Donald Trump caused a Doomsday Clock symbolising the threat of apocalypse to move closer to midnight yesterday.
The
new 'time', two and a half minutes to midnight, is the closest the
planet has been to an apocalypse since 1953 - mainly due to the threat
of climate change or nuclear warfare.
Now,
in light of the change, millions of people have been trending
explaining how to survive a nuclear attack, and some of the best tips
for surviving a nuclear attack have been revealed.
Donald Trump caused a
Doomsday Clock symbolising the threat of apocalypse to move closer to
midnight. The new 'time', two and a half minutes to midnight, is the
closest the planet has been to an apocalypse since 1953 - mainly due to
the threat of nuclear warfare. Stock image
One of these videos has been created by Toronto0based YouTubers Gregory Brown and Mitchell Moffit.
PACK AN EMERGENCY SUPPLY KIT
The pair advises packing an emergency supply kit containing water and non-perishable food items.
When
a nuclear bomb goes off, it sends out radiation that can ruin your
mobile phone and laptop, so preparing battery-powered radios for
communication is essential.
Experts expect electronic devices thousands of miles away could be affected by the electromagnetic pulse sent out by a bomb.
FIND A SHELTER
Shelters are the next important safety step.
'There's a difference between a blast shelter and a fall-out shelter,' says Gregory Brown.
For the blast, it is important to get as much concrete between you and the blast as possible.
In a house, go to the basement, and in a high-rise, get to the middle of the building away from windows.
For
the fall-out it's important to have thick walls and a thick roof, he
says, and in a house it is a good idea to blockade all the windows.
It takes radioactive materials two weeks to decay, so stock up on two weeks' worth of food and water.
BRACE YOURSELF
But
if you are outside and know the blast is coming, you might have time to
get to a better shelter, but first you should get on the ground with
your hands behind your head and brace yourself.
Never look at the blast, because it can cause you to go blind temporarily.
CLEAN YOURSELF
If
you get inside remove your clothes and clean yourself straight away and
blow your nose, to stop the radioactive materials from spreading, and
do not use conditioner.
If you cannot have a shower, wipe yourself with a wet cloth.
After
a blast you have 30 minutes to find the best shelter, so the pair
suggest finding a dedicated safe-house that can be accessed from your
home and work within 30 minutes.
The pair, who together run the channel AsapSCIENCE, also shared another video entitled 'What If We Have A Nuclear War?', detailing what to expect after an explosion.
Millions of people have been trending
explaining how to survive a nuclear attack, and some of the best tips
for surviving a nuclear attack have been revealed. About 35 per cent of
the energy of the bomb would be released in the form of heat (diagram
shown)
Those closer by would experience burns from the heat, with third degree burns affecting those within a 5 mile (8km) radius
'The
impact of a single nuclear bomb depends on many factors like the
weather, weapon design, geographical layout of where the bomb hits and
if it explodes in the air or on the ground' the pair said in the video.
About 35 per cent of the energy of the bomb would be released in the form of heat.
This,
and the light from the bomb, would travel much faster than the sound of
it and so could come several seconds before - and cause what is known
as 'flash blindness', temporary blindness for a few minutes.
Flash
blindness could affect people up to 13 miles away (21 km) on a clear
day and 50 miles away (81km) on a clear night, they said, if the bomb is
1 megaton.
Most of the bomb's energy is felt in
the blast, in a sudden change of air pressure that can crush buildings,
which would likely kill anyone when they fell. Winds up to 158 miles per
hour (255km/h) would affect people up to 3.7 miles (6km) away
Those closer by would experience burns from the heat, with third degree burns affecting those within a 5 mile (8km) radius.
Most
of the bomb's energy is felt in the blast, in a sudden change of air
pressure that can crush buildings, which would likely kill anyone when
they fell.
Winds up to 158 miles per
hour (255km/h) would affect people up to 3.7 miles (6km) away, causing
dangerous objects to fly around.
A
terrifying interactive map revealed last year lets you see what the
terrible effects of nuclear fallout might look it if a similar bomb was
to be dropped on your location.
The creator of the map, called WouldISurviveANuke.com, says that it is designed to show that 'there really is no surviving a nuclear war.'
A terrifying
interactive map revealed last year lets you see what the terrible
effects of nuclear fallout might look it if a similar bomb was to be
dropped on your location
Lawrence Krauss and David Titley, who
manage the Doomsday Clock, said the US president's policies on climate
change and nuclear weapons were largely to blame for the change.
'The United States now has a president who has promised to impede progress on both of those fronts,' the pair said.
'Never
before has the Bulletin decided to advance the clock largely because of
the statements of a single person,' the two scientists wrote in a statement.
'But when that person is the new president of the United States, his words matter.'
The
group also addressed other issues including the threat of nuclear
weapons being built by North Korea, India and Pakistan, Russia and
China.
A Doomsday Clock
symbolising the threat of apocalypse has moved closer to midnight,
because of Donald Trump. Researchers who manage the clock announce the
new 'time', two and a half minutes to midnight, in an event that was
live streamed yesterday (pictured)
A Doomsday Clock
symbolising the threat of apocalypse has moved closer to midnight,
partly because of Donald Trump. Researchers who manage the clock
announce the new 'time' in an event that was live streamed yesterday
Members of the Bulletin of Atomic
Scientists deliver remarks on the 2017 time for the 'Doomsday Clock'
January 26, 2017 in Washington, DC
'A
rise in strident nationalism worldwide, President Donald Trump's
comments on nuclear arms and climate issues, a darkening global security
landscape that is colored by increasingly sophisticated technology, and
a growing disregard for scientific expertise,' the group said in a
statement.
The clear need for climate action is an important one, the researchers said.
'The
continued warming of the world measured in 2016 underscores one clear
fact: Nothing is fundamentally amiss with the scientific understanding
of climate physics,' the researchers wrote.'
The Doomsday
Clock was established in 1947 to provide a simple way of demonstrating
the danger to the Earth and humanity posed by nuclear war
WHY IS TRUMP TO BLAME?
Researchers
who manage the clock said US president's policies on climate change and
nuclear weapons were largely to blame for the change.
In
their op-ed — headlined 'Thanks to Trump, the Doomsday Clock Advances
Toward Midnight' — they wrote: 'We understand that Mr Trump has been in
office only days, that many of his cabinet nominees are awaiting
confirmation and that he has had little time to take official action.
'But Mr Trump's statements and actions have been unsettling.
'He has made ill-considered comments about expanding and even deploying the American nuclear arsenal.
'He has expressed disbelief in the scientific consensus on global warming.
'He has shown a troubling propensity to discount or reject expert advice related to international security.
'And
his nominees to head the Energy Department, the Environmental
Protection Agency and the Office of Management and the Budget have
disputed or questioned climate change.'
'I hope the debate engendered by the 2017
setting of the Clock raises the level of conversation, promotes calls to
action, and helps citizens around the world hold their leaders
responsible for delivering a safer and healthier planet,' said Dr Rachel
Bronson, executive director of the Bulletin.
'Nuclear
weapons and climate change are precisely the sort of complex
existential threats that cannot be properly managed without access to
and reliance on expert knowledge,' said Lawrence Krauss.
In
2015 the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, an expert group formed in
1945, adjusted the Doomsday Clock two minutes forward and took it to
three minutes to midnight.
That sent a
message that the Earth was closer to oblivion than any time since the
early days of hydrogen bomb testing and 1984, when US-Soviet relations
reached 'their iciest point in decades'.
Last year the clock's hands, which have
moved forwards and backwards in different years over the past decades,
remained unchanged.
A statement accompanying the 2016 Doomsday Clock decision read: 'Three minutes (to midnight) is too close.
'Far too close.
'We,
the members of the Science and Security Board of the Bulletin of the
Atomic Scientists, want to be clear about our decision not to move the
hands of the Doomsday Clock in 2016: That decision is not good news, but
an expression of dismay that world leaders fail to focus their efforts
and the world's attention on reducing the extreme danger posed by
nuclear weapons and climate change.
'When
we call these dangers existential, that is exactly what we mean: They
threaten the very existence of civilization and therefore should be the
first order of business for leaders who care about their constituents
and their countries.'
The Bulletin was
founded by concerned US scientists involved in the Manhattan Project
that developed the world's first nuclear weapons during the Second World
War.
In 1947 they established the
Doomsday Clock to provide a simple way of demonstrating the danger to
the Earth and humanity posed by nuclear war.
Researchers who manage the clock
announce the new 'time' in an event that was live streamed yesterday,
making it the closest the planet has been to an apocalypse since 1953. dailymail
In 2015 the Bulletin of the Atomic
Scientists, an expert group formed in 1945, adjusted the Doomsday Clock
two minutes forward and took it to three minutes to midnight. dailymail
Now the Bulletin is an independent non-profit organisation run by some of the world's most eminent scientists.
The
Doomsday Clock now not only takes into account the likelihood of
nuclear Armageddon but also other emerging threats such as climate
change and advances in biotechnology and artificial intelligence.
Last month the Bulletin dropped a strong hint Doomsday might be about to edge nearer.
In
a statement the scientists said: 'Tensions between the United States
and Russia that remain at levels reminiscent of the Cold War, the danger
posed by climate change, and nuclear proliferation concerns, including
the recent North Korean nuclear test, are the main factors influencing
the decision about any adjustment that may be made to the Doomsday
Clock.'
The closest the clock has ever come to striking midnight was in 1953, when the time was set at two minutes to 12.
It
was in that year that the US took the decision to upgrade its nuclear
arsenal with the hydrogen bomb, 'a weapon far more powerful than any
atomic bomb'.dailymail
South Korea’s Green Pine radars are not reliable
A South Korean lawmaker has disclosed that the two Green Pine radars bought from Israel have been failing repeatedly.
Russia has launched flight tests of its latest lightweight
fighter, MiG-35. The military aircraft, which has been constructed to be
potentially equipped with laser weapons, will in the near future
replace previous generation jets in the Russian Air Force.
The new fighter jet by the
Mikoyan Aircraft Corporation (MiG) can fly at speeds of over 2,700 km/h
(1,700 mph) and reach heights of up to 17,500 meters (57,400 feet). Its
strike radius is 1,000 km (620 miles), while it can be in action twice
as long as previous generation fighters, as there is an option to
replace the second pilot's seat with an extra fuel tank.
"The 3,500 kilometers [2,175 miles] that MiG-35 is able to fly suits us very well," Russian Air Force Commander Viktor Bondarev has said.
According to Bondarev, flight tests of the new fighter are expected
to be completed in summer this year, right after which a contract to
purchase 30 MiG-35 jets will be concluded between the Mikoyan
corporation and the Russian Defense Ministry. "Then in a short while we will replace the whole fleet of lightweight fighters with such jets," he added, saying there are plans to purchase no less than 170 MiG-35 planes.
At
the international premiere of the fighter, which took place in the
Moscow region on Friday, the head of Russia's Air Force confirmed that
the new multifunction military jet will also be deployed in tests of
laser weapons right after its flight trials are concluded.
"The
fighter is designed especially to carry out military tasks in conflicts
of higher intensity, in conditions of high density of air defense,"
the head of the corporation, Yury Slyusar, said at a meeting in the
Kremlin on Thursday. Saying that thanks to its new onboard equipment,
which provides for a much lower radar signature, the construction of the
MiG-35 "allows the use of both current and future munitions, including laser weapons."
2014, two friends walking on a clear lake in the Slovakian mountains.
Michigan man Andre Poineau was photographed seemingly walking on
water near his home, along the shores of Lake Charlevoix. The photo of
Poineau standing on the surface of the crystal-clear lake has gone
viral.
On Saturday, following a
freezing night, Mr Poineau awoke to find the lake, located near Boyne
City, to be oddly clear. Naturally he went down to the shore to inspect
it, bringing with him a shovel to test how deep the ice was. He found it
to be about 2 inches thick, National Geographic reports.
In
his first Facebook post in almost two years, the not-so-avid social
media user is amused by the attention the photos have received, as for
him the phenomenon is not so unusual. Poineau has experienced such an
occurrence at least half a dozen times, and he has lived on the lake his
entire life.
A photo posted by Park Of The Pines (@parkofthepines) on
The picture has been shared across social media, notably on the Facebook
page of Physics-Astronomy.com, where it has been shared almost 70,000
times, generating over 2,000 comments.
“I don’t think there’s any great mystery to why it happens,” Poineau told National Geographic. “When the wind is dead calm and the water is at or below freezing, it goes perfectly like that.”
This
is not the first time the phenomenon has been documented. In 2014, a
video of two friends walking on a clear lake in the Slovakian mountains
went viral, being viewed over 9.6 million times.
If you're looking for somewhere new to holiday this summer, you
may want to consider the “floating city” which has been spotted in the
clouds over Yueyang, China. Although, not all is as it seems.
Locals and tourists alike
spotted what appeared to be a number of towering skyscrapers in the
clouds over the city, which is located in Hunan Province, leaving many
baffled and bewildered.
As the video was shared across social media, numerous suggestions emerged as to what it was that people were seeing
Others felt a more reasonably explanation would be some sort of
mirage, but according to meteorological experts, they’re all wrong. It
is in fact, a real city.
The buildings visible in the video are actually surrounded by “radiation fog,” which occurs when the ground temperatures cool and the moisture in the air condenses as a result, according to Xinhua News Agency. As temperatures rise, the fog usually evaporates.
Luckily for residents, the fog was not radioactive, explained Li Dongyang, the city’s Meteorological Bureau deputy director.
There’s no shortage of intrigue amidst the CIA’s newly released
archive of nearly 13 million pages of declassified records. Some of the
more peculiar revelations detail the handling of UFO sightings and the
potential weaponization of psychic powers.
In this particular document concerning such reporting, a UFO is defined as “any
object which, by performance, aerodynamic characteristics, or unusual
features, does not conform to known aircraft or missiles.”
There are a number of documents relating to sightings in Norway,Spain and North Africa and the former USSR
among the millions of pages. While many sightings feature throughout
the extensive release, there have been no conclusive findings documented
as of yet.
It
seems the CIA was keen to emphasize the importance of rapid but
thorough reporting of any such sightings as a matter of national
security, listing the four phases of air defense as: detection,
identification, interception and destruction. The Unidentified Flying
Object Program requires that all US Air Force (USAF) commanders adhere
strictly to these guidelines.
The
procedure calls on air force commanders to report all UFO sightings
including those received from other agencies, governmental bodies or
civilians.
When reporting a sighting, the document states that the
following data points must be specified and explained in as much detail
as possible: shape, size, color, number, formation, distinct or unique
features, any tail, trail or exhaust, any sounds and any other unusual
features not covered by the preceding points.
The
USAF also highlights the three major reasons for taking UFO sightings
so seriously: air defense and the elimination of any potential threats
to the United States or its armed forces; to determine the technical or
scientific characteristics of such UFOs and thus maintain military
intelligence and technological dominance; to explain or identify all
such instances in order to maintain strategic readiness in all
eventualities.
The CIA had also previously published
its own handy set of guidelines for amateur stargazers out there to
organize themselves and flood their local air force bases with sighting
reports:
In another bizarre revelation,
it's been revealed that the CIA conducted a series of experiments to
determine the feasibility and effectiveness of employing psychic spies
to “collect foreign intelligence information against documents shielded from normal perception,” in a project code-named ‘Stargate.’
These
efforts weren’t limited to mere mortals, however, as none other than
Israeli-born, celebrity psychic Uri Geller was brought in to test his
psychic mettle against the researchers.
Geller attempted to duplicate a series of drawings produced in a nearby room without any knowledge of the topic or theme of the doodles.
They
ranged from a firecracker to a bunch of grapes and even a quick sketch
of our solar system. While Geller did have some surprising success
throughout the experiments, the CIA decided not to pursue the research
beyond its initial stage.
If
this all sounds familiar, that’s because it is; the 2009 film starring
George Clooney and Ewan McGregor named 'The men who stare at goats' drew
heavily from rumors and reports about psychic warfare research
conducted by the CIA and other US intelligence agencies.
While the
release of millions of pages of documents may come as exciting news, it
should be pointed out that they have been accessible since the year
2000, but only on specific computers housed in National Archives in
College Park, Maryland in the United States.
A solicitation from
the Pentagon calls for a non-explosive electromagnetic pulse artillery
shell capable of wiping out ‘a wide range of electronics, critical
infrastructure, and computer-based systems.’ It would fit into a 155mm
artillery piece, like the M777 Howitzer, pictured
The US Department of Defense is developing
a powerful new weapon that could cripple an entire city without
directly hurting anyone.
A recent
solicitation from the Pentagon calls for a non-explosive electromagnetic
pulse artillery shell capable of wiping out ‘a wide range of
electronics, critical infrastructure, and computer-based systems.’
The
non-kinetic system would first be incorporated into a 155mm projectile
and later scaled down to enable the use of multiple shells, allowing for
devastating electronic attacks that are delivered by standard munition
but cause no physical damage.
According to the solicitation,
the weapon will be designed to be cost-effective and precise, launching
the non-kinetic effects (NKE) from a close range to limit the affected
area.
Essentially, such a weapon would render the target’s entire electronic infrastructure useless.
The
DoD will first develop a prototype weapon for the 155mm projectile,
with the ultimate plan to create a ‘ruggedized, hardened electronics
subsystem.’
During the development
process, the report says they’ll also be exploring and demonstrating
different ways to carry out non-kinetic attacks, and testing the
system’s capabilities in the field.
‘Extensive
use of wireless RF networking for critical infrastructure and
communications systems provides an alternative attack vector for the
neutralization of an adversary’s underlying industrial, civil, and
communications infrastructure without the destruction of the hardware
associated with those systems,’ the solicitation states.
HOW EMP WORKS
EMP, or electromagnetic pulse weapons use missiles equipped with an electromagnetic pulse cannon.
This uses a super-powerful microwave oven to generate a concentrated beam of energy.
The
energy causes voltage surges in electronic equipment, rendering them
useless before surge protectors have the chance to react.
The
aim is to destroy an enemy's command, control, communication and
computing, surveillance and intelligence capabilities without hurting
people or infrastructure.
According to the solicitation , the
weapon will be designed to be cost-effective and precise, launching the
non-kinetic effects (NKE) from a close range to limit the affected area.
Essentially, such a weapon would render the target’s entire electronic
infrastructure useless
‘Advances
in munitions-based microelectronics and power technologies make possible
the implementation of non-kinetic cyber and electromagnetic ‘or
electronic warfare (EW)’ attacks that could be delivered via artillery
launched munitions.
‘The precision
delivery of the non-kinetic effects (NKE) electronics payload close to
the target allows low power operation which limits the geographical
extent of impacted systems, and reduces the overall impact on the
electromagnetic spectrum.’
The new
development comes more than a year after a report warned that America is
falling behind in the development of critical electromagnetic weapons
that some say could wipe out 90 percent of its population.
BOEING'S 'CHAMP' WEAPON
In
2012, aircraft manufacturer Boeing successfully tested the weapon on a
one-hour flight during which it knocked out the computers of an entire
military compound.
During
Boeing's experiment, the missile flew low over the Utah Test and
Training Range, discharging electromagnetic pulses on to seven targets,
permanently shutting down their electronics.
Boeing said that the test was so successful even the camera recording it was disabled.
Pictured is
Boeing's Champ, or Counter-electronics High-powered microwave Advanced
Missile Project, one of the EMP weapons that is under construction
Although the project is shrouded in secrecy, experts believe the missile is equipped with an electromagnetic pulse cannon.
This
uses a super-powerful microwave oven to generate a concentrated beam of
energy which causes voltage surges in electronic equipment, rendering
them useless before surge protectors have the chance to react.
Boeing's CHAMP takes out enemy electronics with pulse.
The Center for Strategic and Budgetary
Assessments says the technology is 'one of the most critical operational
domains in modern warfare.'
However,
it concluded 'unfortunately, 'failed to keep pace' is an appropriate
description of the Department of Defense's (DoD) investments in EMS
warfare capabilities over the last generation.'
The
report, 'Winning the Airwaves: Regaining America's Dominance in the
Electromagnetic Spectrum', added the technology will become as
revolutionary as smartphones.
'In the
same way that smartphones and the Internet are redefining how the world
shares, shops, learns, and works, the development and fielding of
advanced sensors and networking technologies will enable militaries to
gain significant new advantages over competitors that fail to keep
pace,' it says.
THE CONCRETE THAT COULD SHIELD AGAINST EMP ATTACKS
The EMP-shielding concrete could be applied in a spray-on technique that would allow for cost-effective retrofitting
Engineers
at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln have developed a type of concrete
that could act as a shield against ‘doomsday’ electromagnetic pulse
attacks.
The
conductive concrete both absorbs and reflects electromagnetic waves to
protect the electronics inside, and the creators say it could be used in
new structures or applied through a spray-on method to retrofit
existing buildings.
The researchers created a concrete that conducts electricity, replacing some of the standard concrete materials with magnetite.
The concrete also includes carbon and metal components, enhancing its absorbing abilities and allowing it to reflect as well.
The
new concrete is now available for commercialization, and the team has
joined with ABC Group in a research agreement for a new patent-pending
pending product that would work with a shotcrete construction method, a
spray-on technique that would allow for cost-effective retrofitting.
The Sharp Sword UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle), China's stealthy attack
drone, just won second place in the National Science and Technology
Advancement Prizes. Considering the secrecy surrounding stealth drones
to come out of China—there are relatively few photos of the Sharp Sword
available, particularly as opposed to, say, the J-20 fighter—the Sharp
Sword's victory is pretty noteworthy. The drone, known as "Lijian" in
Mandarin Chinese, is being paraded as a huge win for Chinese aviation
technology. And it is.
The
33-foot-long Sharp Sword craft has a wingspan of roughly 46 feet, and
uses a non-afterburning WS-13 turbofan engine with serpentine inlet to
mask it from enemy radar.
Sharp Sword first flew in November 2013, and has a similar appearance to a small B-2 flying wing bomber and the American X-47B.
The Sharp Sword is the first non-NATO stealthy unmanned combat aerial
vehicle (UCAV). Built by Aviation Industry Corporation of China, with
much of the work done by the Hongdu Aviation Industry Group, the Sharp
Sword first flew in November 2013. Looking a bit like a mini-B-2 flying
wing bomber, the UCAV has two internal bomb bays and a likely payload of
about 4,400 pounds. Its engine is a non-afterburning WS-13 turbofan
engine, with inlet serpentine to hide the engine from enemy radars (the
first Sharp Sword does not use a stealthy nozzle due to its technology
demonstrator status). It has a length of about 33 feet, and a wingspan
of about 46 feet.
Other similar foreign systems include the American X-47B, the British
Taranis, and the French Neuron. Stealthy UCAVs have a number of
advantages over their manned counterparts: they can fit the same
internal payload onto a smaller airframe, and have much longer ranges,
in addition to the typical advantages of unmanned aerial vehicles, like
longer flight times.
Reporting from the Chinese Internet suggests that a second, even
stealthier Sharp Sword began flying last year (with a stealthy engine).
If flight testing with the prototypes goes as well as the initial flight
tests did with the first airframe, the Sharp Sword could enter service
as early as 2019-2020.
Initially, it's believed that the Sharp Sword will be used for
reconnaissance in areas with dense air defense networks, as well as
tailing foreign warships. As the Chinese develops a familiarity with the
Sharp Sword, it could be used for combat operations as a "first through
the door" weapon against highly defended, high-value targets, as well
as an aerial tanker for other drones and carrier aircraft (akin to plans
for the U.S. MQ-25). There is even the possibility of carrier version
for China's planned next generation of catapult equipped aircraft
carriers.
Eventually, advances in distributed systems and artificial
intelligence could help the Sharp Sword be a robotic wingman to manned
aircraft in an unmanned/manned operational concept. It could even take
on autonomous missions of its own.
They also have a longer range.
The
craft could one day be used to for ‘first through the door’ combat
missions against high-value targets, or act as an aerial tanker for
other craft, according to Popular Science.
The Future of Unmanned Warfare. Popular Science
Stealthy flying wing UCAVs, like the Sharp Sword, are more
survivable (by virtual of stealth) than traditional UAVs like the
Predator, and have more onboard room for mission avionics, plus
computers for artificial intelligence.
A Google Street View photographer has joined forces with New Zealand
skydive operator, Skydive Abel Tasman, to put the world's first skydive
experience onto Google Street View. dailymail
Jumping out of a plane at 16,000ft is not for everyone.
But
thanks to an amazing new project by Google Street View, even the most
fearful of us can now witness what it would be like to skydive and soak
up the spectacular New Zealand scenery, without even stepping away from
the computer.
A Google Street View
photographer has joined forces with New Zealand skydive operator,
Skydive Abel Tasman, to put the world's first skydive experience onto
Google Street View.
Ready, set, go: The virtual tour,
which begins on the ground, shows what it's like to fly up 16,500ft into
the sky and then jump, falling at about 125mph over Abel Tasman
National Park, New Zealand's smallest national park, located at the
north end of the South Island
The skydive street view
is the brainchild of Google certified photographer, Alex Mather and was
filmed over five days to create a fully interactive picture. It was
also captured in a 360-degree video.
Mather
was intrigued that nobody had photographed something from a skydiving
perspective and was keen to try something different.
The virtual tour, which
begins on the ground, shows what it's like to fly up 16,500ft into the
sky and then jump, falling at about 125mph over Abel Tasman National
Park, New Zealand's smallest national park, located at the north end of
the South Island.
It's the only skydive
drop zone in New Zealand with views over both islands as well as
mountains and the ocean at the same time.
Custom attachment points and rigging for a 360 GoPro Pano Ball was built to maximise the experience.
The
beautiful footage takes in the huge, craggy mountains, the green,
patchwork fields and the vast expanse of blue sea and golden beaches.
Not for the
faint-hearted: It's the only skydive drop zone in New Zealand with views
over both islands as well as mountains and the ocean at the same time
Bird's eye view: The amazing skydive -
the brainchild of Google certified photographer, Alex Mather - was
filmed over five days and was also captured in a 360-degree video
Awe-inspiring: Custom attachment points and rigging for a 360 GoPro Pano Ball was built to maximise the experience
Nearly there: The footage takes in the
huge, craggy mountains, the green, patchwork fields and the vast
expanse of blue sea and golden beaches
Coming in to land: Marketing manager
David Bonham-Carter, who put the idea to Skydive Abel Tasman, said: 'You
look at the results that came out of [the project] and it's pretty
stunning, we know we live in a special region but you look at it from
the air and it puts it all in perspective'. dailymail
Back to earth: Owner of Skydive Abel
Tasman, Stuart Bean, said: 'Skydiving in the Abel Tasman is unique. We
have mountains, we have rivers, we have the ocean and we have the Abel
Tasman National Park'
Marketing manager David Bonham-Carter, who put the idea to Skydive Abel Tasman, told New Zealand news site, Stuff: 'You
look at the results that came out of [the project] and it's pretty
stunning, we know we live in a special region but you look at it from
the air and it puts it all in perspective.'
Owner
of Skydive Abel Tasman, Stuart Bean, said: 'Skydiving in the Abel
Tasman is unique. We have mountains, we have rivers, we have the ocean
and we have the Abel Tasman National Park.'
The
national park is named after Abel Tasman, who became the first
European explorer to catch sight of New Zealand in 1642 and anchored
nearby in Golden Bay.
MailOnline Travel has contacted both Google and Skydive Abel Tasman for further comment. dailymail
![Coming in to land: Marketing manager David Bonham-Carter, who put the idea to Skydive Abel Tasman, said: 'You look at the results that came out of [the project] and it's pretty stunning, we know we live in a special region but you look at it from the air and it puts it all in perspective'](http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/01/16/13/3C2D2F2100000578-4124728-image-a-19_1484573142191.jpg)
