The U.S. Air Force X-37B spacecraft [ 1041 ]

Air Force launches X-37B space plane

by Lance Whitney

X-37B on the half shell.,

(Credit: Boeing)

April 23, 2010 10:10 AM PDT .,

With the launch Thursday of the X-37B spacecraft aboard an Atlas V rocket, the U.S. Air Force is taking a page from NASA's space shuttle program.

Looking somewhat like a traditional shuttle but at roughly one-quarter the size, the unmanned X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle took off for its maiden space voyage from Cape Canaveral in Florida and reached a low earth orbit late in the day. The X-37B is intended to serve as a platform for experiments and to offer insights on transporting satellite sensors and other equipment to and from space.

"If these technologies on the vehicle prove to be as good as we estimate, it will make our access to space more responsive, perhaps cheaper, and push us in the vector toward being able to react to warfighter needs more quickly," said Gary Payton, the Air Force deputy undersecretary for space programs, in a statement on the Air Force Web site.

Does that cryptic reference to "warfighter needs" signal the dawn of a new era of space weaponry? That probably remains some distance off in the future. The Pentagon is still in the very early days, for instance, of sorting out how to use directed-energy gear such as its lone Airborne Laser prototype. And certainly there are plenty of non-weaponized resources for the military in orbit, such as GPS and reconnaissance satellites, that a space plane could service.

As part of this initial mission, the Air Force will evaluate the X-37B's guidance, navigation, thermal protection, and unmanned operations in orbit, re-entry, and landing. It will function in space like other satellites, with operators on Earth monitoring its travels. Eventually, the Air Force will tell the space plane to head home. "Upon being given the command to return to Earth, the X-37B will automatically descend through the atmosphere and land on the designated runway. There is no one on the ground with a joystick flying it," said Lt. Col. Troy Giese, the X-37B systems program director, in a statement.

Though the 11,000-pound vehicle--about 29 feet long, with a wingspan of just under 15 feet--is designed to stay in orbit for 270 days, the exact duration of its first flight hasn't been revealed. Upon completing its first mission, the Boeing-built X-37B is due to touch down at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

The resemblance to the space shuttle isn't surprising. The X-37, in fact, was originally a NASA program, with roots in the space agency's lifting-body research, that ran from 1999 to 2004. That effort was intended to help in the design and development of a new Orbital Space Plane that would serve as a transport and rescue vehicle for crews at the International Space Station.

With NASA's fleet of space shuttles due to be retired later this year, the Air Force has been searching for a new class of vehicles to take over the role of reusable space plane. But the X-37B has a ways to go before it's fully fledged.

"There is much to learn in the first few flights on the technologies used on this vehicle, how quickly it can be readied for a re-flight, and on the operational utility," David Hamilton, director of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, said in a statement. "We have started discussions with Air Force Space Command [officials] to plan for the possibility for transition to an operational capability, but the system first must prove its utility and cost effectiveness during the test program."

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle on the runway.

(Credit: Boeing)

Lance Whitney wears a few different technology hats--journalist, Web developer, and software trainer. He's a contributing editor for Microsoft TechNet Magazine and writes for other computer publications and Web sites. You can follow Lance on Twitter at @lancewhit. Lance is a member of the CNET Blog Network, and he is not an employee of CN

NASA Image of the Day, April 23rd... [ 1040 ]

The latest NASA "Image of the Day".

The Birth of Stars

This new Hubble photo is but a small portion of one of the largest seen star-birth regions in the galaxy, the Carina Nebula.

Towers of cool hydrogen laced with dust rise from the wall of the nebula. Reminiscent of Hubble's classic image of the Eagle Nebula dubbed the 'Pillars of Creation' this image is even more striking in appearance.

Captured here are the top of a three-light-year-tall pillar of gas and the dust that is being eaten away by the brilliant light from nearby bright stars.

The pillar is also being pushed apart from within, as infant stars buried inside it fire off jets of gas that can be seen streaming from towering peaks like arrows sailing through the air.

Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and M. Livio and the Hubble 20th Anniversary Team (STScI)

Παρασκευή, 23 Απρίλιος 2010 7:00:00 πμ

in bed with a blonde Russian woman[ 1039 ]

Indian Navy chief caught in Russian 'honeytrap'

An Indian Navy chief caught in a Russian "honeytrap" may have helped inflate the cost of an aircraft carrier deal by up to £1 billion to stop explicit photographs taken during the negotiations being released.

Dean Nelson in New Delhi
Published: 6:04PM BST 22 Apr 2010

The former Russian Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier renamed the INS Vikramaditya Photo: EPA

Commodore Sukhjunder Singh has been under investigation by a military Board of Inquiry since a CD containing the images of him in bed with a blonde Russian woman were sent to New Delhi's Naval Headquarters last month.

It is understood there is, as yet, no evidence that the 'honeytrap' influenced Commodore Singh's behaviour in negotiations to buy the Admiral Gorshkov aircraft carrier from Russia, but investigators have not ruled out the possibility.

Investigators believe the photographs were taken between 2005 and 2007 when he was a captain posted as an observer to Severodvinsk base on the country's North-West coast.

At that time he was head of a large technical delegation sent to oversee repairs and the refitting of the vessel in the run-up to it being commissioned as the INS Vikramaditya. Then, India had agreed to buy the Soviet-era carrier, launched in 1982, for $800 million, including a full refit. But costs quickly began to rise and eventually led to a diplomatic dispute between India and Russia.

Now the costs have reached an estimated $2.33 (£1.5 billion), almost £1 billion higher than originally agreed and military chiefs fear Commodore Singh's honey trap may have been part of a campaign to influence Indian Navy specialists assessing the repairs and upgrades.

Russia's intelligence agencies and criminal gangs are suspected of being behind a series of honeytrap stings in which senior diplomats have been filmed in compromising situations with Russian women.

Last year Britain's deputy consul-general in Ekaterinberg, James Hudson, after footage of him in bed with two women was posted on the internet under the title 'The Adventures of Mr Hudson in Russia.' He was exposed a few months after American diplomat Kyle Hatcher was caught in a similar honeytrap in Moscow. Both cases were believed to have been part of blackmail attempts by Russian intelligence agencies.

While both Mssrs Hudson and Hatcher were caught by hidden cameras, Commodore Singh, who is married, appears to have willingly been photographed. In one shot both he and his partner smile directly into the camera. This fact has persuaded some investigators that he may be guilty only of "bad judgement." Commodore Singh is understood to have denied suggestions that his "indiscretion" had had any impact on the price increase negotiations with the Russians.

Sources close to India's defence establishment however believe he is now facing dismissal from his Navy post for "immoral conduct unbecoming of an officer." The newly refitted INS Vikramaditya is expected to be formally commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2012.

Τουρκία, : Υπόθεση "Βαριοπούλα"...[ 1038 ]

Σύλληψη στρατηγού στην Τουρκία για την υπόθεση «Βαριοπούλα»

ΑΝΤ1, πρίν 1 ώρα & 20'

Οι τουρκικές αρχές συνέλαβαν εκ νέου έναν Τούρκο στρατηγό με την κατηγορία ότι συμμετείχε σε συνωμοσία για την ανατροπή της ισλαμικών καταβολών κυβέρνησης του πρωθυπουργού Ρετζέπ Ταγίπ Ερντογάν, όπως μετέδωσε την Παρασκευή το πρακτορείο Ανατολή.

Ο Τσετίν Ντογάν, πρώην αρχηγός του Α' Σώματος Στρατού, ήταν ένας από τους πιο υψηλόβαθμους αξιωματούχους που συνελήφθη τον Φεβρουάριο σε ένα κύμα συλλήψεων στρατιωτικών που κατηγορούνταν ότι ενεπλάκησαν στη συνωμοσία με την κωδική ονομασία «Βαριοπούλα».

Ο Ντογάν πέρασε ένα μήνα στη φυλακή και στις αρχές Απριλίου αφέθηκε ελεύθερος εν αναμονή της δίκης του. Αργότερα οι εισαγγελίες διέταξαν να συλληφθεί ξανά.

Πολλοί στρατιωτικοί έχουν συλληφθεί με την κατηγορία ότι εμπλέκονται στη συνωμοσία «Βαριοπούλα». Κάποιοι εξ αυτών έχουν αφεθεί ελεύθεροι και κάποιοι έχουν συλληφθεί εκ νέου.

Ο τουρκικός στρατός, πάντως, από τη μεριά του, διαψεύδει ότι υπάρχει συνωμοσία και δηλώνει ότι η επιχείρηση «Βαριοπούλα» ήταν απλώς μία στρατιωτική άσκηση, μέρος ενός σεμιναρίου.

Tibetan monks to leave quake zone ..[ 1037 ]

China urges Tibetan monks to leave quake zone

The Chinese government has urged the Tibetan monks who rushed to provide aid in the wake of the earthquake in Yushu to now return home.

By Malcolm Moore in Shanghai
Telegraph co. uk.,Published: 10:43AM BST 23 Apr 2010

Tibetan Buddhist monks help clear debris amid the rubble of quake demolished buildings in Jiegu, Yushu County, China Photo: AFP

Thousands of monks flocked to Yushu in the wake of last week's 7.1-magnitude quake, which killed over 2,187 people.

As official rescue teams struggled to reach the remote region, teams of monks saved huge numbers of lives in the immediate aftermath of the quake.

Monasteries also provided badly-needed food, water and medical care to thousands of victims.

"I commend the monastic community for their good neighbourly support and assistance to the families of those who have lost everything," said the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of the Tibetans.

However, the presence of thousands of monks in Yushu, a predominately ethnic Tibetan region, appears to have made the Chinese government uneasy.

Chinese media coverage of the quake carried few images of monks doing rescue work and monks were conspicuously absent from the memorial service for the victims of the quake.

Now, China's State Council has said monks should leave the area and allow relief teams to take over their work.

"The duties of rescue workers in the quake zone are basically over, and the focus has moved to disease prevention and reconstruction, which need specialised people," the State Council said in a statement.

"While fully recognising the positive contributions of the monks that came from other areas, we suggested to them that they return to their monasteries to ensure the high effectiveness and order of quake relief work," it said.

The government remains unsure of the monks in the wake of widespread riots in 2008 against Chinese rule.

"The government's attitude is that the lamas are an unstable element, this is especially so following the unrest," said Woeser, a leading Tibetan activist.

She said monks had been told to leave as "they had already done too much and that if they stayed it could become troublesome."

However, Luo Sangjiancuo, a monk from Sexu monastery in the nearby county of Ganzi, said the majority of monks who were active in Jiegu had already returned home. The Sexu monastery sent 800 monks to Jiegu in the aftermath of the quake and was responsible for setting up hundreds of tents in the city's race track to shelter families.

"There was no pressure from the government," he said. "Most of us left earlier this week because there were too many of us and there was actually little for us to do. The rescue operation had come to an end.

The problems with food, medicine and accommodation have mostly been solved. We are now back in Ganzi, raising money and praying. We left a few monks behind to provide spiritual comfort," he said.