South Korea has successfully launched a space rocket carrying a science satellite, in a high-stakes test of national pride after North Korea got there first with a rocket launch last month. It was the South’s third attempt to launch a civilian rocket to send a satellite in orbit in the past four years.
It came after two previous launches were aborted at the 11th hour last year due to technical glitches. The launch vehicle, named Naro, lifted off from South Korea’s space centre on the south coast and successfully went through stage separation before entering orbit, officials at mission control said.
Initially scheduled for October 26, today’s launch had been twice postponed for technical reasons. The delay meant that rival North Korea was able to claim a rare technological victory over the South by launching a satellite into orbit on a three-stage rocket on December 12.
South Korea remains far behind regional rivals China and Japan in the effort to build space rockets to put satellites into orbit and has relied on other countries, including Russia, to join the space race :: Read the rest of this entry »
Iran Sends A Monkey into Space! or Does It? Iran’s defence minister says the country has successfully sent a monkey into space, paving the way for a manned space flight.
Arabic-language channel Al-Alam and other Iranian news agencies said the monkey returned alive after travelling in a capsule to an altitude of 120 kilometres for a sub-orbital flight. ”This success is the first step towards man conquering the space and it paves the way for other moves,” Ahmad Vahidi told state television “Today’s successful launch follows previous successes we had in launching (space) probes with other living creatures (on board),” he said. The monkey which was sent in this launch landed safely and alive and this is a big step for our experts and scientists.”
The Week however, has reported that …something was amiss: Upon further inspection, it appears the monkey that returned from space doesn’t match the monkey that left. Images newly released from a press conference prior to the launch show a monkey with light fur and a conspicuous red mole above its eye. The mole is mysteriously missing on the monkey that returned, which also has notably darker hair :: Read the rest of this entry »
Brett Williamson head of Surf Life Saving Australia says unmanned aerial drones will patrol some Queensland beaches this summer, he says the drones will be used on North Stradbroke Island in a trial of the technology.
Mr Williamson told ABC’s Radio National that the drones use cameras to search for swimmers in distress, the drones will be fitted with flotation buoys that can be dropped into the ocean.
“Drones have also been fitted with a siren so if nothing else the UAVs flying along the coast and either sees somebody in trouble or a group potentially in trouble or if there’s marine life, dangerous marine life such as sharks or whatever in the area, the siren can be sounded,” Mr Williamsonsaid.
Mr Williamson says he would like to see the trial expanded nationally to provide surveillance of remote beaches, he doesn’t believe the surveillance drones will intrude on people’s privacy.
“At the end of the day this is about public safety,” Mr Williamson said. ”It’s not about intruding on anybody’s privacy and, fortunately, with our experience of having the fixed cameras network we haven’t had one problem or one complaint or one operator that hasn’t operated in strict accordance with those protocols that we have in place.” :: Read the full Radio National article »»»»
If you answered - IN YOUR CAR - you’re not alone. According to UK insurance company Diamond 20 per cent of women apply makeup in the car.
It might seem harmless, in reality it's possibly be more deadly than chatting or texting on the phone. A recent study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found touching up your lippy - or heaven forbid, applying an entire face - can increase a driver’s crash risk by three times whereas talking on the phone upped the risk by just 1.3 times.
Volkswagen and creative agency DDB Tribal Group teamed up with YouTube beauty star Nikkie of Nikkie Tutorials for a shock-and-awe “Don’t makeup and drive” video that’s already gone viral, the video above is the straight ad, below is the advertisement with commentary :: Read the rest of this entry »
From Sunday drivers in France will be obliged to carry breathalysers in their cars, in the latest measure aimed at cutting the number of alcohol-related deaths on the road. The idea is that with a breathalyser in every car, drivers who suspect they may be over the limit can test themselves and if necessary refrain from taking the wheel.
The previous government, which gave the go ahead, said it hoped the program might save around 500 lives every year. The breathalyser kits come in two forms: an expensive electronic device, which can be reused, or cheap single use, chemical kits which cost around $AU2.
The government has put a four month grace period in place until demand can be met. There is currently a serious shortage of devices, tens of millions of breathalysers are going to need to be supplied.
South Korea has successfully launched a space rocket carrying a science satellite, in a high-stakes test of national pride after North Korea got there first with a rocket launch last month. It was the South’s third attempt to launch a civilian rocket to send a satellite in orbit in the past four years.
