…s organized a range of ships, planes and ground stations to track the descent of the capsule, which will be slowed in the final minutes by three big parachutes. Dragon is projected to hit the water at 15:44 GMT (11:44 EDT). “Our splashdown zone is about 490 nautical miles south-west of Los Angeles,” explained John Coulurlis. “The recovery boats – it’s a fleet of three…
…ince NASA retired its shuttles last year. US astronaut Don Petit was inside the ISS at the controls of the Canadarm2. Don Petit reached out with the robotic appendage and grabbed the Dragon capsule at 13:56 GMT. SpaceX unmanned Dragon cargo ship has been successfully attached to the International Space Station (ISS) “Houston, looks like we got us a Dragon by the tail,” Don Petit radio…
p to the ISS astronauts, and brought down about two-thirds of a ton of completed experiments and redundant equipment. A successful recovery of the capsule and its contents will trigger a $1.6bn (£1bn; 1.3bn-euro) contract with the US space agency (NASA) for 12 further re-supply trips. Dragon’s fall to Earth was overseen by controllers at SpaceX’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California,…
a private company It will take a couple of days to reach the station. The plan currently is for the vessel to demonstrate its guidance, control and communications systems on Thursday, at a distance of 2.5 km from the International Space Station (ISS). If those practice proximity manoeuvres go well, Dragon will be allowed to drive to within 10 m of the station on Friday. Astronauts inside the platf…
The first commercially contracted re-supply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) has begun. A Falcon rocket carrying a Dragon cargo capsule lifted clear of Cape Canaveral in Florida at 20:35 (00:35 GMT). The robotic Dragon ship will deliver 400 kg of food, clothing, experiments and spares to the orbiting platform’s six astronauts. It is the maiden flight in a sequence of 12 miss…
…means of launching its own astronauts into space – rides must be bought for them on Russian Soyuz rockets at more than $60 million per seat. SpaceX says Dragon could be ready to carry people in 2015 at a seat price of $20 million. “In order for NASA to be able to afford any programme of exploration in the future given the fiscal realities of the government, it has to transition away f…
was declared brain dead by four doctors, made a “miracle” recovery after his parents begged medics for a second opinion Speaking about his amazing recovery for the first time, Steven Thorpe, now aged 21 and a trainee accountant, said: “My father believed I was still there. “He expressed his views to Julia Piper and I think she listened very closely to what my dad had said. “My impression is maybe…
…her more attractive. Meanwhile, research is underway for a pill that will provide SPF, negating the need for suncream, and tablets to counteract grey hair are slated to be launched by L’Oreal in 2015. Swallowable Parfum tablets are still very much on the drawing board, with no product launch date yet planned….
Russian Soyuz capsule has returned to Earth with its three-man crew after they spent 123 days at the International Space Station. Two Russians, Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin, and their American colleague Joe Acaba made the safe return in Kazakhstan on Monday morning. Another crew of three who took off in May remain on the International Space Station. Russian Soyuz capsule has returned to Eart…
uccessful manual docking with the Tiangong-1 laboratory module and performed a series of experiments while in space. The mission is a key step towards China’s goal of building a space station by 2020. Shenzhou 9 spacecraft carrying three Chinese crew members has returned to Earth following a 13-day mission Crew member Liu Yang hit the headlines around the world for being the first Chinese w…
…his election in May. During the interview, Francois Hollande outlined a series of measures, including spending cuts and extra taxes totalling 30 billion euros. “We will not spend a euro more in 2013 than in 2012,” he said. Francois Hollande also said that a planned 75% upper tax rate to be imposed on annual income above 1 million euros ($1.28 million) could be dropped after two years….
China’s President Hu Jintao has promised to maintain economic growth to support a global recovery, at the start of an Asia-Pacific summit in the Russian port city of Vladivostok. China would pursue steady policies and seek to boost domestic demand, he said. He was speaking ahead of the start of the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) summit. All countries in the region, he said, shared a re…
tform operated by the US, Russia, Europe, Canada and Japan, but its mere presence in the sky would nonetheless represent a remarkable achievement. Concept drawings describe a core module weighing some 20-22 tons, flanked by two slightly smaller laboratory vessels. Officials say it would be supplied by freighters in exactly the same way that robotic cargo ships keep the International Space Station…
…ngs the number of crew at the ISS to six. Soyuz spacecraft has docked at the ISS after a journey of less than six hours The crew launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. After lift-off at 20:43 GMT, the Soyuz capsule then entered orbit and, using intricate ballistics manoeuvres, succeeded in cutting out around 30 orbits and 45 hours from the flight time to the ISS. Prior to the flight…
…strop Convention Center continues to serve as a communications center for evacuees. Circle D, Pine Valley, KC Estates and Pine Hill Estates opened on Monday and the road blocks were removed on Highway 21. All communities are scheduled to open until Thursday. Texas Task Force 1 has completed an entire grid search of the burn zone on Monday. Two people are missing, Arlene Page and Steve Ingram. Bast…
ional Police Agency of Japan figures show almost 300,000 buildings were destroyed and a further one million damaged, either by the quake, tsunami or resulting fires. Almost 4,000 roads, 78 bridges and 29 railways were also affected. Patrick Fuller, of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and who was there in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, tells of the R…
Taliban who shot down the Navy SEALs helicopter in Afghanistan were killed. A helicopter for the International Security Assistance Force crashed in Afghanistan today, a press release from the Joint Command operational informs us: ISAF Joint Command – Afghanistan 2011-08-S-014 For Immediate Release KABUL, Afghanistan (Aug. 6, 2011) – An International Security Assistance Force helicopter…
…andela, who has been in hospital for four days being treated for pneumonia There are no details yet on how long he will remain in hospital and no statement on his condition has been given for the past 24 hours. After Nelson Mandela was admitted to hospital late on Wednesday, South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma said people “must not panic”. Nelson Mandela contracted tuberculosis in the…
…difference between the two groups. Current guidelines suggest sufferers do up to three exercise sessions a week. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) drew up that advice in 2004. At the time it said that on the basis of the research available, increased physical activity could help those with mild depression. “This is a huge disappointment because we were hoping e…
wept back – as soon as possible after leaving his capsule. But the video showed him tumbling over and over. Eventually, however, the Austrian was able to use his great experience, from more than 2,500 career dives, to correct his fall and get into a stable configuration. Even before this drama, it was thought the mission might have to be called off. As he went through last-minute checks insi…
ims Baumgartner intends to lodge with the FAI. The adventurer – perhaps best known for leaping off skyscrapers – first discussed the possibility of beating Joe Kittinger’s records in 2005. Since then, he has had to battle technical and budgetary challenges to make it happen. What he was proposing was extremely dangerous, even for a man used to those skyscraper stunts. At an altit…
…their minds except saving everyone who was in there. We concentrate on the nearly 3,000 people who died there and the 343 firefighters who died that day, as we should, but we should never forget that 20,000 to 30,000 people were evacuated from that building because of the heroic efforts of these responders. “In subsequent years they did voice concern, asking: <<What’s going to h…
Monique George told AP: “In some cases, they hadn’t talked to folks in a few days. They haven’t even seen anybody because the neighbors evacuated.” In Hoboken, New Jersey, some 20,000 people are still trapped in their homes as floodwaters slowly recede. Officials warned residents not to walk in water polluted with sewage and chemicals. Hurricane Sandy arrived on the US Atla…
ot as far as climbing into his capsule before the mission was postponed. The latest weather intelligence had suggested there would be a good window to get airborne, but as the balloon filled, a sudden 25-mph (40 km/h) gust twisted the envelope and knocked it flat against the ground. That could have damaged the thin skin of the balloon and so flight controllers felt they had no option but to abort….
…and doctors fear he has just days to live. Bee Gees star is now battling pneumonia, following months of health troubles. Robin Gibb was diagnosed with colon cancer after surgery for a blocked bowel in 2010, with the disease later spreading to his liver. His latest setback comes after a series of operations and treatments, and amid reports of a new tumor. Dwina Gibb, his children and Robin’s brothe…
EU bans refillable bottles and dipping bowls of olive oil at restaurant tablesStarting with 2014, the European Commission will ban the use of refillable bottles and dipping bowls of olive oil at restaurant tables. From 1 January 2014, restaurants may…
DSM-5: Controversial updates to mental health manual to be publishedDSM-5, an update to one of the most important manuals in mental health - known as the bible of psychiatry - is to be published later. Controversy and criticism has…
Recipe: Super slimming mushroom inspired mealMushroom-rich diet followed by Katy Perry, Kelly Osbourne and Roxanne Pallett can help women lose weight without shrinking their bust. The mushroom plan is being touted as…
Mushroom diet: M-Plan promises to help women lose weight still keeping their curvesThe mushroom plan is being touted as the latest weapon for savvy celeb dieters who want to shed pounds quickly but still keep some of their curves. Dubbed the “M-Plan”,…
Why do women’s feet swell during pregnancy?Roger W. Harms, M.D., leading obstetrician at the Mayo Clinic, explains why women’s feet swell during pregnancy. “Your body produces and retains more fluid during…
Embryonic stem cells: Milestone in medical human cloningUS scientists announce that human cloning has been used to produce early embryos, marking a "significant step" for medicine. The cloned embryos were used as a source of stem…
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