kenrick - Slashdot User

Submission + - Hayabusa to begin long journey back to Earth

Submitted by

Sparky

on Thursday February 15, 2007 @08:32AM

Sparky writes: "Japan is planning to set the Hayabusa spacecraft on a trajectory back to Earth next month after a delay of more than a year, but it's far from certain that it will get back safely. It was supposed to retrieve asteroid debris, but it's thought that a computer error meant that this didn't happen. A fuel leak means that it's chemical thrusters are out of action, and the craft is relying on it's weaker ion engines. The journey back will take 3 years, and the capsule will be on Earth in June 2010 — even if it is empty."

Submission + - UK petition for government IT projects to be open

Submitted by

FireFury03

on Thursday February 15, 2007 @05:52AM

FireFury03 writes: "There is a petition on the British government's website calling for software projects funded by the tax payer to be released under a Free licence so that the tax payer can re-use the code they paid for and also examine the progress of the project. All to often these projects seem to over run and cost many times the original budget. This blog on the subject suggests that this is a common practice in the US — if corporate America can do it, why not everyone else?"

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