AJORBAHMAN'S COLLECTION: November 2013

11/29/13

Coldest village in the world just got even COLDER... weather takes turn for the worse in -71C Russian hamlet where even the planes can't land in winter

Russian village of Oymyakon has lowest recorded temperature for any permanently inhabited location
Nothing grows so locals live off diet of reindeer meat and horse meat but never suffer malnourishment
Locals keep their cars running all day for fear of them not starting again if turned off
Digging graves for a funeral can take up to three days as ground has to be thawed with hot coals

As we whinge about the wintry weather here in Britain, spare a thought for those living in a Russian hamlet where temperatures can plummet to -71C, so cold even planes cannot land there in winter.
The valley of Oymyakon in northeast Russia is known as the 'Pole of Cold' and with an average January temperature of -50C, it is no wonder the village is the coldest permanently inhabited settlement in the world.
This is the lowest recorded temperature for any permanently inhabited location on Earth and the lowest temperature recorded in the Northern Hemisphere.
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The 'Pole of Cold': The average temperature for January in the Russian village of Oymyakon is -50C, with -71.2C the lowest ever recorded temperature

Frost bite: Traffic lights are covered in snow and ice in the village which is the coldest permanently inhabited settlement in the world

Icy load: Ruslan, 35, loads blocks of ice onto a truck outside Yakutsk in the valley where nothing grows so people eat reindeer and horsemeat

The village, which is home to about 500 people, was, in the 1920s and 1930s, a stopover for reindeer herders who would water their flocks from the thermal spring.

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But the Soviet government, in its efforts to settle nomadic populations, believing them to be difficult to control and technologically and culturally backward, made the site a permanent settlement.

Alone in the ice: A lone man walks across a courtyard in the village, home to around 500 people, which was, in the 1920s and 1930s, a stopover for reindeer herders who would water their flocks from the thermal spring

Winter mooring: Ships moored on the banks of the river, where ironically, Oymyakon actually means 'non-freezing water' due to a nearby hot spring

Treacherous drive: A car drives through the snow at night near Vostochnaya meteorological station where locals are said to leave their cars running all day for fear of not being able to restart them

Daily problems that come with living in Oymyakon include pen ink freezing, glasses freezing to people's faces and batteries losing power. Locals are said to leave their cars running all day for fear of not being able to restart them.
Even if there was coverage for mobile phone reception the phones themselves would not work in such cold conditions.
Another problem caused by the frozen temperatures is burying dead bodies, which can take anything up to three days. The earth must first be thawed sufficiently in order to dig it, so a bonfire is lit for a couple of hours. Hot coals are then pushed to the side and a hole a couple of inches deep is dug. The process is repeated for several days until the hole is deep enough to bury the coffin.
Ironically, Oymyakon actually means 'non-freezing water' due to a nearby hot spring.

Heavy cover: The houses in the village of Tomtor in the Oymyakon valley where most homes still burn coal and wood to heat and enjoy few modern conveniences

Winter washing: Igor Vinokurov, 25, knocks the snow and ice off washing frozen on the washing line in the Oymyakon valley where locals are acclimatised to the weather unlike any other country

Quick dip: A man takes a dip in the icy waters of the Lena River inside a tent to celebrate Orthodox Epiphany on January 18

Deadly dive: Alexander Gubin, 43, prepares to dive into the frozen Labynkyr Lake, some 62 miles south from the Omyakon valley

Ice maiden: Ice sculptures on the Lena river, created for the Orthodox Epiphany celebration in the valley where daily living problems include pen ink freezing, glasses freezing to people's faces and batteries losing power

Most homes in Oymyakon still burn coal and wood for heat and enjoy few modern conveniences.
Nothing grows there so people eat reindeer meat and horsemeat. A single shop provides the town's bare necessities and the locals work as reindeer-breeders, hunters and ice-fisherman.
Doctors say the reason the locals don't suffer from malnutrition is that their animals' milk contains a lot of micronutrients.
Unsurprisingly, locals are hardened to the weather and unlike in other countries - where a flurry of snow brings things grinding to a halt, Oymyakon's solitary school only shuts if temperatures fall below -52C.

Hard day's work: Lumberjacks Alexey Egorov, 45, and Semion Vinokurov, 53, cut down a tree in the forest outside the village of Tomtor in the valley

Sustenance: Lumberjacks Alexey Egorov, 45, and Semion VInokurov, 53, (left to right) lunch in the cabin of their truck in forest outside Tomtor. Doctors say locals don't suffer from malnutrition is that their animals' milk contains a lot of micronutrients

Friendly fire: A dog lies on wood shavings near a woodstack in the valley where coal deliveries are irregular forcing the power station to start burning wood

Snow-capped town: The village of Tomtor, the village that is the coldest permanently inhabited settlement in the world

Nomadic no more: Smoke rises from houses as residents try to keep warm in the depths of winter where, in the 1920s and 1930s, it was a stopover for reindeer herders until the Soviet government made the site permanent in efforts to settle nomadic people

Wintry weather: Meteorologist Sergei Burtsev, 41, prepares to launch a weather balloon to record the temperatures where the length of a day varies from 3 hours in December to 21 hours in the summer

Warm inside: Nikolay Vinokurova, 7, and his sister Vera, 9, have lunch at their grandmother's house in the valley where the solitary school only shuts if temperatures fall below -52C

School's out: Nikolay Vinokurova, 7, and his sister Vera, 9, have lunch at their grandmother's house in the valley where the solitary school only shuts if temperatures fall below -52C

Winter woolies: Braving the subzero temperatures outside requires many layers and fur coats in the valley located around 750 metres above sea level

Winter wonderland: The weather gets so cold here that pen ink freezes, glasses freeze to people's faces and batteries lose power

A minibus drives along an ice road across the Lena River where there is sunlight for just three hours each day in winter

Men take refuge in the cabin of this truck in the village of Ytyk-Kyuyol where if the power ceases, the town shuts down in about five hours, and the pipes freeze and crack

A woman walks over an ice-encrusted bridge in Yakutsk Village of Oymyakon, which is considered to be the coldest permanently inhabited settlement in the world

The thick fur of these East Siberian Laikas puppies keeps them warm: Oymyakon is 750 metres above sea level, which means that the length of a day varies from 3 hours in December to 21 hours in the summer

Cows walk back to their sheds after watering in the thermal spring

The village, which is home to around 500 people, was originally a stop-over for reindeer herders who would water their flocks from the thermal spring

A Communist-era monument marking the record-breaking temperature of -71.2 recorded in the village in 1924. It reads 'Oymyakon, the Pole of Cold'

Farmer Nikolai Petrovich waters his cows at a patch of thermal water on the edge of Oymyakon. Despite its terrible winters, in June, July and August temperatures over 30c are not uncommon

Cows walk back to their sheds after watering in the Oymyakon thermal spring

Oymakon village at dawn with a plume of smoke rising from the heating plant

Oymyakon village at dawn with a plume of smoke rising from the heating plant. Most people still burn coal and wood for heat. When coal deliveries are irregular the power station starts burning wood. If the power ceases, the town shuts down in about five hours, and the pipes freeze and crack

The village is located around 750 metres above sea level and the length of a day varies from 3 hours in December to 21 hours in the summer.
And despite its terrible winters, in June, July and August temperatures over 30c are not uncommon.
There are few modern conveniences in the village - with many buildings still having outdoor toilets. When coal deliveries are irregular the power station starts burning wood. If the power ceases, the town shuts down in about five hours, and the pipes freeze and crack.

VIDEO Check out just how cold it gets with guide Bolot... click here to learn more about Yakutsk

Think it's cold where you are? A visit to Oymyakon might just...

Alexander Platonov, 52, a retired teacher, dressed for a quick dash to the outdoor toilet at his home in Oymyakon. Travel companies offer tourists the opportunity to visit the village and sample life in the freezing conditions

A patch of the thermal spring on the outskirts of Oymyakon. The village is known as the 'Pole of Cold'. Daily problems that come with living in Oymyakon include pen ink freezing, glasses freezing to people's faces and batteries losing power. Locals are said to leave their cars running all day for fear of not being able to restart them

A view from the M56 Kolyma Highway into Oymyakon, otherwise known as The Road of Bones. The road has become a challenge for adventure motorcyclists

Oymyakon lies a two day drive from the city of Yakutsk, the regional capital, which has the coldest winter temperatures for any city in the world.
It is served by two airports and is home to a university, schools, theatres and museums.
Travel companies offer tourists the opportunity to visit the village and sample life in the freezing conditions.

A toilet on the tundra at a petrol stop on the road to Oymyakon (left) and a young student poses for a portrait at a bus station in Yakutsk.

A digger delivers fresh coal to the heating plant in Oymyakon

A petrol station on the road to Oymyakon

A petrol station on the way to Oymyakon. Cars are generally left running full time by locals who fear they won't restart if turned off

Oymyakon's only shop caters for the needs of the village's 500 people

A man leaves his van and walks into Oymyakon's only shop as paper waste is burnt in a 40 gallon drum

A view of Stalin's 'Road of Bones', the route to Oymyakon, on a -50c evening

11/28/13

Russia starts ambitious super-heavy space rocket project

Russia starts ambitious super-heavy space rocket project by Staff Writers Moscow (Voice of Russia)

File image: Buran.

On the 25th anniversary of the historic flight of the Soviet space shuttle Buran, Russia's Roscosmos space agency has formed a working group to prepare "within weeks" a roadmap for the revival of the Energia super-heavy booster rocket.The group led by Oleg Ostapenko, the new head of Roscosmos Federal Space Agency, is set to draw up proposals on the design of a super-heavy launch vehicle capable of delivering up to 100 tonnes of payload to the baseline orbit, former Soviet minister of general machine building, Oleg Baklanov, said on Friday."You have assumed the responsibility and dared to head the group, which is supposed to find an answer to the question how we can regain the position we demonstrated to the world with the launch of a 100-tonne spacecraft [Buran in 1988] within a few weeks," the ex-minister told Ostapenko at the event dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the flight of the Buran shuttle spacecraft.The new carrier rocket Angara is set to become the base for the ambitious project that could bring Russia back to its heyday of space exploration. It could be launched from the Vostochny Cosmodrome which is now being constructed in Russia's Far East, and will replace Kazakhstan's Baikonur as Russia's main launchpad.The 1988 launch of the Energia super-heavy rocket carrying the Buran space shuttle proved the rocket was capable of delivering 100 tonnes into orbit. That was five times more than the Proton-M rocket with a 20-tonne payload, thus making it the most powerful Soviet/Russian booster rocket ever developed.As the International Space Station is scheduled to be taken out of service around 2020, ex-minister Baklanov explained that such a powerful rocket would allow the construction of a new orbital station "larger in its weight and dimensions." Also, a booster similar to the Soviet Energia would be indispensable for "exploring outer space in a wise manner, working in shifts on Mars, the Moon and so on," he added.At the same media conference, president of the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation Vitaly Lopota announced that Russia will soon need super-heavy rockets to create a shield against possible future space weapons - which means deploying into orbit massive communications satellites and electronic warfare platforms.'Nothing better has been created' On the 25th anniversary of the Buran flight, Ostapenko acknowledged that the Soviet Union's achievements in space exploration remain an example for today's research."Human ingenuity created the Energia-Buran system 25 years ago," Ostapenko told the audience. "I am confident that events comparable by their scale are in store for us," he said.In his speech, ex-minister Baklanov claimed that "nothing new has been designed" in the 25 years which have passed since the creation of the Energia-Buran system. He warned that "a point of no return is very close," and said there are only years left to recuperate the space industry to the previous level and keep the groundwork."We have a colossal amount of work to do," Ostapenko said, pointing out that only the experience of previous generations of scientists could ensure success."Our country has got huge potential; all we need to do is let the experienced professionals do their job the best way to ensure their self-actualization. I know we can do it. We've got strong support from the government, we've got thorough understanding of the tasks lying ahead," Ostapenko said.Comparable to the US Space Shuttle, Buran completed only one unmanned spaceflight in 1988, as the Buran program was scrapped in 1993 following the collapse of the Soviet Union and lack of funding.Soviet shuttle ahead of its time The Soviet Union's Energia/Buran exceeded the American space shuttle program by practically all capabilities, according to a report prepared by experts of the All-Russian Research Institute of Aviation Materials. The analysis is dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Buran's only performed launch into space.Buran could stay in orbit for 30 days, while the American shuttle had a 15-day time limit. It could deliver into orbit 30 tonnes of cargo, compared to the US shuttle's 24 tonnes of cargo. It could carry a crew of 10 cosmonauts, while the American shuttle could carry seven astronauts. Preparation for the Energia/Buran launch at Baikonur Cosmodrome only took 15 days. However, it took one month of preparations before the US shuttle was launched from Cape Canaveral.The Energia rocket booster could be used to launch various payloads into orbit, whereas the American shuttle's booster was one-task. A year and a half before the Buran launch, Energia was launched with a full-scale mock-up of the Skif-DM orbital combat laser platform weighing 77 tonnes, measuring 37 meters long, and over four meters in diameter. Though the mock-up failed to reach the desired orbit and fell into the Pacific, the Energia booster did its job fine, delivering the huge space platform into intermediate orbit, 110 kilometers above the earth's surface.But the most important difference from the American model was that the Soviet spaceship could perform the flight and landing in totally automatic mode, which it brilliantly demonstrated on November 15, 1988.Buran's American counterpart used to land with switched-off engines, meaning it could make only one landing attempt. The Soviet spacecraft could take several tries if needed.When Buran approached Baikonur Cosmodrome and started landing in 1988, its sensors registered too strong side winds and the robotic system sent the huge machine for another rectangular traffic pattern approach, successfully landing the spacecraft on a second try.The Buran shuttle was designed to perform 100 flights to space, while its engines were ready to do 66 flights without replacement. During its flight, it lost just eight of its unique thermal-insulation tiles out of 38,800.The Energia/Buran program, which cost 16.5 billion Soviet rubles, lasted 18 years and united over 1,200 industrial sites throughout the Soviet Union.Thirty-nine principally new materials and around 230 absolutely new technologies were developed during Buran's creation. Most of them are actively used in Russia's aeronautical and space industries today.But the most important difference from the American model was that the Soviet spaceship could perform the flight and landing in totally automatic mode, which it brilliantly demonstrated on November 15, 1988.Buran's American counterpart used to land with switched-off engines, meaning it could make only one landing attempt. The Soviet spacecraft could take several tries if needed.When Buran approached Baikonur Cosmodrome and started landing in 1988, its sensors registered too strong side winds and the robotic system sent the huge machine for another rectangular traffic pattern approach, successfully landing the spacecraft on a second try.The Buran shuttle was designed to perform 100 flights to space, while its engines were ready to do 66 flights without replacement. During its flight, it lost just eight of its unique thermal-insulation tiles out of 38,800.The Energia/Buran program, which cost 16.5 billion Soviet rubles, lasted 18 years and united over 1,200 industrial sites throughout the Soviet Union.Thirty-nine principally new materials and around 230 absolutely new technologies were developed during Buran's creation. Most of them are actively used in Russia's aeronautical and space industries today.Source: Voice of Russia

This is not a light bulb.

Don’t be deceived by the name, the Luminous Blulb isn’t a lightbulb at all. From the core to the exterior, it’s composed entirely of silicone mixed with an illuminating pigment. All it needs is a little sun exposure to give off a glow. Best of all, it’s squishy to the touch meaning it won’t shatter if you drop it!

Designer: HOBBY:DESIGN