The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter took incredible photos of the wreckage left by Perseverance's landing.

 

One year after its history-making first flight, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is once again proving its value. During its 26th flight, Ingenuity surveyed the wreckage of the Perseverance rover's backshell and parachute. These essential pieces of the rover's landing equipment were photographed in rich detail, giving scientists a better look at how the equipment performed.

When the Perseverance rover landed on Mars on February 18, 2021, to begin its two-year mission, it was aided by a 70.5-foot-wide parachute. This, as well as a cone-shaped back shell that protected the rover in deep space, are clearly visible in Ingenuity's images. While Perseverance had previously photographed the wreckage from a distance, Ingenuity's pictures provide much more detail.

The photos are exciting for researchers, as they've never been able to see the state of landing equipment up close once a mission is underway. They will be carefully analyzing the photographs to see what they can learn. In particular, they are hoping that their findings might be able to help them with the Mars Sample Return Lander, a future spacecraft that will bring samples from Mars back to Earth.

“Perseverance had the best-documented Mars landing in history, with cameras showing everything from parachute inflation to touchdown,” says JPL’s Ian Clark, former Perseverance systems engineer and now Mars Sample Return ascent phase lead. “But Ingenuity’s images offer a different vantage point. If they either reinforce that our systems worked as we think they worked or provide even one dataset of engineering information we can use for Mars Sample Return planning, it will be amazing. And if not, the pictures are still phenomenal and inspiring.”

Though we are clearly looking at the wreckage, both pieces are fairly intact. This is quite impressive when one considers the high temperatures and extreme gravitational forces they faced when entering the Red Planet's atmosphere. While most of the orange and white parachute is covered in dust, a small portion is visible and many of the chords that anchored it to the backshell appear to be intact.

The backshell itself also looks to have held up well. While small fragments are scattered about the site, a majority of its protective coating withstood the 78 mph landing impact. While researchers will spend several weeks examining the images before giving their final verdict, these initial observations are promising.

Sea organ in Croatia

'Morske Orgulje', which can be translated as 'majestic organ', was designed in 2005. It is the undisputed star of the city of Zadar in Croatia. It is an incredible show of the sound of waves and wind or natural rhythm. The channels of this sea organ connect with 35 tubes, each one connected in turn to different musical chains. So it produces beach waves music sounds natural. The notes it gives off are purely random, depending on how the waves impart against the organ.

Sea organ

The unique Sea Organ, located in Zadar Harbor on the island of Croatia, produces an amazing array of sounds. The Sea Organ uses the same basic mechanics as ancient instruments but is unique in its construction and melodic sound. Today we will discuss the melody of nature with this Sea Organ. 

The Wave Organ is a unique take on the idea of using water to excite pipe modes and its play water sounds. However, the sounds made by the pipes in San Francisco can be described as melodic. The sea waves sound is more of a work of art than a musical instrument.

Sea Orga can be found in Croatia's Zadar harbor. Nikola Bašić designed the Sea Organ to restore a portion of Croatia's seacoast after it was almost destroyed in World War II. It was officially inaugurated in April 2005. Its purpose was to make Zadar harbour beautiful again and to create a real connection between the seashore and the land.

Zadar sea organ — Although the Sea Organ's design is simple, it is extremely effective. This is an alteration to the previously mentioned hydraulis, where water is used as a pressure regulator which then excites different pipes in a multi-pipe system. The Sea Organ measures 70 meters in length and is divided into seven sections that resemble stairways. Under the white marble, staircase structure is 35 pipes made of plastic. Each section is divided into five pipes.

Zadar sea organ

Each section has seven stairs. One open end of each pipe is built into the top step. Each segment has one fewer stair, which allows for pipes of different lengths to make different acoustical sounds. The maximum number of stairs allowed is eight, minimum of two. Visitors to the Sea Organ hear the lowest frequencies in segments with more stairs. The lower numbers produce higher pitches. Each segment has 1.5m between the pipes.

This Maritime is located next to the port. This location was not chosen by chance. The embankment was in a state of desolation for a long time and needed reconstruction. The coast should not only be pleasing to the eye but also attract tourists and the local Croatian public. Now the embankment has become one of the most popular attractions. Both vacationers and locals come here to listen to the variation of Sea tones.

Zadar sea organ

A wonderful vacation spot on the island of Vis. The Stiniva beach located here in 2016 was recognized as the best beach in Europe and received a special award for Best Beach in Europe 2016.

Sea organ Croatia

The sea organ

Sea organ Zadar Croatia

Organ beach

Greeting to the Sun

The unique monument that lights at night.

Zadar Croatia sea organ

Sea Organ of Zardar

Zadar Sea Organ

Sea Organ Zadar — Video

The Persia (Iran) Underground Water Transport System

 The civilization of Persia (Iran) was one of the most flourishing that existed for thousands of years and, beyond art, left us culture and several techniques, to improve the cities, worthy of admiration. The strange holes in the ground in the photo below are almost 2700 years old. This facility is called kyariz, or qanat, a gently sloping underground water channel to transport the water from an aquifer or water well to the surface for irrigation and drinking.

Qanat water system

Ancient Persian Qanats much of its success was due to its excellent water management, both in cities and in the countryside. The empire lived under high temperatures and a very dry climate, so it was essential to know how to enjoy the scarce rains. One of his best inventions was the Qanat, an underground infrastructure capable of collecting and channelling rainwater from aquifers and valleys, and transporting it to cities. This ancient Persian water system has now been named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 2007.

Photo by Wikipedia.org

Qanat water management system

The Qanats technique was developed in Persia. This wonderful invention has been extended to other arid countries such as Morocco, Algeria, Libya, and Afghanistan. First, the main well was dug up a hill, until an underground aquifer was found. Then a horizontal tunnel was built, from the bottom of the hill to the source of water. The tunnel had a pipeline and a large slope to transport the water to the desired location. The higher the Qanat, the lower its slope.

Underground irrigation system

The other vertical wells were built along the Qanat. These ensure the ventilation of water, as well as its control and rationing. It was also an escape route from the earth, generated by emptying the tunnel. The length of these Qanats is 33.113 meters and contains 427 grooves for water. The facilities were built using the laws of physics, geology, and hydraulics.

Photo by ICQHS

Thanks to its depth, the Qanat system collected water from the aquifers and avoided evaporation during transport. Within this infrastructure, there are also rest areas for workers, tanks, and watermills.

Being water filtered through the earth, the flow was safe and clean, so it was ideal for both drinking and watering. At the end of the Qanat, there was a building that stored the water, where people could also make their own private plumbing. The Persian government was forced to build the Qanat to transport water from the mountains to the city and to the public toilets. Rich people could do an extension to their land with their own money. The public cisterns, called Ab Anbar, were another wonderful device. They had an air intake system to keep the water cold in the desert.

Most curious of all is that this old water management system still continues to run, and allows an equitable and sustainable distribution of water and it provides water to about 40,000 people.

Photo by MAITE ELORZA

Photo by ICQHS

Photo by Img-Fotki

Photo by Img-Fotki

Photo by dynamosquito

A badger: typical Iranian desert natural cooling system made with mud bricks and Adobe. It uses the air circulation between 2 towers passing through a dome refreshed by the flow of water into an underground channel named Qanat.

Photo by Img-Fotki

Photo by Img-Fotki

The Mysterious Megaphone of the Mojave Desert

 The Mojave Desert is the driest in North America. A mysterious metal megaphone attracts everyone who looks like a telescope or a loudspeaker, whose presence has not been detected. Is this a deliberate way to attract attention to this place? Despite the location between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, there is practically no street full of mysteries with strange things in the Mojave desert. Not far from the ghost town of Crusero, Dry Zero has become home to the mysterious megaphone Mojave. As you guessed from the photo, it got its name for its apparent resemblance to a loudspeaker.

The Mysterious Megaphone of the Mojave Desert

This megaphone is located in a remote corner of the Mojave Desert National Wildlife Refuge. It is a piece of rusted metal permanently carved into a rocky ledge. This mysterious object is bolted to two rocks on two large rocks on a 100-foot hilltop between the towns of Baker and Ludlow, California, on a small strip of desert. No one has been able to determine what exactly this thing is. The megaphone was classified as a mystery, as was the monolith of Utah, which was talked about worldwide in November 2020.

First Image / Flickr

Image / Flickr

Metal megaphone Bolted to two rocks — Apart from the Mojave desert rocks, there is no life for miles around. Big megaphone remains a mystery how this heavy, bulky 2.4-meter long object ended up in its place. Consisting of two horn-shaped metal pieces bolted in the middle, it is too large for a single person's work. A group of people, or maybe aliens? - It would have taken a lot of effort to keep this shopper on the rock away from any civilized settlement.

Most likely, it was placed in the desert about 30-plus years ago. Although the megaphone has two heavy parts, many people will be able to pull it easily.

Image / Flickr

Metal Megaphone

There are no markings on the case indicating the origin and date of manufacture. Someone recently threw an animal skin over the holes and used a megaphone as a drum, but that was definitely not its original purpose. Others have suggested it is part of a rocket system or venturi, an hourglass-shaped hull used to control the flow rate.

Since it has crosshair-shaped metal stripes, some have mistaken it for a sighting device. There are more fantastic theories - perhaps a tool pointing to the location of a California cave system that stretches for hundreds of miles, or even a gold treasure tag. However, given its shape, the moniker "megaphone" makes a lot of sense. Perhaps it's part of an outdated warning system, like a tornado siren.

Image / Flickr

The proximity to Edwards Air Force Base (and naval and military installations) is a much more important clue. Edwards is where the Air Force conducted many sound barrier experiments, including the famous Chuck Yeager flights. The megaphone could be a measuring instrument related to flights, shock/sound waves, etc.

Image / Flickr

The Nevada Proving Ground (now Nevada National Security Zone) is not that far away. In 1963, American weapons would have been tested above ground and then underground. Even though the megaphone is 240 kilometres away, something similar can likely be used to detect long-range shock waves or other interference. And perhaps the megaphone was used to raise a siren that alerted locals when the US military conducted secret chemical or gas tests in the area.

Mojave desert directions

If you have a passable vehicle with high ground clearance, you can get to the megaphone and climb the mountain to see it with your own eyes. You will need to drive across the Mojave River, then along dirt roads and sand. Take Highway 15 off Afton Canyon Road and head east to the campground. From there, continue for another 20-25 km. The exact coordinates of the megaphone are 35.0056 degrees north latitude, and 116.1963 degrees west longitude.

Desert megaphone Map

Mojave desert directions

Image / MBC

Another blog, armchair travelogue mentions that it may be part of the "Mojave Desert Megaphone Experiment, 1932". This message is not confirmed, and I did not get any information about this so-called experiment. Which is clearly something different;

Mojave wiki

Image / Flickr

Image / Flickr

Image / Flickr

Image / Flickr

A Mysterious Object on a Hill in the Middle of Nowhere - Mojave Megaphone | Video

Desert megaphone Map

Image / Flickr

As a person, you have the motivation or means of seeing the Mojave desert mysteries and Megaphone. These strange objects stimulate strange movements in the human imagination. This stretch of the Mojave Desert can be deadly, with temperatures reaching 54 degrees Celsius in summer. It is best to travel during the cooler season. Also, keep in mind that this is a remote location no matter the weather, and you won't have cellular coverage in the event of a car malfunction or other emergency.

Big Cats Come Alive on the Canvases of These Large-Scale Hyperrealistic Paintings

While you may rarely come across a big cat in real life, lions, tigers, and leopards appear to emerge from the canvases of Nick Sider. The New York City-based artist creates large-scale depictions of big felines that resemble close-up photographs. Through many hours of work, he renders all of his subjects with hyperrealistic detail.

Originally from Canada, Sider did not pursue painting until he was 25 years old. After he relocated to NYC, he started gaining recognition for his spectacular acrylic pieces celebrating wildlife. Although he paints a variety of different animals, big cats have been his muse since childhood, which he returns to time and time again.

Sider wants his paintings to “extend beyond what a photograph could ever capture.” So, in addition to utilizing realism, he enhances each portrait with an intimate view of the animal. These cat paintings are treated like portraits of human beings with an emphasis on their eyes and expression. “My favorite moment while painting is when a subject on my canvas begins to come alive,” Sider says.

Scroll down to see more big cat paintings by Sider and keep up to date with his latest work by following the artist on Instagram.

New York City-based artist Nick Sider creates hyperrealistic paintings of big cats.

He renders tigers, lions, leopards, and more in exquisite detail.

The large creatures come alive on the canvases.