Image Cache: This looks more like some kind of rave than a military engineering facility, but you’re actually looking at a rather colourful stage of aircraft inspection.
Browse through the cool photos, animations and diagrams in Gizmodo’s Image Cache here.
In the image, Staff Sergeant Joel Kelehar is washing a component from a KC-135 Stratotanker in what’s known as a hydrophilic remover. So, why all the colour? Well, Kelehar is involved in the inspection of aeroplane components, a process which sometimes uses what are known as penetrants — fluorescent liquids used to penetrate cracks, pores and other surface defects — to spot flaws. The bath he’s dunking the component in is actually used to remove the liquid, as a simple rinse of water isn’t enough to shift it.
Image by US Air Force