Daily Archives: February 19, 2013

Space station loses touch with Earth after glitch

Posted: February 19, 2013 at 6:45 pm

As Mission Control Houston upgraded software on the International Space Station's main computers, primary communications were lost for about 3 hours.

The International Space Station (ISS) lost ground communications capabilities for around three hours this morning during a software upgrade, according to NASA.

As flight controllers on the ground in Houston were updating flight computers, the data relay systems malfunctioned, cutting off all communications with the ground. The Communication and Tracking System provides communications between the crew and Mission Control via Ku-band, S-band, and UHF frequencies.

During the upgrade, an anomaly resulted in the primary computer that controls critical station functions defaulting to a backup computer, but the system was not allowing the station to communicate with NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellites.

As the space station flew over Russian ground stations around 8 a.m. PT, Mission Control Houston was able to make contact and instructed the crew to connect to a backup computer to begin the process of restoring the main communications.

Though communication is at the core of safe, reliable International Space Station operations, there doesn't appear to be any additional threat to the ISS as a result of the computer glitch. Expedition 34 Commander Kevin Ford reported that the station's status was fine and that the crew was doing well.

Mission Control Center, Houston, communicates with the ISS via 60-foot diameter, high-gain microwave ground terminals at NASA's White Sands Test Facility near Las Cruces, N.M. These terminals then relay signals to and from a pair of Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System satellites orbiting at an altitude of 22,300 miles. When everything is working smoothly, the satellites pass these signals directly to and from the ISS.

In 2010 the space station lost communications for about an hour when a computer crashed. See an interactive demonstration that further explains the process of space communications here.

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Space station loses touch with Earth after glitch

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NASA Restores Contact with Space Station

Posted: at 6:45 pm

NASA has reestablished contact with the International Space Station Tuesday (Feb. 19) nearly three hours after an equipment failure left the orbiting laboratory dependent without a direct link to its Mission Control center, space agency officials said.

Space station flight controllers at NASA's Mission Control center in Houston restored contact with the space station at 12:34 p.m. ET (17:34 GMT), according to an update. The space agency lost communication with the International Space Station at 9:45 a.m. ET (1445 GMT).

"Flight controllers were in the process of updating the stations command and control software and were transitioning from the primary computer to the backup computer to complete the software load when the loss of communication occurred," NASA officials said in a statement.

A main data relay system malfunctioned, and the computer that controls the station's critical functions switched to a backup, NASA officials said in a statement. However, the station was still was unable to communicate with the Tracking and Data Relay satellite network that serves as the outpost's link to NASA's Mission Control center on the ground. [How NASA's Satellite Communications Network Works (Infographic)]

The communications loss occurred as flight controllers at NASA's Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center in Houston were sending a software update to the space station. The space station is currently home to three Russians, two Americans and a Canadian astronaut.

NASA flight controllers were able to communicate with the spaceflyers aboard the space station before lines of communication were reestablished.

"Mission Control Houston was able to communicate with the crew as the space station flew over Russian ground stations before 11:00 a.m. EST and instructed the crew to connect a backup computer to begin the process of restoring communications," NASA officials explained.

When Mission Control made contact with the International Space Station via Russian ground stations earlier today, Expedition 34 commander Kevin Ford reported on the health and status of the space station and its residents.

"Hey, just FYI, the station's still fine and straight, everybody is in good shape of course," said Ford in audio released by NASA. "And nothing unexpected other than lots of caution warning tones, and of course we have no system in sight. We'll get that back to you as soon as we can."

This is not the first time Mission Control has lost direct communication with the orbiting science laboratory. In 2010, the space station briefly lost communication with the ground when a primary computer failed and the backup had to take over. Communications were out for about one hour before NASA restored the connection.

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Gangnam Style –University of Chittagong ( Genetic Engineering Dept.) – Video

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Gangnam Style --University of Chittagong ( Genetic Engineering Dept.)
Gangnam Style- University of Chittagong...It was performed at the Freshers Graduation Festival 2013 of Dept. of Genetic Engineering Biotechnology, University of Chittagong

By: arian orko

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Bio Ethics,genetic engineering,and babies – Video

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Bio Ethics,genetic engineering,and babies
http://www.youtube.com if you care so much about babies but not enough about making their lives easier their genetic engineering then well you don #39;t really care about them now do you?

By: Octaviou Rex

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Bio Ethics,genetic engineering,and babies - Video

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Image Studio Software – DNA Gel Analysis Ribbon – Video

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Image Studio Software - DNA Gel Analysis Ribbon
This video tutorial demonstrates the DNA Gel Analysis Ribbon, which provides tools to analyze a DNA gel. These tools include quantification and molecular weight determination. Other Image Studio Analysis Ribbon Tutorials: ** Western Analysis Key - bit.ly ** MPX Western Analysis Ribbon - bit.ly ** Plate Analysis Ribbon - bit.ly ** Plate Array Analysis Ribbon - bit.ly ** Grid Analysis Ribbon - bit.ly ** Grid Array Analysis Ribbon - bit.ly ** In-Cell Western Analysis Ribbon - bit.ly ** Small Animal Imaging Analysis Ribbon - bit.ly For more information on Image Studio Software plus support documents, go to bit.ly Want to try Image Studio Software to see just how easy it is to use? Download Image Studio Lite FREE today (bit.ly With Image Studio Lite software, you can: ** Import images from numerous sources ** Adjust brightness/contrast ** Define bands using shapes tools ** Obtain relative fluorescent units for shapes ** Export images and data ** Create lab notebooks Please note: Image Studio Lite is used for basic Western blot analysis, but does not operate your LI-COR instrument.

By: licorbio

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Image Studio Software - DNA Gel Analysis Ribbon - Video

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Little mix dna tour , we are who we are – Video

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Little mix dna tour , we are who we are
18/2/13 Perrie waved at us wooooo!!!

By: jessica gore

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Discovery Channel. Nuskin and Ageloc. DNA Revealed – Video

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Discovery Channel. Nuskin and Ageloc. DNA Revealed

By: BigGroupUSA

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Discovery Channel. Nuskin and Ageloc. DNA Revealed - Video

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Delay in DNA testing of criminals

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Victorian Attorney-General Robert Clark. Photo: Justin McManus

POLICE will have to conduct thousands of DNA tests a year under a state government plan to dramatically increase testing of people convicted of crimes.

However, despite Attorney-General Robert Clark announcing the crackdown - another pillar of the government's tough on law and order campaign - almost two years ago, the new regime will not come into force for at least another year.

''Victoria Police would expect a substantial increase in suspect samples. This will have an impact on caseloads which will be monitored,'' a police spokeswoman said.

In April 2011, Mr Clark said the legislation would allow DNA samples to be taken from anyone convicted of an indictable offence - crimes that attract a jail sentence of two years or more.

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At present DNA samples can only be taken from serious criminals such as murderers and rapists, but this would be expanded to include those convicted of assault, threats to kill, stalking, theft and a wider range of drug offences.

The Attorney-General described the proposed laws as a ''vital element in the high-tech fight against crime''. However, a spokesman for Mr Clark said this week the laws are ''expected to be introduced into Parliament later this year''.

A Victoria Police tender document released late last year reveals that the new laws would mean a four-fold increase in the number of mouth DNA swabs police would have to carry out. It says an average of 7300 swabs were carried out every year for the past five years, of which 1500 were for people suspected of crimes. This means the number of tests will balloon to 6000 a year.

''The status of the amendment is cabinet in confidence so unfortunately Logistical Support Branch is unable to provide further information. What we do know is that if the bill is passed, there will be a 12-month period between passage and implementation,'' the tender document says.

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Delay in DNA testing of criminals

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DNA goes untested, rapists remain free

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CINCINNATI - A year-old program testing key evidence obtained from rape victims is just beginning to identify suspects whose DNA has been sitting on shelves in so-called "rape kits" for years.

An investigation conducted by Scripps station Newsnet5 found more than 2,000 rape kits have been turned over to the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation for sophisticated testing that identify suspects whose DNA is already on file.

The program was launched a year ago by Attorney General Mike DeWine, but only now has begun to swing into full gear -- identifying 28 suspects using DNA obtained from rape victims.

Since January 2012, forensic scientists have tested 479 of 2,124 "rape kits" that were collected in the hours after an attack, but that sat for years on shelves in police departments across the state -- often because testing was too expensive.

"Nothing ever works as fast as I want it to work," DeWine said.

The DNA testing program required hiring additional forensic scientists and establishing procedures for testing, while at the same time trying to avoid creating additional backlogs of current cases.

"What I did not want to do," DeWine said," is take these back rape kits, dump them into our system without any new people -- and create an even bigger backlog for a rape that was committed five days ago when we are actively seeking to find out who that person was."

The investigation found huge numbers of rape kits collected from police department all over Ohio, including nearly 340 cases in Cincinnati.

Amanda Slone was a teenager when she was raped by a suspect four years ago who still has not been identified. Once honored by Ohio's legislature for her volunteer work with disabled children, Slone agreed to come forward to encourage testing on behalf of other rape victims.

A citation from Ohio's Senate honored her for "making the world a better place" -- yet her world was shattered by an unknown rapist.

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DNA goes untested, rapists remain free

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Biology Human Genome Project – Video

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Biology Human Genome Project
A short infomercial against the Human Genome Project. By: Jaspreet Kalsi and Adam Murphy.

By: TheAdam1murphy

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Biology Human Genome Project - Video

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