Reuters: Science News: Sicily revokes permission for military satellite station

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Sicily revokes permission for military satellite station Mar 29th 2013, 19:57 PALERMO, Italy | Fri Mar 29, 2013 3:57pm EDT PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - The Sicilian regional government in Italy has revoked permission for the United States to build a military satellite station on the island, its governor said on Friday, after protests by residents who said it could pose a health risk. The planned ground station is part of the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), an ultra high-frequency satellite network aimed at significantly boosting communications capacity for the U.S. military and its allies. Concerns about the effect the station's electromagnetic waves could have on the health of residents around the town of Niscemi, including fears that the waves could cause cancer, have provoked protests on the island. A U.S. military official said the United States hoped to allay any health concerns and would try to reach an agreement with the Italian government to get permission to build the facility. The regional government of the semi-autonomous island last month delayed construction and called for an independent study into its health and environmental impact. The Italian government said this month the demonstrations risked compromising operations at Sigonella, a U.S. naval base in Sicily. "Through the relevant department, permission for the construction of MUOS has been definitively withdrawn," Sicilian Governor Rosario Crocetta told reporters in the island's capital of Palermo on Friday. He did not say whether the decision to revoke permission for the site was related to the study or to health concerns. Crocetta's remarks came a day before a planned protest expected to draw several thousand in Niscemi, which local groups of the governor's own Democratic Party were due to attend. Lieutenant Colonel Monica Matoush, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Defense Department, said the U.S. military was confident that studies of the satellite system would show it was safe. "We are committed to working with Italian health authorities to address health concerns raised by the local population," she said in emailed comments to Reuters. The satellite network also has stations in the United States and Australia. In a visit to Italy in January, then-U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he understood the concerns of residents but that U.S. studies had concluded there would be no health risk. (Reporting by Vladimiro Pantaleone and Naomi O'Leary; Editing by Pravin Char) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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Reuters: Science News: Russian-American crew taking short cut to space station

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Russian-American crew taking short cut to space station Mar 29th 2013, 03:46 1 of 6. The Soyuz TMA-08M spacecraft carrying the International Space Station (ISS) crew of U.S. astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin blasts off from the launch pad at the Baikonur cosmodrome March 29, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Shamil Zhumatov By Steve Gutterman and Irene Klotz MOSCOW/CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida | Thu Mar 28, 2013 11:46pm EDT MOSCOW/CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Two Russian cosmonauts and a U.S. astronaut took a short cut to the International Space Station on Thursday, arriving at the orbital outpost less than six hours after their Soyuz capsule blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The express route, used for the first time to fly a crew to the station, shaved about 45 hours off the usual ride, allowing NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin to get a jumpstart on their planned 5.5-month mission. The crew's Soyuz capsule parked itself at the station's Poisk module at 10:28 p.m. EDT (0228 GMT Friday), just five hours and 45 minutes after launch. All previous station crews, whether flying aboard NASA's now-retired space shuttles or on Russian Soyuz capsules, took at least two days to reach the station, a $100 billion research laboratory that flies about 250 miles above Earth. "The closer the station, the better we feel. Everything is going good," the cosmonauts radioed to flight controllers outside of Moscow as the Soyuz capsule approached the orbital outpost, a project of 15 nations. On hand to greet the new crew were Expedition 35 commander Chris Hadfield, with the Canadian Space Agency, NASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn and cosmonaut Roman Romanenko. Russia tested the expedited route, which required very precise steering maneuvers, during three unmanned station cargo flights before allowing a crew to attempt it. "Ballistics is a difficult thing. If for some reason you are not able to correct the orbit of the station or they have to avoid space debris ... that can disrupt this method," said Igor Lisov, an expert at the Russian publican Novosti Kosmonavtiki. The advantage, however, is that the crew doesn't have to stay for two days inside the cramped Soyuz capsule. It also means they can arrive before any disabling effects of adapting to microgravity, which can include nausea, dizziness and vomiting, and that medical experiments and samples can arrive at the station sooner, enhancing science results. Russian engineers began looking at new flight paths to reach the station about three years ago, Vinogradov said at a prelaunch press conference. "At first everybody was really apprehensive about it, but later on our ballistic specialists calculated the possibility, looked at the rocket and verified the capabilities of the Soyuz vehicle, which now has a digital command-and-control system and an onboard computer that can do pretty much anything," he said. Russian engineers already are looking into cutting the trip time to two orbits, Vinogradov added. (Additional reporting by Alissa de Carbonnel; Editing by Jason Webb and Philip Barbara) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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Reuters: Science News: Russian-American crew taking short cut to space station

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Russian-American crew taking short cut to space station Mar 28th 2013, 21:57 1 of 6. The Soyuz TMA-08M spacecraft carrying the International Space Station (ISS) crew of U.S. astronaut Chris Cassidy and Russian cosmonauts Pavel Vinogradov and Alexander Misurkin blasts off from the launch pad at the Baikonur cosmodrome March 29, 2013. Credit: Reuters/Shamil Zhumatov

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Reuters: Science News: Solar plane to set out to cross U.S. in early May

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Solar plane to set out to cross U.S. in early May Mar 28th 2013, 23:17 Solar Impulse Chief Executive Andre Borschberg (R) and President Bertrand Piccard celebrate after the first successful night flight attempt at Payerne airport July 8, 2010. Credit: Reuters/Dominique Favre/Pool By Braden Reddall MOUNTAIN VIEW, California | Thu Mar 28, 2013 5:33pm EDT MOUNTAIN VIEW, California (Reuters) - The first crossing of the United States by a solar-powered plane is expected to start in just over a month, its creators said on Thursday, as they make final preparations for an attempt two years from now at the first round-the-world flight without any fuel. Swiss pilot Bertrand Piccard and project co-founder and pilot Andre Borschberg, whose Solar Impulse made its first intercontinental flight from Spain to Morocco last June, aim for their plane to take off from near San Francisco in early May and land at New York's John F. Kennedy airport about two months later. With the wingspan of a jumbo jet and weighing the same as a small car, the Solar Impulse is just a test model for the team as they build a new aircraft they hope will circumnavigate the globe in 2015. The project began in 2003 with a 10-year budget of 90 million euros ($112 million) and has involved engineers from Swiss lift maker Schindler and research aid from Belgian chemicals group Solvay -- backers who want to test new materials and technologies while also gaining brand recognition. Unveiling the current plane at a news conference at Moffett Field on San Francisco Bay, Borschberg highlighted the cramped conditions of the cockpit in the Solar Impulse. "That's a bad economy seat - you would not fly on this airline," he joked. "The next one should be good business class." While the current plane was set up for 24-hour flights, the next one would have to allow for up to five days and five nights of flying by one pilot - a feat never yet accomplished. Meditation and hypnosis were part of the training for the pilots as they prepare to fly on very little sleep, Borschberg said, adding that some sort of autopilot system would have to be built on the next plane to allow for some rest. The plane runs on about the same power as a motor scooter, he explained, powered by 12,000 solar cells built into the wing that simultaneously recharge the batteries - with storage equivalent to that of a Tesla electric car. The plane has already flown a 26-hour flight, back in 2010, to prove continuous flight was possible with charging taking place in the day and battery power working at night. Piccard, asked about the downside of solar-powered flight, agreed that there is a price paid for the small carrying capacity and massive wings. "In that sense, it is not the easiest way to fly," he said. "But it is the most fabulous way to fly, because the more you fly, the more energy you have on board." The first stop for the Solar Impulse as it crosses the United States will be Phoenix, followed by Dallas and then one of three cities: Atlanta, Nashville or St. Louis. It will then stop outside Washington D.C. before heading on to New York. "It carries one pilot and zero passengers, but it carries a lot of messages," Piccard said. "We want to inspire as many people as possible to have that same spirit: to dare, to innovate, to invent." Piccard has a pioneering legacy to maintain. His grandfather helped his father, Jacques, build a revolutionary submarine that Jacques co-piloted on the deepest-ever dive. Bertrand said he believes the basic idea behind this spirit is to find out what you deeply believe, and then try the opposite. "Innovation is not about new ideas, it's about getting rid of old ideas." (Reporting by Braden Reddall in San Francisco; Editing by Leslie Adler) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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Reuters: Science News: Scientists criticize Italy for allowing unproven stem cell therapy

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Scientists criticize Italy for allowing unproven stem cell therapy Mar 28th 2013, 19:13 By Catherine Hornby ROME | Thu Mar 28, 2013 3:13pm EDT ROME (Reuters) - Scientists have criticized an Italian government decree allowing a group of terminally-ill patients to continue using an unproven stem cell treatment, saying such therapies may cause harm and risk exploiting desperate people. The treatment, created by the privately-owned Stamina Foundation, was banned by Italian medicines regulator AIFA last year after it inspected their laboratories, leading to a series of legal challenges by families of patients. In early March, Health Minister Renato Balduzzi allowed a terminally ill child to continue using the Stamina treatment after hearing the emotional pleas of her parents. The Health Ministry then issued an official decree on March 21 allowing 32 patients, mainly children, already using the treatment to continue it. Scientists from around Europe released a statement on Thursday criticizing the decree, warning that Balduzzi was "riding roughshod over existing European licensing criteria", failing to protect patients from exploitation and ignoring the need for sound evidence that therapies are effective. "These unproven and ill-prepared stem cell therapies, for which there is no scientific basis, will do nothing for patients and their families except make them poorer," said Charles French-Constant from the University of Edinburgh's Center for Regenerative Medicine. "DANGEROUS PRECEDENT" Advocates of the therapy say strict regulations work in favor of big drug companies with their portfolio of blockbuster treatments, reducing the pool of potential competitors. But scientists said Stamina's treatment was unproven and risky. "There is no rationale for this and no evidence that these procedures are not dangerous for patients," said Professor Michele De Luca of the University of Modena. "This creates a dangerous precedent," he said, adding that anyone could use media pressure and take advantage of patients' hopes of skirting normal evidence-based procedures. Stem cells are the body's mother cells and can self-renew or multiply while maintaining the ability to transform into any type of cell. Stem cell therapy involves introducing new adult stem cells into damaged tissue to treat disease. A number of therapies exist but many remain at the experimental stage. Several judges presiding over the cases brought by patients' families ruled the Stamina treatment should be available under a law that permits the use of unproven therapies for patients who are dying and have no other options. Supporters of the therapy have held rallies calling for it to be made available to anyone with an incurable disease. One woman staging a near-naked protest in a Rome square with "yes to life, yes to Stamina" scrawled on her body. Scientists warned that a complication or death as a result of such an untested therapy could become an obstacle for the advancement of all stem cell therapies. "This would include some of the more promising therapies that have a strong scientific rationale for working in patients with certain types of disorders such as Parkinson's disease," said Roger Barker, Professor of Clinical Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge. (Editing by Rosalind Russell) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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Reuters: Science News: UK scientists develop safer foot-and-mouth vaccine

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UK scientists develop safer foot-and-mouth vaccine Mar 28th 2013, 01:35 A cell infected with foot-and-mouth disease virus in an undated image courtesy of The Pirbright Institute. The virus is red, green is tubulin and blue is the nucleus. Credit: Reuters/The Pirbright Institute By Ben Hirschler LONDON | Wed Mar 27, 2013 9:35pm EDT LONDON (Reuters) - British scientists have developed a new vaccine against foot-and-mouth disease that is safer and easier to manufacture, an advance they believe should greatly increase production capacity and reduce costs. The technology behind the livestock product might also be applied to make improved human vaccines to protect against similar viruses, including polio. The new vaccine does not require live virus in its production - an important consideration as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is extremely infectious and vaccine facilities handling virus samples are difficult to secure. "It spreads like wild fire," said David Stuart, a professor of biology at the University of Oxford, who led the research. A 2007 outbreak of FMD in southeast England, for example, was traced to a nearby vaccine site. The same facility, ironically, is home to some of the researchers behind the new vaccine. In contrast to standard FMD livestock vaccines, the new product is made from synthetic empty protein shells containing no infectious viral genome, scientists reported in the journal PLOS Pathogens on Wednesday. This means the vaccine can be produced without expensive biosecurity and does not need to be kept refrigerated. "One of the big advantages is that since it is not derived from live virus, the production facility requires no special containment," Stuart said. "One could imagine local plants being set up in large parts of the world where foot and mouth is endemic and where it still remains a huge problem." Worldwide, between 3 billion and 4 billion doses of FMD vaccine are administered every year but there are shortages in many parts of Asia and Africa were the disease is a serious problem. Current standard vaccines are based on 50-year-old technology, although U.S. biotech company GenVec last year won U.S. approval for a new one. The purely synthetic British vaccine has so far been tested in small-scale cattle trials and found to be effective. Stuart said the research team from the universities of Oxford and Reading and two state-funded bodies - Diamond Light Source and the Pirbright Institute - would now conduct larger tests while discussing the vaccine's commercial development. "We are talking to a potential commercial partner," Stuart told Reuters, adding that it would probably take around six years to bring the new vaccine to market. He said it was too early to give an indication of how much the vaccine would cost. He declined to name the company involved but said it was not Merial, the animal health division of Sanofi that shares Pirbright's site in southeast England. Stuart and his colleagues were able to produce empty protein shells to imitate the protein coat that surrounds the FMD virus using Diamond's X-ray system to visualize images a billion times smaller than a pinhead. The same approach could in future be used to make empty shell vaccines against related viruses such as polio and hand-foot-and-mouth, a human disease that mainly affects infants and children, the researchers said. (Editing by Keiron Henderson) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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Reuters: Science News: SpaceX Dragon capsule leaves International Space Station

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SpaceX Dragon capsule leaves International Space Station Mar 26th 2013, 12:04 The SpaceX Dragon capsule is captured by the crew of the International Space Station using its robotic arm in this screen capture from NASA handout video released March 3, 2013. Credit: Reuters/NASA/Handout By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida | Tue Mar 26, 2013 8:04am EDT CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A Space Exploration Technologies' Dragon cargo capsule flew away from the International Space Station on Tuesday, loaded with experiment samples and gear for return to Earth. Splashdown in the Pacific Ocean west of Mexico's Baja California is slated for 12:34 p.m. EDT. Using the station's 58-foot long (18-meter) robotic arm, astronauts aboard the station plucked Dragon from its berthing port and released it into orbit at 6:56 a.m. EDT as the ships sailed 252 miles above the planet south of Australia. Flight controllers with privately owned Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX as the company is known, then stepped in and remotely commanded Dragon to fire its steering thrusters to leave the station's orbit. "It looks beautiful from here," station flight engineer Thomas Marshburn radioed to Mission Control in Houston as the capsule flew away. "Sad to see the Dragon go. Performed her job beautifully, heading back to her lair. Wish her all the best for the splashdown today," Marshburn said. The Dragon cargo ship reached the station on March 3 with more than 2,300 pounds (1,043 kg) of science equipment, spare parts, food and supplies. It was the second of 12 planned cargo runs for NASA under a $1.6 billion contract. A second freighter, built and operated by Orbital Sciences Corp (NYSE:ORB) is expected to debut this year. The U.S. space agency hired both firms to fill the gap left by the retirement of its space shuttle fleet in 2011. Dragon's arrival was delayed a day while SpaceX engineers grappled with a thruster pod problem that had threatened to derail the mission. "I don't want to go through that again. That was hard-core," SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk said during a keynote speech at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, earlier this month. PRECISION RENDEVOUS Engineers believe the glitch was caused by a blockage in a pressurization line or a stuck valve. It was cleared and the capsule made a precision rendezvous with the station with no problems. An investigation remains under way, said company spokeswoman Christina Ra. Dragon will return to Earth with 2,668 (1,210 kg) of cargo, including a freezer filled with biological samples from the crew for medical research. While Russian, European and Japanese freighters also service the station, only the SpaceX vessel is designed to return cargo to Earth, a critical transportation link that had been lost with the retirement of the shuttles. SpaceX is working to upgrade the Dragon capsule to fly people as well. A test flight with company astronauts is targeted for 2016. In addition to enhancing the Dragon capsules, SpaceX is working on an upgraded Falcon 9 rocket. Last week, the rocket's new Merlin engines completed a 28th and final test run, certifying it for flight, Ra said. The company plans to debut its upgraded Falcon 9 rocket on a science satellite-delivery mission for the Canadian Space Agency in June. That rocket also will be the first flight from SpaceX's new launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Five previous Falcon 9 flights have launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Dragon's return initially was scheduled for Monday, but it was docked an extra day because of high seas in the Pacific. Splashdown is expected about 214 miles west of Baja California. A recovery ship will retrieve the capsule and ferry it back to the Port of Los Angeles, a journey expected to take about 30 hours. Meanwhile, Orbital Sciences Corp, which holds an eight-flight, $1.9 billion NASA contract for station resupply flights, plans to test launch its new Antares rocket as early as April 16 from the commercial Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Orbital's Cygnus cargo capsule is targeted to make a demonstration run to the space station later in the year. (Editing by Vicki Allen) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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Reuters: Science News: NASA's Mars rover resumes work after computer glitch

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NASA's Mars rover resumes work after computer glitch Mar 25th 2013, 23:47 NASA's Mars rover Curiosity is pictured in this February 3, 2013 handout self-portrait obtained by Reuters February 9, 2013. Credit: Reuters/NASA/Handout

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Reuters: Science News: SpaceX capsule headed for return trip to Earth

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SpaceX capsule headed for return trip to Earth Mar 25th 2013, 22:58 The SpaceX Dragon capsule is captured by the crew of the International Space Station using its robotic arm in this screen capture from NASA handout video released March 3, 2013. Credit: Reuters/NASA/Handout By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida | Mon Mar 25, 2013 6:58pm EDT CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A Space Exploration Technologies' cargo ship parked at the International Space Station for three weeks returns to Earth on Tuesday and will ferry back experiment samples key to ongoing science research. The Dragon spaceship, built and operated by the privately owned company known as SpaceX, is due to depart the orbital outpost at 7:06 a.m. EDT and parachute down into the Pacific Ocean west of Mexico's Baja California about 5-1/2 hours later. A skeleton crew of three astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the space station will oversee Dragon's release. Three new crew members are due to launch to the orbital complex, a $100 billion project of 15 nations, on Thursday and, for the first time, arrive the same day. The Dragon cargo ship reached the station on March 3 with more than 2,300 pounds (1,043 kg) of science equipment, spare parts, food and supplies. It was the second of 12 planned cargo runs for NASA under a $1.6 billion contract. A second freighter, built and operated by Orbital Sciences Corp is expected to debut this year. The U.S. space agency hired both firms to fill the gap left by the retirement of its space shuttle fleet in 2011. Dragon's arrival was delayed a day while SpaceX engineers grappled with a thruster pod problem that had threatened to derail the mission. "I don't want to go through that again. That was hard-core," SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk said during a keynote speech at the popular South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas, earlier this month. Engineers believe the glitch was caused by a blockage in a pressurization line or a stuck valve. It was cleared and the capsule made a precision rendezvous with the station with no problems. Dragon is due to return to Earth with 2,668 (1,210 kg) of cargo, including a freezer filled with biological samples from the crew for medical research. While Russian, European and Japanese freighters also service the station, only the SpaceX vessel is designed to return cargo to Earth, a critical transportation link that had been lost with the retirement of the shuttles. SpaceX is working to upgrade the Dragon capsule to fly people as well. A test flight with company astronauts is targeted for 2016. In addition to enhancing the Dragon capsules, SpaceX is working on an upgraded Falcon 9 rocket. Last week, the rocket's new Merlin engines completed a 28th and final test run, certifying it for flight, said SpaceX spokeswoman Christina Ra. The company plans to debut its upgraded Falcon 9 rocket on a science satellite-delivery mission for the Canadian Space Agency in June. That rocket also will be the first flight from SpaceX's new launch pad at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Five previous Falcon 9 flights have launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Dragon's return initially was scheduled for Monday, but it remained docked an extra day due to high seas in the Pacific. Splashdown now is targeted for 12:34 p.m. EDT on Tuesday about 246 miles off the coast of Baja California. A recovery ship will retrieve the capsule and ferry it back to the Port of Los Angeles, a journey expected to take about 30 hours. Meanwhile, Orbital Sciences Corp, which holds an eight-flight, $1.9 billion NASA contract for station resupply flights, plans to test launch its new Antares rocket as early as April 16 from the commercial Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Orbital's Cygnus cargo capsule is targeted to make a demonstration run to the space station later in the year. (Editing by Tom Brown and Cynthia Osterman) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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Reuters: Science News: Meteor lights up night sky over eastern United States

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Meteor lights up night sky over eastern United States Mar 23rd 2013, 03:21 By Daniel Trotta NEW YORK | Fri Mar 22, 2013 11:21pm EDT NEW YORK (Reuters) - A meteor bright enough to be classified as a fireball lit up the night sky over eastern North America on Friday, providing a spectacle witnessed in at least 13 states, Washington, D.C. and two Canadian provinces, the American Meteor Society said. The society verified more than 300 witness sightings from Ontario and Quebec down to the southern U.S. state of North Carolina with more than 100 reports yet to be reviewed, said Mike Hankey, an observer for the American Meteor Society. "This was most certainly a fireball seen over a good portion of the eastern states," said Robert Lunsford, the society's fireball coordinator. "It happened at a good time, around 8 o'clock on a Friday night, when a lot of people were out to see it," Lunsford said. The society describes a fireball as a meteor brighter than Venus and Lunsford said they can be brighter than the Sun, as was the case with the one that streaked across the sky and exploded over Russia on February 15. Meteors are small particles from the solar system that burn from friction when entering the atmosphere. Several thousand meteors of fireball magnitude occur each day, most of them unseen over the oceans or hidden by daylight, the society said on its website. This one was seen up and down the East Coast and in inland states such as West Virginia and Ohio, the society said. The fireball's likely trajectory showed it moving east from eastern Pennsylvania and across New Jersey, passing just south of New York City and then over the Atlantic Ocean, based on witness reports to the society. "I originally thought the fireball was a low-flying plane," said one witness from West Chester, Pennsylvania, whose comments were logged by the society. Many witnesses called it the brightest meteor they had ever seen. "I'm still in disbelief," said another from Boonsboro, Maryland. (Editing by Todd Eastham) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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Reuters: Science News: Universe is older than previously thought, new study shows

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Universe is older than previously thought, new study shows Mar 21st 2013, 21:11 An image of the anisotropies of the Cosmic microwave background (CMB) as observed by Planck is seen in this handout released March 21, 2013 by the European Space Agency. Credit: Reuters/ESA-Planck Collaboration/Handout By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida | Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:08pm EDT CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Closer scrutiny of radiation left over from the creation of the universe shows the Big Bang took place about 13.8 billion years ago, 100 million years earlier than previous estimates, scientists said on Thursday. The findings are among the first results from analysis of data collected by the European Space Agency's Planck spacecraft, which is providing the most detailed look to date at the remnant microwave radiation that permeates the universe. This relic radiation was first detected in 1964 and later mapped by two NASA spacecraft - COBE, launched in 1989, and WMAP, which followed two years later. With even greater sensitivity, Planck has picked out details of tiny temperature variations in the so-called cosmic microwave background. The fluctuations, which differ by only about 100-millionths of a degree, correspond to slightly more dense regions of space, places that later gave rise to the stars and galaxies that fill the universe. "It's as if we've gone from a standard television to a high-definition television. New and important details have become crystal clear," Paul Hertz, NASA's director of astrophysics, told reporters on a conference call. Overall, the new data fits well with existing models of how the universe evolved, but it presents some new puzzles as well. "The variations from place to place in the map that Planck has made tell us new things about what happened just 10 nano-nano-nano-nano seconds after the Big Bang when the universe expanded by 100 trillion, trillion times," said Charles Lawrence, Planck project scientist with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "We can see the subtle effects of gravitational pulls from literally everything in the universe." Compared to the previous best measurements, the universe is a little older and, surprisingly, is expanding a little more slowly than currently accepted standards. Plank's data also shows that ordinary matter - the stuff that makes up stars, galaxies, planets and everything visible - accounts for a relatively tiny 4.9 percent of the universe. Dark matter, which does not interact with light but can be detected by its gravitational pull, comprises 26.8 percent of the universe, nearly one-fifth more than previous estimates. The rest of the universe is dark energy, a mysterious and recently discovered force that defies gravity and is responsible for speeding up the universe's rate of expansion. New results from Planck show dark energy accounting for 69 percent of the universe, slightly less than previously estimated. The research is the fruit of Planck's first 15 months on orbit. Additional information, including details of how the universe's early light was polarized, are expected next year. (Editing by Kevin Gray and Todd Eastham) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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Reuters: Science News: Large asteroid heading to Earth? Pray, says NASA

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Large asteroid heading to Earth? Pray, says NASA Mar 20th 2013, 00:55 The passage of asteroid 2012 DA14 through the Earth-moon system, is depicted in this handout image from NASA. Credit: Reuters/NASA/JPL-Caltech/Handout By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida | Tue Mar 19, 2013 8:55pm EDT CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA chief Charles Bolden has advice on how to handle a large asteroid headed toward New York City: Pray. That's about all the United States - or anyone for that matter - could do at this point about unknown asteroids and meteors that may be on a collision course with Earth, Bolden told lawmakers at a U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee hearing on Tuesday. An asteroid estimated to be have been about 55 feet in diameter exploded on February 15 over Chelyabinsk, Russia, generating shock waves that shattered windows and damaged buildings. More than 1,500 people were injured. Later that day, a larger, unrelated asteroid discovered last year passed about 17,200 miles from Earth, closer than the network of television and weather satellites that ring the planet. The events "serve as evidence that we live in an active solar system with potentially hazardous objects passing through our neighborhood with surprising frequency," said Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, a Texas Democrat. "We were fortunate that the events of last month were simply an interesting coincidence rather than a catastrophe," said Committee Chairman Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican, who called the hearing to learn what is being done and how much money is needed to better protect the planet. NASA has found and is tracking about 95 percent of the largest objects flying near Earth, those that are .62 miles or larger in diameter. "An asteroid of that size, a kilometer or bigger, could plausibly end civilization," White House science advisor John Holdren told legislators at the same hearing. But only about 10 percent of an estimated 10,000 potential "city-killer" asteroids, those with a diameter of about 165 feet have been found, Holdren added. On average, objects of that size are estimated to hit Earth about once every 1,000 years. "From the information we have, we don't know of an asteroid that will threaten the population of the United States," Bolden said. "But if it's coming in three weeks, pray." In addition to stepping up its monitoring efforts and building international partnerships, NASA is looking at developing technologies to divert an object that may be on a collision course with Earth. "The odds of a near-Earth object strike causing massive casualties and destruction of infrastructure are very small, but the potential consequences of such an event are so large it makes sense to takes the risk seriously," Holdren said. About 66 million years ago, an object 6 miles in diameter is believed to have smashed into what is now the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, leading to the demise of the dinosaurs, as well as most plant and animal life on Earth. The asteroid that exploded over Russia last month was the largest object to hit Earth's atmosphere since the 1908 Tunguska event when an asteroid or comet exploded over Siberia, leveling 80 million trees over more than 830 square miles (2,150 sq km). (Editing by Kevin Gray and Paul Simao) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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Reuters: Science News: NASA steps up security after arrest of former contractor

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NASA steps up security after arrest of former contractor Mar 20th 2013, 23:23 By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida | Wed Mar 20, 2013 7:23pm EDT CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - NASA has shut down access to an online database and banned new requests from Chinese and some other foreign nationals seeking access to its facilities amid mounting concerns about espionage and export control violations, the U.S. space agency's administrator said on Wednesday. The security measures include a complete ban on remote computer access by Chinese and some other non-U.S. contractors already working at NASA centers, agency chief Charles Bolden said at a congressional oversight hearing in Washington. The tightening of security follows the arrest on Saturday of Chinese national Bo Jiang, a former NASA contractor. He was attempting to return to China with "a large amount of information technology that he may not have been entitled to possess," said Representative Frank Wolf, a Republican whose Virginia district includes the NASA Langley Research Center, where Jiang worked. The FBI arrested Jiang at Dulles International Airport outside Washington, where he had boarded a flight to Beijing, court papers provided by Wolf's office show. Jiang was arraigned on Monday in U.S. district court in Norfolk, Virginia. A detention hearing is scheduled for Thursday. He is charged with lying to federal law enforcement agents about computer hardware he planned to take with him to China, the court documents show. Wolf, who chairs the House Appropriations subcommittee on commerce, justice and science, identified Jiang last week during another hearing on possible security lapses at NASA field centers. "We know that China is an active, aggressive espionage threat," Wolf, a longtime China critic, said during Wednesday's hearing. "A recent White House report said that the technologies NASA works on - aerospace and aeronautics - are those that the Chinese have most heavily targeted," Wolf added. NASA is cooperating with federal investigators, in addition to conducting two internal reviews, Bolden said. The reviews are expected to be completed within a week, likely to be followed by an external investigation, Bolden added. In the interim, NASA closed its Technical Reports database "while we review whether there is a risk of export control documents being made available on this website," Bolden said. Other security upgrades include a moratorium on granting any new access to NASA facilities for individuals from China, Myanmar, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Uzbekistan. In addition, 281 foreign nationals, including 192 from China, who currently have access to NASA facilities have had their remote computer access shut down, Bolden said. "This is about national security, not about NASA security, and I take that personally. I'm responsible and I will hold myself accountable once those reviews are completed," Bolden said. (Editing by Kevin Gray; Editing by Steve Orlofsky) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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Reuters: Science News: U.S. restarts plutonium production for space probes

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U.S. restarts plutonium production for space probes Mar 19th 2013, 01:31 By Irene Klotz CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida | Mon Mar 18, 2013 9:31pm EDT CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - The Department of Energy has produced its first batch of non-weapons grade plutonium, used to power space probes, since a nuclear reactor shutdown 25 years ago, NASA officials said on Monday. The U.S. space agency turned to buying radioactive plutonium-238 from Russia after safety issues prompted the Department of Energy to close its Savannah River Site in South Carolina in the late 1980s. The Russian supply line ended in 2010, leaving NASA with a small and aged supply of plutonium for space probes flying missions that are ill-suited for solar power. Plutonium naturally radiates heat, which can be converted into electricity by a device called a radioisotope thermoelectric generator. NASA has been flying nuclear-powered probes since the 1970s. Ongoing missions using such probes include the Mars rover Curiosity, the Saturn-orbiting Cassini spacecraft, Pluto-bound New Horizons and the twin Voyager probes, which are leaving the solar system. "The new plutonium is very important to us," Jim Green, the head of NASA's planetary science division, said during a briefing at a Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Houston. In partnership with NASA, the Department of Energy irradiated the radioactive metal neptunium-237 with neutrons at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee for about a month and successfully produced a small amount plutonium. "This is just a test," Green said, adding that a report from the Energy Department on production plans and costs should be finished before the end of the year. NASA is looking for the department to produce about 3.3 to 4.4 pounds (1.5 to 2 kg) of plutonium-238 per year. Newly made plutonium has the added benefit of reviving older plutonium that has decayed past the point of being viable for deep space probes. "The new material when we add with our old plutonium, which is more than 20 years old in some cases, really allows us to get the appropriate energy density out," Green said. NASA also has been working on a more energy efficient generator, called the Advanced Stirling Radioisotope Generator, which can produce four times more electrical power per kilogram of plutonium-238. Green said two such flight-ready generators are on schedule for completion in 2016. Neither has yet been assigned for a specific mission. (Editing by Christopher Wilson) Link this Share this Digg this Email Reprints

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