Nonie es Brötli gseh wo witer vomne Weggli entfernt isch.

As the title states... would they request this from Marine Corps HQ? I received an email today (see pic) requesting I submit the SF180 to process my request. I need to add that I did not include my DD214 (my stupid mistake) when I submitted my fully developed claim. I assumed the VA would reach out to me directly if they needed separation documentation. Would submitting my DD214 directly to the VA now negatively impact the processing time of my claim?
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APRIL 24, 2023~Battery Streak Finds New Ways to Charge~BY GRACE HARMON

Battery Streak Finds New Ways to Charge - San Fernando Valley Business Journal (sfvbj.com)

Product: Battery Streak uses nanostructured titanium niobium oxide.

Battery Streak Inc. is working to make batteries charge faster, last longer and run safer.

The Camarillo-based company was started in 2017 based on research and technology that was developed at UCLA where David Grant, Battery Streak’s chief executive and president, is the entrepreneur in residence.
Battery Streak’s lithium-ion batteries are different from traditional ones in that they use nanostructured titanium niobium oxide as the anode. Conventional batteries usually have a graphite anode.
The company said its tests indicate that these batteries can retain 80% of their capacity, or power, after 3,000 battery cycles: other lithium-ion batteries drop to 80% capacity after only 1,000 cycles. The elemental properties of niobium, and the way energy is stored as a surface charge rather than a chemical bond, allows these batteries to charge faster at body temperatures.
It said its batteries have potential applications in technology such as medical devices, smartphones and electric vehicles. Battery Streak has optimized its manufacturing and development processes over time which Dan Alpern, Battery Streak’s vice president of marketing, said has led to 66% reduction of production costs in the last year.
“When you look at a cost-per-charge cycle, our material lasts three times longer than a normal lithium-ion battery,” Alpern said. “So while there may be a higher upfront cost … when they can absorb that cost over a longer charge cycle, then it starts to make more sense.”

Battery Streak is currently working with the Department of Defense and was recently accepted into this year’s Advanced Naval Technology Exercise Coast Trident program. Alpern, who is a veteran of the Navy himself, explained that the one reason defense-based organizations are interested in its batteries is because it allows them to put a safer, more effective battery on the back of the Army’s soldiers or in the electrical systems of the Navy’s planes.

“Being able to have something that acts like a capacitor that could release a high amount of energy very quickly, without generating heat, reduces the need for what we call a thermal management harness, or basically a radiator for the battery,” Alpern said.
The company recently signed a contract with what he said was one of the largest defense manufacturers in the U.S., but is unable to disclose the name of the company or any financial details of the deal at this time.
Battery Streak is also signing contracts in Taiwan and Germany, whose markets are interested in the batteries’ capacity to charge transportation grids and EVs, respectively.
NANO STRUCTURED NIOBIUM, TITANIUM & SCANDIUM -\"OH-MY!\"

Alpern said it is the only company with the exclusive license to work with this nanostructured niobium. It has filed a patent and is going into a phase two Small Business Innovation Research program, for a nickel- and cobalt-free cathode. Battery Streak’s primary operational goal is to develop the batteries’ technology and license its use out to companies, but it’s starting to lean more into the manufacturing side of battery materials.

“I think splitting the difference is a better way to look at it, we’re (going to) go kicking and screaming down the battery manufacturer path,” Alpern said. “Only because that’s not our expertise and, more importantly, because of the demands that EVs have created in the battery space, there’s a very shallow talent pool available.”
SEE THE FOLLOWING LINKS:
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NavalX - ANTX (navy.mil)

What is ANTX?

The Advanced Naval Technology Exercises (ANTX) are a series of exercises led by the Naval Research & Development Enterprise (NR&DE) where industry, academia, and Government R&D organizations are invited to demonstrate emerging technologies and engineering innovations in operationally relevant environments and scenarios. Each ANTX exercise, or series of exercise(s), is focused on Navy and Marine Corps mission priorities and gaps. The ANTX exercises also allow warfighters to access the utility of the technologies and provide real-time feedback to the innovators. The operational and technical assessments from the ANTX provide risk assessment for larger Fleet/USMC exercises and inform investment decisions.

Why ANTX?

The evolving character and practice of expeditionary warfare throughout history is testimony to the reality that no advantage is permanent. Technological advancements today certainly indicate that adversaries can threaten the ability of our expeditionary forces to gain access, force entry and operate in contested and congested environments.
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~NANO-STRUCTURED NIOBIUM SCANDIUM & TITANIUM ARE ALL TRANSITION METALS~

NIOBIUM, TITANIUM & SCANDIUM ARE TRANSITION METALS MAKING A SPLASH IN ELECTRONICS! (Do your own DD & see....)

APRIL 24, 2023 ~From Sheets To Stacks, New Nanostructures Promise Leap For Advanced Electronics~ By EurasiaReview

From Sheets To Stacks, New Nanostructures Promise Leap For Advanced Electronics – Eurasia Review
Chemical vapor deposition can be used to grow a multi-layered TMDC structure out of a different TMDC. CREDIT: Tokyo Metropolitan University
Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have successfully engineered multi-layered nanostructures of transition metal dichalcogenides which meet in-plane to form junctions. They grew out layers of multi-layered structures of molybdenum disulfide from the edge of niobium doped molybdenum disulfide shards, creating a thick, bonded, planar heterostructure. They demonstrated that these may be used to make new tunnel field-effect transistors (TFET), components in integrated circuits with ultra-low power consumption.
Field-effect transistors (FETs) are a crucial building block of nearly every digital circuit. They control the passage of current through it depending on the voltage which is put across. While metal oxide semiconductor FETs (or MOSFETs) form the majority of FETs in use today, the search is on for the next generation of materials to drive increasingly demanding and compact devices using less power. This is where tunneling FETs (or TFETs) come in. TFETs rely on quantum tunneling, an effect where electrons are able to pass usually impassable barriers due to quantum mechanical effects. Though TFETs use much less energy and have long been proposed as a promising alternative to traditional FETs, scientists are yet to come up with a way of implementing the technology in a scalable form.
A team of scientists of Tokyo Metropolitan University led by Associate Professor Yasumitsu Miyata has been working on making nanostructures out of transition metal dichalcogenides, a mixture of transition metals and group 16 elements. Transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs, two chalcogen atoms to one metal atom) are excellent candidate materials for creating TFETs. Their recent successes have allowed them to stitch together single-atom thick layers of crystalline TMDC sheets over unprecedented lengths. Now, they have turned their attention to multi-layered structures of TMDCs.
By using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique, they showed that they could grow out a different TMDC from the edge of stacked crystalline planes mounted on a substrate. The result was an in-plane junction that was multiple-layers thick. Much of the existing work on TMDC junctions use monolayers stacked on top of each other; this is because, despite the superb theoretical performance of in-plane junctions, previous attempts could not realize the high hole and electron concentrations required to make a TFET work.
After demonstrating the robustness of their technique using molybdenum disulfide grown from tungsten diselenide, they turned their attention to niobium doped molybdenum disulfide, a p-type semiconductor. By growing out multi-layered structures of undoped molybdenum disulfide, an n-type semiconductor, the team realized a thick p-n junction between TMDCs with unprecedentedly high carrier concentration. Furthermore, they found that the junction showed a trend of negative differential resistance (NDR), where increases in voltage lead to less and less increased current, a key feature of tunneling and a significant first step for these nanomaterials to make their way into TFETs.
The method employed by the team is also scalable over large areas, making it suitable for implementation during circuit fabrication. This is an exciting new development for modern electronics, with hopes that it will find its way into applications in the future.
(Scandium, Titanium & Niobium are also being utilized!)

APRIL 24, 2023~NioCorp Developments Ltd: Tackling the Problem of Critical Minerals Supply and Driving Sustainability~ By Gaalen Engen (GURU REPORT)

NioCorp Developments Ltd. (NB.T), a leading U.S.-based mineral development company, is on a mission to unlock the full potential of critical minerals from the proposed Elk Creek Critical Minerals Mine in Nebraska. As North America’s only niobium, scandium, and titanium project, NioCorp is poised to become a major contributor to the global supply of these essential minerals. With a strong focus on sustainability, NioCorp’s minerals play a pivotal role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions through their use in electric and hybrid vehicles, renewable energy systems, lightweight transportation, and high-efficiency motors and appliances.

The critical minerals supply chain challenge

The global critical minerals supply chain is becoming increasingly important as these minerals are essential for numerous modern technologies and industries, including aerospace, defense, healthcare, telecommunications, and clean technologies such as solar panels, nuclear energy, and electric vehicles (EV) batteries and motors. Critical minerals encompass not just rare earth elements but also niobium, scandium, cobalt, copper, precious metals, nickel, uranium, lithium, magnesium, and many others. However, the supply chain is currently facing significant challenges due to geopolitical uncertainties and a lack of diversified sources.
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China has long been the dominant supplier of these critical minerals, controlling a majority of their production and distribution. This has resulted in an over-reliance on China for procurement by the rest of the world. G7 Panel on Economic Resilience reports that China accounts for 80% of the US’s rare earth element imports and 98% of the EU’s. This reliance is further exacerbated by the ongoing global chip and semiconductor shortage, as well as the increasing demand for clean technology, which the World Bank forecasts could require up to a 500% increase in the production of multiple mineral and metal inputs.
To address these challenges and bolster economic security, national defense, and low-carbon energy transitions, policies and partnerships are being developed across like-minded countries to secure new access to critical minerals. Canada, for example, has entered critical minerals dialogues with the United States and the European Union to assess how deepened partnerships can increase supply chain resiliency. Governments are looking to Canada as a preferred source for increased volumes of critical minerals and a reliable destination to diversify existing supply reliance.
The two main pillars of newly sought critical minerals supply are: 1) proximity to supply sources from trusted partners to increase reliability and reduce the scope for supply chain disruption and associated risks, and 2) preference for supply sources with higher environment, social, and governance (ESG) ratings to align with the sustainability goals driving demand. Low greenhouse gas (GHG) production intensity is a key metric, as low-carbon transitions account for the majority of projected critical mineral demand increases over the long term. By developing and strengthening these partnerships, countries can help secure their access to critical minerals, mitigate risks, and promote responsible and sustainable mining practices.

The solution

NioCorp’s solution lies in the Elk Creek Project, which aims to diversify global supply and provide significant production volumes of niobium, scandium, and titanium from a low-risk jurisdiction. This will create a reliable and meaningful Scandium supply, potentially providing non-Chinese rare earths for the expansion of renewables and electrified vehicles. By utilizing an underground mineral source and environmentally responsible processing, NioCorp offers a sustainable production solution
NioCorp's Elk Creek Critical Minerals Project - YouTube
Niobium, one of the key minerals to be produced by NioCorp, is a versatile metal with numerous applications due to its unique properties. It is often used in pipeline construction, as it strengthens stainless steel and other nonferrous metal alloys. As a low capture cross-section material for thermal neutrons, it finds utility in the nuclear industry. In addition, niobium is employed in arc welding rods for certain stabilized grades of stainless steel, and as an alternative to tantalum in capacitors. The metal is physiologically inert, making it suitable for jewelry and medical devices, such as porous layers that aid osseointegration. Furthermore, niobium serves a crucial role in the optical industry, where it is added to glass to achieve a higher refractive index for thinner corrective glasses. When cooled to cryogenic temperatures, it becomes a superconductor, with potential applications in particle accelerators and superconducting magnets.
Scandium, another mineral from NioCorp’s Elk Creek Project, is valued for its low density and high melting point. Although it reacts with many acids, it is primarily used in aluminum-scandium alloys for the aerospace industry and sports equipment, such as bicycle frames, fishing rods, golf iron shafts, and baseball bats. Scandium iodide is utilized in mercury vapor lamps to replicate sunlight in film and television studios, while the radioactive isotope 45Sc is employed as a tracing agent in oil refineries. Scandium sulfate, in very dilute form, can improve the germination of seeds like corn, peas, and wheat.
Titanium, the third mineral to be produced by NioCorp, has a wide range of applications. It is a popular choice for surgical implants, eyeglass frames, and aircraft manufacturing. This abundant element is also used to make titanium dioxide, a white pigment found in paint, sunscreen, cosmetics, paper, toothpaste, and other products. Titanium’s non-toxicity and non-reactivity make it suitable for medical implants and jewelry. Its high corrosion resistance also makes it a potential candidate for long-term nuclear waste storage. In some cases, 24k gold is actually an alloy of gold and titanium, resulting in a more durable material without affecting the gold’s karat. As a transition metal, titanium has unique properties that distinguish it from other metals, such as its nonmagnetic nature and poor conductivity of heat and electricity.

Elk Creek Project

The Elk Creek Project sets NioCorp Developments Ltd. apart as a true leader in the critical minerals industry. Featuring the highest-grade primary Niobium deposit under development in North America, large-scale production of Scandium, and the second-largest indicated-or-better rare earth resource in the U.S., the Elk Creek Project is a force to be reckoned with. Guided by the Equator Principles ESG framework, the project incorporates best practices in recycling, water conservation, and numerous sustainability strategies, showcasing NioCorp’s commitment to environmental responsibility.
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NioCorp has secured all key federal, state, and local permits necessary to begin construction, ensuring a seamless start to the project. The company also owns a crucial land parcel in southeast Nebraska, providing the perfect location for the project’s mine infrastructure and supporting operations. This strategic acquisition grants NioCorp ownership of the mineral rights to more than 90% of the Project’s Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve.
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NioCorp’s planned products are designated as “Critical Minerals” by the U.S. Government, further emphasizing the company’s vital role in the industry. These products are crucial to technologies that help reduce harmful air emissions, including CO2. NioCorp has already pre-sold a substantial portion of the Project’s planned production over the first 10 years, with 75% of projected Ferroniobium production under sales contract and 12% of average annual scandium production sold to Traxys North America, a global leader in specialty metals.
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Leadership

NioCorp Developments Ltd. is guided by a highly experienced Board of Directors and management team, boasting over 200 years of collective experience in minerals development, including commercial-scale production of separated rare earths. Mark A. Smith serves as Executive Chairman, President, and CEO of the company, with 40+ years of experience in the mining and mineral processing industries. He has led efforts that raised more than $3 billion for previous mining and manufacturing projects, and he holds a B.Sc. degree in engineering and a J.D. (cum laude) from Western State University, College of Law.
Scott Honan, Chief Operating Officer of NioCorp and President of Elk Creek Resources Corp., joined NioCorp in 2014 with 29+ years of experience in the niobium, base metals, gold, and rare earth industries. He holds a B.Sc. Honors in Mineral Processing and an M.Sc. in Environmental Management from Queen’s University and is a registered member of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (SME).
Michael J. Morris serves as the Lead Director of NioCorp, having practiced business and environmental law for over 40 years. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and received his law degree from the University of San Francisco School of Law. Mr. Morris has served on the boards of several mining companies, including Molycorp, a rare earths producer.
David C. Beling, P.E., a Director at NioCorp, is a Registered Professional Mining Engineer with 58 years of project and corporate experience. He has served as a director on the boards of 14 mining companies starting in 1981, including NioCorp since 2011. Mr. Beling has examined, significantly reviewed, or been directly involved with numerous underground mines, open pit mines, and process plants in the global metal, energy, and industrial mineral sectors.

Milestones

Recent milestones achieved by NioCorp include the completion of GXII acquisition, up-listing to the Nasdaq Stock Market, securing access to up to $71.9 million in net proceeds over the next three years through financings with Yorkville, and receiving a Letter of Interest from EXIM for potential debt financing of up to $800 million. On the operational front, NioCorp has demonstrated rare earth recoveries of over 92% at the company’s demonstration-scale processing plant in Quebec, contracted with Zachry Group to update the design and costing of the Elk Creek Project surface facilities, and begun land clearing operations at the Elk Creek Project site.
The potential EXIM loan of up to $800 million comes as a result of the Bank’s preliminary review of NioCorp’s Elk Creek Project in March 2023. EXIM has expanded its funding scope to include projects in the U.S. through its “Make More In America” initiative and is eager to support critical minerals industry projects, particularly as so few critical minerals are produced in the U.S. The EXIM process is estimated to take between 6-9 months to complete.
The U.S. is currently dependent on foreign suppliers for most of NioCorp’s critical minerals, including niobium. With the successful execution of the Elk Creek Project, NioCorp Developments Ltd. anticipates being able to supply some of the world’s largest industries and sustainable technologies with made-in-USA critical minerals produced in a low-impact, sustainable manner.
By addressing the problem of critical minerals supply and driving sustainability, NioCorp Developments Ltd. is not only poised to revolutionize the critical minerals industry but also contribute to a greener, more environmentally responsible future. With a robust project pipeline and a strong commitment to sustainability, NioCorp is set to make a lasting impact on the global critical minerals landscape.
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PLUS....

~STAR-LINK ROCKET ENGINES USE NIOBIUM~ (So Does NASA !)

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Starlink Group 6-2 Falcon 9 Block 5 Everyday Astronaut

What Is Falcon 9 Block 5?

The Falcon 9 Block 5 is SpaceX’s partially reusable two-stage medium-lift launch vehicle. The vehicle consists of a reusable first stage, an expendable second stage, and, when in payload configuration, a pair of reusable fairing halves.

First Stage

The Falcon 9 first stage contains 9 Merlin 1D+ sea-level engines. Each engine uses an open gas generator cycle and runs on RP-1 and liquid oxygen (LOx). Each engine produces 845 kN of thrust at sea level, with a specific impulse (ISP) of 285 seconds, and 934 kN in a vacuum with an ISP of 313 seconds. Due to the powerful nature of the engine, and the large amount of them, the Falcon 9 first stage is able to lose an engine right off the pad, or up to two later in the flight, and be able to successfully place the payload into orbit.
The Merlin engines are ignited by triethylaluminum and triethylborane (TEA-TEB), which instantly burst into flames when mixed in the presence of oxygen. During static fire and launch the TEA-TEB is provided by the ground service equipment. However, as the Falcon 9 first stage is able to propulsively land, three of the Merlin engines (E1, E5, and E9) contain TEA-TEB canisters to relight for the boost back, reentry, and landing burns.

Second Stage

The Falcon 9 second stage is the only expendable part of the Falcon 9. It contains a singular MVacD engine that produces 992 kN of thrust and an ISP of 348 seconds. The second stage is capable of doing several burns, allowing the Falcon 9 to put payloads in several different orbits.

SpaceX is currently flying two different versions of the MVacD engine’s nozzle. The standard nozzle design is used on high-performance missions. The other nozzle is a significantly shorter version of the standard, decreasing both performance and material usage; with this nozzle, the MVacD engine produces 10% less thrust in space. This nozzle is only used on lower-performance missions, as it decreases the amount of material needed by 75%. This means that SpaceX can launch over three times as many missions with the same amount of Niobium as with the longer design.

For missions with many burns and/or long coasts between burns, the second stage is able to be equipped with a mission extension package. When the second stage has this package it has a grey strip, which helps keep the RP-1 warm, an increased number of composite-overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) for pressurization control, and additional TEA-TEB.

See also:

How SpaceX Starship compares in size, power, design to Artemis rocket (usatoday.com)

SpaceX Falcon 9 Data Sheet (nasa.gov)

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FORM YOUR OWN OPINIONS & CONCLUSIONS ABOVE:

https://www.niocorp.com/

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Sharing Responses from Jim Sims to three relevant questions on 3/13/2023

\*Jim-**A) Could you offer comment on What Scope 3 emissions mean for the Elk Creek mine moving forward into production & to the end users utilizing the products being processed at the mine? & Would Niocorp's Scope 3 Carbon Emission Reductions qualify foas "Carbon Credits" in the context above? Could/Does Niocorp's "Carbon Friendly GHG/ESG" mining processes & work scope qualify for- INNOVATIVE CLEAN ENERGY LOAN GUARANTEES Department of Energy?*
Response:
"We have made an internal estimate of the benefits of our planned products at a Scope 3 emissions level. However, the definition and applicability of Scope 3 emissions must eventually be determined by government regulators, and the SEC is examining many aspects of this issue now. At present and in general, carbon credits are created by mitigation measures taken at the Scope 1 emissions level, although there are several different approaches being examined across the U.S. As to DOE programs, I am not allowed to comment on that at this time."
B) Is/Could an "ANCHOR" Investos still have interest in the Elk Creek Project? Comment If you can... (A,B,C,D.... as all options are on the table.)
Response:

"Yes. "

C) (Follow up) - Is Niocorp still engaged with "Several Federal Agencies" other than the EXIM Bank as sources for "Debt" or Off-take agreements? Comment if you can...
Response:

"Yes, multiple federal agencies, elected officials in the Congress, and the WH. "

GIVEN EVERYTHING NIOBIUM, SCANDIUM, TITANIUM & THE VIABLE RARE EARTHS THE ELK CREEK MINE WILL PRODUCE & SEPARATE INTO OXIDES~ \"CAN DO\"~.

I AM GLAD NIOCORP FINALLY HAS AN AUDIENCE....!

RELEASE THE DEMO RESULTS & LET'S GET THIS MINE BUILT!!

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Chico

I’m a reservist E4 0311 my current cutting score for this quarter is 464 my PES score as on April 10 is 492, I don’t have any restrictions , pme complete, and I have 12 months time in grade, when am I supposed to be promoted?
Thank you