Only in Maine


Yeah, that is on one of the a lakes outside of Ellsworth, the closest city, i.e. they have a Lowes, Super Wallyworld, etc., near Acadia National Park.

You got that email too? Wonder if they're using cookies tied to NYA?? Admiral would like a "camp", Maineese for a small residence like a cabin, on a lake, but we have very strict water quality requirements, make that absolutely colorless, gin-clear water. I'm mildly interested in a camp, but there is definitely peace in the realm when the Queen is happy. Graham Lake isn't even close to the water quality specs of what we want.
 
Hey after almost 4 years AFTER passing recreational marijuana, we'll finally be able to light up come October 4. I love the name and logo for one of the few, all-ME businesses...

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Bangor, we have a problem...

Love the double entendre use of "gravity", and the company's name is quite cute from a astrophysical point of view. Edwin Hubble would be proud...

Brunswick aerospace company sets date for rocket launch
pressherald.com/2020/09/29/brunswick-aerospace-company-sets-date-for-rocket-launch/

By By Brooks PetersSpecial to The Times RecordSeptember 29, 2020

bluShift Aerospace plans to launch its Stardust rocket Oct. 21 in order to tests its biofuel for rockets. Contributed image via bluShift

BRUNSWICK — Brunswick-based bluShift Aerospace plans to launch its 20-foot rocket from the former Loring Commerce Centre in October. The company hopes that the launch will serve as a springboard into building the aerospace industry in Maine.

Based out of Brunswick Landing — the site of the former Brunswick Naval Air Station — bluShift is manufacturing a biologically-derived fuel to power rockets. The fuel is made entirely from materials that can be grown on a farm, offering a cheaper alternative to traditional fuel without sacrificing its efficiency. The bluShift team hopes to showcase their signature fuel and engine at the launch next month.


BRUNSWICK, ME – July 2: BluShift Aerospace Mechanical Engineer Brook Halvorson, left and CEO Sascha Deri at the company’s test stand in Brunswick Tuesday, July 2, 2019. (Shawn Patrick Ouellette/Portland Press Herald)

CEO Sascha Deri notes the difficulty in inspiring confidence in eco-friendly rocket fuel due to its perceived inefficiency.

“We learned early on in our research and development that having an engine that used a green fuel was not enough to inspire investment,” Deri said. “We had to demonstrate that we could match or beat the petroleum alternative.”

Years od planning this will be on the line Oct. 21 with the launch of bluShift’s 20-foot test rocket, the Stardust 1.0. The company hopes to launch the 540-pound Stardust 4,500 feet into the air, about twice as high as the world’s tallest skyscraper, before landing safely back onto the ground at the Loring Commerce Centre, formerly known as the Loring Air Force Base. The trip will use 10 pounds of bluShift’s trademark fuel.

The rocket will be airborne for roughly 58 seconds, a tiny span of time compared to the years of work it took for the engineers to get to this point. But Deri and his team understand the gravity of this moment.
“This launch is the culmination of six years of research and development by bluShift to develop a type of chemical rocket engine that is perhaps less understood than more common technologies” he says, hoping to demonstrate the functionality of a “bio-derived, carbon-neutral, high-performing and even less expensive than its liquid petroleum counterpart.”

While the Stardust will stay within the bounds of Earth’s atmosphere, Deri remains ambitious about the company’s future endeavors.

bluShift has earned the support of NASA as well as the Maine Technology Institute, a group founded by state legislation that awards grants and services with the goal of promoting new ideas and diversifying Maine’s economy. Brian Whitney, the president of MTI, expressed his confidence with the company, saying “We think [blushift] has a functional launch platform and the market opportunity to provide low-cost launch alternatives for CubeSats and university research projects that could position it for real growth.”
The market CubeSats, or nanosatellites, is expected to see significant growth over the next decade, making it a sound investment for a group like MTI.

“Our mission at MTI is to provide the support these young technology companies need to gain traction and we are excited about the potential for this company,” Whitney said.

Last spring, NASA awarded the group a Small Business Innovation Research) grant of about $140,000 that helped the team develop their engine. This paved the way for MTI and a private investor to pour nearly $200,000 into the launch next month.

Using these grants and roughly $400,000 of their own funding since the company’s inception, bluShfit has been able to develop a rocket that they hope will demonstrate their engine’s supremacy during the Oct. 21 launch.

A spaceport in Maine
“This launch will be our first foray into providing small, dedicated launch services to research and commercial payloads sub-orbitally and then orbitally to space,” Deri said. “And if all goes very well, we will be able to launch these services in lockstep with what we hope to be the rollout of a public-private spaceport here in Maine.”

Brunswick Landing has already been the subject of tentative plans to become the mission control of a Maine spaceport complex in the future. A bill put forward to the Maine State Legislature in March would establish a Maine Spaceport Complex Leadership Council. If the bill is approved, development of the base would then be cleared to take off, with projected income and jobs created from the booming nanosatellite business projected to significantly outweigh the cost of construction.

The former naval base already has the infrastructure to ease the development of a spaceport, and Whitney sees the launch as a stepping stone towards building the industry: “We are optimistic that the successful demonstration of bluShift’s Stardust 1.0 prototype will prove its commercialization capabilities and lead to greater growth for the company and, indeed, the entire aerospace cluster in Maine”
“We envision a Maine that is known for its strong high-tech aerospace industry, creating high paying, exciting jobs from Cumberland to Aroostook and Washington counties. The future of aerospace will have the words ‘Made in Maine’ on it.” said Deri.

The concept of a Maine SpacePort Complex received a shot in the arm Tuesday, Sept. 29, when the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Economic Development Administration announced it was awarding a $444,009 grant to the Maine Space Grant Consortium.

“After almost seven months of living in this new world brought about by the coronavirus pandemic, it is clear that Maine’s economy is hanging in the balance. We must diversify our economy to make it more stable far into the future,” said Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, D-Maine. “The Maine SpacePort Complex will increase Maine’s participation in the global market for emerging nanosatellite and aerospace technology — a financial sector projected to bring between $500 million and $2.5 billion to Maine’s economy each year, along with 75,000 highly skilled workers over its lifetime. These new operations will drive growth and innovation in Maine, attract a much-needed younger population, and revitalize the former Brunswick Naval Air Station and the former Loring Air Force Base. Where Maine was once well-known for hosting squadrons before they flew over the Atlantic, our state will now be known for developing the vehicles that cross through space.”
 
Truly an "Only in Maine" moment, also posted in backyard critter thread. Still waiting to see one in my backyard, but here's a young Bullwinkle that had the Portland area abuzz this week.

Moose finally captured in South Portland after 2 days on the lam
pressherald.com/2020/09/30/moose-on-the-loose-in-south-portland/

By Aimsel Ponti and Dennis Hoey Staff WriterSeptember 30, 2020

The moose that roamed for two days in heavily populated areas in South Portland and Scarborough was tranquilized Wednesday afternoon near Surfsite Road in South Portland. Michele McDonald/Staff Photographer

It’s a classic case of looking for love in all the wrong places.

A young bull moose that has been wandering around Scarborough and South Portland for the past two days – walking through school grounds, down city streets and along the beach – was finally captured Wednesday evening in a wooded area near the Southern Maine Community College campus in South Portland.

“Right now is the breeding season and that can lead towards moose, especially bulls, moving quite a bit,” said Lee Kantar, the state’s moose biologist.

Cpl. John MacDonald, spokesman for the Maine Warden Service, said state wildlife biologists tranquilized the moose in a wooded area near a home on Surfsite Road, a street that runs behind the college’s athletic center. The animal was located around 5 p.m., MacDonald said.

“We’ve tranquilized the moose. It’s on the ground,” MacDonald said in a brief telephone interview from the scene.

MacDonald said the animal appeared to be in fairly good health. The moose spent most of the day wandering through the neighborhood between Broadway, Preble Street and Fort Road. South Portland police kept tabs on the animal throughout the day making sure it did not pose a danger to itself or curious onlookers.

The moose on the loose Wednesday on Preble Street in the Willard Beach neighborhood of South Portland. Ben McCanna/Staff Photographer

“It’s going to be moved to a safer environment” in an area about one hour outside the city, MacDonald said without specifying where.

Kantar, who estimated that the young bull weighed more than 600 pounds, said it is not uncommon for a moose to wander into a heavily populated suburban area.

“It happens. There is a tendency for younger moose to wander into new places and get turned around,” Kantar said in an email, noting that he had to respond to a situation involving a young bull moose that ended up at the Bangor International Airport last week.

Kantar said moose movement in areas out of their natural habitat can be influenced by age as well. During the early summer months, young moose or yearlings are often driven away by their mother when a new calf arrives. However, Kantar said the bull’s arrival in South Portland was most likely driven by mating season.

South Portland Police Lt. Thomas Simonds said the moose was first spotted Wednesday morning on Willard Beach. South Portland police officers tailed the moose as it wandered through the city Wednesday.

“We’ve been keeping tabs on it since 6:30 this morning,” Simonds said Wednesday afternoon.
Simonds said the start of the state’s moose hunting season on Sept. 28 likely had nothing to do with the moose ending up in a heavily populated suburban area. State biologists told Simonds that it is not uncommon for a moose to travel up to 100 miles from its natural habitat searching for a mate at this time of year.

When the biologists arrived at Surfsite Road, police led them to a small wooded area behind a home where the moose was resting. The decision was then made to tranquilize the moose and relocate it.

“We were concerned for the welfare of the moose. He was starting to get stressed out,” Simonds said.

“We tried to create a safe space for the moose, but it was hard due to an intense level of public interest. The sheer volume of curiosity seekers strained our resources.”

State wildlife biologists and police get ready to leave after getting the moose onto a trailer after state wildlife biologists tranquilized it near Surfsite Road in South Portland on Wednesday. The moose was to be moved to a safer area about a hour outside Portland. Brianna Soukup/Staff Photographer

The moose’s wanderings triggered a flurry of social media posts about sightings and prompted police to monitor its whereabouts.



On Wednesday morning, police blocked traffic and kept onlookers at a distance in an effort to keep people and the animal safe and encourage it to return to its natural environment. Moose can become aggressive when approached by humans or pets, police said.

Preble Street resident Janine Leighton took a photograph of the moose from her car. Leighton said she has never seen a moose in her neighborhood before. She described the animal as being “big.”

“It was pretty awesome, but on the flip side, I was worried about the moose. He’s alone and he could be scared,” Leighton said.

The Maine Warden Service was prepared Wednesday morning to tranquilize the animal if the situation became unsafe for it or the public.

“Should it get into a situation where it’s an imminent threat, like a high-speed interstate, we’re on call and available,” MacDonald said earlier in the day.

Although the public reacted with surprise at the sight of the moose meandering through the city,

MacDonald said other sightings were reported in Scarborough and Freeport last week. Most of the moose that people see are young, about 1 to 2 years old, he said, and tend to cover a lot of territory.

The moose has been appearing in high-visibility locations at least since Monday, when Scarborough police said the animal walked through the town’s municipal campus. Authorities are fairly certain that the moose that was spotted in Scarborough is the same one that wound up in South Portland.

“He checked out the library and basketball and tennis courts before heading over to the track area and getting caught in the bleachers,” a post on the police department’s Facebook page said. “Officers were able to corral him out and back into the woods behind the ice rink.”

South Portland police said Tuesday that the moose was seen around Highland Avenue, on the grounds of the city’s public works facility and in the woods by Sawyer Road near Cape Elizabeth. By Wednesday morning, the moose made its way across Willard Beach and onto the campus of Southern Maine Community College, where it lay down near a dormitory, drawing onlookers and forcing students to reroute their path to class.

Earlier in the morning, Cape Elizabeth resident Kevin Phelan was trying to find a parking space near Scratch Bakery in the Willard Beach neighborhood of South Portland when he saw the moose – the first he’d ever seen – crossing the road and heading into a driveway. “It was almost surreal,” said Phelan, who wondered if he was dreaming and shot a short video for proof.

He said the whole situation was bizarre. “It’s raining, hot, sunny, power lines are down, and there’s a moose.”

MacDonald emphasized the need for the public to stay as far away from the moose as possible and also keep away dogs and drones, both of which were seen near the moose.

“We’re asking people to leave it alone and not make it worse,” MacDonald said. “It’s kind of neat really, in light of everything that’s going on. It’s a nice Maine thing.”

The moose on the campus of Southern Maine Community College in South Portland. Photo by Aimsel Ponti
 
Only time I been to Maine was when I was a kid all I wanted to do wa see a Moose I walked the woods for hours a day never saw one
 
About 40 years ago, it's 4 in the morning and we're driving on Route 6 between Lincoln and Calais. What looks like a 10 foot tall moose with 6 foot span antlers decides to cross the road just ahead of us, then crashes into the woods and is gone. What I remember most, besides it's immense size, was how it moved. A whitetail zigs and zags as it bounds around the trees, which are pretty thick there. Mostly 2-3 inch beach and birch trees. The moose just trotted straight and the trees seemed to duck out of its way.
 
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