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.Blogger Tips and Tricks
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.........

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Planned spacewalk on Christmas Eve. ...[ 3254 ]


Astronauts Gear Up for Second Spacewalk to Repair International Space Station

Dec. 24, 2013 //By and GINA SUNSERI





Correspondent via Good Morning America

PHOTO: In this image made from video provided by NASA, astronaut Rick Mastracchio performs a space walk outside the International Space Station, Dec. 21, 2013.
.
Mission Control radioed up a timely bulletin to the astronauts on the International Space Station today -- their planned spacewalk won't interfere with Santa's mission on Christmas Eve.
“Checked with our trajectory and ballistics officer here in Mission Control. We are not working any possible conjunctions or avoidance maneuvers for a sleigh being pulled by reindeer and occupied by a jolly man with a beard and a red suit over the next 2 days. The skies are all clear,” Houston told the astronauts.
Good News for Rick Mastracchio and Mike Hopkins, the two astronauts heading out for their second spacewalk to fix a broken cooling loop pump that has jeopardized operations on the ISS. The pump is about the size of a refrigerator and it's not exactly something Santa can stuff down a chimney into their stockings.
A Saturday spacewalk brought them halfway to the goal of repairing the pump, on Christmas Eve they hope to finish the task.
For the second spacewalk in a row, water in the spacesuit was an issue -- but not the same kind of life-threatening leak that almost drowned an Italian astronaut last July, officials said. But just to be safe the astronauts will use a backup suit.
Doug Wheelock was one of two astronauts who went out on duplicate spacewalks back in 2010. He said he understands the vivid interest in what’s going on the space station.
“The movie [Gravity] really kind of ratcheted up public interest in what we're doing up there. I actually enjoyed the movie," Wheelock said. "I think it's brilliantly put together with visual images of what it's like to be out there in space. I think it captured well the human emotion of being isolated and the drama."
Astronaut Mike Hopkins will be wearing a spacesuit with white stripes. Mastracchio will be called "EV2" and will be wearing a newly re-sized suit with red stripes. They managed to whip through their entire to-do list for the first spacewalk on Saturday, and even knocked off some items on the list for the second spacewalk.
If they finish installing the new pump, and it turns on and starts up the cooling loop, there will be great rejoicing in Mission Control. But even when the spacewalks are finished, Mission Control doesn’t shut down.
The International Space Station operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year long.
Αναρτήθηκε από στις
Ετικέτες

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)