International Space Station shifts orbit to prevent collision with space debris – Video

Posted on by


International Space Station shifts orbit to prevent collision with space debris
Originally published March 18, 2014 The International Space Station shifted its route to avoid colliding with an incoming piece of space junk, NASA officials...

By: TomoNews US

More here:

International Space Station shifts orbit to prevent collision with space debris - Video

SpaceX cargo mission blasts off to space station

Posted on by

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Friday and sped through a cloud-covered sky on its way to deliver supplies to the International Space Station for NASA.

The Hawthorne-based rocket manufacturer launched the cargo mission despite a computer glitch aboard the space station and bad weather that threatened to push the liftoff back a day.

Promptly at 12:25 p.m. PDT, the rocket fired up its nine engines and launched into orbit, carrying a capsule packed with 5,000 pounds of supplies for the two American, one Japanese and three Russian astronauts aboard the space station.

The capsule, named Dragon, is scheduled to rendezvous with the space station on Sunday.

In a post-launch news conference, SpaceX founder and Chief Executive Elon Musk said the flight was "perfect as far as we could tell."

"This is a happy day," he said. "I'm just glad we were able to do the job we were contracted for, at least thus far."

The blastoff from Space Launch Complex 40 occurred despite the failure of one of the space station's backup computers, which assists a space capsule as it docks with the station.

The launch also marked the first time that SpaceX attempted to recover the first stage of its rocket after separation. During the news conference, Musk said the effort to retrieve the part so far appeared unsuccessful and he "wouldn't give high odds that the rocket was able to splash down successfully" because of 25-foot waves and rough sea conditions.

More than 55,000 viewers tuned in to an online live stream hosted on SpaceX's website. As plumes of smoke began rising from the rocket seconds before liftoff, the chat room exploded with activity as viewers virtually cheered on the launch.

NASA kept its Twitter followers updated with images from the rocket's first minutes in flight, including the view from a SpaceX rocket camera with Earth in the background and a view of the Dragon spacecraft in orbit as it separated from the Falcon 9.

Read more from the original source:

SpaceX cargo mission blasts off to space station

SpaceX Launches Cargo to Space Station and Tries Rocket Recovery

Posted on by

SpaceX launched more than two tons of cargo to the International Space Station and also conducted an experiment in rocket recovery.

The companys Falcon 9 rocket lifted off into the cloudy skies over Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 3:25 p.m. ET, sending a robotic Dragon cargo capsule into orbit.

The Dragon held nearly 5,000 pounds (2,200 kilograms) of supplies and equipment for the station, ranging from the legs for a space robot to a lettuce-growing experiment. This is the third cargo delivery under the terms of SpaceX's 12-flight, $1.6 billion contract with NASA.

In addition to sending up the Dragon, SpaceX tested a landing system that could make it possible for future Falcons to return autonomously to a landing pad for reuse.

It has come to our attention that the browser you are using is either not running javascript or out of date. Please enable javascript and/or update your browser if possible.

The Falcon's first stage was prepped to fire its engines for a soft splashdown and recovery from the Atlantic. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a pre-launch tweet that heavy seas were keeping the recovery ship from reaching the anticipated splashdown zone.

After the launch, Musk reported via Twitter that the first stage executed a good re-entry burn and was able to stabilize itself on the way down. However, the rough seas were a problem. "I wouldn't give high odds that the rocket was able to splash down successfully," he said.

Later updates were more positive: "Data upload from tracking plane shows landing in Atlantic was good! Several boats enroute through heavy seas," Musk tweeted. "Flight computers continued transmitting for 8 seconds after reaching the water. Stopped when booster went horizontal."

Recovering and reusing rockets are key parts of Musk's strategy for reducing the cost of spaceflight and eventually sending colonists to Mars. The South African-born Musk, whose net worth is estimated at more than $9 billion, is in charge of SpaceX as well as the Tesla electric-car company and the Solar City power-generation venture.

Success after weeks of delay

See the article here:

SpaceX Launches Cargo to Space Station and Tries Rocket Recovery

On fourth try, SpaceX capsule en route to space station

Posted on by

The Dragon capsule is expected to arrive at the International Space Station on Sunday. Friday's launch was the first experiment with a new landing system designed to return the first stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket to its launch pad.

A cargo-laden capsule is on its way to the International Space Station after Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) successfully lofted the craft on Friday afternoon.

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition

The company's Dragon capsule is expected to arrive Sunday morning after the company's Falcon 9 rocket, launched from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station adjacent to NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, placed it on orbit.

Friday was the fourth try for a mission originally scheduled for launch on March 16. One delay was attributed to an oil leak in the unpressurized portion of the Dragon capsule, a second to a malfunction in one of the Air Force's tracking radars, and a third to a helium leak in the rocket.

Foul weather overnight Thursday and overcast skies Friday dropped the likelihood of launch to about 30 to 40 percent. But the weather conditions eased up enough to allow for Friday's launch at 3:25 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time.

"The rocket flight was perfect, as far as we could tell, and the Dragon deployment went well," said Elon Musk, SpaceX's chief executive officer and chief designer, during a postlaunch briefing.

With the capsule safely on its way, attention quickly turned to the performance of the Falcon 9's first stage. The company used a version upgraded with technology that will allow it to return to its launchpad and touch down under its own power. The goal is to have a rocket that is fully reusable.

Friday's launch was the first experiment with the system, which includes beefed-up thrusters and four 25-foot legs that sprout from the booster as it descends.

Here is the original post:

On fourth try, SpaceX capsule en route to space station

SpaceX Launches Cargo Ship to Space Station and Tries Rocket Recovery

Posted on by

SpaceX launched more than two tons of cargo to the International Space Station and also conducted an experiment in rocket recovery.

The companys Falcon 9 rocket lifted off into the cloudy skies over Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 3:25 p.m. ET, sending a robotic Dragon cargo capsule into orbit.

The Dragon held nearly 5,000 pounds (2,200 kilograms) of supplies and equipment for the station, ranging from the legs for a space robot to a lettuce-growing experiment. This is the third cargo delivery under the terms of SpaceX's 12-flight, $1.6 billion contract with NASA.

In addition to sending up the Dragon, SpaceX tested a landing system that could make it possible for future Falcons to return autonomously to a landing pad for reuse.

It has come to our attention that the browser you are using is either not running javascript or out of date. Please enable javascript and/or update your browser if possible.

The Falcon's first stage was prepped to fire its engines for a soft splashdown and recovery from the Atlantic. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said in a pre-launch tweet that heavy seas were keeping the recovery ship from reaching the anticipated splashdown zone.

After the launch, Musk reported via Twitter that the first stage executed a good re-entry burn and was able to stabilize itself on the way down. However, the rough seas were a problem. "I wouldn't give high odds that the rocket was able to splash down successfully," he said.

Later updates were more positive: "Data upload from tracking plane shows landing in Atlantic was good! Several boats enroute through heavy seas," Musk tweeted. "Flight computers continued transmitting for 8 seconds after reaching the water. Stopped when booster went horizontal."

Recovering and reusing rockets are key parts of Musk's strategy for reducing the cost of spaceflight and eventually sending colonists to Mars. The South African-born Musk, whose net worth is estimated at more than $9 billion, is in charge of SpaceX as well as the Tesla electric-car company and the Solar City power-generation venture.

Success after weeks of delay

Read more:

SpaceX Launches Cargo Ship to Space Station and Tries Rocket Recovery

Space X rocket en route to ISS with space laser cargo

Posted on by

A Space X Falcon rocket lifted off Friday afternoon for the International Space Station (ISS) from the Cape Canaveral Air Station in Florida.

The mission is the third commercial resupply flight for Space X to the ISS and part of NASAs push to use private launch companies for routine space flight.

The Dragon cargo capsule that sat atop the Falcon rocket was successfully deployed into space about 10 minutes after the 3:25 p.m. Eastern time launch. It is scheduled to dock with the ISS on Sunday.

Dragon is carrying more than 2 tons of cargo and experiments including several cubesat micro satellites and a pair of legs for the Robonaut robot on the ISS. It will also carry four HD cameras that will be placed on the ISS for streaming live video of the Earth on the Internet.

One of the most interesting items of cargo is NASAs Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) test bed, which will test the feasibility of using a laser to transmit data from space to Earth.

Data and video links from the ISS and other NASA spacecraft to Earth are currently carried over radio waves, but the use of a laser could mean much greater bandwidth. NASA says OPALS could realize speeds of around 50Mbps, about the same or faster than that available on many home broadband connections.

The OPALS unit will be robotically taken from the Space X Dragon capsule and mounted onto the exterior of the space station. Once in place, it will begin a three-month mission that will consist of a series of 100-second long tests.

Each will begin when a ground station fires a laser beam towards the OPALS module on the ISS. When that is detected, the unit will use it to lock onto the ground station and fire up its own laser to send back data modulated on the laser beam.

The eventual goal of the tests is a multi-gigabit per second data communications system.

Martyn Williams covers mobile telecoms, Silicon Valley and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. More by Martyn Williams

Original post:

Space X rocket en route to ISS with space laser cargo

Bruins Live Blog: Red Wings Beat Bs 1-0 In Series Opener

Posted on by

Sports Fan Insider

Keep up with your favorite teams and athletes with daily updates.

Final, 1-0 Red Wings: Its all over, the Bruins arent able to get a shot on net in the final minute, and the Red Wings lead the series 1-0 after a thrilling Game 1. Well see you Sunday for Game 2.

Third period, 40.2, 1-0 Red Wings: With the goalie pulled, the Bruins have an offensive zone faceoff upcoming after a timeout.

Third period, 3:01, 1-0 Red Wings: This building is quiet.

Pavel Datsyuk weaved in the offensive zone on a 2-on-2 while Justin Abdelkader drove to the net. Datsyuk fired a low wrister to Rasks blocker side and flat-out beat him with the shot. Wings lead 1-0 with just a few minutes to play.

Third period, 5:26, 0-0: A solid shift by the third line of Florek-Soderberg-Eriksson has this crowd charged up in the final TV timeout. Its tense inside the Garden, but not in a negative way. It feels like the 17,000-plus fans feel the Bruins are going to win this game.

Third period, 8:15, 0-0: Loui Eriksson nearly potted the games first goal, after Jakub Kindl had a bad turnover at the Detroit blue line. Eriksson edged around a flat-footed Kindl and drove from the left wing toward the net. He got a shot on goal before getting submarined, but Howard made the save.

Im starting to get a triple-overtime feeling here. Its early, though.

Third period, 12:19, 0-0: The Bs dont score on the power play, but they peppered Howard with a series of shots and grabbed some momentum in this game. Thornton put a long slapper on net, which Howard swallowed for a whistle, and the Bs will have an offensive zone faceoff coming out of the timeout.

The rest is here:

Bruins Live Blog: Red Wings Beat Bs 1-0 In Series Opener

mindupload

Posted on by

Efforts for brain reverse engineering are growing fast. Reserchers all over the world are collecting data on structures and dynamics of brain areas. How those systems behave could be reconstructed and analyzed through detailed simulations that could be also used to perform experiments in computo, where the model is an accessible preparation. Therefore, main modelling topics are: targeting level of detail, translating cell properties into model parameters, very large-scale modelling and exposing results for analysis...

Now I'm working on database technologies for neuroscience and the database-driven simulator in CNRS at UNIC Lab.

Developing methods to support specifications to reach an highly biological detail with compartmental approach.

Successfully tested (both on Linux and Darwin) a randomly connected network of 1 million neurons and 1 billion synapses (see examples).

Project has been accepted by INCF! Check it on

First example of splitneuron library uploaded on page. Izhikevich polychrony as an excuse to show: network definition and initialization not hardcoded done by loading SQL file, operations on database tables (other features coming soon...).

Completed design of database DB-STD version. First attempts of coding database extensions. See splitneuron.

First draft of renewed splitneuron library uploaded on . This version retains only Izhikevich' spiking neuron model and lowers neuron cell detail to a compartmental level.

Simulation Library

Current Task: Database extension

Read the original:

mindupload