Monthly Archives: January 2013

Balloon-like dwelling to be tested on Int'l Space Station

Posted: January 17, 2013 at 4:48 pm

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - A low-cost space dwelling that inflates like a balloon in orbit will be tested aboard the International Space Station, opening the door for commercial leases of future free-flying outposts and deep-space astronaut habitats for NASA.

The Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, nicknamed BEAM, will be the third orbital prototype developed and flown by privately owned Bigelow Aerospace.

The Las Vegas-based company, founded in 1999 by Budget Suites of America hotel chain owner Robert Bigelow, currently operates two small unmanned experimental habitats called Genesis 1, launched in 2006, and Genesis 2, which followed a year later.

BEAM, about 13 feet long and 10.5 feet in diameter when inflated, is scheduled for launch in mid-2015 aboard a Space Exploration Technologies' Dragon cargo ship, said Mike Gold, director of operations for Bigelow Aerospace.

"It will be the first expandable habitat module ever constructed for human occupancy," Gold said.

A successful test flight on the space station would be a stepping stone for planned Bigelow-staffed orbiting outposts that the company plans to lease to research organizations, businesses and wealthy individuals wishing to vacation in orbit.

Bigelow has invested about $250 million in inflatable habitation modules so far. It has preliminary agreements with seven non-U.S. space and research agencies in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia, Singapore, Japan, Sweden and the United Arab Emirates.

"The value to me personally and to our company is doing a project with NASA," Robert Bigelow said. "This is our first opportunity to do that. We do have other ambitions."

NASA, which will pay Bigelow Aerospace $17.8 million for the BEAM habitat, also is interested in the technology to house crew during future expeditions beyond the space station, a $100 billion research complex that flies about 250 miles above Earth.

"Whether you're going to the surface of the moon or even Mars, the benefits of expandable habitats are critical for any exploration mission," Gold said.

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Balloon-like dwelling to be tested on Int'l Space Station

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Space station to get $18 million balloon-like room

Posted: at 4:47 pm

LAS VEGAS (AP) NASA is partnering with a commercial space company in a bid to replace the cumbersome "metal cans" that now serve as astronauts' homes in space with inflatable bounce-house-like habitats that can be deployed on the cheap.

A $17.8 million test project will send to the International Space Station an inflatable room that can be compressed into a 7-foot tube for delivery, officials said Wednesday in a news conference at North Las Vegas-based Bigelow Aerospace.

If the module proves durable during two years at the space station, it could open the door to habitats on the moon and missions to Mars, NASA engineer Glen Miller said.

The agency chose Bigelow for the contract because it was the only company working on inflatable technology, said NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver.

Founder and President Robert Bigelow, who made his fortune in the hotel industry before getting into the space business in 1999, framed the gambit as an out-of-this-world real estate venture. He hopes to sell his spare tire habitats to scientific companies and wealthy adventurers looking for space hotels.

NASA is expected to install the 13-foot, blimp-like module in a space station port by 2015. Bigelow plans to begin selling stand-alone space homes the next year.

The new technology provides three times as much room as the existing aluminum models, and is also easier and less costly to build, Miller said.

Artist renderings of the module resemble a tinfoil clown nose grafted onto the main station. It is hardly big enough to be called a room. Miller described it as a large closet with padded white walls and gear and gizmos strung from two central beams.

Garver said Wednesday that sending a small inflatable tube into space will be dramatically cheaper than launching a full-sized module.

"Let's face it; the most expensive aspect of taking things in space is the launch," she said. "So the magnitude of importance of this for NASA really can't be overstated."

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Space station to get $18 million balloon-like room

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Alpha Station: plans for an inflatable space station

Posted: at 4:47 pm

The formal unveiling Jan. 16 of a NASA deal to add an inflatable room developed by commercial company Bigelow Aerospace to the International Space Station is a forerunner of things to come. The private space firm has its eyes on setting up its own commercial space outpost, which it is calling Alpha Station.

The new room to be attached to the International Space Station a Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) will remain part of the orbiting laboratory for at least two years. During that time, astronauts will monitor the environment inside the module, recording a variety of parameters including temperature, pressure and radiation levels.

According to company details provided to SPACE.com, Bigelow Aerospace officials intend to use the BEAM to further validate the promise and benefits of expandable space habitats.

Space industry in orbit

The benefits of an expandable space habitat would be fully manifested by the Bigelow Aerospace's BA 330 module, far larger than the BEAM. A single BA 330 expandable habitat would offer 330 cubic meters of internal volume and be able to support a crew of up to six astronauts, Bigelow says. [Photos: Bigelow's Inflatable Space Station Idea]

- Bigelow Aerospace documents

Bigelow Aerospace is pushing forward with Alpha Station, which it bills as the "historic first commercial space station." The station initially would consist of two BA 330s. The company plans to have the two BA 330s ready by late 2016.

Alpha Station would be the first of a number of commercial Bigelow space stations deployed as demand grows and the on-orbit industry matures.

Bigelow Aerospace is open to entering into joint ventures with interested partners, be they governments, corporations or even individuals, for future stations.

"Nations such as Japan, Canada, Brazil, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Sweden could secure the future of their human spaceflight programs and dramatically increase the size of their astronaut corps. Smaller countries with no human spaceflight experience such as Singapore or the United Arab Emirates could take their first bold steps into space in a rapid and affordable fashion," according to a Bigelow Aerospace document.

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Alpha Station: plans for an inflatable space station

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Blackberry 10/HMV Closing/ Pig

Posted: at 4:47 pm


Blackberry 10/HMV Closing/ Pig Horse Dna - Technology and everything in between
Techguy276.blogspot.co.uk RIM rumoured to be bringing out a blackberry 10 with a full qwerty keyboard HMV closing and the state of the country and tesco and morrisons with meat products with pig dna and horse dna moaning about the government

By: Tom penny

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Blackberry 10/HMV Closing/ Pig

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Oscar De La Hoya Signed Boxing Glove – PSA/DNA – Video

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Oscar De La Hoya Signed Boxing Glove - PSA/DNA
This is an Everlast red leather boxing glove autographed by "The Gold Boy", Oscar De La Hoya. You can view more about this product here - http://www.sportsmemorabilia.com The Gold Medalist #39;s bold, high quality signature is PSA/DNA certified authentic and backed by our Sportsmemorabilia.com lifetime authenticity guarantee. This glove is an ideal addition to any boxing fan #39;s collection or makes the perfect gift. The Oscar De La Hoya signed boxing glove ships free and within one business day.

By: mrsportsmem

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Autographed Phil Hughes Baseball – PSA/DNA – Video

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Autographed Phil Hughes Baseball - PSA/DNA
This is a baseball autographed by All-Star pitcher, Phil Hughes, in the sweet spot. You can view more about this product here - http://www.sportsmemorabilia.com

By: mrsportsmem

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38. DNA Mimic Brewed in Lab

Posted: at 4:47 pm

In a remarkable act of biological mimicry, researchers in Europe and the United States announced in April that they had created six types of artificial DNAsynthetic genetic material that can encode information just like the real thing. The invention suggests that the earliest life on Earth did not necessarily rely on DNA or its cousin, RNA, since other molecules can also perform the same tricks. The artificial DNA, or XNAs, are simple chemical alternatives to store and propagate genetic information, says team leader Philipp Holliger of the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, England.

Natural DNA consists of a ladder frame of ring-shaped deoxyribose molecules (which form the backbone of the double helix) and rungs of bases (which spell out the genetic alphabet). To create XNAs, Holliger and his team replaced the deoxyribose with alternative synthetic chemical ring structures such as arabinose or cyclohexene. Like DNA, XNAs can hold genetic information that specifies how to build a protein. And XNAs can evolve: When the researchers subjected billions of unique XNA strands to selective pressure in a test tubein this case binding to a provided target moleculeout came XNA sequences folded up into 3-D structures that could bind.

XNAs may also have medical applications. Short strands of nucleic acids, called aptamers, can target a disease-inducing gene or protein and, for example, block it from activating. Natural aptamers are quickly degraded by the body, but because XNA aptamers are foreign, they will last longerlong enough, Holliger hopes, to have therapeutic value.

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38. DNA Mimic Brewed in Lab

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DNA profiling leaves no room for beefs

Posted: at 4:47 pm

The Irish Times - Thursday, January 17, 2013

DICK AHLSTROM

ANALYSIS:Advanced genetic technologies are making it increasingly difficult for food producers to misrepresent their products. DNA analysis readily detected the sometimes minute quantities of pig and horse meat found in the burger products tested.

It also points up the challenge faced by bodies such as the Food Safety Authority of Ireland, which commissioned the DNA tests.

It is not feasible to check every meat product that comes into the country and so our supermarket shelves may still be displaying burgers that contain meat other than the expected beef.

DNA fingerprinting

The DNA technology used to test the meat, sometimes referred to as DNA fingerprinting or profiling, was developed by Alec Jeffreys at the University of Leicester back in 1984. It allowed one DNA profile to be compared directly with another.

Within three years it developed into a service mostly used to prove or disprove paternity.

The huge public scare triggered by so-called mad cow disease and its transmission to humans encouraged the adaptation of the technology to animals.

Trinity College Dublins Prof Patrick Cunningham converted the technology and co-founded DNA profiling company IdentiGEN.

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DNA profiling leaves no room for beefs

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UK Police Accused of Wrongly Taking DNA of Gay Men

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In 1983, Stephen Close was arrested, jailed and expelled from the British army for having sex with a male squad mate.

Three decades later, police tracked him down to the northern England city of Salford and demanded a sample of his DNA.

Close, now 50 and openly gay, said he was shocked.

"I was horrified that after all these years they suddenly decided to bring this up again," Close said in a telephone interview from Salford, 205 miles (330 kilometers) north of London.

While it is not illegal in the U.K. to collect genetic material from adults, Britain's DNA database one of the largest in the world, with some 6 million samples has long been a magnet for controversy. Human rights advocate Peter Tatchell says gay men convicted years ago under Britain's now-defunct gross indecency law may have had their rights violated recently by British police who ordered them to submit their genetic material to the database.

"It is absolutely wrong to lump a consenting, victimless offense like 'gross indecency' with rape and child sex abuse," Tatchell told The Associated Press.

Europe's top human rights court in 2008 struck down a British law that allowed the government to store DNA and fingerprints from people with no criminal record. But in 2011, a new law allowed police to collect DNA from offenders who had been convicted of serious offenses before the DNA database was created in 1995.

Amanda Cooper of the Association of Chief Police Officers' DNA database program said police forces were told that "certain sexual offences, such as gross indecency and buggery, should not have a DNA sample taken on the grounds of a sole conviction."

In Close's case, he was first convicted of a gross indecency charge and later theft.

The "gross indecency" law dates back to 1885, and has been used to persecute thousands of English homosexuals, including playwright Oscar Wilde, who spent two years in prison after a trial in 1895, and World War II code breaker Alan Turing, who committed suicide after being convicted in 1952.

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UK Police Accused of Wrongly Taking DNA of Gay Men

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Applied DNA Sciences to Provide Unique DNA Mark to Forward Components, Inc. for DNA-Marking of Microcircuits

Posted: at 4:47 pm

STONY BROOK, NY--(Marketwire - Jan 17, 2013) - Applied DNA Sciences, Inc. ( OTCBB : APDN ), (Twitter: @APDN), a provider of DNA-based anti-counterfeiting technology and product authentication solutions, announced today that Forward Components, Inc. (Forward Components Engineering, or FCE), based in Foothill Ranch, CA, has requested a unique DNA mark from APDN for DNA-marking for FSC 5962 microcircuits in accordance with the mandate issued by the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).The mandate requires use of APDN's SigNature DNA marking on a certain class of microcircuits, FSC 5962.

FCE will be required to undergo an in-house inspection and training prior to receiving the unique DNA mark to determine if they will qualify to mark in-house or will require third party marking initially. Quality control testing is an ongoing requirement to ensure that all parts continue to be marked correctly for as long as FCE marks parts with a unique APDN DNA marker.

FCE is an authorized distributor and assembly/test facility for the military and aerospace hi-rel industries. The company will apply their SigNature DNA Provenance mark to electronic parts which have traceable documentation as well as parts known as non-trace legacy components.The latter, which comprise only about 5% of the business of FCE, are parts which lack traceability documentation, but which are subject to rigorous test and inspection methods at the FCE facility.These parts, sometimes called "obsolete," can be vital to many military applications due to the long life of much military equipment.

FCE owner and President Scott Wilkosz stated, "Forward Components is pleased to offer DNA-marking on their 5962 components as a value-added service.This technology fits well with our core philosophy of strong quality control and 'best-practice' solutions for our hi-rel customers.Outside of DLA, we invite other customers to request DNA-marked parts from us, knowing that they will essentially be procuring an added layer of forensic protection for their supply-chain."

The Provenance mark to be used by FCE is one of two forms of APDN's SigNature DNA mark: the SigNature Authenticity mark, which is intended to authenticate original products manufactured by OCMs, and the SigNature Provenance mark for distributed products that are marked after manufacture.

The majority of materials FCE distributes are fully traceable; however, when a customer, such as DLA, requests an obsolete legacy component that does not have traceability, the on-staff engineering team at FCE screens these parts using test and inspection methods outlined in the recently approved SAE standard AS6081.Only after these parts are subjected to the test and inspection methods, and are shown to meet AS6081 criteria, will FCE then apply their SigNature DNA Provenance mark.

Bob MacDowell, Senior Account Representative at APDN, commented: "This DNA Provenance Mark will be unique to FCE, and is a testimony to their commitment to quality and best practices for the hi-rel component business."

Dr. James A. Hayward, President and CEO of Applied DNA Sciences, stated: "We are pleased to welcome FCE as another partner in the effort to protect the military supply chain and bring additional value to their businesses.As the DLA-mandated program for DNA marking and authentication grows and develops, we continue to widen the options for electronics companies wishing to join the program and gain its benefits."

About Forward Components Engineering

FCE is an authorized distributor and assembly/test facility for the military and aerospace hi-rel industries.With an on-site engineering staff and a technical sales team, Forward is able to utilize first-class quality systems and in-depth product to offer customers solution-based programs, including distribution and logistics services, cable and harness assembly, through-hole board assembly, and military compliant/RFID packaging. FCE offers extensive test capabilities for AC, DC, and functional testing for a wide array of devices in support of current and legacy programs.Parts inspections are compliant with IDEA-STD-1010 and the appropriate MIL-STD-883 standards.FCE is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company and has successfully contracted with various branches of the Armed Forces and Primes in support of the MV22, Blue Force Tracker, F/A-18 and many other vital programs critical to the success of the American Warfighter.For more information please contact us at info@forwardcomponents.com.

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Applied DNA Sciences to Provide Unique DNA Mark to Forward Components, Inc. for DNA-Marking of Microcircuits

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