AEOLUS
AEROSPACE
Life Support: Physiology, human factors, and
behavior in hostile Earth & space environments;
explorations of human social & cultural issues & behavior.
Aeolus Aerospace is a private venture concerned with the study and history of human survival in hostile environments. Aeolus, as you will recall from Greek history, was the ancient god of the winds. To the ancients, the Aeolean realm was the sky above the earth. In this present conceptual context, our venue is any atmospheric environment that is not supportive of human life. This environment may be hyperbaric, hypobaric, or normobarically toxic to the human life form. As such, we are concerned principally with altitude physiology and human factors, such as are encountered in high altitude mountaineering, high altitude flight, and space flight. We are also concerned with individual respiratory protection in chemical, biological, and nuclear settings. Finally, we are interested in the history of man's attempts to survive in physiologically non-supportive or unsuitable environments. (One area we are not concerned with is human survival in / under water, or at depth--i.e. hyperbaric physiology.)
This site intends to serve as a focus and forum for explorations of man's attempts to sustain life and activity in inherently hostile, but frequently beautiful and fascinating regions of our planet, and under difficult conditions. It should come as no surprise that there will appear some tangential discourse along abstract vectors, concerning science, technology, and the impact of these areas of activity on human society and culture, for it doesn't take much imagination to determine that our own society is frequently a 'hostile' environment within which the human being may have difficulty thriving. Consequently, you may find a variety of things on this site, ranging from articles, papers & related topics, links to other sites, a review of relevant books of interest, to various adjunctive commentaries and supplemental information on these subjects.
About us: Aeolus Aerospace is the functional
identity under which are conducted the activities of Christopher T. Carey, historian,
researcher, writer, and consultant (AKA: "Doc Boink"). Although much of my past
work has been in civilian medical technology (pulmonary and cardiovascular), after service
as an aeromedical specialist in the US Air Force during the mid 60s, I remained actively
involved in aerospace physiology, life support, and human factors activities. Beginning
in the early 80s, I began an extended period of work
in the Southwest and Southeast Asian areas that included substantial employment in the
Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Just prior to the 1990-91 war
in the Arabian Gulf (nee Persian Gulf) area, my interests expanded into nuclear,
biological and chemical protection technology (known generally as NBC). Today, I remain a
corresponding associate of ASA, Incorporated, (Applied Science & Analysis, Inc., an
organization concerned with world-wide environmental protection issues, both in
military and in civilian areas of activity) and maintain a broad range of writing
activities . I am an active mountaineer, military and social historian, amateur
philosopher, and former resident of Berkeley (California), where my inherent predilection
for questioning authority seems to have gained notable augmentative impetus. Above
all, I am a student of life and maintain a great and continuing concern for basic deeper
issues, such as what socio-political change American society is undergoing, and whether or
not humanity will achieve a form of harmonic stasis with the 'home planet' before we
eradicate ourselves entirely (as the ostensibly predominant sentient terrestrial
bio-organism). For the past two years I have served on the Board of Directors at
the Aerospace Museum of California. However, despite all these pretensions to some higher aesthetic
calling, I never lose sight of the fact that possibly...quite possibly... chief
of Highland General Hospital's cardiology department (in Oakland, CA) Walter Stullman was right when he referred to me in 1983 as his favorite
"high-grade
Chimpanzee"....
at any rate, welcome to our nexus and never forget those eternal words of Walt
Kelly's Pogo Possum:
"We have
met the enemy and he is us...."
This month's notable quote:
"Man is the best computer we can put aboard a spacecraft...and the only one that can be mass produced with unskilled labor."
-Wernher von Braun (B.1912-D.1977)
"DOG is my co-pilot!" (Maj. DJ Muttley, USAF)
The
Mayday
Cafe
is a virtual coffee house, wherein opinions and attitudes may be aired and viewed. Unless otherwise stated, ideas and outlooks discussed therein are the sole responsibility of Aeolus Aerospace. [The name Mayday Cafe is copyright 1992/2008 (TM) and is the legal and intellectual property of Aeolus Aerospace, which may not be used without specific permission.] Selected communications sent to us will be shared here, as received in response to features and topics found at this site. (Give the page some time to download, the first time!). Only the present year's monthly commentaries will appear here. To read previous monthly commentaries from years 2000 through 2003, please click on the "MAYDAY ARCHIVES" (immediately below)
MAYDAY ARCHIVES: PAST COMMENTARIES (2000 - 2003)
Jan of 2004
topic:
MARLA STREB: XTREME
GEN-X BICYCLE RACER
Feb of 2004 topic: THE FAILURE OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY AS A MODEL FOR EMULATION
Mar of 2004 topic: WHOSE FANTASY IS IT, ANYWAY? (Manufactured unreality)
Apr of 2004 topic: IVAN ILLICH DIED FOR YOUR SINS: An archeologist of ideas
May of 2004 topic: REALITY CHECK 2004
June of 2004 topic: MY 38,000 POUND HOT DATE (......and she loves FLYING, too!)
July of 2004 topic: AND PIGS WILL FLY THROUGH SAUDI AIRSPACE! Lockheed F-104B Starfighter!
Aug of 2004 topic: DOG IS MY CO-PILOT...(and of course, DOG spelled backwards is GOD!...)
Sep of 2004 topic: BEAUTY & THE BEAST: SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY (cars)
Oct of 2004 topic: IMAGINE THERE'S NO HELL: The Importance of Secular Humanism
Nov of 2004 topic: HAWAII: Loving Paradise to Death
Dec of 2004 topic: (We interrupt our accustomed savagery and hatred to bring you 5 minutes of seasonal greeting...)
Mar of 2005 topic: THICK AIR (equality of the sexes versus male fantasy explored)
Apr of 2005 topic: HOW I BECAME STUPID: What if Ignorance Really Is Bliss?
May of 2005 topic: A WHITE RAVEN (something inexplicable)
June of 2005 topic: BOY ON A DOLPHIN (flying the Aero Vodochody L-29 Delfin jet trainer)
July of 2005 topic: DIE MENSUR: MATURITY AT SWORDPOINT
Aug of 2005 topic: GUTTER BUNNIES OF THE WORLD: UNITE! (Kick-ass Bicycle Commuting)
Sep of 2005 topic: ATTITUDE: Suffer Under Caesar....The New Orleans fiasco
Jan of 2006 topic: BICYCLES = MC2 (Einstein and the relativity of bicycles)
Mar of 2006 topic: WE ALL LIVE IN A PINK (er....RED) SUBMARINE
Jun of 2006 topic: FAREWELL TO TOMCATS...Last Time, Baby!
Jul of 2006 topic: A CURE FOR RELIGIOUS PARTISAN EGOTISM?
NOTE: As of LATE 2006, these sporadic commentaries continue on my other website (below).
[access URL: http://www.authorsden.com/kalikianokalei ]
Doc Boink's
List for "Culcha'd" Lefty Bibliophiles:
Books we would strongly suggest you read, if you are at all interested in high-grade, opposed-thumb primate affairs, saving the world from America, saving America from choking on hypocrisy, saving the environment from humanity, saving the savers, or just aimlessly killing time till your TV set is repaired (better yet, kill the TV, stop waiting for God to whisper religious navigational coordinates in your ear, throttle back the Simian cyberplay, and click on Dubya's younger & smarter brother at left for a look at the list).
(last updated: 22 Dec 2007)
LINKS TO ARTICLES
OF INTEREST ON THIS SITE:
US Chemical and Biological Defense Respirators: An
Illustrated History (book)
Requiem for a departed friend (SN 59-0048)
Article: A Condensed History of US High Altitude Pressure Suits
Article: A History of American Aircrew Flight
Protective Helmets
Article: Where it All Started--Mountaineering & the Swiss
Matterhorn
Article: A History of American Ejection Seat Systems
Article: Defense Against Biological Agent
Threats
Article: A History of US Military
Aviation Oxygen Systems (1900-45)
Article: The USAF Tactical Life
Support System Program (Precursor to Combat Edge)
Article: 'SLEDS OVER SINAI':
An SR-71 Recon Deployment During the Yom Kippur War
Article:
"HOWLING HOWLAND", NASA's Lockheed F-104B Starfighter
Article:
A Brief History of the Convair F-106 Delta Dart
Article:
Repacking the ACES II Ejection Seat Drogue Chute
Article:
Repacking the ACES II Ejection Seat Personnel Recovery & Pilot Chute
Article:
Remembering Laika, the 1957 Soviet Space Dog Pioneer in Sputnik 2
Article: A Brief
History of the MiG-17 'Fresco'
Article: Russian/Soviet Air
Force Aviation Oxygen Masks (NEW)
Links to other sites of
significant interest (off site):
The Convair F106 Delta Dart Homepage
Pat's World of the Convair F106 Delta Dart
James Griffiths Ejection Seat website (Wales, UK)
Kevin Coyle's Ejection Seat website (USA)
Martin Herker's Ejection Seat website (USA)
Vincenzo Auletta's Ejection Seat website (Italy)
ASA Incorporated: World wide venue for NBC defense and environmental protection issues
No Future: A site dedicated to the history and technoculture of respiratory protective masks
Adbusters: A site dedicated to exposing the deceit and dishonesty of commercial advertising
Carbusters: A site dedicated to promoting transportation alternatives to the automobile
TOO MUCH COFFEE, MAN: Website of the peripatetically caffeine addicted (YOW!)
Symbolman Website (the lowdown on congressional 'Chickenhawks' who want war with Iraq)
Dr. Fred Kelly's website (former NASA space program flight surgeon & Naval Aviator)
The Flightgear Forum: An Internet 'Forum/Exchange' for Flight Helmet / 02 Mask (etc.) collectors
Flightgear-On-Line: The Website for Collectors of Military Flight Gear and Life Support Equipment
USAF Aircrew Life Support Retirees' Website: Military Life Support and Aerospace Medicine
USN Parachute Riggers Website: for US Navy Aircrew Life Support Systems personnel
USAF School of Aerospace Medicine (Brooks AFB) website
USAF SAM Residents in Aerospace Medicine website
Aerospace Museum of California (former McClellan AFB Museum, now privatised)
SAFE ASSOCIATION (Survival and Flight Equipment Association)
Haole Hubby Club for Asians Married to Haoles (cross-cultural marriage)
Doc Boink's Little Chamber of Oddities:
Siberian Husky Memorial Page: remembering our dearly departed sled team members
Doggone it, DOG really IS my co-pilot!.....
Memorial website for Laika, the 1957 Sputnik-2 pioneer space dog
This
site has been mission qualified
times
(uprated: 23 Nov 08)
5th Fighter Interceptor Squadron
"Isti Non Penetrabunt!"
Aeolus Aerospace welcomes your communications. You may reach us at egress@lanset.com or snail-mail us at AEOLUS AEROSPACE, 5960 S. Land Park Dr., #256, Sacramento, CA 95822-3313 USA. Email response is preferred; personally, I hate telephones, and all other electronic 'leashes' (this goes treble for cellular phones)! This webpage was originally constructed with MS/FrontPage 98; it was subsequently re-constructed using MacroMedia Dreamweaver MX software and finally it underwent further surgery with FrontPage 2003 again; it is by now thoroughly schizophrenic and is probably best viewed after the intake of about 2 generous glasses of Sacramento's own Charles Shaw Merlot (otherwise known as "Two-buck Chuck") and was originally composed for 860 x 480 resolution. We understand (oh, how WELL we understand!) that there may be some irritation experienced by individuals who are FAR more skilled in the use of MM Dreamweaver web software than us and apologize for any frustrations pursuant to that circumstance.
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>>
VISIT THE GUESTBOOK TO SHARE YOUR VIEWS, OPINIONS, EXPERIENCES & RESPONSES:
(click on Major Errol M. Bolism, left, who heads our Flight Medicine program, or Colonel Alf Newman, right, who is the Chief of our Public Affairs Office. Donations for the Tailhookers' Rehabilitation Project for Ex-Naval Aviators gratefully accepted. Thank you.
<+++>
This site is the legal and intellectual property (unless items are otherwise flagged) of AEOLUS AEROSPACE, Copyright 2000-2007, and no material appearing on the site may be used without the specific permission of the site operator: C.T. Carey. Audio clips courtesy of James Chas. Kraelin at http://www.earthstation1.com .
