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Showing posts from July, 2009

Ares Processing Update : Moon and Mars at Kennedy

The Constellation Program's Ares I-X rocket has transformed during the past few weeks for its targeted flight test in late August. The four motor segments were stacked on the Mobile Launcher Platform and tested, in addition to tests on the vehicle's instruments . The Super Stack 1 assembly is complete. Stack one is made up of eight pieces: interstages 1 and 2, the frustum, the forward skirt extension, the forward skirt and the aft, center and forward segments of the fifth segment simulator. It also includes two internal elements: the roll control system and the first stage avionics module. The next processing milestones will include stacking of the upper stage, flight instrument testing and modifications to Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39B. The vehicle stabilization system is being built at the base of the launch pad. The Ares I-X flight test will provide NASA an early opportunity to check and prove hardware, analysis and modeling methods, as well as facilities and gr

Systems Tests -Shuttle Crew Completes Landing

The shuttle crew earlier this morning checked out two systems for tomorrow’s landing. The astronauts completed a test of the Reaction Control System steering thrusters that will help control Endeavour’s attitude and speed after the deorbit burn. During that test, one of the jets, F2F, failed. This will not be an issue for landing. The crew also tested the shuttle aerosurfaces and flight control system that will be used once the shuttle enters the atmosphere.

Field Testing For the Moon - Past and Present

"We Choose to Go to the Moon.” When President Kennedy announced on Sept. 12, 1962, that the United States would go to the moon before the end of the decade, life and work at NASA changed in monumental ways. By then, NASA had four manned spaceflights under its belt. A trip to the moon would leverage years of spaceflight knowledge, but traveling out of low Earth orbit, past Geosynchronous orbit to the moon, would demand increased launch and crew vehicle capabilities. The 4-year-old space agency would need to simultaneously develop lunar surface systems – extravehicular space suits, tools, communication systems and lunar rovers. NASA would also have to train its astronauts to land on the moon, navigate the surface and gather samples – all while documenting each step as the world anxiously waited. But how on Earth – literally – would NASA prepare its astronauts for the three-day, 250,000-mile trip and subsequent landing, exploration and extravehicular activities on the lunar surface?

Atlanta Braves - Visit Robert Shane Kimbrough

NASA astronaut Robert Shane Kimbrough had two dreams growing up as a child; to be an astronaut and to play baseball. He grew up in the small town of Smyrna, Ga., just outside of Atlanta. Recently Kimbrough’s two passions came together while making a special appearance in his native Georgia. He spoke to the people of Atlanta about being an astronaut and was given the opportunity to participate in pregame activities for an Atlanta Braves’ game. Kimbrough’s appearance in Atlanta marked the second stop of NASA’s Hometown Hero 2009 campaign. He is one of several astronauts returning to their home regions to spread knowledge about the importance of continuing space exploration. At each stop, the astronauts participate in pregame activities at a Major League Baseball game and do community outreach about NASA, the International Space Station, and why space exploration is so vital to the nation. Kimbrough started his trip with an event-filled afternoon at the Fernbank Science Center. Sportin

In Mumbai - Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty launches own spa

With the wellness industry burgeoning in India, Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty joined the bandwagon and launched her own medi spa in Mumbai. Shilpa roped in evergreen Bollywood diva and yesteryear's actress Rekha to launch her medi spa ' IOSIS ' whom she believes is the epitome of "timeless beauty and wellness". The medi spa is the joint venture of Entrepreneur in the Beauty and Wellness industry, Kiran Bawa and Shilpa. Shilpa feels that the wellness and beauty industry is growing and her idea behind the medi spa is to help people rediscover them. "I think the wellness industry is growing day-by-day. Beauty today is a business. I think its every woman's and every man's right to look good. I feel that in today's fast paced life, people hardly find time to spend on their beauty and looks . Our idea behind opening IOSIS is that obviously people cannot do the treatments at home so we want them to spend some time with us and rediscover themselves,&qu

Twenty20 role - Afridi handed

Pakistan's Cricket Board has appointed Shahid Afridi as the captain of their Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka on August 12. The 29-year-old takes over from Younis Khan after the ICC World Twenty20-winner recently retired from the 20-over game due to the physical demands. It will be the first time Afridi has captained the national team in any format after making his debut 13 years ago. Afridi played a vital role in Pakistan's success at Lords, hitting an unbeaten 54 off 52 balls as his side beat Sri Lanka in the final. The all-rounder has featured in 23 Twenty20 internationals, notching up 371 runs at an average of 19.52, as well as claiming 33 dismissals at 15.57. Afridi's first Twenty20 match will be against Sri Lanka following a five-match one-day series starting on July 30.

F1 governing body - BMW exit no surprise

Formula One's governing body expressed regret but no surprise at BMW's startling exit from the sport Wednesday and hoped cost-cutting measures would prevent more departures. The Formula One Teams Association (FOTA), which groups the four other manufacturers in the sport , said they were prepared to help their former rivals survive under new ownership. Toyota, whose future has been the source of much speculation after Honda pulled out in December, said they remained committed. "It has been clear for some time that motorsport cannot ignore the world economic crisis," the International Automobile Federation (FIA) said in a statement after BMW announced they would pull out at the end of 2009 as a team and engine supplier. " Car manufacturers cannot be expected to continue to pour large sums of money into Formula One when their survival depends on redundancies, plant closures and the support of the taxpayer," it added. COMPROMISE, HARMONY The FIA said BMW'

New Business Advice Site - Michael Milken’s

As Forbes, Fortune, Business Week and other management magazines wither away, another business media start-up with an unusual pedigree is moving to fill the void. Bizmore, which goes live on Wednesday, aims to be a sort of Yahoo Answers for executives at small and medium-sized companies. Users pose business questions — such as “Is search engine optimization right for you?” or “”How do I increase online sales?” — and others weigh in with answers and vote the best responses to the top. (You can get a quick taste of Bizmore’s advice on its Twitter feed.) Bizmore will round out that user-generated content with contributions from freelance writers on evergreen topics such as how chief executives should plan their succession strategies. It has also secured the (unpaid) contributions of management gurus such as Jeffrey Pfeffer, a Stanford University business school professor ,who hope to sell a few more books in the process of answering questions like “What is the single biggest and costlie

JTekt $330 Million - Timken to Sell Bearings Business

Timken Co. (TKR) will sell its needle roller bearings business to Japan's JTekt Corp. (6473.TO) for about $330 million . The company had said Monday it was in talks about a potential sale of the business, which comes during a time of reorganization in the auto-parts sector due to weak demand. The Nikkei's Sunday edition reported JTekt would by the operations for about $316.6 million . Timken has seen the bearings business, which makes up about 20% of its total revenue, suffer as orders for bearings and specialty steel fall. It has been cutting jobs and production to match slowing demand and said it might not make money this year. Chief Executive James Griffith said Wednesday the deal was "a major step forward" in the company's strategy to focus on sectors with strong markets. Timken, which has been suffering from an industrywide slump in steel demand among its key buyers in the automotive, construction and industrial-equipment sectors, said it will use proceeds

Payload Readied - STS-128

In the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA 's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, a crane lowers the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module Leonardo toward the payload canister.

STS-127 Mission-Flight Day 8 Third Spacewalk

With Earth below, astronaut Christopher Cassidy participates in the third spacewalk of the STS-127 mission . This was the first of Cassidy's three scheduled spacewalks during the 16-day mission.

STS-127 Crew Completes Second Spacewalk

Spacewalkers Dave Wolf and Tom Marshburn wrapped up a six hour, 53 minute spacewalk at 6:20 p.m. EDT. Wolf and Marshburn completed most of their planned tasks, deferring a video camera setup to a future spacewalk. Wolf removed three hardware spares – a Ku-Band Space-to-Ground Antenna, a Pump Module and a Linear Drive Unit, from the Integrated Cargo Carrier – Vertical Light Deployable (ICC-VLD). With each spare in hand, Wolf rode the space station robotic arm from the ICC to the Port 3 external stowage platform (ESP-3), where he and Marshburn attached them for long-term storage. Julie Payette and Doug Hurley operated the robotic arm. Marshburn mounted a grapple bar onto an ammonia tank assembly so that the STS-128 space shuttle mission in August can move the tank by robotic arm. Marshburn also attached two insulation sleeves for the Station to Shuttle Power Transfer System. This was the second of five STS-127 spacewalks, the 127th in support of International Space Station assembly and

Past 40 years NASA has goals, but lacks funds

It had all come down to three men sitting atop a 363-foot Saturn V rocket. In the eight years since President John F. Kennedy stunned the spaceflight community and issued his challenge to put a man on the moon, NASA had spent $25 billion — akin to $140 billion-plus, today — and employed more than 300,000 technicians in its race against the Russians. The result of these labors sat on a pad at Launch Complex 39A. At 8:32 a.m. Houston time July 16, 1969, the rocket's engines fired, and the Apollo 11 crew — Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins — shook, rattled and reached orbit 12 minutes later. Four days hence, with the planet watching from 240,000 miles away on television signals delayed by 1.3 seconds, Armstrong guided the lunar module Eagle to the surface of the moon. Then he uttered words that would make the city of Houston famous around the world: “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” Then, and now That was then, when politics, pride and the lure of

Endeavour Gets a "Go" for Tanking

Tanking operations are under way at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The loading of the space shuttle's external tank with a half-million gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen began at 8:38 a.m. EDT. The three-hour process will provide the fuel and oxidizer Endeavour's three main engines need for the 8 1/2 minute trip to orbit. Weather at Kennedy remains at 60-percent chance for favorable weather for an early-evening liftoff at 6:03 p.m. The primary weather concerns for launch are the potential for showers and thunderstorms near the Shuttle Landing Facility. Today's live tanking coverage began at 8:30 a.m. Full countdown coverage will begin at 12:30 p.m. on NASA Television and NASA's Launch Blog.

Three-day debate to select Sania ring

For a change, the well-behaved woman did make information, if not history. Tennis star Sania Mirza got engaged to childhood friend Mohammed Sohrab Mirza , the famous miniskirts and cheeky tees — one had proclaimed “well-behaved women rarely make history” — giving way to a golden ghagra choli created by Bangalore designer Nitish Chandra. The nose stud, which has turn into as much a fashion statement as her off-court dressing, wasn’t the only diamond she had on. Sania glistened during her diamond-studded necklace and gold bangles as she formally became betrothed to Sohrab at 8.15pm in the ballroom of the swanky Taj Krishna hotel . Sources said the groom-to-be gifted Sania a diamond ring worth approximately Rs 7.5 lakh. The family grapevine have it that the young couple debated on its size for almost three days during her visit to London for Wimbledon. Sohrab, who comes from an established business family in Hyderabad, was equally resplendent during a black Armani suit and a diamond br

Ms.Dhoni 28th birthday on Tuesday was certainly

Strange are the ways of admirers. Sometimes it's bouquets and sometimes it's brickbats. For Team India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni , his 28th birthday on Tuesday was certainly made memorable by his fans in his hometown. Cakes, laddoos, dance , drama, gifts and bursting of firecrackers summed up MSD's b-day bash. Fans hugged each other and offered cakes to his giant posters. Though Ms.Dhoni was not in Ranchi, hundreds of his fans assembled at Mecon Stadium to celebrate. Ms.Dhoni being the country's most eligible bachelor, had more girls queueing up for a slice of his birthday cake than boys. "Happy birthday my love! Ms.Dhoni tum jiyo hazaro saal, but only with me!" shouted the girls in unison. "I can miss my birthday but not Ms.Dhoni's. I have come here with my friends to celebrate his birthday," gushed Priyanka, a student of Nirmala College. Members of the Ms.Dhoni Fan Club came out on the streets with a specially designed Dhoni Rath. The chari

Ganguly's birthday celebrating by Fans

Former India captain Sourav Ganguly's 37th birthday was celebrated with a lot enthusiasm as fans and school children sliced a cake lit With 37 candles near his residence in Behala. With big placards, banners and balloons adorning the wall, Ganguly fans plus school children sang choruses and wished him well in his life ahead. "I am a big fan of Ganguly. It's sad that he has retired from the game but he have left an impression among us," a student of National Academy school said, while distributing cakes. The organiser of the event, Ratan Haldar said he had been celebrating Ganguly's birthday ever while the former India captain was ousted from Team India under Coach Greg Chappell in 2004. "We are doing this for the last five years. When he had the spat with Chappell, I brought together his fans with had organised various events to support Ganguly," Haldar said. "Now that he is retired, we wish him to do something for sport, especially for much negle

Wells Fargo to expand securities business

(Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) will announce an expansion in its securities business, the Wall Street Journal reported on its website. The bank plans to "grow and invest" in the securities business that it largely inherited from Wachovia, the paper quoted Wells Fargo Chief Executive John Stumpf as saying in a statement to be released on Monday. The business, to be called Wells Fargo Securities, will offer merger advice, stock and bond underwriting, loan syndications and fixed-income trading, according to the paper. Wells Fargo could not be immediately reached for comment by Reuters. Wells Fargo bought Wachovia at the end of 2008 for $12.5 billion . (Reporting by Ajay Kamalakaran in Bangalore; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Wells Fargo to expand securities business

(Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co (WFC.N) will announce an expansion in its securities business, the Wall Street Journal reported on its website. The bank plans to "grow and invest" in the securities business that it largely inherited from Wachovia, the paper quoted Wells Fargo Chief Executive John Stumpf as saying in a statement to be released on Monday. The business, to be called Wells Fargo Securities, will offer merger advice, stock and bond underwriting, loan syndications and fixed-income trading, according to the paper. Wells Fargo could not be immediately reached for comment by Reuters. Wells Fargo bought Wachovia at the end of 2008 for $12.5 billion . (Reporting by Ajay Kamalakaran in Bangalore; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)

Titchenal, former San Jose State football player also coach, dies at 91

Bob Titchenal, who captained one of San Jose State's best football teams in history in 1939, played for the 49ers among other pro teams and later coached SJSU, died Sunday in Santa Rosa. He was 91. The native of Ventura was a football and basketball star at San Jose State. He was a 6-foot-2, 190-pound center on the football team, and helped the Spartans compile a 35-3-2 record in three seasons. As a senior, he was an honorable-mention All-America and captained the 1939 Spartans — the school's only team to complete a season undefeated and untied. Dudley DeGroot was the head coach, with Pop Warner serving as the advisory coach. Titchenal played center and end for the Washington Redskins (1940-42) of the NFL and the 49ers (1946) and Los Angeles Dons (1947) of the All-America Football Conference. In 1942, the Redskins won the NFL Championship and he was named to the NFL's Pro Bowl. Titchenal coached eight seasons (1957-64) at San Jose State, compiling a record of 33-54-1. Su

Rover Extraction Tests Begin

After commanding five of a test rover's six wheels to drive forward , rover driver Paolo Bellutta measures how much the rover moved sideways, downslope, during the maneuver. Using a test rover in a sandbox at JPL with special soil simulating Spirit's predicament on Mars, engineers are assessing possible maneuvers for getting Spirit out and onto firmer ground. They began on Monday, July 6, with the simplest maneuver on their list of options: driving forward with all five operable wheels. In the first set of tests, the wheels turned enough to cover tens of meters, or yards, if there had been no slippage. The test rover moved slightly forward and sideways downslope. Weeks of further testing and analysis of results are expected before engineers identify the best moves to command Spirit to make.

Cricket: New Zealand to host Pakistan for three test

New Zealand will play three cricket tests against Pakistan at home next summer instead of touring that troubled country. New Zealand were scheduled to visit Pakistan for three tests as well as four one-day internationals and two Twenty20 matches. However, security concerns have led to a compromise arrangement, whereby the tests will now be played in New Zealand starting in late November, while the one-dayers and Twenty20 games will take place in the United Arab Emirates in October. In-bound tours to Pakistan are on hold after the International Cricket Council stripped Pakistan of its co-hosting rights for the 2011 World Cup in response to six members of the Sri Lankan team being wounded when gunmen attacked their team bus in Lahore in March. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) chief executive Justin Vaughan today said his organisation was not set to profit financially from the revised scheduling arrangements. "Hosting a test series actually loses money and we don't own the broadcasting

Pakistan eyes victory during first cricket Test with Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka — Pakistan was cruising toward a win in the first Test after debutante bowlers Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Aamer produced three wickets each to end Sri Lanka's second innings cheaply on Monday. Chasing 168 runs to win , Pakistan needed 97 more runs to win at stumps on the third day with eight wickets in hand and two days to spare. Spin bowler Ajantha Mendis took his first wicket of the match when he had Khurram Manzoor caught at slip by Mahela Jayawardene for 15 runs. Captain Younis Khan did not survive much longer as he was trapped lbw by seamer Anjelo Mathews for three with the total on 39. Mohammad Yousuf (12 not out) was batting with opener Salman Butt (28 not out) at stumps. Coach Intikhab Alam told reporters later that although Sri Lanka's 167 is "not a steep target," it is important for Pakistan to avoid losing early wickets on the fourth day. "Considering the pitch, the way the pitch has behaved, if you see the history of this ground ... the firs

Crew Prepares for Space Shuttle Endeavour’s Arrival

After Thursday’s relocation of the Soyuz TMA-14 spacecraft and off-duty time over the weekend, the International Space Station’s Expedition 20 crew returned to work Monday, focusing on preparations for the arrival of space shuttle Endeavour later this month. Commander Gennady Padalka and Flight Engineer Mike Barratt practiced photography techniques with digital cameras that they will use during Endeavour’s approach to the station to collect high-resolution imagery of the shuttle’s heat shield. The entire station crew spent time packing items to be returned to Earth aboard the shuttle at the end of its mission. Endeavour is slated to launch July 11 from Kennedy Space Center, Fla. to begin the STS-127 mission. The shuttle crew will deliver the final elements of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Kibo laboratory and will return Flight Engineer Koichi Wakata to Earth. STS-127 Mission Specialist Timothy Kopra will stay behind and replace Wakata. Padalka, Barratt and Wakata conducted

Shiney Ahuja's judicial custody extended till July 16

The judicial custody of Bollywood actor Shiney Ahuja , who was arrested for allegedly raping his domestic maid, has been extended till July 16. (Watch) Ahuja was produced before the Andheri metropolitan magistrate court as his judicial custody got over today . The actor had filed a bail application before the sessions court last week which will come up for hearing on Friday. On June 18, Ahuja was remanded to judicial custody till today by a local Mumbai court. The DNA test report of Ahuja confirmed that he sexually assaulted the victim. Earlier, medical reports had confirmed that Ahuja's maid was indeed raped. The actor has been charged under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 376 with rape, along with wrongful restraint and intimidation. The police arrested Ahuja on June 15 after preliminary medical tests on the girl confirmed sexual assault. Mumbai police said the actor had admitted to making a mistake by having consensual sex with the maid who has levelled allegations of rape

Bollywood actor Bipasha Basu discussion about her upcoming film 'All the Best'

Bollywood actor Bipasha Basu discussion about her upcoming film 'All the Best' here during promotion of a shoe brand. The film be produced by Ajay Devgan and directed by Rohit Shetty of 'Golmaal' and 'Golmaal Returns' fame. The film stars Sanjay Dutt , Ajay Devgan, Mugdha Godse with Fardeen Khan . As interacting with the media present on the occasion, Basu said that she really enjoyed shooting for the film. "I have to say that after 'No Entry', if there is one film that's going to make you laugh, this going to be 'All the Best' because shooting was absolutely crazy," said Basu. Pritam has composed the music for the film. The film is slated for a Diwali release .

GI lost...Suicide bombing...Cyberbully sentencing

KABUL (AP) - The U.S. military in Afghanistan says it's using all its resources to find an American soldier captured by insurgents. A military spokesman says it happened Tuesday during eastern Afghanistan. No further details are being given to help protect the soldier. RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) - A suicide bomber near Pakistan's capital has reportedly killed at least five people. Police say the bomb exploded by a government vehicle, but a nearby bus was also badly damaged. It was not immediately clear which be the target. LONDON (AP) - There's another report of Michael Jackson's alleged drug abuse. Two former confidantes say they tried to keep him from misusing painkillers and other prescriptions, but people around him kept the drugs flow. One confidante says when Michael asked for something, he got it. LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles police are calling on the Drug Enforcement Administration for help in investigating Michael Jackson's death. One official says the

ICE start workplace immigration crackdown

The Obama administration is investigating hundreds of U.S. businesses as part of its strategy to focus immigration enforcement on employers who hire illegal workers. Immigration also Customs Enforcement be notifying businesses of plans to audit their I-9 forms. Those are employment eligibility documents that employers fill out for every worker. The Homeland Security Department tells immigration officers served "Notices of Inspection" to 625 businesses. By comparison, 503 such notices were issued to businesses last year. ICE spokeswoman Gail Montenegro says 32 notices are being sent to businesses within the six states the Chicago ICE office oversees. Those states are Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Kansas, Missouri and Kentucky.

Franken vows serious business MINNESOTA — Which Al Franken will show up in Washington? The author and radio host who hurled playground insults at Rus

Franken vows serious business MINNESOTA — Which Al Franken will show up during Washington? The author and radio host who hurled playground insults at Rush Limbaugh? Or the Franken who remained serious on the campaign trail? Bet on the latter. Franken arrives in Washington next week to claim a seat that stood vacant for half a year while Minnesota judges deliberated over legal issues in the close race. He told The Associated Press he would style himself after former Sens. Hillary Clinton also Bill Bradley, Democrats who first gained fame as the first lady and as a pro basketball star. "They both put their heads down and did the work and won over their colleagues by not running to the camera," Franken said. — The Associated Press Lady Liberty’s crown reopening NEW YORK — it’s crowded. It’s hot. You have to climb hundreds of steps to find there. And throngs of people can’t wait to visit. Tickets sold out fast for the July 4 reopening of the Statue of Liberty’s crown, closed s

Farewell to one of English cricket's record captains

MICHAEL Vaughan ranks as the best captain I have ever played under and will be remembered as the man whose leadership skills played a huge part in winning the most exciting Ashes series ever. I can't speak for the other England players of the time, but Michael certainly managed to get an extra five per cent out of me by being calm in the face of adversity and authoritative without needing to raise his voice. News of his retirement from playing after a glittering 17-year career that peaked with England's 2005 Ashes success came as a surprise to me. When I spoke to him at Headingley during Somerset's recent game there, I could tell he was uncertain about his future, but I never expected him to make a decision so quickly. Whether Michael was England's most astute captain on the pitch I couldn't say because so little would separate a number of candidates in that respect. What set him apart for me was the calmness with which he dealt with players and issues. There was

College Football 2009 Washington Huskies Predictions - 2010 BCS Odds

Washington Huskies 2009 College Football Predictions - 2010 BCS Odds: Sometimes when things get so bad it's best to blow it up and start all over again. After losing every football game (0-12) and finishing last in the PAC-10 (0-9), that's exactly what the University of Washington Huskies football program is doing. In 2009, Washington has a new head coach, former USC offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, and with him a new system, new offense and new defense. About the only thing not new will be old players, other than a small handful of freshman who might crack the depth chart. [Sportsbook.com is the leader in College Football and BCS betting. Check Sportsbook for the most up to date BCS Futures odds and college football wagering information.] While the Huskies program could use a talent upgrade, they do have some nucleus to build around led by the return of junior quarterback Jake Locker. The new offense will be pro-style, similar to what is run at USC. Of course it will be