Fifteen minutes after the lovely Meg Nesterov posted a story about the Pillow Fight World Cup in Brooklyn this past Tuesday we knew that we had to be there. Semi-professional pillow fighting? Raucous crowds of cheering fans? Sassy Austrian contenders? Yes please. Check out Gadling’s exclusive video below for the scoop.
Virgin Galactic releases first “feathered flight” video
Historical implications aside, one of the most impressive and important aspects of Richard Branson’s upcoming private space line is its distinct mode of atmospheric re-entry.
Thanks to a breakthrough design by legendary aerospace engineer Burt Rutan, Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo is one of the first craft to utilize a technique known as “feathered flight” to acheive a safer, more stable method of passing through the various layers of Earth’s atmosphere. After rocketing to the lower reaches of the thermosphere, SpaceShipTwo is designed to rotate its wings by 65
°, so that the body of the craft creates a very large amount of drag while the wings remain upright to guide the ship and provide a type of fail-proof stability. The high drag combined with the low weight of the craft ensures that surface temperatures remain low, preventing any risk of burning up upon re-entry.
On May 4th, the Virgin Galactic & Scaled Composites team performed the first test flight in which the VSS Enterprise deployed the feathered configuration; proving that the design is stable and ready for testing at higher velocity. Today, Virgin Galactic released the official video of the test flight, which provides a stunning look at the feathering in action.
The VSS Enterprise has flown solo seven times since it’s public debut in December of 2009, and will likely begin powered test flights in the second half of 2011. Finally convinced it’ll be safe? Then head on over to the Virgin Galactic website and reserve your spot for only $20,000.
Video of the Day – Cloud surfing over Australia
If you’ve taken a ride in a commercial airplane and longed to get even closer to the clouds, then microlight aviation may be the hobby you’ve been dreaming of. In this gorgeous Video of the Day, photographer Sascha Unger was able to capture some rare cloud formations nearly 10,000 feet above Western Australia’s well-reputed Ningaloo Reef.
With the help of a friend that runs a microlight flight school, Unger rode in the back of an Australian-made two person “trike” with an open cockpit and a wing that resembles a hang glider. Shooting with a Canon 5D Mark II, he was able to share what it feels like to cut through cloud formations and get a rare, crisp view of Australia’s largest fringing reef.
Have you flown an ultralight or microlight craft? Did you capture your view? We want to see it! Share it with us in the comments below, or our Flickr Pool and it could be the next Photo / Video of the Day.
Video of the Day – Cruise ship time-lapse
We have a lot of great cruise coverage here on Gadling, and today’s Video of the Day is a must-see for all of our cruise ship fanatics out there.
Captured onboard a series of ships such as the Splendour of the Seas & Majesty of the Seas, YouTube user radiofreebc was able to capture some incredible scenes from both inside and outside the ships along the coasts of Alaska, Uruguay, Italy, Turkey, and more. For most of the videos, radiofreebc shot with a Sony Handicam (DSR-SR12) and altered the speed while editing with Final Cut Pro. The fitting soundtrack is by a now-defunct 90’s band called Slide Five.
Do you have some amazing clips or photos from your latest cruise? Share them with our community! Upload photos to our Flickr Group or post a video link in the comments below; it could be our next Photo/Video of the Day!
VIDEO: Chinese popcorn cannon
Don’t have 5 minutes (cooking times may vary, wait until you hear 2-3 seconds between pops) to wait for microwave popcorn? Perhaps this Chinese popcorn cannon from the streets of Shanghai is fast enough for you – it just takes a few seconds, provided you have a serious pressure cooker. This ingenious contraption can also be used for puffed rice or other grains, though we wonder how clean the bag is which holds the resulting treat. China isn’t the only place with popped street snacks: here in my city of Istanbul, you can get fresh popcorn made over hot coals from many wandering street vendors.
Have you seen this popcorn maker in action? Leave us your theories (and taste impressions) in the comments!