F-16s shoot down balloon near Michigan

TFR 3/4885, active on 12 Feb 2023 (Fargo Orbit / OpenStreetMap)

On 12 Feb 2023, NORAD issued a TFR over Lake Michigan, roughly between Marinette, Wisconsin and Traverse City, Michigan. The order expired at 1730Z, or 11:30am local time.

Reports indicate that an F-16 shot down yet another balloon, this time over the Great Lakes. Yesterday’s incident in Montana was a false alarm.

Duluth Airshow Roars Over North Shore

4 Vans RV-3 (Vanguard Squadron) powered by ethanol fuel at KDLH 17 Jul 2022.

The two-day Duluth Airshow brought aviation to life for hundreds braving the hot, humid weather. The Fargo Orbit was there Sunday, 17 July 2022.

[Further details to follow]

Ground displays

Air displays

Coronavirus information

FiveThirtyEight has published an excellent summary of what every person needs to know about COVID-19, which is updated frequently.

Vaccines are widely available in the US and Canada for walk-in service at medical providers and pharmacies. Many areas are still operating dedicated immunization clinics. Vaccines are safe and effective, including against the omicron variant of concern. Vaccines are now available for all age groups.

As of June 2022, travel restrictions have largely ended for travellers with up-to-date vaccinations. Be ready to show proof of vaccination when crossing national borders. Canada also requires use of the ArriveCAN app or website.

Continue reading “Coronavirus information”

How to build science literacy and respect

Jenny Dauer of the University of Nebraska and Noah Feinstein of the University of Wisconsin participated in a discussion of how to boost science literacy and engagement at the AAAS virtual conference on 20 February 2022.

Noah Feinstein engages on rebuilding public respect for science at AAAS, 20 Feb 2022. (AAAS)

Rather than repeat common platitudes like “trust science”, Feinstein goes much further, first establishing confidence in why he is qualified to speak on the topic of science literacy, and then covering many of the ways science institution have been actively undermined among the general public.

Feinstein’s talk clearly addresses the weaknesses that science both has, and appears to have, and asks the public not necessarily to blindly trust, but to show “appropriate respect” for the knowledge generated by science, and to forgive some of the imperfections in scientific institutions, traits shared by all human endeavours.

Jenny Dauer shows how to teach science literacy at the AAAS conference, 20 Feb 2022. (AAAS)

Dauer covers how to educate college students to approach scientific decisionmaking, even in highly controversial environments. The University of Nebraska offers a course called Science Literacy 101, where students Students thereby receive valuable tools to incorporate systems analysis and science literacy into their future leadership.

Dauer also delves into the complexity of teaching students with certain ideas or positions that are ensconced in their personal identities, and discusses some approaches to better engage them to improve their receptiveness to new science that conflicts with their worldviews.

The two talks were part of a three-talk session presented at the AAAS conference, “Learning about Science Literacy from the Covid-19 Pandemic”, which moderated by Felicia Kessing of Bard College. The third talk in the session, on science engagement with disaffected communities, was given by Raj Pandya of the American Geophysical Union.

Hot abort past fortnight

Orbital news
23 Aug 2020 0227 UT – Jiuquan CZ-2D Gaofen-9
29 Aug 2020 0728 UT – Canaveral Delta IV USMil (abort)
31 Aug 2020 0305 UT – Mahia Electron Sequoia Photon
31 Aug 2020 2044 UT – OGO-1 reentry (hangtime 55yr11mo26d 19h21m)
31 Aug 2020 2318 UT – Canaveral Falcon 9 SAOCOM 1B

03 Sep 2020 0151 UT – Kourou Vega rideshare mission
03 Sep 2020 1246 UT – Canaveral Falcon 9 Starlink

Regional news
21 Aug 2020 – Wildfire smoke reaches Calgary
21 Aug 2020 – Manitoba pilot hits glass ceiling in public service hiring
22 Aug 2020 – US domestic surveillance flights declared lawful
24 Aug 2020 – Dr. Cindy Blaha (Carleton C) featured by Minnesota Space Grant
24 Aug 2020 – Kyle Fraser-Mines (Carleton C) featured by Minnesota Space Grant

24 Aug 2020 – Carleton C galactic emissions study featured by Minnesota Space Grant
24 Aug 2020 – Dr. Ryan Terrien (Carleton C) featured by Minnesota Space Grant
24 Aug 2020 – Eric Kuha, MS (Leech Lake TC) featured by Minnesota Space Grant
24 Aug 2020 – St. Catharine U Ballooning Team featured by Minnesota Space Grant
24 Aug 2020 – Leech Lake TC rocket team featured by Minnesota Space Grant

24 Aug 2020 – Freja Olsen (Carleton C) featured by Minnesota Space Grant
24 Aug 2020 – Satellite imagery of Iowa derecho damage
24 Aug 2020 – Delta furloughs almost 2000 pilots
26 Aug 2020 – Carleton C stellar spectroscopy featured by Minnesota Space Grant
26 Aug 2020 – New North Dakota aviation scholarship

27 Aug 2020 – Omaha plans new science museum
27 Aug 2020 – Delta bans maskless fliers
27 Aug 2020 – U Wisconsin gets data science grant
27 Aug 2020 – Saskatchewan will produce rare earth elements
27 Aug 2020 – Winners announced from 21 Aug SNOLAB Science Talks

28 Aug 2020 – Bozeman drone firm Ascent Vision Technology sold to CACI
28 Aug 2020 – Nebraska wildfire spreads over 16 sq km
28 Aug 2020 – Montana pilot dies in Oregon fighting fires
29 Aug 2020 – Skydiving fatality near Westlock AB
29 Aug 2020 – Lost drone returned to owner in Thunder Bay

29 Aug 2020 – Sun Country parcel deal keeps airline afloat
31 Aug 2020 – American Airlines will compete with Allegiant on Billings-Phoenix route
31 Aug 2020 – Mackenzie Klima (Iowa SU) featured by Iowa Space Grant
31 Aug 2020 – Restored Korean War B-25J flies through Missoula
01 Sep 2020 – Fatal case of Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever in Nebraska

01 Sep 2020 – Saskatoon library is local election issue
01 Sep 2020 – Art contest details from Iowa Space Grant
01 Sep 2020 – Drake U announces new partner 2-year institution: John Dee Bright C
01 Sep 2020 – Snowbirds flight team reinstated, fly Tutors back to Moose Jaw
01 Sep 2020 – WestJet passes higher Nav Canada fees to customers

02 Sep 2020 – U Alberta education servers crash on first day of class
02 Sep 2020 – Art contest details from Wisconsin Space Grant
02 Sep 2020 – Minnesota Space Grant cancels Midwest High Power Rocket Competition
02 Sep 2020 – MN-ROADS robotics program featured by Minnesota Space Grant
02 Sep 2020 – 16,000 furloughs planned at United Airlines

03 Sep 2020 – Concordia C plasma physics research featured by Minnesota Space Grant
03 Sep 2020 – Lisa Campbell now leader of Canadian Space Agency
03 Sep 2020 – TSB releases report on 10 May 2019 collision involving Sudbury-bound flight
03 Sep 2020 – North Dakota SU transportation studies count as STEM credit

Further news
23 Aug 2020 – PS752 flight data downloaded
25 Aug 2020 – Astronomers issue full report on how to see past glare of commsat clouds
25 Aug 2020 – Pulsar Fusion makes a plasma thruster, still chasing space fusion reactor
25 Aug 2020 – InSight detects Phobos transit
25 Aug 2020 – Tianwen-1 completes en route test

25 Aug 2020 – Crew returns to US side of ISS after leak check
25 Aug 2020 – Starliner plans for next three flights, starting as soon as December 2020
25 Aug 2020 – USPS mail processing sapped by cuts in Minnesota
25 Aug 2020 – Wildfire smoke billows into Iowa
26 Aug 2020 – ISS crew checks for air leak over extra day sealed in on Russian side

26 Aug 2020 – Hope probe images Mars
26 Aug 2020 – Skylab astronaut Jerry Carr dead at 88
27 Aug 2020 – Oneweb still getting new FCC approvals
28 Aug 2020 – SLS cost overruns
28 Aug 2020 – 787 defect grounds planes

29 Aug 2020 – Satellite TV operator DirecTV for sale again
31 Aug 2020 – Outage at CenturyLink affects over 3% of Internet traffic
31 Aug 2020 – Lucy, Jovian asteroid probe, starts assembly, may launch 2021
31 Aug 2020 – US mainline air carriers finally end onerous change fees
31 Aug 2020 – Teprel-B rocket engine passes test

31 Aug 2020 – Amazon approved to fly drone deliveries in US airspace
01 Sep 2020 – JAXA moon rover named ‘Lunar Cruiser’
01 Sep 2020 – Small nuclear reactor from NuScale gets US safety approval
01 Sep 2020 – Airline internet provider Gogo bought by Intelsat
01 Sep 2020 – Jetpack operator spotted too close to LAX

01 Sep 2020 – FAA approves Electron launches from Virginia
02 Sep 2020 – Plasma thruster research featured by ESA
02 Sep 2020 – The Register interviews Rocket Lab exec
02 Sep 2020 – Minuteman III test launch at Vandenberg AFB
02 Sep 2020 – SLS booster test

02 Sep 2020 – SpaceX seeks FCC broadband funds
03 Sep 2020 – FAA awards airport grants
03 Sep 2020 – US drone part import ban affects firefighting
03 Sep 2020 – Starship SN6 test flight

COVID-19 matters
21 Aug 2020 – Ontario finalizes 3M PPE factory deal
22 Aug 2020 – Canada Post closes Edmonton plant for cleaning after COVID case
22 Aug 2020 – South Dakota COVID data hacked
22 Aug 2020 – U North Dakota surge in COVID cases
22 Aug 2020 – 42 cases sets new record in Manitoba

23 Aug 2020 – VIDO-InterVac vaccine building own production line, other delays
24 Aug 2020 – COVID-19 can be caught multiple times, body does not stay immune
25 Aug 2020 – FDA resets expectations for convalescent plasma: safe but only slightly effective
25 Aug 2020 – North Dakota SU prof publishes roundup of COVID drugs
25 Aug 2020 – COVID outbreak follows Sturgis rally

25 Aug 2020 – Nebraska COVID data struck by computer glitch
25 Aug 2020 – Minnesota requires COVID testing for nursing home staff
25 Aug 2020 – Hy-Vee pharmacies added to drive-through COVID test effort

26 Aug 2020 – U Wisconsin redesigns the facemask
26 Aug 2020 – Minnesota sticks to wider COVID test plan
26 Aug 2020 – Kenosee water park reopens after closure
27 Aug 2020 – New antigen tests need less lab equipment, demand still outpaces supply
28 Aug 2020 – ASM Logic of Burnsville MN creates software to coordinate COVID supplies in Cameroon

28 Aug 2020 – Lengthy recovery from COVID for ND Supreme Court justice
29 Aug 2020 – Major outbreak at U Iowa
29 Aug 2020 – Manitoba fighting outbreaks at nursing homes
31 Aug 2020 – Roblin MB fights to keep full hospital services in town
31 Aug 2020 – US cancels ventilator order

31 Aug 2020 – U Calgary dorms are 70% empty this year
31 Aug 2020 – Canada buys Novavax, J+J vaccines
31 Aug 2020 – U Wisconsin joins Phase III tests of AstraZeneca vaccine
31 Aug 2020 – Travel restrictions return to Northern Manitoba
31 Aug 2020 – One fifth of COVID tests at Iowa SU are positive

31 Aug 2020 – Iowa reaches highest COVID rate in US
31 Aug 2020 – Sweden strategy, poor in hindsight, considered for United States
01 Sep 2020 – Biohackers test experimental vaccines on themselves
01 Sep 2020 – U Nebraska-Lincoln greek houses quarantined
01 Sep 2020 – Phase II/III study of Regeneron antibodies in Sioux Falls

01 Sep 2020 – U Minnesota reopens after 2 week delay
02 Sep 2020 – US not joining international vaccine effort
02 Sep 2020 – Phase III test of AstraZeneca vaccine at HealthPartners in Minnesota
02 Sep 2020 – Studies continue to confirm steroids help COVID patients in hospital
02 Sep 2020 – Medtronic announces restructuring and layoffs

02 Sep 2020 – Likely first US vaccines will ship frozen: Moderna at -20C, Pfizer at ultracold -70 C
03 Sep 2020 – Manitoba will launch PPE test centre
03 Sep 2020 – Iowa schools reopen in COVID wave, lawsuits fly

August 2020 aviation safety roundup

Here is a list of recent aviation safety incidents in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and northwest Ontario that were reported to the Transportation Safety Board through 15 August 2020:

17 Jul 2020 – C-FHBS gear up landing at Olds-Didsbury AB
17 Jul 2020 – C-GDUK load jettison near Slave Lake AB
18 Jul 2020 – C-GUSD emergency landing near Winnipeg-St.Andrews
21 Jul 2020 – C-FFVS load jettison north of Red Lake ON
21 Jul 2020 – C-FVIY landing gear issue at Lethbridge
21 Jul 2020 – C-GQNS wire strike at Medstead SK
23 Jul 2020 – C-GRGO equipment failure near Calgary
24 Jul 2020 – C-FBRG damaged on landing at Chapleau ON
27 Jul 2020 – C-GEDF damaged on takeoff near Calmar AB
28 Jul 2020 – N370JA, N53134 loss of separation at Fort McMurray
29 Jul 2020 – AMT200 gear up landing at Regina
30 Jul 2020 – Learjet bird strike on takeoff at Thunder Bay
31 Jul 2020 – C-GKGA cowling separation incident at Regina
01 Aug 2020 – C-FSCT damaged on landing near Sault Ste. Marie ON
04 Aug 2020 – C-FCJZ icing incident at Regina
04 Aug 2020 – C-FHZB damaged on landing at Springbank AB
04 Aug 2020 – C-FSPN control issues at Leaf Rapids ON
04 Aug 2020 – C-GKIB damaged on landing at CFR7 (AB)
08 Aug 2020 – C-GQIF fuel spill at Estevan
11 Aug 2020 – C-FAJR hit by drone at Winnipeg-St.Andrews

Here is a list of recent aviation safety incidents in the Dakotas, Iowa, upper and western Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Wyoming, as reported to the Federal Aviation Administration through 14 August 2020:

17 Jul 2020 – N1962N damaged on landing at Osceola WI
20 Jul 2020 – N47T gear up landing at Burlington WI
20 Jul 2020 – N570WH wire strike near Dickeyville WI
21 Jul 2020 – N208MP damaged on landing at Thompson Falls MT
21 Jul 2020 – N2943C damaged on landing at Cambridge MN
25 Jul 2020 – N327WB crashed near Imperial NE
25 Jul 2020 – N502KJ fatal crash near Grant NE
27 Jul 2020 – N9278G emergency landing at Hartington NE
27 Jul 2020 – N53163 fatal crash near Corsica SD
27 Jul 2020 – N570WH collision on landing at Dakota WI
27 Jul 2020 – N771GB emergency landing at Hebron NE
29 Jul 2020 – N22709 emergency landing near Watertown SD
30 Jul 2020 – N4388T emergency landing near Powell WY
30 Jul 2020 – N337V fatal crash in Madison County MT
31 Jul 2020 – N16810 wire strike at Hubbard NE
01 Aug 2020 – N58B emergency landing near Helena
03 Aug 2020 – N45303 downdraft crash near Jackson Hole
03 Aug 2020 – N185GK runway excursion on landing at Kalispell
03 Aug 2020 – N67CD gear up landing at Sioux City
08 Aug 2020 – N5580W runway excursion on landing at Sparta WI
09 Aug 2020 – N89LA crashed near Logan IA
09 Aug 2020 – N6849B crashed in residential area near Burlington WI
10 Aug 2020 – N298WY crashed near Grover WY
12 Aug 2020 – N6299R emergency landing at Mosinee WI

No “fly-over country” during a presidential campaign

On 17 August 2020, a major party convention started a week of events in Milwaukee. Due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, the character of the event was changed to emphasize a 2020 that has become a national test on the boundaries of networked telepresence, though a smaller list of dignitaries have still flown in for local events at the Wisconsin Center.

Meanwhile, another major party candidate for president of the United States flew through Minnesota and Wisconsin, speaking on the tarmac at Minneapolis, and at FBOs in Mankato and Oshkosh.

ExpressJet regional airline shuts down

The Summer 2020 Midwest route network for ExpressJet. ExpressJet announced its imminent shutdown on 30 Jul 2020. (ExpressJet)

United Express regional airline ExpressJet is shutting down. The metro Atlanta-based airline announced the move in an e-mail notice to staff on 30 July 2020. Most ExpressJet staff have already been laid off, and have now lost their jobs.

CommutAir, another United Express regional airline based in metro Cleveland, will now operate the aircraft and destinations previously used by ExpressJet.

The move affects the United Airlines network at all remaining ExpressJet destinations, including Fargo, Sioux Falls, and Peoria. In October 2019, before the pandemic reduced demand for airline tickets, ExpressJet was serving Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Fargo, Grand Rapids, Green Bay, Lincoln, Madison, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Omaha, Peoria, Rochester, and Winnipeg.

July 2020 Aviation Safety Roundup

We’re starting an aviation safety roundup; most of these stories will now be here instead of in the regular space and science news roundups. Our next report on this will be in August 2020.

Continue reading “July 2020 Aviation Safety Roundup”

GPS flies and Beidou goes global last fortnight

The Long March 3B launch from Xichang on 23 Jun 2020 0143 UT, was covered live on television, unusual for a launch in China. The flight completed the Beidou-3 global satellite navigation constellation. (Xinhua)

Orbital news
23 Jun 2020 0143 UT – Xichang CZ-3B Beidou Navigation

Continue reading “GPS flies and Beidou goes global last fortnight”