Errymath

F-35 has 276 deficiencies and counting, unfit for combat operations – Pentagon report

</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<div class="article__summary summary ">

The F-35 stealth fighter jet suffers from hundreds of problems 
and won’t be fully combat-capable before 2020, says a scathing report 
from the Pentagon’s top evaluator. New issues keep cropping up, and 
fixing them all may cost over $1 billion.

</div>
<div class="article__text text ">
Dr. Michael Gilmore’s damning assessment is part of the massive <a href="http://www.dote.osd.mil/pub/reports/FY2016/">annual report</a> for fiscal year 2016, and his <a href="http://www.dote.osd.mil/pub/reports/FY2016/pdf/dod/2016f35jsf.pdf">62-page dossier</a> devoted
 to the F-35 paints a grim picture of America’s much touted,futuristic 
Joint Strike Fighter. The program, which began in 2001, was supposed to 
deliver a fifth-generation jet serving the needs of the Air Force, the 
Navy and the Marine Corps, achieving savings through a modular design.<br />
Instead, it is 70 percent over initial cost estimates and years behind 
schedule.<br />
<div class="arcticle__read-more read-more">
    <div class="read-more__title">
</div>
  
    </div>
Dr. Gilmore, the Pentagon’s director of operational test & 
evaluation (OTE) under President Barack Obama, is leaving the Department
 of Defense as part of the regular change in politically appointed 
officials. Though F-35 officials have continued to insist the jet is 
doing just fine and that the problems found in operational testing were 
being fixed rapidly, Gilmore’s final report makes it clear that he 
doesn’t believe their reassurances.<br />
<br />
<em>“The Services have 
designated 276 deficiencies in combat performance as ‘critical to 
correct’ in Block 3F, but less than half of the critical deficiencies 
were addressed with attempted corrections,</em>” says Gilmore’s report, referring to problems in the F-35’s software. <em>“Deficiencies continue to be discovered at a rate of about 20 per month,”</em> the report added. <br />
<em>“Much
 more testing is needed to assess the cybersecurity structure of the air
 vehicle and supporting logistics infrastructure system,</em>” the report says,<em> “and to determine whether, and to what extent, vulnerabilities may have led to compromises of F-35 data.”</em><br />
<br />
Worse
 yet, the program is trying to skip many of the tests and declare the 
systems development phase over early, shifting the testing to the 
Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) process starting in 
August 2017, the report noted. Rushing the tests means shifting the 
risks onto operational testing, follow-on modernization, and to the 
pilots intended to fly the planes into combat.<br />
<br />
The F-35 program 
office "has no plan to adequately fix and verify hundreds of these 
deficiencies using flight testing within its currently planned schedule 
and resources," Gilmore wrote.<br />
<em>“Multiple problems and delays 
make it clear that the program will not be able to start IOT&E with 
full combat capability until late CY18 or early CY19, at the soonest,”</em>
 meaning 2018 and 2019, respectively. Finalizing the systems development
 phase would cost around $500 million, Gilmore noted, adding that the 
Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation office’s estimate ranged up to 
$1.125 billion.<br />
<div class="arcticle__read-more read-more">
    <div class="read-more__title">
<br /></div>
<img alt="Plagued by problems, F-35 nowhere near ready to fly" class="media__item " height="355" src="https://img.rt.com/files/2016.03/original/56f45a9cc461884e788b45d8.jpg" width="640" /> 
    
</div>
A Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II fighter jet. © Gary Cameron / Reuters <br />
<br />
In addition to software trouble, the jet is plagued by 
structural problems. For example, the connection between the vertical 
tail and the airframe is wearing out much faster than expected, while 
arresting hooks are fraying after only one use. Engine nacelles are 
overheating under certain flight tests, horizontal tail continues to 
suffer heat damage, and the “excessive, violent” oscillations during 
catapult launches of the naval F-35C version present a safety concern 
for pilots.<br />
<br />
Tests of the pilot escape system showed a risk of 
serious neck injury or death for pilots weighing less than 136 pounds 
(61kg), who remain restricted from flying the F-35.<br />
On the 
maintenance side, technicians are required to physically connect the 
Portable Maintenance Aid (PMA) laptops to the aircraft in order to 
conduct most activities. If the PMA fails to connect to the aircraft 
properly and technicians unplug it prematurely, the laptop cannot 
connect to another aircraft until it is reset by an Automatic Logistics 
Information System (ALIS) administrator, <em>“which can be a lengthy process.”</em><br />
<br />
Given all that, the Department of Defense should consider committing to a <em>“block buy”</em> of the jets, since in their current state the F-35 does not fit the legal requirements and the Pentagon’s <em>“fly before you buy”</em> approach to purchases, Gilmore’s report concluded.<br />
<br />
The
 F-35 is a single-seat, single-engine aircraft that comes in three 
versions: the F-35A for the Air Force; the F-35B for the US Marine 
Corps; and the F-35C for the US Navy. It is being developed by Lockheed 
Martin, with additional funding from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Italy, 
Norway, the United Kingdom and Turkey. Israel and Japan have also placed
 orders for the jet.</div>
<br />
<br /></div>

F-35 has 276 deficiencies and counting, unfit for combat operations – Pentagon report

US Marine Corps F-35B © Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images / AFP ...

Chilean military declassify sensational video of UFO encounter

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="300" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NkUTGpegZN0" width="500"></iframe>
</div>
<br />
<br />
        
    
    <div style="clear: both; font-size: 0px; line-height: 0px;">
 </div>
<br /><div class="_ga1_on_">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Unidentified flying objects appear in 
the sky over Chile more frequently than in any other part of the world. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The frequency of the appearance of UFOs in the region has led to the 
establishment of a special committee to analyze the information about 
unusual sightings in the atmosphere. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
The Committee for the Study 
of Anomalous Aerial Phenomena (CEFAA) is a public organization, a member
 of the Civil Aeronautics Department under the jurisdiction of the 
Chilean Air Force. The website of the committee contains an extensive 
selection of photos and written materials about encounters with UFOs all
 over the world.<br />
The CEFAA has released a sensational video of one of such encounters.<br />
<br />
 <br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Chilean military declassify sensational video of UFO encounter. 59574.jpeg" height="390" longdesc="AP photo" src="http://pravda-team.ru/eng/image/article/5/7/4/59574.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Chilean military declassify sensational video of UFO encounter. 59574.jpeg" width="585" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="inserted-image" style="float: left; margin-right: 10px; width: 605px;">
<br /><div style="font-size: 11px; text-align: center;">
AP photo</div>
</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
On
 November 11, 2014, pilots spotted a strange object during a mission to 
patrol the coastal sector to the west ofа the Chilean capital of 
Santiago. The object was described as a flat elongated structure with 
two thermal centers. Ground radars did not detect the object. <br />
The
 object disappeared in the clouds as suddenly as it appeared. Having 
studied all the details, CEFAA experts found that the object was neither
 a bird, nor a piece of space garbage, insect, aircraft, parachutist, 
glider or atmospheric anomaly.  Concluding the report, the committee 
called the object "unidentified."</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
</div>

Chilean military declassify sensational video of UFO encounter

Unidentified flying objects appear in the sky over Chile more frequently than in any other part of the world....

Majority of Americans Don’t Have $500 in Savings

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7aOCW-zu92ais7kJaOcLYPOAM1_3rhp_V_JwoPCV1axSuTunjugrKxb9AR1ZMJWYC9oKHbBTc7kJd_G45gLBW4xKZVdJJ0sAwTc4sV9cMFstwO9AhXHoQLQxHGgcJMoLMHexUp54Bc4o/s1600/1020002567.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7aOCW-zu92ais7kJaOcLYPOAM1_3rhp_V_JwoPCV1axSuTunjugrKxb9AR1ZMJWYC9oKHbBTc7kJd_G45gLBW4xKZVdJJ0sAwTc4sV9cMFstwO9AhXHoQLQxHGgcJMoLMHexUp54Bc4o/s640/1020002567.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<div>
<span style="font-size: large;">A study has found that the majority of Americans could be 
financially destroyed over an unexpected $500 expense, as only 41 
percent of US citizens have that much money in their savings.
</span><br /><br />
The study, conducted by Bankrate, found that despite the dismal figures,
 Americans have actually improved their savings from last year. In 2015,
 only 37 percent of Americans reported that they had enough money to 
cover an unexpected $500 expense.<br /><br /><div>
"Five-hundred dollars is enough money that it could be catastrophic
 if you’re really living on the edge and don’t have enough money" to 
cover that unplanned cost, Bankrate senior investment analyst Sheyna 
Steiner told Forbes. "I did wonder what would happen if it was $10,000, 
what would the answer have been then?"
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
 </div>
<div>
<img alt="Financial instability" class="" height="541" itemprop="associatedMedia" src="https://cdn1.img.sputniknews.com/images/104809/42/1048094212.jpg" title="Financial instability" width="1000" /> </div>
<div>
<br />
Interestingly, it was the millennials who are the most likely to have 
over $500 in their savings, with 47 percent reporting that they could 
cover it. </div>
<div>
 </div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div>
<b> “Not surprisingly in Bankrate's survey, those with higher incomes were 
most likely to say they would rely on savings for emergencies. Over 
half, 54 percent, of those earning $75,000 or more annually said they 
would pony up the cash for an unexpected expense,” the report states. 
“Only 23 percent of people with yearly incomes less than $30,000 said 
they would use savings. And 9 percent of respondents in this income 
level said they don't know how they would pay for an unexpected 
expense.”</b></div>
</blockquote>
<div>
 </div>
<div>
 In November 2016, a poll by the Pew Charitable Trusts found that one 
third of American families do not have any savings.<br /></div>
</div>
<br /></div>

Majority of Americans Don’t Have $500 in Savings

A study has found that the majority of Americans could be financially destroyed over an unexpected $500 expense, as only 41 percent ...

EM drive is a joke?

Military Decoys

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWphBJ0Agf9N6r3L-QxdWyhiuOmFqTY12cZFk-ilNLV1NB0lC2lntWsOocNBFA278t5oXgz1dymTrp3L6If-bIceNcAbZfElztsWPj_0VoMCfYOqeLiqQ7dclECdkkcL7ewV4mZNfV58/s1600/QhHc1mu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvWphBJ0Agf9N6r3L-QxdWyhiuOmFqTY12cZFk-ilNLV1NB0lC2lntWsOocNBFA278t5oXgz1dymTrp3L6If-bIceNcAbZfElztsWPj_0VoMCfYOqeLiqQ7dclECdkkcL7ewV4mZNfV58/s640/QhHc1mu.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><b><img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/7VRG2ku.jpg" src="https://i.imgur.com/7VRG2ku.jpg" /></b></span><br />
<div class="messageContent">
  
   <article>
    <a href="https://i.imgur.com/RKVmxUI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://i.imgur.com/gSh4NC1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://i.imgur.com/gSh4NC1.jpg" /></a><img border="0" src="https://i.imgur.com/RKVmxUI.jpg" /><blockquote class="messageText SelectQuoteContainer ugc baseHtml">
     <br /></blockquote>
</article>
   
   
   
  </div>
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>Fighter jets</b><br />
<b><img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/RLNNnQJ.gif" src="https://i.imgur.com/RLNNnQJ.gif" /> </b><br />
<b><img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/W9mXYH6.jpg" src="https://i.imgur.com/W9mXYH6.jpg" /> <img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/yqExt9G.jpg" src="https://i.imgur.com/yqExt9G.jpg" /> <img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/MSoT8do.jpg" src="https://i.imgur.com/MSoT8do.jpg" /> <img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/YI4gJgg.jpg" src="https://i.imgur.com/YI4gJgg.jpg" /> <img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/beZHKoy.jpg" src="https://i.imgur.com/beZHKoy.jpg" /> <img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/wUVi0Ys.jpg" src="https://i.imgur.com/wUVi0Ys.jpg" /> <img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/fb0GHS4.jpg" src="https://i.imgur.com/fb0GHS4.jpg" /> </b></span>
     <br />
<div class="messageTextEndMarker">
 </div>
<div class="messageTextEndMarker">
 </div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<b>Helicopters</b><br /> <img src="https://i.imgur.com/ey3kMLt.gif" /> <br /> <img height="359" src="https://i.imgur.com/CBLV7MF.jpg" width="640" /> <br /> <img height="359" src="https://i.imgur.com/bsQ8Sf6.jpg" width="640" /> <img height="359" src="https://i.imgur.com/Ct6ygp1.jpg" width="640" /> <img height="359" src="https://i.imgur.com/HvavYor.jpg" width="640" /> <img height="359" src="https://i.imgur.com/KYBVphs.jpg" width="640" /> <img src="http://imageshack.com/a/img922/6519/ZSdkUn.gif" /> <img height="359" src="https://i.imgur.com/OHIm2xG.jpg" width="640" /> <br />  <br /><br /><span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>Tanks</b><br />
<b> <img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/a7iWwQL.gif" src="https://i.imgur.com/a7iWwQL.gif" /> <img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/YMgXFiJ.jpg" height="359" src="https://i.imgur.com/YMgXFiJ.jpg" width="640" /> <img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/MKUqMoZ.jpg" height="359" src="https://i.imgur.com/MKUqMoZ.jpg" width="640" /> <img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/CI35bSg.jpg" height="359" src="https://i.imgur.com/CI35bSg.jpg" width="640" /> <img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/9hr4NKP.jpg" height="359" src="https://i.imgur.com/9hr4NKP.jpg" width="640" /> <img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="http://imageshack.com/a/img921/4709/vVJhbr.gif" src="http://imageshack.com/a/img921/4709/vVJhbr.gif" />  </b><br />
 </span>
     <div class="messageTextEndMarker">
 </div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: 18px;"><b>Missiles</b><br />
<b><img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/0Sowjb8.gif" src="https://i.imgur.com/0Sowjb8.gif" /> </b><br />
<b><img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/GhMvwJ5.jpg" height="359" src="https://i.imgur.com/GhMvwJ5.jpg" width="640" /> <img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/83LTGUU.jpg" height="359" src="https://i.imgur.com/83LTGUU.jpg" width="640" /> <img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/7numXPX.jpg" height="359" src="https://i.imgur.com/7numXPX.jpg" width="640" />  <img alt="[IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="https://i.imgur.com/KsbOXSJ.gif" height="358" src="https://i.imgur.com/KsbOXSJ.gif" width="640" /> </b></span>
     <div class="messageTextEndMarker">
 </div>
</div>
</div>

Military Decoys

Fighter jets Helicopters Tanks Miss...

What Earth will look like in 250 million years: Simulations show new MEGACONTINENT called Amasia in unprecedented detail

<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="mol-para-with-font" id="ext-gen133">
Researchers have predicted that a new megacontinent - Amasia - will form in the next 250 million years.</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
North
 and South America will crunch together, with the Caribbean Sea and 
Arctic Ocean disappearing, while Asia will join the Americas, according 
to new simulations from Yale University researchers and Japan's Agency 
for Marine-Earth Science and Technology.</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
This
 will happen because of the movement of the earth's tectonic plates - 
the enormous plates of the earth's crust that have drifted together and 
apart over hundreds and millions of years. </div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span class=""><span class="mol-style-bold"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
    <div class="mol-img">
    <div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
<img alt="North and South America will crunch together, with the Caribbean Sea and Arctic Ocean disappearing, while Asia will join the Americas" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" height="479" id="i-4191cc4ded04c234" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/01/12/21/3C15E96E00000578-4114458-North_and_South_America_will_crunch_together_with_the_Caribbean_-m-32_1484257519905.jpg" style="display: block;" width="634" /><div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-1">
  
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption" id="ext-gen132">
North and South 
America will crunch together, with the Caribbean Sea and Arctic Ocean 
disappearing, while Asia will join the Americas</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /><div class="mol-para-with-font" id="ext-gen134">
The research, published in
 the journal Nature, is based on a theory called Orthoversion - after a 
supercontinent breaks up, the continents initially drift apart but 
become trapped within a north–south band of subduction – where one plate
 dips below another. </div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
On our present-day Earth this band is the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the new supercontinent will form.</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
To
 test the model, researchers used paleomagnetic data – records of the 
Earth's magnetic field preserved in rocks – to study variations in the 
rotation of the Earth with respect to its spin axis. </div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
    <div class="mol-img">
    <div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
<img alt="The research is based on a theory called Orthoversion - after a supercontinent breaks up, the continents initially drift apart but become trapped within a north–south band of subduction – where one plate dips below another. On our present-day Earth this band is the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the new supercontinent will form" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" height="336" id="i-2a1ed37d95b6ad0a" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/01/12/21/3C157A9B00000578-4114458-image-a-7_1484256282367.jpg" style="display: block;" width="634" /><div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-2">
  
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption" id="ext-gen135">
The research is based 
on a theory called Orthoversion - after a supercontinent breaks up, the 
continents initially drift apart but become trapped within a north–south
 band of subduction – where one plate dips below another. On our 
present-day Earth this band is the Pacific Ring of Fire, where the new 
supercontinent will form</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font" id="ext-gen136">
These variations, known as
 "true polar wander", are caused by changes in the planet's mass 
distribution; they are the Earth’s attempt to maintain rotational 
equilibrium – a re-adjustment that takes place over millions of years.</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
By
 combining these data with knowledge of how supercontinents affect the 
Earth's motion, the researchers were able to predict Amasia. </div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
The
 present-day Arctic Ocean and Caribbean Sea will vanish as North and 
South America fuse while they move northwards together, leading to a 
collision with Europe and Asia. </div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
'After those water bodies close, we’re on our way to the next supercontinent,' said Dr Ross Mitchell, the paper’s lead author.</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
'You’d have the Americas meeting Eurasia practically at the North Pole. </div>
<div class="art-ins mol-factbox sciencetech" data-version="2" id="mol-b76dfde0-d90d-11e6-bcb2-6fc4b8e321a3">
                            <h3 class="mol-factbox-title">
 </h3>
<h3 class="mol-factbox-title">
WHAT ARE TECTONIC PLATES? </h3>
<div class="ins cleared mol-factbox-body" id="ext-gen138">
                                <div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Tectonic plates are composed of Earth's crust and the uppermost portion of the mantle. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Below is the asthenosphere: the warm, viscous conveyor belt of rock on which tectonic plates ride.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
    <div class="mol-img">
    <div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
<img alt="The Earth has fifteen tectonic plates (pictured) that together have molded the shape of the landscape we see around us today" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" height="370" id="i-42d19c03a8ad62c" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/01/12/20/3C15AD5D00000578-4114458-image-a-11_1484252802804.jpg" style="display: block;" width="640" /><div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-3">
  
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
The Earth has fifteen tectonic plates (pictured) that together have molded the shape of the landscape we see around us today</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Earthquakes
 typically occur at the boundaries of tectonic plates, where one plate 
dips below another, thrusts another upward, or where plate edges scrape 
alongside each other. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Earthquakes
 rarely occur in the middle of plates, but they can happen when ancient 
faults or rifts far below the surface reactivate. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font" id="ext-gen137">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">These areas are relatively weak compared to the surrounding plate, and can easily slip and cause an earthquake.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font" id="ext-gen139">
The research has also been
 supported by a paper published in the journal Geology by Dr Masaki 
Yoshida, a geologist based at Japan's Agency for Marine–Earth Science 
and Technology (JAMSTEC).  </div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The most recent supercontinent, Pangea (Greek for ‘All Lands’), formed about 300 million years ago with Africa at its centre. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">It began breaking apart into the seven continents of today with the birth of the Atlantic Ocean about 100 million years later. </span></div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
    <div class="mol-img">
    <div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
<img alt="The most recent supercontinent, Pangea (Greek for ‘All Lands’), formed about 300 million years ago with Africa at its centre" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" height="509" id="i-22e45e0467231c38" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2017/01/12/20/3C157AA200000578-4114458-image-a-4_1484252057788.jpg" style="display: block;" width="634" /><div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-4">
  
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
The most recent supercontinent, Pangea (Greek for ‘All Lands’), formed about 300 million years ago with Africa at its centre. <i>dailymail</i></div>
<div class="imageCaption">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Researchers believe Pangea is the third or fourth supercontinent in Earth’s history. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Its
 immediate predecessors were Rodinia - which formed about 1 billion 
years ago - and Nuna, which formed about 1.8 billion years ago. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 idea of continental drift was introduced by German scientist Alfred 
Wegener in 1912, to explain how the shape of Earth’s countries looked 
suspiciously like jigsaw pieces that would fit together.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 Earth’s surface is formed from seven major and several minor tectonic 
plates that wander around at speeds varying from a few millimetres to 
two centimetres a year, the same pace that a human nail grows.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font" id="ext-gen140">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">It’s the friction caused by plates grinding against each other that causes earthquakes. <i>dailymail</i></span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<br /></div>

What Earth will look like in 250 million years: Simulations show new MEGACONTINENT called Amasia in unprecedented detail

Researchers have predicted that a new megacontinent - Amasia - will form in the next 250 million years. North and South America wi...

US Air Force's X-37B space plane reaches 600 days in orbit - and its mission STILL remains a mystery

<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrHXUr0l63X25GU0sqi1yjogC2IAMMvBvU03Nbkjw2uJm3HSg5Gj89hwyQxTam5ys5QsWpOOW6jpDNt8NsfaMNG6oV8KrhMuXM8oPUTvWse7iF_iZDVSSMZIJYmpMAlVlybaVDaeZL4Y/s1600/X-37B++Theories+have+ranged+from+it+being+a+space+bomber%252C+to+a+probe+on+a+mission+to+%2527take+out%2527+spy+satellites.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="352" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOrHXUr0l63X25GU0sqi1yjogC2IAMMvBvU03Nbkjw2uJm3HSg5Gj89hwyQxTam5ys5QsWpOOW6jpDNt8NsfaMNG6oV8KrhMuXM8oPUTvWse7iF_iZDVSSMZIJYmpMAlVlybaVDaeZL4Y/s640/X-37B++Theories+have+ranged+from+it+being+a+space+bomber%252C+to+a+probe+on+a+mission+to+%2527take+out%2527+spy+satellites.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The X-37B space plane, an experimental program run by the Air Force, 
launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on May 20, 2015. 
 Pictured is an artist's impression</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span id="ext-gen144" style="font-size: 1.2em;">The US Air Force's mystery military space plane has now been in orbit for 600 days. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 X-37B space plane, an experimental program run by the Air Force, 
launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on May 20, 2015.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">While some details of its payload have been revealed - we still do not know exactly what's on board. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font" id="ext-gen132">
<span id="ext-gen131" style="font-size: 1.2em;">Theories have ranged from it being a space bomber, to a  probe on a mission to 'take out' spy satellites.</span></div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br /></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">If the 
spacecraft spends 74 more days in orbit, it will break the record it set
 during its last mission, which touched down in October 2014.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 mystery vehicle, essentially a technology test bed, is designed to 
orbit the Earth and then land like one of Nasa's old shuttles.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span id="ext-gen139" style="font-size: 1.2em;">According
 to X-37B manufacturer Boeing, the space plane operates in low-earth 
orbit, between 110 (177km) and 500 miles (800km) above earth.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">By comparison, the International Space Station orbits at about 220 miles (350km). </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">While
 its main mission payload is a mystery, Nasa has revealed it has a 
materials experiment aboard, while the Planetary Society is tagging 
along with a solar-sail demo.  </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Called
 LightSail, it uses a propulsion system that uses the pressure of 
photons from the sun, a technique known as solar sailing. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">Nine other CubeSat nanosatellites are also taking a piggyback ride into orbit. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The space plane - one of two of the same design - is operated robotically, without anyone on board, and is reusable.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="mol-para-with-font" id="ext-gen147">
<span id="ext-gen146" style="font-size: 1.2em;">It
 is 29ft (8.8m) long — about one-fourth the size of a Nasa shuttle. The 
longest X-37B flight lasted about 675 days; touchdown was last October.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">There
 is no official word on exactly how long this one will stay up, although
 report suggest it will return to Earth later this year. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">When the plane does return, it will land in Nasa's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
<div class="mol-img">
<div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
<img alt="There is no official word on exactly how long this one will stay up, although report suggest it will return to Earth later this year " class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" data-track-pos="1" height="656" id="i-f66acf2026f85b0f" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/10/11/09/394CD87500000578-0-image-a-24_1476174155516.jpg" style="display: block;" width="634" />
<div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-2">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
There is no 
official word on exactly how long this one will stay up, although report
 suggest it will return to Earth later this year </div>
<div class="imageCaption">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">A
 former KSC space-shuttle facility will enable the Air Force 'to 
efficiently land, recover, refurbish and relaunch the X-37B Orbital Test
 Vehicle (OTV),' Boeing representatives told<a class="" href="http://www.space.com/34343-x37b-space-plane-otv4-mission-passes-500-days.html" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank"> Space.com</a>.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">In an unprecedented disclosure, last year the Department of Defense did reveal some details about the X-37B's main mission.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'[We]
 are investigating an experimental propulsion system on the X-37B on 
Mission 4,' Captain Chris Hoyler, an Air Force spokesman, told <a class="" href="http://www.space.com/29221-x37b-military-space-plane-fourth-mission.html" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Space.com</a>. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/10/11/09/394CD87100000578-0-image-a-21_1476174025071.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Theories have ranged from it being a space bomber, to a clandestine probe on a mission to 'take out' spy satellites. Pictured is the Atlas V rocket carrying the mysterious payload moments after launch last year" border="0" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" data-track-pos="2" height="443" id="i-15a4d89692edfc79" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/10/11/09/394CD87100000578-0-image-a-21_1476174025071.jpg" style="display: block;" width="306" /></a><a href="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/10/11/09/394CD86D00000578-0-image-a-22_1476174027527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The rocket before it launched is pictured" border="0" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" data-track-pos="3" height="443" id="i-57126eee074a8b48" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/10/11/09/394CD86D00000578-0-image-a-22_1476174027527.jpg" style="display: block;" width="306" /></a></div>
<div class="vjs-flyout-wrapper-absolute">
<div class="vjs-video-container vjs-fixed vjs-span-two-col sciencetech" id="v-4247132639001">
</div>
</div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
<div class="splitLeft">
<div class="mol-img">
</div>
</div>
<div class="splitRight">
<div class="mol-img">
<div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
<div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-4">
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
Theories 
have ranged from it being a space bomber, to a clandestine probe on a 
mission to 'take out' spy satellites. Pictured is the Atlas V rocket 
carrying the mysterious payload moments (left) after launch last year, 
and just before (right)</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
<div class="mol-img">
<div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
<img alt="" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" data-track-pos="4" id="i-10748d628080f958" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/10/11/09/394CD4A500000578-0-image-a-8_1476173951541.jpg" style="display: block;" />
<div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-5">
</div>
<div class="overlay-icon mobile-gallery">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption" id="ext-gen133">
Like
 a shuttle, X-37B is blasted into orbit by a rocket. However, it lands 
using a runway like a normal aircraft. The X-37B is too small to carry 
people onboard, but does have a cargo bay similar to that of a pickup 
truck, which is just large enough to carry a small satellite</div>
</div>
<div style="background-color: white; border: medium none; color: black; overflow: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;">
<br />
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;"><span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'The
 Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office will also host a number of advance 
materials onboard the X-37B for Nasa to study the durability of various 
materials in the space environment,' Hoyler added. </span> </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span id="ext-gen148" style="font-size: 1.2em;">He
 added the vehicle's mission 'cannot be specified' but that it will 
enhance 'the development of the concept of operations for reusable space
 vehicles'.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;"><a class="" href="http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/04/27/x-37b-launch-date-firms-up-as-new-details-emerge-about-experiment/" rel="nofollow" style="font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">Spaceflightnow.com</a> revealed more details of the flight, which is described as a 'hall thruster electric propulsion test.'</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">It
 is intended to improve performance of the units onboard Advanced 
Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) military communications spacecraft, 
officials claim.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">AEHF
 satellites' Hall thrusters are 4.5-kilowatt units that use electricity 
and xenon to produce thrust for moving satellites in space.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The benefit of using electric propulsion is that its xenon fuel weighs much less than traditional hydrazine.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">This technology could help in the development of technologies to control satellites with better accuracy. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">However,
 experts claim that refining an advanced manoeuvring thruster is 
probably just a small part of the vehicle's true mission set. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
<div class="mol-img">
<div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
<img alt="The US Air Force's top secret X-37B space plane was caught on camera in 2015 by a team of amateur astronomers. South African astronomer Greg Roberts captured this of the space plane in two-second¿long exposures just a few weeks after launch" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" data-track-pos="5" height="382" id="i-b2469eb9549a0753" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/10/11/09/394CD49800000578-0-image-a-7_1476173948296.jpg" style="display: block;" width="634" />
<div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-6">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
The US Air 
Force's top secret X-37B space plane was caught on camera in 2015 by a 
team of amateur astronomers. South African astronomer Greg Roberts 
captured this of the space plane in two-second–long exposures just a few
 weeks after launch</div>
<div class="imageCaption">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="artSplitter">
<div class="mol-img">
<div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
<img alt="" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" data-track-pos="6" height="442" id="i-90209f622cb4ac2b" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/10/11/09/394CD49F00000578-0-image-a-6_1476173942638.jpg" style="display: block;" width="634" />
<div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-7">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption" id="ext-gen141">
An
 infrared view of the X-37B unmanned spacecraft landing at Vandenberg 
Air Force Base.  The purpose of the U.S. military's space plane is 
classified</div>
<div class="imageCaption" id="ext-gen141">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">One
 leading secrecy expert previously told DailyMail.com the drone is 'very
 likely' be used to test technologies that will increase spying 
capabilities of the US.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'The
 US government has a bottomless appetite for sensitive information,' 
said Steven Aftergood, a secrecy expert at the Federation of American 
Scientists.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'As
 powerful as our intelligence satellites may be, they also have their 
limitations - most notably the limitations imposed by their orbital 
parameters.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">'It's conceivable that a spy plane would introduce new versatility into overhead reconnaissance.' </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 X-37B space drone, otherwise known as the Orbital Test Vehicle, is 
blasted into orbit by a rocket. However, it lands using a runway like a 
normal aircraft. </span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="mol-img-group artSplitter">
<div class="mol-img">
<div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
<img alt="" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" data-track-pos="7" height="424" id="i-72081b9f3e3d5b5" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/10/11/09/394CD48F00000578-0-image-a-9_1476173959963.jpg" style="display: block;" width="634" />
<div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-8">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption" id="ext-gen142">
The
 X-program has bounced between several federal agencies, Nasa among 
them, since 1999. The plane has been in space for a total of 674 days, 
far more than its two previous flights which lasted 225 and 469 days</div>
<div class="imageCaption" id="ext-gen142">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="moduleFull mol-video">
<div class="item">
</div>
</div>
<div class="vjs-flyout-wrapper-absolute">
<div class="vjs-video-container vjs-fixed vjs-span-two-col sciencetech" id="v-3846675119001">
</div>
</div>
<div id="ext-gen140" itemprop="articleBody">
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The
 X-37B is too small to carry people onboard, but does have a cargo bay 
similar to that of a pickup truck, which is just large enough to carry a
 small satellite.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The X-program has bounced between several federal agencies, Nasa among them, since 1999.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The program's first mission launched in April 2010 and landed in December that year.</span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<span style="font-size: 1.2em;">The second space plane took off on March 2011 and came back to Earth in June 2012. <i>dailymail</i></span></div>
<div class="mol-para-with-font">
<br /></div>
<div class="artSplitter mol-img-group">
<div class="mol-img">
<div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
<img alt="One secrecy expert has told DailyMail.com the drone (artist's impression ) is 'likely' to be a spy plane. The program's first mission launched in April 2010 and landed in December that year" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" data-track-pos="8" height="388" id="i-162b05f1d772e05d" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/10/11/09/394CD48800000578-0-One_secrecy_expert_has_told_DailyMail_com_the_drone_artist_s_imp-a-37_1476174771431.jpg" style="display: block;" width="634" />
<div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-9">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption" id="ext-gen143">
One
 secrecy expert has told DailyMail.com that the drone (artist's 
impression ) is 'likely' to be a spy plane. The program's first mission 
launched in April 2010 and landed in December that year. <i>dailymail</i></div>
<div class="imageCaption" id="ext-gen143">
<br /></div>
</div>
<div class="artSplitter">
<div class="mol-img">
<div class="image-wrap fff-pic" style="cursor: pointer;">
<img alt="" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" data-track-pos="9" height="444" id="i-ad9ccd06e5b9ec78" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2016/10/11/09/394CD48400000578-0-image-a-13_1476173971005.jpg" style="display: block;" width="634" /><br />
<div class="share-pictures-overlay" id="share-pictures-10">
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="imageCaption" id="ext-gen134">
This
 December 3, 2010, image by the Vandenberg Air Force Base shows 
technicians examining the X-37B unmanned spaceplane shortly after 
landing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. <i>dailymail</i></div>
</div>
</div>
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="460" id="molvideoplayer" scrolling="no" src="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/embed/video/1185376.html" width="660"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="460" id="molvideoplayer" scrolling="no" src="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/embed/video/1128545.html" width="660"></iframe>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a class="js-tl" href="http://www.space.com/29221-x37b-military-space-plane-fourth-mission.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mysterious X-37B Military Space Plane to Fly Again Next Month</a></li>
<li><a class="js-tl" href="http://spaceflightnow.com/2015/04/27/x-37b-launch-date-firms-up-as-new-details-emerge-about-experiment/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">New details emerge about electric propulsion experiment aboard X-37B | Spaceflight Now</a></li>
<li><a class="js-tl" href="http://www.space.com/32839-x37b-military-space-plane-one-year-mission-otv4.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mystery Mission: Air Force's X-37B Space Plane Nears 1 Year in Orbit</a></li>
<li id="ext-gen149"><a class="js-tl" href="http://www.space.com/34343-x37b-space-plane-otv4-mission-passes-500-days.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Air Force's X-37B Space Plane Mystery Mission Wings by 500 Days in Orbit</a> </li>
</ul>
<br />
</div>
</div>

US Air Force's X-37B space plane reaches 600 days in orbit - and its mission STILL remains a mystery

The X-37B space plane, an experimental program run by the Air Force, launched atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on May 20, 20...

Errymath

F-35 has 276 deficiencies and counting, unfit for combat operations – Pentagon report

Chilean military declassify sensational video of UFO encounter

Majority of Americans Don’t Have $500 in Savings

EM drive is a joke?

Military Decoys

What Earth will look like in 250 million years: Simulations show new MEGACONTINENT called Amasia in unprecedented detail

US Air Force's X-37B space plane reaches 600 days in orbit - and its mission STILL remains a mystery

Latest

Archive

Subscribe