Space Colonization?

 Once the 1960's dream!

Now soon to be a fact with several Moon bases, a new space station and going to to Mars, if not further afield?

Elon Musk is the man with the vision and the re-usable rocket is making way for this to happen, but what is the reality of living on a dust swept bowl and how will scientists cope with possible mental breakdowns as currently is occurring on the International Space Station (ISS)?

This will not be the first time, the Russians under the Soviet Union faced a prolonged flight, which is the longest for anyone to be in space alone!

There are so many questions related to space travel and the effects of it on the human body, China has done well with their station by introducing gravity and it is hoped that other things like converting water ice to hydrogen will power what is needed with solar and recycling urine?

But this can only go to a point, growing food and a change to metabolism and body strength will be new issues that are not yet known about fully, the money and the prestige will make people famous but it may be another seventy years before we see real population growth?

The Irish Navy is Shrinking!

 Smaller Ships?

Ireland has not really got a navy as such, neither has it a army or an air force, but rather a combined defense forces, since it is a small country sharing a land border with the U.K.

In recent years it has greatly updated its equipment and so its fishery protection forces, having eight new vessels, but it has also a reduced recruitment in the last year, which has lead to two of its new patrol ships being sidelined and smaller converted tugs from New Zealand and home built vessels coming into service!

These vessels might be small, but they are still designed to have a punch in their operations and so they replace two for four plus types of the south-east and south-west of the nation.

Yakolev Yak-40.

 The Russian jet that just keeps going?

One reason for the longevity of the Yak-40 is that there is no alternative to it in Russia, compared to western types in business jets has big profits financially behind them and a demand for comfort and entertainment, if not rest and relaxation?

But the Yak-40 has held its ground as a small airline, a business jet and in the field of being an air ambulance, which is handy when dealing with long distances to be covered across Siberia, but it also has many other functions with the military and with combined-cargo operations moving smaller things to remote places!

The Yak-40 may be coming to the end of its working career, but until a new replacement is found it will soldier on in the role of being an essential air ambulance for remote places and moving essential staff to where they are needed!

Racing car Fuels?

 And the effects on Global Warming!

This is a world-wide popular sport that basically uses aviation type fuels, if not that of rocket combustion chemicals and there is little data to tell us what damage is being done to the atmosphere if not higher up to?

We tend to blame everything the burning of fossil fuels, but it remains unclear about these fuels and how our made made radiation is effecting the climate too!

Most of the Middle-East that host this sport during the winter months do not believe the COP conference data, which they say proves nothing and now that deals on fossils are being done what is the point of complying by rules that are getting broken?

With Trump back in power, he wants musk to start drilling on Mars for detected fossil amounts, so that car racing and other can continue, while a space dock could be built in space, what a visionary!!!

Cruising is where the money Is!

 Growing fleets of cruise Ships?

Owners of existing fleets are now modernizing their fleets, by not upgrading existing one, but building more newer ones and the success of them is they are getting almost fully booked for the year for each cruise!

Some companies have allowed rich people to buy a suite on board and have it for life as they slowly tour the world, this was so with the Aurora that got stuck in Belfast with engine problems, but recently was able to get to Brest in NW France, before heading for the Bahamas?

Despite the demand for new fad ships, many of the older ones are still popular, bringing back the days of cruising from the various Agatha Christie novels of luxury travel and a more refined catering, servants care and less people on a much larger modern ship!

Boeing sales Down!

 Poor build and management?

People are no longer wanting to travel on the Boeing 737-MAX, after various accidents and incidents and no one wants to buy, since Embraer and Airbus are taking the market with better more reliable aircraft that meets the needs of most airlines.

Meanwhile Boeing is holding its ground with the 787-8/9/10 Dreamliner, and 777X for their long-haul capabilities matching the Airbus A.330-900 and the A.350-900/1000 respectively.

But despite the popularity of the airbus 320/321N/NX, Embraer is taking the market with its E190/195 jets?

The military market for Boeing is doing well with the MR Posidon and Embraer with their EMB-390 transport, but Airbus holds the ground in air tankers based on the A330.

Iranian Missiles!

 Not a powerful as claimed?

But despite the foiled attack on Israel, Iran has been able to launch its own satellite with a ICBM system and it will be their preferred platform for a nuclear weapon, other wise they have an arsenal of smaller missiles for home defense and gifts to their proxies in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon and the Hamas in the Gaza strip, when they can smuggle them in from Egypt!

The range of these missiles has gradually increased since the 1980's to ranges that can hit targets in Israel from Iraq and the Yemen, but they like the shorter ones based in S-Lebanon are not accurate and mostly miss their intended targets, but with time and technology this will change for the worse for Israel and the U.S. in the region?

With the changing scenery in the region, tact may change with more precise targeting of shipping, U.S. bases and Tel-Aviv, if not other in Europe, instead of what we already have seen and apart from International terrorism this will be the cause of havoc, destruction and the loss of a lot of life in the name of 'Allah!

Russia looks to its own Manufacturers?

 Aeroflot and the Russian government is looking to Illyushin and Yakolev!

With so many sanctions now imposed on Russia by the United States over the Ukraine Boeing is refusing to supply parts for all the grounded 737 types that have been employed in recent years?

So Russia is looking to Yakolev to have its MC21 commercial jet ready and for Illyushin to upgrade its Il-118 turboprop for domestic flying, as it has with the IL-85/95 long range types.

Meanwhile the Tupolev has been successful with its range of jet types, TU-204, 214, that are now in service, but there is much hope in the MC-21 and the Chinese airline types replacing the unwanted American aircraft?

Aeroflot has sued Sukhoi for structural failures on its Sukhoi Super-Jet 100/200 not being resolved, with still crashes and incidents!

Brazilian air Crash!

Gyro failure on approach for landing?

There are many theories to yesterdays  ATR-72 crash in southern-Brazil with the plane falling from the sky?

Loss of engine power or running out of fuel, the aircraft would still be able to glide down, but this aircraft just started to spin and drop from the sky killing sixty two people on a domestic flight!

The other explanation is sabotage by a hijacker killing the pilots and allowing the plane to crash in that way on the suburbs of the city, but no one was really about?

The ATR-42/72 has a long and safe record and is used by many airlines around the world, with its STOL ability and short landings it can cope with differing conditions and environments and is popular in the 60 to 90 minute air slots, island operations and there are some military versions too.

Drones the new terror Weapon!

 Yemen, Ukraine to Lebanon and God forbid Europe?

The use of drones in modern armies has been around for some time and they have improved over the years to be deployed by police and rescue agencies to great effect, but now they are in the hands of terrorists mostly in the Middle-East and one hopes they are confined to these places!

But the reality is they could be adapted and used by anyone and trained terrorists for attacks in the U.K. and Europe, if not anywhere?

It is illegal to fly a drone within miles of an airport of any kind or military installation, power plants and other key sites in the U.K.!

But this will not stop dangerous people trying to use Ukrainian type drones on civilians areas in the and perhaps N-Ireland?

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Classic Cars, not what they Seem Anymore?

 Bangers & Cash, Car SOS, Wheeler Dealers and find it, fix it and flog it!

These are some of the popular car restoration TV programme's in the U.K. that rebuild old cars and make them road safe for various clients, but also for auctions and they are interesting even for people who are not really vehicle fads?

But now with much new technology about many want to update the engines to LPG or Electric and for some this is an abomination, while for others it makes sense to pull away from burning fossil fuels!

If this does occur we may see some of the early concepts become more alive on our roads, such as steam coaches and wagons, and what future designs become of them in the world of electric and AI powered motoring?

Controversy over Lithium Extraction!

 Some alternatives to Lithium are being trialed?

But the mining of this dangerous material, which has much safety coverage in Europe has not in Africa and nothing is being done to improve the situation by governments, but rather counting the big bucks that they are pulling in for their own benefits!

For now this is the cheapest alternative for Electric powered vehicles, but nations in Europe are adopting Hydrogen and other wind sails to end the need for Lithium production and exploitation?

But Lithium and Cadium are still needed for Mobile Phones and computer chips and is extensive in the space industry, so what appears to be humanitarian may not be so much true as many want others to think!

What China has to offer in civil Aviation?

 MC-21/C919.

These two new types will start to take the market world wide this year, if Boeing cannot get is act together? 

Russia has already grounded many of its Boeing fleet for its own types, such a the TU-204/14 and Sukhoi SU-100/200, while considering these new Chinese types.

China is progressing with firm orders already in place and even Embraer is suffering because of its links with Boeing over poor build quality and other electrical computing failures?

China does not have those issues and it has a good aviation history of safety, as well as well built aircraft and their own computer systems, much of which they share with Russia! Sales may not exceed those of the U.S. but many aircraft meeting the needs of the Asian continent will be met, with India, Iran and others!

Sanctions on Russia?

 Still an open door to fossil fuels and Gas!

It would seem that despite thousands of sanctions being placed on Russia over its right to protect its people in the Ukraine from genocide by Zelensky and his secular cohorts the west has left doors open in the world stock markets to re-open trade, when Biden leaves office?

Russia is making more money than it is loosing selling gas to both India and China and many others new customers in the far-east, since it is much cheaper than any other commodity and has a much lower carbon rate than coal or oil!

But a new U.S. administration may want to still trade with Russia and it is known that Britain despite all its pro-Ukraine pomp is still carrying around the world Russian crude and it prepared to keep doing on the quiet as long as it can!

Monster Movers

 Bulldozers are making Headway!

The world is now no longer relying on back breaking workers, when they can employ new even heavier machines to do the work much faster above and below ground?

What is the set back in much construction today is getting the measurements right, if off by a few millimeters disaster will strike that is why the Elizabeth London cross-rail and the new link to Birmingham is taking so long!

It is amazing how Telford and Brunel did it with a sink line and thousands of mostly Irish navies and made the U.K. great as many other countries have followed.

Breakthrough in Hydrogen development!

 BMW has the first hydrogen powered vehicle?

For many years now the engine of converting them to other fuels has been something of an issue, but the German car maker claims that they have developed a converter motor withing the axle of their prototype car and this will be the future for motoring, since it requires no conventional engine and a smaller fuel tank if that!

But what it has is it will be far lighter than electric vehicles, while also not over heating in summer and catching fire, while in winter loosing up to 30% of power. 

Something which have caught many drivers with these expensive cars and the waste of time charging them up before moving and having to keep doing so, since the lithium drains in cold weather even when the engine and the vehicle is moving!

Iran has entered the Space race!

 Three satellites on one ICBM?

The United States was the first nation to condemn Iran for their achievement of possibly putting up their own spy satellite with two others and what this will mean for the years ahead in mapping and communications having not to rely on others, but there is much more to this success and that will include a manned mission a robot, if not a manned landing on the Moon and much more!

Space is now more complicated than it was fifty years ago with the Moon landings, real or not since there is some doubt how the U.S. got there when we are struggling with our modern tech to do the same?

China and India are leading the way, while Japan has gone its own way and all have proved to be doing and discovering new things that Russia and the U.S. don't want to do, but in the years to come much will be achieved as we exhaust the discoveries within our solar system, even the distant worlds still to be observed beyond Pluto/

Private ventures by Elon Musk will be amazing in going to the outer gas giants, while Boeing has developed and new Space shuttle and Space tourism is some venture for the near future as the ISS is coming to the end of its thirty-year life and the possibility of more than one Moon base becomes a reality?

Happy New Year 2024.

 Automobiles and Ships doing well?

These are the fields of advanced electronic engine conversion and strides, with rail and aviation following more so with existing power and bio fuels, but the car is now in main and extensive production and the demand is getting higher despite not much change in the lithium battery out put?

Where as shipping it is more profitable and easy to implement and with new designs quicker application, the only thing that is slowing down everything in this area is the Red and Arabian sea crises over commercial shipping being attacked by Houthi rebels in support of Gaza.

The ferry industry and offshore oil rig support are the first to benefit from the electric engine and now with Hydrogen as a mid standby between fossil fuels and electric many more nations will be abandoning and going for the new power sources to become more green and cheaper than the existing?

The only set back is overheating of the lithium batteries and several incidents have been reported recently, perhaps this is because of pushing the power too far and not staying within the required limits?