Abstract: A vision system and method for use on a refueling tanker to assist a boom operator in performing an airborne refueling operation on a receiver aircraft. The system includes a digital camera system, a sensor subsystem and a processing system that receives information from the sensor system and the camera system. The processing system includes video processing capability and a graphics generator that generates a two dimensional graphics symbology set that is displayed on a display terminal along with a real time image of the boom and the receiver aircraft. The graphics symbology set includes a plurality of graphic symbols that indicate the position of the refueling boom and the position of the receiver aircraft relative to a desired contact zone within which physical contact between the boom tip and a refueling receptacle on the receiver aircraft can be made. The graphics symbology set also makes use of various colors to indicate warning conditions to the boom operator.

Abstract: An aircraft landing gear door assembly has a plurality of doors. The doors include a first door (1) mounted for rotational movement between closed and open positions about a first generally longitudinal axis (11) and a transverse door (3) mounted for rotational movement between closed and open positions about a generally horizontal axis (13) that is transverse to the longitudinal axis (11). The provision of the transverse door (3) can allow the length of the first door (1) to be reduced from that which would otherwise be required to allow passage of the landing gear.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for improving grazing distribution and an animal feed supplement for use therein. The method comprises the steps of identifying a plurality of underutilized rangeland areas and providing an animal feed supplement in a first underutilized rangeland area. The animal feed supplement attracts the livestock to the first underutilized rangeland area and encourages the livestock to graze once there.

Abstract: In one aspect, a hybrid airship including an outer shell, a plurality of helium filled gas envelopes, and an all-electric propulsion system can have a high-aspect ratio wing shape. In some embodiments, the hybrid airship may be launched using buoyancy lift alone and aerodynamic lift may be provided by the all-electric propulsion system. In one aspect, a photovoltaic array and a high energy density power storage system may be combined to power the propulsion system making the propulsion system regenerative. The high-aspect ratio wing shape provides low drag, and can allow the hybrid airship to fly at an altitude of at least about 100,000 ft. By continuously recharging the power storage system, the hybrid airship in accordance with some embodiments can stay aloft for months or even years. The hybrid airship may function as a military intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance and communications relay platform.

Abstract: A feeder for a cage, designed to reduce the scattering of food and to provide a cleaner and healthier caged environment, wherein the cage has a wall and an interior space for housing an animal such as a bird, including a cage door. The feeder comprises a feeder mechanism which includes a feeder receptacle attached to an extension structure, wherein the extension structure extends between the receptacle and the wall of said cage. The extension structure is manually engageable and adjustable for positioning the feeder receptacle at a selected location in the interior space of the cage and at a selected location at a cage door for access to the feeder receptacle.

Abstract: An arrangement and a method are proposed for the generation of water on board an aircraft with the use of one or more fuel cells, whereby low-temperature fuel cells are provided as fuel cells. It is proposed that several single-cell or few-cell fuel cells may form a fuel-cell panel or cell array and several cell panels or cell arrays may be arranged close to the inside of the aircraft fuselage and the cathode side of the at least one fuel cell has a chamber pointing to the exterior of the aircraft for the condensation of the water contained in the air and the anode side has a chamber carrying a combustion gas, for example hydrogen. With the proposed solution, a reduction in the storage capacity for drinking water and its quality-assured provision may be enabled and moreover, with the use of fuel cells as a virtual power station, the energy demand on engine generators, auxiliary power unit (APU) or ram air turbine (RAT) may be reduced.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method of limiting the yawing motion on the trajectory of an artillery shell during the firing phase using a sliding driving band and completely folded-in guide fins. The shell is converted as soon as possible outside the mouth of the barrel of the firing piece by fold-out of the guide fins into a fin-stabilized artillery shell. Any form of non-uniform fin fold-out is avoided by virtue of all the guide fins being interconnected to form a system which gives all the fins the same movement pattern and the same fold-out speed in each phase of fin fold-out. This disclosure also includes a shell in which synchronization of fin fold-out includes a rotatable control ring that is arranged around the axis of the shell and is connected to the rotation spindles of all the fins.

Abstract: Flexible, lightweight reflective sheets are positioned to concentrate solar radiation upon spacecraft solar panels. The sheets are held with inner and outer spring members which urge each sheet from a gathered edge-stowed configuration towards a deployed, planar configuration. The outer spring members further urge each fully extended sheet to rotate about an axis along the panel's edge in a direction away from the solar panel's face. Restraint members in the form of tethers limit this rotation to place the sheet in a stable deployed position and orientation chosen by design to reflect solar radiation onto the panel face. The increased incident radiation permits a reduction of the number of solar cells needed to satisfy a power requirement, and allows consequent savings in spacecraft cost and weight.

Abstract: A Christmas tree stand for mounting and displaying a Christmas tree, which in one embodiment includes a cylindrical base, a bucket for engagement with the trunk of a tree with slots therein, which bucket is carried in the base, a top cover on the tree trunk, a reservoir base integral with the cylindrical base, a water pan engaged with the base, a water reservoir detachably engaged with an extension of the water pan to supply water thereto, and hold down latches on the base detachably engaged with the top cover to retain the bucket in the base, and for the other embodiment the base directly captures and retains the tree trunk without using the bucket.