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Space

Submission + - SpaceX Provides Major Progress Update

Submitted by iamlucky13
iamlucky13 writes: In an online posting Monday, SpaceX founder Elon Musk gave a detailed update on the status of their ongoing projects. The many details covered include extensive testing of the new, higher-performance Merlin 1C engine, test firing of a Falcon 9 first stage, groundbreaking on a new launch facility at Cape Canaveral, results from the NASA COTS critical design review, updates on the Dragon capsule including splash-down testing and work on the heat shield, a new hypergolic OMS engine called "Draco," and plans to launch the third Falcon 1 in spring of 2008. Whew! Also included are some great pictures and videos of the Falcon 9 test firing, its 17 foot diameter payload fairing, Dragon test articles, the new manufacturing facility, and plenty of other fascinating evidence of the work going on at SpaceX.
Space

Submission + - Near Earth "Asteroid" Turns Out to be Spac 1

Submitted by iamlucky13
iamlucky13 writes: Last week, the IAU's Minor Planet Center asked professional astronomers around the world to help track a previously unknown asteroid, labeled 2007 VN84, that will pass the earth at the alarmingly close distance of 5600 km on November 13. However, Denis Denisenko of the Moscow Space Research Institute then noticed something peculiar: the object's trajectory exactly matched that of the European Space Agency's Rosetta probe, which will perform a gravitational slingshot around the earth on that date on its way to study and land on Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The MPC's editorial notice on the error also comments critically on the current means available to identifying distant spacecraft such as Rosetta.
Space

Submission + - Space Shuttle Discovery Launches Toward ISS

Submitted by iamlucky13
iamlucky13 writes: The Space Shuttle Discovery successfully lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at 11:38 EDT this morning for the 14 day STS-120 mission to the International Space Station. In a carefully orchestrated series of moves, the busy mission will install the Harmony module currently in Discovery's payload bay, relocate a docking adapter, and move the first US-launched solar panel from it's temporary position on the top of the station to the end of the recently completed truss structure. The addition of Harmony provides more space for astronauts and equipment and a node for the future attachment of the European-made Columbus and Japanese-built Kibo laboratory modules. In addition, Luke Skywalker's original prop lightsaber from Star Wars is onboard to commemorate 30 years since the premiere of the classic space epic.
Space

Submission + - Comet Probes Given New Duties

Submitted by iamlucky13
iamlucky13 writes: In January of 2004, the NASA's Stardust mission made a flyby of comet Wild-2, taking images and collecting samples from its tail that have since been returned to earth in a detachable capsule. On July 4, 2005, Deep Impact smashed a 350 kg projectile traveling 37,000 km/h into comet Tempel 1 as part of its studies of that object. With both craft in good shape at the end of their missions, NASA has been considering additional tasks for the probes. These plans have now been confirmed with a variety of tasks costing an estimated 15% what a new mission would. Among the new duties will be a revisit of Tempel 1, a flyby of comet Boethin, and transit studies of known extra-solar planets.
Television

Submission + - Atheist Debate: Should we rid the mind of God?

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: The video from this debate is now online. It was between [theist] Alister McGrath, Professor of Historical Theology at Oxford University, author of "Dawkins' God" and "The Dawkins Delusion" and Peter Atkins, Professor of Chemistry at Oxford University, well-known atheist and supporter of Richard Dawkins. As seen on Channel 4's "The trouble with atheism". This event was organised jointly by The University of Edinburgh Philosophy Society and The Christian Union. The lecture theatre it was held in seats 500, and it overflowed. More than 300 people had to be turned away.
Graphics

Submission + - Boost video performance of aging AGP system

Submitted by jmke
jmke writes: While most manufacturers have forsaken AGP and are no longer bringing out new products for this platform, there are still a few left who cater to the budget minded end user. The ATI X1950 Pro chipset carries the top mid-range title in its PCI Express incarnation, the people from HIS Digital have brought it over to AGP in hopes that'll it will give a performance boost for older systems too, their X1950 Pro IceQ3 comes overclocked and with custom cooling to keep things running cool and quiet. Worth a look for those who like to play the latest games on their AGP system.

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