To All,
Good Friday Morning May 5 2023.
I hope that your week has been going well. A Bit of humor and some Fighter pilot stuff.
A great Bubba Breakfast this morning. It is great when old friends return after a long absence.
Regards,
Skip
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This day in Naval and Marine Corps History May 5
1944 The hospital ship, USS Comfort (AH-6), is commissioned at San Pedro, Calif., and is the first ship to be manned jointly by U.S. Army and U.S. Navy personnel.
1948 Fighter Squadron Seventeen A (VF-17A), with 16 FH-1 Phantoms, becomes the first carrier-qualified jet squadron in the U.S. Navy.
1961 Cmdr. Alan Shepard Jr. makes the first U.S. manned space flight. USS Lake Champlain (CVS-39) recovers the capsule after the 15 minute flight.
1979 USS Robert E. Peary (FF 1073) rescues 440 Vietnamese refugees from their disabled craft 400 miles south of Thailand.
2007 USS Hawaii (SSN 776) is commissioned at Groton, Conn. The Virginia-class submarine, the first to be named after the Aloha State, arrives at its homeport of Pearl Harbor July 23, 2009 following her maiden underway period.
2012 USNS Cesar Chavez (T-AKE 14) is launched at the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego, Calif. The Military Sea Lift Commands dry cargo ammunition ship honors the prominent civil rights activist Cesar Chavez, who served in the Navy during World War II and later founded the National Farm Works Association, which becomes the United Farm Workers union.
2017 Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Kyle Milliken, 38, of Falmouth, Maine, is killed during a Somali National Army-led operation with U.S. Africa Command against al-Shabaab May 5 in a remote area approximately 40 miles west of Mogadishu.
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Today in World History: May 5
1494 Christopher Columbus lands on the island of Jamaica, which he names Santa Gloria.
1814 British attack the American forces at Ft. Ontario, Oswego, New York.
1821 Napoleon Bonaparte dies in exile on the island of St. Helena.
1834 The first mainland railway line opens in Belgium.
1862 Union and Confederate forces clash at the Battle of Williamsburg, part of the Peninsular Campaign.
1862 Mexican forces loyal to Benito Juarez defeat troops sent by Napoleon III in the Battle of Puebla.
1886 A bomb explodes on the fourth day of a workers' strike in Chicago.
1912 Soviet Communist Party newspaper Pravda begins publishing.
1916 U.S. Marines invade the Dominican Republic.
1917 Eugene Jacques Bullard becomes the first African-American aviator when he earns a flying certificate with the French Air Service.
1920 Anarchists Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti are arrested for murder.
1935 American Jesse Owens sets the long jump record.
1942 General Joseph Stilwell learns that the Japanese have cut his railway out of China and is forced to lead his troops into India.
1945 Holland and Denmark are liberated from Nazi control.
1961 Alan Shepard becomes the first American in space.
1965 173rd Airborne Brigade arrives in Bien Hoa-Vung, Vietnam, the first regular U.S. Army unit deployed to that country.
1968 U.S. Air Force planes hit Nhi Ha, South Vietnam in support of attacking infantrymen.
1969 Pulitzer Prize awarded to Norman Mailer for his 'nonfiction novel' Armies of the Night, an account of the 1967 anti-Vietnam War march on the Pentagon.
1987 Congress opens Iran-Contra hearings.
2000 The Sun, Earth, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn align - Earth's moon is also almost in this alignment - leading to Doomsday predictions of massive natural disasters, although such a 'grand confluence' occurs about once in every century.
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ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBERED Thanks to the Bear … Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)…
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post
Skip… For The List for Friday, 5 May 2023… Bear🇺🇸⚓️🐻
OPERATION ROLLING THUNDER (1965-1968)
From the archives of rollingthunderremembered.com post for 5 May 1968… The NYT opines on the prospect of serious peace talks in Paris…
This following work accounts for every fixed wing loss of the Vietnam War and you can use it to read more about the losses in The Bear's Daily account. Even better it allows you to add your updated information to the work to update for history…skip
Vietnam Air Losses
Access Chris Hobson and Dave Lovelady's work at: https://www.VietnamAirLosses.com.
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Thanks to Brett
Geopolitical Futures:
Keeping the future in focus
https:geopoliticalfutures.com
Daily Memo: Nagorno-Karabakh Update, Pakistan-Turkey Trade
Washington says progress has been made on Nagorno-Karabakh, but problems still lay ahead.
By: GPF Staff
May 5, 2023
Progress. Armenia and Azerbaijan made progress toward resolving their differences during talks between their foreign ministers in Washington this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Armenia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that they "shared their views on the current situation" – referring to the ethnic Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh – and agreed to continue discussions. On Friday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signaled problems in his country's relationship with the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, saying the group had not fulfilled its obligations to Armenia. Pashinyan also announced that he will visit Moscow next week.
Long time coming. A preferential trade agreement between Pakistan and Turkey has come into effect, seven years the deal was initially signed. Disagreements over which products would be included in the agreement stalled its implementation. Customs duties on goods covered by the agreement will average between 2 percent and 3 percent, though some items will have no tariffs. The second phase of the agreement, which comes into effect over the next five to 10 years, will bring tariffs down to zero on select goods related to food and industrial materials like steel and copper.
Russia and Venezuela. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro discussed bilateral relations during a call on Thursday. They spoke about expanding their countries' strategic partnership, including by implementing joint projects on trade, business and energy. This comes after a delegation of Russian officials visited Cuba last weekend to discuss issues related to finance, investment, energy and agriculture. Russia is trying to strengthen cooperation with its allies amid its continued isolation.
Russia and India. Relatedly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with his Chinese counterpart, Qin Gang, on Thursday on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Foreign Ministers' Meeting in India. Qin told Lavrov that China will continue to facilitate peace talks on the Ukraine war. The two ministers pledged to enhance economic and trade cooperation and strengthen strategic communication. Also at the summit, Qin met with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. He said the two nations needed to work to further ease tensions around their shared border.
Tit for Tat. Iran declared four Azerbaijani diplomats persona non grata, a month after Azerbaijan expelled four employees from the Iranian Embassy in Baku and arrested six individuals it said had links to Iran and were plotting a coup. Azerabaijan's embassy in Tehran was attacked in January, leading to the death of a security official.
Geopolitical Futures:
Update on a treaty. The United States and the Philippines agreed to new bilateral defense guidelines during a meeting between both countries' presidents on Wednesday. The document, an update to the Mutual Defense Treaty signed in 1951, refers specifically to the South China Sea, saying an attack on either country anywhere in the sea would invoke their mutual defense commitments. It also mentions "asymmetric, hybrid and irregular warfare and gray-zone tactics," an apparent reference to Chinese actions in the region.
No deal. India and Russia have reportedly suspended talks on a mechanism to settle bilateral trade payments in rupees. Russia is reluctant to accumulate a large surplus of the Indian currency – which would total over $40 billion annually, according to Moscow – because of New Delhi's growing purchases of Russian oil imports. Payments between the two countries are currently settled mainly in dollars (and sometimes in the Emirati dirham). The move will primarily affect Indian importers of Russian oil and coal who had hoped for a permanent settlement scheme in rupees to reduce conversion costs. Some in India now fear that Russia will suspend its sales of discounted oil to India due to the lack of agreement on a currency for payments.
Italian maneuvering. The commander of the self-styled Libyan National Army, Khalifa Haftar, is in Rome to meet with Italy's deputy prime minister, foreign minister and president. The talks are expected to include migration, the activities of Russia's Wagner Group in Libya, and the crisis in Sudan, where Haftar's forces have reportedly supported the rebel Rapid Support Forces. The visit indicates Italy may be maneuvering to play a bigger role in Libya. Italy is dependent on North Africa for gas imports and could face a new wave of migration stemming from the conflict in Sudan.
India trip. Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari arrived in India on Thursday for a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. It's the first visit by a Pakistani foreign minister to India in nearly 12 years. There are no plans, however, for bilateral talks between the Indian and Pakistani foreign ministers.
Central Asian interests. Tajik President Emomali Rahmon was in Kazakhstan on Thursday to meet with his Kazakh counterpart, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. Rahmon also attended a business forum involving interests from both countries where economic deals worth $2.6 billion were signed.
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Thanks to Tom
Folks-
View the Latest Edition of "This Week @NASA" (published April 28, 2023)
IROSA (new solar panels) were deployed on pat of the ISS this week – one more side to go. Not only are they more efficient, but they don't have holes, rips and tears from years of hanging out there in space getting micrometeoroid bombardment, and natural degradation of performance. Remember that for terrestrial applications of solar – NOTHING lasts forever just because it has no moving parts!
4K Imagery – WOW! Super High def.! Check it out on: www.go.nasa.gov/earth.4K
That's it for highlights and another one to come out over the weekend – just been another crazy week for me this week!
Tom
OUSIDE READING:
https://www.space.com/tax-day-in-space-how-do-astronauts-pay-taxes?utm_source=notification
enjoy!
AND REMEMBER: to be removed from distribution, just a simple email.
AGENCYWIDE MESSAGE TO ALL NASA EMPLOYEES
Points of Contact: Rebecca Sirmons, rebecca.h.sirmons@nasa.gov, and Andre Valentine, andre.valentine-1@nasa.gov, Office of Communications, NASA Headquarters
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View the Latest Edition of "This Week @NASA" (published April 28, 2023)
View the latest "This Week @NASA," produced by NASA Television, for features on agency news and activities. Stories in this program include:
• A Spacewalk for Space Station Power Upgrades
• U.S. and South Korea VIPs Visit NASA Goddard
• Earth in 4K – What a Sight!
• Human Exploration Rover Challenge
To watch this episode, click on the image below:
Watch the Video
To access this edition of "This Week @NASA," you may also visit:
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This notice is being sent agencywide to all employees by NASA INC in the Office of Communications at NASA Headquarters.
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Thanks to Intere4sting Facts
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What Happened to the "Lost Colony" of Roanoke?
The legend of the Roanoke colony is so enduring because it lies at the heart of the founding of America. Starting in 1584, 23 years before the establishment of the Jamestown colony in nearby Virginia, three English expeditions landed at Roanoke Island, nestled between the Outer Banks and mainland North Carolina, although these initial forays failed to establish a permanent settlement.
In 1587, John White, along with roughly 115 colonists, traveled from England and established a colony on Roanoke Island. White sailed back to England later the same year to get supplies, but upon his return three years afterward (having been delayed by the Spanish Armada), he found Roanoke completely abandoned. There was no sign of foul play. Houses were replaced with a fortress, and the word "Croatoan" had been carved into a post — a reference to the nearby island of Croatoan, now called Hatteras Island, as well as the tribe that lived there.
White tried to travel to the island but storms prevented him from doing so, and he sailed back to England. He died in 1593 unable to return to Roanoke, and no one truly knows what happened to the colonists — no bodies have ever been found. Theories range from the practical (confrontation or assimilation with Native Americans) to the supernatural or extraterrestrial, but it's unlikely historians will ever know for sure.
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What Happened Aboard the Mary Celeste?
The world's oceans have swallowed many ships since the dawn of the Age of Sail in the 16th century, but no story is quite like the curious case of the Mary Celeste. On November 7, 1872, the Mary Celeste set sail for Genoa, Italy, loaded with 1,700 barrels of alcohol as cargo. Fast-forward nearly a month later, and a British merchant vessel named Dei Gratia spotted the ship some 400 miles east of the Azores in the mid-Atlantic. But something was wrong — no one on board the Mary Celeste was responding to the Dei Gratia's signals.
After boarding, sailors found the ship mostly undamaged, but abandoned.
There was little to no sign of struggle, and six months of food onboard.
Only the lifeboat and navigational tools were missing. The ship's captain, his family, and his crew have never been found.
The theories put forward to explain the ship's abandonment include pirates, an earthquake, or a mutiny. However, the most colorful theory includes a giant squid attack.
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Who Was D.B. Cooper?
On November 24, 1971, a man calling himself Dan Cooper (later erroneously reported as D.B. Cooper) boarded Northwest Orient Flight 305 traveling from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington. Described as a mid-40s white man dressed in a business suit, Cooper ordered a bourbon and soda before alerting the stewardess that he had a bomb in his briefcase. Cooper then handed the stewardess a list of demands, saying that he wanted parachutes, a refueling truck, and $200,000 in cash waiting for him when the plane landed in Seattle. He added the phrase, "no funny stuff."
After an exchange of the flight's passengers for the money and other goods, the plane took off for Cooper's requested destination in Mexico City — but he didn't get far. While flying over southern Washington, Cooper strapped on one of the parachutes he had demanded and jumped out of the plane. Nine years later, a boy found $5,800 in southern Washington with serial numbers that matched the money stolen by Cooper. The FBI has described the case as "one of the longest and most exhaustive investigations in our history,"
although it is no longer currently investigating it. Over 100 suspects have been evaluated, but the mysterious criminal has yet to be identified.
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What Is the Purpose of the Nazca Lines?
The Nazca Lines are massive geoglyphs — sometimes more than a thousand feet long — carved into the ground some 250 miles south of Lima, Peru. At first glance, these lines might look similar to crop circles, and can only be viewed from the cockpit of a helicopter or airplane. Depicting animals, plants, and various shapes, the Nazca Lines were created by the Nazca people some 2,000 years ago. Archaeologists have studied the lines for 80 years (and are still discovering new geoglyphs), but still don't know for sure why ancient people created such massive monuments they couldn't even see. Early theories suggest the lines had some sort of astronomical or calendrical purpose — not unlike Stonehenge — although more recent theories suggest the structures could've been tied to irrigation or elaborate religious ceremonies. Whatever the reason, the Nazca Lines remain a mystery etched into the very face of the planet.
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Where Are the Gardner Museum Paintings?
Museum heists are common throughout history (and Hollywood), but the ne'er-do-wells are usually captured in the following months, or sometimes years. Unfortunately, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts, wasn't so lucky. In the early morning of March 18, 1990, two burglars dressed as police officers subdued the museum's two security guards and purloined 13 paintings worth over $500 million, including works by Johannes Vermeer, Rembrandt van Rijn, Edgar Degas, Govaert Flinck, and Édouard Manet. By 8:30 a.m., several hours after the heist, the police (the actual police) found the guards handcuffed in the basement.
Four years later, a mysterious letter sent to the museum offered to return the paintings for $2.6 million. Although the museum agreed, a second letter revealed the mysterious author was clearly spooked by FBI involvement, and the deal fell through. A Netflix documentary and a popular podcast have explored the heist, and the FBI even offered a $10 million reward leading to the paintings' whereabouts, but despite it all, the 13 masterpieces — as well as the two burglars — have yet to be found.
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What Happened to Amelia Earhart?
In the 1930s, Amelia Earhart wasn't just one of the most famous pilots in the world — she was arguably the most famous woman in the world. In 1928, she had become the first woman to fly across the Atlantic; in 1932, she became the first woman to make a solo nonstop transcontinental flight, from L.A. to Newark. So it's no wonder her disappearance on July 2, 1937, while trying to circumnavigate the globe, sent a shockwave through society whose ripples can still be felt. On that fateful summer day in 1937, Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, set out from Lae, New Guinea, flying a Lockheed Model 10 Electra and headed for Howland Island, a Pacific island that measures only 1 square mile.
Although Earhart was in contact with the U.S. Coast Guard ship near the island, the famous pilot never arrived. In her last transmission, she noted her position and that she was running low on fuel. Neither Earhart, her navigator, nor her plane was ever seen again. The leading theory is that Earhart simply crashed into the ocean, but an extensive search of the surrounding area has turned up nothing. Other theories suggest Earhart possibly landed on a nearby island in line with her last coordinates. In 2017, another theory suggested that Earhart survived as a Japanese prisoner, and some argued that she can be seen in a grainy photo taken on the then-Japanese Marshall Islands shortly after the crash (though some experts have poured cold water on the idea). It's unlikely we'll ever know what happened to one of history's most famous aviators, but that won't keep people from looking for answers.
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Thanks to Bill..I think….Buy more ammo is better
Problem solved
Everything's easier when you're a Liberal
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After "May the fourth Be with you" to this one for some more Humor which we need …SKIP
Thanks to Al from the archives
Monday Morning Humor--Cinco de Mayo
On May 5th, 1862 in Puebla, Mexico, 4,000 Mexican soldiers triumphed over twice as many French fighters. Mexicans celebrate that victorious battle as Cinco de Mayo.
Today, Cinco de Mayo is a joyous holiday celebrated with food, fun, parades, and plenty of cerveza or tequila. Held during the first week of May; Cinco de Mayo springtime events include carnivals, street fairs, and multi-day festivals across the USA.
In Mexico, the children play games on Cinco de Mayo as part of the fiesta to celebrate. One game involved the filling of a piñata or hanging paper bag full of "goodies". Children were allowed into a circle of their friends and had a small stick to wave around in an attempt to puncture the bag and gain the reward of the "goodies".
The best and most authentic Cinco de Mayo celebrations occur in locations with the highest concentration of Mexican people. Similar to St. Patrick's Day for the Irish and Columbus Day in New York state, Cinco de Mayo is one of those special times when everyone feels a little bit Mexican in their soul.
Cinco de Mayo Trivia and Interesting Facts about Mexico
· The Mexican community celebrates more than 365 festivals each year. Cinco de Mayo is just one of them.
· Although Cinco de Mayo is a big celebration in Puebla, where the battle was fought, Cinco de Mayo is much more popular in America.
· The festival was 'invented' in America by a group of students back in 1967. Each year since then Cinco de Mayo gets bigger thanks to people of Mexican descent - and those who just like a good margarita!
· Did you know Mexico is the largest Spanish-speaking country in the world.
· Around 28.3 million of USA residents were of Mexican origin in 2006. These residents constituted 9% of the nation's total population, and 64% of the Hispanic population.
· Approximately 630,000 of Mexican-Americans are USA military veterans.
· The Maya in Central Mexico were the first people known to harvest and use the peanut.
· Pineapple and papayas grew wild in Mexico, and were introduced to the rest of the world by Spanish explorers.
· Around the 1860s, three American travelers began exporting resin from the Zapote Blanco tree in Mexico after they noticed that it hardened when exposed to air. The men found a way to turn it into a waxy substance, added flavors and sweeteners, and sold it in small balls for a penny apiece, calling it Adam's Chewing Gum from New York. Today, Americans chew seven times more gum than the rest of the world.
· Guadalajara, Mexico's second largest city, is where the Mexican Hat Dance, sombreros and mariachi music are believed to have originated.
· The vanilla bean comes from an orchid plant discovered by Mexican Indians who used it to add flavor to their cocoa and corn drinks. The world's largest crop of vanilla beans still comes from Mexico.
Stupid Cinco de Mayo sayings:
· Remember, Cinco de Mayo isn't just about drinking margaritas. It's also about tacos, burritos, and quesadillas.
· It's funny how Cinco de Mayo always seems to fall on May 5.
· As you all know, May 5 is the traditional Mexican holiday celebrated by filling up your sink with mayonnaise.
· Cinco de Mayo: The greatest Mexican holiday that few Mexicans even know about.
· Cinco de Mayo: As if I needed an excuse to get wasted on tequila.
· Cinco de Mayo: The only holiday where we celebrate binge drinking and cultural stereotypes…er, besides Saint Patrick's Day.
· "Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for 'the fifth of May' and not 'chug, chug, chug.' Anyway, salud!"
· "I'm not above using obscure Mexican battles to justify my drinking."
· "Is it really necessary to adopt another country's holiday just to have an excuse to drink tequila? You don't need one the other 364 days of the year."
· "Cinco de Mayo makes me long for a world in which all holidays are conveniently named after the dates on which they fall."
Groaners:
What do you call a group of skunks drinking tequila?
Stinko de Mayo!
How many Mexicans does it take to celebrate Cinco de Mayo?
Just Juan!
How do they serve beer on Cinco de Mayo?
In Mexi-cans!
Which Disney princess only comes out on Cinco de Mayo?
Taco Belle!
What do you call a cargo ship full of mayonnaise that goes down in the ocean?
Sinko de Mayo!
Knock knock.
Who's there?
Juan.
Juan who?
Juan to go out for margaritas on Cinco de Mayo?
And finally, this standard…
Most people don't know that back in 1912, Hellmann's mayonnaise was manufactured in England. In fact, the Titanic was carrying 12,000 jars of the condiment scheduled for delivery in Vera Cruz, Mexico, which was to be the next port of call for the great ship after its stop in New York.
This would have been the largest single shipment of mayonnaise ever delivered to Mexico.... But as we know....the great ship did not make it to New York....The ship hit an iceberg and sank .... and the cargo was forever lost....
The people of Mexico, who were crazy about mayonnaise, and were eagerly awaiting its delivery .... were disconsolate at the loss....
Their anguish was so great, that they declared a National Day of Mourning which they still observe to this day.... The National Day of Mourning occurs each year on May 5th.... and is known....of course....as Sinko de Mayo....
Have a great weekend and go easy on Cinco de Mayo, Al
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This Day in U S Military History…….May 5
1864 – The forces of Union General Ulysses S. Grant and Confederate General Robert E. Lee clash in the Wilderness, beginning an epic campaign. Lee had hoped to meet the Federals, who plunged into the tangled Wilderness west of Chancellorsville, Virginia, the day before, in the dense woods in order to mitigate the nearly two-to-one advantage Grant possessed as the campaign opened. The conflict quickly spread along a two-mile front, as numerous attacks from both sides sent the lines surging back and forth. The fighting was intense and complicated by the fact that the combatants rarely saw each other through the thick undergrowth. Whole brigades were lost in the woods. Muzzle flashes set the forest on fire, and hundreds of wounded men died in the inferno. The battle may have been particularly unsettling for the Union troops, who came across skeletons of Yankee soldiers killed the year before at the Battle of Chancellorsville, their shallow graves opened by spring rains. By nightfall, the Union was still in control of the major crossroads in the Wilderness. The next two days brought more pitched battles without a clear victory for either side. Grant eventually pulled out and moved further south toward Richmond, and for the next six weeks the two great armies maneuvered around the Confederate capital.
1916 – U.S. marines invaded the Dominican Republic. The occupation began gradually. The first landing took place on May 5, 1916 when "two companies of marines landed from the U.S.S. Prairie at Santo Domingo." Their goal was to offer protection to the U.S. Legation and the U.S. Consulate, and to occupy the Fort San Geronimo. Within hours, these companies were reinforced with "seven additional companies." On May 6, forces from the U.S.S. Castine landed to offer protection to the Haitian Legation, a country under similar military occupation from the U.S. Two days after the first landing, constitutional President, Juan Isidro Jimenes resigned.
1945 – In Lakeview, Oregon, Mrs. Elsie Mitchell and five neighborhood children are killed while attempting to drag a Japanese balloon out the woods. Unbeknownst to Mitchell and the children, the balloon was armed, and it exploded soon after they began tampering with it. They were the first and only known American civilians to be killed in the continental United States during World War II. The U.S. government eventually gave $5,000 in compensation to Mitchell's husband, and $3,000 each to the families of Edward Engen, Sherman Shoemaker, Jay Gifford, and Richard and Ethel Patzke, the five slain children. The explosive balloon found at Lakeview was a product of one of only a handful of Japanese attacks against the continental United States, which were conducted early in the war by Japanese submarines and later by high-altitude balloons carrying explosives or incendiaries. In comparison, three years earlier, on April 18, 1942, the first squadron of U.S. bombers dropped bombs on the Japanese cities of Tokyo, Kobe, and Nagoyo, surprising the Japanese military command, who believed their home islands to be out of reach of Allied air attacks. When the war ended on August 14, 1945, some 160,000 tons of conventional explosives and two atomic bombs had been dropped on Japan by the United States. Approximately 500,000 Japanese civilians were killed as a result of these bombing attacks.
1961 – From Cape Canaveral, Florida, Navy Commander Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. is launched into space aboard the Freedom 7 space capsule, becoming the first American astronaut to travel into space. The suborbital flight, which lasted 15 minutes and reached a height of 116 miles into the atmosphere, was a major triumph for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). NASA was established in 1958 to keep U.S. space efforts abreast of recent Soviet achievements, such as the launching of the world's first artificial satellite–Sputnik 1–in 1957. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the two superpowers raced to become the first country to put a man in space and return him to Earth. On April 12, 1961, the Soviet space program won the race when cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin was launched into space, put in orbit around the planet, and safely returned to Earth. One month later, Shepard's suborbital flight restored faith in the U.S. space program. NASA continued to trail the Soviets closely until the late 1960s and the successes of the Apollo lunar program. In July 1969, the Americans took a giant leap forward with Apollo 11, a three-stage spacecraft that took U.S. astronauts to the surface of the moon and returned them to Earth. On February 5, 1971, Alan Shepard, the first American in space, became the fifth astronaut to walk on the moon as part of the Apollo 14 lunar landing mission.
Medal of Honor Citations for Actions Taken This Day
O'DONOGHUE, TIMOTHY
Rank and organization: Seaman, U.S. Navy, Born: 1841, Rochester N.Y. Accredited to: New York. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served as boatswain's mate on board the U.S.S. Signal, Red River, 5 May 1864. Proceeding up the Red River, the U.S.S. Signal engaged a large force of enemy field batteries and sharpshooters, returning the fire until the ship was totally disabled, at which time the white flag was raised. Serving as gun captain, and wounded early in the battle, O'Donoghue bravely stood by his gun in the face of enemy fire until ordered to withdraw.
PATTERSON, JOHN H.
Rank and organization: First Lieutenant, 11th U.S. Infantry. Place and date: At Wilderness, Va., 5 May 1864. Entered service at: New York. Birth: New York. Date of issue: 23 July 1897. Citation: Under the heavy fire of the advancing enemy, picked up and carried several hundred yards to a place of safety a wounded officer of his regiment who was helpless and would otherwise have been burned in the forest.
RICH, CARLOS H.
Rank and organization: First Sergeant, Company K, 4th Vermont Infantry. Place and date: At Wilderness, Va., 5 May 1864. Entered service at: Northfield, Mass. Birth: Canada. Date of issue: 4 January 1895. Citation: Saved the life of an officer.
SWAP, JACOB E.
Rank and organization: Private, Company H, 83d Pennsylvania Infantry. Place and date: At Wilderness, Va., 5 May 1864. Entered service at: Springs, Pa. Birth: Calnehoose, N.Y. Date of issue: 19 November 1897. Citation: Although assigned to other duty, he voluntarily joined his regiment in a charge and fought with it until severely wounded.
WILKES, PERRY
Rank and organization: Pilot, U.S. Navy. Entered service at: Indiana. Born: 6 June 1830, Indiana. G.O. No.: 45, 31 December 1864. Citation: Served as pilot on board the U.S.S. Signal, Red River, 5 May 1864. Proceeding up the Red River, the U.S.S. Signal engaged a large force of enemy field batteries and sharpshooters, returning their fire until the ship was totally disabled, at which time the white flag was ordered raised. Acting as pilot throughout the battle, Wilkes stood by his wheel until it was disabled in his hands by a bursting enemy shell.
FICHTER, HERMANN
Rank and organization: Private, Company F, 3d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Whetstone Mountains, Ariz., 5 May 1871. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Germany. Date of issue: 13 November 1871. Citation: Gallantry in action.
MILLER, DANIEL H.
Rank and organization: Private, Company F, 3d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Whetstone Mountains, Ariz., 5 May 1871. Entered service at:——. Birth: Fairfield County, Ohio. Date of issue: 13 November 1871. Citation: Gallantry in action.
MOTT, JOHN
Rank and organization: Sergeant, Company F, 3d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Whetstone Mountains, Ariz., 5 May 1871. Entered service at:——. Birth: Scotland. Date of issue: 13 November 1871. Citation: Gallantry in action.
YOUNT, JOHN P.
Rank and organization: Private, Company F, 3d U.S. Cavalry. Place and date: At Whetstone Mountains, Ariz., 5 May 1871. Entered service at: ——. Birth: Putnam County, Ind. Date of issue: 13 November 1871. Citation: Gallantry in action with Indians.
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Once USN, always USN!
Thanks to Mike
Thought you'd enjoy this…
https://www.facebook.com/theaviatorscafe18/videos/386833578889284
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THIS IS A GREAT VIDEO STORY……Skip
The link below is a 49 minute TV film made in England about the Polish Air Force in the RAF during WWII. It gives a perspective that is relatively unknown.
The Polish Air Forces and army in exile were larger than the combined forces of France, Holland, Belgium, Norway and Czechoslovakia during WWII.
Yet, the Poles were not invited to participate in the huge victory parade in London in June 1946 because it might offend the Soviets. Poland was on the winning side but was given to the Soviets and lost territory to the Soviets.
Stan Golanka
( http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=ptijNcDanVw)
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Once USN, always USN!
Thanks to Mike
Thought you'd enjoy this…
https://www.facebook.com/theaviatorscafe18/videos/386833578889284
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"This Day in Aviation History" brought to you by the Daedalians Airpower Blog Update. To subscribe to this weekly email, go to https://daedalians.org/airpower-blog/.
This Week in Aviation Heritage
May 5, 1917
Secretary of War Newton D. Baker agreed to a proposal from the Secretary of the Navy concerning the establishment of a joint board for the purpose of standardizing the design and specifications of aircraft. The board subsequently established was initially called the "Joint Technical Board on Aircraft, Except Zeppelins."
May 6, 1914
A Curtiss AH–3 hydroairplane, flown by Lt. P. N. L. Bellinger and Lt. R. C. Saufley of the Navy in a reconnaissance mission over Mexican positions near Vera Cruz, became the first U.S. airplane hit by hostile ground fire. Bellinger was Daedalian Founder Member #2101. Saufley was #13307.
May 7, 1958
Maj. Major Howard C. Johnson, the operations officer of the 83rd Fighter Interceptor Squadron based at Hamilton AFB, California, zoom-climbed a Lockheed F-104A Starfighter, serial number 55-2957, to an altitude of 91,243 feet over Edwards AFB, establishing a new Fédération Aéronautique Internationale altitude record. Major Johnson was part of a group of engineers and pilots awarded the Robert J. Collier Trophy by the National Aeronautic Association in 1958 for "the greatest achievement in aeronautics" because of their involvement in the Lockheed F-104 program.
May 8, 1911
The Navy ordered its first airplane, an A–1 amphibian, from Glenn Curtiss. By July the service was flying this aircraft at Hammondsport, New York.
May 9, 1932
Capt. Albert Francis Hegenberger, Air Corps, United States Army, flew the first solo instrument approach and landing, using a system which he had developed, at McCook Field, Ohio. The Hegenberger system, which was adopted by both civil and military aviation authorities, used a series of non-directional radio beacons and marker beacons on the ground, along with a radio-compass and other gyroscopic instruments and radio receivers aboard the aircraft, a Consolidated NY-2 biplane. This flight was the first solo blind instrument flight, approach and landing. (Lt. James H. Doolittle had made a blind instrument flight in 1929, but he carried a safety pilot aboard.) For his accomplishment, Captain Hegenberger was awarded an oak leaf cluster (a second award) for his Distinguished Flying Cross, and received the Collier Trophy, an annual award for the greatest achievement in aeronautics in America. He was Daedalian Founder Member #3827.
May 10, 1911
Lt. George Kelly becomes the first Army pilot to die in an airplane. He crashed to avoid striking encamped soldiers. While Lt. Thomas Selfridge died earlier (Sept. 17, 1908), he was flying as an observer, not as a pilot. Selfridge was the first person, and the first active duty person, to die in an aircraft crash. Kelly was Daedalian Founder Member #575, and Selfridge was #544.
May 11, 1964
The first prototype North American Aviation XB-70A-1-NA Valkyrie, 62-0001, was rolled out at Air Force Plant 42 near Palmdale, California. More than 5,000 people were there to watch. In August 1960, the U.S. Air Force had contracted for one XB-70 prototype and 11 pre-production YB-70 development aircraft. By 1964, however, the program had been scaled back to two XB-70As and one XB-70B. Only two were actually completed.
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AMERICAN AEROSPACE EVENTS
FIRSTS, LASTS, AND SIGNIFICANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS FOR MAY 5 THANKS TO HAROLD "PHIL" MYERS CHIEF HISTORIAN AIR FORCE INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE, AND RECONNAISSANCE AGENCY
1910: At Mount Weather Observatory in Virginia, a kite flew to a 23,800-foot world altitude record. (24)
1927: The Patent Office issued a patent on hinged inset trailing edge ailerons, an invention that later became a standard feature on aircraft. (20)
1947: McDonnell's H-20 Flying Bike, the world's first ramjet helicopter, completed its first flight. (3)
1948: Fighter Squadron VF-17A, equipped with 16 FH-1 Phantoms, became the first carrier-qualified jet squadron in the US Navy. (16) (24) BOEING FLIGHT-TESTED B-29S MODIFIED FOR AERIAL REFUELING. To install the basic British hose system on the B-29s, Boeing removed all armaments and most armor to install a hose reel, hauling line, more fuel lines, and nylon-lined aluminum fuel tanks in the forward and aft bomb bays. Receiver aircraft had some oxygen equipment removed and fueling lines added. The success of the tests ultimately led the USAF to convert 92 B-29s into KB-29M hose-method tankers. Seventy-four B-29s were equipped to receive aerial refuelings by hose. (18)
1951: KOREAN WAR. A 3 ARS H-5 helicopter rescued a downed F-51 pilot north of Seoul. It encountered small arms fire in the area. (28)
1952: The Grumman XF10F-1 Jaguar first flew. It had a swept-wing variable geometry wing.
1954: The USAF issued a requirement for a turbo-jet tanker to support the refueling needs of jet aircraft.
1956: Operation REDWING. Press reports said the first shot in a test series on Eniwetok Atoll had been of a "pocket-size" H-bomb small enough for delivery by a small aircraft or missile. (16)
1961: Navy Lt Cmdr Alan B. Shepard, Jr., became the first astronaut to cross the space frontier in a Mercury-Redstone 3 capsule, Freedom 7. During a 14-minute, 22-second suborbital flight, he reached 116 miles in altitude and 5,100 MPH. After lifting off from Cape Canaveral, Freedom
7 carrried him 302 miles to a landing zone in the Atlantic. He set a FAI altitude record without leaving the Earth's orbit. Cameramen and equipment from Air Photographic and Charting Service's 1365th Photographic Squadron provided photographic coverage. (7) (9) (18)
1966: USAF A-1E Skyraider pilots flew their first strikes against targets in North Vietnam. (16) (26)
1969: The Smithsonian Institute received X-15 No.1 for display with other aircraft firsts. (3)
1971: The USAF's sea-launched ballistic missile detection and warning system, called the Pave Phased Array Warning Sytem (PAWS), achieved its initial operating capability. (21)
1981: A B-52H from the 410 BMW at K.I. Sawyer AFB landed at Royal Australian Air Force Base Darwin for two days of public display. This event came after years of negotiating an agreement, signed in March 1981, to let B-52s land in Australia. On 22 June, the bomber flew an operational sortie from Darwin on a sea-search mission. (1)
1987: The last Titan II missile came off alert at Little Rock AFB, marking "the close of a quarter century of uninterrupted service as the vanguard of America's deterrent force." (16) (26)
1996: Colonel Betty L. Mullis became the first woman to command a flying wing when she assumed command of the 940 AREFW (AFRES) at McClellan AFB. (21)
1999: Operation PROVIDE REFUGE. A DoD-chartered Tower Air Boeing 747 landed at McGuire AFB with the first group of refugees from Kosovar, Serbia's southern province in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. In this operation, up to 3,000 Kosovar Albanians were flown to Mc- Guire and temporary quarters at neighboring Fort Dix until arrangements could be made for permanent resettlement with relatives or sponsors in the US. (22)
2001: The Boeing X-32B flew from Edwards AFB to NAS Patuxent River, Md., to validate the suitability of its direct-lift capability to Navy requirements. (3)
2003: During Operation IRAQI FREEDOM, a Global Hawk AV-3 (Nicknamed "The Grumpy Workhorse" and officially designated an YRQ-4A) flew 19 sorties in 446.6 hours over Iraq to collect some 3,700 surveillance images. While only flying 5 percent of the surveillance sorties in the theater, the Global Hawk gathered more than 55 percent of the data on time-sensitive targets. The vehicle returned to Edwards AFB on this date (image above). During Operation Iraqi Freedom, AV-3's sensors successfully tracked Iraqi Republican Guard forces during a fierce sandstorm in March 2003. While the dust blinded AV-3's optical and infrared sensors, its radar provided information accurate enough for fighters and bombers to attack the enemy successfully with Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) weapons.
In February 2006, it made another spectacular flight by flying autonomously and non-stop from Australia to Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Over its career, AV-3 completed 251 flights for 4,891.3 total hours flying time. This total included 195 combat sorties and 4,152.7 combat hours. A remarkable aircraft, AV-3 went on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in 2008. (Credit: NMUSAF)
2004: Two C-130s from the 146 AW(California ANG), equipped with the Modular Airborne Firefighting System, dropped 21,600 gallons of fire-retardant on Santa Barbara County's Cachuma fire. (32)
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