The Lemonfool my pic of the day thread

[swill453]

Is it true the main reason Amundsen's expedition was successful was because they started out with lots of dogs, and used them as food, for themselves and the remaining dogs, on the way?

Scott.

[Itsallaguess]

I'm just going to take the dog for a wok.

I might be gone for some thyme....

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[UncleEbenezer]

That's not the polar trip. That was taken the week before on a November holiday to Scotland.

They're over-dressed for Jockland.

Though it would explain the lack of need for dark glasses against snow blindness.

[88V8]

This morning, unscheduled snow as seen from front and back windows in unsunny Gloucestershire... about 2" so far

[NearlyThere]

About 6" in Essex. Visitors were glad the feeders are full!

[88V8]

About 6" in Essex. Visitors were glad the feeders are full!

Is that your pet parrot?
We used to get those ring-necked parakeets in Surrey/Middlesex... haven't reached us here as yet. Entertaining but a pain if one has fruit trees.

V8

[NearlyThere]

Is that your pet parrot?
We used to get those ring-necked parakeets in Surrey/Middlesex... haven't reached us here as yet. Entertaining but a pain if one has fruit trees.

V8

It is a ring necked parakeet. One turned up about 3 years ago - I thought it was an escapee at first, but now we regularly have a dozen or so waking us up in the morning.

I would like a pet parrot, but Mrs NT says no.

[scotia]

About 6" in Essex. Visitors were glad the feeders are full!

Is that your pet parrot?
We used to get those ring-necked parakeets in Surrey/Middlesex... haven't reached us here as yet. Entertaining but a pain if one has fruit trees.

V8

For many years a parakeet was a regular visitor to my mother-in-law's garden in Wick (Caithness). We assumed it was a escapee. Fruit trees (or indeed any trees) are uncommon in Caithness, but mother-in-law hung out apples to feed it. Apparently it favoured golden delicious. It never managed to attract a mate (its a long way to Caithness) so eventually it perished without issue.

[scotview]

Winter solstice this morning at the beach.

[Clitheroekid]

I really enjoy a `proper' winter day, when it's very cold and completely still. I went for a stroll along the Thames a few days ago, and when I looked at the pix later I was struck by how they were almost completely monochrome - with just a dash of colour in the last one as a reminder of autumn.

[Itsallaguess]

‎‎‎‎‎‎
Red Arrows and a kitten: Ministry of Defence’s best photographs 2022 -

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/gallery/2022/dec/28/red-arrows-kitten-ministry-of-defence-best-photographs-2022

My favourite from the above link -



Cheers,

Itsallaguess

[kiloran]

‎‎‎‎‎‎
Red Arrows and a kitten: Ministry of Defence’s best photographs 2022 -

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/gallery/2022/dec/28/red-arrows-kitten-ministry-of-defence-best-photographs-2022

My favourite from the above link -

Cheers,

Itsallaguess

I like the last photo, the cockpit of an A400M. Just mind-blowing wall-to-wall technology. How the heck to pilots learn how to fly that?

--kiloran

[tjh290633]

I like the last photo, the cockpit of an A400M. Just mind-blowing wall-to-wall technology. How the heck to pilots learn how to fly that?

--kiloran

The cockpit main instruments are usually in a standard layout,. In this case they are on a screen. Most of the other stuff is used occasionally, and they get familiar with what is where. Some levers have particular knobs, like undercarriage and flaps, so you can tell by feel what you are doing. A lot of the time it will be night flying, so lights in the cockpit will be out.

I doubt that this aircraft would ever be flown solo. Not like the Lancaster.

TJH

[Howyoudoin]

From me and my happy little son, I wish all of you a very prosperous, healthy and happy new year.

[swill453]

Two interesting pictures. I wonder who in Grant Shapps team thought it was a good idea to airbrush Johnson out of the picture. Not even competently, they've left in his right elbow.





Source: https://twitter.com/ionewells/status/16 ... 7113892864

Scott.

[UncleEbenezer]

There's a very good reason space launches haven't happened from geographical Europe[1]. It's physically much more efficient to launch from (near) the Equator, and commonsense has hitherto trumped tub-thumping vanity.

[1] Many launches have in fact happened from European Soil.

[ursaminortaur]

There's a very good reason space launches haven't happened from geographical Europe[1]. It's physically much more efficient to launch from (near) the Equator, and commonsense has hitherto trumped tub-thumping vanity.

[1] Many launches have in fact happened from European Soil.

It is efficient to launch from near the equator for eastern travelling equatorial orbits since they can take advantage of the Earth's spin. However that isn't the case for retrograde or highly inclined orbits eg polar orbits. Since for those you need to counter the Earth's spin and a higher latitude launch site is preferable as the speed at which the Earth is spinning is less. Since such launches are also in a westwards direction it helps if there are not heavily populated areas under the flight path thus western coastal areas are a good choice.

Cornwall's Spaceport has a latitude of 50 degrees North which is only a little north of Russia's (nowadays leased from Kazakhstan) long standing Baikonur launch site at 45.9 degrees North. For polar orbits though an even further northerly site eg a spaceport in Scotland would probably be better.

https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/first-launch-from-the-uk

The UK has a growing space sector, which employs 47,000 people. UK space companies have a strong track record in satellite manufacturing, spacecraft design and data applications. In fact, Glasgow builds more satellites than anywhere outside the United States. Soon we’ll be able to launch them from the UK too.

The UK is also located relatively far north, which means it’s perfect for launching satellites into polar and Sun-synchronous orbits, which go over the north and south poles. These orbits are ideal for satellites that monitor the Earth and provide telecommunications.

With a long coastline and many islands, the UK offers a range of suitable locations for launching rockets safely out over the sea – away from settlements and people.

[mc2fool]

There's a very good reason space launches haven't happened from geographical Europe[1]. It's physically much more efficient to launch from (near) the Equator, and commonsense has hitherto trumped tub-thumping vanity.

[1] Many launches have in fact happened from European Soil.

It is efficient to launch from near the equator for eastern travelling equatorial orbits since they can take advantage of the Earth's spin. However that isn't the case for retrograde or highly inclined orbits eg polar orbits. Since for those you need to counter the Earth's spin and a higher latitude launch site is preferable as the speed at which the Earth is spinning is less. Since such launches are also in a westwards direction it helps if there are not heavily populated areas under the flight path thus western coastal areas are a good choice.

Cornwall's Spaceport has a latitude of 50 degrees North which is only a little north of Russia's (nowadays leased from Kazakhstan) long standing Baikonur launch site at 45.9 degrees North. For polar orbits though an even further northerly site eg a spaceport in Scotland would probably be better.

And you can't get any further north (UK wise) than....

"Shetland’s location in the northernmost reaches of the UK make it an optimal place for the space economy.

The island of Unst in particular was identified in an independent report for the UK Government as the best location in the country for the launch of small vertical rockets transporting small satellites into low earth orbits. Its northerly location also means it is ideal for tracking and communicating with satellites already in orbit.

Home to the privately-funded SaxaVord Space Port, Lamba Ness in Unst is already the chosen site for the UK Space Agency’s UK Pathfinder Launch, to be carried out in 2022 by space industry behemoth Lockheed Martin and rocket manufacturer ABL Systems."
https://www.shetland.org/invest/sectors/space

[Tedx]

Theres one being built in Sutherland too and one planned for Benbecula in the Outer Hebrides.

The remote location is also handy in case one of them explodes. Not too many locals to vaporise and sheep are cheap to replace.

[Tedx]

Two top selling books side by side.