NASA's J-2X Engine under test...[ 2464 ]

Image of the NASA's J-2X Engine

 

NASA's J-2X Engine

This image is from a 2008 cold flow test campaign conducted at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center for the J-2X engine program. 
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NASA continues to test the J-2X engine and conducted a 40-second test of the rocket engine Sept. 28, the most recent in a series of tests of the next-generation engine selected as part of the Space Launch System architecture that will once again carry humans into deep space. 
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It was a test at the 99 percent power level to gain a better understanding of start and shutdown systems as well as modifications that had been made from previous test firing results.

Image Credit: NASA

US Pentagon and Capitol bomb plot...[ 2463 ]

Rezwan Ferdaus held over Pentagon and Capitol bomb plot

 

Undercover FBI agents allegedly supplied Ferdaus with a model plane

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BBC.,  28 September 2011 Last updated at 21:04 GMT

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A 26-year-old US citizen has been arrested for plotting to fly explosive-packed, remote controlled planes into the Pentagon and the US Capitol in Washington DC.

Rezwan Ferdaus was also charged with attempting to supply materials to al-Qaeda and aid attacks on US soldiers.
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The Northeastern University physics graduate is accused of planning to commit "jihad" since early 2010.
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Mr Ferdaus was arrested in Boston after an undercover investigation by the FBI.
Announcing his arrest, the US Department of Justice said FBI agents were in regular contact with Mr Ferdaus in the run-up to his arrest.
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Posing as accomplices, they supplied him with C-4 explosives, a remote-controlled plane and arms.
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The Pentagon was previously attacked in 2001 when the 9/11 hijackers flew a plane into the building

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Mr Ferdaus was arrested immediately after putting the newly delivered weapons in a storage container, the FBI said.
However, US Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Carmen Oriz said: "The public was never in danger from the explosives," which were controlled by undercover FBI employees.
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If convicted, Mr Ferdaus could face up to 15 years in jail for providing support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization and up to 20 years in prison for attempting to destroy national defence premises.

U.S. Immigration arrested 2,901 convicted criminals...[ 2462 ]

More than 2,900 convicted criminal immigrants arrested, ICE says

By the CNN Wire Staff

updated 1:32 PM EST, Wed September 28, 2011

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents take part in Operation Cross Check in September 2011.

Washington (CNN) -- In a huge, seven-day operation covering all 50 states and four U.S. territories, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials arrested 2,901 convicted criminal immigrants as part of the "Cross Check" enforcement operation, ICE officials announced Wednesday.
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ICE officials trumpeted the arrests at a news conference designed to highlight "the Obama administration's ongoing commitment to prioritizing the removal of criminal aliens and egregious immigration law violators."
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ICE Director John Morton said all those arrested had prior criminal convictions, including 1,282 who had multiple convictions. More than 1,600 of those arrested had felony convictions including manslaughter, attempted murder, kidnapping, armed robbery, drug trafficking, child abuse, sexual crimes against minors and aggravated assault. Forty-two of them were gang members and 151 were convicted sex offenders, officials said.
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ICE officials acknowledged that despite the large number of arrests, there were still an estimated 1 million convicted criminal aliens in the United States. Morton said one of the issues ICE is trying to deal with is the lack of notification to immigration authorities when offenders are released from jail.
Most of the people detained -- 2,642 -- were men. Those arrested came from 115 countries, with immigration fugitives accounting for 681 of those detained in the operation, Morton said. Of the people arrested, 386 were illegal re-entrants.
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"The results of this targeted enforcement operation underscore ICE's ongoing commitment and focus on the arrest and removal of convicted criminal aliens and those that game our nation's immigration system," Morton in a statement released before the news conference. "Because of the tireless efforts and teamwork of ICE officers and agents in tracking down at large criminal aliens and fugitives, there are 2,901 fewer criminal aliens in our neighborhoods across the country."
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ICE began conducting large-scale operations to target convicted criminal aliens in December 2009 and since then, nine regional and national Cross Check operations -- including last week's -- have resulted in the arrest of more than 7,400 convicted criminal aliens.

CNN's Athena Jones and Terry Frieden contribut

Iranian Navy plans...to make ''suicide" ?...[ 2461 [

Iranian Navy Plans to Send Ships Near U.S. Waters

AP

Feb. 22: The Iranian Navy frigate "IS Alvand" passes through the Suez canal at Ismailia, Egypt.

By Justin Fishel

Published September 27, 2011////  Posted here September 28,2011 ,.14:45 Athens.time

| FoxNews.com

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The Iranian navy plans to move naval vessels out of the Persian Gulf and into the Atlantic Ocean, "near maritime borders of the United States " the Tehran Times reported Tuesday.

According to the English-language paper based in Tehran, the announcement came from a top Iranian naval officer on Tuesday.

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“As the global arrogance (forces of imperialism) have a (military) presence near our sea borders, we also plan to have a strong presence near the U.S. sea borders with the help of the soldiers who are loyal to the vali-e faqih (supreme jurisprudent),” said Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, as quoted and paraphrased by the Tehran Times.

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"We've been pushing freedom of the seas for years and the Iranian navy can go wherever it wants," said Pentagon Spokesman Capt. John Kirby.

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Iranians might face a challenge in refueling its fleet. Some in the Pentagon  have speculated it could gas up in Venezuela  whose President,Hugo Chaves  is known to have a close relationship with Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.-.

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The Iranians gave no indication of when or what kind of vessels they might deploy, but the announced plan comes just months after Iran  sent warships through the Suez following the fall of Egyptian President Hpsni Mubarak . It was the first time Iran had moved ships into the Mediterranean and the move put Israel  on high alert.

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The naval unit plans to establish direct contact with the U.S. when it hits the Gulf of  Mexico  a commader  in the Iranian navy said. Officials in the Pentagon strongly denied any planned port visits by the Iranians.

One senior official echoed Capt. Kirby in saying that Iran has the pleasure of moving wherever it desires in international waters. But with known intent to approach U.S.Maritime  borders, he added, "they might have some company."

Turkey threatens Israel, Cyprus and Greece...[ 2450 ]

Israeli-Greek-Turkish air sea forces on guard for first Cypriot gas drilling

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report September 17, 2011, 9:29 AM (GMT+02:00), ( 12 days ago )

Tags:  Cyprus   Turkey   Greece   Israel   US   Oil gas war 

US Noble Energy rig off Cyprus shore

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Military tension is building up (12 days ago)among Greece, Turkey and Israel as Cyprus prepares to start exploratory drilling for gas offshore Monday, Sept. 19 (the drilling is now in progress) in the face of threats from Ankara. 
All three have placed their air and sea forces in a state of preparedness along with the Cypriot army.
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From Wednesday, Sept 14, Turkish warplanes and fighters kept watch on the Homer Ferrington rig belonging to Houston-based Noble Energy as it moved from Israel's offshore field Noa opposite Ashdod to Cyprus's Aphrodite (Block 12) field ready to start work.
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It was the first time since the Mavis Marmara episode of May 2010 that Turkish warships came less than 80 kilometers from Israel's territorial waters. debkafile's military sources report that Israeli missile ships and drones kept watch from afar on the Noble rig's movement and tracked Turkish surveillance.
As the rig moved into position opposite Cyprus, so too did two Turkish frigates. A Cypriot spokesman said Turkish warships and fighters had not entered the island's territorial waters.
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Ankara questions the rights of Israel and Cyprus to drill for hydrocarbon reserves in the respective Exclusive Economic Zones marked out in an accord they concluded last year.
The UN-approved Law of the Sea authorizes nations to mark out their Exclusive Economic Zones for the exploration of natural resources to a distance of 200 miles outside their territorial waters. Israel has never signed this treaty.
Thursday, Sept. 15, in Tunis, Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan continued to inveigh against Israel declaring: "They will see what our decisions will be on this subject. Our navy attack ships can be there at any moment."
Without specifically mentioning Cyprus, he said: "Israel cannot do as it pleases in the Mediterranean" and "Turkey is committed to preserving the freedom of navigation in international waters."
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Erdogan avoided linking Israel to the Turkish dispute with Greece and Greek Cyprus but is obviously galled by the connection and its three manifestations.
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1.  Cyprus's Block 12 where drilling starts Monday borders on the huge Leviathan field Israel is developing in the eastern Mediterranean, whose proven gas reserves are calculated to be 8.5 trillion cubic feet. This would supply the entire US economy's needs for a year.
2.  Noble Energy of Houston has a license to drill in Cyrus's Aphrodite while the Israeli company Delek which is developing the Israeli offshore gas fields also has an option in the Cypriot field.
3.  Greece and Israel concluded a mutual defense pact on Sept. 4, 2011. Ten days later, Prime Ministers George Papandreou and Binyamin Netanyahu agreed to activate the pact in the light of Turkish threats against Israel and to exploration activity in the Mediterranean basin.
Israel and Greece have therefore begun to coordinate their fleet movements in the eastern Mediterranean and around Cyprus.
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Erdogan's threats were followed up this week by a Turkish Foreign Ministry statement saying:  “It has been agreed that Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus will conclude a continental shelf delimitation agreement should the Greek Cypriot administration proceed with offshore drilling activities in the south of the island.”
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Ankara's problem is that the Turkish Republic of Cyprus is not recognized by any country but Turkey.
Washington has not only given Noble Energy a green light to start drilling off Cyprus but backed it up with a State Department statement Thursday: "The US supports the efforts to enhance energy diversity in Europe, noting the fact a US company was involved was also positive."
Since last Tuesday, Sept. 13, Turkish troop reinforcements are reported by debkafile's military sources as having landed in North Cyprus along with drilling equipment.
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These preparations indicate that Turkey is planning to start drilling in the Cypriot EEZ without reference to Nicosia. This would mean that Prime Minister Erdogan, while spouting high-sounding pledges to "preserve "freedom of navigation in international waters," is preparing a wildcat breach of international law and treaties. Friday, the Greek government in Athens warned Ankara against pursuing this step.
However, it would be in keeping with his past defiance of international norms. Even though Turkey accepted the UN Palmer commission's mediation in its dispute with Israel over the flotilla escapade,  Erdogan declared its findings "null and void" –- after the panel ruled that Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip was legal and justified.
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Next Monday, therefore, many eyes will be alertly watching to see what happens when the Noble rig starts drilling in Cyprus' Block 12 of the Mediterranean.
The Turkish prime minister has painted himself into a corner: If he orders his naval and/or air units to strike the American rig, he will have to take the consequences, possibly a confrontation with the US, Israel, Greece and Cyprus.
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If he does nothing, or nothing more than a token drilling off the Turkish side of the island, he will lose face as a leader able to back up his threats.
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He could take a third course like other Muslim rulers and vent his ire on Israel.
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The guessing in Washington, NATO and Israel is that the most likely arena for a potential clash of arms in the Mediterranean is offshore Cyprus and it is most likely to evolve into sea and air confrontatons involving Turkey, Greece, Cyprus and Israel.
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NB: USA, Russia and  Finland warned Ankara over Cyprus deadline...