THE HISTORY OF HOT AIR BALLOONING

Hot air ballooning is an exotic and eye-catching sport, that awes both the ballooner and the audience. On the 19th September 1783 Pilatre De Rozier, a scientist, launched the first hot air balloon called 'Aerostat Reveillon'. The passengers were a sheep, a duck and a rooster and the balloon stayed in the air for a grand total of 15 minutes before crashing back to the ground.

The birth of hot air ballooning!!!

The first manned attempt came about 2 months later on 21st November, with a balloon made by 2 French brothers, Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier. The balloon was launched from the centre of Paris and flew for a period of 20 minutes. 

The next major pivotal point in balloon history was on January 7th 1793. Jean Pierre Blanchard became the first to fly a hot air balloon in North America. George Washington was present to see the balloon launch.

Now a large jump in time, of over 100 years: In August of 1932 Swiss scientist Auguste Piccard was the first to achieve a manned flight to the Stratosphere. He reached a height of 52,498 feet, setting the new altitude record.

The Altitude record was set again in 1960 when Captain Joe Kittinger parachute jumped from a balloon that was at a height of 102,000 feet. The balloon broke the altitude record and Captain Kittinger, the high altitude parachute jump record. He broke the sound barrier with his body!

In 1999 the first around the world flight was completed by Bertrand Piccard and Brian Jones. Leaving from Switzerland and landing in Africa, they smashed all previous distance records, flying for 19 days, 21 hours and 55 minutes. 

How do Hot Air Balloons Fly

Hot air balloons are based on a very basic scientific principle: warmer air rises in cooler air. Essentially, hot air is lighter than cool air, because it has less mass per unit of volume. A cubic foot of air weighs roughly 28 grams (about an ounce). If you heat that air by 100 degrees F, it weighs about 7 grams less. Therefore, each cubic foot of air contained in a hot air balloon can lift about 7 grams. That's not much, and this is why hot air balloons are so huge -- to lift 1,000 pounds, you need about 65,000 cubic feet of hot air.

If you actually need to get somewhere, a hot air balloon is a fairly impractical vehicle.You can't really steer it, ­and it only travels as fast as the wind blows. But if you simply want to enjoy the experience of flying, there's nothing quite like it.

KANGAROO TALES

The kangaroo is one of Australia’s most iconic animals, and most species are endemic to Australia. There are over 60 different species of kangaroo and their close relatives, with all kangaroos belonging to the super family Macropodoidea(or macropods, meaning ‘great-footed’). 

"Roos" is a colloquial name used for any kangaroos or wallabies.

Kangaroos are herbivorous, eating a range of plants and, in some cases, fungi. Most are nocturnal but some are active in the early morning and late afternoon. 

There are 47 varieties of kangaroo, ranging in size from the two-pound rock wallaby to the 6-foot, 300-pound red kangaroo.

They are the tallest of all marsupials, standing over 6 feet (2 meters) tall. ​The Red Kangaroo is the largest living marsupial and can grow to two metres (!). It weighs up to 90 kg (200 pounds).

Kangaroos are the only large animals that move by hopping.Kangaroos possess powerful hind legs, a long, strong tail, and small front legs. Thanks to their large feet, kangaroos can leap some 30 feet (9 meters) in a single bound, and travel more than 30 ​miles (48 ​kilometers)​ per hour​. Kangaroos use their strong tails for balance while jumping.​ They cannot move backwards.

On land kangaroos can't move their hind legs independently, only together. But when they are swimming (they are good swimmers) they kick each leg independently.

The adult male Kangaroo is called buck, boomer or jack. Adult females are called doe, flyer or jill. Young kangaroos are called joeys.

They live in small groups called troops or herds (“mobs” by Australians), typically made up of 50 or more animals.

Female kangaroos sport a pouch on their belly, made by a fold in the skin, to cradle baby kangaroos called joeys. Newborn joeys are just one inch long (2.5 centimeters) at birth, or about the size of a grape. After birth, joeys travel, unassisted, through their mom’s thick fur to the comfort and safety of the pouch. A newborn joey can’t suckle or swallow, so the kangaroo mom uses her muscles to pump milk down its throat. At around 4 months, the joey emerges from the pouch for short trips and to graze on grass and small shrubs. At 10 months, the joey is mature enough to leave the pouch for good. 

A female kangaroo can have three babies at the same time: an older joey living outside the pouch but still drinking milk, a young one in the pouch attached to a teat, and an embryo awaiting birth.

Female kangaroos enter into heat within a few days after giving birth they mate and conceive, but after only one week's development does the microscopic embryo enter a dormant state that lasts until the previous young leaves the pouch.


The development of the second embryo then resumes and proceeds to birth after a gestation period of about 30 days.

Kangaroos continue to be used as a resource, but only under strict government controls. All Australian states and territories have legislation to protect kangaroos

Most people think kangaroos are endemic to (live only in) Australia. In fact, several species of tree kangaroos and forest wallabies also live in Papua New Guinea.

THE FASTEST TRAINS OF THE WORLD

For most of us, holidays conjure up images of trains. Trains have come a long way from the days of locomotives to the now popular high speed rail.

The first such system began operations in Japan in 1964 and was widely known as the bullet train. High-speed trains normally operate onstandard gauge tracks of continuously welded rail on grade-separated right-of-waythat incorporates a large turning radius in its design.

Many countries have developed high-speed rail to connect major cities, including China, France, Germany, Italy, Taiwan, Turkey, South Korea and Spain.

Here we have a low down of some of the fastest trains in the world!

1. SHANGHAI MAGLEV TRAIN, CHINA

Operating speed: 431 km/h

Capacity: 501 km/h

The Chinese magnetic levitation train was built as a joint venture by Siemens and ThyssenKrupp and was launched in 2003. It travels the 30km trip from downtown Shanghai to the Pudong International Airport in less than eight minutes.

It runs on the Shanghai Maglev Line, which is the first commercially operated high-speed magnetic levitation line, extending from Longyang Road Station of Metro Line 2 and ending at Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

2. HARMONY CRH380A, CHINA

Operating speed: 380 km/h

Capacity: 487 km/h

Harmony CRH 380A, with maximum operational speed of 380kmph, is currently the second fastest operating train in the world.

The vibration free train was constructed by CSR Qingdao Sifang Locomotive and Rolling Stock Company, the CRH380A was launched in 2010 and can carry up to 494 passengers.

3. AGV ITALO, ITALY

Operating speed: 360 km/h

Capacity: 574.8 km/h

Designed by Alstom, the AGV (Automotrice à grande vitesse) is a high-speed electric train, which commenced commercial service on the Naples-Rome-Florence-Bologna-Milan line in Italy in 2012.

The train broke a record speed of 574.8kmph in April 2007.

Considered to be the most modern train in Europe, AGV Italo complies with the European TSI interoperability standard, which includes safety, reliability and availability, health, environmental protection and technical compatibility.

4. SIEMENS VELARO E / AVS 103

Operating speed: 350 km/h

Capacity: 400 km/h

Velaro E, designated as AVE S 103 in Spain, is the fastest series-production high-speed train in the world. It achieved a whopping speed of about 400kmph during its test trips in Spain.

The train was ordered by Spanish National Railways Renfe, and operates on the Barcelona-Madrid line.

5. TALGO 350 (T350)

Operating speed: 350 km/h

Capacity: 360 km/h

Talgo 350, which initially entered service with the name RENFE AVE Class 10, was developed by Patentes Talgo (Tren Articulado Ligero Goicoechea Oriol) and manufactured by Patentes Talgo in collaboration with Bombardier Transportation.

Commonly known as El Pato (meaning The Duck in Spanish), the train has been operating on the Madrid-Zaragoza-Lleida section of the Madrid-Barcelona line in Spain since 2005.

6. SHINKANSEN E5, JAPAN

Operating speed: 320 km/h

Capacity: 400 km/h

Nicknamed the duck-billed platypus because of its distinctive nose, the Shinkansen E5 bullet train began commercial operations in 2011. The train is operated by East Japan Railway Company and connects Tokyo with Aomori.

The train features full active suspension (FSA) system, which reduces the vibration of the moving bogies, and a 15m long nose which reduces the sound blast in tunnels.

7. TGV, FRANCE

Operating speed: 320 km/h

Capacity: 380 km/h

France's TGV (Train à Grande Vitesse, meaning high speed train) operates to 149 destinations across the country, with various connections to neighbouring countries. The TGV is considered the fastest way to visit the various regions of France.

8. ICE 3, GERMANY

Operating speed: 320 km/h

Capacity: 369 km/h

The Intercity-Express (ICE 3) is built by Siemens Bombardier and operated by Germany’s Deutsche Bahn. The train can seat a maximum of 458 passengers and runs on high-speed lines, such as Frankfurt-Cologne.

9. ALSTOM EURODUPLEX

Operating speed: 320 km/h

Capacity: 320 km/h

Alstom-built Euroduplex is the third generation of TGV Duplex, which are touted to be the only double-decker, interoperable high-speed trains capable of running on European networks at 320kmph.

The Euroduplex was initially introduced on the Rhine-Rhone LGV high-speed rail line. The train is capable of transporting 1,020 passengers (multiple units), compared to TGV Duplex which transports about 512 passengers.

Euroduplex trains are designed to operate on French, German, Swiss and Luxembourgish rail networks. They are equipped with traction systems adapted to different electric currents used across Europe.

10. KTX- SANCHEON, SOUTH KOREA

Operating speed: 305 km/h

Capacity: 330 km/h

Built by Hyundai Rotem, South Korea’s high-speed KTX-II, renamed the KTX-Sancheon, began operations in 2010 and carries just over 360 passengers.

So the next time you get a chance to travel in any of these countries, you know which train to take! 

Enjoy your journey!!!

AND FISH CAN FLY...... Well they really can!!

Flying fish ( Exocoetidae) is one of the most interesting types of fish due to its ability to glide through the air.

There are 40 different species of flying fish that can be found in all oceans of the world. They prefer tropical and subtropical water of Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Ocean.

Flying fish are especially abundant in the Caribbean Sea.

Barbados was known as the "The land of flying fish" in the past. Flying fish are often hunted by fisherman. Luckily their number in the wild is still stable and they are not listed as endangered species.

HOW FISH FLY!!!

To prepare for a glide, the fish swim rapidly close to the surface of the water, with their fins close to the body. 

As they leave the water, they spread their fins and rapidly propel themselves forward with their tails. 

Eventually, even the tail leaves the water and the fish are airborne. They can even flap their "wings".

In gliding, flying fish can almost double their speed, reaching speeds up to 60 km/h. The glides are usually up to 30-50 metres in length, but some have been observed soaring for hundreds of metres using the updraft on the leading edges of waves.

The fish can also make a series of glides, each time dipping the tail into the water to produce forward thrust.

INTERESTING FLYING FISH FACTS

Size of flying fish depends on the species. They are usually 7 to 12 inches long.

Upper side of the body of flying fish is bluish-grey. Their belly is grayish-silver. Flying fish has forked tail.

Pectoral fins of flying fish can be spread into wing-like shape.

Flying fish are shaped like torpedo. Their fins are closed when they swim to ensure faster movement through the water.

Flying fish can reach the height of 4 feet in the air, and glide distance of 655 feet before returning back to the water.

Main predators of flying fish are marlin, tuna, swordfish, mackerel and humans.

Flying fish are very sensitive and easily attracted by the light (fishermen use light to guide flying fish toward their ships). Despite that fact, flying fish hunts mainly during the night.

Flying fish live close to the water surface and feed on plankton, bacteria and other tiny marine creatures.

Mating season of flying fish takes place when the ocean currents are the weakest.

Flying fish live in large groups and their number can exceed million individuals during the mating season.

Females deposit large number of eggs near the surface of the water.Eggs are usually attached to the floating debris.

Young flying fish have whiskers near the mouths, and they look like the underwater plants. This appearance ensures survival during the first few days of life, when the youngsters are the most vulnerable.

Average lifespan of flying fish is around 5 years in the wild.