[luvdemwhoppers]

Honda is is  the aircraft biz, but they put the nacelle topside.
A config I nevedunseenbefoe.

[pedonbio]

 now if they will just stop naming them after presidents /politicians!    It truely grinds my ass they have abandoned the traditional Carrier names for the CVNs..

I love the "lesser" vessels that are named for obscure Naval bureaucrats and what-not. I was present at the launch ceremony for that mighty sub tender, the U.S.S. Simon Lake.

[pedonbio]

I'm on fhe fence when it comes to naming vessels in the fleet. I like those named after states/cities., but that
list runs out fast.

Navy practice has been to name submarines after species of fish. In WW II a standing joke was, since so many subs were built, that sometimes the sub was named after a fish, and sometimes the fish was named after the sub.

[luvdemwhoppers]

I don't know what to make if this. But I like what i see. My God, this guy's got more money than GoldmanSucks.
  28.02.11

Virgin Galactic to Fly Scientists to Space
Virgin Galactic Announces World’s First Commercial Contracts to Send Researchers to Space
Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic, LLC, the world’s first commercial spaceline, announced today the first ever commercial contracts to fly scientists into space for the purpose of conducting research experiments.. More

[solvegas]

I love the "lesser" vessels that are named for obscure Naval bureaucrats and what-not. I was present at the launch ceremony for that mighty sub tender, the U.S.S. Simon Lake.

I served on a sister ship, the U.S.S. Dixon ( AS- 37 ) , on TDY ( Temporary DutY ) when she was sent to the Persian Gulf back during Desert Storm. Sucked a big weenie. 

[pedonbio]

I served on a sister ship, the U.S.S. Dixon ( AS- 37 ) , on TDY ( Temporary DutY ) when she was sent to the Persian Gulf back during Desert Storm. Sucked a big weenie. 

Yeah, those humpers ain't built for comfort.

[luvdemwhoppers]

Completed in 2006, the "'Three gorges dam" is the worlds largest. It displaced many people from their homes and crerated many controversies. When it comes to construction, this and the "Big Dig" in Boston are remarkable, IMHO.

[rtpoe]

As I understand it, the 3GD is not only the world's largest dam, it is also the world's largest electrical power production facility of any type.

[Hoogleboogle]

Beshine's boobs

[solvegas]

Beshine's boobs

Indeed !!! 

[luvdemwhoppers]

As I understand it, the 3GD is not only the world's largest dam, it is also the world's largest electrical power production facility of any type.

yup, yup. megalarge, pitty all the peeps displaced, historical areas now flooded. progress? IDK. ldw scratches balding head and walks away.

[pedonbio]

yup, yup. megalarge, pitty all the peeps displaced, historical areas now flooded. progress? IDK. ldw scratches balding head and walks away.

Me, too. Early in the 20th Century a lot of people thought hydroelectric power would be the miricle of the age. The Pacific Northwest has lived with it for more than a century now, and the damage is starting to accumulate. There is a great book written about twenty years ago, Cadillac Desert, that discusses many of the problems.

A while ago I mentioned the dams on the Elwa River that are coming out in the next couple of years. Once upon a time folks figured that any river could be dammed for power. It turns out that selecting the wrong river can be a disaster. The Colorado, for example, is far too silty. By the end of this century both Hoover Dam and Glen Canyon Dam will produce spectacular waterfalls and no power.

[luvdemwhoppers]

to all above who have posted on 3gorges. thanks.  I seems that in todays energy hungry world,  the enviornmetal and historical consequences take a back seat to the needs of big govt and dem special interest groups. Sad. While I was scratching my head, I heard the inner me say, WTF? "Were're all going to hell anyway"...auto manufacturers continue to produce behemoth 2+ ton SUV'S. Peeps continue to "leave the light on"
in empty rooms. Truckers and city busses let engines idle endlessly. Ford Chevy, Toy Tesla produce EV but at prices out of reach for the avg jOe. As much as Govt policy is to blame, we the people are not making enough stink about this dire situation. In another thread I used the words "we're all going to hell anyway." Goober replied "I'm going first class." When the day comes to turn south, we'll be relagated to walking. A long walk and the ole "hot foot" will make the trip memorable albeit no one to record.

[luvdemwhoppers]

from the Register Uk= coming to a trench near you.
Sir Richard Branson has set his sights on conquering the world's oceanic depths in a revolutionary carbon fibre and titanium "flying" submarine.

The Virgin supremo's Virgin Oceanic project will encompass five dives over the next two years to "the deepest part of each of Earth's five oceans".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Sk_XEHfqwk&feature=player_embedded



he's da man, nuf sed

[tommyboyddd]

^Hello Triumph, is that a  Bonnie i see in you avatar? Thanks for your contrib. I'm with you on the Shuttle. Some argue it's the most complex
machine ever built. I wouldn't argue. I stayed home from work for the very first  launch. It was such a thrill for me. Looking back. a successful
journey for NASA albeit with tragic interrupts. USAF investigating scramjet tech these days,,,, perhaps for the next generation of
Shuttles.

The Space Shuttle is a good pick.  The real piss-off about the Challenger explosion in particular is that it happened essentially because of a PR-driven failure in maintenance.  I'm not sure if it could have been prevented, but there was definitely an attitude of "we've got a few of these launches under our belts now, it's no sweat" attitude that kind of crept into the Shuttle program.  If you've never read Richard Feynman's addendum to the official Challenger investigation report, it's worth a read, IMO:

http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/51-l/docs/rogers-commission/Appendix-F.txt

He knocks the last line of the report out of the park:  "For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled."