Air Force secret plane......

[rusnak]

The first photo is interesting. Why are the runway guys in full hazmat suits? The runway lights are temporary light towers with guys standing by them ready to cut the lights.

[RNajarian]

From “ How Stuff Works.”

“After landing, the (Space Shuttle) crew goes through the shutdown procedures to power down the spacecraft. This process takes about 20 minutes. During this time, the orbiter is cooling and noxious gases, which were made during the heat of re-entry, blow away. Once the orbiter is powered down, the crew exits the vehicle. Ground crews are on-hand to begin servicing the orbiter.”

https://science.howstuffworks.com/space-shuttle7.htm

[pmax]

Originally Posted by RNajarian

From “ How Stuff Works.”

“After landing, the (Space Shuttle) crew goes through the shutdown procedures to power down the spacecraft. This process takes about 20 minutes. During this time, the orbiter is cooling and noxious gases, which were made during the heat of re-entry, blow away. Once the orbiter is powered down, the crew exits the vehicle. Ground crews are on-hand to begin servicing the orbiter.”

https://science.howstuffworks.com/space-shuttle7.htm

Or they are checking for space aliens

Joking aside, what kind of "noxious gas" sticks around at 1000 mph during reentry given the SS is in glide mode ?

[beepbeep]

Originally Posted by rusnak

The first photo is interesting. Why are the runway guys in full hazmat suits?

I would guess that it is to guard against possible Hydrazine leak. It is a great storable propellant, but cancerogenic and just nasty to have near people. Also, those ablative heat shield tiles are probably outgassing nasty fumes.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Crowbob

I wonder how that happened. The rotation of the moon is exactly correct for us to only see one side of it in perpetuity.

It is all because of the earth's gravity. The "tidal" forces like the moon causes on earth are 6 times higher on the moon even though there is no water to have a tide with. It pulls on the material of the moon, and after a few billion years, the face of the moon always faces earth. The moon is just 1/6 the size of earth. Still very large for a moon, and speculation is the large moon and the tides it caused and the many tidal pools my be where life evolved.

[Crowbob]

Thanks, Glen.

So over time the side of the moon that has the most mass ended up always facing earth?

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by Crowbob

Thanks, Glen.

So over time the side of the moon that has the most mass ended up always facing earth?

Pretty much. If you look at a surface model of the moon, the back side is far more even and has a lot less craters. Some massive impact blew enough material out to reduce that side of the moon's mass.

[pwd72s]

Makes me think of aviation advances in just my lifetime...when I was born, B-17s and P-51 Mustangs were the hot tickets for the Army Air Corps...what the air force has today is mind boggling...and that's just the stuff we're allowed to know about.

[GH85Carrera]

My dad's first real job after all the pilot training was over was was he was responsible for every document on the base that had any security level from the lowest to way beyond top secret. He had a very high security clearance just to be able to handle the documents. They were all kept in a concrete building built like a bank vault, with an armed guard at the door outside, and another armed guard inside.

One day as he was headed home from the vault, he saw a lot of lights and something happening in front of one of the hangars on base and he saw several officers he knew looking on. As he approached a guard with a dog stopped him. He showed his security clearance and the guard said no sir, this is need to know only, and you don't need to know. So he want home.

It was over a year before he discovered the need to know was the U2 aircraft. That would have been in about 1955 or 1956. It is still in service.

I have often wondered just what is the oldest aircraft in active service in the USAF today. The U2, B-52 or some other aircraft. After 65 years and lots of upgrades they are still flying.

[dad911]

I think google has mapped the moon, but I can't remember how top get to it.

[flipper35]

Oldest aircraft or oldest aircraft type?

[rusnak]

Originally Posted by dad911

I think google has mapped the moon, but I can't remember how top get to it.

I wanna say just look up at the sky and point?

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by flipper35

Oldest aircraft or oldest aircraft type?

Both actually. Mostly I am curious what single aircraft is the oldest. I don't think they have any C-47s still in active service in the Air Force.

I know they have B-52s that three generations in one family have flown. Imagine getting to fly active duty missions in the same airplane your grandfather and your dad flew when they were active duty Air Force.

[Crowbob]

Originally Posted by rusnak

i wanna say just look up at the sky and point?

snort!

[dad911]

Originally Posted by rusnak

I wanna say just look up at the sky and point?

Found it. Google earth pro. Pull down menus for Moon and Mars.

[tcar]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

Both actually. Mostly I am curious what single aircraft is the oldest. I don't think they have any C-47s still in active service in the Air Force.

I know they have B-52s that three generations in one family have flown. Imagine getting to fly active duty missions in the same airplane your grandfather and your dad flew when they were active duty Air Force.

The Martin B-57, although modified, is still in use. By NASA, not the AF.

It's been around longer (slightly) than the B-62.

Edit: I remember (I think) that the Civil Air Patrol still uses DeHavilland Beavers in S&R. They would be older. I know, the CAP is not AF, an auxiliary, I think.
We thought we were pretty important.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by tcar

The Martin B-57, although modified, is still in use. By NASA, not the AF.

It's been around longer (slightly) than the B-62.

Edit: I remember (I think) that the Civil Air Patrol still uses DeHavilland Beavers in S&R. They would be older. I know, the CAP is not AF, an auxiliary, I think.
We thought we were pretty important.

The CAP is almost Air Force but they are not really considered an armed force. I really want to know what aircraft is the oldest in active service in the USAF. My dad flew C-47s for the USAF in the 1970s. It is still in service with Colombia, El Salvador, and South Africa today, but that is not the USAF.

I know the Navy considers the 223 year old USS Constitution "in service" but is sure is never really going to be used in any active duty in the Navy except in ceremony.

The Army has the MA Deuce or M2 Browning in service since 1933. It is just amazing a gun made in 1933 is still in active duty, and nothing really can replace it for that purpose.

Right now if the USAF was tasked to heavy bomb an enemy target, a 60+ year old B-52 is likely to complete the order. There is no aircraft currently in line to replace it that I know of. It may well be in service for 100 years. In the mightiest armed forces of the USA.

[RWebb]

C-130 Herc?

[RWebb]

https://www.veteranaid.org/blog/5-oldest-us-aircraft-still-in-operation

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by RWebb

https://www.veteranaid.org/blog/5-oldest-us-aircraft-still-in-operation

Thanks. That site confirms the B-52 as the oldest. Interesting list of the top 5 aircraft type.

One of the guys we hire as a pilot for our 2004 Cessna 182T on occasion owns a 1946 Cessna 140. It is a cool old airplane and he has fun just going for a $100 hamburger at some other airport on a pretty day.