Re: Up At The Ranch And Beyond
History flies over the Ranch. B-36.
Development started in 1941, didn’t get operational until 1946. Six big radial engines, 2,000HP each, later added some jet engines.
Replaced in the late 50’s by the B-52, which is still in use and which will likely reach a type service life of 100 years.i
The B-36 Peacemaker
Old Fliers
17.2K subscribers
July 14, 2025
What if Nazi Germany had successfully invaded the U.K. in WW2?
With the Royal Air Force eliminated, the US Air Force needed a bomber capable of reaching Berlin from Newfoundland. This was the B-36 Intercontinental bomber.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=rX9EHlxKfFA[/url]
Re: Up At The Ranch And Beyond
Space Rock News
Largest Piece Of Mars Sells For Over $5M At New York Auction
http://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/fe7595...none&crop=none
The largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth was sold for just over $5m at an auction of rare geological and archaeological objects in New York on Wednesday, while a juvenile dinosaur skeleton went for more than $30m.
The 54-pound (25kg) rock named NWA 16788 was discovered in the Sahara desert in Niger by a meteorite hunter in November 2023, after having been blown off the surface of Mars by a massive asteroid strike and traveling 140m miles (225m km) to Earth, according to Sotheby’s. The estimated sale price before the auction was $2m to $4m.
The identity of the buyer was not immediately disclosed, nor was the owner. It was held in Italy for a time, then with a private entity. The final bid was $4.3m. Adding various fees and costs, the official bid price was about $5.3m.
http://en.protothema.gr/wp-content/u...is-1.jpg-1.jpg
Two advance bids of $1.9m and $2m were submitted. The live bidding went slower than for many other objects that were sold, with the auctioneer trying to coax more offers and decreasing the $200,000 to $300,000 bid intervals to $100,000 after the proposals hit $4m.
The red, brown and gray meteorite is about 70% larger than the next largest piece of Mars found on Earth and represents nearly 7% of all the Martian material currently on this planet. It measures about 15in by 11in by 6in (375mm by 279mm by 152mm).
It was also a rare find. There are only 400 Martian meteorites out of the more than 77,000 officially recognized meteorites found on Earth.
Published 16th July 2025 – The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/science/...argest-auction
http://yt3.ggpht.com/V_c8P14bBWl6PwL...00ffffff-no-rj
$7M – $46M
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Re: Up At The Ranch And Beyond
Nova V462 Lupi
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2507...pi_Pon_960.jpg
Credit: Matipon Tangmatitham (NARIT)
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2507..._annotated.jpg
If you know where to look, you can see a thermonuclear explosion from a white dwarf star. Possibly two. Such explosions are known as novas and the detonations are currently faintly visible with the unaided eye in Earth's southern hemisphere -- but are more easily seen with binoculars.
Pictured, Nova Lupi 2025 (V462 Lupi) was captured toward the southern constellation of the Wolf (Lupus) last week near the central plane of our Milky Way galaxy. Nova Lupi 2025 was originally discovered on June 12 and peaked in brightness about a week later. Similarly, Nova Velorum 2025, toward the southern constellation of the Ship Sails (Vela), was discovered on June 25 and peaked a few days later.
A nova somewhere in our Galaxy becomes briefly visible to the unaided eye only every year or two, so it is quite unusual to have two novas visible simultaneously. Meanwhile, humanity awaits even a different nova: T Coronae Borealis, which should become visible in northern skies and is expected to become even brighter.
https://yt3.ggpht.com/ytc/AIdro_lndd...00ffffff-no-rj
Published 3rd July 2025 (5:22)
Re: Up At The Ranch And Beyond
“Bad Day”
Having a bad day?
(30:38)
Re: Up At The Ranch And Beyond
Roman Soldier's Bronze Wrist Purse Found in Czechia Reveals Life on the Empire's Edge
http://www.ancient-origins.net/sites...?itok=erYm2hfk
In a novel discovery, archaeologists in South Moravia, Czechia, have unearthed a 1,800-year-old bronze fragment of a Roman wrist purse - a utilitarian and tactical piece of military gear that offers a cool insight into the daily lives of soldiers stationed on the volatile frontier of the Roman Empire.
The fragment was recovered in January 2025 from Hradisko Hill, a prominent archaeological site once occupied by the 10th Roman Legion during the Marcomannic Wars (172-180 AD), a turbulent period of conflict between Rome and Germanic tribes. Though only about 30% of the original purse survives, experts quickly identified it as a forearm purse used by Roman soldiers to carry coins securely while keeping their hands free for combat.
"It is more like a small money box," said Balázs Komoróczy of the Czech Academy of Sciences. "It was worn by sliding it onto the arm or forearm. The tension around the arm kept it closed and secure" reports Radio Prague International.
These compact containers were a pragmatic solution for Roman soldiers who were constantly on the move and in combat zones, allowing them to carry both personal funds and what Komoróczy refers to as "service cash" for logistical expenses during campaigns. While no coins were found within the purse itself, a large number of silver denarii discovered nearby helped researchers date the artifact to the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD).
Experts estimate the purse could have held around 50 silver denarii, a substantial sum at the time, although slightly less than a full year's wage for a regular soldier. This suggests the purse may have belonged to a junior officer or a logistical paymaster, a figure responsible for managing unit finances while marching beyond Roman frontiers.
https://www.ancient-origins.net/site...omanPurse4.jpg
The fragment of Roman wrist purse, with replica above and the coins found with it. (Václav Šálek, ČTK)
Published 1st July 2025 by Gary Manners – Ancient Origins
https://www.ancient-origins.net/news...-purse-0022231
Re: Up At The Ranch And Beyond
Moths Don't Like To Lay Their Eggs On Plants That Are Screaming
http://www.sciencealert.com/images/2...ead-tomato.jpg
Dead tomato - not the neighborhood to raise a family.
A tomato plant emitting screams of distress outside the range of human hearing makes a terrible place for a moth to deposit its babies.
That's the conclusion that scientists at Tel Aviv University in Israel reached after conducting a careful study to examine the interactions between animals and plants, mediated by the sounds plants make when under duress. It's the first time such an interaction has been observed, confirming that animals can indeed hear and respond to floragenic distress calls.
It follows a previous study conducted by the same team of scientists, in which it was revealed for the first time that plants emit popping or clicking noises in ultrasonic frequencies when dehydrated or cut.
"After proving in the previous study that plants produce sounds, we hypothesized that animals capable of hearing these high-frequency sounds may respond to them and make decisions accordingly," says zoologist Yossi Yovel of Tel Aviv University. "Specifically, we know that many insects, which have diverse interactions with the plant world, can perceive plant sounds. We wanted to investigate whether such insects actually detect and respond to these sounds."
The new experiment involved healthy plants, dehydrated plants, and recordings of distressed plants. To this mix, the researchers added female Egyptian cotton leafworm (Spodoptera littoralis) moths.
"We chose to focus on female moths, which typically lay their eggs on plants so that the larvae can feed on them once hatched," explains evolutionary biologist Lilach Hadany.
Taken together, the results imply moths do indeed hear, respond to, and make decisions based on the sound of a plant in distress. But there could be a whole range of interactions, not just between plants and animals, but plants and other plants, waiting to be uncovered.
"In this study, we sought to determine whether insects also rely on plant acoustic signals when making decisions," the researchers write in their paper.
"We reveal evidence for a first acoustic interaction between moths and plants, but as plants emit various sounds, our findings hint to the existence of more currently unknown insect-plant acoustic interactions."
Published 19th July 2025 by Michelle Starr – Science Alert
https://www.sciencealert.com/moths-d...-are-screaming
https://elifesciences.org/reviewed-p...o.2ab2ee88.svg
The reviewed results appear as a preprint in the journal eLife.
https://elifesciences.org/reviewed-preprints/104700v1
Audio recording of plant sounds
https://yt3.ggpht.com/I9_lXBCTsTqLns...00ffffff-no-rj
Frequency adjusted for human ears.
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Re: Up At The Ranch And Beyond
The Night Sky
Sunday, July 20 - Crescent moon crosses the Pleiades (pre-dawn)
http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/5Dm...zjW-970-80.jpg
In the eastern sky before dawn on Sunday morning, July 20, the pretty, waning crescent moon will shine very close to the bright little Pleiades Star Cluster (aka The Seven Sisters, Subaru, and Messier 45) in Taurus. The pairing will show nicely in binoculars (orange circle). For skywatchers in the Americas, the moon will pass directly through the cluster's stars starting at about 4:25 a.m. EDT or 08:25 GMT. By the time the moon completes its passage around two hours later, the sky will be brightening in the Eastern and Central time zones, but it will still be dark in the Pacific Time zone. Keep an eye out for the blue-green speck of Uranus to the lower right of the Pleiades all year.
Monday, July 21 - The stinging Scorpion (evening)
http://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/i9Q...af8-970-80.jpg
https://www.space.com/16149-night-sky.html
After dusk in mid-July, the distinctive constellation of Scorpius, the Scorpion, reaches its peak elevation over the southern horizon. The constellation's brightest star is orange-tinted Antares, the "Rival of Mars". Several medium-bright, white stars arranged in a roughly vertical line to the west of Antares mark the creature's claws on modern sky charts; however, the major stars of neighboring Libra used to perform that role. The rest of the scorpion extends to the south and curls to the left (celestial eastward) into the Milky Way, terminating with the bright double star Shaula, which marks its poisonous stinger.
Re: Up At The Ranch And Beyond
First Band From Outer Space
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...ns_la_lune.jpg
We're Only In It For The Spacerock
Re: Up At The Ranch And Beyond
Timelapse - Intervención artística realizada por El Niño de las Pinturas en nuestra fachada
https://yt3.ggpht.com/KFgP_2yw-dHRx-...00ffffff-no-rj
Un legado de ciencia y arte para nuestra ciudad Estamos felices de presentar hoy esta preciosa intervención artística realizada por El Niño de las Pinturas. Con esta intervención, no solo embellecemos nuestra sede, sino que también esperamos convertirla en un espacio de inspiración para la comunidad y los visitantes ❤️.
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Re: Up At The Ranch And Beyond
#ufo/uap
UFO Shoots Out During Thunder Storm, Kingsville, Maryland, July 7, 2025, UAP Sighting News
The gentleman with the camera expresses surprise.
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Re: Up At The Ranch And Beyond
Suzuki’s Green Revolution Hits The Track With Bio-Fueled Superbike
100% Sustainable Fuel
http://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/def...fa9f1%2F14.jpg
Masson
Team Suzuki CN Challenge, run by Suzuki employees, will compete in the 46th Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race using 100% sustainable fuel. It follows after the team competed in the 45th Coca-Cola Suzuka 8 Hours Endurance Race last year with a Suzuki GSX-R1000R motorcycle that used 40% bio-sourced fuel.
This year's race will take place at the Suzuka Circuit from August 1–3, 2025, as part of the FIM Endurance World Championship (EWC). Suzuki will continue to compete in the Experimental Class, underscoring the company’s commitment to developing high-performance, low-impact technologies in real-world racing environments.
“In last year’s race, we took on a completely new challenge and achieved an impressive eighth place overall,” said Toshihiro Suzuki, President of Suzuki Motor Corporation. “Our target is to overcome new challenges together and pave the way to a better, more sustainable future.”
The key player here is Excellium Racing 100, a sustainable fuel developed by TotalEnergies. It will power the team's specially tuned GSX-R1000R throughout the grueling endurance event.
What makes this fuel remarkable is its origin – it’s produced from waste products in the food industry, such as used cooking oil and grape pomace. It’s not just cleaner; it’s competitive, too. Excellium Racing 100 delivers high performance while reducing lifecycle CO₂ emissions by up to 65%.
Suzuki’s 2025 rider lineup has been refreshed to bolster their campaign. Spanish rider Albert Arenas, who placed third at last year’s Suzuka 8 Hours, joins forces with Takuya Tsuda, Suzuki’s veteran test and development rider, and Étienne Masson, a member of the championship-winning Yoshimura SERT Motul squad.
http://assets.newatlas.com/dims4/def...b6c7d%2F05.jpg
Tsuda
Published 20th July 2025 by Utkarsh Sood – New Atlas
https://newatlas.com/motorcycles/suz...tainable-fuel/
Re: Up At The Ranch And Beyond
Do Demons Walk Among Us? Exorcist Answers Your Questions
https://yt3.ggpht.com/I2doxdXQ_dtfdZ...00ffffff-no-rj
In this episode of Honesty Box, we sat down with Ian Lawman, an exorcist and psychic medium, to answer your burning questions about the world of the supernatural. From what actually causes someone to become possessed, to whether demons wear clothes and how badly they really smell, Ian shares his real-life experiences tackling evil spirits, creepy dolls, and his encounters with Satan himself. Please note: This episode shares one person’s beliefs and experiences. It’s not medical advice and should not be treated as such.
Published 13th July 2025 (20:24)
00:00 - 00:39 - Intro
00:39 - 02:10 - What causes someone to be possessed?
02:10 - 03:36 - First supernatural experience?
03:36 - 05:04 - How often do you exorcise?
05:04 - 06:19 - Why is it always creepy dolls that are haunted?
06:19 - 08:14 - Most scared you’ve ever been?
08:14 - 09:32 - Do demons wear clothes?
09:32 - 10:21 - How many people just think you’re mad?
10:21 - 12:04 - What tools do you use?
12:04 - 13:50 - What does Satan look like?
13:50 - 16:06 - Prove you’re not making this up
16:06 - 16:40 - Is what you do considered Christian?
16:40 - 17:51 - Do you believe in hell?
17:51 - 18:44 - How badly do demons smell?
18:44 - 20:24 - What happens when we die?
Re: Up At The Ranch And Beyond
EU Space Act
The Potential Impact of the EU Space Act
https://x.com/KubiliusA/status/1937856603614482468
Andrius Kubilius, European Commissioner for Defence and Space
The European Commission released its long-awaited proposal for an EU Space Act this June. The act aims to boost the region’s space industry by cutting red tape, creating one standard for legal and technical requirements, and ensuring Europe’s space industry remains safe and sustainable.
The Space Act would create standard operating procedures across the space industry, from launch licensing to satellite safety, if it’s approved by the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. But how much would space companies in Europe feel the impact of such a widespread policy change?
Cost/benefit: The commission’s impact assessment, which outlines the main effects of the proposed policies, found that the changes would have minimal administrative impact on member states beyond the one-time headache of aligning policies with the Space Act.
The impact on the commercial sector, however, would be more material.
• The assessment found that satellite operators’ manufacturing costs could increase as much as 10%.
• Launch service providers could end up incurring expenses of €1.5M for heavy launchers, and €200,000 for small and medium launchers, to meet the new launch requirements.
• Risk management costs for the industry are estimated at 10% of a company’s IT budget.
• Implementing environmental protection rules would cost as much as €8,000.
On the plus side, having a single market and a single set of rules for all EU member states would answer the complaints of many in the industry, who have criticized Europe’s slow-moving, fragmented regulatory process.
The assessment estimates that shifting from individual to constellation-wide satellite authorizations could save operators €68M over the next decade.
Increasing the minimum lifespan of LEO sats from five years to six years could have a €1.3B annual economic benefit.
Higher cyber security standards could save operators and manufacturers €320M annually.
New checklists: The Space Act isn’t just concerned with boosting the region’s space economy, however. Many of the articles focus on standardizing the technical requirements for launch and satellite operators; the aim is to ensure the region’s space industry is safe, resilient, and environmentally sustainable.
• The act requires that launch operators implement flight safety systems and space debris control measures to ensure safe launch and reentry.
• It mandates that spacecraft operators subscribe to collision-avoidance services, maintain a level of maneuverability, draw up space debris mitigation plans, and do their best to limit light and radio pollution.
• The Space Act asks space operators to calculate the environmental footprint of their entire mission lifecycle, and submit these findings as part of their authorization applications.
• Space operators will be expected to equip themselves with in-space servicing interfaces. They must also follow orbital traffic rules, including new procedures for collision avoidance that follow a “right of way” approach.
Lastly, the Space Act creates a series of supporting measures—guidance materials, technical assistance, and a new digital information portal—to help ease the compliance burden on smaller space companies.
Published 26th June 2025 by Douglas Gorman – Payload Space
https://payloadspace.com/eu-watch-th...the-space-act/
