Beneath the surface, there is a fundamental disagreement between different governments' points of view on freedom of speech – and it’s really hard to see how that divide is going to be bridged.
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Votorantim Will Use the Services of DIAGNOS in the Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick
BROSSARD, QUEBEC, CANADA--(Marketwire - Sep 18, 2012) - DIAGNOS inc. ("DIAGNOS" or the "Corporation") (TSX VENTURE:ADK), a leader in the use of artificial intelligence ("AI") and advanced knowledge extraction techniques, is pleased to announce that its CARDS technology will be used by Votorantim Metals Canada Inc. ("Votorantim") in the Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick.
The Bathurst Mining Camp (BMC) occupies a roughly circular area of approximately 70 km diameter in the Miramichi Highlands of northern New Brunswick. The area is host to some 46 mineral deposits with known resources and another hundred mineral occurrences, all hosted by Cambro-Ordovician rocks that were deposited in an ensialic back-arc basin.
CARDS (Computer Aided Resources Detection System) is a state-of-the-art computer system used by researchers at DIAGNOS to identify areas with a high statistical probability of containing significant mineral deposits. The backbone of CARDS is the MCubiX-KE (Knowledge Extraction) data mining engine. MCubiX-KE uses pattern recognition algorithms to learn the signatures of positive and negative data points and create a model that can make predictions on the positive or negative nature of new data points. CARDS uses these powerful algorithms to analyze digitally compiled historical exploration data and identify zones with a high potential for the discovery of mineral deposits.
We have been working on this internal project for more than five months. Up to now, 19880 training points (drilling and rock EM and Topo) has been compiled, we are therefore ready to start modeling in the next few days. We will be starting with a known undeveloped base metal deposit signature to focus the targeting process , explained Michel Fontaine, Vice-President of the division of natural resources.
We hope that this new and advanced innovative technology will enable us to identify unexplored targets within the highly prolific Bathurst Mining Camp declared Rodney Thomas, General Manager of Votorantim Metals Canada Inc.
About Votorantim
Votorantim Metals Canada Inc. is a subsidiary of Votorantim Metals is a company that is part of the Votorantim Group that was founded in Brazil in 1918. The Votorantim Group operates in twenty countries and has over 40,000 employees. Votorantim Metais is the largest electrolytic nickel producer in Latin America and one of the world''s leaders in the production of zinc, aluminum and nickel.Votorantim Canada Metals Inc. in conjunction with Xstrata Zinc and El Nino Ventures is operator of the Bathurst Option and Joint Venture which is actively exploring for base metal deposits within the Bathurst Mining Camp.
About DIAGNOS
Founded in 1998, DIAGNOS is a publicly traded Canadian corporation (TSX VENTURE:ADK), with a mission to commercialize technologies combining contextual imaging and traditional data mining thereby improving decision making processes. DIAGNOS offers products, services, and solutions to clients in a variety of fields including healthcare, natural resources, and entertainment.
DIAGNOS can count on a multidisciplinary team that includes professionals in geophysics, geology, Artificial Intelligence, mathematics, as well as remote sensing and image interpretation. The Corporation''s objective is to develop a royalty stream by significantly enhancing and participating in the exploration success rate of mining. For further information, please visit our Website at http://www.diagnos.com .
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Votorantim Will Use the Services of DIAGNOS in the Bathurst Mining Camp, New Brunswick
B/E Aerospace flush with success over toilets for business jets
ROCKFORD Five years ago, it was an idea. Five years from now, B/E Aerospace Ecosystems expects to generate $50 million a year selling toilets for business and commercial jets from its plant near Chicago Rockford International Airport.
B/E Aerospace is a home-grown business expanding into a growing aerospace field, an industry to which the region has pinned its wings as it seeks to improve a manufacturing economy that has suffered through more pain than gain cycles over the past several decades.
While there are only 74 employees today, there will be many more tomorrow, next year and the year after, said CEO Amin Khoury, who pegged the revenue goal Monday as the company invited the public to see the new research and assembly facility at 5795 Logistics Parkway.
In midsummer, the company moved into the 38,000-square-foot building, where it will ramp up production next year of its vacuum waste systems to meet orders from nine business-jet makers. Boeing is among the companies, buying B/Es system for its 737 program.
Boeing projects that 34,000 commercial jets will be built by 2031, but demand for business jets is also expected to take off. In June, Bombardier Aerospace said 24,000 business jets worth $648 billion will be built by 2031.
All of them will need toilet systems.
Khoury said B/Es toilets are lighter, more reliable and easier to maintain than those of the companys competitors, making them less expensive for aircraft owners.
Rockford is one of 30 worldwide B/E locations and, perhaps, its most unusual. B/E first tried the conventional avenue into the aircraft bathroom business, but its 2004 bid for Envirovac, a Machesney Park maker of vacuum toilet systems, was unsuccessful.
Three years later, it decided to experiment with a startup, hiring former Envirovac President Bob Shafer to run it. The company began developing prototypes and innovating around them. This is really an engineering company, said Shafer, noting that 41 of the 74 employees are engineers.
B/Es growth started in 2007 after it became a tenant at EIGERlab, an incubator started with congressional earmarks from Rep. Don Manzullo.
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B/E Aerospace flush with success over toilets for business jets
Vector Exhibiting at Africa Aerospace and Defence
15:33 GMT, September 18, 2012 Toronto, ON | Vector Aerospace Corporation, an industry leader in providing aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services for helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft will exhibit at Africa Aerospace and Defence 2012 (AAD 2012), taking place at the Waterkloof Air Force Base Centurion, City of Tshwane, South Africa from September 19-23, 2012 (Booth 6W4).
Vector Aerospace is excited to participate at AAD 2012, says Jeff Poirier, president of Vector Aerospace Engine Services Atlantic. Our comprehensive engine and component repair, overhaul and test services deliver exceptional value and benefit to our customers. We have the diverse capability to accommodate our customers specific requirements and the detailed product knowledge, experience and international service centre network to meet their needs. We look forward to meeting with operators at AAD 2012 to discuss how the Vector team can support their specific engine repair and overhaul requirements with superior quality and unparalleled customer satisfaction.
Vector Aerospace, with facilities located in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, France and Australia, holds approvals from some of the world's leading OEMs including Pratt & Whitney Canada, Rolls-Royce, Turbomeca, General Electric and Honeywell. Products supported include the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T, PT6A, JT15D, PW100, PW307 and PW308A series engines; Rolls-Royce M250; Rolls-Royce T56/501D; Turbomeca Arriel 1 and Arriel 2; General Electric T58 / CT58 and CT-7A / T700 engines; Honeywell TFE731 and Honeywell ALF 502/LF507 (all engine lines include complete test capability); dynamic components, full-service avionics capability; up to and including glass cockpit engineering, development and integration, complete aircraft rewires, as well as airframes and major inspections support for a variety of Eurocopter, Sikorsky, Boeing and AgustaWestland helicopter models.
Visit Vector Aerospace at AAD 2012 (booth 6W4) to meet with our Sales, Customer Support and Operations team.
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ST Engineering's Aerospace Arm Establishes New Global Asset Services Company
New Delhi, Sept. 17 -- Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd (ST Engineering) announced today that its aerospace arm, Singapore Technologies Aerospace Ltd (ST Aerospace) has set up a wholly-owned subsidiary, ST Aerospace Rotables Pte. Ltd. (STAR), with paid up capital of US$1.5m (approximately S$1.88m). STAR, a global asset services company, will be headquartered in Singapore with marketing offices in the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific.
STAR will drive the ST Aerospace's foray into a new growth area, focusing on rotable assets leasing, asset trading, rotables loan and exchange, as well as providing support to the sector's Maintenance-By-the-Hour (MBHTM) programme. The new set up is in line with ST Aerospace's plan to develop and extend its component total support capability, to address evolving market demands. STAR will manage rotable assets for customers, through expert trading and utilisation via loan and exchange. It will leverage ST Aerospace's brand and expertise to help customers monetise existing assets through its wide range of inventory solutions. Customers would also have access to ST Aerospace's full suite of total aviation support services. With a network of subsidiaries and associated companies located in strategic hubs around the world, ST Aerospace has a comprehensive maintenance capability for over 25,000 component part numbers with an annual throughput of 85,000 components. It also manages an asset pool of rotables in excess of US$400 million, and is able to deliver flexible and customised component solutions to customers worldwide. The incorporation of STAR is not expected to have any material impact on the consolidated net tangible assets per share and earnings per share of ST Engineering for the current financial year. ST Aerospace (Singapore Technologies Aerospace Ltd) is the aerospace arm of ST Engineering. Operating a global MRO network with facilities and affiliates in the Americas, Asia Pacific and Europe, it is the world's largest commercial airframe MRO provider with a global customer base that includes leading airlines, airfreight and military operators. ST Aerospace is an integrated service provider that offers a spectrum of maintenance and engineering services that include airframe, engine and component maintenance, repair and overhaul; engineering design and technical services; and aviation materials and management services, including Total Aviation Support. ST Aerospace has a global staff strength of more than 8,000 engineers and technical specialists.www.staero.aero.
ST Engineering (Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd) is an integrated engineering group providing solutions and services in the aerospace, electronics, land systems and marine sectors. Headquartered in Singapore, the Group reported revenues of S$5.99b in FY2011 and ranks among the largest companies listed on the Singapore Exchange. It is a component stock of the FTSE Straits Times Index, FTSE ASEAN 40 Index, MSCI Singapore and other indices. ST Engineering has more than 22,000 employees worldwide, and over 100 subsidiaries and associated companies in 23 countries and 41 cities.www.stengg.com.
Copyright 2012 Singapore Government News, distributed by Contify.comAll Rights Reserved
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ST Engineering's Aerospace Arm Establishes New Global Asset Services Company
School prepares students for careers in medicine, tech
by Elizabeth Baier, Minnesota Public Radio
September 18, 2012
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ROCHESTER, Minn. Zakaria Mahamed wants to go to college and become a pediatrician, training he hopes will someday land him at the Mayo Clinic.
"When I see my family doctor, it makes me feel like I could be there one day," he said. "I could help these kids, I could find new cures for diseases, I can make a difference in my community."
But first, Mahamed has to make it through high school. The 11th grader thinks his chances of doing so are much better at the STEM Academy in Rochester, a charter school that aims to prepare immigrant and minority students for fields such as microbiology, nursing and engineering.
Inside the STEM Academy, teenage girls wear colorful hijabs on their heads and groups of boys speak Somali as they make their way to science, engineering and math classes. Nearly all of the 60 students are Somali-American.
Some are betting the school, in its second year, will help students who struggle in traditional schools find careers to build successful futures.
Mahamed is among them. Born in Rochester to Somali parents, he finished ninth grade at one of Rochester's traditional high schools before transferring to the math and science-focused school.
"When you're in a regular big school that doesn't have a small environment, everything is like you don't have enough time to talk and you'll never meet anybody," he said. "But here, you'll talk to everybody, you know everybody, everyone knows you, you know them."
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School prepares students for careers in medicine, tech
Viruses not to blame for chronic fatigue syndrome after all
Public release date: 18-Sep-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology
Contrary to previous findings, new research finds no link between chronic fatigue syndrome and the viruses XMRV (xenotropic murine leukemia virus-related virus) and pMLV (polytropic murine leukemia virus). A study to be published on September 18 in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, reveals that research that reported patients with chronic fatigue syndrome carried these two viruses was wrong and that there is still no evidence for an infectious cause behind chronic fatigue syndrome.
"The bottom line is we found no evidence of infection with XMRV and pMLV. These results refute any correlation between these agents and disease," says Ian Lipkin of Columbia University, a co-author on the study.
Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), is a disabling condition in which sufferers experience persistent and unexplained fatigue as well as any of a host of associated problems, including muscle weakness, pain, impaired memory, and disordered sleep. Medical treatment for CFS/ME costs as much as $7 billion every year in the U.S. alone.
The possible causes of CFS/ME have been argued and researched for years with no success. Results from separate studies in 2009 and 2010 that reported finding retroviruses in the blood of patients with CFS/ME created a sensation among patients and the medical community and offered hope that a tractable cause for this disease had finally been found. Since then, other investigators have been unable to replicate the results of those studies, casting doubt on the idea that these viruses, XMRV and pMLV, could be behind CFS/ME.
Lipkin says the National Institutes of Health wanted conclusive answers about the possible link. "We went ahead and set up a study to test this thing once and for all and determine whether we could find footprints of these viruses in people with chronic fatigue syndrome or in healthy controls," says Lipkin. The study in mBio puts the speculation to rest, he says. Scientists were wrong about a potential link between chronic fatigue syndrome and these viruses.
The study authors recruited almost 300 people, 147 patients with CFS/ME and 146 people without the syndrome, to participate. Researchers tested blood drawn from these subjects for the presence of genes specific to the viruses XMRV and pMLV, much in the way the earlier studies had done. But in this study, researchers took extraordinary care to eliminate contamination in the enzyme mixtures and chemicals used for testing, which may have been the source of viruses and genes detected in the earlier studies. XMRV and pMLV are commonly found in mice but there has never been a confirmed case of human infection with these viruses.
The authors of this study include many of the authors of the original papers that reported finding XMRV and pMLV in the blood of CFS/ME patients. This is an important point, says Lipkin, as their participation should lend credibility to the pre-eminence of these newer results over the flawed earlier studies, which offered a certain amount of false hope to the CFS/ME community.
Research on the causes of CFS/ME will continue, says Lipkin. "We've tested the XMRV/pMLV hypothesis and found it wanting," he says. But, he says, "we are not abandoning the patients. We are not abandoning the science. The controversy brought a new focus that will drive efforts to understand CFS/ME and lead to improvements in diagnosis, prevention and treatment of this syndrome."
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Viruses not to blame for chronic fatigue syndrome after all
Anti-aging path is paved with new technologies
When Jill Reed ventured into the office of a local ophthalmologist and plastic surgeon a decade ago, it wasnt for cosmetic reasons. At the time, her anti-aging strategy amounted to facials and professional skincare products. But as the years passed, Reed, 65, of North Fulton, realized she was on a journey one that would gradually move her from facials to Botox to fillers.
I was a little shy in the beginning, Reed said. But as I experienced one procedure, it would give me the faith and encouragement to take another step should I need it.
She hasnt needed to take another step yet, but like many others in the baby boomer ranks, Reed will never say never. I think in todays times, you dont have to be as embarrassed about a lot of things you may have been 25 years ago, she said. If you have the money and you are able to make those decisions, go for it, girl! Or go for it, guy!
Increasingly, they are going for it. Nearly one-third of Georgians had moved into the 50 and up age bracket as of 2010, bringing with them new attitudes about aging. For some, aging well is best accomplished from the inside out. But others believe there is also nothing wrong with giving the ole tarpaulin a tweak.
The South Atlantic region made up of seven states, including Georgia has the highest percentage of cosmetic surgery practices in the country, according to data from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Georgia ranks a distant second to Florida as the state with the largest number of board certified plastic surgeons.
In 2011, Americans spent nearly $10 billion on 9.2 million cosmetic procedures. Of those procedures, 82 percent were noninvasive, such as Botox and volumizing fillers, while 17 percent were surgical procedures, such as liposuction and face-lifts. Metro Atlanta doctors confirm the popularity of minimally invasive procedures as an alternative for patients who arent ready to embrace full-on surgery whether for economic or aesthetic reasons.
I can take five to six years off a face with fillers, said Dr. Jay Kulkin, founder of the Womens Institute for Health. Some people call it a liquid face lift.
The use of Botox (a muscle relaxer), volumizing fillers and collagen-stimulating lasers can rejuvenate aging skin of all types and temporarily mimic the effects of a face-lift, said Kulkin. Known for his extensive experience in laser technology, Kulkin believes one of the best noninvasive anti-aging therapies is CO2 fractional laser resurfacing. Tiny beams of heat penetrate the skins layers killing old skin cells and forcing the production of collagen, a primary component in skin elasticity.
Injectible dermal fillers, such as Sculptra, are also designed to stimulate collagen growth over a period of time, while other fillers, such as Juvederm or Restylane, give immediate results by filling out lines and wrinkles.
Dr. Tara Margarella, a cosmetic surgeon at Blue Med Spa in Midtown, uses fillers but in some cases prefers fat transfer to reduce the external signs of aging. Lines and hollowness around the eyes, nasolabial folds, thin lips, wrinkled skin and bony hands considered some of the most obvious signs of aging can all be reduced by taking fat from one part of the body and injecting it into the areas lacking volume. Fat, Margarella said, is easier to mold than fillers, particularly in delicate areas, such as under the eyes.
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Anti-aging path is paved with new technologies
FCm Named Top TMC in North, South and Central America
NEW YORK, Sept. 17, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- FCm Travel Solutions is celebrating a triple win at the World Travel Awards after being named the Leading Travel Management Company for North, South and Central America.
The impressive feat was announced at a red carpet awards event at the Beaches Turks and Caicos Resort Villages and Spa 14 September.
FCm currently holds the mantle of 'World's Leading Travel Management Company' and earlier this year was also confirmed by the World Travel Awards as the Middle East's Leading Travel Management Company.
Global leader for FCm, Gregory Lording, said the company was delighted to accept the triple honor.
"This is the first time in our company's history that we have taken out all three awards for the Americas region including Mexico and Central America in conjunction with the titles for North and South America," Gregory said.
"We're thrilled to see our winning streak in the World Travel Awards continue after having a stellar year in the awards program in 2011. These awards are testament to the ongoing operational, sales and brand success our business has experienced throughout the region during the past 12 months and we're excited to add these accolades to our list of achievements."
FCm USA President Billy McDonough said congratulations were in order for FCm's travel and account management teams as well as the business's sales teams, which had been working hard to further penetrate the US corporate market.
"FCm USA has performed strongly over the past year, which is a direct result of the hard work and commitment of our teams to providing their customers with the most competitive offering.
"Finding new ways to provide added value to our clients at every stage of the travel booking and buying process, and delivering proactive account management that drives long term savings and cost containment have been key to our success in client retention and acquisition.
"Winning all three titles reiterates that no matter where our clients are based across the Americas or which travel team they're working with, they'll receive the same high quality business travel service throughout our global network."
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Jamaica dominates World Travel Awards Americas Gala
KINGSTON, Jamaica - Jamaica copped numerous awards at the World Travel Awards Americas Gala held at the Beaches Turks and Caicos on September 14.
The awards won by Jamaica and its travel partners includes the Caribbeans Leading Cruise Destination, Caribbeans Leading Cruise Port (Ocho Rios), Caribbeans Leading Airport (Sangster International Airport), Caribbean Leading Activity Operator (Chukka Caribbean Adventures) and the Caribbean Leading Attraction Company (Island Routes).
The award for Caribbean Leading Adventure Excursion Operator went to Dolphin Cove.
Caribbean Leading All-Suite Hotel went to Sandals Royal Plantation.
The Montego Bay Convention Centre won the award for Caribbeans Leading Meetings & Conference Centre while the Caribbeans Leading Meetings & Conference Hotel award went to Half Moon.
Sandals Resorts International was voted Caribbeans Leading Hotel Brand.
The award for Caribbean Leading Boutique Resort went to Goldeneye while Spanish Court in Kingston was adjudged Jamaicas Leading Business Hotel.
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India To Build World's Fastest Super Computer
Bangalore: India is on a mission to become the country to home world’s fastest super computer by 2017. According to Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), the premier R&D organization of the Department of Electronics and Information Technology (DietY), the super computer it is designing would be 61 times faster than the present world’s top Sequoia(developed by IBM), which has top ...
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Discover the real you
India, Sept. 17 -- Will you be surprised if I say you are not what you are! Because, over the years, you are corrupted, and bias and negative thoughts have made the real you a prisoner. The result: You are diverted from the path of spirituality and denied the right to be in bliss.Spirituality is a way of life that not only makes you a true human being but also helps you take the right track to ...
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India's spirituality attracts youth diaspora
Over 35 overseas youth of Indian origin are on a three-week visit here to know about their parents' and grandparents' homeland, and spirituality of India has been the greatest attraction for them.
It is this "balance in materialistic pursuits and search for inner happiness" that they will take back to their present country and share it with their other diaspora friends and relatives.
The 36 youth, in the age group of 18-26, are from Fiji, South Africa, Suriname, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Israel, Slovak Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Mauritius, Iran and New Zealand and have been in India since Aug 25.
They are here under the 21st Know India Programme (KIP) of the ministry of overseas Indian affairs (MOIA). The last KIP was held in April-May.
"India's spirituality is what caught our attention the most. We got to visit a lot of temples and religious shrines from all religions and I could understand the unity in diversity that is talked about in India," Sameer Chand, an analyst at the Reserve Bank of Fiji, told IANS at the valedictory event of KIP held at MOIA at Akbar Bhavan here.
"I will take this spirituality home and share it with all my family and friends in Fiji," Chand, 24, said.
His view was seconded by Adi Nissim from Israel, who participated in KIP along with her twin sister Shay Lee Nissim.
"I really loved the spirituality that is part of the Indian society and culture. Every individual here seemed spiritually inclined," Adi, 23, told IANS.
Shay Lee quickly added: "Israel is completely westernised and people there are after material prosperity. Here in India, even if people want to earn money, they maintain a balance between materialist pursuits and search for inner happiness. The smile on their faces says it all."
Chand and Nissim sisters are part of the 15 male and 21 female visitors from 11 countries participating in KIP held three times annually.
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Soyuz spacecraft undocks from International Space Station and lands on Earth in Kazakhstan – Video
17-09-2012 05:20 The Soyuz spacecraft undocks with the International Space Station and lands on Earth in Kazakhstan. . Report by Katie Lamborn. Like us on Facebook at and follow us on Twitter at . Subscribe to ITN News!
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Soyuz spacecraft undocks from International Space Station and lands on Earth in Kazakhstan - Video
Sunita Williams takes over command at space station – Video
17-09-2012 04:29 Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams has taken over the command of the International Space Station, becoming the second woman in history to do so, even as a three-member crew of the Expedition 32 returned safely to earth, wrapping up a mission lasting more than four months. The three-man crew onboard a Russian-made Soyuz capsule touched down successfully in central Kazakhstan steppe this morning after spending 123 days at the Space Station. For more info log on to:
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Woman takes command of Int'l Space Station
A WOMAN took command of the International Space Station for only the second time as three US and Russian colleagues made a safe return from the orbiting space lab to the Kazakh steppe.
The Soyuz TMA-04M capsule touched down with US astronaut Joe Acaba and Russian cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin aboard, after deploying a huge white parachute and making a pin-point descent with helicopters tracking its progress.
NASA television footage showed the smiling men relaxing in lounge chairs and sipping warm drinks from thermoses while medical teams checked their pulses and chatted to them about their trip.
"It's good to be home," a NASA official quoted Acaba as saying the moment he was pulled out of the Russian capsule to mark the formal end of his 125-day stay in space.
The crew then set what may become a new tradition by signing their names on the Soyuz capsule in honour of their journey.
"I have not seen that before," a NASA television commentator observed.
The three leave behind another trio led by new commander Suni Williams - a US space veteran who has logged the most days in orbit by a woman as well as the greatest number of hours conducting space walks.
Williams is now in charge of a crew also comprised of Japan's Aki Hoshide and the Russian Yury Malenchenko.
The trio had been set to be joined by a new expedition on October 17.
But Russian space officials said they may have to delay the next lift-off by about a week due to the necessary replacement of a piece of Soyuz TMA-06M on-board equipment.
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Astronauts Return From Space Station, As An American Takes Command
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The Soyuz capsule floats as it brings Commander Gennady Padalka of Russia, NASA Flight Engineer Joe Acaba and Russian Flight Engineer Sergei Revin to a landing area near the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan. When it detached from the space station, the capsule was over Kenya.
Carla Cioffi/NASA
The capsule lands, after its braking engines ease its final meter of descent.
Carla Cioffi/NASA
The Soyuz TMA-04M capsule lands in a remote area near the town of Arkalyk, Kazakhstan, Monday. Padalka, Acaba and Revin returned from five months onboard the International Space Station, where they served as members of the Expedition 31 and 32 crews.
Carla Cioffi/NASA
U.S. astronaut Sunita Williams is now in command of the International Space Station, after receiving control of the facility this weekend. Three departing astronauts whose capsule left the station early Monday landed safely three and a half hours later.
For NPR's Newscast, Peter van Dyk filed this report from Moscow:
"The Soyuz capsule carrying American Joe Acaba and Russians Gennady Padalka and Sergei Revin touched down in Kazakhstan as scheduled, almost four hours after leaving the space station. Before leaving, Padalka turned command of the orbiter over to Sunita Williams, making her just the second woman to lead an ISS expedition. She will celebrate her birthday on Wednesday with her two colleagues - a Japanese astronaut and Russian cosmonaut."
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Astronauts Return From Space Station, As An American Takes Command
Weather delays last flight of space shuttle Endeavour to museum
MIAMI (Reuters) - The departure of the space shuttle Endeavour on its final flight to a Los Angeles museum has been delayed until Wednesday by bad weather, NASA said. Endeavour, which was retired last year, was scheduled to travel piggyback on top of a specially modified 747 jet, but storms along the planned flight path have pushed back its departure from the Kennedy Space Center until Wednesday ...
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Weather delays last flight of space shuttle Endeavour to museum
Cassidy: Space shuttle Endeavour expected to take final flight over Silicon Valley
Click photo to enlarge
This photo provided by NASA shows space shuttle Endeavour atop NASA's Shuttle Carrier Aircraft, or SCA, at the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center on Monday, Sept. 17, 2012 in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/NASA, Bill Ingalls)
If all goes as planned, the Bay Area will be treated to the stunning spectacle Friday of the space shuttle Endeavour riding across the region's sky and dipping low toward the ground on the back of a 747 carrying a piece of American ingenuity into retirement.
I'm pretty jazzed. And Silicon Valley should be, too.
Face it: If any one place could get excited about hosting the first and last Northern California flyover of a space shuttle, it's Silicon Valley, a place that not only can claim to be the spaceship's birthplace (more or less), but also is the land where the geekerati are obsessively fixated on just what technology makes possible.
Weather permitting, it will be a morning of wide eyes and craned necks, as the 100-ton shuttle jets from Sacramento, where it will make a low pass near the Capitol; to San Francisco, where it will fly low near the Golden Gate Bridge; and on to Moffett Field, where in honor of NASA Ames, the piggybacking shuttle will make its final low pass -- at 1,500 feet or so, NASA officials say.
"I just think it's so cool. It's going to fly low and people will be able to see it," says Donald James, NASA Ames' acting director of new ventures and communication who's been with the space agency for 30 years. "A space shuttle has never been in Northern California, ever, and it's never going to be here again."
The flight, which should reach Moffett sometime after 9 a.m., is a farewell flight, after all.
While the shuttle remains a technological marvel, Endeavour's goodbye tour is a reminder that there is only so much humans can conquer with know-how. The weather, particularly low cloud cover, could wreak havoc on NASA's plans, or even scrub Endeavour's last mission. Stormy weather along Endeavour's cross-country flight path already has pushed its Bay Area visit back from Thursday to Friday. Friday's Bay Area forecast is for low clouds, burning off by late morning, so keep your fingers crossed.
Only a general flight schedule had been released as of Monday, but considering the flight's schedule at Moffett and its need to be in Los Angeles by about 11 a.m., you can assume the shuttle and its chauffeur will be flying through the Bay Area from roughly 8:30 a.m. to 10 a.m.
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Cassidy: Space shuttle Endeavour expected to take final flight over Silicon Valley
No human space flight for India before 2017: ISRO
India [ Images ] will not undertake a human space flight before the year 2017 and is likely to use a next-generation rocket for the ambitious mission, the cost of which would be reworked, Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation, K Radhakrishnan said on Monday.
Radhakrishnan, also Department of Space Secretary and Space Commission Chairman, confirmed that the venture is not part of the 12th five-year plan (2012-2017) but said there are funds to continue with pre-project studies and develop critical technologies associated with the proposed mission.
ISRO officials noted that the space agency currently does not have an operational GSLV, after two unsuccessful missions, one with Indian cryogenic engine and another with the imported Russian one in 2010.
Radhakrishnan said GSLV with indigenous cryogenic engine and stage would be flight-tested in January-February next year.
"If you look at the scenario today, we do not have a programme (human space flight) declared as such (yet to get Cabinet approval)", he told reporters in response to questions.
ISRO's proposed human space flight programme was much talked about in the second half of the last decade but the twin-failures of the GSLV has saw to it that it lost momentum.
In 2008-09, it was estimated that a sum of Rs 12,400 crore would be required for undertaking the mission. "We need to rework (on that figure)", Radhakrishnan said.
GSLV-Mk II (rocket) was proposed to be used for the mission then, but Radhakrishnan said it would be able to carry a two-member crew only, while GSLV-Mk III which is under development would have additional mass left for conducting scientific experiments besides a two-member crew.
"We feel it (GSLV-Mk III) would be a better vehicle (for the mission)", he said.
Radhakrishnan, however, said ISRO already has a budget of Rs 150 crore for conducting pre-project studies and developing critical technologies including environmental control, space suit, reentry and crew escape system. The rocket must have man-rating, he noted.
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