Billion-dollar ‘discovery machine’ set for launch

Billion-dollar ‘discovery machine’ set for launch

Billion-dollar ‘discovery machine’ set for launch

Posted: 18 Dec 2013 07:03 PM PST

Europe on Thursday will place a billion-dollar bet on a space telescope designed to provide the biggest and most detailed 3-D map of the Milky Way.

If all goes well, a Soyuz-STB-Fregat rocket will lift off from Kourou, French Guiana, hoisting the observatory Gaia on a five-year exploration that may sweep away notions of our place in the galaxy.

The most sophisticated space telescope ever built by Europe, the 740-million-euro ($1.02-billion) gadget goes by the unofficial epithet of "discovery machine".

"The list of Gaia's potential discoveries makes the mission unique in scope and scientific return," says the European Space Agency (ESA).

Gaia's primary goal is to carry out an "astronomical census", locating the position of a billion stars, or around one percent of all the stars in the Milky Way.

By repeating the observations as many as 70 times throughout its mission, the telescope can help astronomers calculate the distance, speed, direction and motion of these stars.

"Within two years from now we will have the first compendium of the sky," said Francois Mignard of France's Cote d'Azur Observatory.

Europe's last star-hunter, Hipparcos, was an almost legendary piece of equipment.

Launched in 1989 and in operations for nearly four years, it provided a high-accuracy fix on 118,000 stars, as well as less-precise fixes on two million stars — a databank that is hugely used by professional astronomers today.

Gaia, using a six-sided "optical bench" three metres (10 feet) across to snare glimmers of light, is 200 times more sensitive than Hipparcos in measuring the angles that, through triangulation, determine a star's position.

"If Hipparcos could measure the angle that corresponds to the height of an astronaut on the Moon, Gaia will be able to measure his thumbnail," ESA says on its website.

Gaia's secondary objectives are equally stunning. By monitoring the "wobble" in stellar light as a planet passes in front of a star, it can add to knowledge about worlds beyond the Solar System.

By some estimates, it could detect as many as 50,000 planets within a distance of 150 light years from the Sun, or 10 times more than have been observed since the first was spotted in 1995.

Gaia will also be turning its eyes to our own Solar System, scouring its chill, dark fringes and the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter to help the search for any rocks that may one day threaten Earth.

Other potential bounty includes real-time observations of exploding stars, called supernovae, in distant galaxies and insights into strange "failed" stars, known as brown dwarves, that drift listlessly through interstellar space after failing to gain enough mass to ignite.

Gaia may provide a useful test of Einstein's theory of general relativity, which says that a star's position will appear to move slightly as a result of light from it that is deflected by a passing, massive object.

After launch, Gaia will take up position at the so-called Lagrange point L2, located 1.5 million kilometres (937,000 miles) from the Earth.

L2 is a position that gives it year-round observation of the cosmos without the view being disturbed by the Sun, Earth or Moon.

It is the go-to place for space observatories. L2 has been used by Europe's Herschel and Planck telescopes and is designated as the slot for NASA's eagerly-awaited James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).

To stay at L2, the spacecraft will have to perform tiny manoeuvres every month, scrutinised by a network of telescopes on Earth to ensure a hoped-for accuracy of 100 metres (yards).

One of the biggest challenges will be processing what Jean-Yves Le Gall, head of France's National Centre of Space Studies (CNES), calls "an absolute flood" of data.

Gaia will provide the equivalent of more than 30,000 CD-ROMs.

Sorting this stuff and turning it into useable data — galaxy maps and star catalogues — will take years.

Six centres have been set up around Europe to handle the deluge, including a supercomputer in Toulouse, southwestern France, capable of carrying out six thousand billion operations a second.-AFP

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Much awaited MCA polls kicks off today

Posted: 18 Dec 2013 05:34 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: The MCA elections will kick off today with the 48th MCA Youth National Annual Assembly and election at the party's headquarters here.

The Youth election sees a packed field with 69 candidates fighting for 34 posts.

The post of Youth chief will see a straight fight between MCA Education Bureau head Chong Sin Woon and Batu division Youth chief Datuk Goh Gaik Meng.

Wanita MCA's elections on Friday, however, will be a relatively tame affair with just 43 candidates in the race for 31 posts.

Wanita MCA vice-chief Datuk Heng Saie Kie will be facing Penang Barisan Nasional (BN) information chief Tan Cheng Liang for the number one post in Wanita.

Both the top two posts became vacant after youth leader Datuk Wee Ka Siong and Wanita chief Datuk Yu Chok Tow decided not to defend their seats.

At the nominations on Monday, Datuk Lee Pit Chern won the Wanita number two slot uncontested.

The spotlight will be on the three-cornered tussle for the presidency between deputy president Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai, vice-president Gan Ping Sieu and former president Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat.

For the post of deputy president, Dr Wee will be in a straight fight with vice-president Datuk Donald Lim Siang Chai.

Wee, who is serving his third term as Ayer Hitam member of Parliament, is Liow's running mate while Lim is said to be aligned to outgoing MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.

This is the second bid by Ong for the number one post after losing it to Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek in 2010. It is also the second try by Lim after also losing to Dr Chua in the 2008 elections.

Nine candidates are in the running for the four vice-president seat while 58 are contesting the 25 central committee member seats.– BERNAMA

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Stunning star

Posted: 18 Dec 2013 04:53 PM PST

Posted on December 19, 2013, Thursday

A handout photo released by the European Southern Observatory shows a Hubble image of the RS Puppis, a type of variable star known as a Cepheid variable. As variable stars go, Cepheids have comparatively long periods — RS Puppis, for example, varies in brightness by almost a factor of five every 40 or so days. RS Puppis is unusual; this variable star is shrouded by thick, dark clouds of dust enabling a phenomenon known as a light echo to be shown with stunning clarity. These Hubble observations show the ethereal object embedded in its dusty environment, set against a dark sky filled with background galaxies. — AFP photo

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NASA rigs up snorkel in spacesuit after risky water leak

Posted: 18 Dec 2013 04:48 PM PST

Snorkels in space? NASA dreamed up the idea as a quick fix to a dangerous spacesuit problem so astronauts can step out to repair an equipment breakdown at the International Space Station.

One of the two US astronauts preparing to embark on a series of spacewalks later this week and next will be wearing an American-made suit that had a helmet leak in July, nearly drowning the European astronaut who wore it.

The three emergency spacewalks are planned for December 21, 23 and 25 in order to fix a broken cooling system at the orbiting outpost.

An investigation into the cause of the leak that flooded Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano's helmet and forced him to rush back inside the station in July is still ongoing, NASA officials told reporters Wednesday.

Therefore, faced with an unexpected valve failure last week in the system that regulates the temperature of equipment aboard the 15-year-old orbiting outpost, NASA engineers had to scramble to figure out a way to make the US spacesuits safe for use.

First off, they have replaced the water pump system in the suit Parmitano wore.

In addition, an extra helmet absorption pad has been installed at the inside back of the helmet to soak up any potential leak, and a snorkel has been rigged up to offer another breathing route if needed.

"Some smart engineers on the ground were able to figure out, 'Hey this is a similar diameter to a snorkel that you have for scuba diving,'" said NASA lead spacewalk officer Allison Bolinger.

"By just sacrificing one of our spares on board they were able to come up with a way to just snip off the ends and then file it so it is not rough in the crew member's mouth and then apply Velcro."

American astronaut Mike Hopkins will be wearing the suit Parmitano wore. Both he and fellow US astronaut Rick Mastracchio will have the new snorkels and pads inside their spacesuits as a safety measure.

Their task is to remove the pump module with the faulty valve and replace it with a spare pump that was already aboard the ISS.

Even though the formal investigation into the leaking helmet has not been completed, NASA officials said they were confident that their back-up solutions would allow the astronauts to be safe on their risky outings.

"We had this failure where we flooded the suit," said Mike Suffredini, manager of the International Space Station program, adding that the breakdown took NASA by surprise.

Engineers had thought if such a failure happened, the suit would shut down and the astronaut would be alerted of a 30-minute deadline to get back inside the station, he said.

An extensive review has since been done of all the hazards involved with the suits, which are 35 years old, Suffredini told reporters.

"Based on what we have learned, I would expect that for as long as we have this particularly designed suit, we will keep this pad and snorkel available to the crew."

Dina Contella, International Space Station flight director said the suit Hopkins will be wearing has a brand new fan pump separator and all the water lines and other components have also been changed.

"We feel confident that this suit is a very clean suit and ready to go," she told reporters.-AFP

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Copyright order gets more teeth

Posted: 18 Dec 2013 04:03 PM PST

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam has consented to the amendment to the Copyright Order 1999, Borneo Bulletin reported.

The Copyright (Amendment) Order 2013, which came into force on 1st of Safar 1435 Hijrah corresponding with December 4, 2013, will enhance further the enforcement provisions for copyright infringement by increasing penalties for offences under the Copyright Order, adding new offences, strengthening the power of the enforcement agencies and allowing for private prosecutions by way of an authorisation or fiat by the Public Prosecutor.

The new amendments are intended to deter infringement of copyright material particularly copies that are made for commercial purposes, according to a press release from the Attorney General's Chambers.

Under the new amendments, a person that makes infringing copies of a work could face a fine of $10,000 to $20,000 for each infringing copy and imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years or both.

This is a significant increase from the old law, where the maximum fine that could be imposed was $5,000 and maximum imprisonment of two years or both.

The new provisions allow enforcement agencies, in relation to copyright offences, to enter premises and arrest without warrant, to stop search and board vehicles and also access to computerised and digitised data. The amendments further allow for admissibility of evidence of agent provocateurs and protect the identity of informants.

The Copyright (Amendment) Order 2013 is one of the many initiatives undertaken by Brunei Darussalam to improve the protection of intellectual property.

In May this year, Brunei Darussalam was removed from the USTR 301 Special Report. According to the report, Brunei Darussalam had made substantial and meaningful efforts in the area of IPR enforcement, both through civil and criminal enforcement.

Other notable initiatives have been the restructuring of management and administration of intellectual property with the progressive transfer of the Registries of Patent, Industrial Design and Registry of Trademarks to the newly established Brunei Darussalam Intellectual Property Office under the BEDB.

Further developments include Brunei Darussalam's accession to important intellectual property treaties, as well as the laudable efforts by enforcement agencies in curbing the sale of pirated DVDs, CDs and the successful conviction of a vendor well known for selling pirated DVDs, CDs and other copyright works.

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Indian consular official’s NY arrest sparks diplomatic row

Posted: 18 Dec 2013 03:49 PM PST

The spat was triggered by the December 12 arrest of Devyani Khobragade, a deputy consul general at the Indian Consulate in New York, on charges of visa fraud and making false statements about how much she paid her housekeeper, an Indian national.

Khobragade was later released on a $250,000 bond after pleading not guilty to the charges.

Indian Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid subsequently said his government would be examining the labour conditions of Indian citizens hired as foreign national staff at US consulates.

He cited a few retaliatory measures he said the government would take against US consulate staff, including revoking identity cards that speed up travel into and out of India and a freeze on the duty-free import of food alcohol.

The Khobragade case has sparked widespread outrage across India, with a usually fractious parliament uniting to condemn the diplomat's arrest and treatment in New York.

Addressing parliament on Tuesday, Khurshid vowed to "bring back the woman diplomat and restore her dignity – it is my responsibility," he added.

Detained with 'common criminals'

Khobragade was arrested and handcuffed outside her daughter's Manhattan school last week.

In an email published by Indian news media on Wednesday, Khobragade said she was treated like a "common criminal" despite informing US officials that she was a diplomat.

"I broke down many times as the indignities of repeated handcuffing, stripping and cavity searches, swabbing, in a hold-up with common criminals and drug addicts were all being imposed upon me despite my incessant assertions of [diplomatic] immunity," she wrote.

Earlier this week, US State Department deputy spokesperson Marie Harf maintained that US diplomatic security officials followed standard procedures during Khobragade's arrest.

Harf added that, under the Vienna Convention, an Indian deputy consul general is only offered immunity from the jurisdiction of US courts with respect to acts performed in the exercise of consular functions.

Prosecutors say Khobragade claimed on visa application documents that she paid her Indian maid $4,500 per month, but that she actually paid her less than $3 per hour.

If convicted, the Indian consular official faces a maximum sentence of 10 years for visa fraud and five years for making a false declaration.

Khobragade has pleaded not guilty and plans to challenge the arrest on grounds of diplomatic immunity.

By Wednesday, following a massive outcry in the Indian media and anti-US protests in a number of cities, US Secretary of State John Kerry weighed in on the brouhaha.

In a phone call to Indian National Security Advisor Shivshankar Menon, Kerry expressed his regret over the handling of the arrest and said he "empathises with the sensitivities we are hearing from India about the events," according to a State Department spokeswoman.

Heavy-handed police treatment common in India – for the poor

But the revelation that a high-ranking diplomat could be subjected to such treatment has caused huge offence in a country that sees itself as an emerging world power.

On Wednesday, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called Khobragade's arrest and treatment "deplorable" in brief comments reported by the Press Trust of India.

The fallout of the incident has been growing in a country where heavy-handed treatment by the police is common, but is usually reserved for the poor.

On Tuesday, police in New Delhi removed the traffic barricades near the US Embassy compound in retaliation over Khobragade's treatment. The barriers were a safety measure but India said they clogged up traffic.

The lower house of parliament had to be temporarily adjourned Wednesday after lawmakers noisily demanded that it adopt a resolution against the United States.

Arun Jaitely, leader of the opposition in the upper house, said the government had to register its "strongest protest" to the US government for the "lack of respect for India." He called for a review of India's relations with the United States, a demand that was vociferously seconded by many lawmakers.

In an interview with an Indian TV station, a senior opposition politician said India should reciprocate by arresting the same-sex companions of US diplomats using an Indian Supreme Court verdict that restored a ban on gay sex last week.

"My suggestion to the government of India is, the media has reported that we have issued visas to a number of US diplomats' companions. 'Companions' means that they are of the same sex," said Yashwant Sinha of the opposition BJP party. "Now, after the Supreme Court ruling, it is completely illegal in our country. Just as paying less wages was illegal in the US. So, why doesn't the government of India go ahead and arrest all of them?" asked Sinha.-AFP

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