Posts Tagged ‘Technology’

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First private space flight to the ISS in November?

August 16, 2011

California-based rocket maker SpaceX said that it will make a test flight in late November to the International Space Station, now that NASA has retired its space shuttle program.The Dragon space capsule to be launched by a Falcon Heavy rocket has been given a November 30th launch date by NASA.

The Space X news release is here.

Space X Dragon capsule: image spacetourismnow.com

PhysOrg

“SpaceX has been hard at work preparing for our next flight — a mission designed to demonstrate that a privately-developed space transportation system can deliver cargo to and from the International Space Station (ISS),” the company, also called Space Exploration Technologies, said in a statement.

The mission is the second to be carried out by SpaceX, one of a handful of firms competing to make a spaceship to replace the now-defunct US shuttle, which had been used to carry supplies and equipment to the orbiting outpost.

“NASA has given us a November 30, 2011 launch date, which should be followed nine days later by Dragon berthing at the ISS,” the company said.

It said the arrival of the vessel at the space station would herald “the beginning of a new era in space travel.”

“Together, government and the private sector can simultaneously increase the reliability, safety and frequency of space travel, while greatly reducing the costs,” SpaceX said.

The company won $75 million in new seed money earlier this year, after it became the first to successfully send its own space capsule, the gumdrop-shaped Dragon, into orbit and back in December 2010.

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Posted in Engineering, Space, Technology, US | 1 Comment »

3-D printing!! Cool

July 16, 2011

A 3-D printer.

Very cool!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?

3D printing is a form of additive manufacturing technology where a three dimensional object is created by laying down successive layers of material. 3D printers are generally faster, more affordable and easier to use than other additive manufacturing technologies. 3D printers offer product developers the ability to print parts and assemblies made of several materials with different mechanical and physical properties in a single build process. Advanced 3D printing technologies yield models that can serve as product prototypes.

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Geoengineering possibilities threaten the CO2 reduction advocates

November 11, 2010

The global warming brigade and their funding is dependant upon carbon dioxide being considered a villain and being banned. Global warming dogma does not like geoengineering solutions which may make doomsday scenarios irrelevant.

When geo-engineering – that is human intervention directed to adapting to climate  – suggests ways in which we could successfully keep climatic conditions suitable for human development, the global warmists are appalled. To suggest alternatives to banning carbon dioxide suddenly creates “ethical issues” whereas alarmism and doomsday scenarios do not!!

But if it is unintended human intervention which creates a problem then surely it is the only “right and proper” course to use intended human intervention to rectify the situation (even though man-made carbon dioxide is of little significance and totally irrelevant as far as climate change is concerned).

In fact – I would suggest – it is unethical to stifle human ingenuity and the march of technology.

Human development cannot be based on “not doing something”. Strategy must be based on the positive choice of “what to do” which may – as a consequence – lead to certain other things not being done. But when environmentalism or conservation or climate change lead only to lists of “what not to do” they degenerate into cowardice where actions are subordinated to “fear” and  lose credibility.

The Guardian tells us:

The problem is that proposals to geo-engineer the climate come loaded with social and ethical concerns. Is it acceptable to intentionally intervene in the volatile climate system? How would it be governed? What would prevent the abuse of climate-controlling technologies, and whose hand would be on the global thermostat?

Geoengineering or climate engineering solution to climate change: marine cloud whitening

A geoengineering solution:Spraying seawater droplets into marine clouds from ships could make them reflect more sunlight. Photograph: Nasa

The growing number of scientists working on different aspects of geo-engineering research – from climate modelling, to lab experiments with reflective particles that could be injected into the stratosphere – are anxious to emphasise that they are not geo-engineering cheerleaders. They simply want to understand the pros and cons of different technologies, in case the day came when they might be needed, a day they hope will never come.

The Royal Society itself has taken great care to indicate that it does not advocate geo-engineering – and certainly not in the place of deep global cuts in greenhouse gases. But it does advocate research on geo-engineering, and that’s where the dilemma for many scientists kicks in.

On the one hand, it is clearly prudent to understand more about geo-engineering – the worst of all scenarios would involve a government deploying a technology without knowing what its effects would be. Initial evidence suggests that spraying the skies with reflective particles of sulphate would have a major impact on patterns of rainfall. Surely it is better to know this sooner rather than later?

On the other hand, conducting research on geo-engineering is one of the main factors that will make the deployment of the technologies more likely. Most scientists are deeply sceptical about the use of such “remedial” action on global warming. But scientists won’t be the ones to decide whether the technology is used. So are they unwittingly clearing the path for future deployment?

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Posted in Alarmism, Climate, Ethics, Geoengineering | Comments Off on Geoengineering possibilities threaten the CO2 reduction advocates

Hayabusa particles could be extraterrestrial

October 10, 2010

I posted earlier on the return of the ion engine powered Hayabusa.

Hayabusa started its journey in 2003 and met up with the asteroid Itokawa in 2005. The plan was to fire small metal projectiles at the asteroid to generate small pea size samples of the asteroid. This plan failed when the projectile firing device failed to function. After a long journey the spacecraft returned to Earth in June this year.

The sample capsule released by the Hayabusa asteroid probe. (Mainichi)

The sample capsule released by the Hayabusa asteroid probe. (Mainichi)

 

Though the inner capsule had no mm sized particles as hoped, some dust was found in the sealed container. Until recently, many of the fine particles found in the capsule had been believed to be aluminum powder or dust that had slipped into the capsule on Earth during manufacturing or Hayabusa’s launch reports the Mainichi Daily News.

However, the research team collected some 100 particles that are smaller than 0.001 millimeters in size from the inner cylinder of the capsule, called the “sample catcher,” and concluded some of them may be cosmic materials. The particles, which are invisible to the human eye, were collected by remote control using a special Teflon spatula — about 6 millimeters long and 3 millimeters wide — and examined with an electron microscope. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans to further analyze the samples by splitting each particle and examining their crystal structure at Spring 8, a large-scale synchrotron radiation facility in Hyogo Prefecture, starting next month to determine where they are from. The procedure may also provide new information on the birth of the solar system.

“We cannot yet tell (whether the particles are from Itokawa) from their external features, but we have found many particles and there is a chance (that they are extraterrestrial),” said Munetaka Ueno, a researcher at JAXA’s Institute of Space and Astronautical Science.

Today Mainichi reports that:

Rocky particles (circled) are seen on the tip of a spatula used to scrape materials off of the sample capsule. (Photo courtesy of JAXA).

Rocky particles (circled) are seen on the tip of a spatula used to scrape materials off of the sample capsule. (Photo courtesy of JAXA).

The particles in a sample capsule released by the Hayabusa asteroid probe on its return to Earth were largely rocky materials, researchers have announced. At a lecture of the Japanese Society for Planetary Sciences in Nagoya on Oct. 8, a team of researchers released electron micrographs of the particles that were retrieved from the capsule, reporting that most of them were rocky.

According to the research team, including experts from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), they have detected at least 100 particles from the capsule, with most of them measuring less than 0.001 millimeters in size.

Since the rocky particles are diverse in composition, researchers will further inspect them at SPring-8, a large synchrotron radiation facility in Sayo, Hyogo Prefecture, to determine if they are terrestrial or from the asteroid Itokawa.

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Posted in Astronomy, Japan, Science, Space | 4 Comments »

Ships of the future

October 8, 2010

Freely translated from Ny Teknik

The Finnish shipbuilder Wärtsilä has drawn up three possible scenarios for 2030 and made concept sketches for the ships of the future which would fit into the scenarios. They are now inviting comments from the public.
Wärtsilä’s “future investigators” have sketched three types of vessels that fit on each of the three different visions – Rough Seas, the Yellow River and the Open Oceans.

 

Rough Seas Water Carrier: Wärtsilä

 

(more…)

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Chang’e-2 enters 12 hour lunar orbit

October 6, 2010

Chang’e-2 enters 12 hour lunar orbit

China’s second unmanned lunar probe  Chang’e-2, completed its first braking Wednesday, which decelerated the spacecraft and successfully allowed it to enter a 12-hour orbit, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC). Chang’e-2, following instructions from the center, started the first braking at 11:06 a.m. and entered the 12-hour elliptical moon orbit 32 minutes later. It was the first braking for Chang’e-2. The space- probe needs to brake another two times before it can enter the designed 118-minute working orbit. The braking “laid a solid foundation” for Chang’e-2 to carry out scientific explorations in its final orbit, BACC said in a press release.

Compared with Chang’e-1, it is more challenging for Chang’e-2 to brake as it must do so at a closer distance to the moon and at a higher speed. A Long-March-3C carrier rocket carried Chang’e-2 into space blasting off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, at about 7 p.m. Friday.

To acquire more detailed moon data, Chang’e-2 will enter a lower lunar orbit about 100 km above the surface, compared with the 200-km altitude of Chang’e-1, according to the control center. Before its first braking, the lunar probe had traveled nearly 350,000 km.

Screen shows the virtual animation of the first braking of Chang'e II lunar probe in Beijing Aerospace Control Center in Beijing, capital of China, Oct. 6, 2010. China's second unmanned lunar probe, Chang'e II, completed its first braking Wednesday, which decelerated the satellite and successfully made it enter a 12-hour orbit, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center. (Xinhua/Tian Zhaoyun) (xzj)

Cheng'e - 2 enters 12 hour lunar borbit

Two satellites into orbit

In other news today a Long March 4B rocket carrying two satellites of the “Shijian VI-04” group lifted off from the launch pad in Taiyuan, capital of north China’s Shanxi Province, Oct. 6, 2010. The satellites which have entered their space orbits will carry out probes on space environment and radiation and conduct space science experiments, according to the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center.

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Posted in China, Science, Space, Technology | 2 Comments »

Rain and lack of wind hit UK renewable generation

October 1, 2010

The Guardian reports that

The UK has suffered a second fall in renewable energy production this year, raising concern about the more than £1bn support the industry receives each year from taxpayers.

Wind turbine accident

Lower than expected wind speeds and rainfall led to a 12% fall in renewable electricity generated between April and June, compared to the same period in 2009. This setback follows a smaller but still notable decline between January and March, again compared to last year.

The DECC admits that “The intermittent nature of wind means that we do need alternative back-up generation, for when wind speeds drop” but should have added that alternative capacity is also necessary when it blows too hard and when it is too cold and when the foundations are cracking and …

Seasonal power generation can contribute marginally to energy needs but cannot provide base-load power generation.

Wind is not always as benign as it is made out. The “Summary of Wind Turbine Accident Data to 31 December 2008” reports 41 worker fatalities.

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Virus War! A taste of things to come?

September 24, 2010
Advertisement from the 1970s by American nucle...

Wikipedia:Advertisement from the 1970s by American nuclear-energy companies

(Reuters) –

A computer virus that attacks a widely used industrial system appears aimed mostly at Iran and its power suggests a state may have been involved in creating it, an expert at a U.S. technology company said on Friday.

Kevin Hogan, Senior Director of Security Response at Symantec, told Reuters 60 percent of the computers worldwide infected by the so-called Stuxnet worm were in Iran, indicating industrial plants in that country were the target. Hogan’s comments are the latest in a string of specialist comments on Stuxnet that have stirred speculation that Iran’s first nuclear power station, at Bushehr, has been targeted in a state-backed attempt at sabotage or espionage.

“It’s pretty clear that based on the infection behavior that installations in Iran are being targeted,” Hogan said of the virus which attacks Siemens AG‘s widely used industrial control systems.

“The numbers are off the charts,” he said, adding Symantec had located the IP addresses of the computers infected and traced the geographic spread of the malicious code. Diplomats and security sources say Western governments and Israel view sabotage as one way of slowing Iran’s nuclear program, which the West suspects is aimed at making nuclear weapons but Tehran insists is for peaceful energy purposes. It was clear the worm’s creators had significant resources.

“We cannot rule out the possibility (of a state being behind it). Largely based on the resources, organization and in-depth knowledge across several fields — including specific knowledge of installations in Iran — it would have to be a state or a non-state actor with access to those kinds of (state) systems.”

BUSHEHR CONNECTION

Siemens was involved in the original design of the Bushehr reactor in the 1970s, when West Germany and France agreed to build the nuclear power station for the former Shah of Iran before he was overthrown by the 1979 Islamic revolution.

The company has said the malware is a Trojan worm that has spread via infected USB thumb drives, exploiting a vulnerability in Microsoft Corp’s Windows operating system that has since been resolved. Siemens, Microsoft and security experts who have studied the worm have yet to determine who created the malicious software, described by commentators as the world’s first known cyber “super weapon” designed to destroy a real-world target.

Israel, which is assumed to have the Middle East’s only atomic arsenal, has hinted it could attack Iranian facilities if international diplomacy fails to curb Tehran’s nuclear designs. Israel has also developed a powerful cyberwarfare capacity. Major-General Amos Yadlin, chief of military intelligence, last year said Israeli armed forces had the means to provide network security and launch cyber attacks of their own.

In Washington, Vice Admiral Bernard McCullough, the head of the U.S. Navy’s Fleet Cyber Command, told Reuters on Thursday after testifying about cyber operations before a House of Representatives Armed Services subcommittee, that the worm “has some capabilities we haven’t seen before.”

On Wednesday, Army General Keith Alexander, head of the Pentagon’s new Cyber Command, said his forces regarded the virus as “very sophisticated.”

Siemens is the world’s number one maker of industrial automation control systems, which are also the company’s bread-and-butter, but it was not immediately clear whether the specific Siemens systems targeted by Stuxnet are at Bushehr.

Computer virus wars instead of mass killing would be a preferable trend to virus wars as a precursor to mass killing.

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE68N2DY20100924?pageNumber=1

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“Houston, We have a problem”: Astronauts abort return to Earth

September 24, 2010

Update!

25.10.2010 – 0635 CET

Astronauts undocked successfully and are due to touchdown at 09:22 this morning.

(Reuters) –

Two Russians and a U.S. astronaut aborted a return to Earth on Friday when their space capsule failed to separate from the International Space Station. “This situation has never occurred before,” a spokeswoman at Russian Mission Control near Moscow said, as space officials scrambled to determine the cause.

International Space Station

NASA astronaut Tracy Caldwell Dyson and two Russian crew mates climbed into a Soyuz capsule hitched to the station for the descent, but latches holding the craft to a docking port failed to open, the spokeswoman said.

Russia’s space agency chief Anatoly Perminov told reporters at Mission Control that Dyson, Alexander Skvortsov and Mikhail Korniyenko’s return to Earth after nearly six months in space had been rescheduled for Saturday.

The docking mechanism did not function because the station’s computer sent a false signal indicating the hatch between station and capsule was not fully sealed, Perminov said. He said technicians had found no problem with the seals, and suggested they were still puzzling over exactly went wrong.

A second undocking attempt “could have gone ahead today, but we need additional time to make sure we have reliable information about the problem,” Perminov told a terse news conference at Mission Control. “There is no point in rushing,” he said. Perminov refused to take questions, saying he did not want to fuel rumors.

Russian Mission Control and the U.S. space agency NASA’s Mission Control in Houston agreed the three crew members would go back to the space station and await a fresh undocking attempt on Saturday, NASA said. Three other crew members, Russian Fyodor Yurchikhin and NASA astronauts Doug Wheelock and Shannon Walker, would remain aboard the station as planned after Saturday’s departure. “I see no technical problem on the station or anywhere that would threaten the crew,” Perminov said. Another Russian space agency official, Alexei Krasnov, said the landing should now take place on Saturday at about 9:20 a.m.

Skvortsov, Korniyenko and Dyson boarded the space station on April 4 after a flight up together in the Soyuz TMA-18 craft, which will also be used for their return to Earth.

Fingers crossed for the next attempt on Saturday.

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Tata Nano +: Tata Motors riding high

September 19, 2010

Tata Nano +

Tata Motors is to woo Indian small car budget customers by launching an upgraded version of its Nano, the new Tata Nano Plus sometime in 2011. Tata Motors plans a Nano Plus with upgraded features. The Nano+ for the Indian market is expected to be similar to the Nano Europa.

Tata Nano was launched to woo the Indian automobile customers with its Rs. 1 lac (2200$) price tag but has failed to live upto the initial hype because of technical problems and issues of delayed delivery. The new Tata Nano + will include a more powerful 1000 cc engine instead of the older 623 cc engine. It will also include ABS, alloy wheels, integrated music systems and improved interiors. The car will be on the lines of Nano Europa and will compete with Maruti Alto and Chevrolet Spark. Delivery of the car  should not be a problem as the new Sanand plant increases production.

Tata Motors’ global vehicles sales rose 29% to 85,411 units in August 2010 over August 2009. The global sales include figures of its British luxury unit Jaguar Land Rover, whose sales rose 29% to 16,220 units in August 2010 over August 2009.

Tata CNG hybrid bus

Tata CNG hybrid bus

Tata Motors are also bringing out India’s first CNG-Electric hybrid public transport bus. It can accommodate 32 people, uses a parallel hybrid system and has a top speed of 72 kph.

Tata Motors has reported a growth of 29 percent in August. The entire sales of Tata’s vehicles totaled to 85,114 units in August 2010, a growth of 29 percent over August 2009. This has taken the cumulative sales for the fiscal year (April 2010 – August 2010) to 424,938, higher by 42 percent compared to the corresponding period in 2009-10. Sales of all commercial vehicles were 40,882 last month, a growth of 25 percent, taking the cumulative sales to 192,612, a growth of 35 percent.

2009 Jaguar XF photographed at the 2008 Washin...

Jaguar XF

Sales of all passenger vehicles were 44,232 in the month, a growth of 33 percent and the corresponding cumulative sales are 232,326, a growth of 49 percent. Tata passenger vehicle sales, including those distributed, were 28,012 for the month, a growth of 35 percent with a cumulative increase of 50 percent. Jaguar Land Rover global sales in August 2010 were 16,220 vehicles, higher by 29 percent. Jaguar sales for August 2010 were 3,788, higher by 33 percent, while Land Rover sales were 12,432, higher by 28 percent. Cumulative sales of Jaguar Land Rover for the fiscal are 92,759, higher by 46 percent. Cumulative sales of Jaguar are 24,919, higher by 31 percent, while cumulative sales of Land Rover are 67,840, higher by 52 percent.

Tata Motors is planning to launch new models with its Venture MPV and Aria Crossover in the near future.

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