This story gives the term Test Pilot a whole new meaning.
Joe Kittinger is not a household aviation name like Neil Armstrong or Chuck Yeager. But what he did for the U. S. space program is comparable. On Aug. 16, 1960, as research for the then-fledgling U. S. space program, Air Force Captain Joseph Kittinger rode a helium balloon to the edge of space, 102,800 feet above the earth, a feat in itself.
Then, wearing just a thin pressure suit and breathing supplemental oxygen, he leaned over the cramped confines of his gondola and jumped–into the 110-degree-below-zero, near-vacuum of space. Within seconds his body accelerated to 714mph in the thin air, breaking the sound barrier.
A Big WOW! For Earth From The Little Island Of Japan
Akinori Ito has invented a machine called Blest, which converts plastic back into oil! Yes, really.
Looking eerily like the DeLorean’s flux capacitor in the Back To The Future movies, Ito’s machine is produced in various sizes, for both industrial and home uses. It can easily transform a kilogram of plastic waste into a liter of oil, using about 1 kilowatt of electricity but without emitting CO2 in the process. The machine uses a temperature controlling electric heater instead of flames, processing anything from polyethylene or polystyrene to polypropylene (numbers 2-4).
1 kg of plastic produces one liter of oil. This takes about 1 kilowatt of electricity, which costs 20 cents. 1 liter diesel oil costs $1.50 NOW, this is what I call recycling!
Although the company still mainly produces larger, industrial-use machines, people from around the world are anxious to know if and where they can purchase a machine. So, here you go – Blest- click on the english catalogue to get you answers direct from the horse’s mouth.
A wonderful invention to sustainably utilize the huge waste problem of the wonderful invention of plastic. It’s looking better and better ….
Once in a while, humanity stands together, focusing the hopes and prayers of the many, for the welfare of the few.
And once in a great while, our concern for one another is rewarded.
As this is written, they are bringing the Chilean miners up, one by one, in a capsule called Phoenix. Until all are on the surface again we really can’t celebrate. But, I see you smiling …
Harvesting Your Own Safe, Fresh, Vegetables – Year Round
The Benson Institute in Provo, Utah is a nonprofit organization established in 1975 as a division of the College of Biology and Agriculture at Brigham Young University (BYU). Named in honor of Ezra Taft Benson, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture during President Dwight Eisenhower’s administration. Throughout his life, Ezra Taft Benson worked to help others help themselves. (more…)
Dear Germany, When You Get To The Green Future, Please Throw The Rest Of Us A Rope!
Hailing from Freiburg, Germany, Rolf Disch is a renowned architect that has put his little city front and center on the eco-map. Literally transforming Freiburg into Germany’s eco-capital where about 35% of residents don’t own a car and new homes routinely incorporate photovoltaic panels. And now, a popular destination for tourist world-wide seeking the reality of sustainable architecture and the inspiration for better eco-friendly housing options for their future. (more…)
Bioreplication – Mother Nature’s Way Of Helping Us Help Her
Akhlesh Lakhtakia, Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State University, working with Professor Carlo G. Pantano, graduate student Drew Patrick Pulsifer, and Professor Raúl José Martín-Palma of the Universidad Autónomia de Madrid, Spain, found that corneas of the blowfly was ideal for increasing power production for the next generation of solar cells. Blowflies have compound eyes that are roughly hemispherical, within each half sphere the surface is covered by macroscale hexagonal eyes with nanoscale features that allows the flies a 270° field of view. Mimicking this would allow solar cells to collect vast amounts of sunlight from a lot of different angles. This amounts to an extremely larger area and maximized efficiency while occupying the same footprint as a flat surfaced solar cell. (more…)
The Benson Institute in Provo, Utah is a nonprofit organization established in 1975 as a division of the College of Biology and Agriculture at Brigham Young University (BYU). Named in honor of Ezra Taft Benson, the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture during President Dwight Eisenhower’s administration. Throughout his life, Ezra Taft Benson worked to help others help themselves. 
Hailing from Freiburg, Germany, Rolf Disch is a renowned architect that has put his little city front and center on the eco-map. Literally transforming Freiburg into Germany’s eco-capital where about 35% of residents don’t own a car and new homes routinely incorporate photovoltaic panels. And now, a popular destination for tourist world-wide seeking the reality of sustainable architecture and the inspiration for better eco-friendly housing options for their future. 
Akhlesh Lakhtakia, Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Penn State University, working with Professor Carlo G. Pantano, graduate student Drew Patrick Pulsifer, and Professor Raúl José Martín-Palma of the Universidad Autónomia de Madrid, Spain, found that corneas of the blowfly was ideal for increasing power production for the next generation of solar cells. Blowflies have compound eyes that are roughly hemispherical, within each half sphere the surface is covered by macroscale hexagonal eyes with nanoscale features that allows the flies a 270° field of view. Mimicking this would allow solar cells to collect vast amounts of sunlight from a lot of different angles. This amounts to an extremely larger area and maximized efficiency while occupying the same footprint as a flat surfaced solar cell. 
