Sunday, April 24, 2011
The World's Most Awesome Natural Balancing Rocks
These geological formations known as balancing rocks may have taken millions of years to form and still being chiseled by erosion, to what are they today. Here is a list of these awesome natural balancing rocks from across the world.
It is a common knowledge that rocks are formed by erosion and harsh weather conditions. Surprisingly, the results come in spectacular shapes and for mankind to marvel. . Here is a list of these awesome natural balancing rocks from across the world.
Balanced Rock
Balanced rock is one of the most popular rock formations at the Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Located at Pike’s Peak Region, this 700-ton huge boulder which seems ready to topple but surprisingly its narrow pedestal manage to balance the rock formation for thousands of years. However, its narrow base had to bolstered with concrete to prevent visitors from testing the balance against their strength.
El Torcal de Antequera
This spectacular karst rock formation is located in El Torcal Park Nature Reserve Antequera, Spain. Formed by erosion one hundred million years ago, the 17square km park is home to some of Europe’s unusual limestone landscapes. These amazing rock formations balancing rocks, towers, sculptures and gorges. The Natural Park Reserve was created in October 1978.
Chiricahua Balanced Rock
The 12,984 acres Chiricahua National Monument is located about 58 km of Willcox, Arizona. It is a popular tourist destination well-known for its huge vertical rock formations including the 1,000 tons Balanced Rock, formed after a volcanic activity nearly 27 million years ago. The eruption produced ash and pumice deposits about 2,000 feet thick which eventually cooled off into rhyolitic tuffs (gray rock ). Then, erosion and corrosion began chiseling away at the rock to form massive stone columns, towering rock spires, craggy grottoes, and balanced rocks including the 1,000 tons Balanced Rock. The area was renamed on April 18, 1924.
Balancing Rock near Digby
Balanced Rock
Balanced rock is one of the most popular rock formations at the Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Located at Pike’s Peak Region, this 700-ton huge boulder which seems ready to topple but surprisingly its narrow pedestal manage to balance the rock formation for thousands of years. However, its narrow base had to bolstered with concrete to prevent visitors from testing the balance against their strength.
El Torcal de Antequera
This spectacular karst rock formation is located in El Torcal Park Nature Reserve Antequera, Spain. Formed by erosion one hundred million years ago, the 17square km park is home to some of Europe’s unusual limestone landscapes. These amazing rock formations balancing rocks, towers, sculptures and gorges. The Natural Park Reserve was created in October 1978.
Chiricahua Balanced Rock
The 12,984 acres Chiricahua National Monument is located about 58 km of Willcox, Arizona. It is a popular tourist destination well-known for its huge vertical rock formations including the 1,000 tons Balanced Rock, formed after a volcanic activity nearly 27 million years ago. The eruption produced ash and pumice deposits about 2,000 feet thick which eventually cooled off into rhyolitic tuffs (gray rock ). Then, erosion and corrosion began chiseling away at the rock to form massive stone columns, towering rock spires, craggy grottoes, and balanced rocks including the 1,000 tons Balanced Rock. The area was renamed on April 18, 1924.
Balancing Rock near Digby
World top costliest desserts
Desserts are meant to sweeten your mouth, but are they also meant to empty out your pockets?
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Strawberries Arnaud
Price: $ 1.4 million
Just like his other creations, Arnaud Casbarian has used such an extremely exquisite array of ingredients in this dish that it has become quite legendary. This amazing dessert features strawberries marinated in the finest port, served with fresh mint and cream. What really adds to the bill here is the additional 5 carat pink-diamond ring, once belonging to the British financier Sir Ernest Cassel, which is “served” fresh with the strawberries.
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The Fortress Stilt Fisherman Indulgence
Price: $ 14,500
The age-old tradition of stilt-fishing, carried out by Sri Lanka’s fishermen, is showcased in this marvelous dessert. This delicacy features an aquamarine gem placed on a hand-made chocolate fisherman’s stilt, apart from the real dessert, which is a mix of many exotic fruits. The dessert is served in a hand-made glass utensil whose price is not included. This dessert was created and debuted at the Wine3 Fisherman Stilt Restaurant, Sri Lanka.
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Macaroons Haute Couture
Macaroons – a layer of butter cream sandwiched between two meringue puffs – are as popular in France as chocolate chip cookies are in the US. Pastry chef Pierre Hermé has created a new type of macaroons that may not be as popular as the ordinary ones, mainly because of the expensive new price tag. Starting from $7,414, these tasty macaroons feature a variety of ingredients sandwiched between puffs made from chef Hermé’s special ingredients like “fleur de sel” and balsamic vinegar. The fillings range from peanut butter to chocolate with red wine, and the best part is that you can decide what to put in your macaroon. Of course, there are caveats as not all flavors go together.
Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)
PSLV-C8 (CA Variant) carrying the AGILE x-ray and γ-ray astronomical satellite of the ASI lifting off from Sriharikota | |
Function | Medium Lift Launch System |
---|---|
Manufacturer | ISRO |
Country of origin | India |
Size | |
Height | 44 metres (144 ft) |
Diameter | 2.8 metres (9 ft 2 in) |
Mass | 294,000 kilograms (650,000 lb) |
Stages | 4 |
Capacity | |
Payload to LEO | 3,250 kilograms (7,200 lb) |
Payload to HCO | 1,600 kilograms (3,500 lb)[1] |
Payload to GTO | 1,060 kilograms (2,300 lb)[1] |
Launch history | |
Status | Active |
Launch sites | Sriharikota |
Total launches | 17 PSLV: 10 PSLV-CA: 6 PSLV-XL: 1 |
Successes | 15 PSLV: 8 PSLV-CA: 6 PSLV-XL: 1 |
Failures | 1 (PSLV) |
Partial failures | 1 (PSLV) |
Maiden flight | PSLV: 20 September 1993 PSLV-CA: 23 April 2007 PSLV-XL: 22 October 2008 |
Notable payloads | Chandrayaan-1 |
Boosters (Stage 0) | |
№ boosters | 6 |
Engines | 1 solid |
Thrust | 502.600 kN |
Specific impulse | 262 sec |
Burn time | 44 seconds |
Fuel | HTPB (solid) |
First stage | |
Engines | 1 solid |
Thrust | 4,860 kN |
Specific impulse | 269 sec |
Burn time | 105 seconds |
Fuel | HTPB (solid) |
Second stage | |
Engines | 1 Vikas (liquid) |
Thrust | 725 kN |
Specific impulse | 293 sec |
Burn time | 158 seconds |
Fuel | N2O4/UDMH |
Third stage | |
Engines | 1 solid |
Thrust | 328 kN |
Specific impulse | 294 sec |
Burn time | 83 seconds |
Fuel | Solid |
Fourth stage | |
Engines | 2 liquid |
Thrust | 14 kN |
Specific impulse | 308 sec |
Burn time | 425 seconds |
Fuel | MMH/MON |
PSLV costs 17 million USD flyaway cost for each launch.
Contents[hide] |
[edit] Vehicle description
The PSLV has four stages using solid and liquid propulsion systems alternately. The first stage is one of the largest solid-fuel rocket boosters in the world and carries 138 tonnes of Hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) bound propellant with a diameter of 2.8 m. The motor case is made of maraging steel. The booster develops a maximum thrust of about 4,430 kN. Six strap-on motors, four of which are ignited on the ground, augment the first stage thrust. Each of these solid propellant strap-on motors carries nine tonnes of HTPB propellant and produces 677 kN thrust. Pitch and yaw control of the PSLV during the thrust phase of the solid motor is achieved by injection of an aqueous solution of strontium perchlorate in the nozzle to constitute Secondary Injection Thrust Vector Control System (SITVC). The injection is stored in two cylindrical aluminum tanks strapped to the solid rocket motor and pressurized with nitrogen. There are two additional small liquid engine control power plants in the first stage, the Roll Control Thrusters (RCT), fixed radially opposite one on each side, between the triplet set of strap-on boosters. RCT is used for roll control during the first stage and the SITVC in two strap-on motors is for roll control augmentation.The second stage employs the Vikas engine and carries 41.5 tonnes (40 tonnes till C-5 mission) of liquid propellant – Unsymmetrical Di-Methyl Hydrazine (UDMH) as fuel and Nitrogen tetroxide (N2O4) as oxidizer. It generates a maximum thrust of 800 kN (724 till C-5 mission). Pitch & yaw control is obtained by hydraulically gimbaled engine (±4°) and two hot gas reaction control for roll.
The third stage uses 7 tonnes of HTPB-based solid propellant and produces a maximum thrust of 324 kN. It has a Kevlar-polyamide fiber case and a submerged nozzle equipped with a flex-bearing-seal gimbaled nozzle (±2°) thrust-vector engine for pitch & yaw control. For roll control it uses the RCS (Reaction Control System) of fourth stage.
The fourth and the terminal stage of PSLV has a twin engine configuration using liquid propellant. With a propellant loading of 2 tonnes (Mono-Methyl Hydrazine as fuel + Mixed Oxides of Nitrogen as oxidiser), each of these engines generates a maximum thrust of 7.4 kN. Engine is gimbaled (±3°) for pitch, yaw & roll control and for control during the coast phase uses on-off RCS. PSLV-C4 used a new lightweight carbon composite payload adapter to enable a greater GTO payload capability.
PSLV is developed with a group of wide-range control units.
Stage 1 | Stage 2 | Stage 3 | Stage 4 | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Pitch | SITVC | Engine Gimbal | Flex Nozzle | Engine Gimbal |
Yaw | SITVC | Engine Gimbal | Flex Nozzle | Engine Gimbal |
Roll | RCT and SITVC in 2 PSOMs | HRCM Hot Gas Reaction Control Motor | PS4 RCS | PS4 RCS |
[edit] Development
PSLV is designed and developed at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The inertial systems are developed by ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU) at Thiruvananthapuram. The liquid propulsion stages for the second and fourth stages of PSLV as well as the reaction control systems are developed by the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), also at Thiruvananthapuram. The solid propellant motors are processed by Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR, which also carries out launch operations.After some delays, the PSLV had its first launch on 20 September 1993. Although all main engines performed as expected, an altitude control problem was reported in the second and third stages. After this initial setback, ISRO met complete success with the third developmental launch in 1996. Further successful launches followed in 1997, 1999, and 2001.
PSLV continues to be the work horse of Indian satellite launches, especially for LEO satellites and the Chandrayaan Projects. It has undergone several improvements with each subsequent version, especially those involving thrust, efficiency as well as weight.
[edit] Variants
ISRO has envisaged a number of variants of PSLV to cater to different mission requirements. These configurations provide wide variations in payload capabilities ranging from 600 kg in LEO to 1900 kg in sun synchronous orbit.- PSLV (Operational)
- PSLV-CA (Operational)
- PSLV-XL (Operational)
Variant | Launches | Successes | Failures | Partial failures | Remarks |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
PSLV (Standard) | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | |
PSLV-CA (Core Alone) | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | Launched 10 satellites in one go. |
PSLV-XL (Extended) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | Launched Chandrayaan I. |
- PSLV-HP (Under development / Proposed)
- PSLV-3S (Under development / Proposed)
[edit] Launch history
Vehicle | Variant | Date of Launch | Launch Location | Payload | Payload Mass | Mission Status | Note(s) |
D1 | PSLV | 20 September 1993[7] | Sriharikota FLP* | IRS 1E | 846 kg[7] | Failure | First development flight. Software error causes the vehicle to crash in to the Bay of Bengal 700 seconds after take off. |
D2 | PSLV | 15 October 1994[8] | Sriharikota FLP* | IRS P2 | 804 kg[8] | Success | First successful development flight. |
D3 | PSLV | 21 March 1996[9] | Sriharikota FLP* | IRS P3 | 920 kg[9] | Success | |
C1 | PSLV | 29 September 1997[10] | Sriharikota FLP* | IRS 1D | 1,250 kg[10] | Partial failure | Sub-optimal injection of Satellite. |
C2 | PSLV | 26 May 1999[11] | Sriharikota FLP* | OceanSat 1 DLR-Tubsat KitSat 3 | 1,050 kg[11] 107 kg[11] 45 kg[11] | Success | First successful commercial flight. |
C3 | PSLV | 22 October 2001[12] | Sriharikota FLP* | TES Proba BIRD | 1,108 kg[12] 94 kg[12] 92 kg[12] | Success | Speculated as a Spy Satellite.[13] |
C4 | PSLV | 12 September 2002[14] | Sriharikota FLP* | METSAT 1 (Kalpana 1) | 1,060 kg[14] | Success | First launch to Geostationary transfer orbit.[14] |
C5 | PSLV | 17 October 2003[15] | Sriharikota FLP* | ResourceSat 1 | 1,360 kg[15] | Success | |
C6 | PSLV | 5 May 2005[16] | Sriharikota SLP** | CartoSat 1 HAMSAT | 1560 kg[16] 42.5 kg[16] | Success | |
C7 | PSLV | 10 January 2007[17] | Sriharikota FLP* | CartoSat 2 SRE LAPAN-TUBsat PEHUENSAT-1 | 680 kg[17] 500 kg[17] 56 kg[17] 6 kg[17] | Success | Used a device called 'Dual Launch Adapter' for the first time to launch four satellites.[18] LAPAN-TUBsat is Indonesia’s first remote sensing satellite. |
C8 | PSLV-CA | 23 April 2007[19] | Sriharikota SLP** | AGILE AAM | 352 kg[19] 185 kg[19] | Success | First flight of the 'Core-Alone' version. ISRO's first exclusively commercial launch.[20] |
C10 | PSLV-CA | 21 January 2008[21] | Sriharikota FLP* | TECSAR | 295 kg[21] | Success | An Israeli reconnaissance satellite.[22] |
C9 | PSLV-CA | 28 April 2008[23][24] | Sriharikota SLP** | Cartosat-2A IMS-1/TWSAT RUBIN-8 CanX-6/NTS CanX-2 Cute-1.7+APD II Delfi-C3 SEEDS-2 COMPASS-1 AAUSAT-II | 690 kg 83 kg 8 kg 6.5 kg 3.5 kg 3 kg 2.2 kg 1 kg 1 kg 0.75 kg | Success | World Record for most satellites (10) launched in a single attempt. |
C11 | PSLV-XL | 22 October 2008[25] | Sriharikota SLP** | Chandrayaan I | 1,380 kg[25] | Success | First flight of the PSLV-XL version. India's first mission to the Moon.[26] |
C12 | PSLV-CA | 20 April 2009[27] | Sriharikota SLP** | RISAT-2 ANUSAT | 300 kg[27] 40 kg[27] | Success | India's first all weather observation spy satellite.[28] ANUSAT is the first satellite built by an Indian University. |
C14 | PSLV-CA | 23 September 2009[29] | Sriharikota FLP* | Oceansat-2 Rubin 9.1 Rubin 9.2 SwissCube-1 BeeSat UWE-2 ITUpSAT1 | 960 kg[29] 8 kg[29] 8 kg[29] 1 kg[29] 1 kg[29] 1 kg[29] 1 kg[29] | Success | Rubin 9.1 and 9.2 were non-separable payloads,[30] orbited attached to the vehicle's fourth stage.[31][32] SwissCube-1[33] and ITUpSAT1[34] are Switzerland's and Turkey's first home-grown satellites launched into space. |
C15 | PSLV-CA | July 12, 2010 [35] | Sriharikota FLP* | Cartosat-2B ALSAT-2A AISSat-1[36] TIsat-1[37][38] STUDSAT | 690 kg [39] 117 kg[39] 6.5 kg[39] 1 kg | Success | Main satellite Cartosat-2B and Algeria's ALSAT-2A along with AISSat-1, TIsat-1, and StudSat. TIsat-1 is the second ever Swiss satellite launched into Space. AISSat-1 and TIsat are part of NLS-6.[40][41] |
C16 | PSLV | 20 April 2011[42] | Sriharikota | ResourceSat-2 X-Sat YouthSat | 1206 kg[42] 106 kg[42] 92 kg[42] | Success | In the current flight, the standard version, with six solid strap-on booster motors strung around the first stage, was used.[42] |
Planned launches | |||||||
C17 | PSLV | 2011 | Sriharikota | GSAT-12[43] | Planned | ||
C18 | PSLV | 2011 | Sriharikota | RISAT-1 | Planned | ||
C?? | PSLV-?? | 2011 | Sriharikota | & Megha-Tropiques SRMSAT | Planned | ||
C?? | PSLV-?? | 2011 | Sriharikota | Astrosat | Planned |
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