JFK International in 3D

Due to a cancelled flight, my son and I had the opportunity to spend the night at JFK International Airport. Knowing that we'd be there for at least seventeen hours, we quickly located chairs within close proximity to electrical outlets. The batteries on both of our phones and cameras were critically low so it was crucial to charge up for the long night ahead. We soon discovered that we had the only two outlets in the entire area that was occupied by hundreds of other displaced travelers, like ourselves. 

What do you do when you're trapped in an airport?

Here we were in New York City, and we were trapped at the airport with nothing to do. I knew that the architecture of the airport would make for some pretty awesome 3D photos, so with a fully charged battery, I set out in search of depth, perspective and intrigue.  

Other than a couple of official personnel, the baggage claim area in the basement was desolate. 

 

I escalated myself upstairs to get an overview of the dismayed travelers at the Jet Blue check in area. No one seemed to be having a good time. I was. 

 

I really liked the reflections and different depth perspectives in and through the glass on the balcony. 

The near empty corridors leading to the Air Bus and parking plaza provided a wonderful opportunity for me to take photos.

The sun was low on the western horizon when I stepped outside and climbed the stairs to the top of the parking plaza.

The Air Bus and tracks provided some interesting 3D opportunities too.

Back inside, I discovered other bored travelers who were literally climbing the walls.

The arched architecture of the Air Bus station was beautifully illuminated  by the descending sun.

Outside, planes sat motionless as numerous flights* were cancelled.

The last shot I took was looking down over the Jet Blue check in area. I still had a long night ahead. 

 *Supposedly, a "glitch" in the system resulted in the cancellation of more than thirty flights at JFK and another sixty or so nationally. Suspiciously, not all flights were effected by this "glitch".

Fat Man

70 Year Old Little Boy

We've been told that dropping the bomb saved lives and that Japan would have never surrendered had we not used the bomb. 

The truth is, the Japanese military officials knew their defeat was at-hand and hoped to negotiate a conditional surrender to prevent more of their cities from being firebombed.* Meanwhile, Washington imposed deliberately difficult unconditional terms to perpetuate the war long enough to test the newest weapons** in the arsenal.  A new extensive and expensive secret industry had been created to build these bombs and officials wanted to use them in a real war scenario to test their effectiveness. 

A handful of virgin  targets were off-bounds to firebomb raids and designated as primary and secondary atomic bomb targets. On August 6, 1945, Hiroshima was the primary. The skies were clear, and it was a perfect day to roll out the previously untested uranium gun weapon nicknamed, Little Boy.

After the new technology*** had been demonstrated, the Japanese conditional terms of surrender were met and credit was given to the bomb for bringing the war to a swift end. 

* The firebombing raids on major Japanese cities resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Japanese citizens and wide-spread destruction, equivalent to atomic weapons damage. But the a-bomb only required one aeroplane to inflict the same amount of damage that it took hundreds of B-29 fire-bombers to accomplish.

** A long skinny uranium gun weapon nicknamed Little Boy and a bulbous beast of a bomb appropriately named Fat Man. The former, was detonated a thousand feet above the city of Hiroshima, and produced a 13.5 kiloton blast that destroyed that city. Fat Man, a plutonium implosion device, produced a 17 kiloton blast over Nagasaki three days later. 

*** There were other options on the table that would have spared cities and civilian lives. It had been proposed that we simply invite Japanese officials to witness a demonstration of the awesome destructive power of the bomb. Unfortunately, the desire for real battlefield blast data outweighed the lives of hundreds of thousands of civilians.

HELLFIRE XX 2015 - in 3D

Hundreds of home-made model rockets took flight this weekend at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Perfect weather conditions contributed to a successful gathering for the Utah Rocket Club's annual Hellfire model rocket launch event. 

 

3d image of someone's display

Every summer, Rocketeer hobbyists bring their rockets of all sizes from around the country to participate in this unique launch event. 

 

3D image of another display

Many of the rockets exceed ten feet in length and ascend to an elevation of more than 20,000'. Therefore, FAA approval had to be granted and airspace closed to aircraft for the event. 

 

3D image adding perspective

Some of the rockets were made from kits while others where self-designed and made from scratch. Some of the participants brought scale models of iconic rockets such as the German V2 and Friendship 7.

 

3D image of a German V2 - the first weaponized missile known for the destruction and terror it inflicted on London during WWII

 

3D image of Friendship 7 - the Redstone Rocket that launched John Glen on the first US orbital flight. There was even a little astronaut in the capsule.  

More than a hundred rockets were expected to launch over the four day event.

 

3d image of a launch

Some of the rockets exhibited exotic sparkle effects as fiery engine-thrust particles blasted from their engines.

The rocket below was one of my favorites at the event and it performed wonderfully, except for a bumpy landing on someone's car. No damage done.

 

3D image B4 launch

 

Launch

 

Parachute

 

Crashdown

At the end of the day, everyone gathered together for a group photo with their rockets. 

 

3d image - group photo

 

3d Image - group disbursement 

See ya again next year UROC HELLFIRE XXI!!