Other News
Discovery May Need More Repairs
NASA scientists are trying to determine whether the US space shuttle Discovery will need more repairs before being given the all clear to return to Earth.
On Wednesday an astronaut carried out a pioneering spacewalk to the orbiter's underside to remove protruding material threatening the heatshield's integrity. But engineers now fear the thermal blanket near the cockpit is damaged and needs repairs to stop it tearing off. NASA is currently analyzing a video of an area underneath the cockpit window to see if it suffered damage during lift-off.
Initial photographs appeared to indicate that the thermal blanket below the cockpit window had been punctured at one end. The thermal blanket is made up of a quilt-like, padded fabric and serves as insulation from the intense heat generated during re-entry to Earth's atmosphere.
Although not heavy, there is concern that a section measuring about 30cm (one foot) could tear off as the shuttle tries to re-enter Earth's atmosphere and hit the main body of the orbiter at such high speed that it could cause a grave injury.
Engineers have been working overnight in a wind tunnel in an attempt to replicate the conditions around Discovery to see if further damage is likely.
If the test results prove unfavorable another spacewalk could be scheduled for Friday to try to trim the blanket.
During an earlier spacewalk crew members tested repair techniques for the heatshield tiles amid heightened fears that there could be another overheating incident like that which caused Columbia to break up on re-entry in 2003, killing all on board.
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India Launches Its First Inexpensive PC
India 's first low-cost personal computer has been launched in the Tamil Nadu state capital, Madras (Chennai).
Designed by IT firm HCL Infosystems, it is priced at 9,990 rupees (US$225) and includes all the basic features required for a first-time user. The computer is expected to increase India's level of computer penetration. Bringing down PC prices below 10,000 rupees has been the government's aim for some time. The firm hopes demand will make the exercise cost-effective.
IT experts have always maintained that low-cost computers will help increase the number of users by a large margin. They also say that internet connectivity will spread across the country, which would be of great advantage to India.
Federal Minister for Communications and IT, Dayanidhi Maran, told journalists he had personally tested the new computer and is fully satisfied with it.
At present, India has 15 million computers and five million net connections. The government wants to increase the number to 75 million computers and 45 million net connections by 2010.
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Vinci Engine Has 60 Seconds Duration Test
The European Science Agency’s hot-firing tests of the new Vinci cryogenic upper-stage engine reached a new high with a successful test lasting 60 seconds. This is the longest duration test since trials began and the first carried out under full test conditions. To meet these conditions the turbo-pumps ran at full revolution and full pressure was reached in both the thrust chamber and in the turbo-pumps. During previous tests, the engine was shut down at between 25% to 50% pressure level, well before these conditions were reached, to protect the hardware.
Vinci, developed under ESA's Ariane-5 Plus launcher program, is a new upper-stage launcher engine. This re-ignitable cryogenic engine uses a more efficient expander cycle, which does not require a gas generator to drive its two turbo-pumps: one for liquid hydrogen (LH2) and one for liquid oxygen (LOX). Vinci will provide 18 tonnes of thrust in vacuum with a specific impulse of 465 sec. The technologies involved in developing this new upper stage engine are of great importance for future developments in the European propulsion sector.
The ignition was as smooth as in previous tests and when the supersonic flame front stabilized it was thumbs up from all present for a long duration run. Vinci behaved as predicted and performed flawlessly; adding an important milestone to the engine’s development.
Since the first test in May this year, lasting just one second, the length of the firing has been gradually increased until full establishment of the combustion process and stable 60 seconds run in last Wednesday’s trial. This test, with all systems running at nominal conditions and for a longer duration, provided the certainty that the design objectives have been achieved.
Vinci engine M-1 will now be taken out of the test chamber to undergo detailed inspection for characterization of its mechanical status and validation of lifetime predictions. Data gathered during the tests will also be evaluated during the next few weeks by the industry teams involved in the project.
From September a second development engine, Vinci M-2, will be used for further testing and characterization of engine behavior. This second engine has been modified based on experience gained during manufacturing, integration and previous tests.
The trials are being carried out in the new P4.1 test stand of the German Space Agency (DLR) in Lampoldshausen, Germany; a facility built to perform hot-firing tests under near-realistic space conditions. It is unique in Europe both for its size and because it allows continuous hot-firing tests of upper-stage engines. The test stand can provide up to 20 ton of thrust at a pressure level of below 200 mbar and typically at 60 mbar. Maximum test duration is 10 minutes.
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South Korea Unveils First Dog Clone
Scientists in South Korea have produced the first dog clones, they report in Nature magazine this week.
One of the puppies died soon after birth but the other, an Afghan hound named Snuppy, is still doing well after 16 weeks, the researchers say. Snuppy joins a host of other cloned animals including Dolly the sheep, CC the cat and Ralph the rat.
Scientists hope dog clones will help them understand and treat a range of serious human diseases as, according to lead researcher Woo Suk Hwang of Seoul National University in South Korea, some canine disease are almost the same as human diseases.
Snuppy, whose name stands for Seoul National University puppy, was made from a cell taken from the ear of a three-year-old male Afghan hound.
Scientists took the genetic material from the ear cell and placed it into an empty egg cell. This egg was then stimulated to start dividing and develop into an embryo. Once growing, it was transferred to Snuppy's surrogate mother, a yellow labrador. The Afghan pup was born by caesarean section after a full 60 days of pregnancy.
Although many other animals have been successfully cloned, dogs are notoriously difficult: the South Korean team only obtained three pregnancies from more than 1,000 embryo transfers into 123 recipients. Of these, one miscarried and one died soon after birth; only Snuppy remains.
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Hurricanes Growing More Fierce Over Past 30 Years
Hurricanes have grown significantly more powerful and destructive over the past three decades, according to atmospheric scientist Kerry Emanuel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
In his new analysis of tropical hurricane records, which he reports online today in the journal Nature , Emanuel finds that both the duration of the storms and their maximum wind speeds have increased by about 50 per cent since the mid-1970s. Moreover, this marked increase in the energy release has occurred in both the north Atlantic and the north Pacific Oceans.
Unlike previous studies, which have focused on whether hurricanes are becoming more frequent, Emanuel's study is one of the first to ask whether they are becoming more fierce.
Also of concern, Emanuel says, is that the increases in storm intensity are mirrored by increases in the average temperatures at the surface of the tropical oceans, suggesting that this warming is responsible for the hurricanes' greater power. Since hurricanes depend on warm water to form and build, Emanuel warns that global climate change might increase the effect of hurricanes still further in coming years.
In addition, he says, recent research suggests that global tropical hurricane activity may play a role in driving the oceans' circulation, which in turn has important "feedbacks" to regional and global climate.
Fluctuations in tropical hurricane activity "are of obvious importance to society," he adds, "especially as populations of affected areas increase. Hurricanes account for a significant fraction of damage, injury and loss of life from natural hazards, and are the costliest natural catastrophes in the United States. As the human population in coastal regions gets denser, the damage and casualties produced by more intense storms could increase considerably in the future."
