Russia celebrates Sputnik’s 50th anniversary
BY RIA Novosti
Moscow : Russia Thursday marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of the world's first-ever satellite, Sputnik 1, an event which changed the world forever.
The world entered the space age on Oct 4, 1957, when the USSR won the race to put the first satellite into orbit. Sputnik 1 was launched aboard a Soviet R-7 rocket from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan.
NASA delays Glory launch
By IANS,
Los Angeles : NASA announced Wednesday that it has postponed the launch of its earth-orbiting Glory Mission spacecraft due to technical problems, Xinhua reported.
Scientists, farmers fast to protest Bt Brinjal
By IANS,
Kolkata : A group of scientists, academicians and farmers observed a day's protest fast at the Kolkata Book Fair Saturday against the possible release of genetically modified crop Bt Brinjal for commercial cultivation.
"The volunteers from Green Peace, city-based green body Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC) and the farmers of an organisation called Seva participated in the fast," Green Peace's sustainable agricultural campaigner R. Jaykrishna told IANS.
Kerala to have DNA bar coding centre
By IANS,
Thiruvananthapuram : A state-of-the-art DNA bar coding centre for all forms of life will start functioning here from June 11, an official said Friday.
"The Western Ghats area is an area of rich biodiversity and the new centre will create a data base of organisms so as to help in future studies. To begin with, the various varieties of ginger and pepper would be bar coded," Prakash Kumar a scientist attached to the Kerala State Council for Science, Technology and Environment (STEC) told reporters here Friday.
NASA set to give update on long-delayed Atlantis mission
By KUNA
Washington : NASA will hold a meeting Thursday to discuss the status of the shuttle Atlantis and ongoing work to repair a fuel circuitry problem that grounded the mission to the International Space Station (ISS) in early December.
Last week, NASA's space shuttle Atlantis was still no closer to lift off. Officials pushed-back the Atlantis mission's target launch date of January 10, stating that date was "no longer achievable", but they did not indicate when it will be ready for the mission to carry a new European Columbus space laboratory up to the ISS.
Google unveils $4.4 trillion “Clean Power by 2030” plan
Washington, Oct 2 (IANS) Search engine giant Google has unveiled a $4.4 trillion plan dubbed Clean Power by 2030 that calls for all energy in the US to come from renewable sources.
The web giant in a release posted on its site said: "While this plan will cost $4.4 trillion (in undiscounted 2008 dollars), it will ultimately save $5.4 trillion, delivering a net savings of $1 trillion over the life of the plan".
Scientists explain obscene growth of black holes
By IANS,
Washington : A new theory about why black holes become so hugely massive has been put forth by astronomers from University of Leicester, UK and Monash University, Australia.
IBM to use ‘spintronics’ to increase computer memory capacity
By DPA
San Francisco : IBM announced a new kind of computer memory Friday that could increase storage capacity 100-fold.
Called "racetrack memory" the new storage devices would replace flash memory and hard disk drives in computers. The devices are based on a new branch of physics called "spintronics" that uses nanotechnology to manipulate the spin of electrons to create magnetic fields in which data can be stored.
Google Earth integrates Street View’s 3D maps
By DPA,
Berlin : By combining two services, Google has now made it possible to pick points on the globe, look at them from outer space, and then zoom all the way in for a street-level view.
NASA delays next space shuttle launch to May 31
By Xinhua
Washington : NASA's next space shuttle launch, Discovery's STS-124 mission, has been delayed until May 31 due to late fuel tank delivery, NASA announced here on Monday.
"NASA is targeting May 31 as the launch date for shuttle Discovery's STS-124 mission to deliver the large Japanese Kibo Pressurized Module to the International Space Station," NASA said in a statement. And the liftoff time is approximately 5:01 p.m. EDT (2101 GMT) on May 31.
AICTE chief, two others suspended over corruption charges
By IANS,
New Delhi: All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) chairman R.A. Yadav and two of his colleagues were Wednesday suspended for alleged corruption for which they are facing a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.
"The chairman of the All India Council for Technical Education, Prof. R.A. Yadav, who is under investigation for a criminal offence, has been placed under suspension today so that there is no possibility of investigation being influenced by his continuation in office," a human resource development (HRD) ministry statement said.
NASA turns on humanoid robot in space station
By IANS,
London : NASA Tuesday turned on a humanoid robot in the International Space Station for the first time since it was delivered in February, a media report said.
U.S. space shuttle Endeavour lifts off
By Xinhua
Washington : The U.S. space shuttle Endeavour, with seven astronauts aboard, lifted off at 2:28 a.m. EDT (0628 GMT) on Tuesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida,NASA TV live broadcasting showed.
The shuttle is delivering a two-armed robot made by Canada, the first part of Japan's space laboratory Kibo and a collection of experiments to the International Space Station.
Global innovator calls for new approach to science
By IANS
Washington : A leading global innovator and researcher has called for a radical new approach to science, combining the potential of digital connectivity with lab research methodology, static since Francis Bacon promoted it about 400 years ago.
University of Maryland's Ben Shneiderman calls it Science 2.0 and believes the new approach would help vastly improve use of new human networks spurred by digital connectivity.
He feels they can be applied to homeland security, medical care and the environment, according to a university press release.
ISRO launches Israeli satellite
By IANS
Sriharikota : Israeli satellite Polaris was successfully launched by India's space agency ISRO from this launch centre in southern Andhra Pradesh Monday morning.
"The Israeli satellite was launched at 0915 hours using Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV)," a top official of the Indian Space Research Organisation told IANS over phone from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, about 80 km north of the Tamil Nadu capital Chennai.
"It was a perfect launch in fine weather," the official added.
The satellite has a payload of 340 kg.
Website with 900,000 pictures launched
By IANS,
Mumbai: A website with a bank of over 900,000 news images has been launched to tap the estimated Rs.300 crore image market in India.
US commercial cargo capsule launched to space station
By IANS,
Washington : An unmanned rocket carrying the Dragon cargo capsule blasted off Friday to deliver the second commercial shipment to the International Space Station.
500-year-old statues found in Peru
By EFE,
Lima : Peruvian archaeologists have found 12 wooden statues more than 500 years old in the archaeological complex of Chan Chan.
Cristobal Campana, director of one of the teams working at Chan Chan, told EFE Tuesday that the statues were discovered at the entrance to the �an An palace, the most modern building on the site.
Chan Chan, located near the southern city of Trujillo, was the capital of the Chimu kingdom, and had in its period of maximum splendour as many as 60,000 inhabitants in an area of 1,400 hectares.
The eclipse behind the clouds – and a dejected Taregna
By Imran Khan, IANS,
Taregna (Bihar) : The overcast skies cast a dampener and the rare celestial event unfolded behind rain clouds, disappointing the many thousands from India and the world. But the clouds did part momentarily to let the crowds glimpse the century's longest solar eclipse. And for some that was enough.
As the morning skies darkened into night over the village, touted as the best place to watch the eclipse, a moved Gaurav Singh said: "It was a memorable moment when I saw the skies dim into night in the early morning and the solar eclipse reached its totality."
Twitter may allow app advertisers use video
New York: App ads on Twitter may soon have the option to be video-based, the microblogging site has announced.
In a blog post celebrating one...
Space association calls for UN strategy against asteroids
By DPA,
Vienna : The international Association of Space Explorers (ASE) Tuesday called on the UN to develop strategies against asteroids threatening to hit earth, in a report presented at the UN headquarters in Vienna.
Among the known 5,600 so-called near-earth objects, and the 500,000 additional ones expected to be discovered in the next 15 years, "several dozen will pose an uncomfortably high risk of striking Earth and inflicting local or regional devastation," the astronauts said in their report.
Cisco unveils social network platform for IT community
By IANS,
Bangalore : Networking major Cisco Tuesday unveiled a social learning network platform for the global IT community aimed at talent development to meet the growing demand for networking skills.
The platform will enable networking professionals and those aspiring for a career in IT to share, discuss and exchange ideas in an online environment, the company said here in a statement.
Indian rocket puts 10 satellites in orbit at one go
By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS,
Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) : India Monday significantly boosted its space capabilities with the copybook launch of a Rs.700 million ($17.4 million) rocket that simultaneously placed in orbit 10 satellites - two Indian and eight foreign.
The launch firmly established India as a major player in the $1 billion global satellite launch market, a significant milestone in the country's 45-year-old space programme.
Deleted data on used hard disks still retrievable
By IANS,
London : A huge quantity of sensitive data is still on decommissioned computer hard disks, sold in the second-hand mart by corporations, organisations and individuals.
The study said that this data represents a significant level of risk for commercial sabotage, identity theft, and even political compromise, and suggest that better education is essential to reduce the risk of harm.
Endeavour returns to Earth after 17-day mission
By DPA,
Washington: The space shuttle Endeavour landed at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida Friday carrying a seven-member crew of US, Canadian and Japanese astronauts.
The landing at 1448 GMT marked the end of the 17-day mission that saw the completion of the Japanese laboratory on the International Space Station (ISS).
The Endeavour brought an external platform to the station that was installed on the Japanese Kibo laboratory during the first of the mission's five spacewalks. The porch will expose experiments to the extremities of space.
Space technology to identify whale sharks off Gujarat
By Sanjeeb Baruah, IANS,
New Delhi : Indian scientists will try to distinguish individual whale sharks off the Gujarat coast, using a technique employed by NASA to identify galaxies.
Just as each tiger is distinguished by its stripes, whale sharks too can be identified through a unique pattern of spots that form points of numerous triangles on their bodies, say experts.
As the whale shark grows, the distance between these spots increases, but angles of these triangles remain the same, thus identifying the whale shark.
The method is also used by NASA to identify galaxies.
China to launch 100 satellites during 2011-15
By IANS,
Beijing : China has set a target of completing a space mission of "100 rockets, 100 satellites" between 2011 and 2015, according to a space official.
Monday night, hide Moon, Jupiter, Venus behind your thumb!
By IANS,
New Delhi : When the Sun goes down Monday evening, step outside to watch the best sky show of the year. Jupiter, Venus and Moon - three of the brightest objects up there at night - will be closest to each other then.
Jupiter and Venus have been rapidly coming towards each other for the last few days, a phenomenon that will not be visible against till 2012. And soon they will have the Moon for company.
Avnet Electronics eyes acquisitions in India to spur growth
By Fakir Balaji
Bangalore, Sep 17 (IANS) Avnet Inc., the $16 billion global electronics marketing and technology major, is scouting for design and product firms in India for strategic acquisitions and expanding its presence in the subcontinent.
"With India emerging as the fastest growing market in Asia for us, we are on the lookout for small and medium design and product firms that would complement our components and add value to our customers' requirements," Avent's electronics marketing president Harley Feldberg told IANS in an interview here.
Bodhtree partners with CompanyStore for centre of excellence
By IANS,
Hyderabad : Bodhtree Consulting, a leading consulting and technology provider, has forged a strategic software partnership with CompanyStore.IN for its centre of excellence (CoE) for SaaS and Cloud computing.
CompanyStore.IN is a well known logo merchandising company that leverages technology to support marketing and branding for some of the biggest names of the industry.
Minorities lead digital take-up in Britain, but scared of internet banking
By IANS,
London : Indian and other minority groups are on the forefront of digital communications in Britain, with high levels of mobile phone, internet and multichannel television take-up, new research shows.
Research by Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for the British communications industries, found that under-45s tend to be more engaged with digital media.
However, all four ethnic minority groups are also less likely than the British population as a whole to shop or bank online (19-29 percent compared to 41 percent), the research shows.
India launches its mission moon
By Venkatachari Jagannathan and Fakir Balaji, IANS,
Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) : A rocket carrying India's first lunar spacecraft was launched from the country's spaceport here early Wednesday, catapulting the country into the select club that have sent missions to the moon, after the US, former Soviet Union, European Space Agency, China and Japan.
Carrying aloft the lunar orbiter Chandrayaan, the rocket, Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV C11) lifted off from the second launchpad of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here and broke through the scudding cloud cover at 6.22 a.m.
‘Men more enthused about online creative work than women’
By IANS,
Washington : Men appear more enthused or active in sharing creative work online than women, though both engage in Net-based creative pursuits almost equally.
In a new study, almost two-thirds of men surveyed reported posting their work online while only half of women said they did.
“Sharing information on the Net is a form of participating in public culture and contributing to public discourse, that tells us men's voices are being disproportionately heard,” said Eszter Hargittai of Northwestern University and co-author of the study.
Honeybees able to learn different ‘dialects’: scientists
By Xinhua,
Beijing : Honeybees are able to understand different "languages" communicated through the dances of bees from different continents, a team of scientists from China, Australia and Germany have found.
Songkun Su of Zhejiang University's College of Animal Sciences, who headed the study, said the research team found the Asian honeybee, Apis cerana cerana (Acc), could quickly grasp the distinctive dance of the European Apis mellifera ligustica (Aml) subspecies, as they conveyed information on the locations of food sources.
IITs must act as catalyst to boost technical education: Sibal
By IANS,
New Delhi: Human Resource Development Minister Kapil Sibal Saturday said the country's premier Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) must focus on quality research and act as a catalyst to boost technical education in India.
At IIT-Delhi's convocation ceremony, the minister said: "The great challenge before the IITs is to act as a catalyst in the growth of quality technical education in the country.
Students from India, Pak create space craft for Earth to Mars
By IRNA,
New Delhi : Notwithstanding the chill in Indo-Pak ties, students from both the countries have come together in designing an innovative crew ship to travel from Earth to Mars and jointly compete with students from other countries at NASA.
Under the Sixteenth Annual International Space Settlement Design Competition, sponsored by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Boeing, school students from Lahore and Delhi have prepared a novel project on future of human civilisation in Mars.
UAE to launch remote-sensing satellite with GCC countries
By Xinhua,
Abu Dhabi : The United Arab Emirates (UAE) plans to launch a joint remote-sensing satellite with other member countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the Gulf News reported Tuesday.
The plan was revealed by Brigadier Khalifa Mohammad Al Rumaithi, chief of military works of the UAE armed forces, during an interaction at the Defence Geospatial Intelligence Middle East (DGIME) here.
The forum, aimed at promoting inter-operability and integration to support national security objectives and operational requirements, opened Monday in Dubai.
Your mobile phone can also be a credit card
By IANS,
Istanbul : Imagine swiping a mobile phone to pay for all the things that you buy! This has just been made possible by latest technology that allows bank information to be stored in your mobile phones' memory cards.
Global credit card giant Visa has entered a partnership with a Turkish bank to launch this technology, the first of its kind in Europe.
This technology is used to store bank information in memory cards placed in mobile phones and allow them to be waved in front of credit card payment points, Visa Europe, which has collaborated with Turkey's Akbank, said.
Russia to develop new rocket for manned space flight
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Russia's space agency will soon invite a tender to develop a new carrier rocket for its manned flight programme, a top space official said Wednesday.
"A special commission will determine the design criteria (for the new space vehicle) and the domestic companies eligible for participation in the tender," said Anatoly Perminov, the head of the Federal Space Agency.
Scientists using videogame as psychological tool
By IANS
New York : Nintendo Wiimote is highly popular as a video-game, but by hooking it to a lab, computer researchers in the US have been able to extract clues about how a person performed a learning task.
Although it has in the past been adapted as a tool of physical therapy for geriatrics, researchers at the University of Memphis have found another use for the game - psychological experimentation.
Data from the Wiimote permitted researchers, led by Dale Rick, to demonstrate that body movements change systematically along with change in mental processing.
Monster Saturn electrical storm longest on record
By Xinhua,
Beijing : The longest running electrical storm on Saturn recorded by scientists is creating lightning bolts 10,000 times more powerful than any seen on Earth.
The monster storm appeared in Saturn's southern hemisphere five months ago, when it was first spotted by NASA's Cassini spacecraft, and has persevered to become the planet's longest continuously recorded tempest to date.
Nuclear power answer to fresh water shortage
By IANS
Mumbai : By 2025, an estimated 3.5 billion people will live in areas facing severe water shortages -- and providing them potable water would be a challenge that may be best met by nuclear-powered desalination.
This was one of the solutions presented at the recent Trombay Symposium on Desalination and Water Reuse here.
This and other solutions discussed at the symposium have been published in a special issue of the International Journal of Nuclear Desalination.
Humans first covered their nakedness 170,000 years ago
By IANS,
Washington : A research suggests that humans first covered their nakedness some 170,000 years ago, something which helped them move out of Africa.
Tiny device can help build more powerful computers
By IANS,
Washington : Engineers have fabricated a tiny positioning device that will help build more compact, powerful computer hard drives and practically double the effectiveness of biological sensors.
Called monolithic comb drive (MCD), it can be potentially used as a "nanoscale manipulator" for use in watery environments to probe biological molecules, said Jason Vaughn Clark, an assistant professor of electrical, computer and mechanical engineering at Purdue University, who created the design.
Chandrayaan-2 to take off in 2017
New Delhi : India's second lunar probe, Chandrayaan-2, is planned to be launched in 2017, the parliament was told on Thursday.
"The Chandrayaan-2, India's second...
NASA spacecraft takes look at comet from closest
By IANS,
London : NASA's Deep Impact craft flew within 435 miles (700 km) of comet Hartley 2 -- the closest ever any man-made object got to such a celestial body.
Prayers to ‘moon god’ for success of lunar mission
By IANS,
Thingalur (Tamil Nadu) : A temple in this Tamil Nadu town dedicated to the moon god conducted special prayers Tuesday for the successful launch of Chandrayaan, India's first lunar mission.
"Since this temple itself is meant for propitiation of the moon god, we conducted prayers for the success of Chandrayaan as it is bound for the moon tomorrow (Wednesday) from Sriharikota," N. Govindarajan, an official of the temple, told IANS.
"The omens during the worship were good and we are sure the mission will be a success," he said.
Researchers identify gene that may help improve rice yield
By IANS,
Washington : A gene in rice identified by scientists, that controls the size and weight of the grains, might open the way to high-yield variant and benefit vast numbers for whom it is staple.
"Our work shows that it is possible to increase rice yield by enhancing the expression of a particular gene," said Hont Ma, professor at the Pennsylvania State University.
US scientist wins Finnish award for drug delivery systems
By DPA,
Helsinki : Bioscientist Robert Langer of the US Wednesday won the Finnish Millennium Technology Prize for his contributions to developing drug delivery systems.
In all six researchers in four categories were nominated for the prize worth a total of 1 million euros ($1.5 million).
Langer collected 800,000 euros ($1.2 million), becoming the third winner of the prize that was created in 2004, and is awarded every two years. The first winner was Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the worldwide web.
Manmohan watches as 100th Indian space mission blasts off
By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS,
Chandrayaan reaches ‘home’ in lunar orbit
By IANS,
Bangalore : India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 Wednesday reached its intended operational orbit at about 100 km from the lunar surface for a two-year rendezvous with the moon.
“Chandrayaan has reached its home in the final orbit. The spacecraft is orbiting at an altitude of 100 km above the lunar surface. It will spin around the moon once in two hours,” Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) director S. Satish told IANS here.
Astronauts begin fourth spacewalk outside space station
By Xinhua
Washington : Two U.S. astronauts are conducting the fourth spacewalk of shuttle Endeavor's mission to test a heat shield repair method, NASA TV reported on Thursday.
Spacewalker Robert Behnken and Mike Foreman floated out of the Quest airlock and began their work outside the International Space Station at 6:04 p.m. local time (2204 GMT) on Thursday. Their excursion will last into midnight, said NASA.
Spiders which eat together, stay together and multiply
By IANS,
Washington : The ability to work together and capture larger prey has allowed social spiders to flourish beyond the strength of their numbers, according to a new study.
The surface area of the three-dimensional webs social spiders use to capture prey does not grow as fast as the number of spiders in the nests. So the number of incoming prey per spider declines with colony size.
Polythene degradable: claims a Kashmiri girl
By NAK,
Srinagar : True but hard to believe that Polythene is a degradable substance if a particular chemical extracted from an herb is applied on it before burning it.
This was scientifically proved by Nasira Akhter , 35 ,a 12th class pass out housewife an innovator from Kanipora, Kulgam south Kashmir, who demonstrated a new method for degradation of polythene, at University Science Instrumentation Centre (USIC) meeting hall today.
Dying star coughs out dust cloud`
By IANS,
London : Astronomers on the look out for black holes have stumbled on a star that was fading with a whimper rather than a bang.
India: with newer tech, language users log on to Internet
By NNN-PTI,
New Delhi : Not familiar with English but still keen to access the Internet and communicate through the medium?
Not a problem, thanks to localisation of the online medium one can access favourite content-related features in various regional languages.
Corporates are now bending over backward to tap the huge regional language section of the online medium with a host of keyboards and software applications designed to cater to the needs of regional language users.
Spacewalkers add hands to international space station robot
By SPA
Houston : Spacewalking astronauts added hands to a robot outside the international space station early Friday as experts on the ground devised a plan they hope will fix a problem getting power to the giant machine, AP reported.
The Canadian robot, named Dextre, needs to have power to heat its joints, limbs and electronics. The $200 million machine designed to help maintain the orbiting outpost could be damaged if left cold for days.
Canadian engineers initially suspected the trouble could be with a timer, and they created the software patch to fix it.
Wind pattern change may intensify global warming
By IANS,
Washington : Carbon dioxide released from the Antartic Ocean due to shifting wind patterns may drastically increase global warming, say scientists.
Many scientists think that the end of the last ice age was triggered by a change in earth's orbit that caused the northern part of the planet to warm.
This partial climate shift was accompanied by rising levels of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, ice core records show, which could have intensified the warming around the globe.
Over satellite, women farmers demand policy changes
By IANS
Thiruvaiyaru (Tamil Nadu) : The power of technology was on display at the 95th National Science Congress in Vishakhapatnam Saturday when satellite links helped women from across India voice their demand for new policies to promote women farmers.
Troubleshooting computer games
By DPA
Dusseldorf (Germany) : It's every dad's nightmare: he buys his son or daughter the hot new video game for Christmas, installs it, and it just won't run. The publisher's hotline gives a permanent engaged signal, and the mood at home is mutinous.
Before hurling the game out the window, cooler heads know to first take a look at the PC at home. In many cases the problem is a missing driver for the graphic card that is required for the software to run.
Requiem for Earth, Red Alarm is On
By Prensa Latina,
Washington : No scientific obituary has been published, but according to a recent report resumed by Mike Davis of alternative media Tomdispatch.com, humanity is entering the “Anthropocene”, epoch defined by the emergence of urban-industrial society as a geological force.
The Geological Society of London defines that the new age shows a heating trend and a radical instability expected of future environments.
Bt Brinjal safe for humans, says science ministry
By IANS,
New Delhi : While the government is conducting nationwide public consultations on whether genetically modified brinjal should be commercially released, the science ministry Tuesday endorsed the product, calling it "safe for all".
"As science and technology ministry, we support the clearance of the expert group. It is safe for all," Science and Technology Minister P. Chavan said at the social editors' conference here.
Computer takes on CA’s job, at least for filing returns
By IANS,
New Delhi : Can the computer replace your chartered accountant? Yes, says a software firm, which is aiming its only product at the small-time taxpayer who can't afford the hassles of finding a person to help file tax returns.
TaxSpanner - an online income tax preparation and filing tool for India at taxspanner.com - offers to help you "e-file" your income tax return in three easy steps.
Delhi-based SpanAcross IT Solutions Private Ltd. director Manoj Yadav said the product was gearing up to work with some big players and was expecting to extend its reach.
70-mn-year-old footprints shed new light on dinosaurs
By IANS,
Sydney : Scientists have stumbled on the first ever dinosaur footprints in New Zealand, going back some 70 million years.
Geologist Greg Browne of GNS Science said the footprints shed considerable light on how fast dinos moved, how big they were as well as how soft the sediment was when they moved through the area.
Browne made the discovery while investigating the properties of the rock and sediment formations in the northwest Nelson region of the country.
Russia to set world record with 39 space launches in 2009
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia is planning to set a world record by conducting a total of 39 space launches in 2009 despite the current global financial crisis, the head of the Russian Space Agency said on Monday.
"We have scheduled a record number of launches for next year. We are planning to carry out 39 launches, half of them commercial and civilian satellites," Anatoly Perminov said.
Russia conducted 27 space launches in 2008 and 26 launches in 2007, becoming the world's leader in this sphere.
Hundreds of new species discovered in the Himalayas
By IANS,
Washington : Over 350 new species, including the world's smallest deer, a "flying frog" and a 100 million-year-old gecko, have been discovered in the Eastern Himalayas, according to a World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report.
A decade of research carried out by scientists in remote mountain areas endangered by rising global temperatures brought exciting discoveries such as a bright green frog that uses its red and long webbed feet to glide in the air.
Google acquires Nik Software
By IANS,
San Francisco: Google has announced that it has acquired Nik Software, a German software company behind the popular photo application Snapseed on Apple's iOS platform.
Computer programme to help witnesses remember criminals
By IANS,
London : Criminals are having a harder time hiding themselves, thanks to new software that helps witnesses recreate images and recognise suspects relying on principles borrowed from the fields of optics and genetics.
The software, known as EFIT-V system, is being used by 15 police departments in Britain, France and Switzerland. In field trials, it led to twice as many identifications of suspects as traditional methods.
Google’s exit a plot, says China Daily
By IANS,
Beijing : Google's exit from China is a "deliberate plot", a Chinese daily said Thursday, adding that Google's services in India and some other countries were also "under scrutiny".
An article in China Daily stressed that the US company's withdrawal "from the Chinese mainland is a deliberate plot".
"Google's withdrawal is not a purely commercial act. The incident has from the beginning been implicated in Washington's political games with China."
Promising carbon material can act as power reservoir
By IANS,
Washington : A breakthrough in use of 'grahpene', a single-atom thick, carbon-based material, will make massive storage of wind power and solar energies possible.
Texan University researchers believe the breakthrough could double the capacity of existing ultracapacitors (which store electric energy) made out of a different form of carbon.
Smartphones can help improve kids numeracy skills
New Delhi: Smartphone and tablet-based games can help improve literacy and numeracy skills of children, a study done in India has found.
The study was...
India’s Chandrayaan-1 successfully enters lunar orbit
By IRNA,
New Delhi : History was created on Saturday when India's first mission to the moon, Chandrayaan-1, lifted off from Sriharikota on 22nd October and successfully entered the lunar orbit.
In one of the most crucial manoeuvres since the launch of India's maiden moon mission, Chandrayaan-1, ISRO scientists injected the spacecraft into the lunar orbit today.
"The lunar orbit insertion (LOI) started around 5 p.m. and lasted around 800 second," Indian official media reported quoting Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) spokesperson S Satish as said in Banglore.
Watch Moon, Venus and Jupiter at their closest
By IANS,
New Delhi : As the sun went down Monday evening, the three brightest objects in the sky - Jupiter, Venus and Moon - came closest, a phenomenon that will not be visible again till 2012.
The two brightest planets in the solar system and the moon were seen just two degrees apart Monday evening and will be visible all through the night.
Several people thronged the Old Fort in the capital as Nehru Planetarium has put up telescopes so that the public can see the celestial activity.
Scientists find smallest planet
By Xinhua
Beijing : The smallest planet discovered outside our solar system has been found by Spanish scientists.
"I think we are very close, just a few years away, from detecting a planet like Earth," team leader Ignasi Ribas told a news conference Wednesday.
Mars to be closest, brightest Jan 27
By IANS,
New Delhi : Skygazers will get to watch the red planet Mars from close quarters as it comes closest to Earth and shines brightest Jan 27. It will not be so close or so bright over the next two years.
Look towards the east an hour after sunset Jan 27 and Mars would be shining brighter than every other star in the sky except Sirius, which is slightly more dazzling in brilliant bluish white.
Discovery docks at space station
By DPA
Washington : Space shuttle Discovery docked with the International Space Station early Thursday after performing a spectacular 360-degree slow-motion backflip before cameras on the station.
The photographs will serve as a second check to examine Discovery's heat shield for any damage sustained during takeoff. The shuttle crew already performed one inspection with their on-board robot arm on their way to the station Wednesday.
The battery’s dead: Along comes plastic to store power
By IANS,
London : The battery, which has powered our lives for generations, may soon be consigned to the dustbin of history. British scientists say they have created a plastic that can store and release electricity, revolutionising the way we use phones, drive cars and even wear clothes.
It means the cases of mobiles and iPods could soon double up as their power source - leading to gadgets as thin as credit cards.
Stars packed million times more densely in early universe
By IANS,
London : Stars in ultra compact dwarf (UCD) galaxies, discovered recently, may have been packed a million times more densely than in the solar neighbourhood, according to calculations made by a team of astronomers.
UCDs, discovered in 1999, are still enormous by our standards, about 60 light years across, yet they are less than 1,000th the size of our own galaxy, the Milky Way. A light year is about 10 million km.
Now throw your alarm clock when jolted awake!
By DPA
Tokyo : Who hasn't felt the urge, when jolted awake by a peace-shattering alarm clock, to hurl the thing against the nearest wall? For morning grumps in Japan, there is now an alarm that allows them to let off some steam: a clock that looks like a hand grenade.
As soon as the grenade look-alike with a built-in digital clock sounds off in the mornings, its user can feel free to fire it into a corner. A motion sensor 'disarms' it, and its soft shell minimizes damage to the alarm and the owner's belongings
This rare icy rock orbits the sun backwards
By IANS,
Toronto : In a discovery which may hold clues to the origin of comets, astronomers have found an object that orbits the sun backwards and tilts at an angle of 104 degrees - almost perpendicular to the orbits of the planets in our solar system.
They have named this unique object 2008KV42.
Canadian astronomer Brett Gladman, who is a part of the international team behind the discovery, said in a statement Friday that this unusual object with backward and tilted orbit around the sun may clarify the origins of certain comets.
Work begins on Tata helicopter cabins facility
By IANS,
Hyderabad: The work on Tata Advanced Systems' facility on the outskirts of Hyderabad to manufacture Sikorsky helicopter cabins formally began Thursday as Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy unveiled a plaque for the project.
The facility to assemble fuselages of Sikorsky S-92 helicopters is coming up at the Aerospace Special Economic Zone (SEZ) being developed by the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) in Adibatla.
Scientists blame lack of political will for death of oceans
By IANS,
Washington : Scientists blamed "lack of political will and greed of special interests" for the gradual death of oceans and outlined a slew of immediate steps to reverse the process.
Some of these measures include establishing marine reserves, enforcing fishing regulations, limiting fossil fuel consumption, removal of fertiliser subsidies, implementing aquaculture and establishing local conservation measures.
Volcano eruption under Antarctica ice sheet confirmed
By Xinhua
Beijing : Evidence of a powerful volcano, which erupted under the ice sheet of West Antarctica around 325 BC and might still be active now, has been confirmed by British scientists, according to media reports Monday.
A layer of volcanic ash and glass shards frozen within an ice sheet in West Antarctica was identified in an article published in the journal Nature Geosciences by Hugh F. J. Corr and David G. Vaughan.
The computer helper: What you need to know about Chrome
By DPA,
Washington : Google's new Chrome Web browser is being hailed as a game-changer. It is fast, has a clean interface and some snazzy features that other browsers do not have.
Does that mean you should download it right now and spend the time to learn it? If you like new technology, the answer is "sure".
But if you need to be assured of some payoff in new technology before you invest time in it, you might rightly want some questions answered before you switch. Here are a few.
Investigation into CERN”s LHC incident indicates faulty electrical connection
By KUNA,
Geneva : Investigations at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) following a large helium leak into sector 3-4 of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) tunnel have indicated that it was most likely caused by a faulty electrical connection between two of the accelerator's magnets.
CERN has announced that before a full understanding of the incident can be established, however, the sector has to be brought to room temperature and the magnets involved opened up for inspection.
Progress cargo spacecraft docks with ISS
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : A Progress space freighter has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) four days behind schedule because of the evacuation of Nasa's space centre in Houston in the wake of Hurricane Ike, Russia's mission control said.
The Progress M-65, launched on board a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan on Sep 10, has delivered some 2.5 tonnes of fuel, oxygen, water, food and medical supplies, as well as the latest Russian-designed space suit for use during a space walk by Russian crewmembers on board the ISS.
Russia postpones launch of navigation satellite
By IANS/RIA Novosti,
Moscow : Russia has postponed the launch of its new-generation navigation satellite Glonass-K until 2011, the defence ministry said.
Marine organism bypasses photosynthesis for survival
By IANS
Washington : Some marine organisms are able to get much of their energy bypassing photosynthesis - the most vital biological process on earth, responsible for all our food.
Two recent studies by Carnegie Institution scientists suggest that these micro-organisms neither release oxygen nor take in carbon dioxide.
If true, this discovery impacts not only our basic understanding of photosynthesis, but also how micro-organisms in oceans affect rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, Sciencedaily reported.
Iranian Scientists produce mouse using stem cells
By NNN-IRNA
Scientists of Iran’s Royan Research Center have successfully produced a mouse using embryonic stem cells.
Director of the center's stem cells group, Hossein Baharvand, said that in the next phase, the experts are expected to produce mice with specific characteristics by genetically changing the mouse embryonic stem cells.
"The mechanism could be used in studying the performance of a specific gene in a living body," Baharvand said.
Taking hi-tech solutions to poor villages
By Frederick Noronha, IANS
Bangalore : Ekgaon, a technology and management services firm for independent rural communities, is run by young Indian techies spanning the globe, some of whom are expatriates keen to help their home country.
Chang’e I survives its darkest hour
By Xinhua
Beijing : Chang'e I, China's pioneering lunar probing satellite, came through its first lunar eclipse yesterday and has regained full operations.
The moon orbiter was temporarily hidden from solar rays and lost contact with Earth for two-and-half hours during a blackout that started at 10 am, Ye Peijian, chief commander and designer in charge of the satellite system, said.
Chang'e I had to switch off some of its equipment and rely on onboard batteries during this challenging time, when it was blocked from solar energy, Ye said.
PM congratulates scientists for Chandrayaan’s successful journey
By IANS,
Muscat : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday congratulated scientists in the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) for successfully putting India's first unmanned moon mission Chandrayaan-1 into lunar orbit.
The prime minister, who arrived here Saturday afternoon on a three-day visit to the Gulf, sent his congratulatory message after receiving the news.
Chandrayaan-1 has travelled more than 380,000 km in 12 days after its launch from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh Oct 22 to enter the lunar orbit Saturday.
Yahsat signs letter of intent with Arianspace to launch satellite in 2010
By NNN-WAM
Abu Dhabi : Al Yah Satellite Communications Company PrJsc (Yahsat), a wholly owned subsidiary of Mubadala Development Company, has signed a letter of intent with Arianespace, the world's leading launch service and solutions company, to launch the Yahsat 1A communications satellite.
The satellite is currently being manufactured by the consortium of EADS Astrium and Thales Alenia Space. The expected launch date is the second half of 2010.
SMS a language with its own rules, says study
By IANS,
Washington : OMG! LOL. TTYL. For many past the age of 40, these groupings seem like meaningless jumble, but for Generation Next, they embody a world of meaning.
“Instant messaging, or IM, is not just bad grammar or a bunch of mistakes,” said Pamela Takayoshi of Kent State University.
“IM is a separate language form from formal English and has a common set of language features and standards.”
World’s smallest silicon sensor to monitor environs
By IANS,
London : Researchers are fabricating the world's smallest silicon sensor that will be extremely powerful and yet consume very little power.
The sensor, with applications in bio-sensing and ecological monitoring, is being developed by researchers at the University of Southampton.
“Power consumption is a big issue at the moment as devices use current whether they are switched off and on,” said Hiroshi Mizuta, project head.
Russia opens polar research station to secure Arctic claim
By DPA
Moscow : Russia has opened a new Arctic polar research station in a bid to reinforce its claims to Arctic gas and oil deposits, Interfax news agency reported Friday.
The drifting station research unit, North Pole-35, was set up in the Arctic Friday, the agency reported, citing a spokesman for the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute.
The report said the Russian flag would also be hoisted at the research unit, where 22 researchers and scientists would work, most of them Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute (AARI) staff.
A mobile phone with a battery life of 15 years!
By IANS,
London: SpareOne's mobile phone comes with a battery life of 15 years, whether you charge it or not and is designed for emergencies.
High-tech system to cut hospital infections by half
By IANS,
London : Hospital-based infections continue to be the number-two killer in the US after heart disease.
A new high-tech software programme developed by Tel Aviv University researchers will cut such infections by half.
Yehuda Carmeli professor at the Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University (TAU), has developed a system for preventing hospital epidemics.
"When a patient comes to the hospital for treatment, the natural barriers that protect them against infection are bypassed," said Carmeli, also a physician at the TAU Sourasky Medical Centre.
PCs are not always suitable for use as television sets
By DPA
Berlin : People spend hours in front of countless PC monitors nowadays. Usually those monitors go dark when work ends. That could soon change in some households.
Monitors have other uses apart from word processing and spreadsheets. They can also show movies and soap operas. But a few problems still remain when converting your monitor into a desktop TV.
New smartphones with killer applications could replace PCs
By Andy Goldberg, DPA
Las Vegas : Think that cellphone in your pocket is pretty neat? Think again. Spurred by the phenomenal launch of the iPhone, the prospect of a Google phone and open networks, inventors and entrepreneurs around the world are feverishly developing plans to expand what mobile phones can do.
"They want to combine the computing power of the latest phones with social networks and location-tracking technologies to create a new generation of cell phones," says Simon Blitz, who runs a large cell phone wholesale company in the US.
Brain regulatory gene identified
By IANS,
Washington : Scientists have identified a gene that seems to be a master regulator of human brain development.
The human brain is a marvel of nature with more than 100 billion neurons and billions of other specialised cells.
A team of scientists from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UWM) have identified a gene - known as Pax6 - which guides undifferentiated stem cells to tightly defined pathways in becoming different types of cells in the brain.
Politicising the military: A strategic blunder
By Admiral Arun Prakash (retd)
India's armed forces, apart from their role of safeguarding the nation, provide a bright strand in the national fabric,...
3-D glimpse of Shanghai World Expo a mouse click away
By IANS,
Beijing : Now visiting the Shanghai World Expo will be possible through internet as the organiser has decided to launch its new website to display the event with three-dimensional (3-D) vision.
The organising committee is trying to provide a 3-D Shanghai World Expo garden in the virtual world so as to make the 159-year-old traditional exhibition accessible to every netizen across the world.
"The 3-D website is unprecedented in the World Expo history," said Wang Liping, who is in charge of the 3-D Shanghai World Expo website program.
India, US to cooperate in space flights, outer space use
By Arun Kumar, IANS
Washington : India and the US plan to cooperate in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, including in the area of human space flights, under a new agreement between their space agencies.
A framework agreement establishing the terms for future cooperation between the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and US space agency National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was signed Friday at the Kennedy Space Centre by ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair and NASA administrator Michael Griffin.
Effective way found to produce anti-flu vaccines
By IANS,
Washington: A rapid and effective way to produce vaccines against new flu strains has been developed by scientists.
The virus that causes flu frequently changes its genetic code, making it difficult for scientists to think up an effective vaccine.
But now, University of Miami computer scientist Dimitris Papamichail and researchers from Stony Brook University have developed a way to produce shots against new strains.
NASA picks companies to study commercial crew transport
By DPA,
Washington : US space agency NASA Monday named five aerospace companies to come up with concepts for transporting humans into orbit under plans announced by the Obama administration to shift responsibility for transportation into space to private firms.
NASA awarded a total of $50 million to the companies to study human spaceflight alternatives after the retirement of the space shuttle later this year. The money comes from government stimulus funds authorized by Congress to jump-start the faltering US economy last year.
Russia claims 1.2 million km of Arctic
By RIA Novosti
Moscow : Russian scientists have claimed 1.2 million km of potentially energy-rich Arctic territory following preliminary research results released here Thursday.
"Preliminary results of an analysis of the Earth's crust show that the structure of the underwater Lomonosov mountain chain is similar to the world's other continental shelves, and the ridge is, therefore, part of Russia's landmass," the Russian Natural Resources Ministry said.
Endeavour astronauts prepare for Sunday landing
By DPA,
Washington : The seven astronauts on space shuttle Endeavour were to complete their mission to the International Space Station (ISS) with landing scheduled at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida Sunday.
The shuttle undocked from the ISS at 9.47 a.m. (1447 GMT) Friday, and was expected to land at the Kennedy Space Centre at 1.19 p.m. (1819 GMT Sunday.
On Saturday, US space agency NASA was closely monitoring a cold front, which might bring rain, thunderstorms and cross-winds, and could affect Sunday's entry and landing at the Kennedy Space Centre.
NASA begins launch countdown for Discovery
By Xinhua
Washington : The launch countdown for US space shuttle Discovery has begun, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said.
The countdown began officially at 2 p.m. local time (18.00 GMT) Saturday for a scheduled lift off on Oct 23.
NASA managers overseeing the launch preparations for the STS-120 mission said Saturday that space shuttle Discovery is ready for two weeks in space. "All of our systems are in good shape," NASA test director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said.
Insect eye inspires ultra-thin image sensor
By IANS,
Washington : The amazing versatility of an insect's compound eye has inspired researchers worldwide into working on ultra-thin imaging systems.
Features of these compound eyes, optimised over millions of years of evolution, are being adapted for present-day imaging equipment.
Accordingly, scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Optics and Precision Engineering, are working on the development of an ultra-thin image sensor.
For example Andreas Brückner, working on his doctoral thesis, improved the imaging properties of these sensor applications.
‘How did you feel in space?’ President Hu asks spacewalker
By Xinhua,
Beijing : China's President Hu Jintao asked Chinese astronauts what it was like walking in space after the trio successfully realised the country's first space walk Saturday.
"How did you feel like in space after exiting the module?" Hu asked the astronauts on board the Shenzhou-7 spacecraft, by telephone from the Beijing Aerospace Control Centre (BACC) in a conversation with them.
Indian-American scientist bags top honours
By IANS,
Washington : Rama Ranganathan, professor of pharmacology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre, earned recognition as one of the top rising research stars by The Academy of Medicine, Engineering and Science of Texas (TAMEST).
TAMEST members include the state's Nobel Prize winners - four of whom are active faculty members at UT Southwestern - and the 200-plus Texas members of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Sciences.
Ancient mineral provides clue to early climate
By IANS,
New York : A new analysis of ancient minerals called zircons suggests that earth's earliest continents were probably destroyed by an extremely harsh climate.
Zircons, the oldest known materials on earth, offer a window in time back as far as 4.4 billion years ago, when the planet was a mere 150 million years old.
As these crystals are exceptionally resistant to chemical changes, they have become the gold standard for determining the age of ancient rocks, ScienceDaily reported.
How to keep your password safe from data hackers, cyber thieves
By IANS,
Washington : Last year, one out of 13 people lost money due to internet fraud and identity theft, says a recent report. However, you can insure your password and data by following these easy-to-follow tips.
Always keep the cyber thieves guessing. Never use personal information to create a username, login or password. It could be the name of your pets, relatives, nicknames, dates of birth, etc.
Identity theft experts have become savvy at ferreting out these details. Hence, it is crucial to choose usernames and passwords that have nothing to do with your personal history.
Brazil to deepen space cooperation with China
By Xinhua
Brasilia : The newly sworn-in head of the Brazilian Space Agency (BSA) Carlos Ganem said Tuesday that Brazil cherishes the ties with China and will deepen cooperation with China in the field of space technology.
Ganem made the remarks during his inauguration ceremony. A technical expert who engaged in the first negotiations on the China-Brazil satellite cooperation program, he said the project is an excellent example of bilateral cooperation.
New green building material set to arrive in India
By IANS,
Sydney : Scientists have turned the ash waste from coal-fired power stations into a global environmental solution which promises to slash emissions in the carbon-hungry construction sector by at least 20 percent.
The solution is soon likely to be seen in India, with its creators in the process of negotiating a manufacturing license in the country.
Researchers at the University of New South Wales converted the pollution from coal furnaces, known as fly ash, into a new range of high-strength, lightweight building materials, ScienceAlert reported.
New greenhouse gas 4,800 times worse than carbon dioxide
By IANS,
Washington : A gas used in fumigation can potentially contribute to future global warming, but because its production has not yet reached high levels there is still time to nip this potential contributor in the bud.
Scientists at MIT, Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego and others have measured the levels of sulphuryl fluoride in the air and determined its emissions and lifetime to help gauge its potential future effects on climate.
NASA probe flies by Mercury in 1st visit since 1975
By Xinhua
Beijing : NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft on Monday flew within 200 kilometers above the surface of Mercury, making the first pass of the planet since 1975, media reported.
The car-sized probe traveled at about 25,800 kilometers miles per hour as it passed over Mercury on a mission designed to resolve some of the mysteries about the solar system's innermost planet, officials said.
Beijing : NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft on Monday flew within 200 kilometers above the surface of Mercury, making the first pass of the planet since 1975, media reported.
The car-sized probe traveled at about 25,800 kilometers miles per hour as it passed over Mercury on a mission designed to resolve some of the mysteries about the solar system's innermost planet, officials said.
Water on moon in daylight a ‘huge surprise’ for scientists
By Arun Kumar, IANS,
Washington : Discovery of water on the moon by India's first lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 with a thin layer of surface 'dew' appearing to form and then dissipating each day has set the scientific community agog.
"Finding water on the Moon in daylight is a huge surprise, even if it is only a small amount of water and only in the form of molecules stuck to soil," writes University of Maryland astronomer Jessica Sunshine.
Telangana to develop national repository of smart technologies
Hyderabad: With the central government set to launch its ambitious 100 smart cities project later this month, Telangana plans to develop a national repository...
China approves second-phase lunar probe program
By Xinhua
Beijing : China's State Council, the cabinet, has approved the country's second-phase lunar probe program, the Beijing Times reported on Wednesday. It cited Luan Enjie, the director-in-chief of the China Moon-orbiting Program.
"We are organizing people to make detailed plans for the program," Luan told a conference on Tuesday.
He also said that investment in the second phase would exceed that for the first lunar probe but didn't give specific figures, the Times said.
Google encrypts all emails for a spy-free Gmail
Washington: In a bid to stop snooping on its users, Google has overhauled its Gmail service in a big way - encrypting every single...
Future refrigerators to run on heat, not electricity
By DPA
Hamburg : The refrigerator of the future will run on heat, not costly electricity, according to a team of innovative scientists in Germany.
The research could be a boon in hot countries where fridges and air-conditioning systems are vital, said the group of young scientists, who are working on at the Innovationszentrum Wiesenbusch Gladbeck (IWG), in cooperation with the University of Applied Science in nearby Gelsenkirchen.
NASA plans most ambitious mission – to the asteroids
By IANS,
London : NASA will somehow have to accomplish its most ambitious mission - landing on an asteriod within 15 years, after a presidential directive.
Will shifting geomagnetic field be Earth’s nemesis?
By RIA Novosti,
Moscow : The recent trouble with the International Space Station (ISS), caused by simple computer virus capable of stealing logins and passwords for computer games only, was a minor incident compared to possible environmental changes that could make space flights impossible.
They could also cripple aviation and television, and even put terrestrial life at risk.
Researchers find ways of making laser more efficient
By IANS,
Washington : A Princeton-led team of researchers has discovered an entirely new mechanism for making common electronic materials emit laser beams.
The finding could lead to lasers that operate more efficiently and at higher temperatures than existing devices, and find applications in environmental monitoring, homeland security, medical diagnostics and other areas that require extremely sensitive detection of different chemicals.
Defence products major draw at science expo
By IANS
Visakhapatnam : New technologies and products displayed by various defence organisations in the science exposition here have been a major draw for delegates participating in the 95th Indian Science Congress.
Being held as part of the five-day annual event in the sprawling Andhra University campus in this scenic port city, the exhibition, christened Bharat Expo, showcases developments and achievements made by scientific institutions, state-run organisations and private enterprises, using science and technology.
US space shuttle Endeavour lifts off
By Xinhua
Washington : US space shuttle Endeavour lifted off early Tuesday from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida, NASA TV reported.
"All systems are working well ... Endeavour is making its way to the International Space Station (ISS)," NASA's launch blog said after the shuttle jettisoned its twin solid rocket boosters and shut down its three main engines as planned.
The Endeavour and its seven-member crew will spend 16 days in space, the longest visit by the space shuttle to the ISS.
Pentagon developing stealthy sensors for bat-inspired spy plane
By IANS
Washington : A tiny six-inch spy plane modelled on a bat would gather data from sights, sounds and smells in urban combat zones and transmit information back to soldiers in real time.
University of Michigan (U-M) Centre for Objective Microelectronics and Bio-mimetic Advanced Technology (COM-BAT) will develop sensors, communication tools and batteries for the US Army for this micro-aerial vehicle that's been dubbed "the bat".
Greenhouse gases increased sharply in 2007
By IANS,
Washington : Global levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, the primary driver of climate change, increased by 0.6 percent or 19 billion tonnes last year.
Additionally methane rose by 27 million tonnes after nearly a decade with little or no increase. National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) scientists released these and other preliminary findings as part of an annual update on agency's greenhouse gas index, which tracks data from 60 sites worldwide.
Chandrayaan moved to launch platform for rehearsal
By IANS,
Bangalore : India's first lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 has been moved to the launch platform for rehearsals ahead of its Oct 22 launch, a top Indian space agency official said Saturday.
The fully integrated Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C11) with the lunar spacecraft atop was moved to the launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, about 80 km from Chennai, and off the Bay of Bengal.
All going well and weather permitting, India's first unmanned lunar mission is set for launch at 6.20 a.m. Wednesday.
Tamil Nadu community centres to promote industry
By IANS
Chennai : The Tamil Nadu government is starting 10,000 community service centres to provide access to Internet, besides giving information about the official schemes to promote industrialisation.
Besides, finishing schools will be started for the less privileged people in collaboration with the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) to impart training in industry specific skills.
Fingerprint could identify smoker, drinker
By IANS
London : Fingerprint could help identify a smoker, drinker, an avid coffee drinker or even a drug addict, scientists say.
India’s mission moon: Countdown progressing smoothly
By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS,
Chennai : The countdown to India's first mission to send a spacecraft that will orbit the moon was progressing smoothly, senior officials of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said here Monday.
"The countdown started at 5.22 a.m. Monday and is progressing as per schedule," M.Y.S. Prasad, associate director, Satish Dhawan Space Centre, told IANS from Sriharikota, India's spaceport off the Andhra Pradesh coast, 80 km North of Chennai.
New planet spotted after discovery of Neptune
By IANS,
Washington : In 2006, astronomer Alice Quillen predicted a planet of a specific size and orbit must lie within the dust of a nearby star.
That planet has now been photographed by the Hubble Space Telescope, making it only the second planet ever imaged after an accurate prediction. The only other planet seen after an accurate prediction was Neptune, more than 160 years ago.
"It's remarkable," said Eugene Chiang, associate professor of astronomy at the University of California Berkeley (UC-B), and part of the team that imaged the new planet.
Atlantis roars into space after two-month delay
By DPA
Washington : The US space shuttle Atlantis has lifted off for the International Space Station (ISS) to deliver a long-awaited European-built laboratory.
After days of iffy weather, Atlantis roared off the launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida at 2.45 p.m. (19.45 GMT) Thursday under clear blue skies and climbed steeply to orbit powered by seven million pounds of thrust.
Within minutes, Atlantis shed its booster rockets and external fuel tank as it departed the Earth's atmosphere, set to rendezvous with the space station Saturday.
NASA seeks to proceed with mars rover launch in 2009
By SPA,
Washington : The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has decided to proceed with plans to launch a big new rover to Mars next year.
Friday’s decision came after concerns were raised about the budget and technical progress for the Mars Science Laboratory.
The head of the Mars exploration program at NASA’s Los Angeles office said the space agency will examine the mission’s progress again in January.