there's nothing like US technology 4/9/2016 0 Comments   by E.L. Christianson Jr. Shoddy might be a little harsh.  But, our technical abilities are not the best on the planet.  Maybe a little more truth and a little less fanatic ego would allow us to keep in touch with reality.  We've brainwashed ourselves into believing our own propaganda about how superior we are. What we are really interested in are superior profits.  The F-35 is exceptional in this regard, estimated to cost $391 billion to purchase 2,457 aircraft.  It appears that it will be profitable... will it fly? It is difficult for the United States to keep up with the world when our educational goals are profit for public corporations rather than education of the public.  That we are systematically closing public schools in favor of private schools is stupid.  But then, stupid seems to accurately describe our actions and the results are easily predicted. ​So, here we are in the 21st century having to purchase rocket engines from the country we love to think of as our 'arch enemy' because we can't produce these rocket engines for ourselves and they can.  And, while we seem bend upon provoking them into a war, we had better be careful as we already recognize that their jet fighters are better than ours. Diversity is an important aspect of education that needs to be addressed BY Katherine Beard America has fallen far from its place as a leader in math and science, experts said during a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Diversity Symposium on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. "International comparisons place the U.S. in the middle of the pack globally," said Debbie Myers, general manager of Discovery Communications. Myers said in order for the U.S. to compete in the global market, we need to a do a better job of inspiring children to develop that desire for discovery and encourage minorities and girls especially to get involved in STEM. For both students and up-and-coming professionals, tests and studies continue to confirm that the U.S. is losing its competitive edge when it comes to math, technology and science. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which surveyed more than 150,000 people age 16 to 65 in 24 different countries, America's results for literacy were disappointing, but mathematics and problem solving proved to be especially embarrassing for a nation that has formerly reigned as a leader of innovation and technology. The U.S. ranked 21 out of 23 countries in math and 17 out of 19 countries in problem solving in the October study. In fact, the Wall Street Journal reports that the majority of graduate students studying science and technology at American universities are not Americans, but Chinese and South Koreans. Soviet-era fighter jets like the Su-27 Flanker, pictured above, outperform the newest American design, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter? U.S. needs up to 18 more Russian rocket engines BY Phil Stewart  United States to Replace Russian RD-180 Rocket Engines by 2017 The Pentagon will need to buy up to 18 more Russian-built RD-180 engines to power rockets carrying U.S. military satellites into space over the next six years or so, Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said in an interview on Friday. Congress banned use of the Russian RD-180 rocket engines for military use after 2019, following Russia's annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine in 2014. But U.S. lawmakers eased the ban late last year, worried that it could drive United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co, out of business and leave only privately held SpaceX to lift satellites into space. Work said the United States needed to ensure there were at least "two affordable and reliable means into space." He added the RD-180 would be needed only during what he described as a transition period of new domestic rocket engine development. "We just don't see any way you can get a new engine in anything less than six years," Work said. "And so, therefore, in the transition period, we believe strongly that we need RD-180 space engines. No more than 18 but, you know, that's our position." Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, is pushing to end U.S. dependence on Russian engines used by United Launch Alliance to power its Atlas 5 rockets. McCain said last month that two Russians placed on the U.S. sanctions list because of events in Ukraine were leaders of Russian space agency Roscosmos, which he said was the parent of the company that makes the RD-180 rocket. ULA has said it was moving forward with two companies developing their own U.S. engines, Blue Origin and Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, but such development programs were difficult and took years to complete. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Leslie Adler) “Thunder without Lightning" The High Costs and Limited Benefits of the F-35” BY Bill French “The F-35’s performance characteristics also compare unfavorable to already deployed foreign 4th-generation fighters such as the Russian-designed MiG-29 Fulcrum and Su-27 Flanker (also produced by China) in service with air forces around the world. These are the kinds of aircraft the F-35 would most likely face in air-to-air engagements against a high-end opponent. Compared to both the Su-27 and the MiG-29, the F-35 is grossly inferior in terms of wing loading (except for the F-35C), transonic acceleration, and thrust-to-weight. All F-35 variants also have significantly lower maximum speeds, Mach 1.6 for the F-35 compared to Mach 2.2 for the Su-27 and Mac 2.3 for the MiG-29. Air-to-air simulations paint an even grimmer picture. In 2009, U.S. Air Force and Lockheed Martin analysts indicated that the F-35 could be expected to achieve only a 3-to-1 kill ratio against the decades-old MiG-29 and Su-27 despite its advantages in stealth and avionics. The results of other simulations have been far worse. In one simulation subcontracted by the RAND Corporation, the  F-35 incurred a loss exchange ratio of 2.4-1 against Chinese Su-35s. That is, more than two F-35s were lost for each Su-35 shot down. While these simulations take into account a host of other factors and include assumptions about the context in which the engagements take place, they nevertheless underscore the need for skepticism regarding the F-35’s air-to-air capabilities. ​ Unfortunately, there are insufficient data on foreign 5th-generation fighters to allow for meaningful comparisons. Three such fighters are known to be under development: the Russian PAK FA and the Chinese J-20 and J-31. International Students Are 70% Of EE Grad Students In U.S. ​BY Stuart Anderson ​Here are some of the key findings in the NFAP report: International students account for 70 percent of the full-time graduate students (master’s and Ph.D.s) in electrical engineering. In computer science, international students make up 63 percent of the full-time graduate students. ​In industrial engineering, economics, chemical engineering, materials engineering and mechanical engineering more than half the full-time graduate students are foreign nationals. The numbers are even higher at some individual colleges, depending on the field. We know that education is the leader in innovation and we just don't seem to care.  If we really wanted to live up to the standards we pretend, we would take advantage of every single American student beginning at the pre-school level and we would make sure each child received the best education we could provide.  We would maximize all of that brain-power.  "Let no brain go wasted" should be our working motto. We know what to do, we just haven't figured out how to make big profits while doing it and therefore, we fall back to believing our own propaganda about how superior we are.  And, that's the truth !!!