All posts tagged: Sail

Nuclear waste tanker pilots futuristic aluminium sail

Nuclear waste tanker pilots futuristic aluminium sail

Published by skeptic

The Pacific Grebe is spending three weeks testing the FastRig sail NTS/Smart Green Shipping A tanker normally used to ship nuclear waste around the world is testing a new aluminium sail that could dramatically cut the fuel consumption and climate impact of ocean tankers. The Pacific Grebe is spending three weeks in October travelling around the coast of the UK testing the FastRig, a 20-metre-tall sail designed to help propel large tankers across the high seas. The retractable, blade-like sail weighs about 35 tonnes and can be unfurled in… Source link

The age of the solar sail is arriving sooner than expected

The age of the solar sail is arriving sooner than expected

Published by skeptic

NASA has launched the latest attempt to test solar sail propulsion technology.  The Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3), consisting of a CubeSat the size of a microwave oven and a solar sail, took off on board a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Launch Complex I on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand. After reaching 600 miles above the Earth, the ACS3 deployed its sail. The ACS3’s solar sail is made of a reflective polymer and is held by a boom made of carbon fiber composite material. Previous solar sail tests have used metal booms that have tended to warp due to the temperature extremes of space. The sail is 680 square feet in area. The ACS3’s goal is modest, to use the solar sail to raise and lower the spacecraft’s orbit. But the technology might lead to sailing ships of the heavens, which use the pressure of sunlight to fly the solar system and even to visit other star systems. A spacecraft that uses a solar sail has both advantages and disadvantages over those propelled by rockets. A spacecraft propelled by a solar sail has three main …

NASA Prepares to Unfurl Large Solar Sail From Spacecraft in Orbit

NASA Prepares to Unfurl Large Solar Sail From Spacecraft in Orbit

Published by skeptic

It just phoned home for the first time.  Come Sail Away It sounds like something from a science fiction novel: a spacecraft with sails being propelled solely by the rays of the Sun. This poetic image is set to become reality after NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) just made contact with operators back on Earth for the first time after its launch from New Zealand on April 23, according to the space agency. After one or two months of prep in space, the microwave-sized craft will unfurl its 30-foot sail along four booms or arms made from carbon fiber and polymer. Once unfurled, photons from the Sun will exert pressure on the sail, propelling the spacecraft forward, if all goes according to plan — a futuristic concept that could greatly reduce our dependence on bulky and expensive propulsion systems in space. Photon Blast The primary mission for ACS3 is to test the boom designs to see if they are feasible. If successful, the mission could pave the way for future spacecraft just like …

Sea of Thieves on PlayStation 5 review – you’ll laugh, you’ll sail, you’ll drink grog until you’re sick | Games

Sea of Thieves on PlayStation 5 review – you’ll laugh, you’ll sail, you’ll drink grog until you’re sick | Games

Published by skeptic

When Sea of Thieves originally set sail on Xbox in 2018, it promised a journey filled with shared adventure, but set off a little short on supplies. Though early sailors found a vast multiplayer ocean to explore, it was tough to get a reliable crew together and when you did, the quests were limited in scope and the islands offered little in the way of emergent entertainment. You came, you dug up what you were told to by one of the game’s quest givers, and you returned to an outpost to cash in your treasure, perhaps occasionally battling another crew of players en route. Over the past five years, however, developer Rare has added layer upon layer of extra content, from pets to fireworks to longer themed quests entitled Tall Tales, which are effectively games in their own right and include tie-ins with both The Secret of Monkey Island and Pirates of the Caribbean. Now various tasks and adventures can be discovered wherever you go, in shipwrecks, caves and other scenic features, so it’s possible …

International aid flotilla searches for new flags to sail from Turkey to Gaza

International aid flotilla searches for new flags to sail from Turkey to Gaza

Published by skeptic

Istanbul, Turkey & Washington —  Activists from an international flotilla carrying humanitarian aid are applying for new maritime flags to sail to Gaza from Turkey after the flags of two of their ships were removed by Guinea-Bissau authorities last week. “We will take flags of different countries. We will also apply to Turkey. We will also try to get Turkey’s flag,” Behesti Ismail Songur, head of the Mavi Marmara Association, a group that is part of the international flotilla, told VOA. “So, this will be a litmus test for all states. We will see who will be brave enough to flag the freedom fleet,” Songur said. The flotilla is organized by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, which consists of several Turkish and international groups, including the Turkish Islamist Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) and the Mavi Marmara Association. Inspection The flotilla has three ships, named Vicdan (conscience in Turkish), Anadolu (Anatolia), and Akdeniz (the Mediterranean). Anadolu, docked at Turkey’s Iskenderun port in the Mediterranean, was set to transport 5,000 tons of humanitarian aid. Meanwhile, the activists were …

Olympics-Paris 2024 Olympics Flame Sets Sail for France in Final Relay Leg

Olympics-Paris 2024 Olympics Flame Sets Sail for France in Final Relay Leg

Published by skeptic

ATHENS (Reuters) – The Paris 2024 Olympic flame sailed for France on Saturday on board a three-masted ship to mark the final sprint of preparations ahead of the Olympic Games opening ceremony on July 26. The “Belem” left the port of Piraeus in the morning for an 11-day voyage and will arrive in the southern city of Marseille, founded by the Greek settlers of Phocaea around 600 BC, on May 8. Paris Games organisers had received the flame on Friday in a ceremony at Athens’ Panathenaic stadium, site of the first modern Olympics in 1896, following last week’s lighting in ancient Olympia that kicked off an 11-day Greek relay leg. War in Israel and Gaza After a brief ceremony in Piraeus on Saturday the vessel set sail for France. An estimated 150,000 spectators are expected to attend the ceremony at the Old Port of Marseille, which will host the Olympic sailing competitions and be the start of a 68-day French torch relay across the country. The last torch bearer in Marseille will climb on the …

Tory MPs Criticise “Flawed” Renters Reform Bill As Legislation Expected To Sail Through Commons

Tory MPs Criticise “Flawed” Renters Reform Bill As Legislation Expected To Sail Through Commons

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3 min read49 min A number of Tory MPs have criticised the Renters Reform Bill as deeply “flawed” but a large rebellion was not expected as the legislation was expected to sail through the Commons. The Bill, which was given its first reading in May 2023, pledged to reform England’s private rented sector and received its third reading on 24 April 2024. The Renters’ Reform Bill originally promised to abolish no-fault evictions and end fixed term tenancy agreements and replace them with rolling contracts otherwise known as periodic tenancies.  The legislation has been spearheaded by Michael Gove, the Levelling-up Secretary, and has had the backing of Downing Street. But the legislation has caused controversy on the backbenches. A former cabinet minister told PoliticsHome they had never voted against the Government but were seriously considering voting against this key legislation. Many Conservative MPs believe the legislation has been poorly drafted and could deter investment in to the private rented sector. One senior Tory MP said they were likely to abstain as they believed it was …

NASA will unfurl a 860-square-foot solar sail from within a microwave-sized cube

NASA will unfurl a 860-square-foot solar sail from within a microwave-sized cube

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NASA hitched a ride aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron Launcher in New Zealand yesterday evening, and is preparing to test a new, highly advanced solar sail design. Now in a sun-synchronous orbit roughly 600-miles above Earth, the agency’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) will in the coming weeks deploy and showcase technology that could one day power deep-space missions without the need for any actual rocket fuel, after launch. The fundamentals behind solar sails aren’t in question. By capturing the pressure emitted by solar energy, thin sheets can propel a spacecraft at immense speeds, similar to a sailboat. Engineers have already demonstrated the principles before, but NASA’s new project will specifically showcase a promising boom design constructed of flexible composite polymer materials reinforced with carbon fiber. Although delivered in a toaster-sized package, ACS3 will take less than 30 minutes to unfurl into an 860-square-foot sheet of ultrathin plastic anchored by its four accompanying 23-foot-long booms. These poles, once deployed, function as sailboat booms, and will keep the sheet taut enough to capture solar energy. [Related: …

Overweight fisherman given permission to sail again after backlash | Politics | News

Overweight fisherman given permission to sail again after backlash | Politics | News

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A ban on overweight fishermen setting sail has been scrapped following an industry-wide outcry. Transport Secretary Mark Harper has ripped up rules that requirement crew members to get a health certificate before heading out onto the water, reports The Telegraph. The law, which was introfuced in November, was labelled “ludicrous” by the industry. It would see trawlermen only allowed aboard if their Body Mass Index was under 35. For the average 5ft 10in man, this would mean weight in at 17stone 6lbs or below, and for a 6ft man, just under 19 stone. A BMI of more than 30 is considered obese. Ministers initially tried to say the ban was a health and safety measure. But, following a backlash, they have made smaller boats exempt from the rules. Skippers had said the regular medical checks on crew would heap additional costs on businesses. They also said it would force fishermen out of industry – particularly those who were healthy but breached the limit. Harper told The Telegraph: “This Government backs our fishing industry, which is …

‘Lifeline’ aid ship for Gaza finally sets sail from Cyprus – POLITICO

‘Lifeline’ aid ship for Gaza finally sets sail from Cyprus – POLITICO

Published by skeptic

The trip is expected to take two days, according to government officials. The vessel carries an MMS Aris floating unit, as Gaza has no port structure. Cyprus is the closest EU member country to Israel and the Palestinian territories. Cypriot leaders say it is a natural point for collecting and inspecting shipments destined for Gaza. The mission, mostly funded by the United Arab Emirates, is being organized by U.S.-based charity World Central Kitchen and Spanish charity Open Arms is supplying the ship. “Our goal is to establish a maritime highway of boats and barges stocked with millions of meals continuously headed towards Gaza,” said WCK founder José Andrés and CEO Erin Gore in a statement. The ship was originally set to depart last Friday, during the visit by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to Cyprus to launch the humanitarian corridor, but it was eventually delayed for four days due to technical difficulties. Israel has been carrying out a military bombardment and ground offensive in the Gaza Strip since October, in retaliation for the …