Blastoff! 'Mars Era' Begins With Orion Test Flight

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. NASA's Orion deep-space capsule hit a historic peak during its first robotic test flight on Friday, and then splashed down into the Pacific Ocean for a picture-perfect ending.

On the way down, the cone-shaped spacecraft went through a "trial by fire" during which the heat of atmospheric re-entry rose as high as 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit, or twice the heat of molten lava.

"America has driven a golden spike as it crosses a bridge into the future," NASA spokesman Rob Navias declared as Orion hit the water, 275 miles west of Baja California, at 11:29 a.m. ET. Recovery ships converged to bring the capsule back to shore.

The finale came less than four and a half hours after Orion's launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. On Thursday, gusty winds and a balky fuel valve kept the United Launch Alliance Delta 4 Heavy rocket grounded, but nothing went wrong on Friday.

"Liftoff at dawn! The dawn of Orion, and a new era of American space exploration!" launch commentator Mike Curie said, as the rocket blasted through the clouds just after sunrise at 7:05 a.m. ET.

NASA and its commercial partners are designing Orion to take astronauts to a near-Earth asteroid in the 2020s, and to Mars and its moons in the 2030s. For that reason, NASA portrayed Friday's test flight as a first step toward deep-space exploration. The mission is known as Exploration Flight Test 1, or EFT-1.

"I would describe it as the beginning of the Mars era," NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said on NASA TV.

Orion's flight marked the first time since the Apollo 17 moon mission in 1972 that a vehicle designed to carry humans went beyond low Earth orbit.

Mission managers said the rocket and capsule performed perfectly during the initial phases of the test. "It was just a blast to see how well the rocket did," said Mark Geyer, NASA's Orion program manager.

After Orion made its first circuit around the planet, the rocket's upper stage kicked it into a second, highly eccentric orbit that looped 3,604.2 miles from Earth. That's 15 times farther away than the International Space Station.

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Blastoff! 'Mars Era' Begins With Orion Test Flight

Cartney now Red Wings number one goalie

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Junior club looks north forroster changes

By Mark Newman, News Staff

At six-foot three and 205 pounds Jordan Cartney is certainly a large presence between the pipes for the Hamilton Red Wings.

In town for about a week, the 20-year-old from Calgaryis now the junior hockey clubs number one puck-stopper and he says hes up to the task.

As a team I think we have the guys that can make a run for the playoffs and go for it, said Cartney, who played 21 games (8 wins, 11 losses) with the Pickering Panthers before being acquired by the Red Wings. Its a nice fresh start.

He toiled with the Fort Frances Lakers of the Superior International Junior Hockey League last season.

Cartney got his first win as a Red Wing on Monday night when he stopped 42 shots to help Hamilton beat the Orangeville Flyers 4-3.

The Red Wings were in dire need of a solid puck-stopper after veteran and last seasons team MVP Mark Sinclair and his brother and forward Luke were released on Monday.

Both have joined the Caledonia Corvairs of the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League and Mark picked up a shutout inhis first start in goal as the Corvairs were 1-0 winners in Thorold on Wednesday night.

Hamilton head coach Scott Elliot said the brothers from Dundas asked for their release.

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Cartney now Red Wings number one goalie

M. BASKETBALL | Red Looks to Extend Win Streak

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By AMIR PATEL

With some excitement surrounding the Cornell mens basketball program again, the Red looks to extend its win streak to three on Saturday when it welcomes UMass Lowell (6-2) to Newman Arena. After dropping three games at the Charleston Classic, the Red rebounded with wins against Canisius and Binghamton to secure consecutive wins for the first time since February, 2013. The Red has put an emphasis on defense and utilizing its experience, both of which are major parts of the identity that the team is forming.

This gradual formation of a true identity has been a big plus for the squad. It is clear that the Red is heavily dependent on the backcourt for offensive production, with guards Galal Cancer, Robert Hatter and Devin Cherry combining to average 34.4 points per game, more than half of the teams overall average. However, the maturation of sophomore forward David Onuorah, along with the return of senior forward Shonn Miller, has given the Red an evenly balanced attack both offensively and defensively.

On the defensive end, the Red leads the Ivy League in opponents field goal percentage (37.3%) and defensive rebounds per game (27.6). While those numbers did take a hit against the top competition at the Charleston Classic, since its return, the Red has done well to play solid team defense. After allowing guards Sindarius Thornwell (South Carolina), D.J. Newbill (Penn State) and Damion Lee (Drexel) to pick apart the Red defense for a combined 68 points in Charleston, the squad has come back with a balanced defensive attack focused on playing suffocating defense for a full game, according to head coach Bill Courtney.

We didnt play a full 40 minutes of hard defense in Charleston, but we have been able to improve on that in these past couple games, Courtney said.

Another factor that has proven to be a significant advantage for the Red thus far is the versatility of its roster. With a guy like Miller who can stretch the floor with his shooting ability and battle inside, the Red has the ability to compete against a myriad of defenses. With three guards who can explode for 20 points a game on any given night in Cancer, Cherry and Hatter, along with the improvement of sophomore guard Darryl Smith, the Red has the unique ability to defer scoring to a variety of players throughout a game.

Our guys understand their roles and have been executing game plans well. We have been getting the ball into the right hands, and stepping up in the second half, Courtney said.

Being able to defer offensive production, coupled with some multi-faceted offensive players is a valuable asset for a Cornell team that will look to turn heads throughout the season, especially against top-notch squads like Syracuse, a team that plays the legendary and unique 2-3 defense. Teams who rely heavily on one player for offensive production often become exposed very early in the season. Courtney said that the work of the bench combined with some veteran leadership has made for an attack that can fire from all cylinders without relying on starpower. The Red currently has four players averaging double figures.

We have started slow in the first half a few times, but our bench and experienced guys have kept us going by stepping up as the game progresses, Courtney said. Looking at Saturdays matchup with UMass-Lowell, the Red has to contend with another guard heavy lineup. The top three scorers for the River Hawks are all guards, led by sophomore Jahad Thomas who is averaging just shy of 16 points per game. The Red holds a major size advantage, with seven players 67 or taller, while the Red Hawks only have one.

With the senior big man trio of Deion Giddens, Ned Tomic and Dave LaMore showing leadership and control in the past two games, they, along with Miller and Onuorah, should be heavily targeted. Regardless of their lack of size in the frontcourt, the River Hawks have managed to win six straight games since dropping their first two to start the season, and the Red has the opportunity to snap that streak.

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M. BASKETBALL | Red Looks to Extend Win Streak

NASAs Orion completes historic flight, ushers in new era

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NASA's new Orion spacecraft streaked into orbit Friday on a high-stakes test flight meant to usher in a new era of human exploration leading ultimately to Mars. (AP)

NASA entered a new era of space exploration when its Orion capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean Friday morning after going further than any spacecraft built for humans had reached in more than 40 years.

The maiden test flight -- made without astronauts aboard -- is a step toward eventually getting astronauts to deep space: first to help snag an asteroid, and then, NASA hopes, to Mars. Orion lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., at 7:05 a.m., a day after gusty wind and problems with several valves forced officials to cancel the mission.

But on Friday, the 4.5-hour mission appeared to go off flawlessly. "There's your new spacecraft, America," said Mission Control commentator Rob Navias said shortly before Orion hit the water. It was a "picture perfect" flight, officials said.

As it sent back stunning images broadcast on NASAs website, Orion orbited the Earth twice, shot up to an altitude of about 3,600 miles above the Earth. That was farther than any spacecraft designed for humans had gone since the Apollo 17 moon mission in 1972.

It splashed into the Pacific Ocean at 11:29 a.m.

NASA's Orion spacecraft landed with a perfect splashdown Friday following an unmanned test mission that broke records for being the fastest and furthest space fight in a craft built for humans since the Apollo moon missions. (AP)

The successful test flight was cheered by ebullient officials from NASA and its partners in the mission: prime contractor Bethesda-based Lockheed Martin, which built Orion, and United Launch Alliance, a joint venture of Lockheed and Boeing, which built the Delta IV Heavy rocket that launched Orion into orbit.

Moments after liftoff,Currie said it marked "the dawn of Orion and the new era of American space exploration."

Before the flight, NASA Administrator Charlie Boldencalled theLockheed Martin-manufactured Orion "our prima ballerina."

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NASAs Orion completes historic flight, ushers in new era

NASA's Orion lands with 'bullseye' splashdown

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AP Photo/NASA In this frame grab from NASA-TV, the Orion spacecraft descends before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, Friday, Dec. 5, 2014, following a dramatic test flight that took it to a zenith height of 3,600 miles and ushered in a new era of human exploration aiming for Mars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) NASA's new Orion spacecraft made a "bull's-eye" splashdown in the Pacific on Friday following a dramatic test flight that took it to a zenith of 3,604 miles and ushered in a new era of human exploration aiming for Mars.

The unmanned test flight ended 4 hours after it began and achieved at least one record: flying farther and faster than any capsule built for humans since the Apollo moon program.

"There's your new spacecraft, America," Mission Control commentator Rob Navias said as the Orion capsule neared the water 270 miles off Mexico's Baja peninsula.

Navias called the journey "the most perfect flight you could ever imagine."

Blast off! NASA launches Orion spacecraft on first Mars test flight

NASA is counting on future Orions to carry astronauts beyond Earth's orbit, to asteroids and ultimately the grand prize: Mars.

The agency reported some positive results, saying onboard computers were unaffected by high radiation in space.

The capsule reached a peak altitude more than 14 times farther from Earth than the International Space Station. No spacecraft designed for astronauts had gone so far since Apollo 17 NASA's final moon shot 42 years ago.

NASA needed to send Orion that high in order to set the crew module up for a 20,000-mph, 4,000-degree entry. That was considered the most critical part of the entire flight testing the largest of its kind heat shield for survival before humans climb aboard.

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NASA's Orion lands with 'bullseye' splashdown

NASA's Orion splashes down after critical test mission

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AP Photo/NASA In this frame grab from NASA-TV, the Orion spacecraft descends before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, Friday, Dec. 5, 2014, following a dramatic test flight that took it to a zenith height of 3,600 miles and ushered in a new era of human exploration aiming for Mars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) NASA's new Orion spacecraft made a "bull's-eye" splashdown in the Pacific on Friday following a dramatic test flight that took it to a zenith of 3,604 miles and ushered in a new era of human exploration aiming for Mars.

The unmanned test flight ended 4 hours after it began and achieved at least one record: flying farther and faster than any capsule built for humans since the Apollo moon program.

"There's your new spacecraft, America," Mission Control commentator Rob Navias said as the Orion capsule neared the water 270 miles off Mexico's Baja peninsula.

Navias called the journey "the most perfect flight you could ever imagine."

Blast off! NASA launches Orion spacecraft on first Mars test flight

NASA is counting on future Orions to carry astronauts beyond Earth's orbit, to asteroids and ultimately the grand prize: Mars.

The agency reported some positive results, saying onboard computers were unaffected by high radiation in space.

The capsule reached a peak altitude more than 14 times farther from Earth than the International Space Station. No spacecraft designed for astronauts had gone so far since Apollo 17 NASA's final moon shot 42 years ago.

NASA needed to send Orion that high in order to set the crew module up for a 20,000-mph, 4,000-degree entry. That was considered the most critical part of the entire flight testing the largest of its kind heat shield for survival before humans climb aboard.

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NASA's Orion splashes down after critical test mission

NASA launches new Orion spacecraft

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AP Photo/NASA In this frame grab from NASA-TV, the Orion spacecraft descends before splashing down in the Pacific Ocean, Friday, Dec. 5, 2014, following a dramatic test flight that took it to a zenith height of 3,600 miles and ushered in a new era of human exploration aiming for Mars.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) NASA's new Orion spacecraft made a "bull's-eye" splashdown in the Pacific on Friday following a dramatic test flight that took it to a zenith of 3,604 miles and ushered in a new era of human exploration aiming for Mars.

The unmanned test flight ended 4 hours after it began and achieved at least one record: flying farther and faster than any capsule built for humans since the Apollo moon program.

"There's your new spacecraft, America," Mission Control commentator Rob Navias said as the Orion capsule neared the water 270 miles off Mexico's Baja peninsula.

Navias called the journey "the most perfect flight you could ever imagine."

Blast off! NASA launches Orion spacecraft on first Mars test flight

NASA is counting on future Orions to carry astronauts beyond Earth's orbit, to asteroids and ultimately the grand prize: Mars.

The agency reported some positive results, saying onboard computers were unaffected by high radiation in space.

The capsule reached a peak altitude more than 14 times farther from Earth than the International Space Station. No spacecraft designed for astronauts had gone so far since Apollo 17 NASA's final moon shot 42 years ago.

NASA needed to send Orion that high in order to set the crew module up for a 20,000-mph, 4,000-degree entry. That was considered the most critical part of the entire flight testing the largest of its kind heat shield for survival before humans climb aboard.

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NASA launches new Orion spacecraft

White House Nanotechnology Leader Lloyd Whitman Addresses ANSI Board of Directors

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Lloyd Whitman, Assistant Director for Nanotechnology at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), addressed the Board of Directors of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) on December 3, 2014.

Dr. Whitman is serving in this role on a full-time detail from his position as Deputy Director of the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).

In his remarks, Dr. Whitman indicated this administrations appreciation and enthusiasm for science and technology. For example, in President Obamas State of the Union address in February 2013, he stated, If we want to make the best products, we also have to invest in the best ideas. Now is the time to reach a level of research and development not seen since the height of the Space Race. We need to make those investments.

And, of course, standards and conformance are a critical component of those investments. In 2014, the Presidents Council of Advisors on Science and Technology released six major reports on topics ranging from advanced manufacturing and nanotechnology to healthcare systems and big data. In each report, the need for and importance of standards is emphasized.

Finally, Dr. Whitman discussed the many ways that the administration has focused on fostering U.S. innovation. According to the Strategy for American Innovation, last updated in 2011, there are three main focus areas:

1) Invest in the building blocks of American innovation, which includes the creation of a world-class workforce

2) Promote market-based innovation

3) Catalyze breakthroughs for national priorities, including nanotechnology and healthcare technology

I speak for everyone at ANSI in saying that weve truly enjoyed hosting Dr. Whitman and furthering the dialogue between the U.S. standardization community and the U.S. government on critical and innovative technology areas, concluded S. Joe Bhatia, ANSI president and CEO. Our discussions were highly productive and informative, and we look forward to future opportunities to work closely with Dr. Whitman, with OSTP, and of course, with NIST.

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White House Nanotechnology Leader Lloyd Whitman Addresses ANSI Board of Directors

Karnataka government mulls setting up Nano Park in Bengaluru

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BENGALURU: To encourage the nanotechnology industry in the state, Karnataka government plans to set up a state-of-the-art Nano Park here, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said today.

"We are planning to establish a state-of-the-art Nano Park in Bengaluru. I am sure this initiative will give a major fillip to the nanotechnology industry to blossom in the state in coming years," he said at the inauguration of the seventh " Bengaluru India Nano 2014", an annual event, here.

The park will have Nano Incubation Centre along with necessary physical infrastructure and support systems including common facilities, he said.

The government is establishing Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences in the city with Centre's financial support under Nano Mission, for which Karnataka has already allocated 14 acres of land on Tumkur road, Siddaramaiah said.

"I request kind intervention of Bharat Ratna and Professor C N R Rao in moving the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, to hasten its development work," he said.

The Vision Group on Nanotechnology headed by Professor Rao is doing commendable work in recommending initiatives for the growth and development of Nano Science and Technology in the state, Siddaramaiah said.

The government has enhanced budgetary support from the current financial year for schemes and programmes recommended by the Vision Group on Science and Technology, he said.

Siddaramaiah called upon scientists to come up with tangible nanotechnology-based solutions for food security, energy security, water purification, medicine, healthcare and waste management.

"The ultimate purpose of all science and research should be to address the huge challenges faced by the common man in these areas," he said.

Given the enabling nature of nanotechnology and its ability to converge with other technologies, it has the potential to address key development related challenges in diverse sectors like energy, water, agriculture, health and environment, Siddaramaiah said.

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Karnataka government mulls setting up Nano Park in Bengaluru

Three officers and PCSO charged over death of Bijan Ebrahimi

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Bijan Ebrahimi, 44, beaten and set alight by vigilante neighbours in 2013 Four police staff have now been charged with offences linked to his death Further 12 officers from Avon and Somerset Police accused of misconduct Police watchdog probing whether victim had six years of contact with force Mr Ebrahami died after he photographed youths vandalising his flowers He planned to give the images to police as evidence but they arrested him Neighbour falsely reported him as a paedophile, which was untrue Police took Mr Ebrahimi away in front of neighbours chanting 'Paedo' Officers released him but two days he was attacked and killed near home

By Martin Robinson for MailOnline

Published: 08:20 EST, 5 December 2014 | Updated: 10:57 EST, 5 December 2014

Victim: Three police officers and PCSO will be prosecuted following the murder of Bijan Ebrahimi, 44, who was burned to death by neighbours who wrongly believed he was a paedophile

Three police officers and a PCSO have been charged with offences linked to the murder of a man beaten and burned to death by neighbours who wrongly believed he was a paedophile.

PCs Kevin Duffy, Helen Harris and Leanne Winter of Avon and Somerset Police are accused of 'failing to respond to allegations and calls for help' by Bijan Ebrahimi.

PCSO Andrew Passmore is accused of lying about the contact he had with the murder victim.

It was also revealed today that a further 12 officers from the same force now face misconduct proceedings over claims MrEbrahimi had six years of contact with police before his murder.

Disabled Ebrahimi, a keen gardener, died after he was beaten, burned and left to die on a patch of grass near his home.

The 44-year-old, originally from Iran, had taken photographs of youths vandalising his hanging baskets and intended to hand them to police as evidence.

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Three officers and PCSO charged over death of Bijan Ebrahimi

2014 Global Summit on Angelman Syndrome: Friday panels – Video

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2014 Global Summit on Angelman Syndrome: Friday panels
Friday #39;s event schedule is as follows: 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM - New Animal Models in Angelman Syndrome - Featured Speakers: Dr. Jorge Piedrahita, Professor of Genomics, North Carolina State...

By: Foundation for Angelman Syndrome Therapeutics

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2014 Global Summit on Angelman Syndrome: Friday panels - Video