2017 S3 Unmanned Suborbital Shuttle

A Swiss company, Swiss Space Systems (S3), has unveiled an ambitious plan to build an unmanned suborbital shuttle by 2017, that would lift off from the back of an Airbus A300 jetliner to serve as a commercial satellite launch program.

Toronto Hydro: 32,000 customers without power

Because of Superstorm Sandy, Toronto Hydro says 32,000 customers are still without power Tuesday afternoon, and some may not have power back until as late as Thursday afternoon as the utility focuses on the largest outages first.
Hurricane sandy
From: thestar.com

Air Force Secretary Calls DMSP Satellites 'Out of Date'

1. Titus Ledbetter III
 
2. 04/5/12 02:15 PM ET
 
3. in Military

The U.S. Air Force’s top civilian admitted that the technology in the two aging Defense Meteorological Support Program (DMSP) military weather satellites that the service plans to launch is “out-of-date.” ...

Révolution Terre Lune Soleil

La Terre effectue un tour sur elle-même d’ouest en est en environ 24 h
La Terre effectue un tour complet autour du Soleil en 365,25 jours.
La Lune effectue un tour complet autour de la Terre en 27,3 jours

From: jesuiscultive.com

From: wikimedia.org

Workshop on Space Technology Applications for Sustainable Development of Asia

ADB's long-term strategic framework — Strategy 2020 — clearly defines our vision: a vision of an Asia and Pacific free of poverty; a region where the vast majority have joined hands on the path to prosperity. It also defines ADB's role in pursuing this vision through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.
We need to make growth more inclusive — to expand access to opportunities so that all can participate, regardless of their individual circumstances.
But we have challenging issues to achieve our goal. One issue is how to address the fact that Asia and the Pacific is a very disaster–prone region. A study has shown that, during 1980–2006, more than 45% of the world's water–related disaster fatalities and 90% of affected people were from Asia. And, climate change is a fundamental threat to achieving Asia's development objectives, and to life and livelihoods. These threats put the poor at risk more than anyone. Thus, protecting people from them is one of the most important measures for all of us.
http://beta.adb.org/news/speeches/workshop-space-technology-applications-sustainable-development-asia

ATR Reports New Annual Sales Record

Has Signed Firm Orders For 145 Aircraft, Plus 72 Options, Since The Beginning Of The Year

Officials for European regional turboprop maker ATR say 2011 has been a record year for sales, with 145 firm aircraft orders and an additional 72 options since the beginning of the year. The value of these orders is estimated at 3.2 billion dollars (4.8 billion including the options). The previous record was in pre-recession 2007, with 113 firm orders and 26 options.
These 145 firm orders represent over 80% of all regional aircraft sales (from 50 to 90-seats) since the beginning of the year. ATR has registered 34% of these orders with six new customers.
At the same time, these 145 airplanes have enabled ATR to reach a new record for its order book, which has grown to 275 aircraft and is valued at 6.2 billion dollars. This backlog represents nearly 4 years of production. It also represents 68% of the total backlog of 50 to 90-seat regional aircraft, thereby confirming the renewed interest in turboprop technology.
The figures were unveiled Thursday morning by the Chief Executive Officer of ATR, Filippo Bagnato, at a news conference held in Rome, during the General Assembly of the European Regions Airline Association. “This sales record, and the year is not yet over, once again underlines the relevance of our product to meet the requirements of regional transport, which continues to expand worldwide," he said. "In terms of savings, ecology, performance and comfort, ATR aircraft, and the newest -600 series in particular, have become the benchmark for regional airlines worldwide. ATR aircraft enable regional airlines to come out ahead thanks to their low operating costs.”
ATR 72-600 File Photo

Along with the sales record, ATR announced several orders at the meeting. U.S.-based aircraft lessor Air Lease Corporation (ALC) has ordered 2 new ATR 72-600 regional turboprop aircraft. In 2010, ALC had taken positions for 10 ATR 72-600s, plus options for 10 additional aircraft. The contract announced Thusday is the conversion of two of these ten options. The two aircraft are valued at a list price of US$ 45 million. Deliveries of these two ATR 72-600s to ALC will occur in the spring of 2013.
And Danish regional aircraft leasing company Nordic Aviation Capital (NAC) signed a contract Thursday for the purchase of 10 ATR 72-600s and 2 ATR 72-500s, plus options for 10 additional ATR 72-600s. The total amount of the deal, including options, is valued at $ 500 million. The 10 firm ATR 72-600s and the options had been previously inked, as Heads of Agreement, by both companies at the Paris Air Show last June, and now confirmed by the final contract signature. With the additional 2 ATR 72-500s unveiled today, NAC will bring to 103 the total fleet of ATRs in its portfolio. Deliveries of these two ATR 72-500s are scheduled before the end of the year. NAC will start receiving its ATR 72-600s next year.
Privately-owned NAC is the world’s largest turboprop leasing company. It currently has a portfolio of some 170 aircraft, including their 12 ATRs on order. NAC introduced ATR aircraft into its fleet in 2003, with the purchase of an ATR 42.

FMI: www.atr.com

Space shuttle behind schedule as it inches to final resting place

Los Angeles (CNN) -- The space shuttle Endeavour, accustomed to hurtling through space in its heyday, seemed to creep at a snail's pace as it headed toward its final resting place Sunday. The 22-year-old Endeavour, whose first takeoff for the International Space Station was "flawless" according to NASA, symbolically inched along the streets of Los Angeles in its journey to the California Science Center, where it will lie in retirement, showcasing the end of an era. The final U.S. space shuttle blasted through 123 million miles of space over 25 missions in its career.

The shuttle's 12-mile trek was expected to end Saturday night, but obstacles and a mechanical issue slowed it down, said Sgt. Rudy Lopez of the Los Angeles Police Department. It is expected to arrive between 9 a.m. and noon (12 p.m. to 3 p.m. ET), Lopez said.

Endeavour draws festival of admirers as it inches home

Endeavors Last Ride The future of space exploration Shuttle Endeavour wheeled through L.A. Endeavour rolls toward new home

Seventy-eight feed wide and 122 feet long, the Endeavour was designed to slice through the open atmosphere -- and faced a whole new kind of test riding a transporter platform along city roads to the cheers of onlookers.

While preparations had been taken -- including dozens of trees cut down and traffic signs removed -- in some places the shuttle had to navigate a very narrow path, threatening to knock down, or be damaged by, historic trees or poles, said Lopez. "There were a lot of identified trees that we did not want to cut down because they were dedicated to Martin Luther King Jr., so we made all the effort to avoid them," said Lopez. That was an especially tough task at night, slowing the trip down, he said. But in characteristic fashion, the Endeavour pulled through. Lopez said he had no reports of any damage to or by the ship.

Specialists were part of the convoy to make sure the Endeavour and its transporter platform, which together weigh more than 80 tons, didn't stress underground water and sewer systems. Crews laid 2,700 steel plates on parts of the route. While the big crowds that lined streets and gathered on rooftops Saturday were not out early Sunday, crowds may show up for the expected arrival at the museum, Lopez said.

Authorities called on spectators to make sure to bring plenty of water.

Stunning shots of Endeavour's final journey Gwendolyn Crews, owner of a preschool, told CNN she was bringing her entire preschool to watch the Endeavour's arrival at the museum.

"I think this is a history-making moment here in Los Angeles, California, and I want to be able to share this with my kids, my grandkids, my great-grandkids ... and the children of our school," Crews said.

"This once-in-a-lifetime event is a cause for celebration," Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said of the shuttle's trip through the city.

Latasha Covington and her children, 9-year-old Skilyn and 4-year-old Amarie, brought a chair out Saturday to stand on to get a better view.

"I've been here 32 years in L.A. and I've never seen anything like this, so it's part of history. I wanted them to see that," Covington said. The respect was a fitting tribute to the shuttle, which was delivered to Kennedy Space Center in May 1991.

NASA ended the shuttle program in July 2011.

Endeavour's final journey, are you there?

Endeavour's fellow shuttles Discovery, Enterprise and Atlantis are also now museum pieces. Named for the first ship commanded by British explorer James Cook, Endeavour cost of $1.7 billion when it rolled out as a replacement for Challenger, which exploded shortly after its 10th launch.

Over the next 20 years, Endeavour flew some of the highest-profile shuttle missions. It flew a Spacelab mission and numerous International Space Station assembly missions and rendezvoused with Russia's Mir Space Station.

The science museum has been trumpeting the arrival of the shuttle, saying it is building a new addition to its facility and will begin displaying Endeavour on October 30.