Text 22212, 192 rader
Skriven 2012-03-09 20:18:00 av Glen Jamieson
Kommentar till en text av Hap Newsom
Ärende: SILENT SERVICE 20309
============================
-=> Quoting Hap Newsom to Glen Jamieson <=-
G'day Hap,
-> -> The original idea came from an old man who made his own wooden
HN> camera,
-> -> stuck it on a wooden dart launched by big rubber bands, and took
-> -> aerial photos of his neighbours' back yards. He used a string to
-> -> up his gyro stabiliser before launch. We greatly refined the idea.
-> ->
-> HN> Hmmm was he looking for lady sunbathers??
->
-> That is what we always suspected. He didn't admit to it, though.
->
HN> Probably married!
I think so.
-> -> -> My launcher used foot-pumped compressed air stored at 120 psi in
-> -> -> spherical aluminium tank surrounding the quick-opening valve
-> -> -> which allowed the pressure to be instantly dumped under the
-> -> -> dart, about 120mm diameter, which fired it out of the metre-long
-> -> -> nylon barrel. As the propelling air was expanded almost down to
-> -> -> atmospheric pressure by the time the dart left the barrel, there
-> -> -> practically no noise, which was one of the design requirements.
-> -> ->
-> -> I think it was only about 2 minutes to pump up the tank. Enough
-> -> volume to expand it almost down to atmospheric pressure by the time
-> -> the dart left the barrel. Not much. I was particularly proud of
-> ->
-> HN> Two minutes is not bad at all!
->
-> I had the choice of any lightweight energy source to propel the dart,
-> and after looking into the alternatives of springs, rubber bands and
-> blank .22 cartridges, decided on compressed air storage of the
-> operator's energy biscuits.
->
HN> With that much weight, I'd have suspected
HN> a much more powerful launching system.
The dart plus camera only weighed about a pound, and the launcher,
about 4 pounds. Minimum weight was one of the main aims, as
everything had to be carried by a soldier, sweating it out in Vietnam.
HN> You would want to get as much altitude
HN> as possible for two reasons 1) more
HN> photographic coverage and 2) better
HN> chances of remaining undetected both
HN> during flight and recovery.
The camera had to rise above the jungle, and unobtrusively photograph
any groups of enemy waiting in ambush. Thus the silent launch and
landing arrangements.
-> -> -> A portion of that high pressure air was stored in a space within
-> -> -> dart, and slowly leaked out through an adjustable needle valve.
-> -> -> pre-set pressure, the remaining air was dumped into an actuator
-> -> -> released the camera "shutter". This was usually set to occur
-> -> -> before apogee, while the dart was still rising vertically.
-> -> ->
-> -> HN> Sounds quite complicated!!
The design side was complicated, but it was simple to operate, as the
only variables were the direction to point the camera before launch,
and the pressure to pump it up to.
-> -> -> To prevent the dart from rolling during its upward flight, I
-> -> -> vane with a tiny gyroscope, similar to that used by the US
-> Very likely, except that if I was designing the modern equivalent to
-> do that same function it would be a tiny, battery-powered, remotely
-> controlled drone aircraft carrying a digital camera.
->
HN> As would I but it'd have to be a very
HN> small to remain undetected..I know that
HN> they have remote controlled blimps with
HN> digital cameras attached. I have seen
HN> them in use at the ballpark!!
Haha! With electric propulsion, and a small size, the model aircraft
would make very little noise. To make it even less noticeable, I
would shape it and paint it like a soaring eagle!!!
-> -> HN> BTW I have a new friend in Oz..she's
-> -> HN> a medic on a collins class sub out of HN> Sydney!
-> -> I sympathise with her. Those subs have been notorious for faults.
-> HN> Boy are they ever!
-> And now they are talking about replacements. Suggestions that we
-> should buy US, Brit or French nuclear subs have been countered by
-> comments that they are all too big, and can't operate in shallow,
-> littoral waters. Only smaller, non-nuclear submarines can go there.
-> Modern conventional craft built with air-independent propulsion and
-> lightweight lithium-ion batteries can operate for weeks without
-> surfacing.
->
HN> There is a lot of discussion in the
HN> Submarine community on just that
HN> subject. There is a powerful lobby
HN> in Aus that wants to build them
HN> domestically and an equally vocal
HN> side that points out how poorly
HN> that plan worked when it was last
HN> tried (Collins Class). There are
They claim that we have learnt a lot of lessons from building the
Collins, and now we could do a better job.
HN> classes of smaller nuke boats that
HN> would be capable of working "inshore"
HN> just as well as "blue water". Many of
HN> the US boats spent more time in
HN> "shallow" ops than in deep ops!
"Shallow" is relative. According to what I have read of the
discussions, even the 5500t French Barracuda class, with 8.8 m beam is
considered too large to operate in littoral (brown) waters. Only
smaller, non-nuclear subs fit this role. They have to be capable of
operating at only 2 knots above an irregular seabed, or sit on the
bottom for extended periods. They also have to be capable of long
distance travel, and be cheap enough for Australia to afford. They
say a nuclear sub would cost as much as several conventional ones.
And, of course, above all else, politics comes into it.
HN> However if it were ME making the
HN> purchase...I'd be looking at the
HN> Swedish boats..specifically the
HN> Gotland class boats, with air
HN> independent propulsion. There's
HN> not much of a need for huge
HN> range and those dang boats are
HN> very VERY quiet!
Long range may not be needed in Sweden, but Australia is bigger, much
bigger. And the Pacific Ocean is rather empty.
MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.05
Title: Bocadillo Submarine Deluxe Sandwich
Categories: Sandwiches, Vegetables, Cheese, Pork, Beef
Yield: 1 Sandwich
18 Inch loaf of crusty French
- baguette, bakery fresh
1 lg Ripe beefsteak tomato; thin
- sliced
1/2 lb Roast beef, deli sliced
9 sl Pepperoni, deli sliced
- sandwich style, room temp
4 sl Fried bacon
3 tb Mayonnaise
1 tb Creamy horseradish sauce
1 tb Dill relish
3 tb Kraft Cheez Whiz; room temp
+=3DOR=3D+
5 sl American cheese
+=3DMIXED WITH=3D+
1 tb Butter
+=3DAND=3D+
1/4 ts Water
pn Salt
Cut bread load in half Lengthwise (horizontally.) If not using Cheez
Whiz; Melt cheese slices with water and butter in a microwave oven at
about 30% power, mix, spread on bottom half of bread loaf like
buttering toast. Lay fried bacon strips, edge to edge lengthways
along the center of bread. Add 1/4 cup water to a frying pan and add
a pinch of salt. Set heat to medium low, when water starts to steam
add the roast beef and cook only long enough to heat it and until any
pink is gone. Drain off all water well and spread warm roast beef
along the bread over the bacon. Place 8-9 slices pepperoni over the
roast beef. Place 8 thin slices of tomato over the pepperoni. Add
leaf lettuce. Mix mayonnaise with the dill relish and creamy
horseradish sauce and spread it on the top half of the inside of
bread. Place top half over sandwich and cut loaf into 6 sections.
Serve cold OR remove lettuce, place sandwich on a baking sheet or
piece of tinfoil and toast the prepared sub-sandwiches in a
400=F8F/205=F8C preheated oven for 11-12 minutes. Add the lettuce
back after heating. Serves 3-6 Variations; In place of roast beef use
slices of ham or chicken breast or turkey breast or corned beef
sliced fresh at a Deli Counter. From:
http://www.recipehut.homestead.com Uncle Dirty Dave's Archives From:
Dave Drum Date: 03-13-11
MMMMM
On this day in 1062, in Naples, kissing in public was made a capital
offence.
___ Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 [NR]
--- FLAME v2.0/b
* Origin: Braintap BBS Adelaide Australia (3:800/449)
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