The Cubic Dimension

Chasing across the South Plains and Midwest

The A-5 was transformed from a tactical nuclear bomber, which, by the way, had its weapons bay in the tail and dropped them out the rear, making it look like it was doing something else. Well, since they already had it and it had a long range and very good speed, they converted it into a reconnaissance aircraft, and that's how the RA-5 Vigilante was born.

North American A-5 Vigilante. The story of this little-known aircraft is that it was born as a long-range supersonic bomber for the U.S. Navy. The armament was carried on underwing supports, but with the entry into service of ballistic missiles, its operational life was very short. Initially, it was designated A-3J and was intended to replace the Skywarriors, a subsonic bomber, but the entry into service of ballistic missiles led to its conversion into a long-range reconnaissance aircraft, being redesignated RA-5, and in this way it was integrated into combat groups as a long-range reconnaissance aircraft.

The Artemis II crew—Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen—have safely exited the Orion spacecraft (named Integrity) after a textbook splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off San Diego on April 10, 2026.

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“A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”