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Week of 10/6/97:
Q:
The moon always appears larger when it is close to the horizon. Why?
No one came up with the following correct answer:
A:
Although it is tempting to say it is an atmospheric magnifying effect, it
is actually an optical illusion. Objects near the horizon give the moon a
frame of reference, leading us to think it is larger than when it is high in
the sky. A simple test of measuring the moon's diameter with calipers or a
ruler held at arm's length confirms this. This magnifying illusion can also
be observed with entire constellations.
Week of 10/13/97:
Q:
When the "Blackbird" spy plane was first built, it was named the
"Reconnaissance/Strike-71," or RS-71 (the "71" being the next number available
after the naming of the B-70 Valkyrie bomber). Why is it known today as the
"Strategic Reconnaissance-71," or SR-71?
A:
When president Lyndon Johnson announced the plane's existence, he mistakenly called
it the SR-71. Someone decided it was better to rename the plane rather than
to call attention to Johnson's gaffe.
Congratulations to Daniel Shedd.
Week of 10/20/97:
Q:
In the world of aircraft, does the sun ever rise in the west?
A:
Yes, If the aircraft is heading west faster than the Earth rotates, it
would appear to the occupants of the plane that the sun was rising in the west.
Congratulations to Nathan Richardson.
Jerry Glasser and Ted Ross once took off after sunset in an
SR-71. They flew a westerly course, and, since the day/night terminator
travels at only about a thousand miles per hour at the equator, and since the
supersonic spy plane travels much faster than that, they watched the sun
"rise" in the west. After a while, they turned south, and the sun set again.
Later in the mission, they headed west again, and observed the sun slowly
rise over the horizon. Glasser and Ross may be the only people to see
the sun rise in the west. Twice in one "day."
- The Aeroquiz Editor.
Week of 10/27/97:
Q:
Beginning in the early 1960s, much attention has been given to anti-spy
satellite technology, where a foe's reconnaissance satellite would be either
permanently or temporarily disabled. Modern approaches involve shooting
them down, ramming them, exploding something near them, attacking them from
the ground with high-intensity laser or beam weapons, jamming their
communications, or even "spoofing" them by giving them instructions to
turn off or deorbit themselves. Many of these techniques, however, were not
available in the early 1960s. Moreover, destroying or disabling another
country's reconnaissance satellite can be considered an overt act of war.
What "dirty trick" was considered (but never implemented) in 1962 to render
Soviet reconnaissance satellites useless without really "destroying" them?
No one got the following intended answer to the question:
A:
This idea, worthy of Ian Fleming, involved pulling alongside the Soviet
satellite and spray-painting its observation lenses and windows.
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