The Boeing 747 is a long-haul, widebody commercial airliner. Sometimes called the “Jumbo Jet”, it is known for its impressive size and is one of the world’s most recognizable aircraft. It has held the passenger capacity record for 37 years and was the first commercial wide-body aircraft. It uses a double decker configuration for part of its length, and the hump created by the upper deck has made the plane a highly recognizable icon of air travel. The 747 was expected to become obsolete after sales of 400 units, but it has outlived many of its critics’ expectations. As of June 2007, 1,387 planes had been built, with 120 more on order.

Throughout its history, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration or NASA has used several different types of aircraft on a permanent, semi-permanent, or short-term basis. The agency has three 747s: a 747-100, a 747-100SR, and a 747SP. The 747-100 and 747-100SR are currently used as Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) while the 747SP is in use as Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA).

The SCAs are used to ferry space shuttles from landing sites back to the launch complex at the NASA Shuttle Landing Facility at the Kennedy Space Center, and to and from other locations too distant for the orbiters to be delivered by ground transport. The 747-100 was was acquired from American Airlines in 1974 and was extensively modified in 1976. Its cabin was stripped, mounting struts were added, the fuselage was strengthened, and vertical stabilizers were added to the tail. The avionics and engines were also upgraded. In 1988, in the wake of the Challenger accident, NASA procured the 747-100SR from Japan Airlines on recommendation from the review board. It entered service with NASA in 1990 after similar modifications. It was the first used to ferry the new shuttle Endeavour in 1991.

Under increasing pressure from both the United States and the Soviet Union, Finland finally declares war on former partner Germany.

As tension increased between Germany and the USSR, Finland saw in Hitler a possible ally in gaining back its territory. German troops were allowed on Finnish soil as the German prepared for their invasion of the Soviet Union, a war that the Finns joined. Finnish troops captured large areas of East Karelia back from the Soviet Union, they were reluctant to trespass the old borders of 1939 and help Germany in the siege of Leningrad.

The final act of capitulation came on March 3, 1945, with a formal declaration of war against the already dying Germany.

In a naval message on February 29, Commander, Naval Surface Forces announced USS Nassau (LHA 4) a winner of the 2007 Battle Efficiency Award, more commonly known as the Battle “E”.

Established in 1974, the annually-awarded Battle “E” is based on a year-long evaluation of the overall readiness of a command to carry out its assigned wartime tasks. A ship or unit must demonstrate the highest state of battle readiness in order to win.

A ship’s sustained superior performance in six different areas contributes to the award. These areas are maritime warfare; engineering and survivability; command, control, communications, and information warfare; logistics management; surface force safety; and the Efficiency Excellence award.

“This award belongs to every member of the Nassau team,” said Nassau Commanding Officer, Captain James R. Boorujy. “Everyone on the ship put maximum effort into getting this ship ready to defend our nation’s interests to the best of its ability.”

Nassau is currently deployed as flagship of the Nassau Expeditionary Strike Group in support of Maritime Security Operations and Theater Security Cooperation efforts in the Navy’s 5th and 6th Fleet areas of responsibility. Commissioned on July 28, 1979, she has participated in various operations, including Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Support Democracy, Deny Flight, Allied Force, Noble Anvil, and Iraqi Freedom. In 2000, she won the 1999 Battle “E”.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – NASA managers on Friday cleared the US space shuttle Endeavor for lift-off on March 11 on the first of three flights to deliver Japanese research complex to the International Space Station.

As a result to the destroyed Columbia in 2003, the blastoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida was scheduled to take place at 2:28 a.m. EST. The shuttle Atlantis returned from a mission to deliver Europe’s Columbus research laboratory to the space station on February 20.

The seven-man Endeavour crew includes two of NASA’s most experienced fliers, four rookies and Japan’s Takao Doi, who already participated in a shuttle research mission in 1997.

Endeavour’s mission will also include a test of heat shield repair technique NASA wants to demonstrate before a servicing call to the Hubble Space Telescope in late August or Early September.

NASA is hoping to fly six shuttle missions this year. The space agency needs to carry out 11 remaining space station construction missions by September 2010 when the shuttles are set for retirement.