Business Innovation In Space (3) - GlobalNewsPointer.net

on June 2, 2012 by Nikos Chatzis in News, Space News, Comments (0)

(Source of Photos: NASA / SpaceX /? )

• SpaceX completed a landmark mission May 31 that saw its Dragon capsule deliver half-a-ton of supplies and equipment to the International Space Station and return safely to Earth.
• The flight made history as the first privately built spacecraft to rendezvous with the International Space Station. Its true impact is expected to be seen in coming months as the company sends regular re-supply missions to the orbiting outpost and continues work to launch astronauts into orbit in a few years.
• ?We are hoping to continue working with NASA and hopefully flying crew within three years,? said Elon Musk, the founder, CEO and chief designer for the Hawthorne, Calif.-based Space Exploration Technologies, better known as SpaceX. ?This was a crucial step and makes the chances of becoming a multi planet species more likely.?
• NASA engineers worked closely with SpaceX throughout preparations for the uncrewed demonstration mission. / SpaceX /

SpaceX: Combination Of Two Separate Flights?

• ?As a country, we should be very proud,? said Mike Suffredini, NASA International Space Station program manager. We took a capability that this agency has nurtured over many years, combined that with a different thought process in spacecraft design and created a team that worked very well. The SpaceX team learned a lot and so did our NASA engineers.?
• The SpaceX mission combined the goals of two separate flights under NASA?s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Program, known as COTS. Originally slated to fly by the station and then come back to Earth, SpaceX and the NASA agreed to let the Dragon connect to the laboratory as long as a string of performance tests were successful. / SpaceX /

Dragon Accomplished A Long List Of Operational ?Firsts?? / SpaceX

• SpaceX launched the Dragon capsule on top of the company?s Falcon 9 rocket at 3:44 a.m. EDT on May 22 to begin the chase of the space station. Working with an instantaneous launch window, the SpaceX launch team executed a flawless countdown that culminated with the Falcon lifting off from Space launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.
• The Dragon began accomplishing a long list of operational ?firsts? soon after reaching space, including the first use of the trunk, a small module attached to the bottom of the capsule. The trunk holds a pair of solar arrays that generate electricity for the Dragon capsule. On operational missions, the trunk can be loaded with cargo that can be exposed to the vacuum of space. / SpaceX /

• Doors on the Dragon opened as-planned to reveal the navigation instruments and other hardware the spacecraft would need to pick out the International Space Station in the void of space and then fly to it.
• The first approach came on day three of the mission, when Dragon steered itself around the station remaining 1.5 miles clear. Numerous tests were run on the spacecraft and its communications with the crew on the station.
• Astronaut Don Pettit guided the historic link-up the next day, Friday, May 25, when he reached the station?s 32-foot-long robotic arm, Canadarm 2, out to the Dragon as it hovered near the station.
• ?Looks like we caught a Dragon by the tail,? the astronaut radioed from the station to ground controllers in Houston and at SpaceX?s Hawthorne control center after the arm connected to a fitting on the side of Dragon. / SpaceX /

Unloading The Dragon?s Cargo? / SpaceX

• Pettit steered the capsule to the Earth-facing port on the Harmony module while fellow station crewmember Joe Acaba locked the hatches together. The crew unloaded the Dragon?s cargo over the weekend and placed used equipment back inside for the return to Earth. The Dragon is the only cargo-carrying spacecraft designed to return safely to the planet rather than burn up in the atmosphere.
• ?We all remember the transcontinental railroad that opened the Western frontier,? Pettit told reporters. ?It was celebrated and completed by a golden spike. This is kind of the equivalent. No one remembers who pounded it in, but its completion was important and remembered.? / SpaceX /

Releasing The ?Dragon? To Fly On Its Own? / SpaceX

• Reversing the process a few days later, Pettit pulled Dragon away from its port on May 31 and released it to fly on its own again. As planned, the Dragon fired its thrusters to move away from the station?s vicinity. Dragon released the trunk and its solar arrays before turning its heat shield toward Earth for the fiery plunge through the atmosphere.
• Descending under a canopy of parachutes, the Dragon splashed down hundreds of miles west of Baja California to be recovered by ships and taken to port.
• Musk said the ambitious mission should ease concerns people had about the rocket, spacecraft and future plans.
• ?There was reason to doubt that we would succeed because there wasn?t a precedent for what we achieved,? Musk said. ?I think those reasons no longer remain having done what we have done so I hope those doubts are put to rest.? / Space /

Tags: Commercial Space Transportation, Commercialization Of Space, International Space Station, ISS, SpaceX Dragon

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Judge approves Dynegy bankruptcy pact with creditors

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Record ride: LAPD cop's 25 hours on Ferris wheel

By John Cadiz Klemack, NBCLosAngeles.com

A Los Angeles Police Department detective completed a 25-hour ride on a Ferris wheel early Friday, an effort to break the Guinness World Record for the longest ride on a Ferris wheel and raise money for charity.

Detective Gus Martinez, who has been in the LAPD since 1994, was on the 130-foot-tall Pacific Wheel Ferris wheel for 25 hours -- 7:30 a.m. Thursday to 8:30 a.m Friday.? It was an attempt to raise funds and awareness for Special Olympics?Southern California.

Actually, he stayed on the gondola for an extra 30 minutes.

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See the original report at NBCLosAngeles.com

?Just overwhelmed with joy,? he said. ?Never had a doubt I couldn?t do it. It was difficult, but I did it.?

The record of 24 hours 30 minutes? was set in October in Dublin, Ireland.

He was periodically joined in the Ferris wheel gondola by his 23- year-old son, Jason, who has Down syndrome. He has won more than 30 gold medals in Special Olympics swimming competitions.

"Early on, doctors would tell us when he was two that he?s not gonna walk, he?s not gonna talk, he?s gonna have limitations,"?Martinez said of his son. "That all went out the window, if you look at him today."

Martinez had food and received a five-minute hourly break during his 25-hour ride.

Donations can be made at the event's website. All donors?will receive a $10 off coupon to Sports Authority.

Once an online donation was confirmed, the donor could guess how many? rotations the Pacific Wheel would make during the 25-hour world record attempt.? The person coming closest -- without going over -- will receive a private one-hour ride on the Pacific Wheel Ferris wheel during non-operating hours with? four guests and a meal from The Lobster restaurant.

Detective Gus Martinez of the LAPD attempts to ride a Ferris wheel for 25 hours to raise money for charity, including the Special Olympics.

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Samsung Galaxy S III makes a splashy overseas debut

Samsung may have more gadgets in its Galaxy line than you can shake a stick at, but its newest smartphone isn't just filler. The company casts a wide net, having released an iPad rival in just about every size imaginable, for example, but Samsung is throwing its weight toward one new smartphone to take on the iPhone and Android competition alike. Meet the Galaxy S III, Samsung's latest and greatest, which just hit European shelves to much fanfare (and much envy, across the pond). The phone made a splash on a global scale, hitting 28 countries across Europe and the Middle East, with a reported 9 million pre-orders on the books.

Samsung intends to launch the Galaxy S III in 145 countries ? the U.S. included ? by July, across a whopping spread of 296 mobile carriers. While stateside consumers won't be able to get their paws on the device until its U.S. launch, which is widely expected to be in late June or July, we can live vicariously in the mean time.

Tech Specs

The Samsung Galaxy S III picks up where its well-regarded forebear the Galaxy S II left off, with a vivid (and massive) 4.8-inch Super AMOLED screen, an 8-megapixel camera, Samsung's consumer-friendly TouchWiz user interface, support for NFC for mobile payments, and S Voice, the company's very own Siri copycat. The phone offers a choice of 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of internal storage, with an option to expand even further with a MicroSD card (theoretically, up to 128GB of total storage). Most importantly, the top-notch new smartphone will run the lauded latest version of Android 4.0 ("Ice Cream Sandwich") out of the box, so you won't be waiting for over-the-air software updates to get up to speed. To top it off, the capable new smartphone supports LTE networks, which is the speedy flavor of 4G that U.S. carriers are now shifting their weight toward.

Keep in mind that the Samsung Galaxy S III we've seen to date is the European variant. When the smartphone hits U.S. shores this summer, we expect it to pop up across carriers, much the way that three of the four major U.S. mobile carriers offered a variant of the Samsung Galaxy S II. When they do hit in the U.S., we just hope that carriers resist lavishing them with absurd superlatives, like the first generation of Samsung Galaxy S smartphones that were eager to "fascinate" and "captivate."

What do reviewers think, so far?

We had a chance to spend some time test-driving the new Galaxy S III at CTIA Wireless 2012 in New Orleans this year, and we came away with a largely favorable impression. With 4G LTE capability, a large impressive screen, and plenty of oomph under the hood, the Galaxy S III is the cutting edge of Android devices, and Samsung's TouchWiz might make Android 4.0 a little more user-friendly for new Android owners.

Engadget: "The power- and storage-hungry Android user simply cannot go wrong with this purchase, and neither can those looking for a great camera."

Phone Arena: "Although its specs can easily be rivaled by strong competitors like the HTC One X, which also has a quad-core processor and the other beloved tech goodies, the Galaxy S III manages to shine brighter, thanks to its superior user experience."

The Verge: "The extra-large size of this phone, even with its great ergonomics, may prove to be a stumbling block for those who can't comfortably fit a 4.8-inch handset into their daily routine."

Pocket-lint: "There is a lot to love about the Samsung Galaxy S III. As a premium flagship smartphone it has plenty going for it. The huge display, the power, the smooth and fast operation are all to its credit. Add to this the ability to change battery and expand storage and you've a very good package indeed."

Techradar: "Would we recommend you buy one? Yes, without hesitation. If you're torn between this and an HTC One X, it's a very difficult one to call --? the camera on the One X is much better and the overall feel might appeal. But in terms of pure usability and power, we really like what Samsung has put on the table."

Other fish in the sea

It might be new, but the Galaxy S III isn't the only heir in the royal family of Galaxy smartphones. In December, the Galaxy Nexus hit the ground running with Google's newest operating system, Android 4.0. There's also the Galaxy Note, a hybrid tablet/phone device that pushes the envelope when it comes to just how massive a phone can can get while still calling itself a phone. Beyond its own bloodline, the Galaxy S III will go head to head against the HTC One X and the Sprint variant, the HTC Evo 4G LTE. All three phones are actually nearly identical in terms of size, speed, and 4G capability, so choosing among them is mainly a matter of preference and aesthetic.

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Pet grooming prevent from diseases

Pet grooming is one of the most vital practices that should be carried out on your pet as regularly as possible. This is very beneficial because it ensures that you pet is clean and hygienic and reduce the chances of spreading diseases. Pet grooming becomes mandatory if your pet has an underlying condition like an ear or nail infection. There are certain factors that determinethe number you should groom your pet.? These factors are the breed of your pet, the hair and any medical condition. Before making a schedule of how many time you should groom your pet you should know that pet grooming should be done regularly as you would do to yourself. A groomed pet is more attractive and poses no health risk. Most pet grooming practices can be done at home but there are pet houses and clinics where you can take your pet for a professional grooming.

Here are some of pet grooming practices done on different pets, bathing, if you have a dog or a cat as a pet bathing is very important because you will remove dirt any organism on the hair and skin.

This practice should be done as on weekly basis. Another practice is a haircut, pets with hair require haircuts when the hair grows too long or when you want to maintain a specific size. A pet with long and un kept hair is not pretty to look at. Haircut is a professional task that should be done with professional tools. Another practice is nail trimming, this is very important if your pet plays with small children. This practice will reduce injuring the owner and other pets in the house.

Hair brushing is also very important, you should take your pet as your own and comb it regularly to keep it looking smooth and even. Hair brushing is done with combs and depending on the size of your pet?s hair you should an appropriate comb.? Pet grooming has its advantages which are, if you regularly groom your pet then you will develop a strong bond. Pet grooming allows you understand your pet even better. If you have chosen to do your own pet grooming then you will need to purchase the proper tools to do the job. You can seek professional assistance to know which tools and product to purchase.? By grooming your pet you will reduce infection and you will have a happy and healthy pet.

?

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Mechanism that maintains stem cells readiness identified

ScienceDaily (May 31, 2012) ? An immune-system receptor plays an unexpected but crucially important role in keeping stem cells from differentiating and in helping blood cancer cells grow, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center report today in the journal Nature.

"Cancer cells grow rapidly in part because they fail to differentiate into mature cells. Drugs that induce differentiation can be used to treat cancers," said Dr. Chengcheng "Alec" Zhang, assistant professor in UT Southwestern's departments of physiology and developmental biology. "Our research identified a protein receptor on cancer cells that inhibits differentiation, and knowing the identity of this protein should facilitate the development of new drugs to treat cancers."

The family of proteins investigated in the study could help open a new field of biology integrating immunology with stem cell and cancer research, he added.

"The receptor we identified turned out to be a protein called a classical immune inhibitory receptor, which is known to maintain stemness of normal adult stem cells and to be important in the development of leukemia," he said.

Stemness refers to the blood stem cells' potential to develop into a range of different kinds of cells as needed, for instance to replenish red blood cells lost to bleeding or to produce more white blood cells to fight off infection. Once stem cells differentiate into adult cells, they cannot go back to being stem cells. Current thinking is that the body has a finite number of stem cells and it is best to avoid depleting them, Dr. Zhang explained.

Prior to this study, no high-affinity receptors had been identified for the family of seven proteins called the human angiopoetic-like proteins. These seven proteins are known to be involved in inflammation, supporting the activity of stem cells, breaking down fats in the blood, and growing new blood vessels to nourish tumors. Because the receptor to which these proteins bind had not been identified, the angiopoetic-like proteins were referred to as "orphans," he said.

The researchers found that the human immune-inhibitory receptor LILRB2 and a corresponding receptor on the surface of mouse cells bind to several of the angiopoetic-like proteins. Further studies, Dr. Zhang said, showed that two of the seven family members bind particularly well to the LILRB2 receptor and that binding exerts an inhibitory effect on the cell, similar to a car's brakes.

In the case of stem cells, inhibition keeps them in their stem state. They retain their potential to mature into all kinds of blood cells as needed but they don't use up their energy differentiating into mature cells. That inhibition helps stem cells maintain their potential to create new stem cells because in addition to differentiation, self-renewal is the cells' other major activity, Dr. Zhang said. He stressed that the inhibition doesn't cause them to create new stem cells but does preserve their potential to do so.

In future research, the scientists hope to find subtle differences between stem cells and leukemia cells that will identify treatments to block the receptors' action only in leukemia.

Other UT Southwestern researchers involved in the study from the departments of physiology and developmental biology include postdoctoral researchers Dr. ChangHao Cui, Dr. Xiaoli Chen, Dr. Chaozheng Zhang, Dr. HoangDinh Huynh, and Dr. Xunlei Kang; senior research associates Robert Silvany and Jiyuan Li; and graduate student Xuan Wan. Researchers from the department of immunology include former technician Alberto Puig Cant? and Dr. E. Sally Ward, professor of immunology.

Former UT Southwestern researchers include lead author and former instructor of physiology Dr. Junke Zheng, now at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in Shanghai, China; Dr. Masato Umikawa, now at the University of Ryukyus in Okinawa, Japan; Dr. Shu-Hsia Chen, now at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City; Dr. Huan-You Wang, now at the University of California, San Diego; and Dr. Jingxiao Ye, now at the University of Texas at Dallas.

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Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

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Journal Reference:

1. Junke Zheng, Masato Umikawa, Changhao Cui, Jiyuan Li, Xiaoli Chen, Chaozheng Zhang, HoangDinh Hyunh, Xunlei Kang, Robert Silvany, Xuan Wan, Jingxiao Ye, Alberto Puig Cant?, Shu-Hsia Chen, Huan-You Wang, E. Sally Ward, Cheng Cheng Zhang. Inhibitory receptors bind ANGPTLs and support blood stem cells and leukaemia development. Nature, 2012; 485 (7400): 656 DOI: 10.1038/nature11095

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

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Samsung Galaxy S III now available from Vodafone UK, 16GB Marble White only for now

Choice is good right? Following on from fellow british carrier Three's announcement, Vodafone UK have also confirmed this morning that the Samsung Galaxy S III is available today on their network. Vodafone are supposed to be carrying the 32GB versions in both colors exclusively for the time being, but have confirmed that both are delayed by "2-4 weeks." 

Prices on Vodafone aren't quite as alluring as those elsewhere though. The phone can still be had free of charge on a new 2-year deal, but the price for this on Vodafone is £41 a month. For a "limited time" their price plans will include 2GB of data, which for many average users is plenty.  2GB of BTOpenzone WiFi access is also included in the plan. For the full press release, click on past the break. 

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