Lada

Lada is a marque of car manufactured by Russian car manufacturer AvtoVAZ based in Tolyatti, Samara Oblast. It was originally the export brand for models sold under the Zhiguli name in the domestic Soviet market after June 1970.

Lada cars became popular in Russia and Eastern Europe during the last two decades of the Soviet era, particularly in former Soviet bloc countries.

The original Lada was widely exported in sedan and station-wagon versions, and with over 20 million units sold before production ended in mid-2012, it had become the highest-selling automobile to be produced without a major design change.

The Lada badge depicts a shallow-draft river sailing ship (a form of Viking longship) known as a lad'ya in Russian.

Overview

Lada made its name in Western Europe selling large volumes of the Fiat 124-based VAZ-2101 and its many derivatives as an economy car during the 1980s, but later models were less successful.

The common Lada sedan and estate, sometimes known as the "Classic" in the West (VAZ 2104/2105/2107 were known as Signet in Canada, Riva in the UK, and Nova in Germany), was based on the 1966 Fiat 124 sedan and became a successful export car. The keys to its success were: competitive price, reliability, simple DIY-friendly mechanics and unpretentious functionality. After 1980, over 15 million Ladas badged as Rivas (UK), Signets (Canada), and Novas (Germany), added to some five million made from 1970 to 1979, badged as the 2101 (Lada 1200 sedan), 2102 (Lada 1200 estate), Lada 2103 (quad headlights, more luxurious interior than the Lada 1200, known as Lada 1500s in Canada), Lada 2106 (improved Lada 2103, known as the Lada 1600 in Canada) totaling over 20 million. The car was built under licence in several other countries.

Lada 110

The Lada 110 or VAZ-2110 is a compact car built by the Russian automaker AvtoVAZ from 1995 to 2009. It spawned two close derivatives: the Lada 111 estate and the Lada 112 hatchback.

History

The prototype of the Lada 110, known as the 300 series, was created in 1987 and optimized for aerodynamics in Zuffenhausen, Germany, in cooperation between AvtoVAZ and Porsche engineers. The first photos of the new compact car were published in the popular monthly magazine Za Rulem in November 1990, and the car itself was demonstrated at the AvtoVAZ Togliatti factory in 1991. Serial production was planned to start in the following year, but an economic crisis stalled the project and the first cars rolled off the assembly line only on June 27, 1995. The Lada 110 featured a 1.6 litre engine producing approximately 90 hp (67 kW). Production began with 8 valve, and subsequently, 16 valve motors. Overall, the car weighed around 1050 kilos (2315 lb). It had electric windows, trip computer, power steering, and galvanized body panels. Fuel-injected models were equipped with electronic engine management system. In early 2006, new taillights and a new dashboard were introduced.

Lada 111

The Lada 111 or VAZ-2111 is AvtoVAZ's front wheel drive car with a station wagon bodystyle (modification of Lada 110). It was manufactured from 1998 to 2009. The vehicle is still manufactured in Cherkasy by Bogdan, marketed as the "Bogdan 2111", with only minor alterations.

History

In 1998, the Lada 110 received a modification for a station wagon - the Lada 111 - the country's first front-wheel drive car with such a bodystyle. The rear seat can be folded in a ratio of 2:3, allowing passengers and bulky/long loads. The luggage compartment, respectively, increase from 490 to 1,420 liters. Front-wheel drive and a rear door give it a low loading height. With a 20 kg total increase in weight and a higher center of mass, wagon's ride is smoother than the sedan's but the handling is not as good in turns.

The wagon was released with options that differ mainly by engine: basic VAZ-21110 With the "standard", "normal" and "luxury" (similar to a sedan car VAZ-21102) with a 1.5-liter 8-valve engine, "2111" and "top-end"VAZ-21113 to trim the" norm "and" luxury "with 16-valve engine," 2112 "and front ventilated disc brakes (like the sedan VAZ-21103). The "2111" and "2112" were equipped with fuel injection and catalytic converter. The VAZ-21111 had a carburetor engine "2110" (production ended in 2002). All-rounders are completed with the "short" primary pair (3.9 instead of 3.7 for VAZ-2110). Since autumn 2004, these versions been taken over by the 1.6-liter 21112 (8 valves) and 21114 (16 valves). The other innovations are those of the 2110.

Terra (satellite)

Terra (EOS AM-1) is a multi-national NASA scientific research satellite in a Sun-synchronous orbit around the Earth. It is the flagship of the Earth Observing System (EOS). The name "Terra" comes from the Latin word for Earth.

Launch

The satellite was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base on December 18, 1999, aboard an Atlas IIAS vehicle and began collecting data on February 24, 2000. It was placed into a near-polar, sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of 705km, with a 10:30am descending node.

Mission

Terra carries a payload of five remote sensors designed to monitor the state of Earth's environment and ongoing changes in its climate system:

Data from the satellite helps scientists better understand the spread of pollution around the globe. Studies have used instruments on Terra to examine trends in global carbon monoxide and aerosol pollution. The data collected by Terra will ultimately become a new, 15-year global data set.

Terra (currency)

Terra (The Trade Reference Currency, TRC) is the name of a possible "world currency". The concept was proposed by Belgian economist and expert on monetary systems Bernard A. Lietaer in 2001, based on a similar proposal from the 1930s.

The currency is meant to be based on a basket of the 9-12 most important commodities (according to their importance in worldwide trade). Lietaer opines this would provide a currency that wouldn't suffer from inflation:

Terra = reference unit defined as standardized basket of key internationally traded commodities & services.

Example: 100 Terra =
                                         1 barrel of oil
                                      + 10 bushels of wheat
                                      + 20 kg of copper
                                        ...
                                      + 1/10 of ounce of gold

NB: any standardizable good or service can be included.
Similar stability to gold standard, but with basket instead of single commodity (more stable than any one component)...

Terra is Inflation-resistant by definition.

Terra (butterfly)

Terra is a genus of butterfly in the family Lycaenidae.