Transformed X-48C Makes Successful First Flight

Transformed X-48C Makes Successful First Flight

 

 

The remotely operated X-48C Blended Wing Body aircraft lifts off Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., on its first test flight Aug. 7. The sub-scale technology demonstrator, modified from the prior X-48B configuration, is entering a new flight test phase in a partnership between NASA and The Boeing Company's Phantom Works research and technology division. (NASA / Carla Thomas) › View Larger Image

EDWARDS AFB, Calif. - The remotely piloted X-48C aircraft successfully flew for the first time on Aug. 7, 2012, at Edwards Air Force Base in California's Mojave Desert.

The aircraft, designed by the Boeing Co. and built by Cranfield Aerospace Ltd. of the United Kingdom, is flying again in partnership with NASA. The new X-48C model, which was formerly the X-48B Blended Wing Body aircraft, was modified to evaluate the low-speed stability and control of a low-noise version of a notional, future Hybrid Wing Body (HWB) aircraft design. The HWB design stems from concept studies being conducted by NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation project of future potential aircraft designs 20 years from now.

"We are thrilled to get back in the air to start collecting data in this low-noise configuration," said Heather Maliska, X-48C project manager at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center. "Our dedicated team has worked hard to get the X-48C off the ground for this first flight and we are excited to learn about the stability and control characteristics of this low-noise configuration of the Blended Wing Body."

Primary changes to the C-model from the B-model, which flew 92 flights at NASA Dryden between 2007 and 2010, were geared to transforming it to an airframe noise-shielding configuration. External modifications included relocating the wingtip winglets inboard next to the engines, effectively turning them into twin tails. The aft deck of the aircraft was also extended about two feet to the rear. Finally, the project team replaced the X-48B’s three 50-pound-thrust jet engines with two 89-pound-thrust engines.

Because handling qualities of the X-48C will be different than those of the X-48B, the project team developed flight control system software modifications, including flight control limiters to keep the airplane flying within a safe flight envelope. This will enable a stronger and safer prototype flight control system suitable for future full-scale commercial hybrid or blended wing aircraft.

"We are very pleased to begin flight tests of the X-48C," said Mike Kisska, Boeing X-48C project manager. "Working with NASA, we’ve successfully passed another milestone in our work to explore and validate the aerodynamic characteristics and efficiencies of the blended wing body concept."

Additionally, the upcoming flight experiments with the X-48C will help researchers further develop methods to validate the design’s aerodynamics and control laws, including a goal of reducing aerodynamic drag through engine yaw control tests.

During the planned second block of flight testing this fall, NASA will test engine yaw control software incorporated in the X-48C’s flight computer. This research will use asymmetric engine thrust to create yaw, or nose left or right movements, for trim and for relatively slow maneuvers.

NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate and Boeing are funding the X-48 technology demonstration research effort, which supports NASA’s goals of reduced fuel burn, emissions and noise.

The X-48C retains most dimensions of the B-model, with a wingspan just longer than 20 feet, and a weight of about 500 pounds. The aircraft has an estimated top speed of about 140 mph, and a maximum altitude of 10,000 feet.

The Air Force Research Laboratory, Dayton, Ohio, is also a member of the project team.

For more information about NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, visit:

http://www.aeronautics.nasa.gov

For more about NASA Dryden Flight Research Center, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden

 

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Inside Syria's War

This powerful exclusive is the first film to access the Free Syrian Army's secret labyrinth of caves and also holds a rare interview with the FSA leader. A fascinating insight to how the battle for Syria is being fought.

"Please don't film!" one fighter says, as two rebels argue in the pitch black over the presence of a journalist. In this increasingly violent war the rebels have been using their local knowledge to great advantage. And these 3,000 year old caves are of huge strategic importance. "The army besieged us many times and we always slipped through." But local knowledge will only go so far and the rebels are hard pressed to counter the might of the Syrian army with limited resources. As one failed test run of a home-made mortar shows, they don't have much to work with. They are disheartened by months of fighting without help. "America and Europe hide behind the Russian veto. They lie to us." Even the head of the Free Syrian Army, Colonel Riad al-Assad, is unable to help. As rebel groups come to him for guidance he can only encourage coordination. When asked about the suicide bomb that killed the minister of defence he says, "This is an integral part of the revolutionary action. It could break the regime's back." As things get increasingly desperate, anything that hastens the end of the bloodshed in Syria will form a part of their strategy. 

Female Fighters of Kurdistan - Iraq

Fighting to carve a homeland in a region not known for its women's rights, the female guerrillas of the Kurdish Liberation Movement have quite a challenge ahead. Can they really equal their male comrades?
"It is not right to consider a woman fragile", argues one female fighter. For the armed women of PJAK - a rebel group fighting for Kurdish independence in the mountains of northern Iraq, Turkey and Iran - their mission is to defend women from the "persecution" of sharia law, whilst also creating a Kurdish homeland. Their male comrades support their vision of an emancipated Kurdish nation; "women are much better than men at leadership and organisation", one PKK fighter insists. It isn't an easy path: "You are not allowed to be a guerrilla and have a family. You will be distracted". Yet from their remote mountain outpost this ragtag group are determined that their sacrifices will lead to "equality and equity".
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Madonna Live At The Paris Olympia 2012 HD Directors Cut - Full Show

2013 Ferrari F12 Berlinetta: The Grandest Tourer

this episode of Ignition, Carlos Lago heads to Italy to test out the fastest and most powerful production Ferrari ever made, the 2013 F12 Berlinetta. The trip begins with spirited hot laps around the legendary Fiorano test circuit, then moves to the winding road to see how this V-12 beast behaves as a grand tourer.

mars time

Curiosity Takes Us Back to Mars

Posted on Aug 06, 2012 01:51:53 AM | Administrator Charles Bolden | 0 Comments    |

NASA is back on Mars – and getting ready for the next mission to the Red Planet! After an astounding 154 million mile journey and a harrowing landing that demonstrated cutting-edge technology, Curiosity, the largest rover ever sent to another planet, is in place and ready to work. This robotic laboratory will seek answers to one of humanity’s oldest questions as it investigates whether conditions have favored development of microbial life on the Red Planet. The mission is a critical planetary science mission -- and a precursor to sending humans to the Red Planet in the 2030’s, a goal set forth by President Obama. It’s another great leadership moment for our nation and a sign of the continued strength of NASA’s many programs in science, aeronautics and human spaceflight. It’s also important to remember that the $2.5 billion investment made in this project was not spent on Mars, but right here on Earth, supporting more than 7,000 jobs in at least 31 states. With the retirement of the Shuttle program after its final flight in July 2011, some have suggested that NASA’s leadership in the exploration of space, including our extraordinary successes on Mars, was coming to an end. Nothing could be further from the truth. The Curiosity mission is only the latest in a long list of extraordinary NASA missions that established the United States as the undisputed world leader, and it will help guarantee that remains the case for many years to come. When our Orion deep space crew vehicle takes its first test flight in 2014, it will travel farther into space than any spacecraft designed for humans has flown in the 40 years since our astronauts returned from the moon. In 2017, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), a heavy-lift rocket that will provide an entirely new capability for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit, will launch Orion. We also reached a critically important milestone in May when SpaceX became the first private company to send a spacecraft -- the Dragon cargo capsule -- to the International Space Station and return it with cargo intact. This successful mission ushered in a new era in spaceflight -- and signaled a new way of doing business for NASA. And just a few days ago, we announced the next step in the Obama Administration’s aggressive plan to once again launch our astronauts from U.S. soil on spacecraft built by American companies. As part of our commitment to maintain American leadership in the exploration of Mars beyond the Curiosity mission, NASA will launch the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) orbiter next year. Earlier this year, I directed NASA’s science mission director, along with the head of human exploration, Chief Technologist, and Chief Scientist to develop a more integrated strategy to ensure that the next steps for Mars exploration will support the nation’s planetary science objectives as well as our human exploration goals. They are looking at many options, including another robotic mission to land on Mars in this decade. I am so proud of the NASA team that has made tonight’s challenging milestone possible. However, tomorrow we begin to plan for the next great challenge -- and start compiling incredible scientific data from Curiosity. For the past 50 years, NASA has specialized in doing the hard things. Thanks to the ingenuity of our teams across America and the world, we are poised for even greater success. For more information about Curiosity and NASA's missions to Mars, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/mars   The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) team in the MSL Mission Support Area react after learning the the Curiosity rove has landed safely on Mars and images start coming in at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Mars, Sunday, Aug. 5, 2012 in Pasadena, Calif. The MSL Rover named Curiosity was designed to assess whether Mars ever had an environment able to support small life forms called microbes. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

Strength in Numbers Official Trailer

Strength in Numbers is a rally call to connect all mountain bikers, regardless of location or language or discipline. The film captures a true way of life, from the world's best pros to those who are just learning to love the sport. Shot over two years in some of mountain biking's most iconic locations, Anthill's signature style combines compelling stories with core action to create a shared experience that unites all riders. Come join us!

http://anthillfilms.com/strengthinnumbers

Africa - Into The Wild - VenTribe κενυα

Kurdish rebels storm Turkey border post

Kurdish rebels storm Turkey border post

Government combat helicopters deployed after rebels attack post in Kurdish southeast, killing at least 19 combatants.

At least 19 people have been killed in southeastern Turkey after a battle between soldiers and members of a Kurdish separatist group, the local provincial governor has said. Six soldiers, two government-paid village guards and 11 Kurdish rebels were killed in the fighting near the village of Gecimili in Hakkari province, Governor Orhan Alimoglu said on Sunday. The incident occurred near the Iraqi border early on Sunday, he said, adding that 15 soldiers had also been wounded. Local media reported that the rebels fired on the army outpost in Hakkari with rocket launchers just after midnight. The military sent in reinforcement following the raid, using attack helicopters to fire on the rebels' escape routes, state-run TRT television reported. The raid on the army post follows similar assaults in the Kurdish-dominated southeast that have prompted the army to launch an all-out offensive against Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) bases in the area. The Turkish ground-and-air operation, one of the biggest in years, was launched about two weeks ago to drive out the rebels in the town of Semdinli, also in Hakkari province. About 2,000 soldiers are involved in the offensive, private NTV television reported on Sunday. "A serious and strong operation is under way in Semdinli," Besir Atalay, the Turkish deputy prime minister, said last week. Fighting between the Turkish state and the PKK has claimed tens of thousands of lives since 1984, when the group first took up arms.

MARS! H AΠΟΣΤΟΛΗ!

Mars Science Laboratory (MSL, or Curiosity) is a Mars rover launched by NASA on November 26, 2011. It is currently en route to the planet, scheduled to land in Gale Crater at 05:31 UTC on August 6, 2012. Its objectives include searching for evidence of conditions favorable to life, studying the Martian climate, studying Martian geology, and collecting data for a future manned mission to Mars.

n Aug.04.12 , In MSL Picture of the Day by artemis | 0 Comments

In the above depicted scene, thrusters on the backshell of the spacecraft’s aeroshell are firing to adjust the orientation of the spacecraft during the guided entry manoeuvres

One set of instruments carried on the heat shield of the spacecraft’s entry vehicle serves specifically to gather data about the Martian atmosphere and performance of the heat shield for use in designing future systems for descending through planetary atmospheres: the Entry, Descent and Landing Instrument (MEDLI) Suite.F. McNeil Cheatwood is the principal investigator,NASA’s Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia.
Michael Wright is the Deputy principal investigator, NASA’s Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California.

The MSL Entry, Descent and Landing Instrument (MEDLI) Suite consists of a set of sensors attached to the heat shield of the Mars Science Laboratory.
MEDLI will take measurements eight times per second during the period from about 10 minutes before the vehicle enters the top of the Martian atmosphere until after the parachute has opened, about four minutes after entry.

The measurements will be analyzed for information about atmospheric conditions and performance of the entry vehicle.
MEDLI was installed to learn for future landings on Mars. NASA’s Exploration Systems Mission Directorate (which has responsibility for planning human missions beyond Earth orbit) and Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (which invests in fundamental research of atmospheric flight) have funded MEDLI.

The heating and stress on the heat shield will be the highest ever for an entry vehicle at Mars. This is due to the mass of the entry vehicle (2,431 kilograms, or 5,359 pounds after jettison of the spacecraft’s cruise stage), the diameter of its heat shield (4.5 meters, or 14.8 feet) and the speed at which the vehicle will enter the atmosphere (6.1 kilometers per second, or 13,645 miles per hour),

Experience gained with this mission will aid planning for future missions that could be even heavier and larger, such as would be necessary for a human mission to Mars.

Models of the Martian atmosphere, heating environments, vehicle aerodynamics, and heat-shield performance, among other factors, were employed in designing the Mars Science Laboratory entry vehicle.

Ofcourse we don’t know everything or precisely. To account for those uncertainties, the design incorporates large margins for success. However, that margin comes at a cost of additional mass. The goal of MEDLI is to better quantify these atmospheric entry characteristics and possibly reduce unnecessary mass on future Mars missions, by collecting data on the performance of the Mars Science Laboratory entry vehicle during its atmospheric entry and descent.

MEDLI consists of seven pressure sensors (Mars entry atmospheric data system sensor, or MEADS), seven plugs with multiple temperature sensors (Mars integrated sensor plug, or MISP) and a support electronics box.

Data from the entry vehicle’s inertial measurement unit, which senses changes in velocity and direction, will augment the MEDLI data. Each of the temperature-sensing plugs has thermocouples to measure temperatures at four different depths in the heat shield’s thermal protection tiles, plus a sensor to measure the rate at which heat shield material is removed due to atmospheric entry heating.

Analysis of data from the pressure sensors and inertial measurement unit will provide an altitude profile of atmospheric density and winds, plus information about pressure distribution on the heat shield surface, orientation of the entry vehicle and velocity.

Data from the temperature sensors will be used to evaluate peak heating, distribution of heating over the heat shield, turbulence in the flow of gas along the entry vehicle’s surface, and in-depth performance of the heat shield material.

This sounds all as if landing on Mars is 1+1=2. It will not surprise you to learn that this is not the case. The span of time from atmospheric entry until touchdown is not predetermined. That timespan hinges on atmospheric density (more density gives more drag, means faster slow down of the spacecraft. How long you have for touchdown obviously also depends on the elevation of the Mars terrain you are going to land on. When you land on a high plateau you will meet the ground sooner than when you plan to land on a deep vallis.

As it is impossible to send commands to the landing spacecraft while it is landing (due to commands not being able to fly to space faster than the speed of light and the fact that Mars is at best over 3 minutes away at that speed of light) the complete landing sequence has to be preprogrammed, but also be highly adaptable to the circumstances of the landing

The Mars Science Laboratory has been fitted with a guided entry technique which enables the spacecraft to respond and adapt to the atmospheric conditions it encounters more effectively than any previous Mars mission. The span between the moment the spacecraft passes the entry interface point and a successful touchdown in the target area of Gale Crater could be as short as about 380 seconds or as long as about 460 seconds.

Times for the opening of the parachute could vary by 10 to 20 seconds for a successful landing. 
The largest variable during EDL is the length of time the spacecraft spends on the opened parachute. Curiosity could be hanging below a fully inflated chute as briefly as about 55 seconds or as long as about 170 seconds.

Times given in the EDL description below (as well as on the image of the EDL sequence) are given for one typical landing with a touchdown 416 seconds after entry.

The intense period called the entry, descent and landing (EDL) phase of the mission begins when the spacecraft reaches the top of the Martian atmosphere, traveling at about 13,200 miles per hour (5,900 meters per second).

EDL ends about seven minutes later with the rover stationary on the surface. From just before jettison of the cruise stage, 10 minutes before entry, to the cutting of the sky crane bridle, the spacecraft goes through six different vehicle configurations and fires 76 pyrotechnic devices, such as releases for parts to be separated or deployed.

The top of Mars’ atmosphere is a gradual transition to interplanetary space, not a sharp boundary. The atmospheric entry interface point — the navigators’ aim point during the flight to Mars — is set at 3,522.2 kilometers (2,188.6 miles) from the center of Mars.

That altitude is 131.1 kilometers (81.46 miles) above the ground elevation of the landing site at Gale Crater, though the entry point is not directly above the landing site. While descending from that altitude to the surface, the spacecraft will also be travelling eastward relative to the Mars surface, covering a ground-track distance of about 630 kilometers (about 390 miles) between the atmospheric entry point and the touchdown target.

Ten minutes before the spacecraft enters the atmosphere, it sheds the cruise stage. The Mars Science Laboratory Entry, Descent and Landing Instrument (MEDLI) Suite begins taking measurements.

A minute after cruise stage separation, nine minutes before entry, small thrusters on the back shell halt the two-rotation-per-minute spin that the spacecraft maintained during cruise and approach phases. Then, the same thrusters on the back shell orient the spacecraft so the heat shield faces forward, a maneuver called “turn to entry.”

After the turn to entry, the back shell jettisons two solidtungsten weights, called the “cruise balance mass devices.” Ejecting these devices, which weigh about 75 kilograms (165 pounds) each, shifts the center of mass of the spacecraft. During the cruise and approach phases, the center of mass is on the axis of the spacecraft’s stabilizing spin.

Offsetting the center of mass for the period during which the spacecraft experiences dynamic pressure from interaction with the atmosphere gives the Mars Science Laboratory the ability to generate lift, essentially allowing it to fly through the atmosphere. The ability to generate lift during entry increases this mission’s capability to land a heavier robot, compared to previous Mars surface missions.

The spacecraft also manipulates that lift, using a technique called “guided entry,” to steer out unpredictable variations in the density of the Mars atmosphere, improving the precision of landing on target.

During guided entry, small thrusters on the back shell can adjust the angle and direction of lift, enabling the spacecraft to control how far downrange it is flying. The spacecraft also performs “S” turns, called bank reversals, to control how far to the left or right of the target it is flying. These maneuvers allow the spacecraft to correct position errors that may be caused by atmosphere effects, such as wind, or by spacecraft modelling errors. These guided entry maneuvers are performed autonomously, controlled by the spacecraft’s computer in response to information that a gyroscope-containing inertial measurement unit provides about deceleration and direction, indirect indicators of atmospheric density and winds.

During EDL, more than nine-tenths of the deceleration before landing results from friction with the Mars atmosphere before the parachute opens. Peak heating occurs about 75 seconds after atmospheric entry, when the temperature at the external surface of the heat shield will reach about 3,800 degrees Fahrenheit (about 2,100 degrees Celsius). Peak deceleration occurs about 10 seconds later. Deceleration could reach 15 g, but a peak in the range of 10 g to 11 g is more likely.

After the spacecraft finishes its guided entry maneuvers, a few seconds before the parachute is deployed, the back shell jettisons another set of tungsten weights to shift the center of mass back to the axis of symmetry. This set of six weights, the “entry balance mass devices,” each has a mass of about 25 kilograms (55 pounds). Shedding them re-balances the spacecraft for the parachute portion of the descent.

The parachute, which is 51 feet (almost 16 meters) in diameter, deploys about 254 seconds after entry, at an altitude of about 7 miles (11 kilometers) and a velocity of about 900 miles per hour (about 405 meters per second).

About 24 more seconds after parachute deployment, the heat shield separates and drops away when the spacecraft is at an altitude of about 8 kilometers (5 miles) and traveling at a velocity of about 125 meters per second (280 miles per hour).

As the heat shield separates, the Mars Descent Imager begins recording video, looking in the direction the spacecraft is flying. The imager records continuously from then through the landing. The rover, with its descent-stage “rocket backpack,” is still attached to the back shell on the parachute.

The terminal descent sensor, a radar system mounted on the descent stage, begins collecting data about velocity and altitude.

The back shell, with parachute attached, separates from the descent stage and rover about 85 seconds after heat shield separation. At this point, the spacecraft is about 1,6 kilometers (1 mile) above the ground and rushing toward it at about 80 meters per second (about 180 miles per hour).

All eight throttleable retrorockets on the descent stage, called Mars landing engines, begin firing for the powered descent phase.

After the engines have decelerated the descent to about 0.75 meters per second  (1.7 miles per hour), the descent stage maintains that velocity until rover touchdown.

Four of the eight engines shut off just before nylon cords begin to spool out to lower the rover from the descent stage in the “sky crane” manoeuvre. The rover separates its hard attachment to the descent stage, though still attached by the sky crane bridle and a data “umbilical cord,” at an altitude of about 20 meters (about 66 feet), with about 12 seconds to go before touchdown.

The rover’s wheels and suspension system, which double as the landing gear, pop into place just before touchdown. The bridle is fully spooled out as the spacecraft continues to descend, so touchdown occurs at the descent speed of about 0.75 meters per second (about 1.7 miles per hour).

When the spacecraft senses touchdown, the connecting cords are severed and the descent stage flies out of the way, coming to the surface at least 150 meters (492 feet) from the rover’s position, probably more than double that distance.

Soon after landing, the rover’s computer switches from entry, descent and landing mode to surface mode.

This initiates autonomous activities for the first Martian day on the surface of Mars, Sol 0. The time of day at the landing site is mid afternoon — about 3 p.m. local mean solar time at Gale Crater.

Curiosity’s Seven Minutes of Terror

Author: artemis

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Stalker - The Silent Spy Drone

A silent spy drone has been kept in the air for 48 hours using a radical new laser power system.

Military scientists from Lockheed Martin were able to wirelessly beam power to the drone to increase its flight time by 2,400 per cent.

They say the system could eventually keep military spy drones in the sky forever.

The Stalker Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) flight time to more than 48 hours. This increase in flight duration represents an improvement of 2,400 percent.

The Stalker UAS was modified for the indoor flight test to incorporate the power beaming technology from LaserMotive.

It makes it possible to wirelessly transfer energy over long distances using laser light.

At the conclusion of the flight test, held in a wind tunnel, the battery on the Stalker UAS had more energy stored than it did at the beginning of the test.

The test was concluded only because the flight had already surpassed the initial endurance goals set by the team.

'This test is one of the final steps in bringing laser-powered flight to the field,' said Tom Nugent, president of LaserMotive.

'By enabling in-flight recharging, this system will ultimately extend capabilities, improve endurance and enable new missions for electric aircraft.

'The next step in proving the reality of this technology is to demonstrate it outdoors in an extended flight of the Stalker.'

Inside Syria - Aleppo: Syria's key battleground?

Syria's second and largest city Aleppo has become a key battleground in the 17-month uprising against Bashar al-Assad's government. Aleppo city is the country's commercial capital and its biggest urban area, near the border with Turkey where rebels have taken control of a number of border crossings. The Free Syrian Army (FSA) launched a major offensive in Aleppo a week ago but the army is launching a major push to drive out rebels fighters, taking two days to manouever heavy weapons into positions around the city.

Mujahideen Shura Council calls attack in Israel a 'gift' to Zawahiri and al Qaeda 'brothers'

Mujahideen Shura Council calls attack in Israel a 'gift' to Zawahiri and al Qaeda 'brothers' Posted: 30 Jul 2012 07:46 AM PDT Khalid Salah Abdul Hadi Jadullah (Abu Salah al Masri), an Egyptian, and Adi Saleh Abdullah al Fudhayli al Hadhl (Abu Hudhayfa al Hudhali), a Saudi, from a propaganda video obtained by the SITE Intelligence Group. The Mujahideen Shura Council (MSC) in the Environs of Jerusalem, an al Qaeda-linked group in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, called last month's attack that targeted workers who were building a security fence "a gift to our brothers in Qaedat al Jihad and Sheikh Zawahiri" and a retaliation for the death of Osama bin Laden. The MSC made the statement in a 38-minute-long video that was released by the Ibn Taymiyyah Media Center on a jihadist Internet forum on July 27. The video was obtained and translated by the SITE Intelligence group. An al Qaeda flag is prominently featured in the upper left hand corner throughout most of the video, which glorifies the June 18 cross-border attack on a vehicle used by Israeli construction workers building a fence along the border with Egypt. One person was killed in the IED attack, which took place inside Israeli territory. Khalid Salah Abdul Hadi Jadullah (Abu Salah al Masri), an Egyptian, and Adi Saleh Abdullah al Fudhayli al Hadhl (Abu Hudhayfa al Hudhali), a Saudi, the two members of the team that planted and detonated the IED, are featured throughout the video. The two MSC fighters are seen training for the attack, including receiving instruction with the aid of a sand table. One of the two fighters directly addressed Ayman al Zawahiri, al Qaeda's emir, and said the MSC is "continuing with our pledge of allegiance on the path of jihad." "We say to Sheikh al Zawahiri: Receive the glad tidings from the Mujahedeen Shura Council in the Environs of Jerusalem," he said, according to SITE. "The brothers say to you O our Sheikh, that we are continuing with our pledge of allegiance on the path of jihad, and we don't tire or quit despite the harm and the pursuit and the displacement. So, receive the glad tiding, because this job is a gift to the Ummah of Muhammad, Allah's peace and prayer be upon him, and a gift to our brothers in Qaedat al Jihad and Sheikh Zawahiri, and as retaliation for Sheikh UOama and for the honor of Allah...." Another MSC member, Abu Usama al Muhajir (whose surname means "the immigrant"), is also featured in the video. He explained that the MSC does not recognize international borders. "The mujahideen don't have in their dictionary something called borders other than the borders and limitations that Allah the Almighty sent for us from above seven heavens, which the tyrants abandoned and the monotheists rose to implement," Muhajir said. The July 27 video makes for the second time the MSC has claimed credit for the June 18 attack in Israel. Just one day after the attack, the MSC released a shorter video that announced the group's existence and claimed credit for the assault. In that statement, the MSC said it shares al Qaeda's goal of establishing a global Islamic caliphate [see LWJ report, Al Qaeda-linked group claims responsibility for attack in Israel]. "We lay a foundation for blessed jihadi work with a clear path and features, to become a building block in the global project aiming for the return of the rightly-guided Caliphate and the institution of the pure shariah [Islamic law]," the statement said, according to SITE. Background on al Qaeda presence in the Sinai The Sinai has become an increasing source of concern for Israeli officials since the onset of Egypt's revolution. The MSC is not the first Sinai-based terrorist organization to claim ideological affinity with, if not organizational ties to, al Qaeda. Numerous jihadist groups, including others linked to al Qaeda, reportedly operate there. In December 2011, a group named Ansar al Jihad in the Sinai Peninsula announced its formation and pledged to "fulfill the oath" of Osama bin Laden. Then in January of this year, Ansar al Jihad swore allegiance to al Qaeda emir Ayman al Zawahiri. "To our beloved emir and honorable sheikh, Abu Muhammad Ayman al Zawahiri ... from your soldiers in the beloved Sinai in the Land of the Quiver [Egypt], we give you allegiance for obedience in good and bad, in difficulty and ease, and altruism," Ansar al Jihad said, in a statement that was also translated by SITE. "So, throw us wherever you wish.... We will never quit or surrender until the last drop of our blood [is spilled] in the Cause of Allah and until Islam rules by the help of Allah the Almighty." Ansar al Jihad is the military arm of al Qaeda in the Sinai Peninsula, which announced its existence in the summer of 2011 when it released pamphlets in the town of Al Arish in the northern Sinai. Al Qaeda in the Sinai Peninsula has been establishing ties with Gaza-based Salafist groups and is seeking to coordinate operations, a US intelligence official told The Long War Journal in late December 2011. There are at least four al Qaeda-linked organizations operating in Gaza. [See LWJ report, Israel kills 'Global Jihad affiliated-terrorists' in Gaza airstrikes.]

Team Telefonica Race Highlights - Volvo Ocean Race 2011-12

Team Telefónica enjoyed months at the head of the leaderboard thanks to victories in the opening three legs only for the crack of a second rudder breaking to sound the end of their chances of winning the Volvo Ocean Race on Leg 8 from Lisbon, Portugal to Lorient, France. Relive the highlights from Team Telefónica's race.

Expect more like this to be uploaded to the Official Volvo Ocean Race YouTube Channel in the future. Get all the latest updates on www.VolvoOceanRace.com

Senior Haqqani Network leader urges Turks to wage jihad in Afghanistan By BILL ROGGIOJuly 31, 2

Senior Haqqani Network leader urges Turks to wage jihad in Afghanistan

By BILL ROGGIOJuly 31, 2012

Mullah Sangeen Zadran, from a propaganda video obtained by the SITE Intelligence Group.

A senior Haqqani Network leader, who is on the US's list of Specially Designated Global Terrorists for supporting al Qaeda and has captured a US soldier in Afghanistan, has called on Turks and Kurds to fight in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

Mullah Sangeen Zadran, who serves as the shadow governor for Paktika province and is a top aide to Sirajuddin Haqqani, addressed Muslims in Turkey in a videotape with Turkish subtitles, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. The videotape was "produced by Fursan Muhammad Information Group and released on the al Fida' forum on July 30," according to SITE.

In the video, Sangeen told the Turks that it is their duty to wage jihad and chides them for sitting back and enjoying the comforts of the West.

"You say that you are from the Muslims?," Sangeen asked. "Here, Muslims are gathered! But you are still sitting there. We need to get here [to Afghanistan] to defend Islam."

"I want from the Turkish people to fight with their lives and possessions and to defend Islam. It is now time to be with the Taliban and with the other mujahideen, or Allah is warning you with Hell," Sangeen continued.

Sangeen also told the Turks that "jihad is not only in Afghanistan," and said that "America will leave here in disgrace." Afterwards, the Taliban will fight to establish a global caliphate, he stated.

"A State of Islam will be established in Afghanistan, and after our conquest, we will continue in our jihad and we will save the nations under oppression. We will make Islam prevail in the world!," Sangeen said.

Sangeen admitted that al Qaeda is fighting alongside the Taliban, and that the jihad will continue.

"The entire world has gathered here to kill or imprison the Taliban, al Qaeda, and everyone who follows them," including "the Muslim countries," but "the Afghan Taliban never quit the fight," he claimed.

Sangeen also said that the US is "now trying to make peace with the Taliban" because the "Taliban is a force."

"The entire world was in Afghanistan, but look at them now after the fight of the mujahideen," he said. "Now they say: 'Yield to us so we can leave.'"

Sangeen supports al Qaeda

Sangeen, a longtime ally of al Qaeda, was added to the list of designated terrorists on Aug. 16, 2011. Since 2008, nine top Haqqani Network leaders have been placed on the list; six of them were designated in 2011. All of them have ties to al Qaeda.

In the past, Sangeen has openly admitted the strong links between the Haqqani Network and al Qaeda. In an interview released in September 2009 by As Sahab, al Qaeda's top media outlet, Sangeen said al Qaeda and the Taliban "are all one and are united by Islam."

"We do not see any difference between Taliban and Al Qaeda, for we all belong to the religion of Islam. Sheikh Osama [bin Laden] has pledged allegiance to Amir Al-Mumineen [the Leader of the Faithful, Mullah Muhammad Omar] and has reassured his leadership again and again. There is no difference between us, for we are united by Islam and the Sharia governs us," Sangeen told As Sahab.

Despite the terror group's close ties to al Qaeda and its actions in Afghanistan, the US has not added the Haqqani Network to the list of Specially Designation Global Terrorist Entities. Members of Congress have urged the Obama administration to add the Haqqani Network as a terrorist entity.

US military officials have told The Long War Journal that Sangeen is considered to be one of the most dangerous operational commanders in eastern Afghanistan. Sangeen has organized numerous assaults on US and Afghan combat outposts in the region, and is currently holding Bowe Bergdahl, the only US soldier who has been captured alive in the Afghan theater.

Background on the Haqqani Network

The Haqqani Network is a powerful Taliban subgroup that operates primarily in the Afghan provinces of Khost, Paktia, and Paktika, but also has an extensive presence in Kabul, Logar, Wardak, Ghazni, Zabul, Kandahar, and Kunduz. In addition, the network has expanded its operations into the distant Afghan provinces of Badakhshan and Faryab.

The terror group has close links with al Qaeda, and its relationship with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI) has allowed the network to survive and thrive in its fortress stronghold of North Waziristan, a tribal agency in Pakistan. The Haqqani Network has also extended its presence into the Pakistani tribal agency of Kurram.

In North Waziristan, the Haqqanis control large swaths of the tribal area and run a parallel administration with courts, recruiting centers, tax offices, and security forces. In addition, the Haqqanis have established multiple training camps and safe houses that are used by al Qaeda leaders and operatives and by Taliban foot soldiers preparing to fight in Afghanistan.

The Haqqani Network has been implicated in some of the biggest terror attacks in the Afghan capital city of Kabul, including the January 2008 suicide assault on the Serena hotel, the February 2009 assault on Afghan ministries, and the July 2008 and October 2009 suicide attacks against the Indian embassy.

The terror group collaborated with elements of Pakistan's military and intelligence service in at least one of these attacks. In the past, American intelligence agencies confronted the Pakistani government with evidence, including communications intercepts, which proved the ISI's direct involvement in the 2008 Indian embassy bombing. [See LWJ reportPakistan's Jihad and Threat Matrix report Pakistan backs Afghan Taliban for additional information on the ISI's complicity in attacks in Afghanistan and the region.]

Last summer and fall, the US and the Afghan government linked the Haqqani Network and Pakistan's intelligence service to the June 2010 assault on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul in June 2011 and the attack on the US Embassy and ISAF headquarters in September. Shortly after the attack, Admiral Michael Mullen, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, accused the Haqqani Network of being one of several "[e]xtremist organizations serving as proxies of the government of Pakistan."

The US military has been hunting top Haqqani Network commanders in special operations raids in the Afghan east, while the CIA has targeted the network with a series of unmanned Predator airstrikes in Pakistan's tribal agency of North Waziristan. Both Siraj and Sangeen have been the targets of past strikes. Mohammed Haqqani, a mid-level Haqqani Network military commander and a brother of Siraj, was killed in a Predator airstrike in February 2010.

In October 2011, the Predators were successful in killing Jan Baz Zadran, who was considered to be the Haqqani Network's third in command, during an Oct. 13 airstrike in the Miramshah area of North Waziristan. Jan Baz, a powerful leader in the Haqqani Network, was believed to be the top aide to the network's operational commander, Sirajuddin Haqqani. Jan Baz served as the Haqqani Network's logistical and financial coordinator, and also acquired weapons and ammunition for the network. He is thought to be the most senior Haqqani Network leader killed or captured since the US invaded Afghanistan in 2001.

While the US is targeting the Haqqani Network in military operations and with financial sanctions, it also seeks to negotiate with the terror group to help end the insurgency in Afghanistan. The US is pursuing a policy of "fight, talk, build" with the Haqqanis and other Taliban groups. US officials are said to have met with Ibrahim Haqqani in August 2011 as he was visiting the United Arab Emirates, in an attempt to gauge the Haqqani Network's willingness to negotiate. The talks have failed. Siraj Haqqani has publicly said the group will not independently negotiate with the US and would only do so under the banner of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan.

Read more: http://www.longwarjournal.org/archives/2012/07/senior_haqqani_netwo_1.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LongWarJournalSiteWide+%28The+Long+War+Journal+%28Site-Wide%29%29#ixzz22T2cAZTV

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