Over the weekend, our Never Forget Flash Animation went past the 3 million hits mark. Since August 2005, the tribute is now seen on over 250 websites worldwide; it reminds us of what we must never forget if we are to prevail in the War on Terror.
If you wish to display the tribute on your site, visit the Never Forget page for more information. It’s completely free and simple to activate on your website.
Each winter the Pacific Gray Whales pass through the waters just offshore of Southern California. After spending the summer feeding in the food-rich waters of the arctic, the Grays swim south along the coast to the bays of Baja California, where they mate and nurse their young. Along the way they pass Palos Verdes Peninsula, where I caught this photo today.
A whale watching tourist boat is seen getting a closer view. “Thar she blows!” Picture taken from the Point Vicente Fishing Access on the southern cliffs of Palos Verdes.
The Stardust probe landed safely in Utah this morning, bringing with it cometary and interstellar particles collected over a nearly 3 billion mile journey. After the recovered capsule is returned to Houston, it will be opened and the process of analysis will begin. Home PC users are being asked to help with locating and identifying recovered particles.
NASA’s Stardust sample return mission returned safely to Earth when the capsule carrying cometary and interstellar particles successfully touched down at 2:10 a.m. Pacific time (3:10 a.m. Mountain time) in the desert salt flats of the U.S. Air Force Utah Test and Training Range.
“Ten years of planning and seven years of flight operations were realized early this morning when we successfully picked up our return capsule off of the desert floor in Utah,” said Tom Duxbury, Stardust project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. “The Stardust project has delivered to the international science community material that has been unaltered since the formation of our solar system.”
. . .
The sample return capsule’s science canister and its cargo of comet and interstellar dust particles will be stowed inside a special aluminum carrying case to await transfer to the Johnson Space Center, Houston, where it will be opened. NASA’s Stardust mission traveled 2.88 billion miles during its seven-year round-trip odyssey. Scientists believe these precious samples will help provide answers to fundamental questions about comets and the origins of the solar system.
My money’s on finding traces of the same heavy elements we see on our own planet and in spectrographs of astronomical objects throughout the universe.
Read NASA’s Comet Tale Draws to a Successful Close in Utah Desert for the entire story.
Damsel and I are big fans of R. Lee Ermey, “Gunny Ermey” of the History Channel’s Mail Call feature. We see Ermey as a no-nonsense patriot who supports the troops and is justifiably intolerant of moonbats who seek to impose their jackassery on American values.
Ermey has what Damsel describes as the “BEST.JOB.EVER!” We see him riding shotgun in military planes, visiting NORAD, driving amphibious Marine equipment, going to the annual gathering of automatic weapons enthusiasts and firing everything in sight, destroying the “enemy” (watermelons) with every imaginable weapon, and just generally having a good time. In spite of his fun job and his popularity, Ermey gets out among his fans, just like he’s one of the regular folks. Recently, Ermey visited Camp Foster on Okinawa to visit the troops, pose for pictures, and sign books, posters and DVDs.
From Ermey’s Website:
R. Lee Ermey fans in Okinawa were not in short supply. Fans waited in line for up to 3 hours just to get the chance to meet and get an autograph by the Gunny.
His book signing visits included Camp Hansen, Kadena Air Base and Camp Foster (shown left). Fans were able to purchase the “MAIL CALL” book at the signing, the Gunny didn’t stop there though, taking time talking with each person and even posing for photographs. Copies of “MAIL CALL” and FULL METAL JACKET DVDs were also autographed for those bringing them to the signing.
Read the rest of the article at Stars and Stripes Website.
Hat tip to America Supports You for their feature about Gunny on their front page today.
As a closing thought, Damsel and I occasionally watch Full Metal Jacket up until the time Ermey’s character gets killed off in the latrine. As Damsel says “Who wants to watch Matthew Modine for the rest of the picture? Once Gunny’s gone, there ain’t much left.”
LinkedInUSAF has excellent coverage of the christening of the “Spirit of Ronald Reagan” C17 USAF Transport Aircraft: Mrs. Reagan Christens the “Spirit of Ronald Reagan”
Here’s a couple of excerpts from LinkedInUSAF:
Yesterday was a great day for the dedicated Airmen at March AFB. The eighth, and final, delivery of a C-17 Globemaster III was christened by Mrs. Nancy Reagan. I am sure that for her, this was a beautiful, yet poignant ceremony – her best friend Ronnie was not by her side. (those who know, know, she always called him “Ronnie.”
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It is sad that President Reagan was not able to see his vision come to fruition. He died June 5, 2004, at the amazing age of 93. Just two more years and he would have seen “his” C-17, “his” aircraft carrier, and the F-22A become operational.
This startling Astronomy Picture of the Day image from the Spitzer Space Telescope reminded me of the “Eye of God.”
From APOD:
Over six hundred light years from Earth, in the constellation Aquarius, a sun-like star is dying. Its last few thousand years have produced the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293), a well studied and nearby example of a Planetary Nebula, typical of this final phase of stellar evolution. Emission in this infrared Spitzer Space Telescope image of the Helix comes mostly from the nebula’s molecular hydrogen gas. The gas appears to be clumpy, forming thousands of comet-shaped knots each spanning about twice the size of our solar system. Bluer, more energetic radiation is seen to come from the heads with redder emission from the tails, suggesting that they are more shielded from the central star’s winds and intense ultraviolet radiation. The nebula itself is about 2.5 light-years across. The Sun is expected to go through its own Planetary Nebula phase … in another 5 billion years.
Here’s looking at you, Kid!
