Technology

Chandrayaan launch has realised the dream of Vikram Sarabhai: Modi

Technology

By IANS, Ahmedabad : Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday drove down to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) centre here and congratulated the scientists for the successful launch of India's maiden moon mission Chandrayaan-1.

World’s largest telescope spells golden age of astronomy

Technology

By IANS, Toronto : Hailing it as the beginning of a golden age of astronomy, researchers say the latest data beamed back to earth by the Herschel Space Observatory (HSO) is providing them a rare peep into distant galaxies. Herschel is the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space.

`Alien plant species affecting Antarctica biodiversity’

Technology

By IANS New Delhi : Scientists from across the world, including India, have found a few alien plant species in Antarctica. They are affecting the biodiversity of the ice continent, Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal said Tuesday. "Some species of lower plant forms, not native to Antarctica, have been found. For example, a species of European grass, a carnivorous beetle species, Poa annua (a seed plant) and Australian pollen taxa have been reported as alien species in Antarctica," Sibal informed the Lok Sabha.

Phoenix spacecraft on track for Mars landing

Technology

By Xinhua, Beijing : NASA's Phoenix lander closed in on Mars Saturday, healthy and on course for touchdown Sunday evening near the Red Panet's northern polar cap. Engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., decided to forego a course-correction rocket firing late Saturday but left open the option for a final trajectory tweak Sunday eight hours before atmospheric entry.

Technology resolutions for 2011

Technology

By Jay Dougherty, DPA,

India successfully tests supersonic cruise missile

Technology

By IANS, Bhubaneswar: India Sunday successfully test fired BrahMos supersonic cruise missile from a vertical launcher fitted on board moving warship INS Ranvir off the east coast, defence sources said. The missile performed supersonic manoeuvring following the exact flight path and homed in on to the decommissioned target ship INS Meen, the sources said. "The mission met 100 percent success," Praveen Pathak, additional general manager of BrahMos Aerospace, told IANS over phone from New Delhi.

US scientist’s flip-flop on Chandrayaan

Technology

By IANS, Panaji : Three days after the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) admitted the abrupt end of its Chandrayaan-1 mission, a leading US-based scientist associated with the project Wednesday termed it "a complete success", but added that "what we have not achieved is our ultimate goal, which was a much more extended mission that was to be achieved during the full two years".

Spacewalkers attach European lab to ISS

Technology

By Xinhua Washington : Atlantis shuttle astronauts wrapped up nearly eight hours of spacewalk Monday after successfully attaching Europe's Columbus Laboratory to the orbiting International Space Station (ISS). Astronauts Rex Walheim and Stanley Love spent almost eight hours working to help attach the 10-ton Columbus laboratory to the ISS and add a new room to the high-flying outpost.

Chandrayaan fine, spinning in earth’s elliptical orbit

Technology

By IANS, Bangalore : India's first unmanned lunar spacecraft Chandrayaan-1 is doing fine and has completed four orbits around the earth, a top space official said Thursday, a day after it was launched from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. "The health of the spacecraft is normal and (it is) doing fine. Spinning in elliptical orbit once in every six hours and 30 minutes, it has completed four orbits and is in the fifth orbit," the official told IANS.

Drones to monitor ‘Alvida Namaaz’ in UP

Technology

Lucknow : In Lucknow 'Alvida Namaaz' at major Uttar Pradesh mosques on Friday will be closely watched with the help of drones and CCTV...

Shuttle Discovery lifts off for space station

Technology

By RIA Novosti, Washington : Space shuttle Discovery has blasted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the International Space Station, NASA said. The lift off took place at 17:02 local time (21:02 GMT) on Saturday and marked the third shuttle launch this year and the 35th for Discovery. The shuttle is expected to dock with the ISS two days after launch, NASA said. The 14-day mission will see the Discovery shuttle deliver its heaviest payload to the world's sole orbiter, the Japanese Pressurized Module (JPM) which is the second unit of the massive Kibo laboratory complex.

Study shows comet much more like asteroid

Technology

By Xinhua Beijing : A chemical analysis of samples of rock dust retrieved from a comet showed that the comet is much more like an asteroid than scientists had expected, media reported Monday. A lot of the material detected in a comet called Wild 2 was formed very close to the sun in the early solar system and was somehow later transported to the outer solar system.

Chinese astronauts for Shenzhou-7 mission arrive at launch center

Technology

By Xinhua, Jiuquan, Gansu : A panel of six Chinese astronauts arrived at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu Province on Sunday, making the last-minute preparations for the country's third manned space mission. Taking a special flight to the remote center, three qualified spacemen and three substitutes said they had "full confidence to successfully accomplish the mission" after various trainings and tests. The astronauts will pilot spacecraft Shenzhou-7 to carry out the mission during which one of them will spacewalk outside the capsule.

Watching eclipse from 41,000 ft – breathtaking!

Technology

By IANS, New Delhi : "It was a breathtaking experience," said 70-year-old Deepak Bhimani, one of the 35 passengers onboard the special flight to watch the century's longest total solar eclipse from 41,000 feet above the ground. "It was very exciting and I really have no words to describe it. It was like the Sun was so near to me and we had a very pristine image. We could even see Mercury and Venus as the sky darkened and the whole phenomenon was breathtaking," Bhimani, who was the oldest passenger on the flight, told IANS.

Science congress to draw road map for technology challenges

Technology

By Fakir Balaji, IANS, Thiruvananthapauram : India's premier science congress beginning here Sunday will draw a road map to address the technological challenges and the direction in which the country should move to find innovative solutions to its myriad problems. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will set the agenda for the scientific community in his inaugural address and the tone of proceedings during the 97th edition of the Indian Science Congress (ISC 2010) at the sprawling Kerala University campus over the next five days.

NASA Restores Radio Contact with Mars Lander

Technology

By SPA, Washington : The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said Wednesday it has resolved a malfunction that for several hours caused a break in communications with the Phoenix Mars Lander. NASA said UHF (ultra-high frequency) radio transmissions had been disrupted between Phoenix and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), which relays data and instructions between Phoenix and Earth-based controllers.

China to use jumbo rocket for delivery of lunar rover, space station

Technology

By Xinhua Beijing : A Chinese space expert said here on Tuesday that the Long March 5 large-thrust carrier rocket, currently under development and scheduled to be put into service in 2014, will be mainly used for the delivery of lunar rovers, large satellites and space stations. "With a maximum payload capacity up to 25 tons, the jumbo rocket is expected to be able to send lunar rovers, large satellites and space stations into space after 2014," said Liang Xiaohong, vice president of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.

Space shuttle Atlantis blasts off

Technology

By DPA, Cape Canaveral (Florida) : The space shuttle Atlantis thundered into the sky over Kennedy Space Centre Monday carrying six crew members on a mission to the International Space Station. The mission is part of the US space agency's efforts to stock up the ISS reserves as the shuttle programme enters its expected final year in 2010. After this week's mission there are just five more flights scheduled.

Japanese astronaut escorting storage room to ISS

Technology

By Xinhua Beijing : Japanese astronaut Takao Doi is looking forward to his country's entry into human spaceflight next week when he helps deliver a small storage room for Japan's massive Kibo lab at the international space station. Doi and six crewmates are set to launch toward the station aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on March 11 during a predawn liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Measles? Third red spot seen in Jupiter’s atmosphere

Technology

By Xinhua, Beijing : Recent imagery reveals a storm system has changed color in the planet Jupiter's turbulent atmosphere, creating a third "Red Spot" to join the centuries-old Great Red Spot and the 2-year-old Red Spot Jr. The third reddish storm is west of the Great Red Spot in the same latitude band of clouds and is much smaller.

China Mobile tests signal station on Mount Everest

Technology

By DPA Beijing : China Mobile has successfully tested a mobile signal station built on Mount Everest at 6,500 metres ahead of next year's Olympic torch relay on the highest peak of the world. The world's highest mobile telecommunications station was tested Tuesday on the 8,844-metre-high mountain, the official China Daily quoted the country's main mobile service provider, China Mobile, as saying.

The computer helper: mastering My Documents

Technology

By DPA Washington : Odd as it may seem, one of the biggest problems many computer users face is knowing where their documents are - and how to move or save them. Without this fundamental knowledge, it can be tough to locate important documents when you need them - or to feel like you're in control of your own computer. The good news is that becoming a master of the My Documents folder is not as tough as it seems.

Scientists finds water ice on asteroid’s surface

Technology

By IANS, Washington : Asteroids may not be the dark, dry, lifeless chunks of rock. According to recent research, there is evidence of water ice and organic material on the asteroid 24 Themis. The research led by Josh Emery, assistant professor with the earth and planetary sciences department at the University of Tennessee (UT), found evidence that supports the idea that asteroids could be responsible for bringing water and organic material to earth.

India tests two nuke capable missiles

Technology

By IANS, Bhubaneswar: India Saturday successfully tested two indigenously developed nuclear capable missiles, Dhanush and Prithvi II, an official said. "Both the missiles were successfully launched at the same time at about 5.30 a.m.," S.P. Dash, director of the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur in Orissa's Balasore district, told IANS. The Prithvi II surface-to-surface ballistic missile, with a range of 350 km, was launched from Chandipur, 230 km from Bhubaneswar.

Infosys expands operations in Japan

Technology

By IANS,

World misled over glacier meltdown: Report

Technology

By IRNA, New Delhi : A warning that most of the Himalayan glaciers will melt by 2035 owing to climate change is likely to be retracted after the United Nations body that issued it admitted to a series of scientific blunders. Two years ago, the Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) headed by India's Rajendra Pachauri, issued a benchmark report that claimed to have incorporated the latest and most detailed research into the impact of global warming. A central claim was that world's glaciers were melting so fast that those in the Himalayas could vanish by 2035.

Israel successfully launches communications satellite

Technology

By SPA, Tel Aviv : Israel says it has launched a new communications satellite, the Associated Press reported. According to the satellite's operator, Spacecom, the AMOS-3 lifted off Monday from Russia's main space facility, the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan. Later in the day, it is to enter orbit at an altitude of 36,000 kilometers (22,500 miles). The $170 million (¤109 million) satellite is designed to offer increased capacity, expanded coverage and improved links between the Mideast and Europe and the eastern U.S.

China unveils world’s largest sci-tech museum

Technology

By Xinhua, Guangzhou (China) : China has unveiled the world's largest science and technology museum in the southern city of Guangzhou that will demonstrate the country's newest achievements in the field. The Guangdong Science Centre, with an area of 450,000 square metres, is situated at the far western tip of Xiaoguwei Island, also the location of Guangzhou University Town in Guangdong province. With a floor area larger than Beijing's Tian'anmen Square, the steel-structured main building of the museum features a blooming kapok flower.

Great white shark bite hardest of them all today

Technology

By IANS, Sydney : The great white shark possesses the most lethal and formidable bite of any existing species, according to a new study. Researchers calculated that the bite force of its extinct cousin, the gigantic fossil species Carcharodon megalodon (Big Tooth) is the highest of all time, making it the most formidable carnivore yet on earth.

LEDs set to revolutionise lighting

Technology

By IANS, Washington : Energy efficient, ecologically sound light emitting diodes, or LEDs, are emerging as the hottest choice in illuminating homes and businesses. "We are on the verge of a revolution," says E. Fred Schubert, professor of electrical engineering and physics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute New York and co-author of a paper on the subject. "There are tremendous opportunities that open up with LED."

US scientists create cancer-detecting nanoparticles

Technology

By Xinhua, Washington : US scientists have created the smallest iron oxide nanoparticles to date for cancer detection by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The research team from Brown University created peptide-coated iron oxide nanoparticles, about 8.4 nanometers in overall diameter. They then injected the particles into mice and successfully tested their ability to locate a brain tumour cell called U87MG, the university announced Tuesday.

Technology not being used adequately for security, regrets PM Manmohan

Technology

By NNN-PTI, New Delhi : With the country facing increased terror threat, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh regretted that modern technology is not adequately utilised to meet the challenge and pitched for greater focus on scientific developments for securing the nation better. Pointing out that other countries have used technology for security with great effect, he favoured work in the areas of surveillance systems, cryptography, real time search and identification from distributed large databases and computer simulation exercises to enhance crisis tactics and responses.

Indian, Russian scientists discuss rocket launch delay

Technology

By IANS,

China shuts websites, microblog accounts over fraud, blackmail

Technology

By IANS,

Biocon chief unveils radiology training centre

Technology

By IANS Bangalore : Biotechnology firm Biocon's chairperson Kiran Mazumdar Shaw late Tuesday unveiled a radiology training centre at Teleradiology Solutions (TS) facility in India's silicon hub. Purported to be first-of-its-kind in the country, the centre, christened Rad Gurukul, will train and refine skills of radiologists, technologists and those involved in healthcare IT. Teleradiology services include interpretation of non-invasive imaging studies, namely CT, MRI, ultrasound, nuclear medicine studies and digitised X-rays.

World’s first pre-quake alert system set up in Japan

Technology

By DPA Tokyo : The Japan Meteorological Agency Monday began operating the world's first system to give pre-earthquake warnings to the public. The system is designed to detect earthquakes by sensing small seismic waves that precede big quakes and give warnings a few seconds before a major quake hits to regions expected to suffer damage. Warnings would be aired through a public television station, NHK, and private stations as well as radio stations, the agency said. The service is only available in Japan.

Strong demand for IT services, says Wipro’s Premji

Technology

Bengaluru: There was a strong demand for IT services in Europe and the US where the economy gained a lot of strength, Wipro chairman...

Manmohan Singh presented Chandrayaan-1, PSLV models

Technology

By IANS, New Delhi : Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman G. Madhavan Nair Friday briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on the success of India's maiden moon mission and presented him models of Chandrayaan-I and its launch vehiclE PSLV. Nair briefed the prime minister about the launch sequence and subsequent maneuvering of the spacecraft to reach the final lunar orbit. “The health of the spacecraft is good and all the operations so far have been implemented as planned,” the space department said in a statement quoting the conversation during the meeting.

One PSLV rocket Monday will carry 10 satellites

Technology

By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS, Chennai : One of the three "core alone" Polar Satellite Launch Vehicles (PSLV) to blast off Monday from Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh will carry the heaviest luggage - 824 kg - comprising the remote sensing Cartosat-2A satellite, the Indian Mini Satellite and eight nano satellites. According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), core alone configuration means the main/core PSLV rocket minus the hugging six strap-on booster motors that powers the first stage.

Shuttle Atlantis closes in on international space station

Technology

By SPA Houston : Atlantis maneuvered toward a rendezvous with the international space station on Saturday, bringing a new US$2 billion (¤1.4 billion) lab that European scientists can't wait to see installed, reported ap. The shuttle had been on a two-day, high-speed chase to catch up with the station. The meeting will give NASA engineers another chance to search for launch damage to the shuttle's thermal shielding, the problem that doomed Columbia in 2003.

In Argentina, a fungus that produces diesel

Technology

By IANS, Washington : Researchers have isolated a fungus that produces a new kind of diesel fuel, describing the find as promising. The discovery may offer an alternative to fossil fuels, said Gary Strobel, Montana State University (MSU) professor of plant sciences. The find is even bigger, he said, than his 1993 discovery of fungus that contained the anticancer drug taxol.

Google enables Indians to build maps of their villages, cities

Technology

By IANS, New Delhi : For a vast country which lacks adequately detailed maps for many of its areas, India is now finding an unexpected solution in the form of the Google Map Maker. Google recently extended its 'map maker' service to India and has, within three weeks of its launch, drawn quite some attention to it in cyberspace. Supporters of the project started sending messages out via the net, urging friends and colleagues to create their own detailed maps -- by adding details of features in the villages or urban areas where they live.

Punjab students make 250 km per litre ‘wonder car’

Technology

By IANS, Chandigarh : Imagine doing a 250-km journey from Delhi to Jaipur or Delhi to here in a car that will go the distance in just one-litre of petrol (just over $1)! That's exactly what students of a technical institute in Punjab - the Rayat Institute of Engineering and Information Technology near Ropar, 50 km from here - claim to have developed.

Clouds, fog hide meteor shower view in Delhi

Technology

By IANS New Delhi : A rare celestial event, the Geminid meteor shower, was visible across most of India Friday night, but sadly the grand annual celestial spectacle could not be seen in Delhi due to a cloudy and foggy sky. "Not only Delhi, but places like Mumbai and other northern Indian cities will not view this development properly. Sky watchers in the capital will miss out the event due mainly to fog, clouds and light pollution (excessive city lights)," Nehru Planetarium director R. Rathnasree told IANS.

Digital cameras: dealing with dust in DSLRs

Technology

By Jay Dougherty, DPA Washington : In digital photography, dust is the enemy. It's especially true for owners of interchangeable lens digital cameras (DSLRs), the sales of which are growing faster than for any other type. When dust gets inside the camera, it ends up on the sensor - the camera's main light-gathering chip - and can show up on your digital photographs as spots. Some of these spots are large, some small, some faint and some dark.

After more than four-year wait, Endeavour set for launch

Technology

By DPA Washington : The last time space shuttle Endeavour flew to the International Space Station (ISS) was November 2002 - the last mission before the accident that destroyed shuttle Columbia in February 2003, killing seven astronauts including Indian born Kalpana Chawla. Since the tragedy, Endeavour has remained on the ground - a time US space agency NASA used to outfit the shuttle with all available safeguards. Now the newly equipped Endeavour is getting ready for its premiere.

Orissa’s first community radio station goes on air

Technology

By IANS, Bhubaneswar: Orissa's first community radio station has gone on air in Konark. The radio station, named Radio Namaskar, has been established by non-governmental organisation Young India near the Sun Temple of Konark. It is completely managed by local residents. "We are just providing a medium to give vent to the aspirations, concerns and communication needs of the local community that are otherwise overlooked by the mainstream media," N.A. Saha Ansari, Young India president, told IANS Saturday.

ISBA secretariat at Technopark-TBI

Technology

By IANS, Thiruvananthapuram: The Indian Science and Technology Entrepreneurs Parks (STEPs) and Business Incubators' Association (ISBA) will open its new headquarters in the Technopark-TBI here.

NASA Destroys Rocket after Launch Failure

Technology

By SPA, Washington : The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said it destroyed an unmanned suborbital rocket shortly after a launch failure early Friday from an island off the Virginia coast. There were no injuries or property damage, NASA said in a statement, but the agency warned that debris from the explosion could be dangerous. NASA believes most of the wreckage fell into the Atlantic Ocean off the Virginia coast. The rocket, made by Alliant Tech Systems, was carrying two experiments. NASA said it is investigating why the rocket failed.

NASA extends Cassini’s probe of Saturn’s moons

Technology

By Xinhua, Beijing : Finished with its four-year primary mission to Saturn, the Cassini orbiter has turned its cameras upon the ringed planet's mysterious moons as it kicks off a two-year extended mission.

New technologies must to tackle climate change: Jeffrey Sachs

Technology

By IANS New Delhi : New technologies are the only way to tackle climate change, Jeffrey D. Sachs, the Earth Institute director and special adviser to the UN Secretary General, said here Saturday. "Rapid economic growth and climate change mitigation cannot go together as long as we stick to current technologies," Sachs told delegates at the valedictory session of the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit.

Solar mission to start with 1,300 MW, reach 20,000 by 2022

Technology

By IANS, New Delhi : India's solar mission will set up, in its first phase, 1,100 MW of solar power through the electricity grid and 200 MW off the grid, with the objective of making solar power as cheap as power from coal by the end of the mission, Minister for New and Renewable Energy Farooq Abdullah said here Monday.

Kepler camera launched: Other “earths”, where are you?

Technology

By DPA, Washington : NASA late Friday sent the Kepler satellite into Earth's orbit with instructions to search for extraterrestrial life on Earth-type planets orbiting other stars. The launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida on board a Delta-II-rocket was reported on a live blog operated by the Kepler project on the internet. The Kepler mission, named after the 17th century German astronomer, is targetting about 100,000 stars in the Milky Way galaxy that scientists believe could have planets orbiting in a "habitable" zone.

HP forecasts strong growth in 2011

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By DPA,

Rain or shine, India’s moon mission will keep its Oct 22 date

Technology

By IANS, Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh) : Come rain or shine, India's maiden moon mission will be launched from here Oct 22 as scheduled, officials said. Except for a a severe cyclone, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) C11 will blast off from the second launch pad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) here as scheduled.

Graphene device detects narcotics in a jiffy

Technology

By IANS, London: A new graphene-based device can pinpoint the presence of the tiniest amounts of performance enhancing drugs and steroids, rapidly and accurately, in athletes' blood samples.

65-year-old bulb still shines, and outshines all

Technology

London, Dec 21 (IANS) It withstood German air raids on London in the second world war. It defied the British police opposed to its presence. And it continues to survive, about to outlive the store it was brought from. This is the story of a light bulb, aged 65. The 40-watt bulb, which still works, now has the pride of place in a china cabinet at the home of Valerie Beaney, 68, whose late mother Rose Allen bought it from Woolworths in 1943.

Space hotel to open in 2012

Technology

By Xinhua Madrid : The Galactic Suite, the first hotel in space, will open for business in 2012, its Barcelona-based architects said. Reservations for the Galactic Suite will begin in 2008, company director Xavier Claramunt said here. "The Galactic suite will allow clients to travel around the world in 80 minutes," Claramunt said.

Microsoft’s Bing search engine aims to rival Google

Technology

By DPA, San Francisco : Microsoft stepped up its efforts to cut into the search dominance of Google, launching a public preview version of its widely praised Bing search site Monday. The site offers several features that are not automatically available on Google such as instant excerpts that allow users to see the contents of a page without actually clicking on it and a sidebar detailing related searches.

NASA probe flies by Mercury in 1st visit since 1975

Technology

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.

India can send crew to space in seven years

Technology

By IANS Washington : India will be able to send manned space flights in seven to eight years, G. Madhavan Nair, head of India's space programme, said here. "We have sensitised the government on manned space flights. In seven to eight years, we will be able to carry crew to orbit and back," Nair, chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and the Space Commission, said Wednesday. He said India believes that space is the next frontier and international cooperation rather than competition in this field will be the future.

Meandering rivers fight pollution better

Technology

By IANS Washington : Do not be misled by the size of the rivers. Small rivers can be as efficient as the longer ones when it comes to cleansing themselves - provided they are allowed to maintain their natural flow. Scientists at Michigan State University found this after studying several streams and rivers in an effort to understand what happens to the nitrogen that is washed into the water.

China sends up 1st data relay satellite

Technology

By SPA, Beijing : China has launched its first data relay satellite in preparation for the inaugural spacewalk by a Chinese astronaut scheduled for later this year, a state news agency said Saturday. The Tianlian I satellite was launched on a Long March-3C carrier rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province late Friday night, Xinhua News Agency said.

Tiny robot to simulate lunar mission in Hawaii

Technology

By IANS, Washington : A robot designed for lunar prospecting will be tested on the cool, rocky slopes of Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano that is also Hawaii's highest mountain. During the field experiment, scheduled in the first half of November, the four wheeled robot called Scarab will simulate a lunar mission to extract water, hydrogen, oxygen and other compounds that could potentially be mined for use by future lunar explorers.

Hole in Moon may serve as lunar base for astronauts

Technology

By IANS, London : In a major discovery, geophysicists have identified a vertical hole they believe is a skylight on the surface of the moon that could serve as a lunar base for astronauts. The dark pit in an intact lava tube is located in the Marius Hills region, a volcanic area on the Moon, a report published in Geophysical Research Letters said. The discovery was made using images from the moon-orbiting Japanese SELENE (also known as Kaguya) spacecraft. It was led by Junichi Haruyama of the NTT DATA CCS Corporation, Japan.

Astronauts enter space station’s new European lab

Technology

By Xinhua Washington : Astronauts aboard the orbiting International Space Station opened the newly-installed European Columbus laboratory and conducted some outfitting tasks on Tuesday. European-built Columbus lab was delivered to the station by U.S. space shuttle Atlantis, which lift off on Feb. 7 after a series of delays.

Five billion people to use cell phones in 2010: UN

Technology

By IANS, Madrid: The number of mobile phone users across the world would increase to five billion this year, a UN telecommunication agency said Monday. The number of mobile phone subscriptions worldwide has reached 4.6 billion and is expected to increase to five billion this year, according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). "Even during an economic crisis, we have seen no drop in the demand for communications services," ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Toure said.

Delhi Police now just one touch away

Technology

New Delhi : Delhi Police chief B.S. Bassi on Friday launched a trial version of the much awaited mobile app "Delhi Police... One...

Scientific breakthrough in creating synthetic blood

Technology

By IANS, London : Scientists have created red blood cells for the first time from spare IVF embryos cells in Britain as part of a multi-million pound project to manufacture synthetic blood on mass-scale. IVF or In-vitro fertilisation is a process by which egg cells are fertilised by sperm outside the womb. Researchers relied on more than 100 spare embryos left over from treatment at fertility clinics to establish several embryonic stem cell "lines", reports the Telegraph.

Rare turtle travels 7,000 km to breed!

Technology

By IANS, Toronto : How could a contemporary of the great dinosaurs survive to this day? A rare leatherback turtle, which has existed since the time of the dinosaurs, has been found to be adept at making the longest ocean journey to breed in warmer places. Fitted with a satellite transmitter by Canadian scientists to track its journey, the turtle - which is the also world's largest turtle growing up to two metres long and weighing up to 500 kilogramme - travelled over 7,000 km to be found on the coast of Colombia in South America.

Experts to study animal behaviour during solar eclipse

Technology

By Richa Sharma, IANS, Bhopal : How would animals and birds behave during a total solar eclipse? Experts at the Van Vihar National Park in this Madhya Pradesh capital will study animal behaviour during the phenomena July 22. The eclipse Wednesday will be the longest solar eclipse of the century. Lasting six minutes and 39 seconds, it would be visible across Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific.

Is freedom of expression under threat in digital age?

Technology

By IANS,

PM congratulates scientists for Chandrayaan’s successful journey

Technology

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.

Colombia budgeting on Indian software

Technology

By Devirupa Mitra, IANS Bogota : Colombia will soon have a sophisticated software programme to prepare, implement and monitor its national budget, thanks to an Indian software company. From his office inside the finance ministry building opposite the Colombian Presidential Palace in Bogota, Subramanian Ravishankar is leading a global team of 350 Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) employees working exclusively on this major government project.

EU, India plan corpus for nano-technology research

Technology

By IANS New Delhi : India and the European Commission (EC), a governing body of the European Union (EU), will set up a corpus fund of euro 10 million (Rs.576.7 million) for research in nano-technology, a top EC official said here Wednesday. "We are for a joint call, which will focus on collaborative research. The effort will receive support of about euro 5 million (Rs.288.4 million) from each party," EC director general (research) Jose M.S. Rodriguez told reporters.

Mission moon: the young are gung ho

Technology

By Maitreyee Boruah, IANS, Bangalore : The student community in India's tech capital is quite busy these days, not just with preparations for the mid-term exams but with newfound interest to know more about the moon. The credit for generating interest about the moon among the school and college-goers goes to India's lunar explorer, Chandrayaan-1 which is all set to be launched Oct 22 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.

Scientists turn animal waste into ‘bio-plastic’

Technology

By IANS, Sydney : A new process developed by scientists converts low grade animal waste like feathers into plastic products that are bio-degradable. The “bio-plastic”, as it is being called, would be suitable for agricultural plastic sheeting, seedling trays, plant pots and even biodegradable golf tees, ScienceAlert reported.

Software to locate stolen laptops launched

Technology

By IANS Mumbai : Mumbai based Micro technologies have launched India's first laptop tracking system to locate stolen laptops. Micro Lost Notebook Tracking System (LNTS) is a software product that is embedded on notebook hard drives and is tracked as soon as they are connected to the Internet. "The software was developed to deter, track and recover stolen laptops, notebooks and personal computers," said P. Shekar, Micro technologies chairperson.

Guard your electrical systems – the sun is frowning

Technology

By IANS New York : The sun has just entered a 11-year cycle of heightened activity that could throw electrical and electronic systems including cell phones and ATMs out of gear, scientists say. A sunspot that marks the beginning of the cycle appeared late Tuesday in the sun's northern hemisphere, scientists of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said, reports Sciencedaily.

Scientists unveil bionic eye for future implantation

Technology

By IANS, Sydney : Scientists have unveiled a bionic eye for future implantation in patients. The prototype, developed by Bionic Vision Australia (BVA) researchers at the University of New South Wales, will deliver improved quality of life for patients suffering from degenerative vision loss caused by retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is a condition that causes loss of vision in older adults by damaging the retina.

Strange molecule in sky cleans acid rain

Technology

By IANS, Washington : Researchers have stumbled upon an unusual molecule that helps break down pollutants, especially the compounds that cause acid rain. Marsha Lester and Joseph Francisco, of Pennsylvania and Purdue Universities, found the molecule that had exercised scientists for more than 40 years. Somewhat like a human body metabolising food, the earth's atmosphere has the ability to "burn," or oxidise pollutants, especially nitric oxides emitted by factories and automobiles. What doesn't get oxidised in the air falls back to earth in the form of acid rain.

Polaris Software to invest Rs.350 mn for expansion

Technology

By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS, Chennai : At a time when the domestic software sector is going slow on hiring of personnel and expansion, the city-based Rs.11-billion Polaris Software Lab is taking a contrarian path. The company has decided to construct a new 1,500-seat facility at Siruseri near here with an outlay of Rs.350 million. "Construction activity will start next quarter. We have 10 acres there," Polaris chairman and managing director Arun Jain told IANS.

Around the world in 80 days, the Indian Air Force way

Technology

Hindon (Uttar Pradesh), Aug 19 (IANS) Two intrepid Indian Air Force (IAF) pilots flew in here Sunday after creating two new world records for circumnavigating the globe in a microlight aircraft. Flying over 16 countries and touching 81 destinations, Wing Commanders Rahul Monga and Anil Kumar completed their journey in 80 days, shaving 19 days off the existing mark of 99 days held by Britain's Colin Bodil since 2001. They also bettered Bodil's airspeed record of 16.53 km per hour by recording 21.09 km per hour.

Iran says space program poses no threat to peace

Technology

By RIA Novosti Tehran : A spokesman for Iran's government gave assurances on Tuesday that the country's achievements in space technology and research pose no threat to peace and stability in the world. Gholam-Hossein Elham's comments come a day after Tehran's successful launch of the Explorer-1 research rocket, which is reportedly capable of carrying a satellite into orbit, and the unveiling of the country's first domestically built satellite, named Omid, or Hope.

Drop in CO2 triggered polar ice sheet formation

Technology

By IANS, Washington : A drop in carbon dioxide (CO2) levels seems to have triggered Antarctic ice sheet formation.

ISRO emergency alert system for east coast fishermen

Technology

By IANS Chennai : Fishermen in Bay of Bengal now have help on hand in case of any crisis as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Tuesday handed over emergency alert transmitters to the fishing community along the Tamil Nadu coast. At a function held at the Coast Guard premises here, State Fisheries Minister K.P.P. Samy handed over five transmitters, each costing about Rs.10,000, free of cost to fishermen.

‘Designing Chandrayaan was like writing lyrics to a set tune’

Technology

By Venkatachari Jagannathan, IANS, Chennai : While building India's first moon craft, Chandrayaan project director Mylswamy Annadurai was reminded of his engineering college days when he wrote lyrics to the tunes of his classmates. At that time he used to write poetry - some were published in the college magazine.

Previously unknown species of dinosaur discovered in Mexico

Technology

By RIA Novosti Mexico City : Scientists in northern Mexico have unearthed evidence of a previously unknown species of plant-eating dinosaur that inhabited the Coahuila desert more than 72 million years ago, national media said. The creature had three giant horns, which are thought to have helped it attract females and fight predators.

ISS orbit adjustment complete – mission control

Technology

By RIA Novosti, Moscow : The International Space Station's orbit has been adjusted to prepare for the docking of the Progress M-65 cargo module, due to be launched September 10, Russia's Mission Control Center said Wednesday. Corrections to the space station's orbit are conducted periodically before launches of Russian cargo modules and U.S. shuttles to compensate for Earth's gravity and to ensure successful dockings.

Light fuel cells will power unmanned choppers

Technology

By IANS, London : Light fuel cells are likely to power tiny, unmanned choppers that will look for people trapped in debris or examine contaminated terrain. Since large numbers of fuel cells are required to deliver enough power, manufacturers tend to stack them, making the chopper heavy. But this problem has been overcome by researchers from Technical University of Berlin's Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration IZM.

We need clear space vision: Senators to Obama

Technology

By DPA, Washington : A group of senators has called for a clear vision for the future of the US space programme, characterising President Barack Obama's plans for space agency NASA as "without a mission". Earlier this month, Obama's 2011 budget proposal included the scrapping of existing plans for next-generation spacecraft to return to the moon. The move unleashed a stream of criticism from politicians who supported the plans, but NASA officials defend the move as allowing NASA to focus on longer term goals.

Google’s help sought in Koda investigation

Technology

By IANS, Ranchi : The Income Tax (IT) department has sought help from US-based Google and its gmail e-mail service to get details of messages relating to foreign investments as the investigation into charges of money laundering by former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda progresses, an official said Monday. "We are taking help of different agencies in the investigation. This is part of it," said Ajit Srivastav, additional director, Investigations in the income tax (IT) department.

Mobile retailer Svyaznoy to open Apple stores in Russia

Technology

By IANS/RIA Novosti, Moscow: Mobile retailer Svyaznoy plans to launch Apple Premium Reseller mono-brand stores in 10 Russian cities.

Spacecraft images show rings of Saturn’s 2nd largest moon

Technology

By Xinhua Los Algeles : Saturn's second largest moon, Rhea, may have rings, according to images from a spacecraft managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Los Angeles. The finding was described in a study published in the March 7 issue of the journal Science. Scientists at NASA believe the rings may be the remnants of an asteroid or comet collision, which circulated large quantities of gas and solid particles around Rhea.

Russia launches navigation satellite

Technology

By IANS/RIA Novosti, Plesetsk (Russia) : Russia Monday launched a navigation satellite from its Plesetsk Space Centre, Space Forces spokesman Col. Alexei Zolotukhin said.

Signal received from missing Indonesian satellite

Technology

By IANS/RIA Novosti, Moscow : Contact has been made with an Indonesian telecommunications satellite which went missing following a failed launch last week, a Russian rocket firm said Monday.

Rogue nation could engineer disaster, warn experts

Technology

By IANS, London: The chilling possibility of a rogue nation using climate change to carry out disastrous geoengineering to modify or minimise its impact could not be ruled out, warn experts.

‘Sunshield’ to protect space telescope from extremes of heat, cold

Technology

By IANS, Washington : Engineers have designed a 'Sunshield' to protect NASA's James Webb space telescope from extremes of heat and cold, radiation and small debris. Besides, the 'Sunshield' would also block solar heat to allow its cameras and instruments to operate optimally at 1.6 million km from the earth in 2013. A satellite has to withstand the icy cold and the intense heat and radiation of a solar flare in space, which ranges between a super-hot 127 degrees Celsius and a frigid minus 243.

Simple device boosts vehicle mileage dramatically

Technology

By IANS, Washington : Steeply rocketing fuel prices have prompted a physics professor to develop a simple device that boosted fuel efficiency by 20 percent in field tests - an electrically charged tube that can be attached to the fuel line of a car's engine near the fuel injector. Powered by the vehicle's battery, the device creates an electric field that thins the fuel, so that smaller droplets are injected into the engine. That leads to more efficient and cleaner combustion than a standard fuel injector, said the developer, Rongjia Tao, professor of physics at Temple University.

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