Liberty to reorganise, commits to WSBK

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Liberty Racing reaffirms its commitment to the World Superbike Championship despite confirming it won't be part of the series' first visit to Russia.

Speculation regarding the future of the Czech-based team was raised when it wasn't included on Infront's provisional entry list for next week's Moscow event, the series' first-ever foray into Russia.

Liberty has now formally confirmed its absence for that event, but maintains it will be present for the final three events, starting with the Nurburgring on September 7-9, and also reaffirmed its commitment to competing in 2013.

In the meantime, Liberty Racing's press release suggests the team will undergo a restructure across the team, a move that it says also concerns riders Jakub Smrz, Maxime Berger and Brett McCormick, though it isn't clear whether such a statement relates to the final rounds or for the 2013 season.

The last part of the season is a prelude to a constructive reorganisation of its [Liberty Racing's] human, technical and logistical resources for the next racing season, a press release read.

Looking for the next round, the Liberty Team is overhauling its staff organization and sport planning for next year, when Liberty Racing will be at the start of the World Superbike Championship determined to improve its results.

That decision involves also the riders of the Czech team, Kuba Smr and Maxime Berger, who will arrive in Germany at the beginning of September ready and motivated, while the recovery Brett McCormick is ongoing.

The Liberty Racing Team continues in its commitment to motorsport not only animated by the desire to obtain significant performance results but also investing in an increasingly profitable and targeted way, thus building its future by analysing and improving its present with care and foresight.

Having made a solid debut in 2011, Liberty Racing has been embroiled in controversy at various points this season, most notably its retort against Infront over the handling of the cancelled Monza races and the acrimonious split with its lead rider Sylvain Guintoli last month.

Despite this, Liberty Racing has achieved several landmarks in 2012, with Guintoli scoring its first win at Assen, while the Frenchman and Smrz have notched up three pole positions between them.

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Libertarian think tank opposes government loan for Victorville-to-Las Vegas rail

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A libertarian think tank is publishing a report today claiming taxpayers may be in for a raw deal if the federal government offers a loan to a company planning a high-speed rail line linking Victorville to Las Vegas.

The company, XPress West, is proposing to build a rail line that could travel as fast as 150 mph, and the Federal Railroad Administration has approved the firm's planned route from Victorville to Las Vegas.

What the government has not yet agreed to, however, is Xpress West's application for a multi-billion dollar loan to build the rail line.

And that's something the libertarian Reason Foundation does not want to see happen.

In a "Taxpayer Risk Analysis" published today, think tank analysts contend XPress West overstates Vegas-bound travelers' willingness to drive from from the Inland Empire or Greater Los Angeles in order to buy a train ticket for the balance of their journey.

"There's a reason so many people drive to Las Vegas from the Inland Empire, Riverside, Los Angeles. If you get two or three people in the car, it's pretty cheap," said Adrian Moore, the Reason Foundation's vice president for policy.

XPress West executives declined to comment for this report since no one at the Las Vegas-based firm has yet to see the report before its publication.

In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Daily News, The Sun and Inland Valley Daily Bulletin's sister paper, XPress West chief operating officer

Mack also said Xpress West has applied for a loan through the Federal Railway Administration's Railroad Rehabilitation program. The company needs $5.5 billion on top of the $1.4 billion in capital already raised for the project.

The loan would be paid out over 35 years, he said. A ticket on Xpress West could cost $89 round trip.

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Libertarian think tank opposes government loan for Victorville-to-Las Vegas rail

Scientists teleport info 90 miles across islands

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Quantum teleportation is reaching greater distances, and hopes are high that satellites will be able to use the technology.

The European Space Agency's Optical Ground Station in the Canary Islands.

If only we were quantum states, we'd be playing Kirk and Scotty, popping around the universe until the inevitable failure in the transporter circuits.

European and Canadian scientists are pushing the envelope on quantum teleportation after having succeeded in beaming quantum states across some 90 miles in the Canary Islands.

The laser-locked telescopes on the islands of La Palma and Tenerife served as transporter rooms, teleporting information about the state of a pair of "entangled" particles.

The entanglement links the particles such that a change in one is registered in the other despite great distances between them.

Quantum teleportation was first demonstrated in 1997, but distances are growing longer. A Chinese team of researchers also reported teleporting quantum states across a significant distance, 60 miles, in the journal Nature this month.

While quantum teleportation is subject to the cosmic speed limit, the speed of light, the technology could be harnessed to create satellite communications networks that are super-secure.

Eavesdropping on such transmissions would instantly alter them, so quantum satellites are being explored as a means to securely send military transmissions or even distribute films.

"Our work proves the feasibility of both ground-based and satellite-based free-space quantum teleportation," the European authors write. "Our experiment represents a crucial step toward future quantum networks in space, which require space to ground quantum communication."

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Scientists teleport info 90 miles across islands

Islands row picks at WWII political scab

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Published: Aug. 16, 2012 at 8:07 AM

TOKYO, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Japan has detained 14 Chinese activists who evaded the coast guard to land on a tiny group of contested islands in the East China Sea.

Controversy over the islands has been blamed on potential oil and reserves in the region and on fishing resources, but actually originated with the end of World War II, the International Herald Tribune reported.

The islands are claimed by Japan, China and Taiwan, with each nation calling them by different names. To Japan, they are the Sensaku. To China, they are the Diaoyu.

The activists, who had sailed from Hong Kong, slipped onto the islands Wednesday and planted the Chinese and Taiwanese flags, setting off the latest controversy. However, the issue of who owns the islands dates back to 1945 when Japan surrendered to Allied powers. The treaties it signed set up post-war conditions that Tokyo would have to live by, but left unsettled smaller matters such as who controlled the islands that lie between Japan and China.

Japan is in a similar dispute with South Korea over the Dokdo islands, or Takeshima as they are known in Japan, another thorny leftover from the war.

"The sense of victimization at the hands of the Japanese remains a powerful sense of identity," said Daniel C. Sneider, associate director for research at the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University. "In Korea the feeling is: 'We were the victims, and that's it.' "

South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak visited the Dokdo islands last week, setting off a three-way diplomatic row. Japan recalled its ambassador from Seoul, while a state-run Chinese newspaper, the People's Daily, said relations between Japan and China were now at "the freezing point."

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Islands row picks at WWII political scab

Integrated Computer Solutions, Inc. Partners with Alabama Primary Health Care Association

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MONTGOMERY, Ala., Aug. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Integrated Computer Solutions, Inc. (ICS) announced today that it has joined Alabama Primary Health Care Association (APHCA) strategic partners program with the intent to support third-party HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) Meaningful Use compliance audits for APHCA members across the great state of Alabama.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120816/CG56801)

Under the federal Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, health systems that employ the use of electronic health records (EHR) in a manner which helps improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of patient care are eligible to receive Medicare and Medicaid incentive payments. APHCA members who are successful in becoming "meaningful users" of certified electronic health record technology would be eligible for such incentives.

The Alabama Primary Health Care Association's membership includes 16 community health centers in Alabama and together operates 130 practice sites; primary care, mental, rural and HIV/AIDs health care providers; primary care networks, hospitals and educations institutions. Dedicated to providing comprehensive, affordable, community based and accessible primary health care to every Alabamian, these health centers provide primary care to almost 300,000 persons, have an overall economic impact of almost $150 million annually, and employ 2,000 individuals statewide.

"In order for our member health systems to ensure they are maintaining regulatory compliance while offering the highest possible levels of quality and efficiency in patient care, it was crucial for the APHCA to partner with an information security partner that is well-versed in the intricacies of the federal meaningful use compliance requirements," said Mary Hayes Finch, JD, MBA, Chief Executive Officer of the APHCA." "ICS has the depth of knowledge and experience that we needed; they are well-versed in these requirements and are well-positioned to help our member systems achieve success," Finch said.

"ICS is in its fifteenth year of working amid the complex and dynamic environment associated with health information management," said Chip Schuneman, COO of ICS, Inc. "ICS has a long track record of success that can help APHCA member agencies maximize their compliance and stretch their information technology budgets as they meet the federal government's (HIPAA) Security Standards and Technical Safeguards," Schuneman said.

Media Contact: Jennifer Solt, 24 Communications, 334-354-2906, jennifer@24c.co

News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com

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Community health centers' vital role

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Today, having to navigate a health-care system that is disorganized, confusing, and increasingly unaffordable frustrates growing numbers of Oklahomans.

Oklahoma has 624,000 individuals who are uninsured and are without adequate health-care coverage. Approximately 40 percent or 230,843 individuals of the state's uninsured reside in northeastern Oklahoma, according to 2010 Census data.

Certain parts of northeastern Oklahoma and the surrounding area are considered to be medically underserved areas. That is, on a patient-to-doctor ratio, the area does not have access to physicians and health-care services in proportion to the number of residents in the area.

In partnership with federal, state and local authorities and private foundations, Morton Comprehensive Health Services has been providing quality health-care delivery and services to the area for more than 90 years.

What is missing from the health-care debate is the growing body of evidence that shows we can address all of these problems by expanding access for more people to a patient-centered, primary-care medical home.

Studies show when illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, asthma and depression are not appropriately managed - or prevented in the first place - they account for a significant portion of the skyrocketing costs for families and the entire health-care system.

In a primary-care medical home, doctors, nurses and other providers work closely as a team with patients to prevent - or manage - costly chronic diseases.

America's community health centers, like Morton, have been leaders in showing the value of this approach as an effective way to address more needs, improve health and contain costs.

The unique health center model allows us to save the entire health system, including the government and taxpayers, approximately $24 billion annually by keeping patients out of costlier health-care settings, such as emergency rooms. In these tough economic times, health centers are small businesses that serve as economic engines in their communities.

According to the National Association of Community Health Centers, health centers generated $20 billion in combined economic impact in 2009 and were responsible for nearly 200,000 jobs in areas hit hardest by the recession.

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Nebraska to host health care law meetings

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LINCOLN (AP) Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman turned to the public Wednesday for suggestions on how to create an online, statewide marketplace for health insurance, a key piece of the federal health care law designed to steer users toward a coverage plan.

The Republican governor announced a series of meetings that will start later this month and be held throughout the state. Health care providers and advocates for children, the poor, taxpayers and the insurance industry have been invited to participate.

"We're trying to keep the process very open, very public," Heineman said at a news conference. "We want to hear from citizens, and we think now is the appropriate time now that we're getting a lot closer to this final decision."

The public meetings come as the state prepares a blueprint for a so-called health exchange that is due to the federal government on Nov. 16. The online markets allow consumers and small businesses to shop for health insurance and see if they qualify for federal tax credits aimed at lower-income residents.

Heineman repeated his opposition to any proposals to extend Medicaid coverage to more Nebraska residents. The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the federal government cannot penalize states that choose not to expand Medicaid, as was required in the federal law.

Health care advocates argue that the Medicaid expansion is critical: Unless more Nebraskans are allowed to participate, some will have incomes too high to qualify for the program but too low to receive the federal tax credits.

The federal law picks up the entire cost of covering more people for the first three years, and then drops to 90 percent, with states covering the remaining 10 percent. Supporters say it's a great deal compared to current Medicaid rates wherein Washington pays as little as half of the cost in some states.

Heineman said the expansion would drain state money that should instead go to K-12 public schools, colleges and the University of Nebraska.

Supporters of the federal health care law cheered Wednesday's announcement, although some said the Legislature still needs to create an independent governing board to oversee the health exchange. Nebraska Department of Insurance Director Bruce Ramge has said the Department of Insurance, under Heineman's administration, is the best equipped to handle the duties.

Omaha Sen. Jeremy Nordquist, a Democrat who supports the federal health care law, introduced a measure during this year's session that would have created a 12-member oversight board. The proposal was shelved, as state officials waited for the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the health care law.

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Korea Aerospace Stake Sale May Fail as Election Deters Bidders

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By Kyunghee Park and Seonjin Cha - 2012-08-16T08:17:04Z

Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. (047810) shareholders only drew interest from Korean Air Lines Co. as they seek to sell a 1.1 trillion won ($970 million) stake, threatening to derail the process.

The shareholders extended a registration deadline until Aug. 31 from today as they seek another potential bidder, said an official at state-run Korea Finance Corp., who declined to be identified citing company policy. They will decide whether to proceed after that, he said. At least two bids are needed because of rules governing sales by government entities.

Concerns about the impact of a looming presidential election may have deterred bidders even as North Koreas militarization and rising defense spending in emerging markets spur demand for Korea Aerospaces helicopters and T-50 trainers jets, said Justin Lee, a Seoul-based analyst at Nomura Holdings Inc. The government last month didnt get any bids for a stake in Woori Finance Holdings Co. (053000), the countrys biggest financial services group by assets.

Extending the deadline wont change the picture, Lee said. The political situation will continue to be a burden for the deal.

About 1,600 workers also protested against the sale outside Korea Finances offices today in Seoul, according to the planemakers biggest union.

Korean Air said it had registered its interest as it tries to expand its aerospace business. The company, which already makes parts for Airbus SAS and Boeing Co., didnt say how much it would offer for the Korea Aerospace stake. The sale is being managed by Korea Development Bank and Credit Suisse AG.

Bidders still have until Aug. 31 to make formal offers, Korea Finance said. The company is offering part of its 26 percent stake in Sacheon-based Korea Aerospace in the sale. It plans to remain the second-biggest shareholder. Hyundai Motor Co. (005380), Samsung Techwin Co. and Doosan Group are each looking to offload 10 percent holdings. The planemaker has a market value of $2.37 billion, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.

The planemaker advanced 1.1 percent to close at 27,550 won in Seoul. Korean Air fell 0.6 percent to 50,300 won.

Lawmakers have objected to the sale because of concerns about transparency. Korea Finance is acting hastily and placing the planemaker under private control may weaken public accountability, Chyung Ho Joon of the Democratic United Party said during a July 30 meeting of the National Policy Committee, a parliamentary body that oversees Korea Finance and other agencies.

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Global Aerospace Industry Outlook 2015

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NEW YORK, Aug. 16, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0884263/Global-Aerospace-Industry-Outlook-2015.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Aerospace

In the past few years, the global aerospace industry has witnessed an impressive growth, with the civil aviation segment emerging as the major contributor to its expansion. The US and European countries are the dominant markets for aerospace industry, and acting as catalyst for the overall growth. The global aerospace industry is forecasted to register CAGR of around 2.5% during 2012-2015.

As per our new research report, "Global Aerospace Industry Outlook 2015", the aerospace industry has globally emerged as a highly potential market, even after the recession. In order to apprise our clients about the direction in which the aerospace industry is likely to progress in the coming years, we have presented the forecasts for global, civil, and military aerospace industry till 2015. The overall study also provides the regional-level analysis of developed markets.

Moreover, our study has found that US represents the biggest aerospace market in the world, followed by France, UK, Germany and Canada. In near future, developing nations, like China, India, Mexico, and Brazil are expected to emerge as potential marketplaces for aerospace products.

On studying the market trends and drivers, we found how growing air traffic and increasing merger & acquisition activities are adding growth to this strong industry. Our report provides an extensive research and objective analysis of the global aerospace market, and its various segments, including civil and military aerospace. In addition, the report entails a detailed analysis of the industry in terms of developed and emerging markets. Our research work contains information on the key players such as Business Description and Recent Developments which will help clients assess opportunities existing in the global aerospace market, and formulate appropriate strategies.1. Analyst View2. Research Methodology3. Global Aerospace Industry Overview3.1 Civil Aerospace Industry3.1.1 By Region3.1.2 By Segment3.1.3 By Market Leaders3.2 Military Aerospace Industry3.2.1 By Region3.2.2 By Segment3.2.3 By Market Leaders4. Aerospace Industry by Region4.1 Developed Markets4.1.1 United States4.1.1.1 By Segment4.1.1.2 By Trade4.1.2 Canada4.1.2.1 By Segment4.1.2.2 By Trade4.1.3 Japan4.1.3.1 By Segment4.1.3.2 By Trade4.1.4 UK4.1.4.1 By Segment4.1.4.2 By Trade4.1.5 France4.1.5.1 By Segment4.1.5.2 By Trade4.1.6 Germany4.1.6.1 By Segment4.1.6.2 By Trade4.2 Emerging Markets4.2.1 China4.2.2 India4.2.3 Brazil4.2.4 Mexico5. Industry Trends & Drivers5.1 Rising Air Traffic Growth5.2 M&A Activities on the Rise5.3 Increased Use of Green Technologies5.4 High-skilled Engineers6. Key Players Analysis6.1 The Boeing Company6.1.1 Business Description6.1.2 Recent Developments6.2 EADS NV6.2.1 Business Description6.2.2 Recent Developments6.3 United Technologies Corporation6.3.1 Business Description6.3.2 Recent Developments6.4 Lockheed Martin Corporation6.4.1 Business Description6.4.2 Recent Developments6.5 Northrop Grumman Corporation6.5.1 Business Description6.5.2 Recent Developments6.6 General Electric Company6.6.1 Business Description6.6.2 Recent Developments6.7 BAE Systems Plc.6.7.1 Business Description6.7.2 Recent Developments

List of Figures:

Figure 3-1: Global - Aerospace Industry (Billion US$), 2010-2015Figure 3-2: Global - Aerospace Industry by Segment (%), 2011Figure 3-3: Civil Aerospace Industry (Billion US$), 2010-2015Figure 3-4: Civil Aerospace Industry by Region (%), 2011 & 2015Figure 3-5: Civil Aerospace Industry by Segment (%), 2011 & 2015Figure 3-6: Military Aerospace Industry (Billion US$), 2010-2015Figure 3-7: Military Aerospace Industry by Region (%), 2011 & 2015Figure 3-8: Military Aerospace Industry by Segment (%), 2011 & 2015Figure 4-1: US - Aerospace Industry (Billion US$), 2010-2015Figure 4-2: US - Aerospace Industry by Segment (%), 2011Figure 4-3: US - Aerospace Industry Exports & Imports (Billion US$), 2009-2011Figure 4-4: US - Aerospace Industry Exports by Segment (%), 2011Figure 4-5: US - Aerospace Industry Imports by Product (%), 2011Figure 4-6: US - Aerospace Industry Exports by Country (%), 2010Figure 4-7: US - Aerospace Industry Imports by Country (%), 2010Figure 4-8: Canada - Aerospace Industry (Billion CAD), 2010-2015Figure 4-9: Canada - Aerospace Industry by Segment (%), 2010Figure 4-10: Canada - Aerospace Industry Exports & Imports (Billion CAD), 2009-2011Figure 4-11: Canada - Aerospace Industry Exports by Country (%), 2011Figure 4-12: Canada - Aerospace Industry Imports by Country (%), 2011Figure 4-13: Japan - Aerospace Industry (Billion Yen), 2010-2015Figure 4-14: Japan - Aerospace Industry by Segment (%), 2009Figure 4-15: Japan - Aerospace Industry Exports & Imports (Billion Yen), 2008 & 2009Figure 4-16: Japan - Aerospace Industry Exports by Product (%), 2009Figure 4-17: Japan - Aerospace Industry Imports by Product (%), 2009Figure 4-18: Japan - Aerospace Industry Exports by Country (%), 2009Figure 4-19: Japan - Aerospace Industry Imports by Country (%), 2009Figure 4-20: UK - Aerospace Industry (Billion ), 2010-2015Figure 4-21: UK - Aerospace Industry by Segment (%), 2010Figure 4-22: UK - Aerospace Industry Exports & Imports (Billion ), 2008 & 2009Figure 4-23: France - Aerospace Industry (Billion Euro), 2010-2015Figure 4-24: France - Aerospace Industry by Segment (%), 2010Figure 4-25: France - Aerospace Industry Exports & Imports (Billion Euro), 2008 & 2009Figure 4-26: Germany - Aerospace Industry (Billion Euro), 2010-2015Figure 4-27: Germany - Aerospace Industry by Segment (%), 2011Figure 4-28: Germany - Aerospace Industry Exports (Billion Euro), 2009-2011Figure 4-29: China - Air Passenger Traffic (Million), 2010-2015Figure 4-30: China - Aviation Industry Exports & Imports (Billion US$), 2008-2010Figure 4-31: India - Aerospace Industry (Billion US$), 2011-2015Figure 4-32: India - Exports & Imports of Aircraft, Spacecraft and Parts (Million US$), FY 2009 to FY 2011Figure 4-33: Brazil - Aerospace Industry (Billion US$), 2010-2015Figure 4-34: Brazil - Aerospace Industry by Segment (%), 2010Figure 4-35: Brazil - Aerospace Industry Exports (Billion US$), 2008-2010Figure 4-36: Mexico - Aerospace Industry (Billion US$), 2010-2015Figure 4-37: Mexico - Aerospace Industry Exports & Imports (Million US$), 2008-2011

List of Tables:

Table 3-1: R&D Expenditures by Major Aerospace Companies (Million US$), 2010Table 3-2: New Aircraft Models Scheduled for First Delivery (2013 to 2020)Table 3-3: Civil Aerospace Industry by Market Players (Million US$)Table 3-4: Military Expenditure by Major Country (Billion US$), 2010Table 3-5: Military Aerospace Industry by Market Players (Million US$)Table 5-1: Airport Passengers & Traffic Growth by Region (2011)Table 5-2: Global Aerospace Deals (Billion US$), 2011

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One Man’s Spiritual Journey to Find Healing

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Native American Healing and Lakota Spirituality - A Man Among the Helpers chronicles the book's author Salvatore Gencarelle's spiritual journey to find healing.Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) August 15, 2012 Salvatore Gencarelle, freelance writer and traveler, announces his new book "A Man Among the Helpers," which chronicles his own spiritual journey to find healing.Native American culture and religious ...

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Sunita Williams wishes Indians from space station

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Indian-American astronaut Sunita Williams on Wednesday displayed the Tricolour on board the International Space Station and wished Indians on the eve of their 66th Independence Day. I wish India a very happy Independence Day for August 15... India is a wonderful country and I am very proud to be a part of India, she said in her message.

Of course, you know that I am half Indian. My father is from Gujarat. So, I am familiar with culture and customs of India. I am so proud to a part of this [Independence Day] celebration, Ms. Williams said, displaying Indias national flag.

Williams, 46, along with Yuri Malenchenko of Russia and Japans Akihiko Hoshide left for the ISS aboard a Russian spacecraft Soyuz TMA-05M on July 15 from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

Ms. Williams, who was a flight engineer on the stations Expedition 32 crew, became commander of Expedition 33 after reaching the space station.

Ms. Williams was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in 1998. She was assigned to the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 14 and then joined Expedition 15.

She holds the record of the longest spaceflight (195 days) for female space travellers.

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External payloads delivered to station by Japanese vessel

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The International Space Station's robotics systems, under manual and remote control by astronauts and ground controllers, have transferred a cache of experiments from a Japanese resupply craft to external platforms aboard the orbiting outpost.

The barrel-shaped spacecraft, nicknamed Kounotori 3, reached the complex July 27, flying in formation below the station while astronauts unlimbered the lab's robotic arm to snare the HTV resupply craft from space.

Kounotori means "white stork" in Japanese.

The space station crew opened the hatch to the HTV's pressurized cargo module July 28 to begin unloading more than 7,000 pounds of equipment, including food and clothing, an aquatic habitat to study how microgravity impacts marine life, a remote-controlled Earth observation camera, a critical part for the lab's water regeneration system, and a Japanese cooling water recirculation pump, according to NASA.

The cargo craft also delivered five small CubeSat satellites and a Japanese-built deployer apparatus. The CubeSats will be released outside the space station beginning this fall.

Two payload packages mounted on an external platform inside the HTV required removal by the station's Canadian and Japanese robotics systems.

The Canadian and Japanese robot arms transferred the HTV's exposed pallet to a connecting port on the space station's Kibo laboratory Aug. 6. The outpost's Dextre robotic handyman, operating on commands from the ground, on Aug. 7 moved NASA's Space Communications and Navigation Testbed to its operating location on the space station truss.

Developed by NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, the SCAN Testbed payload includes three experimental next-generation radios capable of being updated with fresh software in flight.

Future space missions could use similar radios for communications and navigation functions. Ground controllers could install new software to alter the radio's capabilities, reducing the time and money needed to ensure spacecraft radios meet a mission's changing needs.

"The ability to change the operating characteristics of the radio's software after launch allows missions to change the way a radio communicates with ground controllers, and offers the flexibility to adapt to new science opportunities and increased data return," said a fact sheet posted on a NASA website.

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External payloads delivered to station by Japanese vessel

NASA Pilots Capture Perseid Meteor Dust at 65,000 Feet

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Photo: NASA

Many astronomy fans are focused on the Perseid meteor showers this week and pilots at NASAs Dryden Flight Research Center are no different. But rather than waiting for nightfall and simply watching the streaks of light across the sky, the pilots are flying a Cold War-era spy plane on several missions this week to capture samples of the cosmic dust as it settles through the stratosphere.

The airplane is a civilian version of the Lockheed U-2 spy plane known as an ER-2 (Earth Resources). The aircraft have been used by NASA as a high-altitude science platform for decades, which is actually one of the cover stories used by the airplane maker and CIA when the airplane was originally being developed. This week one of NASAs ER-2s will fly three separate eight-hour missions at more than 65,000 feet to collect dust from the Perseid meteor showers.

The airplane is equipped with collectors under each wing (the collectors are not in the picture above) and have clam-shell doors that can be controlled by the pilot. Once at altitude the pilot opens the doors, which exposes surfaces that have been coated with a sticky, sterile silicon oil that collects material hopefully Perseid meteor dust from the lower stratosphere.

Once the mission is complete, the doors on the samplers are closed and the ER-2 descends through the atmosphere, making its way back to Edwards Air Force Base in southern California where the Dryden Flight Research Center is located. The samples are sent to the Johnson Space Center in Houston where they are identified and cataloged. Perseid samples collected by the ER-2 are then made available to scientists around the world.

The ER-2 Perseid flights have been taking place since the 1980s. The NASA aircraft have also participated in a wide range of scientific missions including a wide range of remote sensing and mapping projects around the world, hurricane research and other atmospheric sampling programs including some of the original ozone depletion measurements over Antarctica.

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NASA Pilots Capture Perseid Meteor Dust at 65,000 Feet

NASA: Mars rover Curiosity brain surgery complete (+video)

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After a four-day software upgrade, NASA's Curiosity is ready to continue its 2-year search for Martian microbes. In about a week, the rover will go for its first test drive. Once it begins moving, it will be able to travel about the length of a football field daily.

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has survived its four-day "brain transplant" in fine shape and is now gearing up for its first Red Planet drive, scientists announced today (Aug. 14).

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Engineers upgraded Curiosity's flight software over the weekend, switching the rover's main and backup computers from landing mode to surface mode. The four-day overhaul temporarily halted Curiosity's science and instrument-checkout work, which had begun almost immediately after therover touched downinside Mars' Gale Crater on the night of Aug. 5.

But those activities can resume later today, on the rover's ninth full Martian day or Sol 9, in mission lingo becauseCuriosity's brain surgerywent well, researchers said.

"It came off pretty much without a hitch," Curiosity mission systems manager Mike Watkins, of NASA'sJet Propulsion Laboratory(JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., told reporters today. "All four days went as planned, so we're now 'go' to continue our checkout activities."

As part of the checkout process, Curiosity's handlers hope to turn the rover's wheels for the first time in the next week or so, Watkins added. [Gallery: Curiosity's 1st Photos of Mars]

"We're going to test the steering actuators on Sol 13, and then we are going to take it out for a test drive here probably around Sol 15," Watkins said. "We're going to do a short drive of, you know, a couple of meters, and then maybe turn and back up."

Curiosity is the centerpiece of NASA's $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory mission (MSL), which seeks to determine if the Red Planet could ever havehosted microbial life. To get at this question, Curiosity will analyze Martian rocks and soil with 10 different science instruments for the next two years or more.

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Scott Rickert, Nanofilm CEO, Addresses Global Polymer Innovation Expo on Fast-Tracking Commercialization of …

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Dr. Scott Rickert, President and CEO of the nanotechnology company Nanofilm, will speak at the Global Polymer Innovation Expo in Columbus, Ohio, August 26-29, 2012, Columbus Convention Center, Battelle Hall, in Columbus, Ohio.Valley View, OH (PRWEB) August 15, 2012 Dr. Scott Rickert, President and CEO of the nanotechnology company [Nanofilm, will speak at the Global Polymer Innovation Expo in ...

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How Nanotechnology Is Changing How You Eat And Taste

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Israels Shemen Industries introduced a product it calls Canola Active Oil, which it claims can reduce the bodys cholesterol intake by upwards of 14%. How does it do this? Using a technology it calls nano-sized self-assembled liquid structures (NSSL), which help to keep cholesterol from jumping from the digestive tract to the bloodstream. NSSLs, or nanodrops, as the company calls them, are added to the oil to create a water-soluble bubble of sorts that allows the healthier phytosterols that are abundant in plants and their oils to outcompete cholesterols to move into the bloodstream, thereby fighting against the causes of heart disease.

SlimShake-Chocolate, once marketed by Texas-based RBC Life Sciences (the product seems to have been discontinued since its nowhere to be found on the manufacturers site), featured an innovation called called Nanoclusters. These clusters were tiny structures that are 100,000th the size of a grain of sand. The company coated them with cocoa to form CocoaClusters, which, because of their greater surface area relative to their mass, delivered more chocolate taste, eliminating the need for excess sugar that makes these drinks bad for you.

The gloriously named Shenzhen Become Industry & Trade Co. Ltd., has developed a technique called ball-milling, which it uses to pulverize plants into particles that are fewer than 100 nanometers in diameter. The NanoTea made from this process allows for the release of 10 times as much selenium, a naturally occurring element that has antioxidative effects in the body.

A technology developed at the U.K.s University of Nottingham is another example of a nanofood exploiting the surface-area-to-mass ratio of a nanoparticle to deliver more flavor with less product. In the case of SODA-LO, the product is salt. By creating smaller salt crystals, SODA-LO, according to a press release from the company, enables added salt levels to be reduced by up to 30% in foods such as bread, pizza bases, pastry, savory pie fillings, cheese, and baked snacks.

First developed in the mid-1990s, FANTESK is a simple technology: Its essentially an oil trapped in a starch. That encapsulated oil, however, is distributed evenly in the starch giving it a uniform taste and allowing for the creation of many low fat items containing FANTESK, from soft-serve to cheddar cheese. Recently, scientists at the Agricultural Research Services National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research in Peoria, Illinois, have put a FANTESK mixture of cooking oil with no trans-fats and wheat flour into cake mixes and frostings. The result: Delicious buttercream with only half the fat.

Food isnt just the end product where these nano-developments end up. In some cases, food itself enables the technology. In 2005, two Dutch researchers revealed a method for creating a nanotube out of a protein found in milk called alpha-lactalbumin. The proteins ability to be coaxed into forming such a structure means it could well serve as a vehicle for encapsulated molecules, such as for example vitamins and enzymes, the researchers wrote in Trends in Food Science and Technology, which would allow scientists to easily fortify your breakfast cereal with more essential nutrients.

Scientists at Norwichs Institute of Food Research in the U.K. are working on a method for developing low-fat food that tastes good. They are specifically targeting emulsions, such as mayonnaise (which are simply oil suspended in proteins). Low-fat mayo is made by taking out half the yummy fat and replacing it with water. The researchers are hoping that by creating nano-droplets of water, they can suspend them in the oil, so an eater is greeted with that signature mayo taste with the water hidden within, instead of the current version, which tastes like watery mayo.

Writing in the journal Appetite, a group of researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich discussed the risks associated with applying nanotechnology to the food industry. Among the topics mentioned in the report were so-called individually modifiable foods, which would employ various encapsulated ingredients so that heating an item in a microwave in a certain way could alter properties like its color or taste. Sure enough, there have been reports, such as this possibly tounge-in-cheek one in The Guardians Observer magazine, about programmable wine where one day a prospective buyer could decide at the absolute last minute (relatively speaking) whether he or she preferred white or red. Well believe this one when we see it.

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How Nanotechnology Is Changing How You Eat And Taste