Rewilding Spirituality – The Ecologist

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Kara Moses

21st February, 2017

Rewilding aims to regenerate, reconnect and restore, to create healthy, functional ecosystems

Imagine if everything in the world around you was conscious - every tree sacred, every rock, every falling leaf. Imagine if you felt they were closely related to you, like cousins, always available to offer wise guidance, gentle healing, fierce protection and a deep sense of belonging. How differently might we treat each other, the non-human world, and ourselves?

This is the intimate, sacred, relationship countless generations of humans had with nature. Natural cycles unfolded around our ancestors with profound meaning; they were not separate from them. They honoured their need for spiritual connection and understanding of life's mysteries through earth-centric ceremony and ritual, with deep reverence for nature.

With the spread of patriarchal 'sky God' religions over pantheistic Earth-based spirituality, our ancient reverence for nature was eroded as 'heathen' traditions were exterminated. The subsequent rise of reductionist science, capitalism and the eventual 'death of God' has led us to worship the gods of material accumulation instead. We see ourselves as separate from nature, and nothing is sacred; the natural landscape provides little more than a backdrop for our dramas of self-interest.

We have built a false world upon a world-view of ecological disconnection. Ignoring ecological limits and cycles, we live high-speed lives that deny nature's ebbs and flows, cultivating 'useful' species and eliminating those that threaten or inconvenience us. In our attempts to tame and control, to de-wild, we also de-wild ourselves. We deny parts of us that frighten and inconvenience us, ignore messages from our animal bodies as we stare at screens under artificial lights, inside concrete buildings. Research shows that disconnection from nature has negative impacts on the health of individuals, communities and society - and of course on the natural world.

The recent surge in interest in 'rewilding' reveals a yearning for a different way. Rewilding aims to regenerate, reconnect and restore, to create healthy, functional ecosystems. This is achieved through 'cores, corridors and carnivores' - protecting core wilderness areas, reconnecting habitats for free movement of wildlife and restoring lost keystone species.

But, as key parts of the ecosystems we dominate, humans must be part of the rewilding. A rewilding of the self is a re-enchantment with the natural world, a re-awakening of our senses and intuition, a dissolving of the false boundaries between our atomised selves and our Earthly home. It is a restoration of meaningful connections with nature, our selves and each other. Ultimately, it is a regeneration of our sacred relationship with the natural world; our spiritual selves must too be rewilded. Organised religion feels out-dated, irrelevant or questionable to many people, particularly younger generations. Yet growing numbers of people are exploring being 'spiritual but not religious', revealing an appetite for meaning, community and spirituality without the sanctimony.

Rekindling a sacred connection to the Earth and its inhabitants has the potential to feed this hunger, support the growth of a life-affirming society, heal the sickness of our times and transform social relationships. Increased time in nature brings greater happiness, better mental and physical health and emotional resilience. Research also shows that feeling more connected to nature also leads to positive action.

As individuals, communities and society, we must build resilience to withstand the challenges of transitioning to a life within ecological limits. To build a life-affirming society from the ashes of a dying system will require great skill, creativity and courage. We can tap into vast resources by connecting with nature. Nature's ways are powerful and wise, and we can take part in that web of power and wisdom. The wise guidance, gentle healing and fierce protection are all there if we develop the humility to hear it.

Efforts to address the planetary crisis must include a contemporary spiritual ecology to cultivate the deep humility and fierce resolve required to live sustainably and create a new story about the place of humanity in a post-capitalist world.

This Author

Kara Moses is a freelance writer and facilitator of nature connection, outdoor education and grassroots activism. She facilitates programs to connect people to nature, themselves and each other, and bring nature awareness into various spheres of society, from architecture and wellbeing to spirituality and social change. Kara is a Spiritual Ecology Fellow of St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace and is leading a retreat in April: Rewilding Spirituality: a spiritual exploration of our connection to the natural world. More information here.

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Rewilding Spirituality - The Ecologist

Central Georgia women set aside different faiths for shared spirituality – 13WMAZ.com

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Difference Makers: Religious unity

WMAZ is sharing with you the stories of Central Georgia "Difference Makers."

We define that as the people who don't just talk about big problems, they take action.

We're sharing a story about a group of women from different faiths who come together to unite people of all religions.

They focus on their shared spirituality, instead of their separate faiths.

On a typical morning at Highland Hills Baptist Church, it might strike you as odd to see Christian, Jewish, and Muslim women together under one roof. But, thats exactly the point.

They call themselves the Women's Interfaith Alliance and got to know each other on a personal level, through the simple act of passing plates of food.

It all started when the Islamic Center of Middle Georgia held an open house in 2011 and welcomed their Christian neighbors.

We thought about making our religion more understood, educating non-Muslims about our belief system, dispelling some of the misconceptions, establishing human relationships, and building bridges between our two faiths, said Eman Abdulla.

Abdulla said that first meeting, and the smaller ones that followed, help foster a stronger relationship and break down misconceptions.

Flo Martin, a Central Georgia Methodist, found her way into the group several years ago.

Many meals later she now calls these women friends and defending their beliefs is personal to her.

And I've just said, that's my family. And when you're family and you're connected, you stand, and so for me it's been a boldness, it's been a way to know that perfect love casts out fear, Martin said from the balcony of her church, Centenary United Methodist.

These women don't just talk, they put their faith into works.

Flo Martin on Atlanta protests

They buy groceries, feed schoolchildren, help refugees through Abdullas work in Atlanta, and gather donations for the homeless.

Betty Taylor worships at Temple Beth Israel and says what she gains from this group makes a difference in everyday life, including trips to the gym.

Some people there know that I'm Jewish and one day I came in and Rosha, one of the Muslim ladies, was leaving we run over and hug each other and Rosha was telling me how later one of the ladies there was saying, 'you know her how do you know her? Taylor said.

She answered that they formed the unlikely friendship by making an effort to listen and over time, understand.

Its something one of her Muslim friends would agree with.

You have to respect other people's journeys as well even though they might take other paths you know but you respect the journey. And also getting to know more and more that we are one in faith you know, we worship the same god, we have very similar ideas on values and we do believe that our religions come from the same source, Abdulla said.

We do have so many commonalities, we laugh over the same things and cry over the same things, Martin told WMAZ.

And they also share joy over the simplest of things.

Learning their faith in a higher power doesn't divide them, it unites them.

At their February meeting, about 80 women attended the Interfaith Alliance lunch.

That's the best attendance they've recorded since they started in 2011 and it continues to grow each month. If youre interested in attending their next meeting, you can check out their Facebook page.

If your church or religious organization is doing something like this to bring people of different faiths together we want to hear about it. Comment in this story on our Facebook page, or send an email to eyewitnessnews@13wmaz.com.

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Central Georgia women set aside different faiths for shared spirituality - 13WMAZ.com

Pear Tree Point School offers talk on science and spirituality – Darien Times

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Lisa Smith

Pear Tree Point School invites parents and community members to attend a special talk given by Psychologist and acclaimed author, Dr. Lisa Miller, on Tuesday, Feb. 28 at 7 p.m. in the Louise Parker Berry Community Room on the first floor at The Darien Library.

Miller presents the next big idea in psychology: the science and power of spirituality. She defines spirituality as being an innate nature to seek and perceive transcendence, a connection to a larger universe. These abilities and drives can work together to develop a two-way relationship with a high power God, the creator, the universe, or nature for example.

With the understanding that our community represents a range of beliefs and religions, her focus is on cultivating our childrens natural spirituality. She also shows that a person can be spiritual without being highly religious.

Dr. Miller explains the link between spirituality and health by demonstrating that children who have apositive, active relationship to spirituality are:

Space is limited and spots will be booked on a first come, first served basis.Guestsare asked to RSVP at:[emailprotected].

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Pear Tree Point School offers talk on science and spirituality - Darien Times

Here’s How Your Name Can Predict Your Entire Personality – Elite Daily

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Numerology is a spiritual tool that can aid us in our understanding of ourselves and others, much like astrology, the Myers-Briggs test and the study of introversion and extroversion.

According to numerology, the numerical value of your name can influence everything from your personal relationships to your own professional development.

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But first, you have to know how it works.

The following step-by-step guide will help you discover the numerical value of your name, the meaning behind that number and the key to your future.

Write your name on a sheet of paper, and use the guide below to reference the number that corresponds to each letter.

Youll notice that multiple letters may have the same numerical value. For instance, the letters A J and S are all represented by the number 1.

This is because the study of numerology only uses numbers 1 to 9.

Write the numerical value of each letter underneath the letters in your name, and be sure the full name that was given to you at birth.

Once you have everything written out, get ready for your next step.

Grab a pen and paper, or a calculator if you hate math, and add each individual number in your name together.

You should end up with a two-digit sum after adding everything together.

When you have the total sum of the individual numbers in your name, take that number and reduce it to a single digit by adding the individual numbers of the sum together.

That single digit sum is your personal numerology number!

So, my numerology number is 3.

Now for the fun part: looking up the meaning of your number.

Numerology also views 11, 22 and 33 as master numbers. So, if you add up the numbers of your name and reach 11, 22 or 33, you can leave them as so without reducing to a single digit.

Whilethere are slight differences in the interpretation of each basic number in numerology, the general theme of every number is as follows:

1s are initiators, full of action and a pioneering spirit. They are leaders, fairly independent, concerned with attaining material wealth and security for themselves.

They are truly individualistic.

2s symbolism is the union of and peace between different entities. It seeks to end separateness and unite all for the greater good whether it be music, food or humanity.

They are concerned with cooperation, adaptability, consideration of others, partnering and mediating.

3s symbolism is the exuberance of life, the spiritual being having a human experience.

They are gifted communicators who are concerned with expression, verbalization, socialization, the arts and the joy of living.

With four sides of the same size, a square has no weak points. It is organized, solid and enduring.

Number 4s value foundation, order, service, struggle against limits and steady growth. These people are built to last, and they push through everything.

The number 5 is a living dynamo.

Symbolically, most experts on the meaning of numbers feel that 5s have a strong feminine side with masculine undertones.

They are adventurous, expansive visionaries, and the theme of their life path is the constructive use of freedom.

As the sixth of all numbers, 6s symbolism is that of home and hearth, loving relationships of every kind and deep compassion bordering on empathy.

They are concerned with responsibility, protection, nurturing, community, balance and sympathy for others.

The number 7 is the seeker, the thinker and the searcher of truth.

The 7 doesnt take anything at face value, knows nothing is exactly as it seems and understands reality is often hidden behind illusions.

They are gifted analytical thinkers, seeking understanding, knowledge and awareness.

People under the number 8are born with natural leadership skills. They are very ambitious and goal-oriented.

They havestrong organizational skills and broad vision, which makes them successful in business. The number 8 also represents practicality, logistical endeavors, status, power and material goals.

Number 9 is the number of universal love, eternity, faith, universal spiritual laws, the concept of karma, spiritual enlightenment, spiritual awakening and service to humanity.

These people are true humanitarians, gifted with a giving nature and a selflessness that allows them to meet their obligations.

People under the number 11 are the most spiritual of the bunch, living out their days dreaming and meditating. They operate on a higher spiritual plain than most, and their intuition is very strong.

Theyre idealists who have no problem trusting their gut when it comes to lifes most pressing questions.

The number 22 is symbolized by high self-esteem, a great level of intelligence and general success.

Most people born under 22 are great builders capable of creating anything they desire. They often work in high positions within companies.

Those symbolized by the number 33 are natural go-getters who will try to achieve anything they set their minds to, no matter how impractical or difficult the task.

They have boundless energy and are also extremely emotional, experiencing many highs and lows.

So, there you have it! Enjoy all the answers to lifes burning questions in one easy-to-read article.

Subscribe to Elite Daily's official newsletter, The Edge, for more stories you don't want to miss.

Rosebud Baker is a standup comic and writer in NYC. Follow her on Twitter, where she desperately seeks the approval of strangers, but will settle for just attention.

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Here's How Your Name Can Predict Your Entire Personality - Elite Daily

Maplewood Ethical Culture Society Hosts Free Spring Programs – The Village Green

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The following is from The Ethical Culture Society

Join The Ethical Culture Societythis spring to learn more about the refugee crisis, practicing spirituality, health & good food, and music of growth. Also on the calendar isaSenior Meet & Mix on March 12th.

Events are free and welcometo the public. Dates and times are subject to change, so make sure to confirm by calling 973-763-1905. The Ethical Culture Society is located at516 Prospect St, Maplewood.

March 5- Richard White, The Spiritual Guide: Four Steps on the Path of Enlightenment

Professor Richard White is returning to ECS, this time to speak about his new book, The Spiritual Guide, a very practical exploration without dogmatic answers to the questions that concern us all about the search for meaning and purpose. His starting point is the question, How can I live a more spiritual life, a life than can ultimately lead to enlightenment? The most important steps, he suggests, are staying open to suffering, living a generous life, cultivating mindfulness and wonder, and accepting death but affirming joy.

Richard J. White, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Philosophy Department at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska, where he is also the Director of the MALS (Master of Arts in Liberal Studies) Program.

March 12- Robert Carey, Refugees and the Federal Government

In testimony before the Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest, Bob Carey said, Despite experiencing unimaginable hardships, violence, and oppression, refugees arrive in this country seeking opportunities, rather than handouts, to re-establish their self-sufficiency and to become productive, integrated members of their communities. HHS programs assist refugees and other vulnerable populations in doing just that.

Robert Carey will provide an overview of the United States Refugee Resettlement Program (USRP). His talk will include a description of the screening and admissions processes for refugees, the legal framework under which the program operates and the services provided to refugees who are admitted to the United States under the Refugee Act of 1980.

Bob was until recently the Director of the Office of Refugee Resettlement within the US Department of Health and Human Services. In this role he was responsible for the office charged with the provision of a range of resettlement and support services to refugees, asylees, victims of torture and unaccompanied children through state governments and non-profit organizations across the US.

March 19- Food: Where Eating, Health and Ethical Practices Meet: The Suppers Programs

Join Karen Rose Tank and Dor Mullen of Princeton, NJ as they share an exciting program that promotes optimal and sustainable health and healing.Suppers is a Central New Jersey-based network of support groups serving people who must cook and eat well to be well. The Program started 11 years ago and now hosts about 40 events per month. Suppers is a peer-led, community-based program that runs in private homes and community kitchens.

Our members cook with real, whole food, creating simple and delicious meals that help us live according to our intentions instead of our impulses. In this non-judgmental, supportive environment, people run personal experiments to discover the way of eating that works best for them. The discussion will include responsible practices and ethical eating.

Karen Rose Tank is a Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach with Rose Health Coaching and The CogniDiet specializing in diabetes, weight loss and blood sugar management. She helps people take control of their health by discovering what foods and lifestyles work for them and how to incorporate these into daily life turning knowing into doing. Using her personal experience of 21 years of living with type 1 diabetes, Karen enthusiastically shares how she turned her lemons into lemonade (sugar-free). She is a firm believer in peer-based support, facilitating Stable Blood Sugar and Diabetes Success Suppers meetings as well as monthly groups for DiabetesSisters, the national organization for women living with diabetes.

Dor Mullen is the Founder of The Suppers Programs. She has a masters degree in addictions counseling from The College of New Jersey and worked for 13 years in the garden-based education programs in the Princeton Public School District. In addition to teaching people how to prepare delicious meals from whole foods running about 7 Suppers meetings each week, Dor also hosts workshops on fermenting such foods as sauerkraut, kimchee and kombucha and lectures nationally. Her book, Logical Miracles, presents the founding principles of The Suppers Programs along with over 100 compelling stories of participants and the recipes that supported their success. Many more stories, recipes and additional materials can be found at http://www.thesuppersprograms.org and http://www.dormullen.com.

March 26- Amy Blake and Family Education, Becoming Who We Are

How did it happen? What did you learn? Whats shaped you? What have you unlearned? Are we in a constant process of reshaping? Joining this exploration conversation will be Greg Greenway. Greg has been a professional entertainer for over 30 years. A singer/songwriter with eight solo CDs and three more with the internationally touring trio, Brother Sun. Greg was born in Richmond, VA, came into awareness at the time of the Civil Rights Movement, busing and the Vietnam war. Almost his entire artistic life has been lived in Boston and he has sung from Carnegie Hall to Brown Chapel in Selma, Alabama. His songs are a mosaic of a considered life in remarkable times. Greg will share his story of growing up in the south and then moving north where his true learning began. Children ages five and older will explore their lives and what learnings are important to them using art, music and literature through the Educational Initiative. Babysitting will be provided for those less than five years of age. You may check Gregs website at: http://www.greggreenway.com

March 12- Senior Meet & Mix

Meet & Mix with other seniors on March 12, 2017, from 2-4 pm at the Woodland, 60 Woodland Road, Maplewood. The admission price is one canned item for the Our Lady of Sorrows (OLS) Food Pantry.

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Maplewood Ethical Culture Society Hosts Free Spring Programs - The Village Green

Maslow and the Supply ChainAn Enlightening Journey (with Apologies to Maslow) – Supply & Demand Chain Executive

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Maslows hierarchy of needs is a well-known psychological principal that describes an individuals journey toward spiritual enlightenment. Gaining insight into your supply chain takes on many similar characteristics. It is a journey and not a destination. With apologies to Maslow, please read on.

At Maslows hierarchy-of-needs bottom is the idea of the things you need to survive. For manufacturers, this is basic information, such as whom are my suppliers and what are they shipping me. This is where you begin your journey. The applications that allow you to achieve this level may include your enterprise resource planning (ERP) application, potentially your product lifecycle management (PLM) system and other internally focused programs.

For large organizations, though, this can be difficult, especially if they have grown through acquisition. I heard of one very large, global food producer that found after it implemented an ERP, it was purchasing the same ingredient from the same supplier at eight different prices. So, depending on your size, getting out of this level can be non-trivial.

Once gaining systematic control over this basic information, it is time to gather more supply chain information. One typical project centers around supplier base rationalization. To that end, you need to have additional metrics beyond on-time delivery and invoicing to do this. In most cases, operations staff have institutional knowledge about their supply chain, but do not have the data to really know why it is. They know that things work well with Supplier A, but not so much with Supplier B, even though they provide the exact same material that meets specification.

To move through this phase, manufacturers can look at the following additional metrics to measure their supplier community:

With this information, you can rationalize your supplier base, achieve some pretty good financial returns and focus your efforts on achieving the next phase. Financial returns come from lower on-hand inventory, fewer supplier material-oriented disruptions, improved collaboration and improved pricing from higher volume contracts.

Upon rationalizing your supplier base, it is now time to really gain financial and operational benefits. Many of the financial benefits realized from the previous phase are one-time costs. Using the data that was amassed, manufacturers can begin to use the supplier data to significantly improve manufacturing processes.

This phase involves tying the information from the supplier community to ongoing operations to see how the various incoming material characteristics affect processes. What may be realized is that the information that you thought was relevant, while important, does not answer key questions. You may need to find other information to answer more complex questions about the relationships between materials and processes as it relates to yield and productivity.

Every business is different when it comes to these journeys. These results, though, come through data analysis driven through detailed root cause analysis techniques and can add quite a bit to your bottom line. They dont come overnight, but do have pretty interesting results as it relates to operational improvement.

People dont gain spiritual enlightenment overnight. Individuals need to understand what makes them tick and what is important to them. Your journey toward operational excellence invariably goes through the supply chain, and involves gathering and using data to gain insight into operational excellence.

With a bachelors of science degree in industrial engineering and an MBA in entrepreneurship, Dan Creinin has returned to EMNS to help market and promote Global Supplier Quality Assurance (GSQA) to the automotive, process and food production markets. He has held a number of marketing and sales positions for manufacturers, as well as technology service providers. He is passionate about using data to help solve business issues.

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Maslow and the Supply ChainAn Enlightening Journey (with Apologies to Maslow) - Supply & Demand Chain Executive

India capable of building its own space station: ISRO chief – Mashable

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Mashable
India capable of building its own space station: ISRO chief
Mashable
India's space agency has time and again set world records and earned praises for operating on thin budgets. But one thing that many space enthusiasts in the country have longed for but haven't seen getting materialised is a space station they could ...
India has capability to set up space station, says ISRO chiefHindustan Times
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Xinhua -Tech Times -Scroll.in
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India capable of building its own space station: ISRO chief - Mashable

Virtual Reality Comes to the Space Station – Air & Space Magazine

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Andrei Borisenko filming one of his 360-degree tours of the space station.

airspacemag.com February 21, 2017 3:15PM

Packed inside a Dragon cargo ship scheduled to dock with the space station tomorrow morning is a technology that, for all the attention it gets on Earth, has yet to be tried in orbit: an Oculus Rift headset, modified and certified for use in space.

The French space agency CNES sent up the headset and associated hardwaretogether called Perspectivesfor use in neuroscience experiments to be conducted by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet. American and European astronauts have used clunky, custom-built VR rigs on the station, but this is the first of the modern, high-end commercial VR headsets to go up. The Perspectives system will remain on the station for future astronaut studies.

It wasnt easy getting the hardware approved for spaceflight, says Maurice Marnat, who works for the MEDES Institute for Space Medicine and Physiology at the CNES CADMOS laboratory in Toulouse. Engineers first had to make sure the Oculus headset could pass safety tests regarding flammability and shatter-proofing (fortunately the lenses are plastic, not glass).

The stations onboard laptopsnewly arrived HP Zbooksare powerful by past space standards, says Marnat, but are not ideal for VR, which demands a lot of computing power. But theyll do for now. The engineers also couldnt use Oculus own Constellation infrared head-tracking system on the station, so they adapted a European head-tracker used for previous space experiments. Then they had to test the whole thing on zero-G airplane flights to make sure the magnetometer and other position sensors would work in the absence of gravity.

Pesquet will use the Perspectives headset in an experiment called GRASP, which tests a weightless subjects perceptions when reaching for virtual objects.

The ESA astronaut, who has been living on the station since November, also has been shooting 360-degree videos with a Giroptic camera. CNES and ESA expect to post Pesquets VR videos online within the next week or so.

They wont be the first, however. The Russian space agency Roskosmos, in cooperation with the Russia Today TV network, has been posting a series of 360-degree video tours of the space stations different elements [YouTube channel] by cosmonaut Andrei Borisenko, who does a pretty good job of adapting the typical astronaut tour for VR.

360-degree cameras like Giroptics and the one used by Borisenko are still fairly low-resolution, which leaves us still waiting for the day when, goggles strapped on head, well feel like were floating right there alongside the astronauts. U.S. astronauts have shot some experimental ultra-high-definition footage, and NASA and Oculus are looking into routinely filming high-resolution 360 video on the station, but they havent yet finalized their plans.

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Virtual Reality Comes to the Space Station - Air & Space Magazine

Spectacular SpaceX Space Station Launch and 1st Stage Landing Photo/Video Gallery – Universe Today

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Universe Today
Spectacular SpaceX Space Station Launch and 1st Stage Landing Photo/Video Gallery
Universe Today
Historic maiden blastoff of SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center) at 9:38 a.m. EDT on Feb 19, 2017, on Dragon CRS-10 resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS) for NASA. Credit: Ken ...
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Watch live: Soyuz booster set for launch with space station supply freighter – Spaceflight Now

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A Soyuz rocket and Progress supply ship packed with nearly 3 tons of cargo, provisions and fuel for the International Space Station rolled out to a launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday.

The Progress MS-05 cargo freighter is set for liftoff Wednesday at 0558:33 GMT (12:58:33 a.m. EST; 11:58:33 a.m. Baikonur time) on a two-day trip to the space station.

The launch will be the last mission of the Soyuz-U version of Russias most-flown rocket. The Soyuz-U was a workhorse for the Russian space program, launching nearly 800 times with military spy satellites, cosmonaut crews and space station resupply missions to a series of Russian orbital outposts since 1973.

Newer versions of the expendable Soyuz booster are now flying with upgraded engines.

Wednesdays launch will be the first Soyuz-U flight, and the first Progress cargo launch, since a rocket failure doomed a Russian resupply mission Dec. 1 on the way to the space station.

Russian investigators believe foreign object debris or a manufacturing defect in the third stages RD-0110 engine led the failure, which caused the Progress MS-04 spaceship to crash in Siberia downrange from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

The most likely cause of the contingency was the third stage liquid oxygen tank opening as a result of exposure of (RD-0110) engine destruction elements that occurred (as a) result of fire, and further destruction of the oxidizer compound pump, the Russian space agency, or Roscosmos, said in a Jan. 11 statement.

The oxidizer pump fire could have been caused by the introduction of foreign object debris into the pump cavity, or a violation of engine assembly procedures, Roscosmos said.

Engineers replaced the third stage RD-0110 engine on the Soyuz-U booster flying Wednesday with a powerplant from a different manufacturing batch after the inquiry discovered some engines produced by the same contractor were made with substandard alloys.

The automated Progress MS-05 cargo freighter, known as Progress 66P in the space stations visiting vehicle manifest, will reach orbit around 8 minutes, 49 seconds, after liftoff Wednesday. Docking with the International Space Stations Pirs module is set for 0834 GMT (3:34 a.m. EST) Friday.

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Watch live: Soyuz booster set for launch with space station supply freighter - Spaceflight Now

State & Union: Part from local BOCES on way to space station … – Olean Times Herald

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When SpaceXs Dragon capsule, loaded with supplies and experiments, docks with the International Space Station sometime Wednesday, a part from Olean will have made the trip.

Students in Jim Hilyers product design and manufacturing senior class at the Olean BOCES Career and Technical Education Center designed and manufactured part of the stainless steel latch assembly for a storage locker aboard SpaceX-11, which launched Sunday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The project was completed through High Schools United with NASA to Create Hardware (HUNCH), an educational initiative started by Stacy Hale to give students the opportunity to create hardware with NASAs aid. NASA provides materials, equipment and mentoring to each of the HUNCH teams across the country so they can complete their projects to near-expert quality over the course of their studies.

Olean High School senior Korryn Martin served as the lead designer and programmer on this years project. She started with an original drawing of the part created in the 1980s as part of the space shuttle program which she used to develop a new, modified design. She explains the new drawing also involved changing some of the old coding.

Martin says she spent part or all of 20 classes on the project. In addition to creating the new drawing, she did all of the programming for the computer numeric control machining of the piece. Each piece takes about an hour to make on the machine, which uses three separate bits to slowly manufacture the part, taking 20/1,000ths off with each pass.

This project has been pretty interesting, Martin says. Im kind of interested in space, and ever since I was a young age, I have been interested in making or inventing something. So this project has brought both of those interests together.

Hale brought a storage locker to be used in the launch, about the size of a bread box, to the BOCES class so students could sign the locker with a special Sharpie.

It is cool that your signature is going to be out of this world, Hale told the students at the time.

Olean Mayor Bill Aiello was on hand, along with Joyce Louser, a representative of State Sen. Catharine Youngs office, who read a letter congratulating the class on its accomplishments.

The signatures will be short-lived, however, as once the items have been removed from the storage containers, the lockers are usually jettisoned and burn up upon re-entry into the earths atmosphere.

Hale says the storage lockers weigh a little over 9 pounds, but each locker requires more than 170 pounds of raw materials to make. In addition to providing a valuable learning experience for the students, the HUNCH program has saved NASA a lot of money, he says.

Before HUNCH, Lockheed wanted to charge NASA $1 million to make 20 of the storage lockers, he says. That is about $50,000 each. We probably make them for less than $4,000.

+11

Hilyer, the BOCES teacher, says the NASA HUNCH program has been great for our CTE students, giving them the opportunity to work on real-world projects that incorporate CAD, CNC programming and machining. Its also great that our students can put on their resume that theyve created parts for NASA.

Several students from the Olean BOCES classes plan to attend a HUNCH ceremony April 22 at the Plum Brook Station, a remote test facility for the NASA Glenn Research Center located in Sandusky, Ohio.

Meanwhile, Martins mother, Kristina Capizzi, says her daughter struggled in school but has been much more interested since she started attending the CTE Center as a junior last year.

For her part, Martin agrees.

I am planning to move to Florida after graduation, she says. I am thinking of possibly taking a two-year course in programming or CAD design.

Elon Musks SpaceX developed the Dragon rocket and capsule as a private contractor working with NASA.

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SC 10th-Graders Have Experiment on Space Station | WBTW.com – WBTW – Myrtle Beach and Florence SC

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COLUMBIA, S.C. When the SpaceX rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral Sunday, one of the things it was carrying was a science experiment designed by three South Carolina high school students. Astronauts aboard the International Space Station will perform the experiment.

Cedric McQueen, Parker Matthews, and Tevin Glover are all 10th-graders at Keenan High School in Columbia. Last year, they had to come up with an experiment idea in science class. They did some research and took bits and pieces of different ideas they found and put them together. Cedric McQueen explains that what they came up with was, How does microgravity affect the turbidity of a non-Newtonian fluid.

The non-Newtonian fluid is cornstarch mixed with water, which can act as both a solid and a liquid depending on the force applied to it. Turbidity is a measure of how much water loses its transparency because of suspended particulates that are floating in it.

We were going to measure the turbidity of it after it came back from being in space, which is microgravity, and see if the results that we get back from it being in microgravity are different from it having gravity. So if its different, then, in space, what were hoping it will do is well be able to grow plants beyond earth, says Parker Matthews.

Their teacher entered their idea in the Student Spaceflight Experiments Program. It was one of 21 chosen for this SpaceX flight. When the results came back that we had won, I didnt know how to contain myself, cause it was so, it was a very proud moment in my life, says Tevin Glover.

Theyll get the results back on March 20th and will compare them to what they found doing the same experiment here on earth.

Having an experiment get so much attention has been exciting, but it hasnt changed any of their plans for the future. Cedric says he wants to go into something thats math-based, Parker wants to go into sports journalism, and Tevin says hes thinking about becoming a lawyer or judge. But they all say the notoriety should help them, regardless of what they try to do.

Itll get some eyes open from some colleges, Parker says.

This would look great as an accomplishment, because if I can accomplish this then I could probably accomplish many other things, Tevin says.

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UK stakes its claim on the global space market with draft spaceflight legislation – Deutsche Welle

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It's no secret the UK is keen to take a significant slice of the growing space industries pie. And on Tuesday, the government set out its plans for the future.

If brought into law, the Draft Spaceflight Bill would allow horizontal flights to the edge of space from spaceports across the UK. Scientists will be able to "conduct vital medical experiments" in zero gravity.

The draft legislation also seeks to encourage commercial space businesses and the creation of a "space launch market" in the UK. The aim is to start commercial spaceflight from a UK spaceport by 2020.

British astronaut Tim Peake, who spent six months at the International Space Station in 2016, has done much to invigorate the British space community.

"With millions inspired by Tim Peake's mission last year, and ambitious plans underway to study and explore the Solar System, our future in space is bright," write the authors of the draft bill.

Space: the Europe that works

It is also one way for the UK to remain part of European operations. The European Space Agency (ESA), of which the UK is a member, is sometimes referred to as the Europe that works.

Some within ESA say that's because the UK gets a better rate of return for its investments in European space activities than it thinks it does with the European Union. The ESA and the EU are separate bodies.

The UK space industry is worth about 16.5 billion euros (13.7 billion). It employs more than 38,500 people directly. The government says the UK is "a world-leader in satellite technology and services."

And with companies like Reaction Engines it is fast being recognized as a leadinginnovator in rocket propulsion technology too.

"The UK has always prioritized the full range of scientific activities, commercial activities and using space to support the development of the economy and give value to citizens," says David Parker, a former head of the UK Space Agency and now ESA's head of human spaceflight. "So if you think about the weather forecast or using satellite communications in disasters, those humanitarian uses of space have always been high on the UK's agenda. And it's a commercially important sector of the economy."

It's a sentiment echoed clearly in the draft bill: "As we prepare to leave the European Union, we must ensure that the decisions we take now put the UK in a position to build a strong, resilient, well balanced economy that works for everyone."

And that also means "capturing a portion" of global space market worth a potential 30 billion euros ($31.6 billion).

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Virgin Galactic continues to test LauncherOne engine – SpaceFlight Insider

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Lloyd Campbell

February 21st, 2017

Visualization of LauncherOne in flight. Image Credit: Virgin Galactic

Last week, Virgin Galactic continued to test the first stage engine of its air-launched LauncherOne. The NewtonThree (N3) engine recently completed a long-duration test at full thrust.

The N3 produces about 73,500 pounds (327 kilonewtons) of thrust. It ispowered by liquid kerosene (RP-1) and liquid oxygen (LOX). Previous firings include a full thrust, 90-second firing in the fourth quarter of 2015 and multiple full thrust firings throughout 2016.

LauncherOnes second stage is powered by an N4 engine. It produces 5,000 pounds (22 kilonewtons) of thrust and is also powered using RP-1 and LOX. For most launches, the second stage will be ignited multiple times with a coast phase in between the burns.Combined, thesecond stage is capable of firing for almost sixminutes.

To try and minimize space debris in orbit, both LauncherOne stages will be de-orbited and will burn up in the atmosphere.

LauncherOne is an air-launch system that was originally designed to be flown to its launch altitude by the WhiteKnightTwo aircraft. However, Virgin Galactic has now employed a Boeing 747-400 to be used.

Dubbed Cosmic Girl, the aircraft will take LauncherOne to an altitude of 35,000 feet (11,000 meters) where it will be released. Then the two-stage launcher will take the payload the rest of the way using its rocket engines.

Visualization of Virgin Galactic 747-400 Cosmic Girl with LauncherOne under its wing. Image Credit: Virgin Galactic

The swap to Cosmic Girl had two advantages: first, it freed up WhiteKnightTwo to be dedicated to the companys SpaceShipTwo suborbital spaceflight vehicle program; second, it doubled the size of the payload LauncherOne could carry.

NewtonThree hot-fire engine test in October 2015. Image Credit: Virgin Galactic

With the growing popularity of CubeSats and other smaller satellites among colleges, small companies, and even some government agencies, a large launch vehicle is not necessarily required anymore.

LauncherOne is designed to take those smaller payloads into orbit. Currently, it can take up to 441 pounds (200kilograms) of payload to a sun-synchronous orbit (SSO) and up to 1,100 pounds (500 kilograms) to other low-Earth orbits.

Virgin Galactic currently has multiple contracts with different customers that will launch aboard LauncherOne including NASA, Sky and Space Global, and OneWeb Ltd.

Currently, most of those smaller payloads launch alongside bigger primary payloads on larger rockets to keep launch costs down. However, that limits their destinations in orbit as they have to take the flight path that the primary payload is taking.

With a low-cost launcher like LauncherOne, the customer can get its payload to its preferred orbit and at a reasonable cost. Virgin Galactic expects to take payloads to SSOfor under $10 million.

As an added benefit, the frequency of launches using this system is expected to be much higher than a traditional launcher due to the lack of maintenanceandpreparation to a launch pad between flights.

Additionally, weather concerns are much less since the aircraft carrying the launch vehicle can go above, or around, weather systems that would keep traditional launch vehicles grounded.

LauncherOne is expected to start carrying payloads into orbit as early as 2018.

Video Courtesy of Virgin Galactic

Tagged: LauncherOne Lead Stories NewtonThree Virgin Galactic

Lloyd Campbells first interest in space began when he was a very young boy in the 1960s with NASAs Gemini and Apollo programs. That passion continued in the early 1970s with our continued exploration of our Moon, and was renewed by the Shuttle Program. Having attended the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on its final two missions, STS-131, and STS-133, he began to do more social networking on space and that developed into writing more in-depth articles. Since then hes attended the launch of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover, the agencys new crew-rated Orion spacecraft on Exploration Flight Test 1, and multiple other uncrewed launches. In addition to writing, Lloyd has also been doing more photography of launches and aviation. He enjoys all aspects of space exploration, both human, and robotic, but his primary passions lie with human exploration and the vehicles, rockets, and other technologies that allow humanity to explore space.

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Soyuz booster rolled out to snowy Baikonur launch pad – Spaceflight Now

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A Soyuz rocket and Progress supply ship packed with nearly 3 tons of cargo, provisions and fuel for the International Space Station rolled out to a launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday.

The Progress MS-05 cargo freighter is set for liftoff Wednesday at 0558:33 GMT (12:58:33 a.m. EST; 11:58:33 a.m. Baikonur time) on a two-day trip to the space station.

The launch will be the last mission of the Soyuz-U version of Russias most-flown rocket. The Soyuz-U was a workhorse for the Russian space program, launching nearly 800 times with military spy satellites, cosmonaut crews and space station resupply missions to a series of Russian orbital outposts since 1973.

Newer versions of the expendable Soyuz booster are now flying with upgraded engines.

Wednesdays launch will be the first Soyuz-U flight, and the first Progress cargo launch, since a rocket failure doomed a Russian resupply mission Dec. 1 on the way to the space station.

Russian investigators believe foreign object debris or a manufacturing defect in the third stages RD-0110 engine led the failure, which caused the Progress MS-04 spaceship to crash in Siberia downrange from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

The most likely cause of the contingency was the third stage liquid oxygen tank opening as a result of exposure of (RD-0110) engine destruction elements that occurred (as a) result of fire, and further destruction of the oxidizer compound pump, the Russian space agency, or Roscosmos, said in a Jan. 11 statement.

The oxidizer pump fire could have been caused by the introduction of foreign object debris into the pump cavity, or a violation of engine assembly procedures, Roscosmos said.

Engineers replaced the third stage RD-0110 engine on the Soyuz-U booster flying Wednesday with a powerplant from a different manufacturing batch after the inquiry discovered some engines produced by the same contractor were made with substandard alloys.

The automated Progress MS-05 cargo freighter, known as Progress 66P in the space stations visiting vehicle manifest, will reach orbit around 8 minutes, 49 seconds, after liftoff Wednesday. Docking with the International Space Stations Pirs module is set for 0834 GMT (3:34 a.m. EST) Friday.

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Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.

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Soyuz booster rolled out to snowy Baikonur launch pad - Spaceflight Now

U of Guelph grad student sets his sights on space flight – GuelphMercury.com

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U of Guelph grad student sets his sights on space flight
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There were no secured flights for those new recruits, but the process was necessary to augment the astronaut corps in anticipation of space flights, she said. The two astronauts selected in 2009 have yet to travel to space. But Eyssen said space ...

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NOAA’s GOES-16 weather satellite to showcase its lightning detection capabilities – SpaceFlight Insider

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Tomasz Nowakowski

February 21st, 2017

Artists rendering of the GOES-16 satellite in orbit. Image Credit: NOAA

NOAAs new highly advanced GOES-16 (formerly known as GOES-R) weather satellite, which has just completed its third month in space, is expected to provide crucial data necessary to detect the presence of lightning earlier and better than before. The satellites Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) instrument will soon deliver first data essential for forecasting intensifying storms and severe weather events.

On February 28, the first light images and data will be available from NOAA GOES-16s GLM instrument, Connie Barclay of NOAA told Astrowatch.net.

This image shows the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) as it prepares to undergo vibration testing, which simulates the stresses experienced during launch. Photo Credit: Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Corporation

GLM will collect information such as the frequency, location, and extent of lightning discharges to improve the detection of thunderstorms and tropical cyclones that are strengthening. The instrument is sensitive to the in-cloud lightning that is most dominant in severe thunderstorms and provides nearly uniform total lightning coverage over the region of interest.

GLMs ability to capture trends in total lightning is critical for forecasters, which will allow them to focus on severe storms as they develop much earlier than they can now, and before the storms produce damaging winds, hail, or even tornadoes, Barclay said.

Built by Lockheed Martin, GLM is a single-channel, near-infrared optical transient detector that can detect the momentary changes in an optical scene, indicating the presence of lightning. It has a telescopic CCD camera sensitive to 777.4 nm light with a spatial resolution of five miles / eight kilometers (at nadir) to 8.7 miles / 14 kilometers (at theedge of thefield of view), capturing 500 frames per second.

The instrument has great potential to increase lead time for severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings and reduce false alarm rates. It is also expected to provide early warning of lightning ground strike hazards and improve our detection of heavy rainfall and flash flooding. Moreover, it will allow monitoring the intensity change of tropical cyclones, which is often accompanied by increased lightning activity.

The GLM will be the first-ever lightning mapper instrument operated in a geostationary orbit, Barclay noted.

She added that the importance of this tool is undeniable when you take lightning statistics into account.

Lightning kills an average of 49 people in the U.S. each year and lightning strikes the U.S. an average of 25 million times each year, Barclay told Astrowatch.net.

NOAA plans to use data from the GLM instrument to produce a long-term database to track decadal changes in lightning activity. This database could be of high importance for long-term climate variability studies.

GOES-16 was launched into space on Nov. 19, 2016, from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida atop an Atlas V booster. The spacecraft is part of the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) system operated by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Currently, GOES-16 is situated in orbit 22,300 miles (36,000 kilometers) above Earth. On Jan. 23, 2017, NOAA released first images of our planet acquired by this satellite.

After undergoing a checkout and validation of its six instruments, GOES-16 will become operational in November 2017, a year after launching. In general, the new spacecraft is expected to boost the nations weather observation network and NOAAs prediction capabilities, leading to more accurate and timely forecasts, watches, and warnings.

Tagged: GOES-16 GOES-R NOAA The Range

Tomasz Nowakowski is the owner of Astro Watch, one of the premier astronomy and science-related blogs on the internet. Nowakowski reached out to SpaceFlight Insider in an effort to have the two space-related websites collaborate. Nowakowski's generous offer was gratefully received with the two organizations now working to better relay important developments as they pertain to space exploration.

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Fermi finds possible dark matter ties in Andromeda galaxy – Phys.org – Phys.Org

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February 21, 2017 by Claire Saravia The gamma-ray excess (shown in yellow-white) at the heart of M31 hints at unexpected goings-on in the galaxy's central region. Scientists think the signal could be produced by a variety of processes, including a population of pulsars or even dark matter. Credit: NASA/DOE/Fermi LAT Collaboration and Bill Schoening, Vanessa Harvey/REU program/NOAO/AURA/NSF

NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has found a signal at the center of the neighboring Andromeda galaxy that could indicate the presence of the mysterious stuff known as dark matter. The gamma-ray signal is similar to one seen by Fermi at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy.

Gamma rays are the highest-energy form of light, produced by the universe's most energetic phenomena. They're common in galaxies like the Milky Way because cosmic rays, particles moving near the speed of light, produce gamma rays when they interact with interstellar gas clouds and starlight.

Surprisingly, the latest Fermi data shows the gamma rays in Andromedaalso known as M31are confined to the galaxy's center instead of spread throughout. To explain this unusual distribution, scientists are proposing that the emission may come from several undetermined sources. One of them could be dark matter, an unknown substance that makes up most of the universe.

"We expect dark matter to accumulate in the innermost regions of the Milky Way and other galaxies, which is why finding such a compact signal is very exciting," said lead scientist Pierrick Martin, an astrophysicist at the National Center for Scientific Research and the Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology in Toulouse, France. "M31 will be a key to understanding what this means for both Andromeda and the Milky Way."

A paper describing the results will appear in an upcoming issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

Another possible source for this emission could be a rich concentration of pulsars in M31's center. These spinning neutron stars weigh as much as twice the mass of the sun and are among the densest objects in the universe. One teaspoon of neutron star matter would weigh a billion tons on Earth. Some pulsars emit most of their energy in gamma rays. Because M31 is 2.5 million light-years away, it's difficult to find individual pulsars. To test whether the gamma rays are coming from these objects, scientists can apply what they know about pulsars from observations in the Milky Way to new X-ray and radio observations of Andromeda.

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Now that Fermi has detected a similar gamma-ray signature in both M31 and the Milky Way, scientists can use this information to solve mysteries within both galaxies. For example, M31 emits few gamma rays from its large disk, where most stars form, indicating fewer cosmic rays roaming there. Because cosmic rays are usually thought to be related to star formation, the absence of gamma rays in the outer parts of M31 suggests either that the galaxy produces cosmic rays differently, or that they can escape the galaxy more rapidly. Studying Andromeda may help scientists understand the life cycle of cosmic rays and how it is connected to star formation.

"We don't fully understand the roles cosmic rays play in galaxies, or how they travel through them," said Xian Hou, an astrophysicist at Yunnan Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences in Kunming, China, also a lead scientist in this work. "M31 lets us see how cosmic rays behave under conditions different from those in our own galaxy."

The similar discovery in both the Milky Way and M31 means scientists can use the galaxies as models for each other when making difficult observations. While Fermi can make more sensitive and detailed observations of the Milky Way's center, its view is partially obscured by emission from the galaxy's disk. But telescopes view Andromeda from an outside vantage point impossible to attain in the Milky Way.

"Our galaxy is so similar to Andromeda, it really helps us to be able to study it, because we can learn more about our galaxy and its formation," said co-author Regina Caputo, a research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "It's like living in a world where there's no mirrors but you have a twin, and you can see everything physical about the twin."

While more observations are necessary to determine the source of the gamma-ray excess, the discovery provides an exciting starting point to learn more about both galaxies, and perhaps about the still elusive nature of dark matter.

"We still have a lot to learn about the gamma-ray sky," Caputo said. "The more information we have, the more information we can put into models of our own galaxy."

Explore further: No trace of dark matter in gamma-ray background

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A University of Oklahoma team has detected for the first time the most luminous gamma-ray emission from a galaxythe merging galaxy Arp 220 is the nearest ultraluminous infrared galaxy to Earth, and it reveals the hidden ...

A newly discovered dwarf galaxy orbiting our own Milky Way has offered up a surpriseit appears to be radiating gamma rays, according to an analysis by physicists at Carnegie Mellon, Brown, and Cambridge universities. The ...

Bursts of gamma rays from the center of our galaxy are not likely to be signals of dark matter but rather other astrophysical phenomena such as fast-rotating stars called millisecond pulsars, according to two new studies, ...

(Phys.org) -- Gamma-ray photons seen emanating from the center of the Milky Way galaxy are consistent with the intriguing possibility that dark-matter particles are annihilating each other in space, according to research ...

The SLAC-built Large Area Telescope (LAT), the main instrument of theFermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, has been studying the gamma-ray sky for almost four years. During that time, the LAT has identified hundreds of gamma-ray ...

NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has found a signal at the center of the neighboring Andromeda galaxy that could indicate the presence of the mysterious stuff known as dark matter. The gamma-ray signal is similar to ...

ESA's XMM-Newton has found a pulsar the spinning remains of a once-massive star that is a thousand times brighter than previously thought possible.

A team led from the Instituto de Astrofsica de Canarias (IAC) has found the most precise way ever to measure the rate at which stars form in galaxies using their radio emission at 1-10 Gigahertz frequency range.

The dynamical properties of these asteroids, observed spectroscopiccally for the first time using the Gran Telescopio CANARIAS, suggest a possible common origin and give a clue to the existence of a planet beyond Pluto, the ...

New planetary formation models from Carnegie's Alan Boss indicate that there may be an undiscovered population of gas giant planets orbiting around Sun-like stars at distances similar to those of Jupiter and Saturn. His work ...

(Phys.org)A pair of researchers with the Physical Research Laboratory in India studying data sent back from NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) probe has found possible evidence of the development of ...

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All sources of radiation are due to the motion of charge. Dark Matter?

M31 is 2.537 million light years away. What I see in that image coming from the center of the largest galaxy in our immediate group with three times as many stars as in our own Milky Way and over twice its size, is a high concentration of energy coming from a relatively small field of view which instruments have compacted into an image that fits on top of this article. I don't think that there is a precedent for DM being a candidate for why it looks like this to us and any physicist would be hard-pressed to describe the mechanism whereby this would be the case, as we have no empirical evidence to back this idea up. The comparative ray curve for the two probably shows a steeper curve as the size of a galaxy increases and on the cosmic scale, M31 is relatively close to us.

Odd, isn't it? In the 1930's Dark Matter godfather Fritz Zwicky used just the reverse logic for locating accumulations of DM. His hypothesis was that we should expect that DM would exist in giant enveloping halos surrounding Spiral Galaxies, ostensibly functioning as a counter gravitational force preventing the spiral & radial arms from imploding into the central hub.

So now what do we have? Just the reverse hypothesis. So now what does Pierrick Martin think prevents Spiral Galaxies from imploding if the DM is concentrated in the "innermost regions of the Milky Way", a spiral galaxy. I guess he forgot to read Zwicky's paper.

Anyone interested in Dark Matter (DM) should Google "Emergent Gravity" (EG) and see if observations fit with in that theoretical framework. The compartmentalization of the Gama sources to the core of the galaxies certainly does imply the space/time curvature is steeper, and more energetic, it also implies the link EG has to 3D spacetime curvature. The obvious is the concentration of gravity to major wells, like the center of galaxies, implicates DM or in the case of EG a more energetic compacted quantum distribution of space.

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Fermi finds possible dark matter ties in Andromeda galaxy - Phys.org - Phys.Org

NASA to Unveil New Exoplanet Discovery Tomorrow – Space.com

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This artist's concept depicts one possible appearance of the planet Kepler-452b, the first near-Earth-size world to be found in the habitable zone of a star that is similar to our sun.

NASA is holding a news conference tomorrow (Feb. 22) to discuss "new findings on planets that orbit stars other than our sun, known as exoplanets," according to a statement from the agency.

The news conference begins at 1 p.m. EST (1800 GMT). No other specifics about the "new findings" have been made public, but "details are embargoed by the journal Nature" until 1 p.m. EST, according to the statement.

The news conference will feature five speakers: Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters; Michal Gillon, astronomer at the University of Lige in Belgium; Sean Carey, manager of NASA's Spitzer Science Center at Caltech/IPAC in Pasadena; Nikole Lewis, astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore; and Sara Seager, professor of planetary science and physics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Sara Seageris a leading exoplanet scientist who, among other things, is working on the problem of how to identify bio signatures in exoplanet atmospheres. The Space Telescope Science Institute is an astronomical research center as well as the mission operations center for the Hubble Space Telescope and NASA's planet-hunting Kepler telescope.

Following the news conference, the five scientists will participate in a Reddit Ask Me Anything(AMA) session at 3 p.m. EST (2000 GMT), in which members of the public can pose questions to the scientists via a Reddit message board.

You can watch the webcast of tomorrow's news conference live on NASA TVor right here on Space.com.

Follow Calla Cofield@callacofield.Follow us@Spacedotcom,FacebookandGoogle+. Original article onSpace.com.

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NASA set to make major exoplanet announcement – Fox News

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NASA will make a major announcement related to exoplanets at a press conference at the agencys headquarters in Washington, DC Wednesday.

In a press release sent out Monday, NASA said that its press event will address a discovery beyond our solar system. The press conference, it added will present new findings on planets that orbit stars other than our sun, known as exoplanets.

Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington will participate in the briefing, along with experts from MIT, the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, and NASAs Spitzer Science Center at Caltech/IPAC.

ASTRONOMERS DISCOVER 60 NEW WORLDS, FIND 'SUPER EARTH'

Details of the findings are embargoed by the journal Nature until 1 p.m. EST, according to NASA.

CNET said that it had seen the research in an article published Monday, adding that while we can't share details yet, let's just say it could very easily provide us with new settings for many future works of science fiction.

Exoplanets have certainly been in the spotlight recently.

NEW NEIGHBOR: SCIENTISTS DISCOVER CLOSEST HABITABLE EXOPLANET

Last week an international team of astronomers announced the discovery of 60 new planets orbiting stars close to Earths solar system, including a rocky super Earth.

The experts also found evidence of an additional 54 planets, bringing the potential discovery of new worlds to 114.

One planet in particular, Gliese 411b, has been generating plenty of attention. Described as a hot super Earth with a rocky surface, Gliese 411b is located in the fourth-nearest star system to the Sun, making it the third-nearest planetary system to the Sun, according to the U.K.s University of Hertfordshire, which participated in the research. Gliese 411b (also known as GJ 411b or Lalande 21185) orbits the star Gliese 411 (or GJ 411).

'SUPERFLARES' LIKELY MADE PROXIMA B UNINHABITABLE LONG AGO

Gliese 411 and Gliese 411b are located 8 light years from earth. A light year, which measures distance in space, equals 6 trillion miles.

By way of comparison, the recently-discovered Earth-like planet Proxima b, which orbits the red dwarf Proxima Centauri, is about 4 light years from Earth. A red dwarf is a relatively cool small star.

Proxima Centauri is the star closest to Earth outside of our solar system. Scientists announced the discovery of Proxima b last year, noting that the planet is 1.3 times the size of Earth. Depending on the conditions there, Proxima b could potentially support life, according to experts.

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NASA set to make major exoplanet announcement - Fox News