From Strategy Page…..

Since navigation was often uncertain when Zeppelins were flying above clouds, some were equipped with an observation basket that could be lowered through the cloud layers. In that way one or two men in the basket would have a good view of the earth’s surface. From this position, they could keep the ship informed by telephone of the landmarks below, helping it navigate to and from its target.

Of course this was particularly hazardous, as the men were without parachutes in a flimsy basket dangling at the end of a 750 meter tether, in freezing cold. Yet there never seems to have been a shortage of volunteers for this duty. In part this was due to the very high morale of the airshipmen. But volunteers also gained a privilege denied to everyone else on the ship; the little basket dangling at the end of nearly a half-mile of cable was the only place on the airship where a man was allowed to have a cigarette.

From Fox News…

The rock, estimated to be no more than 200 feet wide, zoomed past our planet at an altitude of 40,000 miles at 1:44 p.m. universal time — or 8:44 EST.

Dubbed 2009 DD45, it was discovered only on Friday by Australian astronomers.

Forty thousand miles may sound like a lot, but it’s only about one-seventh of the way to the moon, and less than twice as far out as many telecommunications satellites.

Had 2009 DD45 hit the Earth, it would have exploded on or near the surface with the force of a large nuclear blast — not very reassuring when you consider humanity had only about three days’ notice.

If that had hit in the wrong place, it could have made the falling stock market seem like a minor problem.

I would think that this would just be a gimmick. Except that I have read about highly trained Delta Operators being used as pack mules because there was no other good way to get supplies into rough terrain.

An article about the effects of drilling for gas on Pennsylvania townships.

A website for star gazers.

How a man nobody remembers played a losing hand.

The week’s essay of the week is Comfort the Comfortless from Cloudy Day Writing.

Quality not the best for understandable reasons. So only watch if you’re interested in the phenomenon and not because you expect to see something really cool.

I should note that at least some of the clips on this video are probably aircraft dropping flares near a military base. Some don’t seem to fit this category though.