The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.

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This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Friday, January 21, 2011

A rocket from California..[ 2020 ]

Huge Delta rocket flies from Vandenberg, California

BBC.,,21 January 2011 Last updated at 10:10 GMT
By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News

Delta-4 Heavy (Pat Corkery/United Launch Alliance)

Three years' work has gone into preparing the pad and support facilities to accommodate the Delta

The biggest rocket ever to launch from the US West Coast has lifted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base.

The 72m-high Delta IV Heavy was carrying a classified satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).
It has previously only operated from Florida, and the launch pad at the Californian base had to be upgraded to handle the giant vehicle.
Flying the Delta from the West Coast allows the largest reconnaissance satellites to be put into polar orbits.
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The vehicle is reserved for military and intelligence use, although there has long been discussion about modifying it for a role in human spaceflight.
The Delta IV Heavy features three core boosters strapped side by side. Each has a Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne-built RS-68 engine.
These motors burn a tonne of propellant every second and produce 2,900 kiloNewtons (650,000lbs) of thrust at lift-off.
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This was the fifth flight in the vehicle's history, and the second in just two months.
No details were released about the payload. The NRO operates satellites that return information to the Central Intelligence Agency and US Department of Defence. Large imaging satellites of the type the Delta IV could launch would have remarkable resolution.

Click to play

The rocket is reserved for government use

Vandenberg's position on the coast means the Delta can fly south over the Pacific and avoid crossing land as it climbs skyward.
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The last heavy-lift rocket to launch from Vandenberg was the Titan IV-B in 2005.
The extra performance of the Delta enables it to put a further tonne of payload into low-earth orbit compared with the Titan.
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Thursday's launch took place at 1310 Pacific Standard Time (1610 EST; 2110 GMT). Some $100m had been spent upgrading the SLC-6 launch pad.

Jonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.

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