How NASA lost a Satellite, And an Amateur Radio Astronomer Found It.

Amateur search for dead spy satellite turns up undead NASA mission

Earlier this week, an amateur radio astronomer named Scott Tilley decided to have a look for the presence of secret military satellites. It's something he apparently does semi-regularly, and in this case his search was inspired by the Zuma satellite, a secret US government payload that was reportedly lost on its way to space.

From article, (Earlier this week, an amateur radio astronomer named Scott Tilley decided to have a look for the presence of secret military satellites. It's something he apparently does semi-regularly, and in this case his search was inspired by the Zuma satellite, a secret US government payload that was reportedly lost on its way to space. 

 Instead, he found an undead NASA mission. 

Given the clear indication of a radio signal, Tilley matched its orbit to a NASA satellite called IMAGE. IMAGE was launched back in 2000 with a mission of studying Earth's magnetosphere. Over five years of operation, it created a three-dimensional map of the charged particles that move along Earth's magnetic field lines. But contact was lost in 2005, and NASA eventually attributed that to a one-time event in the power system that the satellite wasn't designed to recover from.

But the accident review noted that IMAGE's orbit sporadically left it in Earth's shadow, which would reset the power system as the craft's solar panels went dark. The next expected event of the sort was in 2007, but if anyone at NASA tried to contact the probe after that, nobody seems to be aware of that effort now.

Since we already knew IMAGE existed, however, Tilley put his re-discovery aside for a bit. But as he switched to other frequencies, he found that IMAGE was actively transmitting data. At this point, he did some searches and found that IMAGE was considered lost due to the power failure. So he decided to take a more careful look at his signal and confirmed that it contained signs that the satellite was rotating at a rate that was consistent with IMAGE. Since then, several other amateurs have confirmed his findings.

We have no sense of what shape the satellite is currently in or even how much of its hardware is still operational. But one of the mission's original co-investigators, Rice's Patricia Reiff, found Tilley's blog post and commented that, "There are fantastic instruments (active and passive) who could definitely provide useful scientific data." She said she would try to get Tilley the information he would need to extract data from the signals he was monitoring.

Meanwhile, a NASA scientist told AmericaSpace that “We’re still not sure it really is IMAGE, but we are working to identify people knowledgeable about the mission after all this time and working on getting all the appropriate scripts and software in place just in case it is IMAGE." Given the relative costs of launching vs. maintaining contact with a satellite, if IMAGE can still provide useful data, Tilley just may have given NASA scientists a bargain.)

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Tesla, BMW, Chevrolet and Nissan are investing in Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide Batteries. But could Lithium-Sulfur batteries be the next step in Electric Car Batteries?

Breakthrough Battery Technology Uses Manganese Sheets

Further demand for high grade, high purity manganese may be driven by new technology thanks to breakthroughs like the new discovery by researchers that using a nanosheet of manganese dioxide increases the performance of lithium-sulphur batteries significantly. Manganese companies watchful of development include Ferroglobe PLC (NASDAQ: GSM), Glencore PLC (LSE: GLEN), Anglo American PLC (LSE: AAL), and Maxtech Ventures (TSX: MVT) (OTC: MTEHF).

From article, (Further demand for high grade, high purity manganese may be driven by new technology thanks to breakthroughs like the new discovery by researchers that using a nanosheet of manganese dioxide increases the performance of lithium-sulphur batteries significantly.

 High grade, high purity manganese is used as a primary cathode material in lithium-ion manganese batteries or NCM batteries. The NCM formulation of batteries is the slated as the next generation of battery cathodes, after the lithium-nickel-cobalt-aluminum design (NCA) battery.

International miners that produce manganese have seen positive growth of global demand and price increases. Majors including Ferroglobe PLC (NASDAQ: GSM), a leading producer of manganese, Anglo American PLC (LSE: AAL), a large miner of manganese worldwide, and Glencore PLC (LSE: GLEN), a highly diversified company that produces significant manganese, have all moved to expand manganese resources this year.

Large producers are shifting to acquire existing manganese resources, while one junior mining company is advancing manganese resources in Brazil through near term production. Maxtech Ventures (TSX: MVT) (OTC: MTEHF) is moving to develop manganese with a prominent local distribution channel in place.

One of the most promising battery technology breakthroughs comes from the University of Waterloo in Canada, where a team of researchers has found that using a nanosheet of manganese dioxide increases the performance of lithium-sulphur batteries significantly.

This boost has the potential to increase the range of an electric vehicle by up to three times for the same weight of lithium-ion battery.

The study brings the Li-S battery one step closer to realization.

In the model used in the research, the manganese dioxide nanosheet transforms the sulfur cathode used in the LI-S battery into a high-performance cathode capable of recharging over 2000 times.

Sulfur by virtue of its abundance, cheapness, and light weight make for an ideal battery material, but hasn't worked well because it dissolves easily in electrolyte solution. While there are various methods for stabilizing sulfur including the use of metallic titanium oxide, manganese dioxide nanosheets have been shown in this study to work much better.  

This technology has been known since the 19th century, but sulfur science has taken a backseat in that time and this study gives the first real glimmer of hope for sulphur as a cathode material.

While manganese-based batteries are not new to the industry, the model described in the current research can only accelerate demand.

Lithium Nickel Manganese Cobalt Oxide (NMC) already form a major segment of batteries used in EVs. Tesla recently signed a five-year agreement with NMC battery researcher Dr. Jeff Dahn to help improve the technology and bring costs down. The EV divisions of other major car makers such as BMW, Chevrolet and Nissan are also keen on adopting NMC battery technology for their vehicles.

Bridging the gap in demand is the lucrative challenge for mining companies who can bring new supplies to the table in the near term.)

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Thinking about Deep Sea Mining, before the Mining.

Deep sea mining: Charting the risks of a new frontier | Environment| All topics from climate change to conservation | DW | 24.01.2018

The Earth's oceans hide vast amounts of valuable minerals and metals, and as some onshore deposits run low, mining companies are looking for ways to make deep sea mining both technologically possible and profitable. This is partly driven by the need for so-called rare earth metals to produce the magnets, batteries and microchips driving our gadgets, electric cars and wind turbines.

 From article, (The Earth's oceans hide vast amounts of valuable minerals and metals, and as some onshore deposits run low, mining companies are looking for ways to make deep sea mining both technologically possible and profitable.

This is partly driven by the need for so-called rare earth metals to produce the magnets, batteries and microchips driving our gadgets, electric cars and wind turbines.

"New technologies have initiated the new gold rush," says Andrea Koschinsky, a professor of geoscience at Jacobs University in the northern German city of Bremen.

"Many of the new technologies — for example magnets of the wind turbines — need tons and tons and tons of rare earth elements."

Some deep sea mining machines have already been built, and many countries have bought permits for deep sea mineral prospecting in a massive 1.2 million-square-kilometer (463,322-square-mile) area of the eastern Pacific Ocean.

Until now, deep sea mining has been hampered by high costs and technological challenges. The most feasible method would be to harvest so-called nodules — potato-shaped rocks made of manganese oxide — from the flat sea floor some 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) down.

These could simply be picked up by specialized machinery, before being brought to the surface to be processed."It is still associated with high cost in the beginning, but once these investments have been made — and some prototypes of well-functioning machines exist — I think it should be possible from both technological and financial sides," Koschinsky says.

Because of the warmer waters forming around these structures, they can be home to complex ecosystems. Yet Koschinsky is less worried about the possible impact on these areas from mining operations.

"These organisms are adapted to relatively quick and drastic changes," she says.

"They live in a toxic environment anyway," she explains. Such systems are frequently hit by volcanic eruptions, and then a new vent system comes up. "So they can probably recover relatively quickly.)

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A way to Treat Pancreatic Cancer Found. Uses common flu. Works on Mice. Can it Work in Humans?

Flu virus could be used to treat pancreatic cancer, researchers find

A modified form of the common flu virus has been reprogrammed to hunt down and attack pancreatic cancer tumours, but leave healthy cells unharmed. Scientists were also able to show that the virus could be injected into the bloodstream to kill cancer cells, which may have spread to other parts of the body in more advanced forms of the disease.

 From article, (A modified form of the common flu virus has been reprogrammed to hunt down and attack pancreatic cancer tumours, but leave healthy cells unharmed.

Scientists were also able to show that the virus could be injected into the bloodstream to kill cancer cells, which may have spread to other parts of the body in more advanced forms of the disease.

“The new virus specifically infects and kills pancreatic cancer cells, causing few side effects in nearby healthy tissue,” said lead author, Dr Stella Man, from Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary University London (QMUL), who described it as “selective and effective”.

The team say that the advance could become a promising treatment for one of the most aggressive forms of cancer.

“Viruses are nature’s nanotechnology,” according to Professor Gerard Evan, lead pancreatic cancer researcher at Cancer Research UK, who was not involved in this study. He said harnessing viruses to target key cells is now an “exciting avenue” for research.

In 2015, researchers at Royal Marsden Hospitals provided “world first” confirmation that a modified form of the cold sore-causing herpes virus could improve survival of patients with skin cancers.

A study earlier this month showed viruses can be tailored to attack brain tumours, which are hard to reach with other treatments and drugs.

The latest study, published in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics,explored whether viruses could be similarly effective in hard-to-treat pancreatic tumours.

The team used mice that had human pancreatic cells grafted onto them and a version of the influenza virus that had been tweaked to react to one of the unique markers of pancreatic cancer.

These cancer cells have a molecule, alpha v beta 6, that is not found in healthy human cells, and the virus was modified to have a receptor-protein molecule on its outer cell that lets it detect and bind to these cells.

Once a virus binds to a cell it injects its genetic material into it and replicates, forming lots of new virus copies which replicate and burst out to infect more cells – in this case the remaining tumour cells.

The researchers say their new technique has produced the most selective viral cancer therapy seen to date, which allows it to be safely injected to spread around the body.

Around 9,800 patients are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK each year, and just 5 per cent of patients will still be alive five years later – the lowest survival rate of any cancer.

Dr Man added: “If we manage to confirm these results in human clinical trials, then this may become a promising new treatment for pancreatic cancer patients, and could be combined with existing chemotherapy drugs to kill persevering cancer cells.”

Independent experts warned that the findings, which only looked at mice, would need to be replicated in humans but said it was exciting to see viruses could be reprogrammed to selectively kill tumour cells in this way.)

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How to Make News? Suggest a Bridge.

Bridge between Northern Ireland and Scotland 'could create Celtic powerhouse' - BelfastTelegraph.co.uk

A bridge linking Northern Ireland and Scotland could create a "Celtic powerhouse", a top architect has claimed. Professor Alan Dunlop from Liverpool University said a road and rail crossing from Larne to Dumfries and Galloway would boost the Irish and Scottish economies, and help ease border pressures after Brexit.

From article, ("A bridge between Scotland and Northern Ireland would be an excellent idea," he said.

Prof Dunlop's comments followed suggestions by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson that a bridge linking England and France could be on the table.

In an interview with Scottish newspaper The National, Prof Dunlop stated that an Irish-Scottish suspension bridge would make more sense than one in the English Channel, which could cost as much as £120bn.

 Estimating a possible cost for an Irish-Scottish bridge, Prof Dunlop said it could be completed for between £15bn to £20bn.

He also suggested a bridge could help iron out post-Brexit issues including customs, borders and access to the European market. Discussing the various possibilities, Prof Dunlop said a rail and road bridge, like one connecting Denmark and Sweden across the Oresund Strait, could be built between Larne and the village of Portpatrick in south west Scotland.

And while Beaufort's Dyke - a 300m-deep sea trench off the Scottish coast - would prove challenging for engineers, he said the part of the bridge above the dyke could be attached to the bottom and float, "much like an oil rig". He also said a bridge, while more expensive, would be a better option than a tunnel.

"A bridge is much better than a tunnel for it is a dramatic, visual marker for the aspirations and ambition of a country in the 21st century and beyond."

The architect added that a bridge between Torr Head on the Antrim Coast and the Mull of Kintyre would be technically easier to build, but it might not attract commuters in sufficient numbers.

Former NI Economy Minister Simon Hamilton said: "Imagine being able to board a train in Belfast or Dublin and be in Glasgow or Edinburgh in just a few hours. It would revolutionise our trade and tourism never mind our sense of interconnectedness. It maybe isn't as unrealistic an idea as you'd first think.")


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The Amazon at Amazon.

Inside Amazon's spheres, where workers chill in a rainforest

Three years ago, Amazon.com's horticulturalist was giving Jeff Bezos a preview of what the company's three plant-filled spheres-the centerpiece of its $4 billion downtown Seattle office project-would look like on opening day. One rendering showed the view from a 30-foot-high suspension bridge looking down on a tree.

From article, (The online retailer is scheduled to unveil the spheres Monday morning following seven years of planning and construction. The glass orbs were built to let Amazon workers escape from emails, meetings, reports and deadlines to walk along stone paths beside waterfalls, let ferns from South America brush their shoulders and the moist, tropical air fill their lungs.

Wi-Fi is available for those looking to work, as well as small meeting spaces like the "bird's nest," perched along the suspension bridge beneath Rubi that resembles a tree fort swaying in the branches. The spheres can accommodate 800 people at a time, and Amazon will use employee badges to monitor time spent inside and make sure no one hogs the tree fort. Management wants employees to relax, just not too much.

 Besides creating a park-like setting where workers can recharge, the spheres will serve as a recruiting tool, says John Schoettler, who runs Amazon's global real estate division and oversaw the project. Candidates interviewed in the spheres will leave with the impression that Amazon remains a forward-thinking company, he says.

"From the moment we started construction, people would stand on the street corners taking photographs," Schoettler said. "This structure is about thinking big and thinking long term.")

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Trappist System is the Best Candidate for life. If only we could get a Probe and or Colonists there.

These Earth-like Trappist-1 Planets Are the Best Candidates for Alien Life Ever Found

Despite being 39 light-years away from out solar system, Trappist-1 may be our best shot at finding habitable exoplanets-and alien life. The system is centered on an ancient, cool red dwarf star, and has seven planets, which are similar in size to our own Earth.

From article, (Despite being 39 light-years away from out solar system, Trappist-1 may be our best shot at finding habitable exoplanets—and alien life. 

 "With the exception of TRAPPIST-1c, all seven of the planets have densities low enough to indicate the presence of significant H2O in some form. Planets b and c experience enough heating from planetary tides to maintain magma oceans in their rock mantles; planet c may have eruptions of silicate magma on its surface, which may be detectable with next-generation instrumentation. Tidal heat fluxes on planets d, e, and f are lower, but are still 20 times higher than Earth's mean heat flow. Planets d and e are the most likely to be habitable."

This new information comes from models the team has made of tidal heat generation on each planet, meaning that the assessments above are just estimations for now—until that "next-generation instrumentation" comes along, we may not be able to confirm what each of the exoplanets actually looks like. Still, it's encouraging that early modeling has already pointed to the Trappist-1 system being a haven for life.

With plans to colonize Mars on the horizon (and maybe Venus and Jupiter's moons, if you believe Mars One), Trappist-1 colonization may have to wait until we find a way to cover 229 trillion miles in a span of time that doesn't result in astronauts dying of old age. In the meantime, maybe we'll catch a glimpse of alien life on planet "e.")

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Those frigid temperatures that have made you dread going out during the day? Well, they are part of Global Warming.

The U.S. Is About to Get Real Cold Again. Blame It on Global Warming

Because the world is getting warmer, it's getting colder, too. Crazy as that sounds, there's an explanation in the northernmost corner of the the planet, where temperatures are rising twice as fast as anywhere else. That affects the jet streams churning through the upper atmosphere, and results in more weird winter cold snaps.

 From article, (Because the world is getting warmer, it’s getting colder, too.

Crazy as that sounds, there’s an explanation in the northernmost corner of the the planet, where temperatures are rising twice as fast as anywhere else. That affects the jet streams churning through the upper atmosphere, and results in more weird winter cold snaps.

Climate change is reducing the gap between North Pole temperatures and those to the south, weakening winds in the upper atmosphere and creating conditions that propel their currents in unusual new ways.

The North Atlantic jet stream has been moving exceptionally far north or south more frequently since the 1960s than at any time in the last 300 years, according to a studyco-authored by Trouet and published in the journal Nature Communications. This is the first research to use climatological data gleaned from tree-growth rings to reconstruct centuries of wind patterns.

The average air temperature over Arctic land last year was the second highest, after 2016, since 1900. Readings were 2.9 degrees Fahrenheit above the average for 1981 to 2010, according to a report sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The amount of summer sea ice in the Arctic has declined by more than 30 percent in the past few decades. This has exposed more open water and land, which absorb heat and accelerate warming. The shift has been happening more quickly than computer models projected; summer seasons that are completely ice-free around the pole are considered likely sometime in the next few decades.

An odd, disruptive meteorological condition “is an incredibly effective tool to get the public to understand better how climate is going to affect them,” Francis said. In other words, when icicles are forming in your swimming pool in Houston, you just know something is going on.)

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200,000 years ago this man or woman died. Today, we find out, he or she, is the oldest known Homo sapien Specimen discovered

Israeli archaeologists find oldest human remains out of Africa, from nearly 200,000 years ago

Israeli archaeologists have found the remains of a nearly 200,000-year-old human jawbone in a cave on Mount Carmel, a discovery they predict will change what we know about the evolution and spread of our species.

 From article, (Israeli archaeologists have found the remains of a nearly 200,000-year-old human jawbone in a cave on Mount Carmel, a discovery they predict will change what we know about the evolution and spread of our species.

The jawbone, dated to between 177,000 and 194,000 years ago, suggests Homo sapiens was already leaving Africa through the Middle East and populating the rest of the globe at a time when, according to previous research, modern humans were thought to be barely taking their first evolutionary steps in their ancestral home in East Africa.
Details about the find will be published in the journal Science on Friday.

 “The moment you say there is modern Homo sapiens in Israel between 170,000 to 200,000 years ago, suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle fall into place,” says Prof. Israel Hershkovitz, a physical anthropologist at Tel Aviv University and lead researcher on the Science paper.

The find at Misliya Cave makes sense in light of several discoveries that have been made over the last couple of years and that have already suggested that the traditional “out of Africa” paradigm needed to be reviewed, Hershkovitz says.

Those discoveries include last year’s announcement that remains found at Jebel Irhoud, Morocco, had been identified as early Homo sapiens and dated to 300,000 years ago – some 100,000 years before our supposedly earliest ancestors from Ethiopia.

Researchers had also previously uncovered 47 human teeth in a cave in Daoxian, China, that were around 100,000 years old, meaning that Homo sapiens reached the Far East tens of thousands of years before that supposedly unique exodus from Africa.)


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