated into the ‘T’ tail.  One for added pitch control, and the other, seen in the pic at the end of the fuselage, for yaw control.  It also has both a small nosewheel and tailwheel.  This hi-res pic allows you the chance to see lots of interesting details of a very unusual flying machine!

 The program ended in 1965 after the odd VTOL made about 450 flights, including 34 full transitions from vertical to forward flight.  The aircraft is believed to be currently in storage at the National Air and Space Museum.  The rare video below shows the VZ-2 in flight - cool stuff!

Circa 1968: NASA Lunar Landing Research Vehicle (Neil Armstrong Ejection)

 Bell Aerosystems built this fascinating flying simulator for NASA to help them test control and develop pilot skills for the eventual Lunar Modules for the Apollo missions.  Officially named the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle, or LLRV, it first flew in 1964.  It was powered by a vertically mounted, gimbaled turbofan with power settings adjusted to carry 5/6ths of the loaded vehicles weight.  The contraption then had an array of hydrogen peroxide rocket thrusters to give full simulated control or the conditions expected in a lunar landing.

 This video is pretty amazing for at least two reasons.  First, the bizarre looking 'flying bedstead' as it was often called, is amazingly stable and controlled considering this was the mid-60's.  But then that leads us to the second reason this is an amazing video... it shows the loss of control and safe ejection by Neil Armstrong!  Fascinating video!

02:56 Coordinated Universal Time July 21, 1969 - Man Walked On The Moon

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.   Genesis 1:1 

Fabulous Landing For Atlantis At Edwards

Shuttle Atlantis lands at Edwards AFB on Sunday, May 24, 2009.

From NASA.gov - Awesome 1080i HD Launch Video Of Atlantis STS-125

Click the pic to go to the amazing 1080i HD launch video, and go
 to nasa.gov/multimedia/hd for other HD videos of STS-125

 STS-125, the Atlantis shuttle mission to repair and extend the life of the Hubble Space telescope returned with a perfect landing at Edwards AFB on Sunday May 24, 2009.  Thunderstorms prevented a Florida landing.

 This extremely successful expedition covered 13 days and almost 5.3 million miles thru space. 

 This super HD video is absolutely amazing to watch, especially if you have a large monitor and super fast broadband.  The velocity with which the mostly steam clouds are propelled horizontally is incredible! 

  I highly recommend you watch the ignition to lift-off segment over and over and over and over...