Archive | Featured | Armed with Science

The Airman And James Bond

Filed under Featured by jtozer on February 14, 2013 at 7:08 am {no comments}

(U.S. Air Force graphic/Robin Meredith/courtesy photo)

Quartermaster “Q” supplied Skyfall’s 50-year anniversary James Bond with a radio and a Walther PPK handgun, but Sean Connery’s 007 relied on an Special Operations Airman for some of the bigger stuff.

Retired Lt. Col. Charles Russhon, one of the founding air commandos assigned to the China-Burma-India theater in World War II, was a military adviser to the Bond films in the 1960s and 1970s.

Among the gadgets Russhon procured for filmmakers were the Bell-Textron Jet Pack and the Fulton Skyhook, both featured in the 1965 “Thunderball,” as well as the explosives that were used to blow up the Disco Volante ship.

He arranged for exterior access to Fort Knox, Ky., coordinated filming locations in Istanbul, Turkey, and facilitated film participation by Air Force pararescuemen in “Thunderball.”

“Roger Moore called him ‘Mr. Fixit’ because he seemed to be able to do or get anything in New York City,” Russhon’s wife, Claire, wrote in an email. “For example, suspending traffic on FDR Drive for a Bond chase scene (and that isn’t done in one take).”

As special associate to the producers, Russhon, a native New Yorker, researched new technologies, locations and permissions for whatever the scripts required, she said.

Russhon, who passed away in 1982, worked on “From Russia With Love,” “Goldfinger,” “Thunderball,” “You Only Live Twice,” and “Live and Let Die.”

“Mr. Fix-It”

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TUBE FOOD

Filed under Featured, Videos by jtozer on February 12, 2013 at 7:35 am {no comments}

This is tube food.

Tube food. ‘Nuff said. (Photo courtesy of the Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center)

And clearly, it’s exactly what it sounds like.

Meals encapsulated in things that look like toothpaste tubes. They come in all shapes and sizes, too. From entrees to desserts and even soups and meats, the assortment of tube food is varied and vast.

Pretty cool, eh?

Now, you might be asking yourself why tubes? Well, my first response to this would be why not? They’re convenient, they’re compact, and they just look cool. Meals in tube form, people. Come on!

I think I saw an old science fiction movie like this. They called it “the way of the future”. Might have been an MST3K.

Okay, okay, so coolness factor aside, there is an actual reason for these things to exist. And it all leads to U-2.

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Honoring An Innovator

Filed under Featured by jtozer on February 11, 2013 at 7:28 am {no comments}

Astronaut John Young leaps from the lunar surface as he salutes the U.S. flag at the Descartes landing site during the Apollo 16 extravehicular activity. Astronaut Charles Duke, Jr. took the photo. The lunar module “Orion” is on the left. The lunar roving vehicle is parked beside Orion and the object behind Young (in the shadow of the lunar module) is the Far Ultraviolet Camera/Spectrograph. (Photo: NASA)

Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Space Science Division (SSD) scientist Dr. George Carruthers has received the 2012 Medal of Technology National and Innovation. This is the nation’s highest honor for technology achievement, and it is bestowed by the president of the United States upon America’s leading innovators.

The award ceremony was held at the White House on February 1, 2013.

Dr. Carruthers grew up during the space race and was intrigued with space science.

While still a boy, he began building telescopes and model rockets and was an enthusiastic reader at the local libraries. His love for space science extended through his youth and eventually led him to pursue degrees in Aeronautical, Nuclear, and Astronomical Engineering from the University of Illinois.

Following his graduate studies, he accepted a position at NRL in 1964, after receiving a fellowship in Rocket Astronomy from the National Science Foundation. Throughout his tenure in the NRL SSD, Dr. Carruthers has focused his attention on far ultraviolet observations of the earth’s upper atmosphere and of astronomical phenomena.

In 1969 he received a patent for his pioneering instrumentation, “Image Converter for Detecting Electromagnetic Radiation Especially in Short Wave Lengths,” which detected electromagnetic radiation in short wave lengths.

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Chasing the Winter Storm

Filed under Earth Sciences, Featured by jtozer on February 4, 2013 at 7:34 am {no comments}

When we think of storm missions, we think of tornado chasers. Hurricane hunters. People in the thick of the kind of meteorological drama that we typically only see on movie screens.

I love when the flying cow picture is applicable in one of my stories. (Photo from Twister, copyright Amblin Entertainment)

And in most cases you would be right. Because let’s face it; storm chasing is a hard job to “down play”. It’s pretty much as exciting as it sounds (I’ve spoken to a storm chaser before and he proved that).

But the funny thing about it is that the storm chasing doesn’t stop at deadly cyclones in the summer. Oh no, my fantastic science fans. Chasing storms is a year round mission.

So what do the hurricane hunters do during the hurricane off-season?

Why, chase winter storms of course.

Lieutenant Colonel Jon Talbot is the Chief Meteorologist of the 53^rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, 403^rd Wing, Air Force Reserve Command at Keesler AFB, Mississippi. Basically, he’s the man in charge of the people who chase storms.

All kinds of storms.

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Science Fiction: The Aperture For Science Future

Filed under Featured, Space, Technology by jtozer on February 1, 2013 at 7:06 am {no comments}

We’ve been talking a lot about the future lately.

Which makes sense. The future is kind of an “in thing” when it comes to science.

But for as much as I love my gaming technology and directed energy weapons, there is one part of the future of the force that I haven’t talked about extensively: space.

If this is the future of the force then we need to talk about a Red Shirt sustainability plan. Or maybe the possibility of seat belts.

Now I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I’m going to go off on a tangent about Star Fleet or the Twelve Colonies or the Browncoats and we’ll lose all semblance of scientific practicality by the time I’m done.

Well thanks for the vote of confidence <sarcasm>, but it turns out that the possibility of a future space force isn’t as fanciful as you might think.

Air Force Lt. Col. Peter Garretson is the Division Chief for Air Force Irregular Warfare Strategy, Plans and Policy. That title doesn’t exactly scream “space expert”, but once upon a time (meaning previously), he was the Chief of Future Science and Technology Exploration for Air Force Strategic Planning.

Yeah, how’s that for applicable practicality, hmm?

Anyway, one of Lt. Col. Garretson’s jobs when he was the Chief of Future Science and Technology was to write papers about various things that should be considered when thinking about the future of the force. Especially when space is involved.

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Air Force Space Command to Bolster Cyber Force

Filed under Featured, Technology by jtozer on January 28, 2013 at 11:50 am {no comments}

The Air Force Space Command expects to be directed to add 1,000 new people, mainly civilians, to its base of about 6,000 cyber professionals for the 2014 fiscal year.

Left to Right: Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Joel Melendez, Naval Network Warfare Command information systems analysis, Air Force Staff Sgt. Rogerick Montgomery, U.S. Cyber Command network analysis, and Army Staff Sgt. Jacob Harding, 780th Military Intelligence Brigade cyber systems analysis, at an exercise during Cyber Flag 13-1, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Matthew Lancaster)

Speaking with reporters at a meeting of the Defense Writers Group, Air Force Gen. William L. Shelton said direction for the hires would come from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, fueled by the U.S. Cyber Command.

“Cyber Command is in the midst of determining how they are going to operate across all the geographic combatant commands as well as internal to the United States,” Shelton said, “and it looks like we will be tapped for well over 1,000 additional people into the cyber business, so you can see [cyber] is starting to take root.”

If budget restrictions allow the increase in personnel, they will be hired over two years beginning in fiscal 2014, and 70 percent to 80 percent will be civilians “if it turns out like we think it’s going to turn out,” the general said.

This will represent about a 15 percent increase over 6,000 cyber professionals working today for the 24th Air Force, he added, noting that the 24th Air Force is the numbered Air Force that works under Air Force Space Command.

A numbered Air Force is a tactical Air Force organization that is subordinate to a major command and has assigned to it operational units like wings, squadrons and groups.

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Everybody Loves Directed Energy

Filed under Featured, Technology by jtozer on January 25, 2013 at 10:20 am {no comments}

Everybody loves ray guns, right?

I mean, what’s not to love? They’re so useful and precise and impressive. And shiny.

They can also be used in a variety of different applications, and the government is not immune to their seductive electromagnetic radiation ways.

So just what is the military doing with Directed Energy these days, anyway?

Oh I’m so glad you asked.

There are three classes of directed energy weapons (some might call these lasers, and then some would be told that they’re wrong).

The first one is known as the Active Denial System.

The active denial technology really stands out. (picture from defense.gov)

Many people have already heard about this non-lethal millimeter wave technology –affectionately referred to as a deterrence laser – that was considered for military use. The Active Denial System was designed to generate an intense sensation strong enough to stop a marauding crowd of ne’er-do-wells in their nefarious tracks without ever actually harming them. So it’s basically like a giant beam of don’t-do-that energy.

For people like Spencer Ackerman, however, that message is a little more…distinct.

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GG No Re – Gaming In The Military

Filed under Featured, Technology by jtozer on January 22, 2013 at 7:18 am {no comments}

In the military, the word “training” can mean a lot of different things.

Remember troops! Look out for your battle buddy! Remember to reload! Respawn as quickly possible! Now let’s capture that flag, hooah? (Picture from nytimes.com)

It could mean running around and whooping while simultaneously learning the value of cold water and shade.

It could mean sitting in a classroom and playing the Stay Awake Game (incidentally, I’m not so great at this game).

Sometimes that means you’re going out into the field. Maybe in Korea. During torrential rain season. To learn what it’s like to be caked in mud for days on end (you know, for example).

And sometimes – sometimes – it means something many service members already do in their spare time anyway; video games. Yes that’s right. The military is using video games and simulations as a tool to train and teach service members.

I’ll just…let that sink in for a moment there.

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