History.

Originally based in Villingen, MPS was founded as the successor to the SABA record label by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer, Joachim-Ernst Berendt, Willy Fruth, and Achim Hebgen (who also worked as producers). MPS was the first German label to release jazz exclusively. MPS produced and released recordings by American, Canadian, European and Japanese jazz artists. Recordings of the JazzFest Berlin, the Donaueschingen Festival and the New Jazz Meeting Baden-Baden were also published. Besides its own productions, MPS also licensed and distributed recordings by other companies.  Performers under contract to MPS included Oscar Peterson, Hans Koller, Horst Jankowski, George Duke, Erwin Lehn, Volker Kriegel, Albert Mangelsdorff, the Singers Unlimited, Wolfgang Dauner, the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band, Jean-Luc Ponty, Lee Konitz, Charlie Mariano, Alphonse Mouzon, Monty Alexander, Dave Pike and Art Van Damme. There is a wide stylistic spectrum, from swing to free jazz, jazz rock and precursors of ethno jazz.  The hallmarks of MPS releases were the high quality of the recordings (some of the production was undertaken in the private atmosphere of label founder Brunner-Schwer's living room), the attractive design of the sleeves, and the detail of information about artists, instruments and performances. Some of these recordings have been re-released on CD.  The label was distributed by BASF from 1971, then by Metronome Music GmbH Hamburg from 1974. In 1983 Brunner-Schwer sold the rights to Philips, which then transferred it to Polydor. In 1993, Polydor subsidiary Motor Music began to release individual recordings on CD. In 1999, Universal Music Group began re-releases. Since 2000, Speakers Corner Records have released vinyl reissues of individual MPS albums with their original artwork.  Universal spun the label off in 2012, with Edel AG acquiring MPS in January 2014.

MPS Records was a German jazz record company and label founded in 1968 by Hans Georg Brunner-Schwer. MPS stands for "Musik Produktion Schwarzwald" (Music Production Black Forest).

Die Musik Produktion Schwarzwald (MPS) ist ein deutsches Plattenlabel aus Villingen im Schwarzwald, das vor allem wegen seiner Jazzproduktionen mit Musikern aus aller Welt bekannt wurde.


Family.

Grange held lands at Hallyards Castle in Fife. William's father, James Kirkcaldy of Grange (d.1556), was lord high treasurer of Scotland from 1537 to 1543 and a determined opponent of Cardinal Beaton, for whose murder in 1546 William and James were partly responsible.  William was married to Margaret Learmonth, sister of Sir Patrick Learmonth of Dairsie and Provost of St Andrews. A few days before Grange's execution in August 1573, Ninian Cockburn reported a rumour that he had a child with a young woman and had written a letter in code to her.

War with England, service with France, and the Reformation.

William, with other courtiers, had been a witness to the instrument made at Falkland Palace at the deathbed of James V of Scotland in 1542 which Cardinal Beaton used to attempt to claim the Regency of Scotland. However, William participated in the Cardinal's murder in May 1546, and when St Andrews Castle surrendered to the French in July the following year he was sent as a prisoner to Normandy, whence he escaped in 1550.  He was then employed in France as a secret agent by the advisers of Edward VI, being known in the cyphers as Corax; and later he served in the French army, where he gained a lasting reputation for skill and bravery. Kirkcaldy was in London in December 1553, discussing border issues with the French ambassador, Antoine de Noailles.  The sentence passed on Kirkcaldy for his share in Beaton's murder was removed in 1556. Returning to Scotland in 1557 he became prominent by killing Ralph Eure the brother of the Governor of Berwick upon Tweed in a duel. As a Protestant he was one of the leaders of the Lords of the Congregation in their struggle with the Regent of Scotland, Mary of Guise. Kirkcaldy fought the French troops in Fife and they destroyed his house at Halyards. In January 1560 he took down part of Tullibody bridge to delay the return to Stirling of French troops commanded by Henri Cleutin.  Kirkcaldy opposed Queen Mary's marriage with Lord Darnley, and was associated with her half-brother the Earl of Moray at the time of the Chaseabout Raid. For this defiance, he was forced for a short time to seek refuge in England. Returning to Scotland, he was an accessory to the murder of Rizzio, but he had no share in Darnley's assassination.  Kirkcaldy was opposed to Mary's marriage with Bothwell and regarded the proceedings in the Scottish Parliament with dismay. He wrote to the Earl of Bedford, an English diplomat, that Mary did not care if she lost France, England and Scotland for Bothwell's sake, and Mary had said;"she sall go with him to the warldes ende in ane white peticote or she leve him." Elizabeth however disapproved of Kirkcaldy's opinions of a fellow queen as if she were "worse than any common woman." Yet Kirkcaldy was one of the lords who banded themselves together to rescue Mary after her marriage with Bothwell. After the fight at Carberry Hill the queen surrendered herself to Kirkcaldy. Bothwell escaped and Kirkcaldy sailed to Shetland as Lord High Admiral of Scotland in pursuit. He was determined to capture Bothwell and declared to the Earl of Bedford, Governor of Berwick:"Albeit I be na gud seeman, I promes unto your lordschip, gyf I may anes enconter with hym eyther be see or land, he sall eyther carre me with hym, or ellis I sall bryng hym dead or quik to Edinbrucht."  However, they did not meet, his ship, the "Lion", ran aground north of Bressay.  After Mary escaped from imprisonment at Lochleven Castle, his military command was mainly responsible for her defeat at the Battle of Langside. He seems, however, to have believed that a peaceful settlement with Mary was possible, and coming under the influence of William Maitland of Lethington, whom in September 1569 he released by a stratagem from his confinement in Edinburgh, he was soon vehemently suspected by his fellows.

The "Lang Siege".

After the murder of Regent Moray in January 1570, William Kirkaldy of Grange ranged himself definitely among the friends of the imprisoned queen. Defying Regent Lennox, Grange began to strengthen the fortifications of Edinburgh castle and town, of which he was captain and Provost, and now held for Mary. He forcibly released one of his supporters from imprisonment in Edinburgh's tolbooth, a step which led to an altercation with his former friend John Knox, who called him a murderer and throat-cutter. He arrested some leading burgesses on 29 April 1571. The King's party established their headquarters in Leith. The subsequent period has become known as the "Wars between Leith and Edinburgh." In May Kirkcaldy built fortifications in the town, on the Royal Mile and on St Giles Kirk. In October 1571 the town council established itself in Leith, and Grange's men fortified Edinburgh by blocking the ends of streets and closes and burning houses on the outskirts of the city, such as Potterrow. The 'lang siege' of Edinburgh castle began in mid-October, when Regent Mar brought artillery from Dumbarton and Stirling Castle.  Grange received supplies and money from France, England, and the Spanish Netherlands where George Seton, 7th Lord Seton negotiated with the Duke of Alva. John Chisholm, Master of the Scottish Artillery, obtained money and arms from the exiled Bishop of Glasgow and Charles IX of France. He sailed from Dieppe in June 1571 but was captured at North Queensferry. Grange established a mint in the castle to coin silver and raised loans by pawning jewellery belonging to Mary, Queen of Scots. On 27 January 1573, William's brother, James Kirkcaldy arrived at Blackness Castle with arms and money from France, but the castle was besieged by Regent Morton, and James Kirkcaldy was captured. Early in 1573, Kirkcaldy refused to come to an agreement with Regent Morton because the terms of peace set out by the "Pacification of Perth" did not include a section of his friends.  After this, English troops and artillery arrived to help Regent Morton and the King's party, and on 28 May 1573 the castle surrendered. The English commander Sir William Drury took Grange to his lodgings at Robert Gourlay's House and then to Leith. During this time Master Archibald Douglas negotiated with Grange and Drury over the jewels belonging to Mary, Queen of Scots. After a week Grange was handed over to Regent Morton and imprisoned in Holyroodhouse.  Ninian Cockburn said that Grange had a child with a young woman and wrote her a love letter from his imprisonment. Strenuous efforts were made to save Kirkcaldy from the vengeance of his enemies, but they were unavailing; Knox had prophesied that he would be hanged, and he was hanged on the 3 August 1573.

Posthumous rehabilitation.

On 15 July 1581, James VI restored his lands to his heirs, giving a long recitation of Kirkcaldy's service, mentioning a single combat in 1557 while Scotland was at war with England, his support of the Scottish Reformation, and his conduct at Carberry Hill and pursuit of Bothwell;Schir Williame Kirkcaldie of Grange, quhen weiris stude betuix this realme and Ingland, did sic vailyeand and acceptable service at mony common jeopardis in thai weiris, and als did sa vailyeantlie and manfullie in ane singular combat according to the law of armeis that it meritis perpetuall commendatioun, lyke als alsua he wes ane of the maist notabill instrumentis usit be almichtie God amangis the nobilitie and gentilmen of this realme in suppressing the idolatrus religioun,...
als as ane of the maist bent to the revealing of the odious murthour of his hienes derrest fader and offerit his body to ony of honest degre that would tak the defence of the erle of Bothwell, and to have had revenge followit him upoune the seyis to Zetland, quhair Schir Williame wes than schipbrokkin in greit hasert,..."

Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange, when wars stood between this realm and England, did such valiant and acceptable service at many battles in those wars, and also did so valiantly and manfully in a single combat according to the Laws of Arms that it merits perpetual commendation, and likewise he was one of the most notable instruments used by Almighty God amongst the nobility and gentlemen of this realm in suppressing idolatrous religion,... and one of the most keen to reveal the odious murder of the king's father and offered his body to any of honest degree that would take the defence of the Earl of Bothwell (at Carberry), and to have revenge followed him by sea to Shetland, where Sir William in great danger shipwrecked...  William's heir was his nephew, also William Kirkcaldy, son of his brother Master James Kirkcaldy.

Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange (c. 1520 –3 August 1573) was a Scottish politician and soldier who fought for the Scottish Reformation but ended his career holding Edinburgh castle on behalf of Mary, Queen of Scots and was hanged at the conclusion of a long siege.

Sir William Kirkcaldy of Grange (* 1520 in Grange; † 3. August 1573 in Edinburgh) war ein schottischer Politiker und Feldherr. Er entstammte einem in Fife ansässigen schottischen Adelsgeschlecht und war der älteste Sohn von Sir James Kirkcaldy of Grange († 1556), der von 1537 bis 1543 Schatzkanzler von Schottland ("Lord High Treasurer of Scotland") war. William war als Hauptbefehlshaber maßgeblich beteiligt an den entscheidenden Siegen des aufständischen schottischen Adels gegen Maria Stuart bei "Carberry Hill" (1567) und "Langside" (1568).


Early life.

Gian Paolo Lomazzo was born in Milan from a family emigrated from the town of Lomazzo. His early training was with Giovan Battista della Cerva in Milan. He painted a large "Allegory of the Lenten Feast" for "San Agostino" in Piacenza (1567). Other works by his hand include an elaborate dome with "Glory of Angels" for the Capella Foppa in San Marco in Milan, and the "Fall of Simon Magus" in the wall of the chapel.  He was admired as an artist and in 1562 was depicted on a medallion by Annibale Fontana which described him as having been introduced by Mercury to Fortune (commercial success).

Writing on art theory and criticism.

Lomazzo became blind in 1571, and turned to writing, producing two complex treatises that are milestones in the development of art criticism. His first work, "Trattato dell'arte della pittura, scoltura et architettura" (1584) is in part a guide to contemporary concepts of decorum, which the Renaissance inherited in part from Antiquity, which controlled a consonance between the functions of interiors and the kinds of painted and sculpted decors that would be suitable. Lomazzo offered a systematic codification of esthetics typical of the increasingly formalized and academic approaches prevalent during the later sixteenth century and has been described as a central figure in the development of Italian mannerist theories.  Lomazzo's less practical and more metaphysical "Idea del tempio della pittura" ("The ideal temple of painting", 1590) offers a description along the lines of the "four temperaments" theory of human nature and personality, containing the explanations of the role of individuality in judgment and artistic invention.  Lomazzo's criticism took into account three aspects of art criticism: "doctrina", the record of discoveries— such as perspective— that artists had made in the course of history; "prattica", the personal preferences and "maniera" of the artist, and iconography, the literary element in arts. Lomazzo’s contribution to art criticism was his systematic extraction of abstract concepts from art, not merely a recounting of the marvels of verisimilitude and technique and anecdotes of the works' reception among contemporaries of the type that Giorgio Vasari had reported in the previous generation.  David Piper quotes his influential views on portraiture:  Giovanni Ambrogio Figino, Cristoforo Ciocca, and Girolamo Ciocca were his pupils.

Gian Paolo Lomazzo (26 April 1538 – 27 January 1592; his first name is sometimes also given as "Giovan" or "Giovanni") was an Italian painter, best remembered for his writings on art theory, belonging to the second generation that produced Mannerism in Italian art and architecture.

Giovanni Paolo Lomazzo (* 26. April 1538 in Mailand; † 13. Februar 1600 ebenda) war Maler, Kunsthistoriker und Kunsttheoretiker. Sein Werk ist dem Manierismus zuzuordnen.


Early life.

Blin was born on the Baltic Sea island of Fehmarn on 24 April 1943 during World War 2, and is a native of the North German city of Hamburg. While living in Hamburg he was a butcher before his boxing career

Boxing career.

Blin's record in the ring was 30-12-6 with eight knockouts. He was greatly admired by German boxing fans for his toughness and stamina in the ring. He was briefly Heavyweight Champion of Germany after defeating Gerhard Zech for the title (he had two draws with him previously).  His first professional bout came against Klaus Krüger in October 1964. Blin won this bout, as well as the next five bouts against domestic opponents, and lost his first professional bout in June 1965 to Ray Patterson in Jordal Amfi.  Blin lost a decision to Joe Bugner in May 1971 when fighting for the European Heavyweight Title. Blin later won the title in June 1972, his greatest triumph in the ring, when he beat Jose Urtain (who had beaten Blin for the same title in June 1970). However, in October 1972, Blin once again faced Bugner who retained the title by knocking the German out in the eighth round.  On 26 December 1971 he competed with the American boxer Muhammad Ali at Hallenstadion Arena, in Zürich, Switzerland, Blin being knocked out 2 minutes and 12 seconds into the seventh round.

Later years.

Blin co-author with Stephen Brunt a book entitled ""Facing Ali"" (2002), about his 1971 contest with the United States champion boxer.

Jürgen Blin (born 24 April 1943) is a retired mid-20th century German boxer, who was the Heavyweight Champion of Germany, and European Heavyweight Champion in 1972, and internationally represented the state of West Germany.

Jürgen Blin (* 24. April 1943 in Burg auf Fehmarn) ist ein ehemaliger deutscher Schwergewichtsboxer. Er war Europameister im Schwergewicht und galt zu Beginn der 1970er Jahre als bester Berufsboxer Deutschlands.


Plot.

The story takes place in Thomas Hardy's Wessex during the Victorian period.  The events of the story are set in motion when a clergyman, Parson Tringham, has a chance conversation with John Durbeyfield, a simple farmer. Tringham is a local historian, and in the course of his research he has discovered the "Durbeyfields" are descended from the d'Urbervilles, a noble family whose lineage extends to the time of William the Conqueror. The family lost its land and prestige when the male heirs died out. The parson thinks Durbeyfield might like to know his origins as a passing historical curiosity.  Durbeyfield soon becomes fixated upon the idea of using his noble lineage to better his family's fortunes. Finding a wealthy family named d'Urberville living nearby, he and his wife send their daughter Tess to call on his presumed relations, and seek employment at the manor house. At the manor house lives Alec d'Urberville and his mother. Tess is a beautiful girl, and Alec d'Urberville has an appetite for women. Alec and his mother know they are no relation to Tess, for their family name and coat of arms had been purchased. Finding her naive, penniless and attractive, he sets about taking advantage of the situation. He tries to get her alone, and attempts to seduce her with strawberries and roses, but these efforts are parried by Tess. In time, he rapes her.  Tess returns home and soon discovers she is pregnant. She is angry with her mother for placing her at risk when she knew so little of the cruelness of the world. The baby is born sickly and dies. Some time later, Tess goes to a dairy farm to work as a milkmaid. She meets Angel Clare, an aspiring young farmer from a respectable family. He believes Tess to be an unspoiled country girl, and completely innocent. The two fall in love, but Tess does not reveal her previous relationship with Alec until their wedding night. Disillusioned and heartbroken by the news, Angel rejects her.  Deserted by her husband, Tess meets Alec d'Urberville again. She at first angrily rebuffs his advances, but the death of her father puts the family in desperately hard times. Facing starvation, eviction and homelessness, Tess is compelled to resume her relationship with Alec as his mistress to support her mother and siblings.  Shortly afterwards, Angel Clare returns from travelling abroad. A disastrous missionary tour in Brazil has ruined his health. Humbled, and having had plenty of time to think, he feels remorse for his treatment of Tess. He succeeds in tracking her down but leaves heartbroken when he finds her living with Alec. Tess realizes that going back to Alec has ruined her chances of happiness with Angel, and murders Alec.  Running away to find Angel, Tess is reconciled with him; he can finally accept and embrace her as his wife without passing moral judgment on her actions. They consummate their marriage, spending two nights of happiness together on the run from the law before Tess is captured sleeping at Stonehenge. An ending summary tells that she is convicted and hanged for murder.

Production.

Polanski was inspired to make the film by his wife Sharon Tate, who gave him a copy of "Tess of the d'Urbervilles." She said it would make a great film and expressed interest in playing the part of Tess. It was the last time Polanski saw her alive, as she was departing back for America while he stayed on a while longer in Europe to finish working on a film. She was murdered by the Manson Family on 9 August 1969 while he was away. The film is dedicated to her ("To Sharon") at the beginning.  Polanski wrote the screenplay in French with his usual collaborator Gérard Brach, then it was translated and expanded by John Brownjohn. The story line largely follows that of the book, although the role of the sexual predator Alec d'Urberville is toned down.  Costumes for the film were designed by Anthony Powell. He received his third Academy Award for this work.  Set in Dorset, England, the film was shot at various locations in France: Normandy (Cotentin, la Hague, Omonville-la-Rogue, Éculleville, Sainte-Croix-Hague, le Vast, Bricquebec, Saint-Jacques-de-Néhou, Brittany (Locronan, le Leslay) and Nord-Pas-de-Calais (Condette). Polanski was living in Europe as he was wanted as a fugitive after conviction for sex with an underage girl in the United States. He had fled before sentencing and could have been extradited to the U.S. from the United Kingdom.  Polanski intended the film to reflect an ancient peasant culture, which he had seen in Poland during World War II after fleeing the Kraków ghetto. The scenes also refer to the genre painting of the French artists Georges de La Tour of the 17th century and Gustave Courbet of the 19th century.  During the third month of shooting, on 28 October 1978, the cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth died of a heart attack. Most of the scenes he had shot were exteriors that occur in the first half of the film. Ghislain Cloquet shot the remainder of the film, including most of the interior scenes. Both Unsworth and Cloquet were nominated and won an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Cloquet alone was nominated for the César Award for Cinematography, which he won.

Music.

The original musical score was composed by Philippe Sarde. The melody played by the character Clare on a recorder is a popular Polish folk song "Laura i Filon".

Release.

"Tess" was released in theaters in the United States on 12 December 1980. During its entire theatrical run, the film grossed little over $20 million in the United States ($60 million in 2014 dollars), which made it the 33rd highest-grossing film of 1980.

Alternate versions.

The film premiered in France in 1979 at a length of 186 minutes. Polanski writes in his autobiography that he felt that cut was incomplete, rushed to meet the release date. The film premiered in 1980 in the U.S. at a re-edited length of 170 minutes. Later, overseas releases of the film in theaters and on home video ran as little as 136 minutes. The 170-minute cut is Polanski's approved version of the film. This version recently was restored in 4K from the original negative under Polanski's supervision, and he attended its premiere at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.

Reception.

Critical reception.

"Tess" received positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 81% based on 26 reviews, and an average rating of 7.2/10. In a review in "The New York Times", Janet Maslin described "Tess" as "a lovely, lyrical, unexpectedly delicate movie". The film is regarded as one of Polanski's rare love stories, and one of his most highly acclaimed works.

Accolades.

"Tess" was nominated for six awards, including Best Picture, at the 53rd Academy Awards and won three. It was also nominated for four Golden Globe Awards (winning two), three British Academy Film Awards (winning one) and six César Awards (winning three).

Tess is a 1979 drama film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Nastassja Kinski, Peter Firth, and Leigh Lawson. It is an adaptation of Thomas Hardy's 1891 novel "Tess of the d'Urbervilles". The screenplay was written by Gérard Brach, John Brownjohn, and Roman Polanski. The film received positive critical reviews upon release and was nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, winning three for Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design.

Tess ist ein französisch-britisches Filmdrama von Roman Polański aus dem Jahr 1979. Es ist eine Verfilmung des Romans "Tess von den d'Urbervilles: Eine reine Frau" (Originaltitel: "Tess of the d'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented") von Thomas Hardy aus dem Jahr 1891. Die Hauptrolle spielte Nastassja Kinski.


Mission.

LCROSS was a fast-track, low-cost companion mission to the LRO. The LCROSS payload was added after NASA moved the LRO from the Delta II to a larger launch vehicle. It was chosen from 19 other proposals. LCROSS's mission was dedicated to late American broadcaster Walter Cronkite.  LCROSS launched with the LRO aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on June 18, 2009, at 21:32 UTC (17:32 EDT). On June 23, four and a half days after launch, LCROSS and its attached Centaur booster rocket successfully completed a lunar swingby and entered into polar Earth orbit with a period of 37 days, positioning LCROSS for impact on a lunar pole.  Early in the morning on August 22, 2009, LCROSS ground controllers discovered an anomaly caused by a sensor problem, which had resulted in the spacecraft using up 140 kilograms (309 pounds) of fuel, more than half of the fuel remaining at the time. According to Dan Andrews, the LCROSS project manager, "Our estimates now are if we pretty much baseline the mission, meaning just accomplish the things that we have to [do] to get the job done with full mission success, we're still in the black on propellant, but not by a lot."  Lunar impacts, after approximately three orbits, occurred on October 9, 2009, with the Centaur crashing into the Moon at 11:31 UTC and the Shepherding Spacecraft following a few minutes later. The mission team initially announced that Cabeus A would be the target crater for the LCROSS dual impacts, but later refined the target to be the larger, main Cabeus crater.  On its final approach to the Moon, the Shepherding Spacecraft and Centaur separated October 9, 2009, at 01:50 UTC. The Centaur upper stage acted as a heavy impactor to create a debris plume that rose above the lunar surface. Following four minutes after impact of the Centaur upper stage, the Shepherding Spacecraft flew through this debris plume, collecting and relaying data back to Earth before it struck the lunar surface to produce a second debris plume. The impact velocity was projected to be or 2.5 km/second.  The Centaur impact was expected to excavate more than of lunar material and create a crater about 27 m (90 ft) in diameter to a depth of about. The Shepherding Spacecraft impact was projected to excavate an estimated and create a crater approximately 18 m (60 ft) in diameter to a depth of about 3 m (10 ft). Most of the material in the Centaur debris plume was expected to remain at (lunar) altitudes below.  It was hoped that spectral analysis of the resulting impact plume would help to confirm preliminary findings by the Clementine and Lunar Prospector missions which hinted that there may be water ice in the permanently shadowed regions. Mission scientists expected that the Centaur impact plume would be visible through amateur-class telescopes with apertures as small as 25 to 30 cm (10 to 12 inches). But no plume was observed by such amateur telescopes. Even world class telescopes such as the Hale telescope, equipped with adaptive optics, did not detect the plume. The plume may have still occurred but at a small scale not detectable from Earth. Both impacts were also monitored by Earth-based observatories and by orbital assets, such as the Hubble Space Telescope.  Whether or not LCROSS would find water had been stated to be influential in whether or not the United States government pursues creating a Moon base. On November 13, 2009, NASA confirmed that water was detected after the Centaur impacted the crater.

Spacecraft.

The LCROSS mission took advantage of the structural capabilities of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) ring used to attach LRO to the Centaur upper-stage rocket to form the Shepherding Spacecraft. Mounted on the outside of the ESPA were six panels that hold the spacecraft's science payload, command and control systems, communications equipment, batteries, and solar panels. A small monopropellant propulsion system was mounted inside of the ring. Also attached were two S Band omnidirectional antennas and two medium-gain antennas. The mission's strict schedule, mass, and budget constraints posed difficult challenges to engineering teams from NASA Ames Research Center (ARC) and Northrop Grumman. Their creative thinking led to a unique use of the ESPA ring and innovative sourcing of other spacecraft components. Usually, the ESPA ring is used as a platform to hold six small deployable satellites; for LCROSS, it became the backbone of the satellite, a first for the ring. LCROSS also took advantage of commercially available instruments and used many of the already-flight-verified components used on LRO. LCROSS is managed by NASA's ARC and was built by Northrop Grumman. The LCROSS preliminary design review was completed on September 8, 2006. The LCROSS mission passed its Mission Confirmation Review on February 2, 2007, and its Critical Design Review on February 22, 2007. After assembly and testing at Ames, the instrument payload, provided by Ecliptic Enterprises Corporation, was shipped to Northrop Grumman on January 14, 2008, for integration with the spacecraft. LCROSS passed its review on February 12, 2009.

Instruments.

The LCROSS Shepherding Spacecraft science instrument payload, provided by NASA's ARC, consisted of a total of nine instruments: one visible, two near infrared, and two mid-infrared cameras; one visible and two near-infrared spectrometers; and a photometer. A data handling unit (DHU) collected the information from each instrument for transmission back to LCROSS Mission Control. Because of the schedule and budget constraints, LCROSS took advantage of rugged, commercially available components. The individual instruments went through a rigorous testing cycle that simulated launch and flight conditions, identifying design weaknesses and necessary modifications for use in space, at which point the manufacturers were allowed to modify their designs.

Results.

The impact was not as visually prominent as had been anticipated. Project manager Dan Andrews believed that this was due to pre-crash simulations that exaggerated the plume's prominence. Because of data bandwidth issues, the exposures were kept short, which made the plume difficult to see in the images in the visible spectra. This resulted in the need for image processing to increase clarity. The infrared camera also captured a thermal signature of the booster's impact.

Presence of water.

On November 13, 2009, NASA reported that multiple lines of evidence show water was present in both the high-angle vapor plume and the ejecta curtain created by the LCROSS Centaur impact., the concentration and distribution of water and other substances required more analysis. Additional confirmation came from an emission in the ultraviolet spectrum that was attributed to hydroxyl fragments, a product from the break-up of water by sunlight. Analysis of the spectra indicate that a reasonable estimate of the concentration of water in the frozen regolith is on the order of one percent. Evidence from other missions suggests that this may have been a relatively dry spot, as thick deposits of relatively pure ice appear to present themselves in other craters. A later, more definitive, analysis found the concentration of water to be "5.6 ± 2.9% by mass." On August 20, 2018, NASA confirmed ice on the surface at the Moon's poles.

Awards.

LCROSS has received numerous awards for its technical, managerial, and scientific accomplishments.

The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) was a robotic spacecraft operated by NASA. The mission was conceived as a low-cost means of determining the nature of hydrogen detected at the polar regions of the Moon. Launched immediately after discovery of lunar water by Chandrayaan-1, the main LCROSS mission objective was to further explore the presence of water in the form of ice in a permanently shadowed crater near a lunar polar region. It was successful in confirming water in the southern lunar crater Cabeus.

Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) war der Name einer Raumsonde der NASA, die am 18. Juni 2009 um 21:32 UTC zusammen mit dem Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) zum Mond gestartet ist und am 9. Oktober 2009 auf dem Mond einschlug. Von der LCROSS-Mission erhoffte man durch Erzeugung eines künstlichen Kraters definitive Erkenntnisse über das Vorhandensein von Wassereis am Südpol des Mondes zu erhalten, welches eine wichtige Rolle für zukünftige bemannte Mondmissionen spielen könnte.


Name.

"Spintria" was used by Suetonius to refer to young male prostitutes, from Greek σφιγκτήρ (sphinktḗr, "[anal] sphincter"). In the 16th century, the name passed from the ancient sense of the persons committing outrageous acts--in other words, sexual and/or sensual acts outside what was considered the norm--(or the place where outrageous acts occurred, such as Tiberius' gardens on the isle of Capri) to the tokens themselves. Bette Talvacchia identifies the first usage of the term "spintriae" to refer to the tokens as occurring in Sebastiano Errizo's 1559 treatise, "Discourse Concerning Ancient Medals" ("Sopra le Medaglie Antiche", Venice, 1559).

Use.

Some scholars, following Friedlander's (1886) suggestion that the tokens were used "auf die man in Bordelle Einlass erheilt" ("to obtain entry to brothels") have argued that "spintriae" were used to pay prostitutes, although none offer any supporting evidence. Buttrey is dismissive of the brothel token idea, asserting "there is no evidence for any of this" (Buttrey 1973, p. 53). Currently, only Simonetta and Riva are supporters of the brothel token hypothesis, which is also popular with the media (see Duggan 2016); other scholars pursue alternate lines of enquiry (Buttrey; Campana; Duggan; Fishburn; etc.). Under Caracalla, an equestrian was sentenced to death for bringing a coin with the emperor's likeness into a brothel; he was spared only by the emperor's own death. There is no direct ancient evidence, however, to support the theory that "spintriae" were created as tokens for exchange in place of official coinage. Numismatist Theodore V. Buttrey suggests that they were used as game pieces. although Duggan (2016) notes there are no archaeological finds to confirm the "spintriae" were gaming pieces. Economist Geoffrey Fishburn, following Jacobelli, suggests they may have been used as locker tokens. Duggan concludes, after Fishburn and Jacobelli, that the most convincing explanation is that they functioned as locker tokens. They seem to have been produced for only a short period, mostly in the 1st century AD.

Appearance.

They were usually struck from brass or bronze, and were little smaller than a 50 euro cent coin (€0.50). Some commentators suggest some of the tokens depicted homosexual acts between men, but this is not widely accepted in the literature, as some authors (Buttrey; Jacobelli; Talvacchia) assert the erotic scenes are exclusively heterosexual.

A spintria (plural, "spintriae") is a small bronze or brass Roman token, possibly for use in brothels, although none of the literature on the "spintriae" contains any evidence to support this assertion. The tokens usually depict on the obverse a motif of sexual acts or symbols and a numeral in the range I - XVI on the reverse.

Als Spintriae (Pl. von Spintria) spricht die moderne Forschung münzähnliche tesserae an, die vermutlich aus der frühen römischen Kaiserzeit stammen und auf der Motivseite gelegentlich erotische Motive darstellen, auf der anderen Seite eine Zahl aufweisen.


History.

The county forms the core of the Nemaha Half-Breed Reservation formed in the Fourth Treaty of Prairie du Chien in 1830 as land for the offspring of traders and Native Americans. The grounds of modern Indian Cave State Park mark where the county's first community, Saint Deroin, was founded in 1853 by members of the reservation as a trading post on the Missouri River. When white settlement was permitted in the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854, this area was part of Forney County (named for US cabinet member John W. Forney) which stretched along the Little Nemaha River from the Missouri River to west of Lincoln, Nebraska. In 1855 Nemaha County was formally founded with Brownville as its county seat. Johnson County, also founded in 1855, was initially administratively attached to Nemaha, but was organized as a stand-alone county in 1857.  Brownville was the biggest city in Nebraska at the time and several firsts occurred in the county including: in 1861 the first state normal school was founded at what today is Peru State College; Daniel Freeman filed the first claim under the Homestead Act of 1862 for land on January 1, 1863 at the Brownville land office.  The Nebraska State Fair was held in the county at Brownville in 1870–1871.  In 1883 the county seat was moved to Auburn.  In 1974 the Cooper Nuclear Station was commissioned south of Brownville.

Geography.

Nemaha County lies on the eastern edge of Nebraska. Its east boundary line abuts the west boundary line of the state of Missouri (across the Missouri River). Most of the county's eastern border follows the Missouri River bordering Atchison County, Missouri. In the county's extreme northeast corner, the border follows the river's former course, lying nearly two miles () east of the present-day channel. This de facto enclave is McKissick Island. The Nemaha River flows southeastward through the upper eastern portion of the county, discharging into the Missouri River below the village of Nemaha.  The county's terrain consists of low rolling hills, sloping eastward to the Missouri River valley. Much of the terrain is devoted to agriculture. The county has a total area of, of which is land and (0.5%) is water.

Demographics.

As of the 2000 United States Census there were 7,576 people, 3,047 households, and 1,980 families in the county. The population density was 18 people per square mile (7/km2). There were 3,439 housing units at an average density of 8 per square mile (3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.60% White, 0.36% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.37% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 1.00% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.  There were 3,047 households out of which 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.00% were married couples living together, 7.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.00% were non-families. 30.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.91.  The county population contained 23.20% under the age of 18, 11.90% from 18 to 24, 23.90% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 18.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 93.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.00 males.  The median income for a household in the county was $32,588, and the median income for a family was $43,780. Males had a median income of $30,956 versus $19,263 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,004. About 8.30% of families and 12.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.20% of those under age 18 and 13.50% of those age 65 or over.

Communities.

Precincts.

Nemaha County has the following precincts (which are similar to townships)

Politics.

Nemaha County voters are reliably Republican. In only one national election since 1936 has the county selected the Democratic Party candidate. (With that being 1964)

Nemaha County is a county in the U.S. state of Nebraska. As of the 2010 United States Census, the population was 7,248. Its county seat is Auburn.

Nemaha County ist ein County im Bundesstaat Nebraska der Vereinigten Staaten. Der Verwaltungssitz (County Seat) ist Auburn, das nach der gleichnamigen Stadt Auburn in New York benannt wurde.


Construction.

"Sub Marine Explorer" had an external high air pressure chamber which was filled with compressed air at a pressure of up to by a steam pump mounted on an external support vessel. Water ballast tanks were flooded to make the vessel submerge. Pressurized air was then released into the vessel to build up enough pressure so it would be possible to open two hatches on the underside, while keeping water out. This meant that air pressure inside the submarine had to equal water pressure at diving depth, exposing the crew to high pressure, making them susceptible to decompression sickness, which was unknown at the time. To surface, more of the pressurized air was used to empty the ballast tanks of water. A contemporary (August 1869) newspaper account of dives in "Sub Marine Explorer" off Panama documents 11 days of diving to, spending four hours per dive, and ascending with a quick release of the pressure to ambient (sea level) pressure. Modern reconstruction of Explorer's systems suggests an ascension rate of, or a rise to the surface in just under two minutes. The problems of decompression do not appear to have been clearly understood; the contemporary reference notes that at the conclusion of the dives, "all the men were again down with fever; and, it being impossible to continue working with the same men for some time, it was decided, the experiment having proved a complete success, to lay the machine up in an adjacent cove..."(The New York Times, August 29, 1869).  The basic premise of "Sub Marine Explorer" was based on an earlier 1858 patent by Van Buren Ryerson of New York for a diving bell also named ""Sub Marine Explorer"." Ryerson and Kroehl had worked together, Kroehl using Ryerson's bell to blast and partially clear Diamond Reef in New York harbor. Kroehl, working with Brooklyn shipbuilder Ariel Patterson, extensively modified Ryerson's design, extending the hull form to a, craft of intricate design. While some have termed Kroehl's "Sub Marine Explorer" a "glorified diving bell," its sophisticated systems of ballast, pressurization and propulsion make it a nineteenth-century antecedent to more modern "lock out" dive systems and subs.

History.

After construction, the "Sub Marine Explorer" was partially disassembled and transported to Panama in December 1866, where she was reassembled to harvest oysters and pearls in the Pearl Islands. Experimental dives with the "Sub Marine Explorer" in the Bay of Panama ended in September 1867 when Kroehl died of "fever". The craft languished on the beach until 1869, when a new engineer and crew took it to the Pearl Islands to harvest oyster shells and pearls. The 1869 dives, with known depths and dive profiles that would have inevitably led to decompression sickness, resulted in the entire crew succumbing to what was described as "fever". Because of this, the craft was laid up in a cove on the shores of the island of San Telmo in the Pearl Islands.  The submarine's rusting hull was well known to locals, but they had presumed it to be a remnant of World War II. In 2001, after many years of misidentification, the remains of the "Sub Marine Explorer" piqued the interest of archaeologist James P. Delgado of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology. Identification of the craft, with the assistance of submarine historians Richard Wills and Eugene Canfield, led to four archaeological expeditions to the Explorer in 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008. Documentation of the "Sub Marine Explorer" has resulted in detailed plans, including interpretive reconstructions of the craft, scientific study of its environment and interaction with the surrounding water, bathymetric assessment, scientific analysis of rates of corrosion, and considerable historical research. Work in 2006 was funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through the Office of Ocean Exploration. The 2008 expedition was funded by the Waitt Institute for Discovery of La Jolla. The vessel is now included in the Historic American Engineering Record of the U.S. National Park Service. A recent (2007) report summarizes preservation options for the submarine for the Panamanian government and recommends the recovery, preservation and public display of the craft in Panama. Metal analysis confirms that the craft is in a critical stage and faces irreversible deterioration and loss.  The "Sub Marine Explorer" is the subject of two documentary films; the first was an episode of the "Sea Hunters" that aired on National Geographic International Television in 2004, and the second, by Der Spiegel, which aired in Europe and in the US on the Smithsonian channel in 2010.

Sub Marine Explorer is a submersible built between 1863 and 1866 by Julius H. Kroehl and Ariel Patterson in Brooklyn, New York for the Pacific Pearl Company. It was hand powered and had an interconnected system of a high-pressure air chamber or compartment, a pressurized working chamber for the crew, and water ballast tanks. Problems with decompression sickness and overfishing of the pearl beds led to the abandonment of "Sub Marine Explorer" in Panama in 1869 despite publicized plans to shift the craft to the pearl beds of Baja California.

Die Sub Marine Explorer war ein 1865 von dem Deutsch-Amerikaner Julius Kröhl gebautes U-Boot. Da es das erste Boot war, das aus eigener Kraft wieder auftauchte, gilt es als das erste funktionsfähige U-Boot der Welt. Das erst 2001 identifizierte Wrack liegt heute am Nordstrand der unbewohnten Insel San Telmo (Panama). Aufgrund der starken Korrosion ist eine Bergung oder Restaurierung nicht mehr möglich.


Education.

Jane has an extensive musical and music-related education. She studied violin and piano for 12 years, and later music theory, and graduated from Newcastle Conservatorium (where she was awarded her A.Mus.A. diploma). She had six years of classical ballet training in Newcastle as well as jazz dance training in Los Angeles. Further, she went on to study singing in Hamburg, Vienna and Amsterdam, as well as learned to play ukulele.

Career as singer.

From australia via america to europe.

Having studied piano and violin in Newcastle, Jane was no longer sure whether the classical style still fulfilled her expectations. She went to the United States where she worked as pianist in several night clubs. A holiday in Spain made her stay in Europe.  After she discovered that life in Spain still did not meet her expectations she moved to Hamburg where she worked again as pianist in the bar of the hotel "Intercontinental". There she started to work with several bands and gained more and more experience in the sound studio. She wrote and composed songs, worked in her husband's studio and became popular as a background singer. In addition to that she started to teach at the.  Through a friend Jane was given the opportunity to attend a two-week-long Musical Course (taught by Buenaventura Braunstein). There she met the director Markus Weber who wanted to have her in several of his productions. She played the leading roles Eponine in "Les Misérables" (in Vienna), Roxie Hart in "Chicago" (in Dortmund) and Marilyn/Sue in Markus Weber's own musical "M wie Marilyn" (in Hamburg). Other roles include Angel in "The Rink" (in Bielefeld) and Dot/Marie in "Sunday in the Park with George" (in Kaiserslautern).  In 1983 she released a Hi NRG cover version of "In the Year 2525" under the pseudonym "Jane Rossi".  In 1998 she released her debut album "Somebody Sent Me an Angel" with a collection of her own songs under the Polydor (Universal Music) label. Apart from live performances, Jane is also an accomplished studio singer, songwriter and producer, running her own recording studio.

With texas lightning to the eurovision song contest.

In 2005, Jane joined Texas Lightning, a Hamburg-based German country music-inspired band as lead singer. They released the single "Like a Virgin" (cover of Madonna's song), as well as an album called "Meanwhile, Back at The Ranch", consisting mainly of country-flavoured covers of popular rock and pop hits.  In 2006, Texas Lightning, along with Vicky Leandros and Thomas Anders, was nominated by the German public broadcaster NDR to enter the Vorentscheid 2006 (German preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2006, which actually took place in Hamburg). Their entry was a typical country song "No no never", written and composed by Jane Comerford. It came as a clear favorite with the viewers during the voting, and consequently Texas Lightning went on to represent Germany in the ESC. As Germany is one of the four biggest contributors to the EBU (organiser of the contest), their entries go straight to the final. On the final night, Texas Lightning came 15th, with 36 points, but the song had already reached no. 1 in the German charts.

Teaching and coach.

Since 1984, Jane Comerford has been teaching the "Popkurs" at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hamburg. Within that education program for popular music, she teaches singing, songwriting, performance, and composition. She also provides coaching to artists and bands on an individual basis. Among her former students are Wir sind Helden, Die Happy, Cultured Pearls, Seeed, Rosenstolz, Lemonbabies, Fury in the Slaughterhouse and Cucumber Men. Other personalities she provided coaching for include Yvonne Catterfeld, Blümchen, Eva Herman, Bettina Tietjen, Katja Riemann and Uwe Ochsenknecht.  Jane Comerford also worked as a singing and performance coach for the contestants in the 2003 German version of the TV show "Fame Academy" on RTL II. This involved daily work with them for three consecutive months.  Since June 2007 Jane has worked as a judge and coach on the sixth season of the German Popstars show.

Jane Comerford (born 1 January 1959 in Newcastle, Australia) is a singer, songwriter, lecturer, and vocal coach working in Germany.

Jane Comerford (* 1. Januar 1959 in Newcastle, New South Wales) ist eine australische Dozentin für Gesang und Leadsängerin der deutschen Country-Band Texas Lightning.


Design and development.

Early work.

Prior to August 1945, the Vultee Division of Consolidated-Vultee looked at the possibility of a swept-wing aircraft powered by a ducted rocket. Years earlier, the company had performed designs which involved liquid-cooled radiator engines. With this design, fuel would be added to the heat produced by small rocket engines in the duct, creating a "pseudo-ramjet".  In August 1945, the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), soon to be renamed the United States Air Force, issued a proposal for a supersonic interceptor capable of speeds and reaching an altitude of in four minutes. Several companies responded, among which was Consolidated-Vultee, which submitted its design on 13 October 1945. This design featured swept wings and V-tails, as well as a powerful propulsion system. Besides the ducted rocket, four rockets were positioned at the exhaust nozzle, along with the 19XB turbojet produced by Westinghouse.  A proposal by Consolidated Vultee (later Convair) was accepted in May 1946, with a proposal for a ramjet-powered aircraft, with a 45° swept wing under USAAF Air Materiel Command Secret Project MX-813. However, wind tunnel testing demonstrated a number of problems with this design.

Switch to delta.

As part of Operation Paperclip and similar efforts, Alexander Lippisch's DM1 research glider had been completed and shipped to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) Langley Research Center, along with considerable German research on swept wings and delta wings. The DM1 was the first in a planned series of four similar testbed aircraft, each one exploring faster speeds. The DM1 was built to test low-speed handling only.  At Langley, the thick-section airfoils of the DM1 were found to generate considerable drag at transonic speeds, and a series of experiments followed to try to explore these issues. Two lines of study were considered; sharp fillets were added to the wing's leading edge, and the vertical stabilizer was significantly shrunken in size, thinned, and moved rearward. This left considerable room in front of the stabilizer, where a conventional cockpit was fitted. During these tests, the tendency for the wings to generate large vortices at high angles of attack was noticed, but the significance of this was not exploited until many years later.  Langley passed along the delta wing information to Convair designers Adolph Burstein, the assistant chief engineer of the San Diego Division, and Ralph Shick, chief of aerodynamic research. The two were initially sceptical of the delta wing, but Shick flew to meet Lippisch at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and returned to Convair's Downey plant convinced this was the way to move forward.  Convair's mixed propulsion system required a very large air duct to the engine, which supplied not only the jet engine with air, but acted as a supply to the rockets to produce thrust augmentation. This left nowhere to put a traditional cockpit; in its normal location it would have projected deep into the duct area. To address this, the team modified the design in a fashion similar to both the Leduc 0.10 and Miles M.52, placing the cockpit in a cylindrical body in the center of the intake. Power was provided by the Westinghouse J30 assisted by a battery of six liquid-fueled rockets. The design was presented to the U.S. Air Force in 1946, and was accepted for development as the XP-92.

Delta research.

In order to gain inflight experience with the delta wing layout, Convair suggested building a smaller prototype, the Model 7002, which the USAAF accepted in November 1946. The design was strongly similar to Langley's later modifications to the DM1, using the smaller vertical surface, thinner wings, and a conventional cockpit. The main difference was to the stretch the fuselage rearward to provide room for the engine, leading to a conventional fuselage shape.  In order to save development time and money, many components were taken from other aircraft; the main gear was taken from a North American FJ-1 Fury, the nosewheel from a Bell P-63 Kingcobra, the engine and hydraulics were taken from a Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, the ejection seat and cockpit canopy were taken from the cancelled Convair XP-81, and the rudder pedals were taken from a BT-13 trainer.  Construction was well underway at Vultee Field in Downey, California when North American Aviation took over the Vultee plants in summer 1947. The airframe was moved to Convair's plant in San Diego, and completed in the autumn. In December it was shipped without an engine to NACA's Ames Aeronautical Laboratory for wind tunnel testing. After testing was completed, the airframe was returned to San Diego, where it was fitted with a Allison J33-A-21 engine.  By the time the aircraft was ready for testing, the concept of the point-defense interceptor seemed outdated and the (now redesignated) F-92 project was cancelled. They also decided to rename the test aircraft as the XF-92A.

Operational history.

In April 1948 the XF-92A was shipped to Muroc Dry Lake (later to become Edwards AFB). Early tests were limited to taxiing, although a short hop was made on 9 June 1948. The XF-92A's first flight was on 18 September 1948 with Convair test pilot Ellis D. "Sam" Shannon at the controls. On 21 December 1948 Bill Martin began testing the aircraft for the company. After 47 flights totaling 20 hours and 33 minutes, the aircraft was turned over to the USAAF on 26 August 1949, with the testing being assigned to Frank Everest and Chuck Yeager.  Yeager was the first Air Force pilot to fly the XF-92A on 13 October 1949. On his second flight he dove the aircraft in a 4 g split-S dive, reaching Mach 1.05 for a brief time. When approaching for landing on this flight he continued to pull the nose higher and higher in order to slow the forward speed to avoid the problems from his first attempt. Surprisingly, the aircraft simply wouldn't stall; he was able to continue raising the nose until he reached 45 degrees pitch, flying under control in that attitude to a landing at, slower than Convair had managed.  In 1951, the XF-92A was refitted with an Allison J33-A-29 engine with an afterburner, offering a thrust of. The re-engined XF-92A was flown by Yeager for the first time on 20 July 1951. However, there was very little improvement in performance. In addition, there were maintenance problems with this engine and only 21 flights were made during the next 19 months. A final engine change was made to the J33-A-16.  On 9 April 1953, Scott Crossfield began a series of flights on behalf of NACA. These tests revealed a violent pitch-up tendency during high-speed turns, often as much as 6 g, and on one occasion 8 g. The addition of wing fences partially alleviated this problem. Crossfield flew 25 flights in the XF-92A by 14 October 1953. After the aircraft's last flight the nose gear collapsed as Crossfield taxied off the lake bed and the aircraft was retired.  None of the pilots had much good to say about the design. Yeager commented "It was a tricky plane to fly, but... I got it out to 1.05 Mach." Crossfield was more direct, saying "Nobody wanted to fly the XF-92. There was no lineup of pilots for that airplane. It was a miserable flying beast. Everyone complained it was underpowered."

Influence.

The delta wing's thin airfoil cross section, low weight and structural strength made it a good candidate for a supersonic airplane. The large surface area of 425 ft (39 m) gave a low wing loading which in turn led to good low-speed performance. Very slow landing speeds could be achieved, at the cost of extremely nose-high landing angles and the resulting poor visibility. The combination of good high-speed and low-speed characteristics was very difficult to achieve for other planforms. Although the XF-92 itself was not liked, the design concept clearly had promise and the delta wing was used on several Convair designs through the 1950s and 1960s.  Of particular interest to aircraft designers was the unexpectedly good low-speed behavior Yeager had noticed on his second flight. The aircraft continued to remain controllable at very high angles of attack (alpha), where a conventional layout would have stalled. The reason for this turned out to be the unexpected creation of a large vortex over the top of the wing, generated by the airflow between the fuselage and leading edge of the wing at high alpha. The vortex became "attached" to the upper surface of the wing, supplying it with air moving at speeds much greater than the aircraft's forward speed. By controlling the flow in this critical area, the performance envelope of the delta could be greatly expanded, which led to the introduction of canards on most delta-wing designs in the 1960s and 1970s. More recently "mini-deltas", in the form of leading edge extensions, have become common on most fighter aircraft, creating the vortex over a more conventional wing planform.

Popular culture.

An unusual application of the XF-92A was as a movie model, stepping into the role of the "MiG-23" in the Howard Hughes film, "Jet Pilot", starring John Wayne and Janet Leigh. Due to the lengthy delay in releasing the film, by the time it appeared in 1957, the XF-92A's role had been left on the cutting room floor. It did appear in the film "Toward the Unknown" (1956) starring William Holden, again in the guise of another aircraft, this time, the F-102 Delta Dagger.

The Convair XF-92 (originally designated XP-92) was an early American delta wing aircraft. Originally conceived as a point-defence interceptor, the design was later used purely for experimental purposes. However, it led Convair to use the delta-wing on a number of designs, including the F-102 Delta Dagger, F-106 Delta Dart, B-58 Hustler, the US Navy's F2Y Sea Dart as well as the VTOL FY Pogo.

Die Convair XF-92 (Werksbezeichnung Convair Model 7, Consolidated Vultee Model 115) war ein Experimentalflugzeug, das ursprünglich als Prototyp für ein Objektschutz-Jagdflugzeug geplant war. Von dem US-amerikanischen Hersteller Consolidated Vultee Aircraft Corporation 1948 hergestellt, stellt sie das erste Deltaflügelflugzeug mit Strahlantrieb der USAF dar. Vor der allgemeinen Umbenennung aller USAF-Flugzeuge im Jahr 1948 war die Projektbezeichnung P-92.


Early life.

Gonsalves was born in Toronto, Ontario. As a child, he developed an interest in art. By the age of thirteen, his awareness of architecture grew as he learned perspective techniques and he began to create his first paintings and renderings of imagined buildings. After exposure to the work of artists such as Swanwick, Escher, Dalí, and Tanguy, Gonsalves began his first surrealistic paintings. The "Magic Realism" approach of Magritte along with the precise perspective illusions of Escher came to be influences in his future work.

Career.

In his post college years, Gonsalves worked full-time as an architect, also painting trompe-l'œil murals and theatre sets. After an enthusiastic response in 1990 at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition, Gonsalves devoted himself to painting full-time.  Although Gonsalves' work is often categorized as surrealistic, it differs because the images are deliberately planned and result from conscious thought. Ideas are largely generated by the external world and involve recognizable human activities, using carefully planned illusionist devices. Gonsalves injects a sense of magic into realistic scenes. As a result, the term "Magic Realism" describes his work accurately. His work is an attempt to represent human beings' desire to believe the impossible, to be open to possibility.  Gonsalves exhibited at Art Expo New York and Los Angeles, Decor Atlanta and Las Vegas, Fine Art Forum, as well as one-man shows at Huckleberry Fine Art, Marcus Ashley Gallery in South Lake Tahoe, Hudson River Art Gallery, Saper Galleries (November 7 to December 31, 2004), Discovery Galleries, Ltd., and Kaleidoscope Gallery. Huckleberry Fine Art handles the publishing of Gonsalves' limited edition prints.  In June 2003, Simon & Schuster introduced North America and Canada to "Imagine a Night", Gonsalves' first hardcover book featuring sixteen paintings. Due to the success of "Imagine a Night", Simon & Schuster released a second book, "Imagine A Day", in 2004 for which he won the 2005 Governor General's Award in the "Children's Literature - Illustration" category.  His book "Imagine a Place" was released in 2008. He released another book, "Imagine a World", in September 2015.

Death and legacy.

Gonsalves committed suicide on June 14, 2017. His official Facebook page stated in part "Rob Gonsalves battled the dark but succumbed June 14th." He was survived by his wife and extended family.  Fellow artist Lise Carruthers organized an effort to preserve his legacy in 2018. In 2019 a 4' high black granite plinth was installed on his gravesite at the Necropolis Cemetery in Toronto Canada. Each side of the pedestal featured a different porcelain image of a Gonsalves paintings. Future plans are for a series of art exhibitions featuring Gonsalves original paintings.

In popular culture.

In 2018, Ariana Grande released a music video for her song 'God is a Woman' in which one scene referenced Gonsalves' paintings "Water Dancing" and "Carved in Stone."

Robert "Rob" Gonsalves (June 25, 1959 – June 14, 2017) was a Canadian painter of magic realism (surrealism). He produced original works, limited edition prints and illustrations for his own books.

Rob Gonsalves (* 1959 in Toronto, Ontario; † 14. Juni 2017) war ein kanadischer Künstler, dessen Arbeiten größtenteils dem Magischen Realismus zuzuordnen sind.


Current system.

Lines.

In Los Angeles Metro terminology, common with most other metro systems, a "line" is a named service, defined by a route and set of stations served by trains on that route. (The word does not refer to a physical rail corridor, as it does in New York City Subway nomenclature.) Metro Rail lines are for the most part named after colors, and these colors are used to distinguish the lines on Metro's maps. (The one exception is the Expo Line, which nevertheless is consistently colored aqua on maps.) Metro also uses colors for its Metro Busway services (which are bus services operating in transitways).  As of late 2019, Metro is in the process of renaming all of its rail and BRT lines with letters, while leaving their colors unchanged on maps.  Six Metro Rail lines operate in Los Angeles County:  The B and D lines follow a fully underground route (subway), and the C Line follows a fully grade separated route. The A, E and L Line routes run in a mix of environments, including at-grade street running, at-grade in an exclusive corridor, elevated, and underground.  The two heavy-rail lines (B and D) share tracks between and, while two of the light-rail lines (A and E) share tracks between and. Future system expansions are expected to use more shared light-rail tracks.

Stations.

The large majority of light rail stations are either at ground level or elevated, while a handful are underground. All heavy rail stations are underground. Future light rail lines will add more underground stations to the system.  Stations include at least two ticket vending machines, wayfinding maps, electronic message displays, and bench seating. Each station features unique artwork reflecting local culture and/or the function of transit in society.  Stations are unstaffed during regular hours. Call boxes are available at most stations to allow employees at the Metro Rail Operations Control Center to assist passengers with concerns.  Metro Rail uses a proof-of-payment fare system, with Metro's fare inspectors randomly inspecting trains and stations to ensure passengers have a valid fare product on their Transit Access Pass (TAP) electronic fare card. When passengers enter a station, they encounter TAP card validators which collect fares when a customer places their card on top. Additionally, fare gates (turnstiles) connected to TAP card validators are at all underground stations, all elevated stations and some surface stations. Once passengers pass these validators or board a train, they have entered the "fare paid zone," where fare inspectors may check their TAP card to ensure they have a valid fare.  Underground stations are typically large in size with a mezzanine level for fare sales and collection above a platform level where passengers board trains.  Street-level stations are typically more simple with platforms designed with shade canopies, separated from nearby roads and sidewalks, where passengers can purchase fares and board a train.  Subway stations and tunnels are designed to resist ground shaking that could occur at a specific location, but there is no general magnitude of earthquake that the entire system is expected to withstand. The Metro Rail system has not suffered any damage due to earthquakes since its opening in 1993.  Some suburban stations have free or paid park and ride lots available and most have bike storage available.

Rolling stock.

Metro Rail maintains two distinct systems of rail: a light rail system and a heavy rail system. The heavy rail and light rail systems are incompatible with each other, even though they both use. Metro's heavy rail lines are powered by third rail, whereas its light rail lines are powered by overhead catenary. Also, the two separate systems have different loading gauge, and platforms are designed to match the separate car widths.

Hours of operation.

All Metro Rail lines run regularly between 5am and midnight, seven days a week. Limited service on particular segments is provided after midnight and before 5am. On Friday and Saturday evenings, service operates until approximately 2am. There is no rail service between 2am and 3:30am, except on special occasions such as New Year's Eve. Service operates every 5–10 minutes during the peak period, every 10–15 minutes during middays and during the day on weekends, and every 20 minutes during the evening until the close of service. Exact times vary from route to route.

Fares and fare collection.

The standard Metro base fare applies for all trips. Fare collection is based on a partial proof-of-payment system. At least two fare machines are at each station. Fare inspectors, local police and deputy sheriffs police the system and cite individuals without fares. Passengers are required to purchase a TAP card to enter stations equipped with fare gates. Passengers using a TAP card can transfer between Metro routes for free within 2 hours from the first tap.  The following table shows Metro fares, effective May 15, 2018 (in US dollars):

Transit Access Pass (TAP) and fare gates.

Metro has implemented a system of electronic fare collection using a stored value smartcard called the Transit Access Pass (or TAP Card). This card was intended to simplify fare collection and reduce costs. In 2012, paper monthly passes were phased out and replaced with the TAP Card. As of September 2013, first-time Metro riders must deposit an additional $2 (or $1 at TAP vending machines) on top of their first fare payment to obtain a reloadable TAP Card.  In addition, Metro began installing fare gates in 2008, at all heavy rail stations and select light rail stations. Implementation of both programs (the TAP Card and the fare gate program) has turned out to be expensive ($154 million in total, so far) and its initial rollout was problematic.

Ridership.

The Metro Rail system saw a total ridership of 108,017,525 in 2018.  As of the second quarter of 2018, the combined Metro Red and Purple lines averaged a weekday ridership of 135,400, making it the ninth busiest heavy rail (rapid transit) system in the United States. Taking overall track length into consideration, Metro Rail's heavy rail lines transport 7,960 passengers per route mile, making this the fifth busiest system U.S. rapid transit system on a per mile basis.  Metro's light rail system is the busiest in the United States with 203,300 average weekday boardings during the second quarter of 2018. At Metro's light rail system is the second largest in the United States.

Security and safety.

Half of the Metro Rail's trains and stations are patrolled by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, under a law enforcement contract. The Los Angeles Police Department, and Long Beach Police Department, also patrol stations within their respective cities, also under contract. The system is also monitored by security personnel by closed-circuit television cameras in Metro Rail stations and subway cars.

History.

In the early 20th century, Southern California had an extensive privately owned rail transit network with over of track, operated by Pacific Electric (Red Cars) and Los Angeles Railway (Yellow Cars). However, from 1927 revenue shortfall caused Pacific Electric to begin replacing lightly used rail lines with buses. In 1958 the remnants of the privately owned rail and bus systems were consolidated into a government agency known as the Los Angeles Metropolitan Transit Authority or MTA. By 1963 the remaining rail lines were completely removed and replaced with bus service.  In the following decades, growing traffic congestion led to increased public support for rail transit's return. Beginning in the 1970s, a variety of factors, including environmental concerns, an increasing population and the price of gasoline led to calls for mass transit other than buses. The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA, now branded as Metro) began construction of the initial lines throughout the 1980s using revenues from a voter-approved increase in sales tax. The Blue (A) Line finally opened on July 14, 1990, some 27 years after the final streetcar line closed. Since that date, the system has been developed to its current size. The following table shows this expansion's timeline:

Future.

Metro has worked to plan and prioritize project funding and implementation. Metro's 2009 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) was developed to provide a long-term vision of transportation system development for the next 30 years. Metro is currently attempting to update the LRTP 2009 plan citing new housing trends and fiscal changes. Metro plans to release the updated LRTP in early 2020.  Beginning in 2014, Metro saw its ridership numbers begin to decline. Many explanations exist for the decline, including safety concerns, an increase in ride-hailing service usage, and low-income housing opportunities drying up in L.A. because of the increase in rents, a shortage of housing.  The fiscal changes are the passage of Measure R, a countywide incrememental sales tax increase passed by voters in 2008, provides funding for many of the highest priority projects in the LRTP. On November 6, 2012, Metro attempted to pass Measure J, but failed as it did not reach the two-thirds majority needed to pass.  In November 2016 election, Metro decided to place another sales tax on the ballot. The voters then approved Measure M, a half-cent permanent sales tax increase, to fund many local projects, including Metro Rail expansion.  In 2018, Metro approved renaming its rail lines using a letter-based scheme, similar to those in New York City. Metro recommended the opening of the refurbished Blue Line (A Line) in 2019 as a starting point to rename the lines, and then continuing with the opening of the Crenshaw/LAX line, finishing in time for the opening of the Regional Connector in 2022.

Current and priority projects.

The following rail projects have been given high priority by Metro. They all appear in the 2009 LRTP constrained plan, and all have funding earmarked from Measure R. With the passage of Measure M in 2016, Metro released an updated Long Range Transportation plan in February 2017, and will release a full report early 2020, along with its Twenty-eight by '28 initiative.

Other expansion concepts.

The following proposed line/system expansions do not have funding or high priority in Metro's long-range plans. Some are listed as "strategic unfunded" in the last Long Range Transportation Plan, indicating some possibility they could be constructed should additional funding materialize. Others have been the subject of Metro Board discussion, with the possibility of future feasibility studies. (More information on each project can be found in the references.)  Note a major update of Metro's 2009 plan is underway, updating the Long Range Transportation Plan. The results of early planning studies as a part of that process are expected to be made public in approximately early 2020, and may result in the addition of new proposed projects, changes to concepts listed below, and the removal of concepts whose popularity has declined since 2009.

The Los Angeles Metro Rail is an urban rail transportation system serving Los Angeles County, California. It consists of six lines, including two rapid transit subway lines (the B and D lines) and four light rail lines (the A, C, L and E lines) serving 93 stations. It connects with the Metro Busway bus rapid transit system (the G Line (Orange) and J Line (Silver)) and also with the Metrolink commuter rail system.

Als Los Angeles Metro Rail bezeichnet man das U-Bahn- und Stadtbahn-Netz des Los Angeles County. Es wird von der Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Abkürzung LACMTA) betrieben und besteht aus sechs Linien, von denen zwei Linien Voll-U-Bahnen ("Heavy Rail") und die anderen vier Linien Stadtbahnstrecken ("Light Rail") sind.


Life.

Trebitsch was born on 22 December 1868, into a wealthy secular Jewish family, who "taught him nothing of Judaism of Christianity". His brother Arthur Trebitsch, despite his Jewish origin, became a noted Antisemite and early supporter of the Nazis. Siegfried identified himself as a Lutheran when he registered for military service. He entered the silk trade business of his stepfather Leopold, where he remained until 1903 when he took a year out for personal study and for travels across Europe and North Africa.  While in England he personally sought out Bernard Shaw, offering to translate his works and help build the playwright's reputation in Europe. This initiated a lengthy correspondence with Shaw that lasted until the Irish writer's death, and has since been published. Trebitsch became the sole German translator of Shaw during his lifetime. Three of Shaw's plays had their world premieres in Trebitsch's German translations. "Pygmalion" and "The Millionairess" were both first performed in Vienna. His last full-length play "Buoyant Billions" was first performed Zürich, to which Trebitsch had moved during World War II. In 1923 Shaw rewarded Trebitsch for his efforts by translating and adapting his play "Frau Gitta's Sühne" into English, as "Jitta's Atonement". Trebitsch also cultivated links with French writers.  He took up his residence in Vienna, where he built the prestigious "Villa Trebitsch" designed by Ernst Gotthilf. He married in 1907 to the Hungarian Princess Antoinette Engalitscheff, the widow of a Russian Grand Duke who had been killed in 1904 fighting the Japanese. In the same year he was given honorary citizenship of the Municipality Wigstadtl in Austrian Silesia Kronlande. After World War I this became part of Czechoslovakia, so in 1920 he acquired Czech citizenship.  Trebitsch was a close friend of music critic Julius Korngold, father of Erich Korngold. He once suggested to him that one of his translations, a play called "Die stille Stadt" (The Silent City) would make a good opera. The play was adapted by Julius and his son Erich, who composed the music. Under the title "Die tote Stadt" it was a major success.  Trebitsch's relationship with his brother Arthur had become increasingly strained in the years before the First World War. Arthur was unable to replicate his brother's success as a writer, and was increasingly obsessed with the idea that there were Jewish conspiracies against him. In 1912, he unsuccessfully tried to sue Siegfried and the critic Ferdinand Gregori, who had written a bad review of his short stories. Siegfried had agreed with Gregori, describing Arthur's work as "amateurish" and suggesting that he suffered from "megolamania and paranoia". The trial resulted in Arthur's public humiliation as the press ridiculed him.  Trebitsch's own original works of this period are comparable to those of Franz Werfel, who dominated the Viennese cultural life in the 1930s. In his novels and short stories, he characterized contemporary Austrian society.

Escape from the Nazis.

He continued to live in Vienna until the 1938 Anschluss, when Austria was absorbed into Nazi Germany. Despite being aware that his Jewish ethnicity would now be a problem for him, according to Blanche Patch, who knew him, he and his wife did not at first react:  Trebitsch fled to Paris, where he was awarded an honorary French citizenship in 1939 in recognition of his promotion of French culture in Germany. After the invasion of France in 1940, he moved to Zürich. While there he wrote to Shaw asking him for financial support. He also attempted to raise funds by unsuccessfully claiming royalties for "The Chocolate Soldier", a German operetta based on "Arms and the Man". Even though he was not the translator, he claimed that he had the sole rights to German versions of Shaw. He applied for an immigration visa to the United States in June 1941, as a precaution, but with Allied victory this was unnecessary. He remained in Zurich for the rest of his life.

Post war.

After the war, Trebitsch's house in Vienna was restored to him, but he had no wish to return to Austria. He sold it to the Czechoslovakian embassy. He visited Shaw after the war, but when he planned a second visit in 1948, the irritable Shaw wrote "do not come", later writing that European ideas of intimacy were considered "sentimental nonsense" in England. Trebitsch was responsible for the translation and first production of Shaw's last full-length play, "Buoyant Billions" which was first performed in German in Trebitsch's new home, Zürich, under the title "Zu viel Geld".  In 1951 Trebitsch published an autobiography, "Chronik eines Lebens" ("Chronicle of a Life"), which was published in English, translated by Eithne Wilkins and Ernst Kaiser, two years later. A few years after Shaw's death in 1950, Trebitsch arranged to sell his collection of letters from the playwright. In 1956, after the sale had been arranged, he went to collect the letters. In the words of Samuel A. Weiss, "Trebitsch went to his bank, retrieved the heavy bundle of correspondence, and suffered a heart attack. He was in his eighty-eighth year. On June 3, Siegfried Trebitsch—felled by the hand of his friend—died."

Siegfried Trebitsch (1868–1956) was an Austrian playwright, translator, novelist and poet. Though prolific as a writer in various genres, he was best known for his German translations, especially of the works of the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw, with whom he kept up a long and detailed correspondence. He is also known for translations of French writers, especially Georges Courteline.

Siegfried Trebitsch (* 22. Dezember 1868 in Wien; † 3. Juni 1956 in Zürich) war ein österreichischer Dramatiker, Lyriker, Erzähler und Übersetzer.


History.

Choquequirao is a 15th- and 16th-century settlement associated with the Inca Empire, or more correctly Tahuantinsuyo. The site had two major growth stages. This could be explained if Pachacuti founded Choquequirao and his son, Tupac Inca Yupanqui, remodeled and extended it after becoming the Sapa Inca. Choquequirao is located in the area considered to be Pachacuti’s estate; which includes the areas around the rivers Amaybamba, Urabamba, Vilcabamba, Victos and Apurímac.  Other sites in this area are Sayhuite, Machu Picchu, Chachabamba "(Chachapampa)", Choquesuysuy "(Chuqisuyuy)" and Guamanmarca "(Wamanmarka)"; all of which share similar architectural styles with Choquequirao. The architectural style of several important features appears to be of Chachapoya design, suggesting that Chachapoya workers were probably involved in the construction. This suggests that Tupaq Inka probably ordered the construction. Colonial documents also suggest that Tupac Inca ruled Choquequirao since his great grandson, Tupa Sayri, claimed ownership of the site and neighboring lands during Spanish colonization.  It was one of the last bastions of resistance and refuge of the Son of the Sun (the "Inca"), Manco Inca Yupanqui, who fled Cusco after his siege of the city failed in 1535.  According to the Peruvian Tourism Office, "Choquequirao was probably one of the entrance check points to the Vilcabamba, and also an administrative hub serving political, social and economic functions. Its urban design has followed the symbolic patterns of the imperial capital, with ritual places dedicated to "Inti" (the Incan sun god) and the ancestors, to the earth, water and other divinities, with mansions for administrators and houses for artisans, warehouses, large dormitories or kallankas and farming terraces belonging to the Inca or the local people. Spreading over 700 meters, the ceremonial area drops as much as 65 meters from the elevated areas to the main square." The city also played an important role as a link between the Amazon Jungle and the city of Cusco.

Discovery.

According to Ethan Todras-Whitehill of the New York Times, Choquequirao's first non-Incan visitor was the explorer Juan Arias Díaz in 1710. The first written site reference in 1768 was made by, but was ignored at the time.  The Prefect of the Province of Apurimac, J.J. Nuñez, encouraged Hiram Bingham to visit the 'Cradle of Gold', in order to discover any Incan treasure. Bingham was a delegate to the 1908 First Pan American Scientific Congress and was in Cusco at the time. Bingham decided to visit Choquequirao in 1909 to determine if it was Vilcapampa, the Capital of the last four Incas. He found three groups of buildings, mummified bodies, and places where dynamite had been used in the search of treasure. Visitors who had recorded their names included Count de Sartiges, Jose Maria Tejada and Marcelino Leon, 1834, Jose Benigno Samanez, Juan Manuel Rivas Plata and Mariana Cisneros, 1861, and three Almanzas, Pio Mogrovejo, and their treasure hunting workmen, 1885. However, Bingham decided it was merely a frontier fortress, and tempted him to search further.

Location and layout.

Choquequirao is situated at an elevation of 3,000 m above sea level on a southwest-facing spur of a glaciated peak above the Apurimac River. The region is characterized by mountain topography and covered with Amazonian flora and fauna. It is 98 km west of Cusco, in the Vilcabamba range. The complex covers 6 km. Architecturally it is similar to Machu Picchu. The main structures, such as temples, huacas, elite residences, and fountain/bath systems are concentrated around two plazas along the crest of the ridge, which encompass approximately 2 km and follow Inca urban design. Also there is a conglomeration of common buildings clustered away from the plaza. Excavations and surface items suggest they were probably used for workshops and food preparation. Most buildings are well-preserved and well-restored; restoration continues.  The terrain around the site was greatly modified. The central area of the site was leveled artificially and the surrounding hillsides were terraced to allow cultivation and small residential areas. The typical Inca terraces form the largest constructions on site.  Many of the ceremonial structures are associated with water. There are two unusual temple "wak'a" sites that lie several hundred meters lower than the two plazas. These are carefully crafted step terraces down a steep slope are designed around water. The site also contains a number of ceremonial structures such as the large "usnu" built on a truncates hill, the Giant Staircase, and an aqueduct providing water to the water shrines.

Sectors.

The archaeological complex of Choquequirao is divided into 12 sectors. While the contents of each sector are different, terraces used for various purposes are common throughout. It seems that most of the buildings here were either for ceremonial purposes, residences of the priests, or used to store food.

Ceremonial center.

The ceremonial center of Choquequirao shares many features similar to those of other Inca ceremonial centers and pilgrimage sites, such as Isla del Sol, Quespiwanka ("Qhispi Wank'a", palace of Huayna Capac), Machu Picchu/Llaqtapata, Tipon and Saywite. The long and treacherous route from Cusco to Choquequirao likely passed by Machu Picchu, leading onto the face of Machu Picchu Peak. From Llaqtapata, the path continued down into the Mollepata Valley, traversed the Yanamia pass at 4670 m, and continued across the Rio Blanco, finally reaching Choquequirao from above after an estimated 7- to 10-day journey.  The ceremonial center consists of a main platform and a lower plaza. Stone lined channels carried ceremonial water, or chicha to shrines and baths throughout the site. The main platform, unique in its size and prominence, limited ceremonial activity to royalty and the ministerial class. This seems as such due to evidence showing that the only entrance to the platform was through a double-jam doorway, which functioned to control access to the sacred space. Other features of the ceremonial center include structures that mark the direction of certain solar events, such as when the June and December solstice sun rises and sets. Located in the main platform, the Giant Stairway opens to the sunrise of the December solstice. Measured at 25 meters long and 4.4 meters wide, this structure seems to have been purely ceremonial in function, since the stairs end abruptly partway down a hill, leading to nothing. Large boulders that rest upon the risers of the stairway become fully illuminated when the December solstice sun rises. Gary R. Ziegler and J. McKim Malville have postulated that when the boulders become illuminated, a "wak'a" is activated by its solar camaquen—a case similar to when the large stone of the Torreon at Machu Picchu becomes illuminated. In the lower plaza a group of structures were found that appeared to be water shrines and baths. This belief is held based on their strong resemblance to those at sector II of Llaqtapata and because there are numerous water channels leading to that portion of the plaza. Overall, it seems as though the site was chosen, as Machu Picchu was, for its sacred geographical location, and was designed to facilitate ritual and ceremonial activity.

Subsectors.

The area around Choquequiaro contains several subsectors that have been associated with the Inca culture that thrived in Choquequirao, suggesting that the subsectors are most likely part of the site. Design, construction style, and cultural parallels support that these sectors were tightly intertwined with Choquequiaro and the Inca at some point in their history. The lack of residential space in these sectors suggests that these were probably farming outposts from Choquequirao rather than an independent site. Due to differences in design and construction styles, it is believed that these sectors were built in three different phases. Like Choquequirao art style, the subsector also contains multiple camelid art and ceremonial "phaqchas" that are tightly related to Inca, especially Pachacuti’s government.

Materials.

All lithic materials utilized for the construction of the site and surrounding sectors were mined from the local quarries. Due to the metamorphic rock in the quarries of Choquequirao, superb masonry like that at Machu Picchu could not be obtained. Instead, the entrances and corners were shaped from quartzite, and the walls were made of ashlar and plastered with clay and then painted in a light orange color.

Art.

Most of the rock art in Choquequirao is in the terraced area where cultivation occurred. Archaeologists have documented twenty-five semi-naturalistic figures on the terraces of sector VIII of Choquequirao. The rocks used to build the walls are dark schist while the camelid images are of white calcocuarcita, a sandstone of quartz and carbonate. The camelid motifs vary between a maximum height of 1.94 m and one minimum of 1.25 m. In 2004, archaeologist Zenobio Valencia from the University of San Antonio Abad of Cusco found several camelid figurines made of white stones in a group of terraces in one sector of the archaeological site.  One recent discovery for example, uncovered a scene laid into the stone terraces with white quartzite depicting several llamas loaded with cargo standing by their handlers. Present on the uppermost terrace wall is a zigzag pattern of the same quartzite. This style of design is uniquely Chachapoya and not found in other sites of Inca construction, indicating that workers from Chachapoya may have been involved in the construction of Choquequirao.

Access.

Presently the only way to access Choquequirao is by a hard hike. The common trail head begins at the village of San Pedro de Cachora, which is approximately a 4-hour drive from Cuzco, along the Cusco-Abancay route. Another access point is from Huanipaca village, whose crossroad is located on the same route Cusco-Abancay, 4–5 km beyond the Cachora crossroad. Huanipaca offers a 15 km trail, half distance less than Cachora trail (31 km). Over 5,000 people trekked to Choquequirao in 2013. From Choquequirao it is possible to continue hiking to Machu Picchu. Most treks range from 7-day to 11-day hikes, and involve going over the Yanama Pass, which at 4,668 m is the highest point on the trek.  The construction of the cable car to Choquequirao has been declared a priority by the Apurímac Regional Government, which are destined to receive 220 million Peruvian Soles (US$82.7 million) to fund the project. It will reduce a two-day hike to a 15-minute cable car ride. Carlos Canales, president of the National Chamber of Tourism (Canatur) believes that in the first year of operation the Choquequirao cable car will receive 200,000 tourists, which will generate an income of US$4 million, with the average visitor paying US$20 per ticket.

Choquequirao (possibly from Quechua "chuqi" metal, "k'iraw" crib, cot) is an Incan site in southern Peru, similar in structure and architecture to Machu Picchu. The ruins are buildings and terraces at levels above and below Sunch'u Pata, the truncated hill top. The hilltop was anciently leveled and ringed with stones to create a 30 by 50 m platform.

Choquequirao (auch: "Choquequirau") ist eine nur teilweise ausgegrabene Ruinenstadt der Inka im Süden Perus. Wegen der Ähnlichkeit in Aufbau und Architektur wird sie auch “Schwester Machu Picchus” genannt.