Russian spacecraft to crash soon, risks unclear

FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011 file photo, the Zenit-2SB rocket with the Phobos-Ground probe blasts off from its launch pad at the Cosmodrome Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Some of the recent failures of Russian spacecraft may have been caused by hostile interference, Roscosmos chief Vladimir Popovkin said. Popovkin made the comment when asked about the failure of the unmanned Phobos-Ground probe, which was to explore one of the Mars twin moons, Phobos, but became stranded while orbiting Earth after its Nov. 9 launch. The spacecraft is expected to fall to Earth around Jan. 15. ( (AP Photo/File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011 file photo, the Zenit-2SB rocket with the Phobos-Ground probe blasts off from its launch pad at the Cosmodrome Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Some of the recent failures of Russian spacecraft may have been caused by hostile interference, Roscosmos chief Vladimir Popovkin said. Popovkin made the comment when asked about the failure of the unmanned Phobos-Ground probe, which was to explore one of the Mars twin moons, Phobos, but became stranded while orbiting Earth after its Nov. 9 launch. The spacecraft is expected to fall to Earth around Jan. 15. ( (AP Photo/File)

FILE - In this Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2011 file photo, the Zenit-2SB rocket with the Phobos-Ground probe blasts off from its launch pad at the Cosmodrome Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Some of the recent failures of Russian spacecraft may have been caused by hostile interference, Roscosmos chief Vladimir Popovkin said. Popovkin made the comment when asked about the failure of the unmanned Phobos-Ground probe, which was to explore one of the Mars twin moons, Phobos, but became stranded while orbiting Earth after its Nov. 9 launch. The spacecraft is expected to fall to Earth around Jan. 15. (AP Photo/Oleg Urusov, Pool, File)

In this Nov. 2, 2011 file photo distributed by Russian Roscosmos space agency technicians work on the Phobos-Ground probe at Baikonur, Kazakhstan. Some of the recent failures of Russian spacecraft may have been caused by hostile interference, Roscosmos chief Vladimir Popovkin said. Popovkin made the comment when asked about the failure of the unmanned Phobos-Ground probe, which was to explore one of the Mars twin moons, Phobos, but became stranded while orbiting Earth after its Nov. 9 launch. The spacecraft is expected to fall to Earth around Jan. 15. (AP Photo/ Russian Roscosmos space agency) EDITORIAL USE ONLY

(AP) ? A Russian space probe designed to burnish the nation's faded space glory in a mission to one of Mars' moons has turned into one of the heaviest, most toxic pieces of space junk ever.

It will come crashing down to Earth in just a few days.

The Russian space agency Roscosmos' latest forecast has the unmanned Phobos-Ground probe falling out of Earth's orbit Sunday or Monday, with the median time placing it over the Indian Ocean just north of Madagascar. It said the precise time and place of its uncontrolled plunge can only be determined later, and unless someone actually spots fiery streaks in the sky, no one may ever know where any surviving pieces end up.

Space experts agree it's unlikely to pose big risks.

At 13.2 metric tons (14.6 tons), the Phobos-Ground is one of the largest spacecraft ever to plummet to Earth, considerably larger than the two defunct satellites that fell to Earth last fall and landed in the water.

Roscosmos predicted that only between 20 and 30 fragments of the Phobos probe with a total weight of up to 200 kilograms (440 pounds) will survive the re-entry and plummet to Earth.

It's the third satellite to crash out of the sky in under five months: An old NASA 6-ton atmospheric research satellite came tumbling down in September, and a 3-ton German science satellite followed suit in October. But both were well past their prime.

Russia's Phobos-Ground probe is still a mere babe. It was launched in November, and a glitch left it stranded in orbit around Earth instead of bound for Mars to collect soil samples.

"What's different about this re-entry is that it's not a re-entry of an old, inert satellite that just was expected for years. It's something that is coming down because of an accident ... for me, that puts it in a different category," said Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass.

Another striking difference is the 11 metric tons (12 tons) of highly toxic rocket fuel aboard Phobos-Ground, accounting for the bulk of its weight for the long journey to the Martian moon of Phobos. This makes it potentially the most toxic spacecraft to fall ever.

Roscosmos insists all the fuel will burn in the atmosphere and pose no danger, and some experts in Russia and the West share that forecast.

And if it's any consolation, both of the two previous uncontrolled satellites harmlessly showered fragments over water.

"The fuel indeed poses lethal danger in case of close contact, but I haven't heard of a single case of any civilians poisoned by rocket fuel from all the derelict satellites and failed rockets throughout the space era," said Igor Lissov, an independent Moscow-based space observer. "The objective reality is that it burns on re-entry. There is no reason to panic."

Some experts theorized, however, that part of the fuel might have frozen in the cold of space and could survive the fiery descent, posing a strong threat if it spills over populated areas. Such fears prompted the United States to shoot down its USA-193 spy satellite with a Navy missile in 2008.

Some botched Russian rocket launches in the past have showered fragments over populated areas in Siberia and neighboring Kazakhstan.

In the latest such mishap, fragments of a Russian satellite that failed to enter a designated orbit after its launch last month came down around Novosibirsk, the third-largest Russian city with a population of about 1.5 million, damaging some houses but hurting no one. The fragments of the Meridian satellite, however, fell from a lower altitude at a far slower speed than the Phobos-Ground debris will have on re-entry.

Engineers from the Moscow-based company NPO Lavochkin, which built the Mars probe, said in an article giving a detailed description of the design that its fuel tanks are made of aluminum alloy. That means they should melt early on re-entry, backing up official assurances that the fuel would burn up on its way down.

McDowell said the probability is low that a large lump of toxic stuff will prove hazardous.

He noted that some of the probe's equipment is dense and could survive re-entry, but added the odds are that any surviving pieces will wind up in the ocean.

"All the best rules in the world" put in place to prevent uncontrolled satellites from crashing down do little if any good in the event of a launch failure, McDowell said. "This is always going to be the risk that something breaks, and you end up with a situation like this. You can minimize it, but you can't prevent it entirely."

The $170-million Phobos-Ground mission was Russia's most expensive and the most ambitious space endeavor since Soviet times. The spacecraft was intended to land on the crater-dented, potato-shaped Martian moon, collect soil samples and fly them back to Earth, giving scientists precious materials that could shed more light on the genesis of the solar system.

The probe was successfully launched Nov. 9 and entered a preliminary orbit where its engines were supposed to fire to set it on its path to Mars. They never did, and attempts to fix the glitch by Russian and European Space Agency experts failed.

Russia's space chief has acknowledged the Phobos-Ground mission was ill-prepared and risks of its failure were high, but said that Roscosmos had to give it the go-ahead so as not to miss the limited Earth-to-Mars launch window.

Phobos-Ground marked Russia's first planned foray beyond Earth's orbit since a botched 1996 robotic mission to Mars. That probe, designed by the same Lavochkin company, crashed shortly after launch due to an engine failure. The firm also built two other Phobos-bound probes that failed in 1988.

The crash of Mars-96 generated strong international fears because of some 200 grams of plutonium onboard. The craft eventually showered its fragments over the Chile-Bolivia border in the Andes Mountains, and the pieces were never recovered.

Russian officials continue to insist the craft plunged into the Pacific, their way of deflecting criticism for not warning the inhabitants of the impact area and for failing to search for plutonium and other debris.

Fears of radiation also were sparked by the fall of a nuclear-powered Soviet spy satellite that crashed over northwestern Canada in January 1978. The Soviets claimed the craft completely burned on re-entry, but a massive recovery effort by Canadian authorities recovered a dozen fragments, most of which were radioactive.

The Phobos-Ground contains a tiny quantity of the radioactive metal Cobalt-57 in one of its instruments, but Roscosmos said it poses no threat of radioactive contamination.

___

AP Aerospace Writer Marcia Dunn contributed from Cape Canaveral, Fla.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-12-EU-Russia-Falling-Spacecraft/id-2efe7d44ad94462c9c6692ae1e6d23e7

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Khartoum bourse launches electronic trade (Reuters)

KHARTOUM (Reuters) ? The Khartoum stock exchange on Sunday launched a long-awaited computer trading system that will bring to an end an era of scribbling stock prices on white boards and also marks Sudan's efforts to attract more investment.

But very thin trading in the first session of the electronic system -- a gift from Oman -- highlighted the need to overhaul regulations and transparency.

None of the 40 stocks listed on the display in the new trading room moved in the first 45 minutes. Trading focused as always on government-issued Islamic bonds, known as shahamas, which changed hands for 114,036 Sudanese pounds ($38,000).

"I think the new electronic system will improve transparency and provide more information so volumes will rise much," said Taha Hussein Yousif, General Manager at local broker HH Stock Exchange Co.

"But we also need more regulation and information on companies. We need a new security law," he said.

He said there was interest in large firms such as telecoms Sudatel (SDTL.AD) or Islamic banks such as Faisal Islamic Bank but with little corporate information on other firms overall liquidity was thin.

Altayeb Musawi Shaigoog, legal expert at the Muscat partner bourse, said the new system was a big step forward to give access to other exchanges and allow more cross listings.

"They now need to develop regulations, the primary market with IPOs and have solid companies," he said.

Officials hope the bourse will attract more investment as the country seeks to overcome a severe economic crisis after losing two-thirds of its oil production to South Sudan.

"This is the beginning of new era. God willing, there will be also trading with gold, minerals and real estate," said the stock exchange's general manager Osman Hamad Khair.

The Khartoum bourse is small by international standards with a market capitalization of just around $2.1 billion. Up to 90 percent of trading is in shahamas because they are guaranteed by the central bank.

The government is in the process of overhauling an existing securities law that dates back to 1994 but no decisions have been made yet.

(Reporting by Ulf Laessing; Editing by Jane Merriman)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/africa/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120108/bs_nm/us_sudan_bourse

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one on one?(:

Hello all! I have been away for quite some time but I am ready to jump back into the saddle and get back to roleplaying. I think it would be the safest to start back with a few one on ones until i'm comfortable with the updates and such. So i'm interested in pretty much any type of rps except the highschool, and vamipre junk. (Sorry to those who enjoy them) I might be a bit rusty at first so just bare with me and i'm sure it will all come back to me. XD

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/3Fx3HhuzzTU/viewtopic.php

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Binge Drinking, Revolutionized: LG's Blast Chiller Cools Cans in Under 5 Minutes [Beer]

There's a lot of talk about OLED and 3D and Google and bezels and, and, and—enough! Let's get down to what matters. Beer takes too long to cool. Unless you buy one of LG's forthcoming refrigerators. SmartBeer. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/vkHfICTIASQ/binge-drinking-revolutionized-lgs-blast-chiller-cools-cans-in-under-5-minutes

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CRE Guide: Community Spotlight - Downtown Milwaukee

Construction projects under way in downtown Milwaukee will bring hundreds of new apartments and three new hotels to the market, while real estate experts are optimistic that a new office project could draw enough tenants to kick off in 2012.

Demolition and other site preparation work has begun for the new $54 million Marriott hotel near the southwest corner of East Wisconsin Avenue and North Milwaukee Street. The 200-room hotel is being developed by Jackson Street Management LLC, Milwaukee. Completion is projected for mid 2013.

First Hospitality Group Inc. of Rosemont, Ill., is renovating the Loyalty Building at East Michigan Street and North Broadway into a 128-room Hilton Garden Inn.

In the apartment market, the 30-story Moderne apartment and condominium project is under construction at the corner of West Juneau Avenue and North Old World Third Street. The project includes 14 condominiums and 203 apartments, according to The Moderne website.

Construction is under way for the 68-unit 1910 on Water apartment project at 1910 ...

Construction projects under way in downtown Milwaukee will bring hundreds of new apartments and three new hotels to the market, while real estate experts are optimistic that a new office project could draw enough tenants to kick off in 2012.

Demolition and other site preparation work has begun for the new $54 million Marriott hotel near the southwest corner of East Wisconsin Avenue and North Milwaukee Street. The 200-room hotel is being developed by Jackson Street Management LLC, Milwaukee. Completion is projected for mid 2013.

Developer Gorman & Co. of Oregon, Wis., is converting the former brewhouse at The Brewery?

First Hospitality Group Inc. of Rosemont, Ill., is renovating the Loyalty Building at East Michigan Street and North Broadway into a 128-room Hilton Garden Inn.

In the apartment market, the 30-story Moderne apartment and condominium project is under construction at the corner of West Juneau Avenue and North Old World Third Street. The project includes 14 condominiums and 203 apartments, according to The Moderne website.

Milwaukee developer Mandel Group?

Construction is under way for the 68-unit 1910 on Water apartment project at 1910 N. Water St. Wangard Partners, Milwaukee, is the project?s developer.

CommonBond Communities of St. Paul Minn., expects to begin construction of a 48-unit senior apartment project at The Brewery in March with completion projected for November.

Other proposed apartment projects include a four-story, 34-unit building on the northwest corner of North Jackson and East Pleasant streets by Dermond Property Investments of Milwaukee. RSC Associates of Oak Park, Ill., has proposed an 85-unit building in the Park East Square development.

Tony DeRosa, vice president of development for Wangard Partners, said there is significant pent-up demand in the market for quality apartments in downtown, particularly from young professionals.

?You continue to see young people move to the downtown area and attracted to this lifestyle,? he said.

Also at The Brewery, the remodeling and expansion of an existing building at 1240 N. 10th St. for the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Public Health is under way. Mike Mervis, vice president of The Brewery?s developer Zilber Ltd., said the building will be turned over to the university in late May or early June.

?We have four other significant projects that we are hoping to resolve in 2012,? he said.

Planet Fitness health club has opened in the 19,000-square-foot former Borders bookstore space in the ASQ Center on West Wisconsin Avenue near the Shops of Grand Avenue.

One question for downtown is whether a new office project will get under way this year.

Proposed projects include the 300,000-square-foot Washington Square office building on the southeast corner of North Jefferson and East Mason streets and an office building and parking structure at the Marcus Center for the Performing Arts?

Rainier Properties LLC has proposed a mixed-use development in the Park East that would include a Marcus movie theater and office tower.

Major tenants looking for space have been identified as Michael Best & Friedrich, Godfrey & Kahn and Baker Tilly Virchow Krause. Baker Tilly Virchow Krause recently said it is looking for space in existing buildings.

?There are a number of high-quality development sites available in downtown that have teams committed to trying to get projects off the ground,? said William Bonifas, executive vice president for CBRE Inc. With the array of tenants in the market for space, ?we?re optimistic, with the improving economy, that some combination of tenants would probably lead to an announcement in 2012.?

Jeff Fleming, a spokesman for the Milwaukee Department of City Development?

?There are projects that are in the discussion stages right now that would be very positive developments for downtown, and I would anticipate some of those coming together,? he said.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/vertical_61/~3/0OYFFc7J7RM/cre-guide-community-spotlight-downtown.html

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officialwire: http://t.co/0rWQ5Z0j - Philippines Accuses China Of Maritime Intrusions http://t.co/3UxO1hVC

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Ford?s Detroit Auto Show Booth Will be ?Auto Version of Disneyland?

Ford is pulling out all the stops for the upcoming Detroit Auto Show, creating an exhibition floor featuring a series of interactive displays that will help attract visitors at the show and bolster the image of both Ford and Lincoln.

According to Ford?s president of the Americas Mark Fields, ?A positive experience is a positive image for the brand.? The Ford exhibition will feature a circular stand where 12 people are strapped into a carnival-like elevator ride that will lift them into the ?cloud,? presenting the riders with an IMAX-like video experience that celebrates Ford?s vision and the extent its products, people, and the environment intertwine. The ride will be called the ?Cloud Journey.? Visitors can even share their experience with friends by posting a video of their ?Cloud Journey? on Facebook.

In addition, the Ford exhibit will also provide simulator booths that will mimic the excitement of riding in a Ford Fiesta ST hot hatch or the mighty Mustang Shelby GT500. Best of all, the simulator can also demonstrate the incredible driving skills of racer Ken Block in a ?Gymkhana? motorsports video.

Ford?s premium brand, Lincoln promises a unique experience that will allow visitors to see the brand in a new light.

Mark Fields called Ford?s upcoming Detroit exhibit, ?the auto version of Disneyland.?

Mike Beracchi, a marketing professor at the University of Detroit Mercy, says, ?Getting noticed is Job One at the auto show. Drawing attention to vehicles is what an auto show is all about. For attention you need an attraction.?

Last year, 97% of the 735,000 Detroit Auto Show attendees visited the Ford display and 88% rated the experience as positive.

[Source:?Detroit Free Press]

Source: http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?r5717568604

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A Positive And Attractive Look For The 2011 Ford Transit Connect

The Transit Connect Atalnta GA may look a little weird to American motorist but it has been roaming Europe for years. With it?s boxy design, great gas mileage, and its wide array of uses. The Transit Connect has become a world-wide business success. The 2010 Ford Transit Connect has a professional and personable style. With its high and slender size your can easily navigate though busy city streets. Also the storage areas are more convenient so heavy cargo will be easily taken out or put in. All of these great features are bundled into a perfect work vehicle and stamped with a low purchase price.

Source: http://www.page2reel.com/page-2-reel/450-a-positive-and-attractive-look-for-the-2011-ford-transit-connect

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