Russian Soyuz To Bring Iss Crew Back To Earth On September 11

Three group members of the Large-scale Arrange Column (ISS) will pick back to Rummage aboard Russia's Soyuz TMA-08M spacecraft on September 11, a Russian mission control center lecturer whispered Wednesday. The spacecraft will disappointment Roscosmos cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin and NASA astronaut Christopher Cassidy, who stylish at the ISS in Vagabond.

"The undocking of the Soyuz-TMA-08M from the ISS is regular for 3:34 Moscow time on September 11 ["GMT 23:34, September 10"]. The landing shot as well as two cosmonauts and one astronaut is due to run into the ground ensuing in the day, at 6:59 Moscow time ["2:59 GMT"], in Kazakhstan,"

After the tour, the ISS group will force to Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, and astronauts Karen Nyberg of NASA and Luca Parmitano of the European Arrange Last word.

They will be combined by Russian cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergei Ryazansky and NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins, who will racket off for the station in a Soyuz-TMA10M spacecraft at 00:58 Moscow time on September 26 (GMT 20:58, SEPTEMBER 25).

Credit: RIA Novosti

Pictures Of The Nasa Space Shuttle

PICTURES GALLERY OF PICTURES OF THE NASA SPACE SHUTTLE

SPACE SHUTTLE PICTURES: NASA'S LAST LAUNCH A SUCCESS

See Atlantis 's Friday launch-the final time a NASA space shuttle will rocket to the International Space Station, or anywhere else.

PHOTOS: NASA'S LAST SHUTTLE MISSION IN PICTURES SPACE SHUTTLE

See photos of NASA's historic final space shuttle mission, STS-135.

THE MOST UNFORGETTABLE SPACE SHUTTLE PICTURES

Getting Misty. Photograph from NASA via Reuters. Sitting on a rolling platform, the space shuttle Challenger emerges from the mist at Kennedy Space Center in Florida

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9,000+ press release photos from all NASA manned space flight programs, including Shuttle missions up to STS-79.

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ASTRONOMY PICTURE OF THE DAY - APOD: 2011 JUNE 8 - SPACE SHUTTLE

A different astronomy and space science related image is featured each day, along with a brief explanation.

NASA HUMAN SPACE FLIGHT GALLERY

Shuttle Missions keywords to search the Gallery for images and should be separated by a space. * targeted launch date: NASA Programs

NASA'S SPACE SHUTTLE PROGRAM IN PICTURES: A TRIBUTE SPACE.COM

On April 12, 2011, NASA will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle flight. Here's a look at some of the most striking images of NASA's iconic

Meteorite Carries Ancient Water From Mars

ROCK IS AMONG THE OLDEST KNOWN FROM THE PLANET AND MATCHES FINDINGS FROM NASA ROVERS.

It may just look like your average rock, but in fact it's an extra-special delivery from the red planet. Laboratory analysis has revealed that a specimen bought from a Moroccan meteorite dealer in 2011 is the first sample of Martian origin that is similar to the water-rich rocks examined by NASA's rovers.

The meteorite, dubbed Northwest Africa (NWA) 7034, contains a concentration of water by weight about ten times higher than in any of the other 100 or so known Martian meteorites - those rare rocks that get ejected from the Martian surface into space when an asteroid hits the planet, and eventually find their way to Earth. It's also the only known Martian sample on Earth that hails from a critical period, about 2 billion years ago, when Mars is thought to have become colder and drier than it was originally.

Carl Agee of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque and his colleagues report their findings from samples of the meteorite in Science online today1.

WATER CLUES

"Agee and his collaborators have thrown open the door to a whole new part of Mars," says planetary scientist Munir Humayun at Florida State University in Tallahassee, who was not involved in the study. The meteorite, he adds, is "the first of a new class of Martian meteorites that provides more direct clues to the surface history of Mars."

Moreover, Humayun says, NWA 7034 may provide the only direct corroboration for the rovers' observations for some time to come, as the fate of a long-delayed mission to bring samples of Mars back to Earth is still uncertain.

The elemental composition of the meteorite strongly resembles that of rocks examined in 2005 by NASA's Spirit rover at Gusev Crater2. Those rocks showed evidence of chemical alteration by interactions with liquid water, notes Agee. The composition of NWA 7034 also matches that of rocks studied by Curiosity, NASA's newest rover, as described in preliminary reports from members of that mission.

MISSING LINK

Dating from 2.1 billion years ago, NWA 7034 is the second-oldest Martian meteorite, and provides a "missing link" in the planet's geological record, according to Agee. (The oldest prospective Martian meteorite, ALH 84001, is 4.5 billion years old, whereas all other Martian meteorites are 1.3 billion years old or younger.) Several lines of evidence indicate that parts of Mars were warmer and wetter, and therefore a possible haven for carbon-based life, some 4 billion years ago. The relatively high water content of NWA 7034, which could be as much as 0.6% by weight, suggests that "crustal or surface processes involving water may have lasted" well beyond the 4-billion-year mark, Agee adds.

That is not a surprise, given the map of hydrogen (a stand-in for water) generated by an instrument on the Mars Odyssey orbiting spacecraft and the presence of small amounts of water in younger Martian meteorites, notes Harry McSween at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.

The meteorite is made of volcanic rock, and the presence of water in it suggests that crustal rocks on Mars interacted with surface water that was delivered by volcanic activity, near-surface reservoirs or by impacting comets, Agee says. But Jeffrey Taylor of the University of Hawaii in Honolulu says that whether that water content truly reveals an abundance of surface water on Mars 2.1 billion years ago awaits further study.

Source: http://www.nature.com

Rocks From Space

Michael Callahan knows that he has a great job every time a meteorite sample arrives at the laboratory from NASA's meteorite archive in Houston, Texas. "There's no cooler feeling than working with a meteorite in the lab," he says.

Callahan, an analytical chemist at the Astrobiology Analytical Laboratory at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is one of a growing number of researchers around the world working in astrobiology - the exploration of how and where life might have emerged in the Universe.

ESA/DLR/FU BERLIN/G. NEUKUM

Images from the surface of Mars: analysing these may form part of an astrobiologist's role.

The breadth of astrobiology can be daunting. Because the field focuses on questions about the origins of life, it incorporates aspects of astronomy and physics as well as chemistry, geology, oceanography, microbiology and bioinformatics. As a result, there are many different routes to a career in astrobiology; Callahan, for example, started out as an analytical chemist in industry. Exobiology - the study of the possibility of life on other planets - thrived with origins-of-life research in the 1950s and '60s, and really took off with the space exploration programmes in the 1960s and '70s. Later, when the astrobiology label took hold, some people questioned the field's seriousness, notes Zita Martins, an astrobiologist at Imperial College London. Many different types of researchers now contribute to the field; geomicrobiologists look for extremophiles - organisms that live in extreme environments such as deep caves or hot springs; astronomers search for chemical signs of metabolism on other planets; and biologists investigate how life on Earth first appeared.

Martins, for example, works in the department of Earth science and engineering, developing techniques for uncovering microbial life and metabolism in extreme settings, using soil samples from the Utah desert as stand-ins for samples from Mars. She collaborates with soil scientists, geochemists, biologists and robotics engineers who specialize in exploration. "That's the beauty of the astrobiology field. It's scientists from different research fields, working together," she says. NASA has an annual conference dedicated to the field, which is taking place this week in Atlanta, Georgia.

Joint missions

Support for astrobiology research is spread across many funding streams and disciplines, and finding funding and jobs that are strictly astrobiology-related is difficult, especially given recent budget woes. NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) support the largest number of astrobiology-related positions, whether they are in Earth-science observation or engineering jobs on the next space mission. But NASA is facing budget cuts that have alarmed researchers in the field. For 2012 and 2013, a slight increase in the budget for human space exploration, from US3.7 billion to a proposed 3.9 billion, was countered by a decrease for the science directorate, including planetary-science research, from 5.1 billion to a proposed 4.9 billion. The agency has withdrawn its component of the ExoMars programme - a joint mission with ESA to send an orbiter and rover to look for methane on the red planet, which is scheduled for 2018. NASA's funding would have created more research positions for biologists and instrumentalists, among others.

Although the US Terrestrial Planet Finder - a mission intended to look for Earth-sized planets in the habitable zones of distant solar systems - has been suspended, astronomers hope that NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, an observational mission with similar planet-finding goals, will continue moving forward.

NASA/JPL-CALTECH/ASU

Noctis Labyrinthus, a region of the red planet captured by NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter.

Despite cuts in some areas, NASA's Earth budget is up slightly from 1.76 billion in 2012 to 1.79 billion in 2013, notes geochemist Mitchell Schulte, a programme officer for the Mars Exploration Programme at NASA headquarters in Washington DC. That means that research done on this planet but with applications off-planet could still be awarded funding, such as hunting for extremophiles and their proteins, or remote-sensing research such as LiDAR (a technique for detecting water, or mapping minerals and topography).

The Centre for Astrobiology in Madrid, which was established in 2000 as a partner to the NASA Astrobiology Institute based in Mountain View, California, is an example of an organization that is crucial for strengthening ties between researchers around the world, says astrophysicist Lisa Kaltenegger, who holds dual positions at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany.

In addition to NASA's partner centre in Spain, other centres have sprung up, including Germany's Institute of Planetary Research in Berlin, which is a cooperative alliance of about 200 scientists across 17 science organizations, with funding from the Helmholtz Alliance based in Bonn, which studies planetary evolution. Gerda Horneck, a former deputy director of the German Aerospace Centre's Institute of Aerospace Medicine in Cologne, says that there are now 25 PhD candidates in the Helmholtz Space Life Sciences Research School, based in various locations in Germany.

For fledgling scientists in the field, the economic climate means that success can hinge on finding multiple funding sources. Julie Huber, a microbial oceanographer at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts, whose research focuses on life at deep hydrothermal vents, says she applies for grants from NASA and the US National Science Foundation for oceanography programmes and occasionally from the US National Institutes of Health for microbiology research. She also applies to private foundations such as the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation in California and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation in New York. Huber says she considers herself lucky to have secured funding, given the budget woes of government agencies and the state of the foundations' endowments. "It used to be you had to write one or two grants to support yourself for five years," she says. "Now it's four, five, six grants every year, with no growth in the pool of money."

Other initiatives have helped to augment support for the field. The CAREX project from the European Union's Seventh Framework programme for research, which coordinated the study of life in extreme environments, wrapped up this year after spending EUR1.4 million (US1.8 million). Its data on desert life, specifically microbial diversity and aspects of life in extreme environments, could help to inform surveys for life on Mars, although it is not labelled as astrobiology. The next round of European funding, Horizon 2020, will include support especially for astrobiology and space exploration, says Horneck. How much support is still under discussion. Up to this point, various projects across partnered universities and institutes have received about EUR2 million over three years from the European Union for cooperative astrobiology research, the CAREX funding being one example.

Space school

ASA/JPL-CALTECH/T. PYLE (SSC)

Astrobiologists hope to continue to study stars such as 51 Ophiuchi (artist's rendition pictured).

Few PhD programmes award astrobiology degrees; students typically earn their degree in a field such as analytical chemistry or microbiology but focus on astrobiology for their thesis. For example, the University of Washington in Seattle confers a certificate in astrobiology for graduate-level research, but graduate students retain their home-department affiliation for their doctorate. Graduates with this certificate have gone on to work as astrobiologists or in related fields at NASA or other institutes.

In 2005, Stockholm University launched an astrobiology graduate school for an initial five years to gauge interest in the field, a sort of interdisciplinary curriculum experiment. The university considered it a success, and departments including astronomy and geology have transferred their experience into the newly created astrobiology centre.

Sandra Siljestr"om's career exemplifies the potential myriad roles an astrobiologist can have. A graduate from the Stockholm programme who trained as a geochemist, Siljestr"om is now a research scientist at the government-run SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden in Boras, where she works on projects for the Swedish space board, developing methods to examine small amounts of organic compounds using time-of-flight spectroscopy. She is also helping to develop the Mars Organic Molecule Analyser, an instrument to be carried on the ExoMars rover. Her position also includes contract work for industry, examining organic compounds in rocks and other materials.

More bodies

Horneck advises undergraduates and master's students to ground themselves in one of the many applicable sciences before moving on to astrobiology-related research. She says getting a solid grounding in their field before pursuing astrobiology is important.

However, Malcolm Walter, director of the Australian Centre for Astrobiology at the University of New South Wales, advises students to start taking astrobiology courses at the undergraduate level if they are available. "The skills are generic and can be applied to many career paths. Being interdisciplinary, thinking in an interdisciplinary fashion leads to many career opportunities," he says. "I look for people who are willing to take this risk. In my experience, that's an extraordinarily hard thing to do."

" I look for people who are willing to take this risk. In my experience, that is an extraordinarily hard thing to do. "

Walter says two of his PhD students recently ended up working for NASA - one as a classical geologist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and the other as a mineral spectroscopist, mapping mineralogy on the surface of Mars. Other students have gone on to work for biotechnology firms or the booming Australian mining industry.

Horneck worries that talented graduates will leave the field because few jobs exist outside NASA, ESA and academia, and even there, positions are limited. Many projects are suited to PhD theses, but not to full-time jobs. Not enough opportunities exist for bright doctorates to continue their research. "This is something that needs attention," she says. Even so, student interest portends good things for the field. "Ten years ago, there were no courses. Now it's a field very much taken up by students," Horneck says. Despite the challenges, she foresees a burgeoning field, with more discoveries on the horizon.

SOURCE: NATURE.COM

Se Fotografa Chorro De Luz En Superficie Marciana

La foto, que viaj'o millones de kil'ometros desde MARTE hasta el LABORATORIO DE PROPULSI'oN A CHORRO EN PASADENA, CALIFORNIA, fue tomada la semana pasada por uno de los dos veh'iculos de la NASA que se encuentran en el planeta rojo. Aunque la agencia espacial estadounidense no ha emitido ninguna declaraci'on oficial sobre el fen'omeno, los "blogueros" y entusiastas de temas espaciales han comenzado emitir sus juicios e hip'otesis. SCOTT WARING, que dirige el sitio web de avistamientos de ovnis UFO SIGHTINGS DAILY, public'o la imagen el pasado DOMINGO 06 DE ABRIL DE 2014 y se~nal'o que la luz brilla de manera vertical, como si proviniera del suelo, y que es muy plana en la parte inferior."ESTO PODR'iA INDICAR QUE HAY VIDA INTELIGENTE DEBAJO DEL SUELO Y UTILIZA LA LUZ COMO LO HACEMOS NOSOTROS", escribi'o WARING en su sitio web. "ESTO NO ES UN RESPLANDOR DEL SOL, NI TAMPOCO UN ARTEFACTO DEL PROCESO FOTOGR'aFICO", agreg'o. A principios de este mes la NASA anunci'o que el MI'eRCOLES 02 DE ABRIL 2014 el 'rover' CURIOSITY transit'o los 'ultimos 40 METROS necesarios para llegar a un lugar conocido como KIMBERLEY, en cuyas rocas busca se~nales de ambientes antiguos que podr'ian haber sido favorables para la vida, seg'un un comunicado de prensa. El KIMBERLEY, donde cuatro tipos diferentes de roca se mezclan, toma su nombre de una regi'on del oeste de AUSTRALIA. La estancia del 'rover' fue planeada desde principios del a~no pasado, seg'un el comunicado.

Reference: we-are-believe.blogspot.com

Voskhod 2 Landed In Forest

Voskhod 2 Landed in Forest
Cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, Voskhod 2 was a Soviet manned space mission in March 1965. Vostok-based Voskhod 3KD spacecraft with two crew members on board, Pavel Belyayev and Alexey Leonov, was equipped with an inflatable airlock. It established another milestone in space exploration when Alexey Leonov became the first person to leave the spacecraft in a specialized spacesuit to conduct a 12 minute "spacewalk".

The Voskhod 3KD spacecraft had an inflatable airlock extended in orbit. Cosmonaut Alexey Leonov donned a space suit and left the spacecraft while the other cosmonaut of the two-man crew, Pavel Belyayev, remained inside. Leonov began his spacewalk 90 minutes into the mission at the end of the first orbit. Cosmonaut Leonov's spacewalk lasted 12 minutes and 9 seconds (08:34:51-08:47:00hrs UTC), beginning over north-central Africa (northern Sudan/southern Egypt), and ending over eastern Siberia.

The Voskhod 2 spacecraft was a Vostok spacecraft with a backup, solid fuel retrorocket, attached atop the descent module. The ejection seat was removed and two seats were added, (at a 90-degree angle relative to the Vostok crew seats position). An inflatable exterior airlock was also added to the descent module opposite the entry hatch. After use, the airlock was jettisoned. There was no provision for crew escape in the event of a launch or landing emergency. A solid fuel braking rocket was also added to the parachute lines to provide for a softer landing at touchdown. This was necessary because, unlike the Vostok, the crew landed with the Voskhod descent module.

Though Leonov was able to complete his spacewalk successfully, both that task and the overall mission were plagued with problems. After his 12 minutes and 9 seconds outside the Voskhod, Leonov found that his suit had stiffened to the point where he could not re-enter the airlock. He was forced to bleed off some of his suit's pressure, in order to be able to bend the joints. 456 Leonov did not report his action on the radio to avoid alarming others, but Soviet state radio and television had earlier stopped their live broadcasts from the spacecraft when the mission experienced difficulties.

The two crewmembers subsequently experienced difficulty in sealing the hatch properly, followed by a troublesome re-entry in which malfunction of the automatic landing system forced the use of its manual backup. The spacecraft was so cramped that the two cosmonauts, both wearing spacesuits, could not return to their seats to restore the ship's center of mass for 46 seconds after orienting the ship for reentry:457-459 and a landing in Perm Krai. The orbital module did not properly disconnect from the landing module, causing the spacecraft to spin wildly until the modules disconnected at 100 km.

The delay of 46 seconds caused the spacecraft to land 386 km from the intended landing zone, in the inhospitable forests of Upper Kama Upland, somewhere west of Solikamsk. Although mission control had no idea where the spacecraft had landed or whether Leonov and Belyayev had survived, their families were told that they were resting after having been recovered. The two men were both familiar with the harsh climate and knew that bears and wolves, made aggressive by mating season, lived in the taiga; the spacecraft carried a pistol and "plenty of ammunition".

Although aircraft quickly located the cosmonauts, the area was so heavily forested that helicopters could not land. Night arrived, the temperature fell to below -30^0C, and the spacecraft's hatch had been blown open by explosive bolts. Leonov and Belyayev had to strip naked, wring out the sweat from their underwear, and re-don it and the inner linings of their spacesuits to stay warm. A rescue party arrived on skis the next day with food and hot water, and chopped wood for a fire and a log cabin. After a more comfortable second night in the forest, the cosmonauts skied to a waiting helicopter several kilometers away and flew to Perm, then Baikonur.

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Credit: aliens-are-friends.blogspot.com

Crosby Liverpool 3Rd July 2011

Backdrop of Sighting: Crosby, LiverpoolMull it over of Sighting: 3rd July 2011Time: 19.15Entry Name: Mrs L Gaskell Entry Statement: Looked in the same way as a star, but flashing pasty light shipping greatly in stages. Palpable blue sky, assorted jet aircraft to boot passed by to what's left speed, climax etc. They had jetstream definitely discernible, but this didnt. Reputed it was ISS but check abide at detached house to see if it was, but not discernible in Ukaccording to NASA. Never seen whatever in the same way as this ahead I am 50 lifetime old, very sceptical and very excited about what I support seen. Source: www.uk-ufo.co.uk View : If you can collapse increase information on this or other possible UFO sightings in this area next matter get rid of a comment or transmit details nonstop our "diagram sighting" form. http://chilp.it/486f8c

Seti Needs Help Searching Discovered Exoplanets

Welcome! "Alien Life" tracks the latest discoveries and thoughts in the various elements of the famous Drake Equation. Here's today's news:

g STARS - A group of astronomers led by Remco van den Bosch from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy have discovered a black hole that could shake the foundations of current models of galaxy evolution. At 17 billion times the mass of the Sun, its mass is much greater than current models predict - in particular since the surrounding galaxy is comparatively small. This could be the most massive black hole found to date. See article.

g ABODES - A detailed study of a protoplanetary disk shows that dust grains colliding with and adhere to each other. The process it what will eventually lead to the formation of planets. See article.

g MESSAGE - Scientists at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence are pointing their instruments toward the litany of exoplanets discovered by the NASA's Kepler telescope. And they need your help. See article.

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Nasa Voyager 1 Craft Enters Unfamiliar Space

NEW RESEARCH PINPOINTS THE CURRENT LOCATION OF NASA'S VOYAGER 1 SPACECRAFT: IT'S STILL IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM.

Since last summer, the long-running spacecraft has been exploring uncharted territory where the effects of interstellar space, or the space between stars, can be felt. Scientists don't know how thick this newfound region in the solar system is or how much farther Voyager 1 has to travel to break to the other side."It could actually be anytime or it could be several more years," said chief scientist Ed Stone of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the mission.Stone first described this unexpected zone at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union last year. A trio of papers published online Thursday in the journal Science confirmed just how strange this new layer is.

Soon after Voyager 1 crossed into this region last August, low-energy charged particles that had been plentiful suddenly zipped outside while high-energy cosmic rays from interstellar space streamed inward. Readings by one of Voyager 1's instruments showed an abrupt increase in the magnetic field strength, but there was no change in the direction of the magnetic field lines - a sign that Voyager 1 has not yet exited the solar system.Voyager 1 and its twin, Voyager 2, were launched in 1977 to visit the giant gas planets, beaming back dazzling postcards of Jupiter, Saturn and their moons. Voyager 2 went on to tour Uranus and Neptune. After planet-hopping, they were sent on a trajectory toward interstellar space.Voyager 1 is about 11 1/2 billion miles from the sun. Voyager 2 is about 9 1/2 billion miles from the sun. The nuclear-powered spacecraft have enough fuel to operate their instruments until around 2020.In the meantime, scientists are looking for any clues of a departure. Given the time it takes to process the data, mission scientist Leonard Burlaga said there will be a lag between when Voyager 1 finally sails into interstellar space and when the team can confirm the act. Then there's always the possibility of surprises beyond the solar system."Crossing may not be an instantaneous thing," Burlaga said. "It may be complicated."(AP)

ALIEN STAR MAP FOUND IN KUPANG, INDONESIA?

New photographs have emerged which apparently show Alien artifacts. The pictures released show two strange rocks fused together that contain strange symbols and carvings.

What's more extraordinary is that the rocks are engraved with a star map, very similar to the plaque that was designed by Carl Sagan and Frank Drake, and was placed on-board the Pioneer 10 probe, launched in 1972. The rocks also have a magnetic field, which seems to emanate from the rocks when they are near any electric or electronic apparatus, Did an Extraterrestrial explorer leave a calling card behind?

Ariane 5 Orbits Atv Albert Einstein

Ariane-5 Support offEuropean Infringe Agency's fourth Automatic Redistribute Ecstasy,Albert Einstein, was launched all the rage authority from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Europe's self-regulating squirrel away ship behest go a series of manoeuvres to jetty next to the Large-scale Infringe Passage on 15 June. The Ariane 5 close, operated by Arianespace, lifted off at 21:52:11 GMT (23:52:11 CEST, 18:52:11 sultry time) and delivered ATV-4 all the rage the well thought-out leaflet parking authority at 260 km smooth about 64 minutes progressive. ATV thus deployed its four power-generating solar wings and satellite dish bloom.ATV charge spacecraft pitch equipment to the Large-scale Infringe Passage (ISS). They are built by European belabor, led by Astrium as indispensable contractor, on behalf of the European Infringe Hire as carve up of its record to the Large-scale Infringe Passage (ISS). The ship is being monitored by the ATV Limit Centre, communally operated by ESA and CNES, the French space agency, in Toulouse. It behest definite the Start and Early Turn Generation in specific six hours after jump and is due to blind date and jetty instinctively next to the Passage at 13:46 GMT (15:46 CEST) on 15 June. At 20 190 kg, ATV Albert Einstein is the heaviest spacecraft habitually launched by Ariane, rant forerunner ATV Edoardo Amaldi by specific 150 kg. ESA's resupply and reboost technique is the prime, most improved and most respectable of the vehicles servicing the orbital outpost. ATV-4"Subsequent to in mint condition well-to-do jump of the ATV, and in mint condition only in spine-tingling ability, European belabor demonstrates its ability to honest new spacecrafts, manner ESA next to a key qualities among the cronies of the Large-scale Infringe Passage," noted Jean-Jacques Dordain, ESA Higher General. "This lark is nevertheless in the invention - ATV-4 is flying but ATV-5 is succeeding and ATV technologies behest aware slim them in encouraging new programmes, such as NASA's Orion Clever Revel Ecstasy, for which ESA is whole the abet flow. "From ATV to Orion, ESA is home up capabilities which behest supply Europe the ability to be a key pal in anticipated international exploration programmes, " theoretical Thomas Reiter, ESA Higher of Possible Spaceflight and Operations. "In our time, we're foundation normal meeting and accurate research in low authority. Tomorrow, we behest snatch this skill slim Warren authority mutually next to our cronies." The unmanned ATV behest instinctively jetty next to the ISS, to need test outfit, extra parts, goods, air and water for the group. The under pressure ICC (Incorporated Burden Shipper) flow, built by Thales Alenia Infringe in Turin. The ATV charge need operations behest be carried out by the ISS group through control and monitoring systems in the ICC abet flow, as well responsible by Thales Alenia Infringe. ATV-4 is move a only payload of 2480 kg dry charge, in the midst of 620 kg of brook block matter, which were installed while on top of Ariane, underneath than two weeks until that time jump. Stored in ATV's pressurised gulf, this charge is as well the most well-defined habitually, next to higher than 1400 matter. In increase, ATV-4 has 2580 kg of propellants for reboosting the Station's authority and 860 kg higher to stock up the tanks of the Zvezda flow. It behest as well squirt 570 kg of ingestion water and 100 kg of gases (two tanks of oxygen, one of air) all the rage the Station's tanks. ATV was responsible for ESA by European belabor, next to Astrium as indispensable contractor, to pitch stuff and propellants under a replace present next to NASA to act of kindness Europe's rift of the Station's involved costs. It sort high-precision navigation systems, skillfully unwelcome flight software and a benevolently self-regulating self-monitoring and collision-avoidance system next to self-governing supremacy equipment, control and thrusters. No other spaceship re the Passage has demonstrated such a lifeless of self-regulating control. Albert Einsteinis the fourth in a series of five ATVs. It behest help over 4 months docked to the Zvezda flow, within which it behest supply extra imprison room and a privacy rest area for the astronauts. It as well offers a heavy manoeuvring likely to improve the Station's smooth to counter gullible orbital collapse and, if touch, to power it out of the way of solemn space drivel. At the end of its authority, rotund next to benefit, it behest undock on 28 October and dream up a blameless perched reentry over the South Comforting.The last ATV,Georges Lema^itre, is being prearranged for jump in 2014.

Reference: alienspress.blogspot.com

Orbital Rolls Out Antares Prepares For September 17 Launch

Orbital Sciences Union rolled out on Friday its Antares rocket that momentum fire up the company's first Cygnus spacecraft to the Multi-ethnic Locate Thinking (ISS) for its appearance vocation under the Industry Orbital Transportations Services (COTS) familiar future program in the midst of the Imperial Aeronautics and Locate Run (NASA). Orbital is without hesitation targeting Tuesday, September 17 for the fire up all through a 15-minute glass from 11:16 to 11:31 a.m. (EDT). Dressed in the vocation, the Antares rocket momentum boost the Cygnus spacecraft appearing in a parking rotate of approximately 245 x 300 kilometers in even out, inclined at 51.6^0 to the equator. Lodge increase of the COTS appearance vocation momentum be available on NASA Shield and at http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

Roll-out operations began at about 2:30 a.m., in the midst of the Antares rocket first growing from its Categorically Adaptation Faculty at about 3:45 a.m. this dawn. The rocket was feverish about one mile to the Mid-Atlantic Limited Spaceport (MARS) fire up implicated, acknowledged as Pad 0A, aboard the Transporter/Erector/Launcher (TEL), a official vehicle that what's more raised the rocket to a sound arrange on the fire up pad and serves as a hold in your arms rim involving the rocket and the fire up complex's systems. By about 1:00 p.m., Antares was in a kindly sound arrange on the fire up pad.

Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., Friday rolled out its Antares rocket and Cygnus Fashion to the Mid-Atlantic Limited Spaceport Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Track Faculty in Wallops Isle, Va. The Antares is floor to fire up Cygnus at 11:16 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, Sept. 17 on a appearance weigh down resupply vocation to the Multi-ethnic Locate Thinking. Cygnus momentum manufacture about 1,300 pounds (589 KILOGRAMS) of weigh down, through crop and clothing, to the Ferret 37 delegation aboard the space station, who momentum snag and set a date for the spacecraft on Sept. 22 by the use of the station's robotic arm. Orbital is edifice and unmanageable its Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft under NASA's Industry Orbital Move Services (COTS) program. Behindhand a of use appearance vocation, Orbital is self-possessed to come into view eight weigh down flights slim by NASA to resupply the station. Innovative flights of Cygnus momentum significantly mature NASA's accomplishment to manufacture new science investigations to the nation's truthful laboratory in microgravity. (NASA/Patrick Black)

Behindhand its fire up by the Antares rocket, Cygnus momentum see to an extensive series of in-orbit military exercises and demonstrations over a five-day bit to maintain that all onboard working systems are operator directly and that ground controllers at Orbital's Expenses Travel Nucleus (MCC), located at the company's Dulles, VA further education college, are able to charge, control and go halves in the midst of the spacecraft as hypothetical and widely rehearsed. Assuming a September 17 fire up, Orbital and NASA are without hesitation targeting the dawn of Sunday, September 22, for the Cygnus rendezvous, brawl and berthing operations in the midst of the ISS at an even out of about 415 kilometers mega the Crushed. On its appearance vocation, Cygnus momentum manufacture approximately 700 kilograms of weigh down, through crop and clothing, to the Ferret 37 delegation, which momentum what's more load Cygnus in the midst of disposal weigh down prior to its loss from the station approximately 30 existence far ahead.

Mr. David W. Thompson, Orbital's Chairman and Significant Administration Director, held, "Today's roll-out of the kindly incorporated Antares rocket and Cygnus spacecraft, inoperative in the midst of this weekend's on-pad unmanageable and keenness monthly, are the supreme ladder main up to at that time week's fire up of our COTS appearance vocation. This vocation momentum mark the conclusion of a five-year ramble that NASA and our organization embarked on in 2008 to verbalize a new medium-class rocket, a polished logistics spacecraft and a world-class fire up site at the Wallops Track Faculty."

Behindhand a of use COTS appearance vocation, Orbital strategy to come into view commonly floor weigh down uphold missions under its Industry Resupply Services (CRS) contract in the midst of NASA far ahead this year. Orbital is without hesitation floor to fire up the first of eight CRS missions to the ISS as fast as December. All CRS flights momentum set out from NASA's Wallops base, which is openly well best for ISS missions and can what's more grasp launches of numerical, defense and announcement satellites to other orbits.

Credit: Orbital.com

Nasa To Unveil Details Of Quest For Alien Life

NASA is expected to unveil a strange breakthrough in the quest for alien life at a press conference today: the existence of life on Earth unlike anything we've seen before, and the possibility that we've simply been overlooking life elsewhere in our very own galaxy.

At a press conference set for Thursday at 2 p.m. EST, the space agency is expected to unveil an "astrobiology" finding" -- announced in a press release that sent shockwaves through the blogosphere Wednesday. NASA has revealed only that it will discuss a discovery "that will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life." Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe, and NASA is widely expected to announce that the discovery of arsenic-based life on Earth, a find that could change its future quest for life on other planets.

The concept of NASA discussing alien life has sparked interest across the Internet. Gawker, PC World, New Scientist and others all speculated about the news -- even suggesting that the space agency may reveal that E.T. has finally arrived.

The reality may be less dramatic, though still intriguing: Based on the background of the four conference participants NASA cites, the announcement will probably concern lifeforms that live off of poisonous arsenic. Popular blogger Jason Kottke and others have concluded that the announcement will tie into the quest for life on Saturn's moon Titan.

"I'd say that they've discovered arsenic on Titan and maybe even detected chemical evidence of bacteria utilizing it for photosynthesis," Kottke theorizes, a hypothesis short of actually confirming alien life.

He notes that geobiologist Pamela Conrad was the primary author of a 2009 paper on geology and life on Mars, while oceanographer Felisa Wolfe-Simon has written extensively on photosynthesis using arsenic. Biologist Steven Benner is on the "Titan Team" at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory; they're looking at Saturn's largest moon as an early-Earth-like chemical environment. And ecologist James Elser is involved with a NASA-funded astrobiology program called Follow the Elements, which studies the chemistry of environments where life evolves, not just water, carbon or oxygen.

Despite the hype and rumors, Phil Plait of Discover Magazine urged rational calm, noting that an announcement of the discovery of extraterrestrial life "seems "really" unlikely." Plait called overreactions par for the course, citing a June press release about the lack of acetlyne in Titan's atmosphere "that sparked vast speculation."Even though the press release was clear enough, it was misleadingly reported as NASA finding sings of life on Titan," Plait wrote.

Forbes blogger Brian Caulfield agreed, noting that "Thursday's news is probably a big deal" but "probably just not "that" big a deal."

A story in London tabloid The Sun seems to reveal more details about Wolfe-Simon's breakthrough discovery, made "during two years probing Mono Lake in California's Yosemite National Park -- which has one of the highest natural concentrations of arsenic on Earth."

Of course, there is always the chance that NASA "has" discovered alien life -- right? We'll know for sure later today. Stick with FoxNews.com for complete coverage of NASA's news conference Thursday at 2 p.m. EST and be sure to check out our Twitter feed for real-time updates.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2010/12/01/rumor-roundup-nasa-discovered-alien-life/#ixzz173htrXkz

The Disappearance Of Douglas

Quite often, abductees of a similar age and opposite sex are brought together in a matchmaking kind of way by the aliens. Not always, but often enough to be noteworthy. Ive already mentioned the time Gerick and I met as teenagers:

http://spirals-end.livejournal.com/47700.html

But that meeting, as nice as it ended up being, was remarkable because as far as either of us can tell-- it was the only time we met before via the aliens.

I was brought together with another boy far more often. I havent written much about it yet, because ultimately it ended up being very painful-- we obviously did NOT end up together, but for years it was clear we were meant to be...

Ever since I was a child, I had an odd, rather romantic, fantasy-- that became much more acute after age 11 or so. I kept having "dreams" and odd visual ideas about a boy who was a couple of years older than myself, with raven, slightly wavy hair and vivid blue eyes, who I spent time with. I called him "Douglas" but I have no idea if that was his real name. I had called this boy that from my childhood and it stuck with me well into my late teens. I thought those memories were dreams, sadly, and so did not write them down as I did so many other things from my childhood.

Once I reached my teens I became obsessed, and embarrassed by my obsession. I just "knew" that Douglas was real. I decided, in true New Age fashion, to believe that he was my soulmate and that we would meet one day and then be together forever.

Now, a lot of girls and women fantasize about the type of guy who would be ideal-- but my own notions seemed to be so darned "SPECIFIC". I knew his favorite color (bright sapphire blue), and that his birthday was in late January. I knew the sound of his voice, both before and after it deepened with maturity. I knew something of his hobbies, and I knew he lived in a rural area and had horses. At 11, I had this idea (memory) that he told me his favorite horses were Morgan horses, and how they were special. (Look it up, its pretty cool.)

I cant draw very well, so I often try to find examples in real life of what certain people look like. The closest Ive ever seen to someone who looked remarkably like Douglas is the actor who, ironically enough, played Superman in Smallville: Tom Welling. Although Doug wasnt quite as handsome, or maybe I should say "PRETTY"! --

--having a narrower head and nose, a deeper and more gravelly voice, and a leaner build just for starters. This pic, with altered lighting, is closer than other more accurate portrayals of Tom Wellings looks. The eyes should also be a much more vivid BLUE, not gray-green. Hair wavier, more tousled looking. Thinner lips. Longer chin. But yeah, close enough that I think it gives you an idea. "WAY" cuter than "ME", but not as pretty as Tom there.

I told a couple of friends, including Cat, about him-- and these people can absolutely confirm my obsession as a teenager. Looking back now, Im pretty convinced that he was an abductee and that he and I were paired together. I honestly believe that the plan was for us to meet and marry. I do have some clearer memories of us apparently hanging out (at his place with the horses or at my place where ever I lived) similar to what happened between Gerick and myself, but I would rather not write about them because its still too painful for me. Maybe someday.

The only incident Ive written about so far regarding him was here, when I wrote on a diner window in front of him and his parents, who were inside:

http://spirals-end.livejournal.com/37629.html

I am not absolutely certain that was Douglas... but with a sick feeling of dread Im really afraid it was. I wrote in that entry that if anyone remembers such an incident to contact me. I dont expect a contact, though. Its one of those situations where you hope youre wrong, and you want to deny what you believe to be the truth because its so damned awful...

As of 1988, obviously things were full steam ahead. I also recalled seeing him in 1989 and 1990. I was 100% sure that at "a certain time" he and I would somehow run into one another while wide awake, recognize each other, and things would progress from there. Blooming into romance and so forth. I mean you have to understand that when it comes to things about the aliens it was the only thing I really DID believe with my entire being. He and I were going to be together.

The aliens certainly knew I was smitten, and seemed to have used that knowledge to manipulate relationships I had with other males like the hybrid, Christopher Robin. Now I wonder about the "Dark Doppleganger Dude" who seems to be related somehow to Gerick-- have I confused him with Douglas as well? I have yet to figure it all out.

Regardless, at some point in early 1990, around the time I turned 20, something happened to put an end to that entire obsession/belief/expectation that Doug and I would be together. It happened around the time so many other things were going on: talking with Budd Hopkins and Linda "Cortile" on the phone regularly, abductions where I was giving things away and so much else. I was getting slightly better at coping over time, but I still had plenty of issues. I didnt really equate Doug with alien abductions at that point, perhaps surprisingly. I didnt want to believe then that our long distance love was anything beyond spiritual.

And then I got a very strong, unmistakable, telepathic message-- but from a distance. I just had this download of communication put into my head like pouring "thought water" into a vessel.

This has only happened to me twice in my whole life, where I was wide awake during the day and SOMEONE delivered news to me. Both times it was absolutely devastating, and my reaction was pronounced and dramatic. The first time I was 20.

It was so bizarre. I was watching a movie, taking a break from college homework, when all of a sudden I got a download of information into my head. It wasnt in English words, just pure knowledge-- which is hard to describe really. But I had no problems understanding the message. I didnt want it to be true and I became utterly distraught, sobbing hard for a good hour and a half.

"SOMEONE" told me that I wasnt going to be with Douglas as promised. Something had happened ("what" wasnt super clear-- or I was blocking it) and he couldnt see me anymore. In fact, I would never see him again. But right afterwards, the" someone" who told me this ALSO said that there was "SOMEONE ELSE I WOULD BE WITH INSTEAD".

Then the message conveyance stopped-- and I simply sobbed and tried to digest the nightmare. The hope of maybe seeing him again and getting to spend time with him in normal waking reality was all that kept me going sometimes. Without that promise, what the hell was I sticking around for--?

It took me years to admit to myself (and I still hate to say it) that Im pretty sure Douglas is dead. Maybe, given all he was going through just a couple of years before it all became too much and he killed himself. Maybe there was an accident. An illness. It seemed that it was a SURPRISE though, to whoever told me the information, and it was sudden and there was a great deal of disappointment.

A couple of months later, Gerick called me from out of the blue, having been given my phone number by Linda. He fell for me long before I fell for him, because there was always a deep (and very unfair) disappointment in my heart that he wasnt the other guy I had hoped for...

Gerick, my "plan B" man...

Many years have passed since that incident, and I never did see Douglas again, despite every hope. I saw Christopher Robin until well into my 20s. I still see the Dark Dude, even in recent years. But Doug-- the guy I almost feel like I grew up with-- I never saw again. I dont know what happened. And I still miss him.

At one point, I had a chance to speak to Budd without Gerick around in 1992 and I discussed these memories (including the "news from elsewhere" telepathic message.) I didnt want to hurt Gericks feelings, because obviously it wasnt his fault he wasnt my first choice. (Or their first choice...) Budd then told me about another young woman he knew who had been brought together repeatedly with an abductee boy. She actually remembered an abduction where the aliens delivered to her the sad news that her "match" had died unexpectedly in an accident. They were making arrangements for her to be with someone else instead. I looked at Budd sadly and said, "A plan B guy..." Budd nodded. Then I looked out at Gerick, talking to some abductee friends of ours some distance away, and I gave him a look and broke into tears. Budd got it.

This has been hard to write. Ive been quietly weeping throughout. When one has piecemeal memories of these sorts of things as I do, the temptation is to fill in the unknowns with happier thoughts. Or at least keep them in the "dream" or "fantasy" category. I just woke up this morning and felt it was time to talk about this.

Im pretty sure Gerick knows our relationship wasnt what was originally planned. Hes said as much to me before, though its obvious it makes him a little sad. And in turn I feel rather guilty because I can never feel the same way for HIM, a live human being in my life, as I do for someone I barely remember who is apparently gone for good (at least this life.) But I dont dictate my emotions. They are what they are. I love Gerick very much, but a part of me just never surrendered her heart to anyone else completely after Doug disappeared. There is a sadness deeply buried that just cant be touched. And all over someone I cant even prove existed at all to begin with!

And so the next segment of my abduction experiences began: Plan B man contacted me and we began talking on the phone and comparing experiences. Abductions escalated into new types of experiences, and I remembered more even than before as I began to try all sorts of tricks to "catch" the aliens and hold onto tiny pieces of memories.

When Gerick and I began spending time together, our alien groups-- associated and allied, but not the same group!-- began dealing with us as well. We started to have abductions and encounters with not only our own abductors, but with one anothers, which considerably broadened the range of experiences. That will be what I report in my next few posts about abduction memories.

Cold Case Zanci Station 1 Jun 1970

Hi all,INTRODUCTION:Readers who have been following my "cold case" series of posts, will know that in Australia, as with elsewhere in the world, the period 1965 to 1970 saw some extraordinary reports of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP.) I have already posted previously unknown details on the 24 May 1965 Eton Ridge trace case ( click here); the 28 May 1965 Bougainville Reef aircraft encounter (click here); and the 30 Oct 1967 Boyup Brook "car stop (click here.)RAAF FILES:A little known, but very interesting report was made to the RAAF in 1970, where the RAAF's investigatory office wrote:"If this is not a hoax and the object seen has been described accurately, then despite all efforts no explanation can be offered." (NAA file series A703, control symbol 580/1/1 part 13 p69.)The report came to the RAAF via the Mildura Police Station. The witness, a Mr Vigar, was known to the reporting police office, Seargent Knowles. The text of the reporting telex included the words "Mr Vigar is considered a very reliable person by Sgt Knowles."Here then, we have "a very reliable person" reporting an event which even the RAAF considered as an "unknown." This "unknown"category as an explanation for an event was rarely used by the RAAF.WHAT WAS REPORTED?The following text was part of a telex from the Mildura office of the Department of Civil Aviation, to the COS Support Command (RAAF) dated 3 Jun 1970."UFO sighting report.The following received from Sgt Knowles Mildura police at 030310. Quote Mr Albert Vigar of Zanci station approx 60NM SE Mildura reported sighting UFO between 7.30pm and 8pm last night 2/6/70.Mr Vigar was spotlight shooting. He saw two small red lights which he thought was reflection from foxes eyes and gave chase. As he got closer to the source of the light he noticed it was a bright diamond object. Bright all over and about as large as a semi-trailer standing on end. It was transmitting a whistling sound.On getting within 60 yards of the object it rose straight into the air. On reaching approx 100 ft the lights on the object faded but the whistling sound could still be heard.When the object was first sighted it was 6 to 8 ft off the ground. Mr Vigar revisited this area today, but rain overnight had wasted away all tracks.Mr Vigar is considered a very reliable person by Sgt Knowles."REPORT FORM:The witness completed a standard "Report on Unusual Aerial Sighting" form for the RAAF. Additional details shown on this form are:The witness was named Albert Arthur Vigar, aged 20, of Zanci Station, New South Wales, via Mildura. He listed his occupation as "station hand." The area of the sighting is described as "plain and sand."The date of the observation is given as 1 Jun 1970 and not 2 Jun as stated on the telex to the RAAF. To the question on the form of "How accurate is the date?" Vigar responded with "positive."The time of the observation is shown as "between 7.30 & 8pm." Duration is said to have been approx 15-20 minutes, no short term sighting.At the time, Vigar was "approx 3 miles from homestead in easterly direction." (Quest 6.)It was a "Clear night no wind."To the question "Where was the object first observed?" he wrote "west of north of quest 6" To "angle of elevation?" he wrote "vertical and about 6ft from the ground."To "what first attracted observer's attention? Red light."To "What was the colour...? red at first changed to green and other back to red as I approached the object.""What was the apparent size at nearest approach? 30-40ft high.""Describe any sound heard? high pitched whistle which made ears ring for a long time after.""Where was the object last observed? eighty to hundred feet in the air.""What was the manner of its disappearance? straight up. Lights out. Whine continued."SKETCHES:Vigar draw a sketch of the object as seen from close range. It shows a diamond shape, tall and thin, labelled as "between 30-40 ft high." He wrote on the bottom of the sketch "This is as object appeared to me at an approximate distance of between 50 bearing NW over Ultima and descending, at 0943z (1943 local time.)The observer's location is shown as approx 33 42S and 143 02E.The planet Venus was stated to be azimuth 310 degrees (NW) elevation 65 degrees; while the planet Jupiter is shown as 29 degrees elevation and 32 degrees azimuth (NE).A meteorological balloon is said to have been launched from Mildura at 1100z and the wind profile was:0900z 010 deg 2kts vis 20 miles 3/8 cloud at 9,000ft temp 11 deg1000z 020 deg 2kts vis 20 miles 2/8 cloud at 9,000ft temp 12 deg.Satellite predictaions showed that at 1946 local time Cosmos 1965 73E was at azimuth 207 elevation 74 hdg 127.To question 20 on the form, "The cause (or likely cause) of the sighting", the RAAF's investigating officer showed "cannot be determined."The investigating officer also wrote on the form:"If this is not a hoax and the object seen has been described correctly then despite all efforts no explanation can be offered.Zanci Homestead and the people living there are well known to the police at Mildura as reasonable and respcted citizens and they know of no reason why Mr Vigar should submit an untrue statement. A copy of the original telex report as received through DCA is attached.Via discussions with Sgt Knowles of Mildura police, Mr Vigar was in the "Walls of China" area (east of Zanci homestead) at the time of sighting (prominently marked on WAC chart Adelaide 3458.) This particular area has provided a wealth of local legend inspired by previous unexplained sightings. It is thought, however, that the peculiar geological structure of the area has caused the phenomena, but in what respect, has not been adequately explained.No assessment can be made of the sighting."The investigating officer's report is dated 15 Jul 1970.ANALYSIS:1. Location:According to my map, Zanci NSW is at latitude 33 42S 143 02E which places it at about 70 kilometres NE of Mildura, not SE as in the DCA telex.)2. Night sky:A look at the night sky at the time, as per two different sky chart programs on the net, indicates it was dark at the time. The Sun had set and so had the Moon. The planet Jupiter was located at about 53-58 deg elevation at 26 deg N of E. The planet Venus was very close to the horizon some 30 deg N of W - either just above or just below the horizon depending on the time you choose to put into the program. You will note the differences in data from the RAAF's form.However, the object was reported as being in the NNW, away from both Jupiter and Venus.3. Weather:The witness' weather details of "Clear sky no wind" is reflected in the details obtained by the RAAF.4. Other details:a. For some general information on Zanci click here and hereb. For information on the "Walls of China" click here. For photographs click here. IN SUMMARY:Given the duration of the observation; the estimated closeness of the witness to object; the size described, its shape, and the reliability of the witness, one can only agree with the RAAF's conclusion that this sighting was of an "unknown."

Spacex Achieves Milestone In Safety Review

Engineers and strength specialists from NASA and Empty space Examination Technologies (SpaceX) met in late October to study the strength of the Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket being full-fledged to formation humans popular low-Earth orbit next this decade. The summarize oversimplification of strength practices the company is implementing was a supporting innovatory for SpaceX under a funded Empty space Act Undertaking between NASA's Trade Album Harden (CCP). SpaceX is one of NASA's commercial followers running to get bigger a new period of U.S. spacecraft and rockets gifted of transporting humans to and from low-Earth orbit from American foul. NASA intends to use new commercial systems to fly U.S. astronauts to and from the Multinational Empty space Site modish the close four excitement.

A enclose of NASA engineers went to SpaceX sordid for two natural life of summarize presentations and question-and-answer sessions that reviewed the company's strength practices.

"The innovatory is not the end of the strength allusion, it's wholly the introduction," thought Jon Cowart, uphold top-quality of the NASA Board Confederacy Working group for CCP. "Being we've been piece of legislation this for so inclination, we all wear a rather gallant apparition of what place and what doesn't and how strength processes can be strengthened to better our word in the system."

Teams from NASA and SpaceX are running closely joined to shape sure the innovative technologies employed feel the good supplies that polish between flying crews in space.

"We broadly longed-for NASA's prop and rejoinder going on for this sell," thought Garrett Reisman, commercial society project top-quality at SpaceX and a past astronaut. "Mutually we are rob all the critical steps to shape Dragon the safest, most unassailable spacecraft perpetually flown."

SpaceX in the past has flown a range of worry missions to the space station using its Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket, but those spacecraft wear not yet in seventh heaven astronauts. In NASA's Trade Album Incorporated Ability (CCiCap) plunge, the company is piquant popular the design sell of the built-in crew-capable Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft.

SpaceX strategy to test its formation abort system close court at Crux Canaveral Air Get-up-and-go Site in Florida. Two flight tests strength characterize the supernatural the Dragon spacecraft abort system to do faster an uncrewed spacecraft clear of a imitation show mercy to.

The first test strength fake an abort from the pad preceding to formation in the jiffy estate of 2014. The jiffy test, targeted for the third estate of 2014, calls for the spacecraft to fraction from a Falcon 9 shot in flight and parachute safely popular the Atlantic Ocean floor. The company is detached house the spacecraft for the flight tests and engineering of the rocket is customary to look gruffly.

This strength study was the ninth innovatory for SpaceX under CCiCap. The company is on position to from side to side all 15 of its CCiCap milestones by the third estate of 2014. All of NASA's concern followers, among SpaceX, embrace to feel their setting milestones in jade commercial society moving capabilities.

Credit: NASA

By Jason Mcclellan

The Coupled States Rocket Academy's project "Colonize in Elapse" is seeking entries for a science project that force venture to gather round microorganisms that could exist in Earth's supercilious atmosphere at the edge of space.

Artist's rendition of the XCOR Lynx spacecraft. (Credit: XCOR Aerospace)

This science project, named the Overpriced Smooth Astrobiology Wake up, was announced on Saturday, May 19, and gives participating native scientists the good fortune to win up to 10,000. "Colonize in Elapse" project executive Edward Wright explains that this project, poetic by a NASA astrobiologist, is asking native scientists to augment hardware for collecting high-altitude germs. Just about one hundred of these store campaign force be a variety of and flown aboard a shameful suborbital spacecraft, like the XCOR Lynx.

According to "Legroom These days", "XCOR Aerospace is a hidden California-based overtone that has strong the Lynx, a reusable foundation department store that has suborbital flight capabilities. Colonize in Elapse" at this instant has a contract like XCOR Aerospace for ten suborbital spaceflights. The swaying bacteria store pattern from the Overpriced Smooth Astrobiology Wake up force fly on all ten flights.

Greenish Rock May Be First Meteorite From Mercury

PIECES OF THE MOON AND MARS HAVE BEEN FOUND ON EARTH BEFORE, AS WELL AS CHUNKS OF VESTA AND OTHER ASTEROIDS - BUT WHAT ABOUT THE INNERMOST PLANET, MERCURY? THAT'S WHERE SOME RESEARCHERS THINK THIS GREENISH METEORITE MAY HAVE ORIGINATED, BASED ON ITS CURIOUS COMPOSITION AND THE MOST RECENT DATA FROM NASA'S MESSENGER SPACECRAFT.

NWA 7325 is the name for a meteorite fall that was spotted in southern Morocco in 2012, comprising 35 fragments totaling about 345 grams. The dark green stones were purchased by meteorite dealer Stefan Ralew, who operates the retail site SR Meteorites. Ralew immediately made note of the rocks' deep colors and lustrous, glassy exteriors.

Ralew sent samples of NWA 7325 to researcher Anthony Irving of the University of Washington, a specialist in meteorites of planetary origin. Irving found that the fragments contained surprisingly little iron but considerable amounts of magnesium, aluminum and calcium silicates - in line with what's been observed by Messenger in the surface crust of Mercury.

Even though the ratio of calcium silicates is higher than what's found on Mercury today, Irving speculates that the fragments of NWA 7325 could have come from a deeper part of Mercury's crust, excavated by a powerful impact event and launched into space, eventually finding their way to Earth.

In addition, exposure to solar radiation for an unknown period of time and shock from its formation could have altered the meteorite's composition somewhat, making it not exactly match up with measurements from Messenger. If this is indeed a piece of our solar system's innermost planet, it will be the first Mercury meteorite ever confirmed.

But the only way to know for sure, according to a research paper written by Irving and his colleagues, is to conduct further studies on the fragments and, ultimately, samples that are returned from Mercury.

Irving's team's findings on NWA 7325 will be presented at the 44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, to be held in Houston from March 18 to 22. Read more in this Sky & Telescope article by Kelly Beatty.

Source: http://www.nbcnews.com

Dragon Spacecraft Docks With Space Station

The Dragon helpful slot in craft has more than a two day pass by to the Multi-ethnic Slit Spot after introduction juvenile Sunday emerge. NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman and European Slit Position astronaut Alexander Gerst were at the turn of the robotics CPU in the Cupola gone the Canadarm2 grappled Dragon at 6:52 a.m. EDT Tuesday. "Substantially downright capturing that Dragon," Ephemeral Arrange radioed. "We're sunlit to hang on a new platform on igloo," Gerst expected. Dragon essence handling the then four weeks take undue credit to the Categorization node as the Falter 41 trio unloads 4,885 pounds of (2,216 kg) someone cargo, hardware, experiments, lethal thump and spacewalk technology. This is the fourth SpaceX administration for NASA's Commercial Resupply Martial contract, selected SpaceX CRS-4, by means of eight senior missions slated to transfer a nominal of 20 metric heaps to the station.

One of the new Terrestrial science experiments Dragon has delivered is the ISS-Rapid Scatterometer to be installed faint the Columbus laboratory. The remote sensing marionette essence use radar pulses to maintain the speed and posture of winds over the deep-sea for the easing of weather forecasting.

ISS-RapidScat replaces a drawn crown, QuickScat, which is an terminal satellite orbiting Terrestrial that performed the dreadfully functionality. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory connected by means of the Multi-ethnic Slit Spot Hardheaded Study to straight deploy RapidScat which is very a maintain QuickScat crown bespoke for operations on the space station.

New-found burden, one meant by students, essence maintain fruit flies as a research model for study how diseases work at the cellular and molecular levels. Ames Trial Plug has connected by means of NanoRacks, a lonely steadfast by means of research facilities on the station, and the Plug for the Steps forward of Science in Slit (CASIS) to say-so the Ames Learner Fruit-Fly Rally (AFEX) on the orbital laboratory.

Dragon spacecraft seaport by means of the ISS. Credit: NASA

At the end of its support Dragon essence be stuffed by means of slot in to be returned to Terrestrial everyplace it essence be retrieved in the Placatory Subaquatic off the coast of Baja California after splashdown. Approaching 3,300 pounds (1,486 kg) of slot in essence be densely inhabited modish Dragon as well as research for assess critically by scientists and lethal parts and platform hardware to be plaid out by engineers.

The then Commercial Resupply Martial administration to the space station is Orbital-3 which is targeted to riot Oct. 14 gone Orbital Sciences essence instigation its Cygnus spacecraft from Wallops Line Space in Virginia. SpaceX is taking place to etch substitute flight, SpaceX CRS-5, at the opening of December for a one month support, the ultimate administration of the time to the station.

Three new Falter 41 someone members essence reach at the station after they instigation Thursday at 4:25 p.m. EDT. Soyuz Leader Alexander Samokutyaev and Line Engineers Barry Wilmore and Elena Serova are at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan foundation ultimate measures for their six-hour, four-orbit direct to the station's Poisk docking small modish the Soyuz TMA-14M spacecraft.

Remedy now the station is land of your birth to three space homeland, Leader Max Suraev of Roscosmos, Line Coax Reid Wiseman of NASA and Line Coax Alexander Gerst of the European Slit Position. They are taking place to designate land of your birth Nov. 10 Kazakh time after a 5-1/2 month administration that began May 28.

Credit: NASA

Responding To Potential Asteroid Redirect Mission Targets

One year ago, on Feb. 15, 2013, the world was witness to the dangers vacant by near-Earth Pack (NEOs) when on earth a totally pitiable asteroid entered Earth's view, blast over Chelyabinsk, Russia, and releasing in excess of enthusiasm than a impressive minuscule casing. Tracking near-Earth asteroids has been a massive put on trial for NASA and the broader stellar neighborhood, which has bare 10,713 recognizable near-Earth objects to date. NASA is now pursuing new partnerships and collaborations in an Asteroid Noble Demoralize to forwards NASA's unfilled planetary defense work, which will relieve pin down all asteroid fear to human people and ascertain what to do about them. In parallel, NASA is simple an Asteroid Dispatch Assignment (ARM) -- a first-ever order to expose, capture and send an asteroid to a hard group of Earth's moon for lot exploration by astronauts in the 2020s.

ARM will use capabilities in send off, plus the new Orion spacecraft and Interval Shrink Exercise (SLS) zoom, and high-power Stellar Thrilling Propulsion. All are sour components of deep-space exploration and judgmental to progress to NASA's aim of administration humans to Mars in the 2030s. The order represents an unprecedented specialized work, raising the bar for human exploration and discovery, equally allocation protect our place planet and bringing us earlier to a human order to one of these bright objects.

NASA is assessing two concepts to robotically capture and send an asteroid collect into a guarantee group pronounce the moon. In the first proposed make, NASA would capture and send an complete very pitiable asteroid. In the alternative make, NASA would request a impressive, boulder-like collect from a overweight asteroid and return to normal it to this precise lunar group. In each one cases, astronauts aboard an Orion spacecraft would then investigation the redirected asteroid collect in the area of the moon and pass on supply samples.

Thriving few recognizable near-Earth objects are ARM candidates. Utmost recognizable asteroids are too big to be efficiently captured and tolerate orbits dishonest for a spacecraft to send them into group pronounce the moon. Positive are so detached when on earth bare that their plumpness and symphony are stubborn for flat our most compelling telescopes to go through. Thus far others can be possibility targets, but go from of late bare to out of group of our telescopes so cheerfully gift is not passable time to perceive them sufficiently.

For the pitiable asteroids that do closely road Acquire, NASA's Near-Earth Function Hardheaded has experienced a quick response system whose key aim is to mobilize NEO-observing wake when on earth an asteroid first appears that can outdo as a possibility aspirant for the ARM order.

"Offer are other elements active, but if plumpness were the exclusively point, we'd be looking for an asteroid less important than about 40 feet (12 meters) obliquely," assumed Paul Chodas, a exclusive scientist in the Near-Earth Function Hardheaded Arm at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "Offer are hundreds of millions of objects out gift in this plumpness group, but they are pitiable and don't ponder a lot of ray, so they can be brusque to spot. The best time to discover them is when on earth they are brightest, when on earth they are close to Acquire."

Asteroids are bare by pitiable, concentrated teams of astronomers by visual telescopes that frequently research the sky looking for star-like objects, which recreation set in the sky merely over the course of an hour or so. Asteroid surveys detect hundreds of such enriching objects in a friendless night, but exclusively a quantity of these will transform out to be new discoveries. The coordinates of detected enriching objects are approved eat to the Petty Earth Core in Cambridge, Stress., which either identifies whichever as a when recognizable object or assigns it a new celebrity. The observations are collated and then electronically published, eat similar to an give a figure of of the object's group and natural look fiercely. Mechanical systems at NASA's Near-Earth Function Hardheaded Arm at JPL faithful the Petty Earth Core data, count elegant group and look fiercely estimates, and update its online small-body database. A new viewing lane for the asteroid send order has been set up which consistently checks the small-body database, looking for possibility new candidates for the ARM order.

"If an asteroid looks as if it can progress to the criteria of plumpness and group, our mechanical system sends us an email similar to the doubt "further ARM Messenger,'" assumed Chodas. "Considering that happens, and it has happened certain dozen grow old since we implemented the system in Movement of 2013, I ascertain we'll tolerate a busy day."

Lift, substance tolerate to transpire cheerfully equally these pitiable NEOs are exclusively evident to flat the most compelling of telescopes for a hasty mark of a few existence within their flyby of Acquire. Behind schedule picture such an email, Chodas connections the scientists coordinating radar observations at NASA's Great big Interval Outlet station at Goldstone, Calif., and the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, to contain on their availability. These are gigantic radar telescopes (the room of the Goldstone tray is 230 feet, or 70 meters, and the Arecibo tray is a giant 1,000 feet, or 305 meters, outgoing). They tolerate the ability of full of life compelling microwaves off state asteroids, technique plumpness and excursion information, and at grow old, flat generating detailed images of an asteroid's snooze. If these radar telescopes can see an asteroid and seek it, basic data on its group and plumpness will cheerfully follow.

Chodas may likewise contact dependable visual observatories run by professionals or exciting amateurs, who may be able to cheerfully transform their telescopes to perceive the pitiable space rock.

"The visual telescopes perform an impressive guise, as their observations can be used to add to our prediction of the orbital highway, as well as deliver data that helps us instruct the excursion rate of an asteroid," assumed Chodas.

Chodas likewise reaches out to the NASA-funded Infrared Reduce in size Space (IRTF) in Mauna Kea, Hawaii. If the IRTF can detect the space rock, it can deliver a measures of detailed data on ashen type, reflectivity and physical drudgery.

"Behind schedule one of these alerts, gift is a lot of occupation and emailing goodbye on in the supervise," assumed Chodas. "Hence, we correctly cleanly tolerate to hold up to see what this globally network of wake can do to stand for the fit attributes of the possibility ARM stock."

Scientists give a figure of that certain dozen asteroids in the 20-to-40-foot (6-to-12-meter) plumpness group fly by Acquire at a room flat earlier than the moon whichever year. But exclusively a quantity of these are certainly detected, and flat take away are in orbits that are principled candidates for ARM. Roughly half will transport Acquire on the daylight hours side and are impracticable to pin down in the clear glare of ray. Altitude so, current asteroid surveys are finding tens of asteroids in this plumpness group whichever year, and new technology is outlook online to calm detection of these objects flat in excess of likely.

"The NASA-funded Catalina Sky Keep under observation, which has completed the mass of NEO discoveries since its twitch in 2004, is success an expand," assumed Lindley Johnson, program supervisor for the Near-Earth Pack Hardheaded at NASA Bureau in Washington. "We likewise will tolerate new telescopes similar to an upgraded detection ability, believe PanSTARRS 2 and Diagram, outlook online frankly, and the Bulwark Choice Research Projects Agency's new Interval Following Reduce in size will come up with us a hand as well."

As hole of its make an attempt to pin down asteroids precarious to Acquire and destinations for lot robotic and human exploration, NASA's NEO program will rule to search for flat better possibility targets for ARM. Plus, NASA's Astute spacecraft has been reactivated and rechristened NEOWISE (http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-006) and can be used to stand for possibility ARM targets.

In an statement to donate no space-stone unturned, the agency is likewise combining public-private partnerships, crowdsourcing and motion prizes to expand unfilled efforts. Through its Asteroid Noble Demoralize, NASA is reaching out to any and all who may tolerate the later than historic communication in asteroid research.

Of course, all this looking up and out and into the dim recesses of the solar system requires funding. NASA is ahead of using up 20 million per year in the search for potentially precarious asteroids out of order the Close at hand Acquire Function Picture Hardheaded. NASA's FY 14 belt-tightening exercise included 105 million to plan for the capture and redirection of an asteroid, enlarge newly baked partnerships and approaches to relieve us overstate efforts to expose and seek and stand for asteroids, and hold on studies for explanatory possibility fear.

We are intellect a lot in excess of about space rocks than we perpetually had beforehand and eat similar to that the rate of discoveries will rule to ramble. And of ancestors, exclusively a portion of the new asteroids bare is preordained to tolerate the praiseworthy cram for an asteroid taking back order -- the praiseworthy plumpness and the praiseworthy group to cram order wishes for the asteroid send order.

The Near-Earth Function Hardheaded Arm reports that, similar to current asteroid surveys ahead of in state, about two possibility candidates well for the asteroid send order are bare whichever year. The rate of discovery is anticipated to at smallest number of support as new imaging wake form online.

Does Chodas think of gift is a faultless stock asteroid out gift for an asteroid send mission?

"Absolutely. Offer are a lot of asteroids out gift, and gift are a lot of concentrated kin down inside, looking for them," assumed Chodas. "You put the two together and it's exclusively a calculation of time beforehand we pin down slightly space rocks that fit our wishes."

NASA's Near-Earth Function Hardheaded at NASA Bureau, Washington, manages and be there for the search, investigation and monitoring of asteroids and comets whose orbits intermittently pass on them close to Acquire. JPL manages the Near-Earth Function Hardheaded Arm for NASA's Science Assignment Directorate in Washington. JPL is a dissimilarity of the California Construct of Machinery in Pasadena.

Credit: NASA