Sepetang Dipinggir Bukit: April 2015

Saturday, 18 April 2015

EM-1 Orion crew module set for first weld milestone in May April 15, 2015 by Chris Bergin

The historic “first weld” of the Exploration Mission -1 (EM-1) Orion is set to take place on May 1 at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans. Building on the experience of the Exploration Flight Test -1 (EFT-1) Orion, this new spacecraft will be constructed for a major test flight on the maiden mission for the Space Launch System (SLS) in 2018.

Giving Birth To Orion:

The milestones for the EM-1 Orion mirror the path taken by the EFT-1 spacecraft. However, the EM-1 Orion will sport a number of improvements based on the experiences of the 2014 test flight.

The EFT-1 Orion’s “first weld” was marked as a major milestone in NASA’s transition back to Beyond Earth Orbit (BEO) exploration for human space flight, with the Agency citing the 2011 milestone as the first time NASA had pieced together a “human” space vehicle since the birth of Shuttle orbiter Endeavour.

As with the EFT-1 Orion, the EM-1 Orion will be welded together using an innovative new friction stir welding process, developed especially for Orion construction as part of MAF’s own transition from constructing External Tanks to producing both Orion and SLS hardware.

Friction welding creates a seamless, leak-proof bond that has proven stronger and higher in quality than can be achieved with conventional welding.

EFT-1’s successful trip into space provided engineers with a proof of concept for the structural integrity of the capsule, with post flight checkouts showing the vehicle to be in excellent shape.

*Click Here for more Orion News Articles*

The crew module is currently at the Launch Abort System Facility (LASF) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) before being turned over to KSC Ground Operations.

According to EFT-1 post-flight processing information (L2), the final inspections – that are being conducted to support the test flight report – are nearing completion.

2014-12-10 17_20_53-EFT-1 Orion NSF Exclusive Access USS Anchorage Imagery

Those post-flight tasks have included the removal of the heat shield, which will be shipped to the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) for further evaluation.

Early reports note the entire Thermal Protection System (TPS) performed above expectations, allowing for refinements to be made for EM-1’s heat shield, which will allow for a lighter variant.

However, engineers still need to work out how to create a heat shield for Orion that will be able to cope with the super-high velocity re-entries from deep space missions, including those returning from Mars.

For the construction of the EM-1 Orion, tasked with an unmanned mission 70,000 kilometers past the Moon, work has been progressing across the country to prepare for the assembly of the spacecraft, as overviewed in L2’s EM-1 Processing Update Section.

This included pathfinder work at Metalex, while machining on the EM-1 pressure vessel involved the first pathfinder aft bulkhead being built at Ingersoll Machine Tools. The pathfinder forward bulkhead was constructed at Janicki Industries, while the pathfinder three-piece cone panel has also been created.

The pathfinder and EM-1 crew module barrels were both being fabricated at Votaw with the pathfinder going through a final machine pass. The backbone panel was also in fabrication at Votaw in April.

The EM-1 cone panel D-E was set up at Aero Pacific and began machining on April 6, while the last mock cone panel was “in weld” at MAF with shipment to Pacific Coastal Aerospace expected this month.

The major note of interest in the processing information cited May 1 as the historic milestone for the EM-1 Crew Module shell “first weld” – which will mark the official construction of the next Orion, based on the 2011 fanfare surrounding the EFT-1 milestones.

The Crew Module will be joined by the Service Module (SM), which involves the European Space Agency (ESA) and its Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) technology.

Boeing recently conducted a Service Module instrumentation TIM (Technical Interchange Meeting) at WSTF (White Sands Test Facility) on March 19.

The European Service Module structural test article/crew module adaptor is currently at KSC waiting to be shipped to the GRC Plum Brook Facility.

The ESA side of the EM-1 SM path has been noted as the main issue for the schedule concerns that have played a role into the launch date for SLS’ first trip into space, although officials continue to deny that as the reason EM-1 slipped from December 2017 to mid-2018. Sources have not ruled out a slip to 2019.

CRS-6 Dragon successfully completes ISS berthing April 16, 2015 by Chris Bergin

While the internet community continues its fascination with the Falcon 9 First Stage landing attempt on the Autonomous Spaceport Drone Ship (ASDS), SpaceX’s primary mission objective – the CRS-6/SpX-6 Dragon – completed berthing operations with the International Space Station (ISS). The spacecraft was grappled by the Station’s “Big Arm” at 6:55am Eastern on Friday, ahead of being attached to the orbital outpost.

CRS-6:

The SpX-6/CRS-6 Dragon began her journey to the ISS atop of her Falcon 9 v1.1 partner earlier this week, via another smooth ascent uphill – confirmed by the quick look status report into the rocket’s performance.

Dragon, fast becoming a Station veteran, then completed her on orbit operations and checkouts, including the spreading of her solar arrays shortly after separation.

Per the primary mission objectives, everything went by the book through this first element of the CRS-6 mission. However, a large amount of focus was placed on the First Stage that had been involved in the opening few minutes of the ride into space.

This was due to the stage making another landing attempt on SpaceX’s landing platform vessel sporting the SpaceX’s logo as a target for the landing legs of the core stage.

The first stage made its best landing attempt to date but was unable to remain upright after hitting the deck with too much velocity and at a slight angle, resulting in the loss of the stage.

Another attempt will be made during the CRS-7 launch.

Meanwhile, Dragon continued her orbital journey, conducting numerous burns to position herself for Friday’s arrival, with her propulsion system – a set of four “quads” of thrusters – successfully completing a priming phase, ahead of bringing the thruster systems up to operation via the pressurizing the fuel tanks and injection of gaseous helium.

Cable car project will not involve land reclamation, says Guan Eng

Penang is going ahead with a RM4.5 billion light rail transit (LRT) project as part of the solutions to the state's public transport problems, The Star reported today.

The 17.5km elevated LRT line is expected to connect Komtar, the state's tallest building, and the Penang International Airport.

Apart from the LRT project, a 3km cable car system known as the Sky Cab is also being planned to link the Penang Sentral transport hub in Butterworth on the mainland and Gat Lebuh Noordin in George Town on the island, the report said.

Construction for the LRT project is expected to begin next year while the Sky Cab project is scheduled to take off in 2018.

The LRT project will form part of the much-awaited RM27 billion Penang Transport Master Plan (PTMP) which also includes a 25km expressway linking Bayan Leppas and Tanjung Bungah.

Citing sources, The Star report said Gamuda Bhd, IJM Corp Bhd and a Chinese company have been shortlisted for the projects.

Penang Local Government Traffic Management and Flood Mitigation Committee chairman Chow Kon Yeow had said in an interview that the LRT line – which will be supported by a revamped stage bus system and trams – would be a priority, with completion expected in five to six years.

The Star report said in return for their role in helping the state to realise its transport master plan, the Chinese company would get to reclaim about 566ha in Seberang Prai, of which 161.8ha is located near the North Butterworth Container Terminal and 404ha near Bagan.

Chow said some of the projects would be under the purview of the federal govermnment.

Meanwhile, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng expects the Sky Cab project to be operational in three years, The Star reported.

"The Penang Sky Cab project is in advanced exploratory stage and if everything goes according to the technical specifications, we should be able to go on board in 2018.

"This project is an initiative of the state government and Penang Sentral to provide a reliable route from the mainland to the island," he was quoted as saying.

Lim said while the south side of the island had the first and second bridges connecting it to the mainland, on the north side there was only the ferry service.

"We feel that one more form of travel will decrease the dependence on automobiles," The Star quoted him as saying.

Lim said the Sky Cab would take about 15 minutes each way and would be able to cater up to 1,000 passengers per hour per direction.

Penang Sentral property and retail division senior vice-president Shireen Mohd Iqbal said the cable car would be 90m above sea level with 50m between each pylon and eight or nine towers spaced about 500m apart.

"An observatory tower is also being considered," The Star quoted him as saying.

The Penang Sentral Cable Car Station will be located next to the Penang Sentral Transportation Hub, which includes the Sultan Abdul Halim ferry terminal.

Penang Sentral will then become a travel hub offering taxi, bus, rail, ferry and Sky Cab service. – April 16, 2015.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/citynews/georgetown/article/lrt-cable-car-to-solve-penangs-transport-woes#sthash.RBDcDHKq.dpuf

Malaysia, Netherlands to work together in peacekeeping – Bernama

General Tom Middendorp, a Dutch army general and the current chief of defence of Armed Forces of the Netherlands is on a two-day visit to Malaysia where he met with his counterpart Chief of Defence Forces General Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin. – Wikimedia Commons pic, April 18, 2015

Malaysia and the Netherlands have agreed to cooperate in training and exchanging of expertise in peacekeeping operations, said Chief of Defence Forces General Tan Sri Zulkifeli Mohd Zin.

He said the decision was made at a closed-door meeting with his Netherlands counterpart General Tom Middendorp, during the latter's courtesy call on him, this morning.

"(Each country) will send one personnel each for a period of two to three months. We will do this as soon as possible and I will communicate with the staff in the Netherlands," he said after the meeting at Wisma Pertahanan.

Zulkifeli said, the one-hour meeting had also discussed the recovery and investigation of the downed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

"Holland plays a major role in the investigation in the investigation and recovery of the aircraft and its passengers.

"(In the discussion) I expressed satisfaction with the efforts of the Netherlands and they too appreciated our country's contributions in the investigation," he said.

The Boeing 777-200 aircraft, which was believed to have been shot down, crashed in eastern Ukraine on July 17 last year, as it was flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 283 passengers and 15 crew on board.

Besides Malaysians, nationals from the Netherlands, Australia, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, the Philippines, Canada and New Zealand were on board.

In addition, Zulkifeli pointed out, that both countries had also shared on ways to strengthen the existing relationship.

Middendorp is on a two-day visit. – Bernama, April 18, 2015

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/malaysia/article/malaysia-netherlands-to-work-together-in-peacekeeping-bernama#sthash.ZPjW9mTK.dpuf

China builds runway in disputed South China Sea region

An airstrip construction on the Fiery Cross Reef in the South China Sea.– Reuters pic, April 17, 2015.

China is rapidly building an airstrip on an artificial island in disputed South China Sea waters, recent satellite pictures show, potentially ramping up tensions with several Southeast Asian neighbours.

Fiery Cross was little more than a reef when China began land reclamation works, to turn it into an island in late 2014.

Now, satellite images taken last week by DigitalGlobe and shown on the website of the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) show the runway, estimated at 3,110 metres in total, more than one-third complete, it says.

When in operation, it says, it will be able to "accommodate almost any type of aircraft that China would want to land".

"Before this construction, China lacked the refuelling and resupply capabilities to reach the southern part of the South China Sea," it added.

"While they have not yet been built, Fiery Cross should be big enough to accommodate hangar facilities for Chinese aircraft."

Pictures taken less than four weeks earlier, showed two sections of 468 metres and 200 metres were under construction, CSIS said, demonstrating the speed of the works.

On Wednesday, defence journal IHS Jane's reported that pictures taken by Airbus Defence and Space on March 23, showed a section more than 500 metres long and 50 metres wide.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, on the basis of lines on Chinese maps published in the 1940s and locking it into disputes with several Southeast Asian neighbours.

Its island-building in the Spratlys, also claimed in whole or part by the Philippines and Vietnam among others, has been seen as part of an attempt to assert its territorial claims by establishing physical facts in the water.

Fiery Cross is known as Yongshu to Beijing, Kagitinan to Manila, and Da Chu Thap to Hanoi.

Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia have asserted their own claims in area, by stationing troops in the Spratlys and building airstrips there from the 1970s onwards.

But Philippine President Benigno Aquino told AFP on Tuesday that China's moves in the region should spark fear around the world, with military conflict possible.

Beijing quickly dismissed his comments as "groundless".

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said today, that China's island construction was "mainly for the sake of improving the relevant functions of these island and reefs, and improving the conditions of workers on the islands and reefs".

Such construction was also aimed at "improving search and rescue, environmental protection, security of sea lanes, and safety of fishing activities," he told a regular briefing.

Last November, the US warned that the Fiery Cross project could accommodate an airstrip.

"We urge China to stop its land reclamation programme, and engage in diplomatic initiatives to encourage all sides to restrain themselves in these sorts of activities," military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Pool said.

US President Barack Obama warned last week that Beijing should not "elbow aside" countries it is in dispute with in the South China Sea. – AFP, April 17, 2015.

- See more at: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/world/article/china-builds-runway-in-disputed-south-china-sea-region#sthash.jfLQ3

Wednesday, 8 April 2015

Kalvari, the first of the Indian Navy's six Scorpene class stealth submarines, was on Monday "undocked" in Delhi, paving the way for sea trials and its eventual commissioning in September 2016. The event was witnessed by defence minister Manohar Parrikar, who warned that for future projects, there will be a penalty for delay and reward for early completion.

The six Scorpenes are being built by Mazagon Docks Ltd in collaboration with French firm DCNS. Christened 'Project 75', the Scorpenes have already seen a delay of almost 40 months. While the first delivery was scheduled for 2012, the revised date is September of next year. The navy said that the project has "now been brought on track and the delivery schedule for the successive submarines has been reduced".

Parrikar asked the defence public sector yards - MDL and Goa shipyard - to double their production in the coming three years. "I have asked all the defence PSUs to double their production in the next three years," he said.

The defence minister also said that as far as P75(I) Project was concerned, private players can also be invited for a joint venture, which would help in the early completion of the project. P75(I) is the next project of the Navy under which six submarines will be built in India.

He warned that if the project was not completed within the stipulated timeframe, the defaulting yard would have to pay a penalty. Early completion of the project, on the other hand, would be rewarded with a bonus, he said.

Tuesday, 7 April 2015

JAMES H. DOOLITTLE.

General James Harold “Jimmy” Doolittle (1896-1993) was a pioneering pilot, aeronautical engineer, combat leader and military strategist whose career stretched from World War I to the height of the Cold War. He is most famous for leading a daring bombing raid over Tokyo in 1942, the first American attack on the Japanese mainland. Doolittle’s 16 planes dropped their bombs and then, lacking fuel to return to their carrier, flew on to crash-land in China and the Soviet Union.

JIMMY DOOLITTLE: EARLY YEARS

James Harold “Jimmy” Doolittle was born in Alameda, California, but spent much of his childhood in western Alaska. His father, Frank, was a gold prospector and carpenter in Nome, where young Jimmy learned to fight bullies and pilot a dogsled. Eventually Rosa and Jimmy Doolittle returned to California, leaving Frank behind.

Did You Know?

To aid his record-breaking 1922 coast-to-coast flight, U.S. military strategist Jimmy Doolittle invented a funnel-and-tube-based "pilot dehydrator"—possibly the earliest airplane toilet.

Jimmy attended high school in Los Angeles, where he distinguished himself as a gymnast and boxer. He then began courses at the University of California at Berkeley’s School of Mines.

JIMMY DOOLITTLE: FIRST FLIGHTS

In 1917 Doolittle became a flying cadet in the U.S. Army Signal Corps. He was soon soloing and serving as a flight gunnery instructor. He later requested a transfer to the European theater, but the armistice dashed his dreams of combat.

Instead, Doolittle worked at the Army’s Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas, before returning to Berkeley to complete his degree. In 1922 he became the first pilot to fly coast to coast in under 24 hours, making the journey from Florida to California with just one stop. The Army sent him to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned master’s and doctoral degrees in aeronautical engineering.

He spent the rest of the decade working as a test pilot for military and civilian planes, setting air race records and helping to develop instruments that allowed pilots to fly in whiteout conditions. In 1930 he left the army for higher-paying work at the Shell Oil Company, where he pressed for the adoption of advanced aviation fuel.

JIMMY DOOLITTLE: THE DOOLITTLE RAID

Returning to the army full-time in 1940, Doolittle continued his test pilot work until January of 1942, when he was summoned by General Henry H. “Hap” Arnold to lead a raid on the Japanese mainland. At the time Japan’s defensive perimeter in the Pacific was wide enough to make it invulnerable to conventional carrier-based attacks.

Sixteen Army B-25 bombers were rigged with doubled fuel capacity and loaded on the aircraft carrier USS Hornet. The original plan called for bombing five major cities, but last-minute detection of the Hornet forced the planes to launch a day early.

With Doolittle in the lead, the planes survived storms and anti-aircraft fire to drop four bombs each on Tokyo, striking industrial facilities and a light cruiser. Several bombs hit civilian areas, killing 50 and injuring 400.

The Doolittle Raiders, as the planes’ pilots became known, flew on toward China. They had planned to land in areas controlled by Chinese Nationalists, but all ran out of fuel and crashed. Most of the crews parachuted to the ground, where with local help they were able to reach the Nationalist lines. One crew landed in Vladivostok and was interned by the Soviets. Three died in the crashes, and eight were captured by the Japanese.

JIMMY DOOLITTLE: AFTERMATH OF THE RAID

In America the raid was cause for celebration. The 45-year-old Doolittle, who had worried he would be court-martialed for missing his primary targets, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and promoted two ranks to brigadier general.

The attack was a psychological blow for the Japanese, who moved four fighter groups from the war’s front lines to protect their cities. Following the raid, Japanese battalions killed 250,000 Chinese civilians in areas suspected of aiding the American airmen.

JIMMY DOOLITTLE: WAR STRATEGY, FINAL YEARS

Doolittle was given a series of command roles in North Africa and Europe, eventually leading the powerful Eighth Air Force with its 42,000 combat aircraft. He modified U.S. bomber escort tactics, freeing fighters to pursue their German counterparts.

Doolittle’s last significant mark on U.S. policy came in a classified report on covert operations for Dwight Eisenhower in 1954, which stated that for Cold Warespionage, “acceptable norms of human conduct do not apply.”

In 1959 Doolittle retired as a lieutenant general and returned to an executive position at Shell. In 1985 Ronald Reagan promoted Doolittle to a full four-star general. Doolittle died on September 27, 1993, at age 96.

By Ben Wolfgang - The Washington Times - Thursday, April 12, 2012

In the days following Lt. Col. James H. “Jimmy” Doolittle’s daring raid on Tokyo and five other Japanese cities, no one was talking — not even President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Speaking to reporters on April 21, 1942, three days after the mission, an almost playful Roosevelt still wouldn’t confirm news stories originating from Japan that the bombing run had taken place.

“Would you care to go so far as to confirm the truth of the Japanese reports that Tokyo was bombed?” a reporter asked the president, according to news conference transcripts.

“No, I couldn’t even do that,” Roosevelt replied. “I am depending on Japanese reports very largely.”

Japanese media first reported the Doolittle mission just hours after it had taken place. American outlets, including the New York Times, announced shortly thereafter that Tokyo and other Japanese cities had been bombed by American planes, painting it as the first retaliation against the Japanese homeland following the brazen attack on Pearl Harbor less than four months earlier. Their reports, while not verified by Roosevelt or military officials, weren’t denied, either.

But many questions remained, chief among them being where the 16 B-25 bombers had launched. The Doolittle Raid, the first joint operation between the U.S. Army Air Force and the Navy, was also the first time B-25s had taken off from the deck of an aircraft carrier. The planes previously had been used exclusively for land-based missions, and most reporters and others weren’t considering the possibility they had taken off at sea.

Playing coy, Roosevelt said the bombers had taken off from “Shangri-La,” a fictional location in the 1933 novel “Lost Horizon.” Two years later, as an homage to the president’s wisecrack, the Navy commissioned an aircraft carrier named the USS Shangri-La. It remained in service until the early 1970s.

While Roosevelt was intent on staying mum, members of Congress did not follow suit. Some speculated that the mission must have launched from China.

“That is about the only place from which an air attack could have been carried out successfully,” said Colorado Sen. Edwin C. Johnson, according to an April 18 New York Times article.

In reality, most of the 80 Doolittle Raiders bailed out over China or crashed near the coast after taking off from the USS Hornet more than 600 miles from Japan.

Other officials were quoted in the same Times story praising the raid, which confirmed the rumors that it had, in fact, taken place.

“This will prove TNT in boosting morale, not only at home, but especially in China and Russia,” said Pennsylvania Rep. John Buell Snyder, chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee on war expenditures.

Sen. D. Worth Clark of Idaho also lauded the mission, saying, “This is the only way we are going to win the war — start right in bombing them at home.”

Some secrecy lingered, but in 1944, Doolittle and his Raiders were cemented in American history after being portrayed in the film “Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.”

INTERVIEW WITH GEN. JAMES H. DOOLITTLE.

The National Museum of the United Air Force features a North American B-25 displayed as it looked on the deck of the USS Hornet. The video presentation that is incorporated into that display is reproduced here in words, photos, sounds and video. The words of Gen. James H. Doolittle, the commander of the Tokyo Raid, are from an interview conducted in 1980.

Narrator: April 18th, 1942. Sixteen B-25s, Mitchell medium bombers, sit on the pitching deck of an aircraft carrier at sea. Their mission, bomb Tokyo, just four months after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

General Doolittle: It had three real purposes. One purpose was to give the folks at home the first good news that we'd had in World War II. It caused the Japanese to question their warlords. And from a tactical point of view, it caused the retention of aircraft in Japan for the defense of the home islands when we had no intention of hitting them again, seriously in the near future. Those airplanes would have been much more effective in the South Pacific where the war was going on. (Click to hear audio: Three Real Purposes)
A Navy captain named Low conceived the idea of taking Army medium bombers off of a Navy carrier and attacking Japan. The B-25 was selected because it was small, because it had the sufficient range to carry 2,000 pou (of) bombs, 2,000 miles, and because it took off and handled very well. First I found out what B-25 unit had had the most experience and then went to that crew, that organization and called for volunteers and the entire group, including the group commander, volunteered. (Click to hear audio: Getting Ready)
Narrator: The training was hard; no one had ever taken off a fully loaded B-25 in less than 500 feet. First they had to prove it could be done, then they had to train the people to do it. Before they were through, one of the Mitchells would lift off in only 287 feet. The crews proved they were good and so were their airplanes.

The raid was carefully planned, nothing was left to chance. Norden bombsights were replaced by 20 cent improvised models to prevent the secret devises from falling into enemy hands. Doolittle then considered what to do if the task force was spotted by the Japanese.

General Doolittle: If we were intercepted by Japanese surface [ships] or aircraft, our aircraft would immediately leave the decks. If they were within range of Tokyo, they would go ahead and bomb Tokyo, even though they would run out of gasoline shortly thereafter. That was the worst thing we could think of. And if we were not in range of Tokyo, we would go back to Midway. If we were not in range of either Tokyo or Midway, we would permit our aeroplanes to be pushed overboard so the decks could be cleared for the use of the carrier's own, carrier Hornet's, own aircraft. (Click to hear audio: Pre-Launch)
Narrator: On the morning of April 18th, 1942, the task force was sighted by Japanese patrol boats. The boats were quickly destroyed, but they could have transmitted a position report. It was eight hours before scheduled take-off ,an additional 400 miles to the target. Gas reserves would be dangerous low, but they were spotted and they would have to go.

General Doolittle: The program went almost according to plan. We were to go bomb our targets, turn in a general southerly direction, get out to sea as quickly as possible, and after being out of sight of land, turn and take a westerly course to China.(Click to hear audio: The Plan)
We came in on the deck. We pulled up to about fifteen hundred feet to bomb in order to make sure we weren't hit by the fragments of our own bombs. (Click to hear audio: The Raid)
And I would say that the feeling was "Get the job done and get the heck out of there." The actual damage done by the raid was minimal. We were 16 aeroplanes each carrying one ton of bombs. In later raids, General LeMay with his 20th Air Force, sent out 500 planes on a mission, each carrying 10 tons of bombs. (Click to hear audio: The Results)
Narrator: Reaching a safe haven after the raid wasn't easy. And because they had to take-off much sooner than planned, they were very low on fuel.

General Doolittle: One crew went to Vladivostok, the other 15 of us proceeded until we got to the coast of China. When we got to China, two aeroplanes were so low on fuel that they landed in the surf along side of the beach. Two people were drowned, eight of them got ashore. The weather was quite bad, so we flew on until we got to where we thought we were as close as we could get to where we wanted to go. Having been on dead reckoning for quite awhile, we weren't precisely there, and then we all jumped. (Click to hear audio: The Aftermath)

Narrator: Eighty crew members flew in the Doolittle Raid, 64 returned to fight again. They were part of a team, recognized for its professionalism and heroism, a rich heritage remembered by a new generation of airmen.

April 18 1942 - The Doolittle Raid is Launched from the USS Hornet.

Printable Fact Sheet

Crew No. 1 (Plane #40-2344, target Tokyo): 34th Bombardment Squadron, Lt. Col. James H. Doolittle, pilot; Lt. Richard E. Cole, copilot; Lt. Henry A. Potter, navigator; SSgt. Fred A. Braemer, bombardier; SSgt. Paul J. Leonard, flight engineer/gunner. (U.S. Air Force photo)

Eight of the surviving 16 Doolittle Raiders raise their goblets for their fallen brothers during their 64th reunion in Dayton, Ohio, April 18, 2006. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Cecilio M. Ricardo Jr.)

Lt. Col. Jimmy Doolittle accepts a medal from the skipper of the USS Hornet, Capt. Marc A. Mitscher. The medal, once given to a U.S. Navy officer by the Japanese, was wired to a 500-pound bomb for return to Japan "with interest." (U.S. Air Force photo)

The Mission and the Man
In January 1942, Gen. Henry "Hap" Arnold selected Lt. Col. James Doolittle to lead Special Aviation Project No. 1, the bombing of Japan. Doolittle, who enlisted in the Army in 1917, became a flying cadet and received his commission in 1918. In the late 1920s and the early 1930s, he won the prestigious Schneider, Bendix and Thompson aviation trophies. He made the first blind flight in 1929 during which he took off, flew and landed while being completely dependent upon aircraft instruments. Doolittle left the Army Air Corps in 1930, but when war appeared imminent, in 1940 he returned to active duty. Although the Doolittle Raid of April 18, 1942, caused only minor damage, it forced the Japanese to recall combat forces for home defense, raised fears among the Japanese civilians, and boosted morale among Americans and our Allies abroad.

North American B-25B Mitchell
The B-25 medium bomber was one of America's most famous airplanes of World War II, and more than 9,800 were built. It saw duty in every combat area, being flown by the Dutch, British, Chinese, Russians and Australians in addition to U.S. forces. Although the B-25 was originally intended for level bombing from medium altitudes, Pacific Theater aircrews often used it at low level to attack Japanese airfields and strafe and skip bomb enemy shipping.

The U.S. Army Air Forces chose the B-25 for the Doolittle Raid because it was the only aircraft available with the required range, bomb capacity and short takeoff distance. The B-25Bs and 24 trained volunteer crews came from the 17th Bombardment Group, Pendleton Field, Ore.

The airplane on display at the museum is a B-25D rebuilt by North American to the configuration of a B-25B used on the Tokyo Raid. It was flown to the museum in April 1958.

The Training
The crews selected for the mission received their training at Eglin Field, Fla. Lt. Henry L. Miller, a Navy pilot from Pensacola Naval Station, provided assistance on how to take off within 300 feet, the available distance on the carrier USS Hornet. The crews also practiced cross-country and night flying, navigating without radio references or landmarks, low-level bombing and aerial gunnery. They completed their training in mid-March and later flew to San Francisco to board the carrier.

The Bombsight
Instead of the Norden bombsight, which was ineffective at low altitudes, Capt. C. Ross Greening, pilot and armament officer for Doolittle's group designed a replacement bombsight (seen in the nose of the aircraft). This bombsight was connected to the cockpit through the pilot direction indicator, allowing the bombardier to give the pilot aircraft turn directions without relying on voice communication. Using materials costing 20 cents, the metal working shops at Eglin Field manufactured the bombsights.

The Aircraft Carrier
The newly-built aircraft carrier USS Hornet was chosen to carry Doolittle's B-25s toward Japan. In March it sailed to Alameda Naval Air Station near San Francisco to load the Army Air Forces aircraft, 72 officers and 64 enlisted men. On April 2, 1942, not wanting to sail at night because of an inexperienced crew, the Hornet's captain, Marc A. Mitscher, left for the secret mission in broad daylight.

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