Tech Archive

The world’s first nuclear aircraft carrier has returned home from it’s final deployment. USS Enterprise will be scrapped after more than 50 years of service. You can watch TPC’s coverage above.

The Navy is planning an “Inactivation Week” for the legendary ship, November 27 – December 1.  From the official USS Enterprise website:

All Veterans of Enterprise, families and friends, and those who share in the pride of Big E are invited to attend the Inactivation Ceremony and to visit the ship in the week leading up to the Ceremony.

The ship will be scrapped because the work involved in removing Enterprise’s nuclear reactors will make the costs of restoration as a museum ship prohibitive.

The Coast Guard’s divers completed 28 dives accumulating more than 800 minutes of logged dive time as they supported operations at Aquarius. U.S. Coast Guard photo.

The Coast Guard is helping civilian scientists, aquanauts and astronauts working at the world’s only undersea laboratory — the  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Aquarius. 

Not only does Aquarius allow aquanauts to study marine life for weeks at a time, it also lets astronauts prepare for the zero gravity of space by training in low-gravity simulation underwater.

Living underwater for long stretches of time also presents a lot of unique and dangerous conditions — the kind of place where a Coast Guard diver could be your best friend.  The Coast Guard Compass quotes diver, PO2 David Bradbury:

“It was a good training tool and it was also a once in a life time opportunity. We dove, worked and lived with amazing people. The overall thankfulness of the NASA, NOAA and Aquarius reef base team was heartfelt. I am thankful for the opportunity that I had and am looking forward to do it again.”

Coast Guard’s divers made 28 dives — for a total of 800 minutes of bottom time — supporting the mission.

Soldiers fire another of the “Army’s Greatest Inventions of 2011″ — a 120mm Mortar Precision Guided Munition — for the first time in Afghanistan.

TBI-battling helmet sensors, pelvis-protecting clothing and machine gun modifications make the list of the Army’s greatest inventions from 2011.

Soldiers who test new battlefield gear at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD — and may have used the gear in actual combat – voted for inventions they believe will have the biggest impact on Soldiers downrange.  Dale Ormond, director of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command praised the work of the judges:

“The contributions made by these teams promise to improve the well-being of Soldiers and the Army’s capability to contribute to quality of life and our national security.  All of the nominated inventions demonstrate significant contributions to the warfighter.”

Eleven items in all made the “Greatest Invention” list.

 Military doctors in Afghanistan have a powerful new tool to battle traumatic brain injury (TBI) – a battlefield MRI.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines let doctors stateside get detailed views of patients’ tissue.  They’re big and bulky and usually fixed to the floor of a room specially designed for the MRI machine.

Armed with Science features a story on new battlefield MRIs are trailer mounted and can be hauled to where they’re needed.  Wounded warriors get exams faster and military doctors have a head start on treating TBI.

The Cheetah may be fast, but DARPA’s “pack mule” delivers the goods.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has a new video of what it calls a  Legged Squad Support System (LS3).  That’s geek-speak for “walking robot.”  The program is part of the effort to lighten the load for Marines on the battlefield.  From the DARPA Website:

 The goal of the LS3 program is to demonstrate that a legged robot can unburden dismounted squad members by carrying their gear, autonomously following them through rugged terrain, and interpreting verbal and visual commands.

Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen James Amos and DARPA Director Arati Prabhakar watched the LS3 put through its paces Monday.  Its descendents could one day march into battle alongside Marines carrying a squad’s gear — and allowing them to be more mobile during a fight.