x-47b av-2 test flight is a success

Northrup Grumman's Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) demonstration program took a step forward with a successful test flight on Nov. 22 of the air vehicle 2 (AV-2). The AV-2 took off from Edwards AFB, CA and landed a half hour later, concluding an entirely pre-determined flight. "The X-47B is a computer-controlled unmanned aircraft system that takes off, flies a preprogrammed mission, and then returns to base - all in response to mouse clicks from a mission operator. The operator actively monitors the X-47B air vehicle's operation using simple situational awareness displays, but does not fly it via remote control, as some unmanned systems are operated," reports Space Travel. The next steps are carrier launches and recoveries in 2013 and "autonomous aerial refueling demonstrations are planned for 2014". A previous post covered the X-47B's maiden flight with video directly available here. The Rise of the Machines is taking place right before our eyes!

related update: x-37b's mysterious mission extended

phobos grunt: lost in space?

The plight of Phobos Grunt spacecraft remains an interesting dilemma. ESA (European Space Agency) ground station in Perth, Australia failed in attempts to signal Phobos Grunt, reveals  Spaceflight Now article. "Outfitted with a feedhorn antenna designed to attenuate the power of its radio signals...[the]...ground station heard signals from Phobos-Grunt twice last week...Perth's 49-foot dish antenna received limited telemetry from the spacecraft...Details on communications attempts have come exclusively from ESA," according to article. Russia requested the Perth station to transmit more orbit-raising commands. However, "the Perth facility only has between six and eight minutes each time Phobos-Grunt flies overhead in sight of the station, providing limited windows for transmitting commands and receiving data," continues article.

The casual observer gets a clearer picture how space communications actually work through space agencies' attempts to overcome failure. What will happen to Phobos Grunt? "Because Phobos-Grunt's altitude is so low, experts say the fuel-laden craft will succumb to the affects of drag and fall back to Earth early next year. Nicholas Johnson, NASA's chief orbital debris expert, said the re-entry may occur in late January or February, but a specific time period won't be known until much later," concludes the article. Is Phobos Grunt forever "lost in space" and Mars a futile destination in light of repeated failures?

cyberwar explodes in syria with state dept-funded software 'psiphon'

from cnn: A familiar digital chime rang on the computer. Someone was calling via Skype from Syria. It was a law student and opposition activist from the city of Homs who uses the pseudonym Musaab al Hussaini to protect himself from arrest. He had fresh reports that security forces were shooting guns wildly in the neighborhood Baba Amrr. Hussaini was calling via Psiphon, an online encryption system he had just installed that morning. He said it protected him from detection by the Syrian security services, also known as mukhabarat.

"Yeah, I feel safe now, because I use software to get an encryption connection to the Internet," Hussaini said. He said Psiphon also allowed him to circumvent government firewalls which block access to popular communications sites like Skype. "If you want to open Skype in Syria today, we cannot, because its blocked. And if it was opened, we would be afraid of everything ... of making a voice call. We are afraid to be recorded by the mukhabarat," he said.

Psiphon is a surveillance-busting networking system designed by a Canadian company with funding from the U.S. State Department. The company's CEO told CNN the software had been "aggressively" introduced to Syria just three weeks ago. Since then, thousands of people had begun using it.

"What we're doing is not much different to what the airwaves provided during the Cold War to provide those citizens living behind the Iron Curtain with an ability to get information which otherwise they were not getting from their state," said Rafal Rohozinski, CEO of two companies involved in developing Psiphon.

"Whereas shortwave radio during the Cold War was very unidirectional ... with the Internet these technologies are by definition bidirectional, meaning that it gives an opportunity for citizens within these states to also communicate amongst themselves and with the outside world."

For the past eight months, Syria has been locked in a bloody cycle of anti-regime protests and violent crackdown. The United Nations accuses government security forces of systematic torture, disappearances and the use of deadly force to crush dissent. More than 3,500 people have been killed since March. The UN's top human rights monitoring commission has repeatedly accused the Syrian regime of carrying out crimes against humanity.

But this bloody test of wills is not only being fought in the streets. Activists, diplomats and IT specialists say there is also a high-stakes war of information being waged in cyberspace.

kinect for windows to offer 'minority report' computer control

from telegraph: A new generation of PCs controlled by gestures is on its way, after Microsoft revealed it is specially adapting its Xbox Kinect technology for Windows computers. The system will allow Windows users to control software with the wave of a hand, as envisaged in the Steven Spielberg film Minority Report. "Building on the existing Kinect for Xbox 360 device, we have optimized certain hardware components and made firmware adjustments which better enable PC-centric scenarios," Craig Eisler, general manager of the Kinect for Windows program said in a blog post.

Kinect has proved a major hit on Xbox. A small device sits on top of the console or television and translates gamers’ body movement in to commands in racing, fighting and dancing titles. The Windows version offers the prospect of users controlling everyday office applications simply by moving their hands.

Microsoft said it has created a new 'Near Mode' for the PC version of Kinect, suitable for capturing smaller movements more accurately, suitable for working at a desk. "'Near Mode' will enable a whole new class of 'close up' applications, beyond the living room scenarios for Kinect for Xbox 360," said Mr Eisler.

Microsoft is already working with software developers on new motion-controlled Windows applications. "We’ve already seen strong enthusiasm for Kinect among developers who have done amazing things with it in countless different ways, from education to healthcare, gaming to art installations, manufacturing to retail," Mr Eisler said in another blog post.

related video update: 'mission impossible 4' shows #nui

1927 metropolis: silent sci-fi movie ahead of its time

The most expensive silent movie ever made, Metropolis, a dystopia of class struggle still impresses with its special effects. History of the film is equally interesting. The original Metropolis had a running time of 153 minutes, but was cut shortly after premiere with the lost footage only having been recently recovered. A Wikipedia entry informs, "on July 1, 2008, film experts in Berlin announced that a 16 mm reduction negative of the original premiere cut of the film, including almost all the lost scenes, had been discovered in the archives of the Museo del Cine (film museum) in Buenos Aires, Argentina." Metropolis suffered due to its length and seen rarely as intended by director, Fritz Lang. Roger Ebert provided a nice piece about the restoration, in 2010, a 150 minute Metropolis screened in the United States. A trailer for the restored Metropolis provides great movie preview. Metropolis is an amazing movie!

'twilight: breaking dawn' film reportedly triggering seizures

reports of 'twilight' seizures echo subliminal 'exorcist' panic

The latest 'Twilight' movie, 'Breaking Dawn', contains a birthing scene reported to elicit seizures. The vampire birthing scene has sharp flashes of black, white and red lights. Experts believe blue-tinted eye glasses can protect those predisposed, rendering red flashes harmless. Could it be the latest stupid teen craze to attend to see who falls out? The article reports a medical expert believes little damage would be done by a "one off" seizure. Daily Decibel tracks reports of those who experienced or witnessed seizures during the movie, many reports were by people who had never suffered an epileptic seizure before. The scene adds a new dimension to horror movies! You've been warned!

apple fails to fix security flaw in itunes for three years

An article at The Telegraph, "Apple iTunes flaw 'allowed government spying for three years'," reports that a British software company sells governments their hacking software - Finfisher - that exploits a security flaw in iTunes to deliver remote monitoring program through a bogus update. Are you surprised? Apple was informed of the flaw three years ago, but did not patch security breach until earlier this month, according to a security expert's blog post. You shouldn't be surprised because it's business as usual.

lieberman wants terrorist flagging button added to blogger

Senator Joseph Lieberman writes letter to Google requesting terrorist flagging feature be added to its blogging platform, Blogger, reports Cryptogon website. Lieberman moved to write letter due to recent bomb suspect Jose Pimentel's arrest. "Cops say he was putting the finishing touches on a pipe bomb when they arrested him Saturday," according to NYDailyNews.com article. "Pimentel is accused of hatching a plot to blow up police cars, post offices and U.S. soldiers." Governments move to quell dissent when public opinion turns against them; the Pimentel case represents an excuse for a crack down.

feds deny water utility hack

DHS & FBI dismiss foreign cyberattack as cause of Illinois utility water pump failure, reports TG Daily. The alphabet agencies conclude there's no evidence to support earlier claims!

SCADA security expert Joe Weiss, concerned about the lack of timely notification of threats to infrastructure, remains skeptical of latest DHS statements. In a followup WashPo article, Ellen Nakashima writes, "Weiss said that federal officials were seeking a degree of proof impractical for such a cyberattack. The control system at the Illinois plant probably does not log signals sent to the water pumps and, as a result, would contain no data on who might have gained access to the system, he said. 'Control systems don’t have that kind of logging'.” Weiss also points out his comments have been based on formal statements of disclosure from Illinois State Terrorism and Intelligence Center.

There doesn't exist a clear trail that can be documented to prove a cyberattack or where it originated. It's also clear from articles that the Illinois utility "suffered intrusions".

attention holiday shoppers: we're tracking your cell phone signal

Two U.S. Malls will track customers through cell phone surveillance, beginning on Black Friday. The Promenade Mall in Temecula, CA and Short Pump Town Center of Richmond, VA "...will track guests’ movements by monitoring the signals from their cell phones," according to Cryptogon.com. The article maintains it's the first time cell phones will be used to track customers. Do you believe it?

first contact with phobos grunt since nov 8th

A Perth, Australia tracking station made contact with errant Phobos Grunt spacecraft, yesterday. A Universe Today article reports actions of tracking station. "ESA [European Space Agency] said in a press release that the signals sent to Phoboos-Grunt commanded the spacecraft’s transmitter to switch on, sending a signal down to the station’s 15 m dish antenna. Data received from Phobos-Grunt were then transmitted from Perth to Russian mission controllers via ESA’s Space Operations Center, Darmstadt, Germany, for analysis." A full account of Russia's enlisting ESA assistance in regaining contact can be read here. ESA made near daily attempts to communicate with Phobos Grunt, since contact lost shortly after liftoff. It's interesting stuff!

actual race to mars could begin saturday

from foxnews: It’s a grueling marathon, only this time the finish line is the Red Planet -- and the race takes place at 70,000 miles per hour. NASA’s newest Mars rover is scheduled for launch Saturday; Curiosity should arrive at the Red Planet's mineral-rich Gale Crater next August, after a 354-million-mile, 8.5-month voyage aboard an Atlas V rocket. Meanwhile, the European Space Agency has received the first signal from an unmanned Russian spacecraft bound for a moon of Mars since it was stuck in Earth's orbit two weeks ago, officials said Wednesday -- raising hope that mission might be saved. ESA spokesman Bernhard von Weyhe said contact with Russia's Phobos-Grunt probe could be the first step in restabilizing the mission. If successful, Phobos-Grunt could leave Earth's orbit at more or less the same time as its American counterpart. It's a head-to-head race begun not with a pistol but a rocket launch. So who will reach Mars first?

gary mackinnon update: renewed hope for uk hacking trial

A judicial review of celebrated hacker Gary MacKinnon's lengthy extradition proceedings, were conducted fairly according to an article at The Register. Nonetheless, MacKinnon's mother Janis Sharp sees hope in Dominic Grieve, the present UK Attorney General, "... [he] has always insisted that Gary should be tried in the UK and that the forum should be brought into use by our judges in extradition cases," she said. The present writer suspects a purpose to the lopsided treaty.  The treaty may very well revert to greater parity, once, United States gets want it wants? Any reader will continue to have imagination titillated by thought of what MacKinnon may have seen! You may get an idea of what MacKinnon saw on Pentagon computers from a previous post here.

zero hour approaching for phobos-grunt

from examiner: What could be the most ambitious Mars mission in history could be doomed to failure within 24 hours thanks to a faulty rocket thruster that was designed to propel the Russian Phobos-Grunt probe to the Red Planet. Now, two weeks after a rocket stage failed to activate, Phobos-Grunt finds itself stuck in Earth's orbit, with potentially no way out, no way to make a controlled re-entry, and not much time left, either.

cyber attack reported on illinois water plant

video: cyber attack on water supply allegedly came from russia

A Washington Post article reports, "...foreign hackers caused a pump at an Illinois water plant to fail last week..." The FBI and Department of Homeland Security are investigating the Springfield, IL incident. In an interesting note, the article adds, "news of the incident became public after Joe Weiss, an industry security expert, obtained a report dated Nov. 10 and collected by an Illinois state intelligence center that monitors security threats. The original source of the information was unknown and impossible to immediately verify...The report blamed the damage on the actions of somebody using a computer registered to an Internet address in Russia". The article points out, "...if confirmed, would be the first known to have damaged one of the systems that supply Americans with water, electricity..." or first acknowledged attack resulting in physical damage to infrastructure. Readers should remain wary of report based on an "unknown source... impossible to verify"!

update: feds deny water utility hack

weekend weird news: alien coneheads or abnormalities?

Is the latest Peruvian discovery an alien skull? The specimen found in southeastern Peru, measures 50cm in head length (approx. 19.7 in.) and 20 in. body length.  An unusual body may be case of abnormality such as Progeria (victim lower right). There are many examples of conical-shaped heads, in the distant past, as depicted in a You Tube Video, "Massive Skulls of Nephilim". The video suggests a coverup of how ancient figures such as Nefertiti are represented in pictures, specifically, head shape and size. Coneheads are, possibly, more than a sci-fi story by Dan Aykroyd from a seventies Saturday Night Live skit, later, made into a full-length movie!

super soldier suggests desire to replace human beings

The concept of a Super Soldier, according to Wikipedia, has been around for some time in fiction. Wikipedia implies in a single entry real applications have not met with much success, "in the book The Men Who Stare at Goats, journalist Jon Ronson documents how the U.S. government repeatedly tried and failed to devise super-soldiers with psychic powers." Duncan O'Finioan, a real life Super Solder with psychic abilities in a Project Camelot interview, relates his grooming from a young age. O'Finioan is an example to support reality of  Super Soldiers. An article at The Independent, "'Super soldiers': The quest for the ultimate human killing machine," revisits idea with new information and a subtitle, suggesting goal is to mute those qualities that make us human!

"Generals not only want stronger, more alert and less stressed soldiers; they want smarter ones, too. One of the most bizarre neuroscience findings in recent years is that by immersing the human brain in a powerful magnetic field, its powers of reasoning and learning are almost magically enhanced. No one knows exactly how 'transcranial magnetic stimulation' (TMS) works, but the Australian neuroscientist Professor Allan Snyder believes that magnetic fields in some way 'switch off' the higher levels of mental processing that normally cloud our thoughts, allowing a 'pure' form of reasoning to take over," according to the article. A prudent warning is given at the end of the article, all the effort may backfire to produce a less capable zombie. This suggests to readers the Super Soldier is in a developmental phase and not introduced into live action. The O'Finioan case supports idea, the Super Solider has been in service, at least, since Vietnam!

A 2008 Time magazine article, "Can the Enemy Build a Super-Soldier?", the title providing time-tested and tired rationalization that we need to build one! Its crazy circular logic is a ploy used to justify virtually anything. Sleep and nutrition are subjects of contention, in this article, implying desire for soldiers who need little sleep or anything to eat! It sounds wonderful or is it wunderbar? A 90-page document by JASON scientists assessing, "Human Performance," gives readers an idea of immense effort involved! It's a must read for anyone. You may want to know why your boyfriend seems bionic, there's the possibility, he is!

The grimmest result of this push towards Super Soldiers, would be, remote guidance or control of a human being. It makes perfect sense from the perspective of managing war by reducing costs. An individual with no parents or social security number seems a plausible path towards that goal. It's not a pretty prospect!

china space program animation set to 'america the beautiful'

Shenzhou-8 landed in Inner Mongolia, today, after successfully docking in space. Universe Today article provides nice coverage of China's ambitious space program with two manned flights planned for 2012. Shenzhou-8 was unmanned. The Chinese space program animation is perhaps of greater interest to Americans, which curiously simulated docking set to song "America the Beautiful". Wow! The present writer suspects it's a nod to the Clinton Administration, who sold many scientific secrets to the Chinese in the nineties.

11/17 defcon: shall we play a game?

US general: we're cleared to cyber-bomb enemy hackers*

senate to debate cyber legislation in 2012*
what is the 'sopa' bill & why is it causing such a ruckus?*
websense predicts an explosive 2012 for cyber crime*
diaspora co-founder ilya zhitomirskiy passes away at 22*
idf, mossad & shin bet back online after day of computer malfunctions*
US satellites compromised by malicious cyber activity*
6 guys in a capsule: 520 days on a simulated mars mission*

google x & the lab of wildest dreams

from nytimes: In a top-secret lab in an undisclosed Bay Area location where robots run free, the future is being imagined. It’s a place where your refrigerator could be connected to the Internet, so it could order groceries when they ran low. Your dinner plate could post to a social network what you’re eating. Your robot could go to the office while you stay home in your pajamas. And you could, perhaps, take an elevator to outer space.

These are just a few of the dreams being chased at Google X, the clandestine lab where Google is tackling a list of 100 shoot-for-the-stars ideas. In interviews, a dozen people discussed the list; some work at the lab or elsewhere at Google, and some have been briefed on the project. But none would speak for attribution because Google is so secretive about the effort that many employees do not even know the lab exists.

Although most of the ideas on the list are in the conceptual stage, nowhere near reality, two people briefed on the project said one product would be released by the end of the year, although they would not say what it was. “They’re pretty far out in front right now,” said Rodney Brooks, a professor emeritus at M.I.T.’s computer science and artificial intelligence lab and founder of Heartland Robotics. “But Google’s not an ordinary company, so almost nothing applies.”

cybercommand wants more authority for cyberwars

The cybernoose is tightening! Gen. Keith Alexander, NSA and Cybercommand chief, advised an Omaha, Ne. audience today at the Strategic Command space and cyber conference about the need for "...more authority to defend ourselves in cyberspace". Alexander's rhetoric sounding a bit like a parochial politician with an ominous hint of paranoia, where defensive posture translates into cyber offensives! In an AOL article, "Cybercommand Presses For More Cyberwar Authority," the Cybercommand Chief made expansive comparisons to use of radios in World War II to coordinate air power to the present uses of force, "in a way that no one has anticipated". Alexander fingers Russia in seven cyber-attacks and blames adversaries for stealing American intellectual property. The paranoid rhetoric should make anyone uneasy! The "logical" solution is, of course, somewhat similar to "reasoning" used to justify the Iraq War. The United States needs to take out the enemy before they can hit us again! Anyone can also be deemed a threat, as well, to the economic infrastructure domestically!

cyberwars: duqu virus strikes iran

Golemreza Jalali, head of Iran's civil defense, concedes Iran is "...in the initial phase of fighting the Duqu virus," according to a Sydney Morning Herald article (SMH). "Symantec, the computer security firm, which has led investigations into Stuxnet and Duqu, said the new virus seemed to be intended to gain remote access to computer systems." The SMH article adds, "'...authors had access to the Stuxnet source code,' Symantec said. 'The attackers are looking for information such as design documents that could help mount an attack on an industrial control facility. Duqu is essentially the precursor to a Stuxnet-like attack.'" Is it a softening up preparatory phase - a prelude to war? The megalomaniac Israeli leaders want to attack even as a majority in Israel are against it!

facebook = cia databank

Are you surprised? You shouldn't be! Writer Sandeep Parwaga gets it right in article, "Facebook is a CIA Databank", "...Facebook and Google data mine information about you." Parwaga cites a November 4th AP article making it, officially, public knowledge. A previous February henrymakow.com article by Parwaga also covered issue, "Facebook & Google are CIA Fronts". The sad truth is only the most naive should be surprised, but the present writer suspects numbers are much larger. The thought of living in a surveillance society never even entered their minds! Big Brother is bigger and badder than ever! 1984 has arrived!

solar dynamics observatory online interactive

The Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) launched Feb. 11, 2010 on a five year mission to observe the Sun. An interesting 3-D interactive of SDO is available at NASA website. You will need to download 3D Life Player to view. SDO provides images of Sun as never seen before, you can view some SDO imaging work here. "SDO is a 3-axis stabilized spacecraft, with two solar arrays, and two high-gain antennas. The spacecraft includes three instruments: the Extreme Ultraviolet Variability Experiment (EVE) built in partnership with the University of Colorado at Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP), the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) built in partnership with Stanford University, and the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) built in partnership with the Lockheed Martin Solar & Astrophysics Laboratory," according to its Wikipedia entry. SDO makes gazing into the Sun a whole new love affair!

death stars: wolfe rayet class stars

Does the Wolfe Rayet star, WR104, 8,000 light years away, pose a threat to Earth? This is central question asked in, "Death Stars", an informative The Universe presentation. WR104 is of sufficient mass that once it collapses, will emit a very bright Gamma Ray Burst (GRB). The axis of the star is pointed towards Earth, which makes it a remote threat. Betelgeuse and Eta Carinae are stars in same class, the program compares, whose axes are not aligned with Earth. You learn whether a star may explode into a Super nova or able to emit a blinding GRB. You'll have to watch "Death Stars" to learn about 3C321, a violent interaction of two galaxies and which star presents the most likely threat to Earth.

phobos grunt space probe stuck in earth orbit

Russian Phobos Grunt space probe stuck in Earth orbit after engines fail to fire. "'The engine did not fire, neither the first nor the second burn occurred. This means that the craft was unable to find its bearings by the stars,' [Russian Space Agency Chief Vladimir] Popovkin said at Russia’s Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan," according to an Infowars.com article. There are reports the signal has been lost from the probe, "but Popovkin said officials were in contact with the probe, which remained in Earth’s orbit, and they had three days to set it on course before its batteries would run out". Is it another failed Mars probe?

phobos: appearance artificial underneath worn surface

Russia launched Phobos-Grunt spacecraft on Nov 8, a ten minute video of event is available here. Phobos-Grunt's mission to obtain soil samples from Martian moon's surface, returning in 2014 to Earth. A picture taken, at left, shows expected landing site, but worn away areas where light brown turns to green certainly appears artificial! The picture confirms observations of Richard C Hoagland miles of "geometric detail" on surface of Phobos? A history of failure leaves question will mission be successful?

sunspot faces earth for two weeks beginning nov8

A Technorati article compares growing sunspot monster AKA AR1339  to 1859 Carrington event. Writer Stephen Alexander informs, "from August 28 until September 2, 1859, the earth faced a similar scenario... On September 1, 1859, the largest flare came unleashed a coronal mass ejection [CME] straight at the Earth. And just 18 hours later, the largest recorded geomagnetic storm hit the Earth. In Boston, the light was so bright that even at 1:00 AM, people could read the newspaper without any other light sources around them. The currents in long Telegraph wires in both the United States and Europe experienced induced ElectroMagnetic Force. Fires broke out in the telegraph offices and even shocked the telegraph operators. Auroras were seen in Hawaii, Mexico, Cuba and Italy. This was the 1859 solar superstorm."

Alexander notes possible impact today from a geomagnetic superstorm, "...the electric grid to the United States could be virtually destroyed in the northern Half of the United States. With 130 million people without electricity for 4 to 10 years as 350 transformers are destroyed. The entire Alaska Pipeline could erupt into a fireball. All land line telephones could be destroyed." The author dismisses threat with a "...why worry, it's not going to happen...", but adds "it could". Will the earth be hit by a solar superstorm similar to the 1859 Carrington Event in next two weeks?

dawn mission update: vesta no longer fuzzy blob

Dawn spacecraft spent past month mapping asteroid 4 Vesta in a 420 mile High Altitude Mapping Orbit (HAMO). An article at Space Daily, "Dawn Journal for October," reveals successful phase of mission completed while the probe, "..has spent most of its time over the illuminated side taking pictures and other scientific measurements and most of the time over the dark side beaming its precious findings back to eager Earthlings...Dawn revolves in a polar orbit around Vesta, passing above the north pole, then traveling over the day side to the south pole, and then soaring north over the night side. Each circuit takes 12.3 hours. Meanwhile, Vesta completes a rotation on its axis every 5.3 hours." The spacecraft has captured more than 7000 images. The northern pole of Vesta, presently in darkness, awaits mapping in a Low Altitude Mapping Orbit (LAMO). The present writer asks where is Richard C Hoagland? Hoagland believes there's "geometric evidence" of ruins on Vesta, discussed a few months ago on Coast to Coast AM! Vesta has remained little more than a fuzzy blob for over 200 years ago, since Heinrich Wilhelm Olbers' discovery in 1807. The Dawn mission has turned our view of Vesta into crystal clarity in a very short time, indeed. Any evidence of geometric anomalies on Vesta's surface will be awaited with much anticipation!

dragon space: china has tracking station in australia

China acquires space tracking station in Western Australia, according to Space Daily article.  The Chinese station is located in Dongara, a remote site 217 miles north of Perth, Australia.  China also has four other tracking stations outside its borders in Chile, Namibia, Kenya and Pakistan.  It's lost any sense of novelty, some time ago, to see a Western country selling out to China.

2005 yu55 update: fly by expected at 200,00 miles from earth on nov 8

Many telescopes, around the world, will be pointed at asteroid 2005 YU55, during its expected fly by November 8 at 6:28/5:28 ET/CT. It's the closest passage at 200k by an asteroid since 1976, when asteroid 2010 XC15 went by unnoticed at about half the distance to the Moon. The asteroid will pass over the Northern Hemisphere, but will only be viewable by telescopes with a minimum 12.5 centimeter aperture. Astro Guyz website provides excellent details on the asteroid's passage as it crosses our skies.  Aricebo and Goldstone telescopes will closely study the asteroid, according to JPL research scientist, Lane Benner in brief video here. ESA Herschel space observatory will also study near Earth asteroid, YU55.

manned iss flights look better after successful soyuz launch

from pcmag: The successful Sunday launch of a Russian cargo ship on a mission to resupply the International Space Station is an important step in resuming manned flights to the orbiting laboratory after a launch accident destroyed another unmanned freighter in August, according to Russian and NASA officials. "It was a perfect launch," Mission Control spokesman Valery Lyndin said, according to reports. The Progress M-13M spacecraft atop a Soyuz rocket blasted off on schedule at 6:11 a.m. ET on Sunday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and has now reached its designated orbit.

is active region 1339 the big one?

Is Active Region 1339 (AR1339) the "Big One", the reason government and insiders are stressing emergency preparedness? "NASA Warns Employees and Families to BE PREPARED,"comes to mind. Universe Today (UT) in article, "Largest Sunspot in Years Now on the Sun, reports AR1339 came into direct view on November 3. The huge sunspot located in the upper left (picture) is a "Bad Boy" in opinion of Solar Dynamics Observatory mission. A solar flare from AR1339 "...peaked at X1.9. X-class flares are massive, and can be major events that can trigger planet-wide radio blackouts and long-lasting radiation storms. This region is not facing Earth — yet. But we’ll be keeping on eye on it as it turns toward an Earth-facing direction," according to the UT article. The real question is where the sunspot will be on November 8? Will AR1339 be facing Earth?

teen murderer undone by 'world of warcraft' confession

from threat level: When Kruse Wellwood, a 16-year-old in British Columbia, raped and murdered a classmate who jilted him, he attempted to set up a digital alibi by sending an instant message to the missing girl asking why she never showed up to meet him. But the disturbed teen, ironically the son of a convicted murderer who’s serving a life sentence for murdering a different 16-year-old girl, left loads of other digital evidence pointing to his crime – including a text message he sent from the site where he and a teen accomplice dumped the body of their victim, Kim Proctor... He later confessed to murdering Proctor in a World of Warcraft chat session.

2005 yu55 to hit moon?

Is there predictive programming in place about Near Earth Objects and their threat? Is the programming effort meant to familiarize everyone with impending tragedy and doom? It's only a question of "when" not "if" type of agenda? A rational mind wonders, at times, if the puppetmasters aren't sometimes testing limits? A recent uploaded video title asks, "November 9th: Asteroid YU55 to hit Moon?". The video is a trailer from a 2008 ABC mini-series "Impact", where an asteroid hits the backside of the Moon. The large asteroid - miles in length - composed of dense matter from a dwarf star, alters the Moon's mass and polarity to send it on a collision course with Earth! Is the suggestion meant to stretch our bounds of the possible? The suggestion logged in the back of a mind when the mind's critical facility is off while passively viewing television?  Everyone should consider it. Now, Richard C Hoagland interviews on Revolution Radio on just this scenario of 2005 YU55 hitting the Moon. The present writer suggests a look beneath the surface of outlandish claims to reflect on how they change a person's view of such threats. Would you be less surprised if such a event took place? The suspected answer is yes.