Space station blunder blamed on flawed training

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SAN FRANCISCO NanoRacks LLC said July 13 that an internal investigation determined that some student-designed experiments delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) in May and returned to Earth in early July were never activated on-orbit due to a flaw in NanoRack's astronaut training procedures. Jeffrey Manber, managing director of the Houston-based company, said in an email that NanoRacks will pay to refly the affected experiments.

The student space experiments in question were fluids housed in Teflon vials, known as MixStix, that were among the cargo Space Exploration Technologies' Dragon spacecraft delivered to the ISS in late May.

Once onboard the space station, an astronaut was supposed to start each experiment by flexing the tube to mix the fluids. When the vials were returned to students via the Russian Soyuz that landed July 1, many researchers determined their experiments were never activated.

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Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: A storm from the sun sparked colorful northern lights that stretched as far south as Arkansas. Check out our gallery of must-see auroral imagery.

"Previous crews were given on the ground review and personal interaction prior to launch," Manber said. "For this mission, the astronaut received hardware training solely via video while on the space station. Clearly, there was a miscommunication resulting from the video instruction."

In the future, NanoRacks plans to change the MixStix instructional video, train astronauts prior to missions if possible and review other NanoRacks videos to make sure future missions are successful, Manber added.

This story was provided by Space News, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.

2012 Space.com. All rights reserved. More from Space.com.

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Space station blunder blamed on flawed training

Space Station Science Experiment Blunder Blamed on Flawed Training

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SAN FRANCISCO — NanoRacks LLC said July 13 that an internal investigation determined that some student-designed experiments delivered to the International Space Station (ISS) in May and returned to Earth in early July were never activated on-orbit due to a flaw in NanoRack's astronaut training procedures. Jeffrey Manber, managing director of the Houston-based company, said in an email that ...

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Space Station Science Experiment Blunder Blamed on Flawed Training

NASA builds menu for planned Mars mission in 2030s

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HOUSTON (AP) Through a labyrinth of hallways deep inside a 1960s-era building that has housed research that dates back to the early years of U.S. space travel, a group of scientists in white coats is stirring, mixing, measuring, brushing and, most important, tasting the end result of their cooking.

Their mission: Build a menu for a planned journey to Mars in the 2030s.

The menu must sustain a group of six to eight astronauts, keep them healthy and happy and also offer a broad array of food. That's no simple feat considering it will likely take six months to get to the Red Planet, astronauts will have to stay there 18 months and then it will take another six months to return to Earth. Imagine having to shop for a family's three-year supply of groceries all at once and having enough meals planned in advance for that length of time.

"Mars is different just because it's so far away," said Maya Cooper, senior research scientist with Lockheed Martin who is leading the efforts to build the menu. "We don't have the option to send a vehicle every six months and send more food as we do for International Space Station."

Astronauts who travel to the space station have a wide variety of food available to them, some 100 or so different options, in fact. But it is all pre-prepared and freeze-dried with a shelf life of at least two years. And while astronauts make up a panel that tastes the food and gives it a final OK on Earth before it blasts off, the lack of gravity means smell and taste is impaired. So the food is bland.

On Mars though, there is a little gravity, allowing NASA to consider significant changes to the current space menu. That's where Cooper's team comes in. Travel to Mars opens the possibility that astronauts can do things like chop vegetables and do a little cooking of their own. Even though pressure levels are different than on Earth, scientists think it will be possible to boil water with a pressure cooker, too.

One option Cooper and her staff in the Johnson Space Center in Houston are considering is having the astronauts care for a "Martian greenhouse." They would have a variety of fruits and vegetables from carrots to bell peppers in a hydroponic solution, meaning they would be planted in mineral-laced water instead of soil. The astronauts would care for their garden and then use those ingredients, combined with others, such as nuts and spices brought from Earth, to prepare their meals.

"That menu is favorable because it allows the astronauts to actually have live plants that are growing, you have optimum nutrient delivery with fresh fruits and vegetables, and it actually allows them to have freedom of choice when they're actually cooking the menus because the food isn't already pre-prepared into a particular recipe," Cooper said.

The top priority is to ensure that the astronauts get the proper amount of nutrients, calories and minerals to maintain their physical health and performance for the life of the mission, Cooper said.

The menu must also ensure the psychological health of the astronauts, Cooper explained, noting studies have shown that eating certain foods such as meatloaf and mashed potatoes or turkey on Thanksgiving improve people's mood and give them satisfaction. That "link to home" will be key for astronauts on the Mars mission, and there are currently two academic studies looking further into the connection between mood and food. Lacking certain vitamins or minerals can also harm the brain, she said.

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NASA builds menu for planned Mars mission in 2030s

NASA Releases Mars Rover Game for Xbox 360

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Much has been made of NASA's seeming retreat from space in the wake of the retirement of the space shuttle program. But while NASA has, at least for now, stopped sending people into space, it remains heavily invested in exploring our solar system remotely, and now it wants to get the public involved.

In conjunction with its current Mars Rover Curiosity mission, NASA has released a game for the Xbox 360 called Mars Rover Landing.

The game allows users to test their skill by trying to land the 1-ton Curiosity robotic rover on the surface of Mars using Microsoft's Kinect motion interface. Danielle Dallas Roosa, the granddaughter of astronaut Stuart Roosa, demonstrated the game in action (video below) earlier this week.

"Technology is making it possible for the public to participate in exploration as they never have before," Michelle Viotti, manager for the Mars Public Engagement Program at NASA, said in a statement. "Because Mars exploration is fundamentally a shared human endeavor, we want everyone around the globe to have the most immersive experience possible."

To further illustrate the precision needed to accomplish a successful Mars rover landing, NASA has also released a stunning video detailing what it calls "Seven Minutes of Terror." If you haven't been excited about robotic rover missions before, this presentation will likely change that sentiment.

In addition to the game, NASA has also released a 3D interactive experience using the Unity game engine, allowing users to explore Mars based on actual maps of its surface. NASA also has a mobile app called Be A Martian, which offers Mars rover mission news, images and behind-the-scenes video, available for Android and iOSdevices.

"We hope that through partnering on the Mars Rover experience, we spark interest and excitement among the next generation of scientists and technologists," said Walid Abu-Habda, corporate vice president of Developer & Platform Evangelism at Microsoft.

The Mars Rover Landing game is a free download currently available in the Xbox LIVE Marketplace and in Kinect Central.

Earlier this month, NASA released a panoramic image of Mars comprised of more than 800 photos taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) and Curiosity are scheduled to arrive on Mars on Aug. 6, 2012 after a 352-million-mile journey.

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NASA Releases Mars Rover Game for Xbox 360

NASA builds menu for 2030s mission to Mars

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HOUSTON Through a labyrinth of hallways deep inside a 1950s-era building that has housed research that dates back to the origins of U.S. space travel, a group of scientists in white coats is stirring, mixing, measuring, brushing and, most important, tasting the end result of their cooking.

Their mission: Build a menu for a planned journey to Mars in the 2030s.

The menu must sustain a group of six to eight astronauts, keep them healthy and happy and also offer a broad array of food. That's no simple feat considering it will likely take six months to get to the Red Planet, astronauts will have to stay there 18 months and then it will take another six months to return to Earth. Imagine having to shop for a family's three-year supply of groceries all at once and having enough meals planned in advance for that length of time.

"Mars is different just because it's so far away," said Maya Cooper, senior research scientist with Lockheed Martin who is leading the efforts to build the menu. "We don't have the option to send a vehicle every six months and send more food as we do for International Space Station."

Astronauts who travel to the space station have a wide variety of food available to them, some 100 or so different options, in fact. But it is all pre-prepared and freeze-dried with a shelf life of at least two years. And while astronauts make up a panel that tastes the food and gives it a final OK on Earth before it blasts off, the lack of gravity means smell and taste is impaired. So the food is bland.

On Mars though, there is a little gravity, allowing NASA to consider significant changes to the current space menu. That's where Cooper's team comes in. Travel to Mars opens the possibility that astronauts can do things like chop vegetables and do a little cooking of their own. Even though pressure levels are different than on Earth, scientists think it will be possible to boil water with a pressure cooker too.

One option Cooper and her staff are considering is having the astronauts care for a "Martian greenhouse." They would have a variety of fruits and vegetables from carrots to bell peppers in a hydroponic solution, meaning they would be planted in mineral-laced water instead of soil. The astronauts would care for their garden and then use those ingredients, combined with others, such as nuts and spices brought from Earth, to prepare their meals.

"That menu is favorable because it allows the astronauts to actually have live plants that are growing, you have optimum nutrient delivery with fresh fruits and vegetables, and it actually allows them to have freedom of choice when they're actually cooking the menus because the food isn't already pre-prepared into a particular recipe," Cooper said.

The top priority is to ensure that the astronauts get the proper amount of nutrients, calories and minerals to maintain their physical health and performance for the life of the mission, Cooper said.

The menu must also ensure the psychological health of the astronauts, Cooper explained, noting studies have shown that eating certain foods such as meatloaf and mashed potatoes or turkey on Thanksgiving improve people's mood and give them satisfaction. That "link to home" will be key to astronauts on the Mars mission, and there are currently two academic studies looking further into the connection between mood and food. Lacking certain vitamins or minerals can also harm the brain, she said.

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NASA builds menu for 2030s mission to Mars

Will NASA's Mars rover land safely? Glitch could delay news. (+video)

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NASA's Curiosity rover is due to touch down on the Martian surface on August 5, but a malfunction in another NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars will mean we'll all have to wait longer to find out if the landing is successful.

NASA is just 20 days away from landing a car-size rover on Mars, but mission managers might have to wait a little longer than anticipated to learn whether the challenging touchdown succeeds or not.

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

NASA's 1-ton Curiosity rover, the centerpiece of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, is slated to land on the Martian surface on the night of Aug. 5 to investigate whether the planet is, or ever was, capable of harboringpast or present microbial life. But first, the rover will have to survive a harrowing journey through the Red Planet's atmosphere a process that has been nicknamed the "seven minutes of terror."

"[T]he Curiosity landing is the hardest NASA robotic mission ever attempted in the history ofexploration of Mars, or any of our robot exploration," John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said in a news briefing today (July 16) at the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C. "This is risky business."

And a glitch in an aging Mars orbiter may compromise Earth's communications with Curiosity slightly, forcing the mission team to wait a few more agonizing minutes to learn the fate of their $2.5 billion rover. [How Curiosity's Nail-Biting Landing Works (Pictures)]

Since Curiosity is too large for an airbag-assisted landing, NASA is using a complex and unprecedented sky crane system to safely lower the rover onto the surface of the Red Planet. This sequence of events called entry, descent and landing (EDL) will last approximately seven minutes.

"Those seven minutes are the most challenging part of this entire mission," said Pete Theisinger, MSL project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "For the landing to succeed, hundreds of events will need to go right, many with split-second timing and all controlled autonomously by the spacecraft."

As Curiositystreaks through the Martian atmosphere, the spacecraft must slow itself from roughly 13,200 mph (about 21,250 kilometers per hour) to zero in only seven minutes. The rocket-powered sky crane, which acts similar to a backpack with three nylon cords attached, will help to control the rover's descent.

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Will NASA's Mars rover land safely? Glitch could delay news. (+video)

Will NASA's Mars rover land safely? Glitch could delay news.

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NASA's Curiosity rover is due to touch down on the Martian surface on August 5, but a malfunction in another NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars will mean we'll all have to wait longer to find out if the landing is successful.

NASA is just 20 days away from landing a car-size rover on Mars, but mission managers might have to wait a little longer than anticipated to learn whether the challenging touchdown succeeds or not.

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

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

NASA's 1-ton Curiosity rover, the centerpiece of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) mission, is slated to land on the Martian surface on the night of Aug. 5 to investigate whether the planet is, or ever was, capable of harboringpast or present microbial life. But first, the rover will have to survive a harrowing journey through the Red Planet's atmosphere a process that has been nicknamed the "seven minutes of terror."

"[T]he Curiosity landing is the hardest NASA robotic mission ever attempted in the history ofexploration of Mars, or any of our robot exploration," John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said in a news briefing today (July 16) at the agency's headquarters in Washington, D.C. "This is risky business."

And a glitch in an aging Mars orbiter may compromise Earth's communications with Curiosity slightly, forcing the mission team to wait a few more agonizing minutes to learn the fate of their $2.5 billion rover. [How Curiosity's Nail-Biting Landing Works (Pictures)]

Since Curiosity is too large for an airbag-assisted landing, NASA is using a complex and unprecedented sky crane system to safely lower the rover onto the surface of the Red Planet. This sequence of events called entry, descent and landing (EDL) will last approximately seven minutes.

"Those seven minutes are the most challenging part of this entire mission," said Pete Theisinger, MSL project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "For the landing to succeed, hundreds of events will need to go right, many with split-second timing and all controlled autonomously by the spacecraft."

As Curiositystreaks through the Martian atmosphere, the spacecraft must slow itself from roughly 13,200 mph (about 21,250 kilometers per hour) to zero in only seven minutes. The rocket-powered sky crane, which acts similar to a backpack with three nylon cords attached, will help to control the rover's descent.

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Will NASA's Mars rover land safely? Glitch could delay news.

Biodesix Appoints Vice President of Clinical Development & Medical Affairs

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BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Biodesix, Inc., a fully integrated molecular diagnostic company dedicated to personalizing medicine, today announced the appointment of Dominic Spinella, Ph.D., as Vice President of Clinical Development & Medical Affairs. Rounding out the management team, Dr. Spinella joins Biodesix to provide leadership for all clinical development operations. He will be based in the companys Boulder, CO headquarters.

We are pleased to welcome Dom to Biodesix, said David Brunel, Biodesix Chief Executive Officer. His extensive background in translational medicine and validation of clinically important biomarkers will be invaluable as we enter the next phase of our growth, and we look forward to his contribution to our future success.

Dr. Spinella brings to Biodesix over 20 years of experience in drug development and the discipline of translational medicine. Most recently, Dom was Executive Director and Head of Translational and Molecular Medicine for the Pfizer Biotherapeutics Division. He also headed Translational Medicine for Pfizer Oncology and led the clinical and translational biomarker work for the companys oncology portfolio. Prior to this, he spent eight years at Chugai Pharmaceuticals USA in positions of increasing responsibility, most recently as Vice President of Exploratory Research.

Dr. Spinella has served on several national and international cancer biomarker development bodies, including the Cancer Steering Committee of the NIH Biomarkers Consortium, the AACR/FDA/NCI/Cancer Biomarkers Collaborative (CBC) and the AACR Scientific Review Committee for Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development. He is an author or co-author of more than 50 peer-reviewed articles and abstracts, and principle or co-inventor of a dozen issued or pending patents. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Syracuse University, and his Master of Science. and Ph.D. degrees in genetics and immunology respectively from Rutgers University.

About Biodesix

Biodesix is a fully integrated molecular diagnostics company advancing the development of products for personalized medicine. Biodesix developed, validated and commercialized VeriStrat, a serum proteomic test currently available to help physicians guide therapy for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. The test identifies patients who are likely to have good or poor outcomes after treatment with epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors (EGFRIs) using a simple blood draw. Samples are processed in Biodesix CLIA certified laboratory and results are typically reported within 72 hours of sample shipment. VeriStrat is based on ProTS, proprietary technology which harnesses the power of mass spectrometry and enables the discovery of specific molecular profiles that characterize a patients condition or likely outcome in response to therapy. Biodesix collaborates with clinical investigators to address critical clinical questions, and partners with biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies to develop diagnostics to select patients most likely to benefit from novel therapies. For more information about Biodesix, please visit http://www.Biodesix.com.

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Biodesix Appoints Vice President of Clinical Development & Medical Affairs

Undergraduate Focus: Indian medical expertise benefits students

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17 July 2012 | last updated at 11:08AM

MSUs involvement in the medical sciences areas is an initiative towards complementing the nations need for qualified medical personnel.

Specialising in Bachelor of Surgery and Bachelor of Medicine (MBBS) programmes, MSU also offers bachelors and diploma programmes in the area of medical sciences. These programmes are offered at the main campus in Shah Alam and its overseas campus in Bangalore, India, the first foreign medical school to receive five year accreditation from the Malaysian Medical Council.

Other than studying under the supervision of experienced medical experts in MSUs International Medical School (IMS) in Bangalore, students will also benefit from practical experiences at its teaching hospitals, M.S. Ramaiah Memorial Hospital and the Bangalore Baptist Hospital.

Housed in a 65 acre campus, IMS is adjacent to the M.S. Ramaiah Memorial Hospital, a multi-specialty world-class hospital with 1,050 beds. The hospital offers the commitment of ace doctors, highly qualified medical experts and competent paramedics working diligently towards the pursuit of quality healthcare.

The wealth of experience and development in medical field that India has to offer is unique and meets the expectations of many medical authorities all over the world. Through the setting up of the medical school, MSU envisages that Malaysias target doctor-patient ratio of 1:600 by the year 2020 is achieveable.

The Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery at MSU is a five-year programme that is divided into three phases. Among the subject areas that students will be exposed to are human anatomy, human physiology, biochemistry, pathology, pharmacology, forensics, microbiology and ophthalmology.

The clinical session begins in phase two along with para-clinical subjects, and the housemanship session commences in phase three. During this session students are required to perform a rotational training of three months each at all the relevant medical departments.

The academic terms begin in April and October and qualified students are required to take the Medical Entrance Test (MET) to determine their aptitude for the MBBS programme.

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Undergraduate Focus: Indian medical expertise benefits students

UMass Medical School is Awarded Multi-Million Dollar Contract to Manage Health Care at Federal Correctional Health …

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WORCESTER, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Federal Bureau of Prisons has awarded the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) a contract to manage comprehensive medical services to approximately 4,900 inmates at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) located in Butner, North Carolina.

The agreement, valued at $24.7 million for the first year, represents the UMMSs largest federal correctional health contract to date. The contract also has options for four additional years that could increase the overall award to more than $136 million through 2016.

UMMSs Health and Criminal Justice Program, part of its Commonwealth Medicine division, will manage the contract. The Medical Schools work at FMC Butner will begin later this month.

We are extremely pleased to have the opportunity to share our health and management expertise at the Butner facility, said Joyce A. Murphy, Executive Vice Chancellor for UMMS/Commonwealth Medicine. This builds on our impressive correctional health experience at the state and federal levels, and will allow us to extend that work and specialized knowledge to the FMC Butner population. We cant wait to get started.

The contract calls for UMMS to coordinate both inpatient and outpatient physician and hospital services. The Medical School will manage care at the correctional facility and in community settings, through a partnership with Duke University Health System, which will provide most of the direct care services.

UMMS, a leader in correctional health, has also provided comprehensive health services for the past 12 years at the Federal Bureau of Prisons medical facility located in Devens, Mass. In addition, the Medical School has a long track record of providing care at 17 state-run prisons in Massachusetts, serving the health needs of approximately 11,500 inmates.

About the University of Massachusetts Medical School

The University of Massachusetts Medical School, one of the fastest-growing academic health sciences centers in the country, has built a reputation as a world-class research institution, consistently producing noteworthy advances in clinical and basic research. The Medical School attracts more than $255 million in research funding annually, 80 percent of which comes from federal funding sources. The mission of the Medical School is to advance the health and well-being of the people of Massachusetts and the world, through pioneering education, research, public service and health care delivery. Commonwealth Medicine, the Medical Schools health care consulting and operations division, provides a wide range of care management and consulting services to government agencies and health care organizations. For more information, visit commed.umassmed.edu.

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UMass Medical School is Awarded Multi-Million Dollar Contract to Manage Health Care at Federal Correctional Health ...

Liberty Silver's Chairman and CEO, Geoff Browne to Appear on BNN Program, Commodities

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TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - July 17, 2012) - Liberty Silver Corp. (LSL.TO)(LBSV) announced today that its chairman and CEO, Geoff Browne is scheduled to appear on the Business News Network (BNN) show, Commodities, today at 11:40 am Eastern Time to discuss Liberty Silver's proposed acquisition of Sennen Resources.

About Liberty Silver

Liberty Silver Corp. is focused on exploring and developing mineral properties in North America. The Company is committed to creating value for its shareholders by advancing its projects using its mitigated risk approach to production, developing new resources on its existing properties, and acquiring new properties with potential to expand their resource base. The Trinity Silver property in Pershing County, Nevada is the Company's leading project. Liberty Silver has the right to earn a joint venture interest in the 10,476 acre Trinity property from Renaissance Gold Inc. For more information, go to http://www.libertysilvercorp.com.

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Liberty Silver's Chairman and CEO, Geoff Browne to Appear on BNN Program, Commodities

ATK Completes Final Milestone for Liberty under NASA's Commercial Crew Development-2 Program

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ATK successfully completed the last Liberty space transportation system milestone under the company's unfunded Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA for the Commercial Crew Development Program (CCDev-2).

The final milestone under the SAA was a Program Status Review (PSR) for the Liberty system. During the PSR, the Liberty team presented NASA with detailed progress of the program, including integrated master schedule, DAC cycle status, system requirements, software status, flight test plan, system safety review, ground processing certification plan and schedule for initial operation capability.

The CCDev-2 Liberty SAA enabled NASA and the Liberty team to share technical information related to the Liberty transportation system during the preliminary design review phase of the program. ATK completed five milestones and held three Technical Interchange Meetings, all on internal funding.

"It has been a privilege working with NASA to complete the SAA for the Commercial Crew program," said Kent Rominger, ATK vice president and program manager for Liberty. "The feedback we received from the NASA Liberty team has helped further the development of the entire system and we believe ensures the program is on target for Liberty to provide a capable and safe commercial transportation to the International Space Station (ISS) by mid-decade."

Currently, Liberty's schedule includes unmanned test flights in 2014 and 2015, followed by the first crewed flight in late 2015 with Liberty astronauts. Commercial operational flights to take NASA astronauts to the ISS would begin in 2016.

ATK also hosted a Liberty Supplier conference the day following the PSR. This meeting, held in Florida, brought together more than 20 of Liberty's major suppliers to support Liberty development activities.

"Our supply base is critical to Liberty's success as we move quickly through development of the entire system," said Rominger. "As a commercial program we need to ensure we are a strong team in order to provide the best service and grow a profitable business."

About Liberty

Liberty is a complete commercial crew space system that includes a composite spacecraft, abort system, launch vehicle and ground and mission operations, all of which were designed from inception to meet NASA's human-rating requirements. ATK is the prime contractor with Astrium and Lockheed Martin serving as major subcomponent providers. Additional subcontractors for Liberty include Safran/Snecma, Moog Inc., Honeywell, Astrotech Space Operations (ASTC), Aerojet, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Teledyne Brown, Dynamic Concepts, Inc. and Hamilton Sundstrand.

The Liberty system team is located across 17 states including Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, Virginia and Washington. The commercial program will sustain thousands of jobs as well as bring approximately 600 new jobs across the country.

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ATK Completes Final Milestone for Liberty under NASA's Commercial Crew Development-2 Program

ATK Completes Final Milestone for Liberty under NASA's Commercial Crew Program

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ARLINGTON, Va., July 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ATK (ATK) successfully completed the last Liberty space transportation system milestone under the company's unfunded Space Act Agreement (SAA) with NASA for the Commercial Crew Development Program (CCDev-2).

The final milestone under the SAA was a Program Status Review (PSR) for the Liberty system. During the PSR, the Liberty team presented NASA with detailed progress of the program, including integrated master schedule, DAC cycle status, system requirements, software status, flight test plan, system safety review, ground processing certification plan and schedule for initial operation capability.

The CCDev-2 Liberty SAA enabled NASA and the Liberty team to share technical information related to the Liberty transportation system during the preliminary design review phase of the program. ATK completed five milestones and held three Technical Interchange Meetings, all on internal funding.

"It has been a privilege working with NASA to complete the SAA for the Commercial Crew program," said Kent Rominger, ATK vice president and program manager for Liberty. "The feedback we received from the NASA Liberty team has helped further the development of the entire system and we believe ensures the program is on target for Liberty to provide a capable and safe commercial transportation to the International Space Station (ISS) by mid-decade."

Currently, Liberty's schedule includes unmanned test flights in 2014 and 2015, followed by the first crewed flight in late 2015 with Liberty astronauts. Commercial operational flights to take NASA astronauts to the ISS would begin in 2016.

ATK also hosted a Liberty Supplier conference the day following the PSR. This meeting, held in Florida, brought together more than 20 of Liberty's major suppliers to support Liberty development activities.

"Our supply base is critical to Liberty's success as we move quickly through development of the entire system," said Rominger. "As a commercial program we need to ensure we are a strong team in order to provide the best service and grow a profitable business."

About LibertyLiberty is a complete commercial crew space system that includes a composite spacecraft, abort system, launch vehicle and ground and mission operations, all of which were designed from inception to meet NASA's human-rating requirements. ATK is the prime contractor with Astrium and Lockheed Martin serving as major subcomponent providers. Additional subcontractors for Liberty include Safran/Snecma, Moog Inc., Honeywell, Astrotech Space Operations (ASTC), Aerojet, Reynolds, Smith and Hills, Teledyne Brown, Dynamic Concepts, Inc.and Hamilton Sundstrand.

The Liberty system team is located across 17 states including Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, Virginia and Washington. The commercial program will sustain thousands of jobs as well as bring approximately 600 new jobs across the country.

More information on the Liberty system can be found at http://www.libertyspace.us.

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ATK Completes Final Milestone for Liberty under NASA's Commercial Crew Program

Storage Solutions Liberty Lake (Washington) LLC Adds U-Haul Rentals

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LIBERTY LAKE, Wash., July 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Brian Layton, owner of Storage Solutions Liberty Lake LLC, located at 2211 N. Harvard Rd., recently added U-Haul truck and trailer rentals to the storage business.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090622/LA34860LOGO-b)

Click here to download the photo accompanying this press release.

Families needing the finest in moving services now will have increased convenience and a shorter distance to travel when moving, which not only will make their move easier but also will have the positive effect of reducing the amount of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere. U-Haul partnering with business owners across North America to increase convenience for customers while helping our environment is just one of the programs that support U-Haul Company's Corporate Sustainability initiatives.

Storage Solutions Liberty Lake LLC, can now offer its customers a variety of moving equipment and supplies designed specifically for moving household furnishings, including moving vans, open trailers, closed trailers, furniture pads, appliance dollies, furniture dollies, tow dollies and auto transports. Storage Solutions Liberty Lake LLC, also will offer sales items to protect their customers' belongings and make moving easier, such as heavy-duty boxes, which are made of up to 90 percent recycled content and are available in a variety of sizes.

"U-Haul is proud to be partnering with a quality independent business such as Storage Solutions Liberty Lake LLC," exclaimed John Eide, president, U-Haul Company of Inland Northwest. "Brian is a great example of the type of successful business relationship U-Haul has established in order to build and maintain a strong network of more than 15,000 independent dealers across North America."

Learn more about Washington: http://www.uhaul.com/SuperGraphics/28/Venture-Across-America-and-Canada-Modern/Washington!

For more information, or to rent your moving equipment today, call (509) 795-5654. Visit http://www.mystoragesolutions.com. Business hours of operation are: Mon. Sat. 9 a.m. 5 p.m.

About U-HaulU-Haul was founded by a Navy veteran who grew up during the Great Depression. Tires and gas were still rationed or in short supply during the late 1940s when U-Haul began serving U.S. customers. Today, that background is central to the U-Haul Sustainability Program: "Serving the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Our commitment to reduce, reuse and recycle includes fuel-efficient moving vans, neighborhood proximity, moving box reuse, moving pads made from discarded material and packing peanuts that are 100% biodegradable. Learn more about these facts and others at uhaul.com/sustainability.

Since 1945, U-Haul has been the choice for the do-it-yourself mover. U-Haul customers' patronage has enabled the Company to maintain the largest rental fleet in the do-it-yourself moving industry which includes trucks, trailers and towing devices. U-Haul also offers storage throughout North America. The Company provides industry leading moving and storage boxes and an extended line of packing supplies to protect customer possessions. U-Haul is the consumer's number one choice as the largest installer of permanent trailer hitches in the automotive aftermarket. The Company supplies alternative-fuel for vehicles and backyard grills as one of the nation's largest retailers of propane.

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Storage Solutions Liberty Lake (Washington) LLC Adds U-Haul Rentals

Liberty Silver Investor Update: Conference Call Notification

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TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - July 17, 2012) - Liberty Silver Corp. (LSL.TO)(LBSV) will hold a conference call at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time, Wednesday, July 18, 2012 to discuss its takeover bid for Sennen Resources Ltd. (SN.V).

Mr. Geoff Browne, chairman and CEO, and Mr. Bill Tafuri, president and COO will host the 45-minute call for analysts, investors and the media. Introductory remarks will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

Takeover Bid Circular:

http://www.sedar.com/DisplayCompanyDocuments.do?lang=EN&issuerNo=00006199

Liberty Silver announced on Monday, July 16, 2012 that it has offered to acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Sennen. The offer represents a 47.3 percent premium on Sennen's recent trading price. Upon successful completion of the takeover bid, Sennen's cash reserves will help advance Liberty Silver's Trinity Silver project in Nevada, and support its value-building consolidation strategy.

About Liberty Silver

Liberty Silver Corp. is focused on exploring and developing mineral properties in North America. The Company is committed to creating value for its shareholders by advancing its projects using its mitigated risk approach to production, developing new resources on its existing properties, and acquiring new properties with potential to expand their resource base. The Trinity Silver property in Pershing County, Nevada is the Company's leading project. Liberty Silver has the right to earn a joint venture interest in the 10,476 acre Trinity property from Renaissance Gold Inc. For more information, go to http://www.libertysilvercorp.com.

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Liberty Silver Investor Update: Conference Call Notification

Libertarian 2012 Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates, Former Governor Gary Johnson and Ret. Judge Jim Gray …

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FACETStelevision Producer/Host, Kevin McDonald interviews Libertarian 2012 presidential and vice presidential candidates, former New Mexico Governor, Gary Johnson and Retired Superior Court Judge, Jim Gray. In the interview, McDonald delivers a series of hard hitting questions on topics from the economy and immigration to foreign policy, the proposed legalization of Marijuana and media ...

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Libertarian 2012 Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates, Former Governor Gary Johnson and Ret. Judge Jim Gray ...

Solomons 'launders' exotic birds

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17 July 2012 Last updated at 03:45 ET By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News

The Solomon Islands has become a hub for "laundering" wild birds into the global captive-bred bird trade, says the wildlife trade watchdog Traffic.

Thousands of parrots, cockatoos and other exotic birds have been exported over the last 10 years, they report.

But officials say there are no major captive breeding units in the islands.

The Solomons recently joined CITES, the global wildlife trade convention, which sets different conditions for trading captive-bred and wild animals.

"Declaring exported birds as being captive-bred has all the hallmarks of a scam to get around international trade regulations," said Chris Shepherd, Traffic's deputy director for Southeast Asia.

Some of the 35 bird species exported from the Solomons are on the internationally recognised Red List of Threatened Species.

They include the Critically Endangered yellow-crested cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea), and the chattering lory (Lorius garrulus) and blue bird of paradise (Paradisaea rudolphi), which are both categorised as Vulnerable.

Under CITES - the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species - all trade in the yellow-crested cockatoo is banned.

For the others, exports of wild-caught birds are strictly regulated.

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Solomons 'launders' exotic birds

Falkland Islands Hlg – Director's Dealing

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Falkland Islands Holdings plc

("FIH" or "the Company")

Director's Dealing

Falkland Islands Holdings plc, the AIM quoted international group which owns essential services businesses focused on retail, transport and logistics announces that it has been informed that on 16 July 2012 Jeremy Brade, a director of the Company, acquired 1,047 ordinary shares of 10 pence each ("Shares") at a price of 388 pence per Share. Following the acquisition, Mr. Brade holds 6,000 Shares representing 0.05% of the Company's total voting rights.

Enquiries:

Falkland Islands Holdings plc

David Hudd, Chairman Tel: 07771 893 267

John Foster, Managing Director Tel: 01279 461 630

WH Ireland Ltd. - NOMAD and Broker to FIH

Adrian Hadden / Nick Field Tel: 0207 220 1666

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Falkland Islands Hlg - Director's Dealing