First the good stuff - and everyone who reads me regularly knows I am a 'space the final frontier' kind of guy. The Stardust probe made it back to Earth after a 4.6 billion kilometre trip out to the orbit of Jupiter to meet up with a comet and collect some dust. Despite re-entering the atmosphere at about 46,000 kph, the parachutes deployed and it came down safely enough - yay for science.
And in other NASA news, the New Horizons spacecraft is due to launch tomorrow. This is the first probe to head off to Pluto - should be there in about 2015 or so, even though New Horizons is due to be the fastest probe ever sent out in space. 33kg of plutonium fuel and all. And once/if it reaches Pluto, the boffins are thinking about directing it out to other Kuiper Belt debris to investigate.
Though I am sure once the thing launches they will call it something snazzier than New Horizons. I will take my Titan landings over how my eggs are cooked any day of the week, twice on Saturdays LOL.
On less positive news, H5N1 bird flu has apparently hit Turkey hard - no stupid puns please. The first human deaths outside of East Asia, and the feeling that authorities sat on the news of an outbreak without doing anything, leading to everyone seemingly heading to the doctor's in the country and Europe being worried and double, triple checking anyone coming from Turkey - guess this isn't the time to smuggle a Zinger burger through an airport?
The Iranian government was very very naughty and broke IAEA seals on their nuclear facilities. In response, the Brits, French, Germans and Americans are very unhappy, and have managed to get the Russians and Chinese onside enough to have an IAEA meeting where they might manage to recommend sanctions and stuff to the UN Security Council, which would have to make any final decision. We should be expecting Israeli air and commando strikes any week now...
And doesn't international geopolitics sound so kindergarten trivial sometimes. Of course, if there weren't already ten thousand nuclear warheads on the planet...
And the aforementioned Canadian elections. After being wiped out in 1993, only retaining two seats in the House of Commons, it looks like the Conservatives are striding to victory over there - hell, they may even win some seats in Quebec again for the first time since Kim Campbell...
Rubbing hands, now, where is that colour coded map that we can see updated with the various ridings/electorates and to which party they go to - there is always one on the media websites somewhere. Now, the election is next Monday I think, now, when will be optimal staying at home grabbing the results as they come online time? Tuesday afternoon and evening methinks.
And yes, I am pathetic when it comes to international politics LOL.
Pauly
And in other NASA news, the New Horizons spacecraft is due to launch tomorrow. This is the first probe to head off to Pluto - should be there in about 2015 or so, even though New Horizons is due to be the fastest probe ever sent out in space. 33kg of plutonium fuel and all. And once/if it reaches Pluto, the boffins are thinking about directing it out to other Kuiper Belt debris to investigate.
Though I am sure once the thing launches they will call it something snazzier than New Horizons. I will take my Titan landings over how my eggs are cooked any day of the week, twice on Saturdays LOL.
On less positive news, H5N1 bird flu has apparently hit Turkey hard - no stupid puns please. The first human deaths outside of East Asia, and the feeling that authorities sat on the news of an outbreak without doing anything, leading to everyone seemingly heading to the doctor's in the country and Europe being worried and double, triple checking anyone coming from Turkey - guess this isn't the time to smuggle a Zinger burger through an airport?
The Iranian government was very very naughty and broke IAEA seals on their nuclear facilities. In response, the Brits, French, Germans and Americans are very unhappy, and have managed to get the Russians and Chinese onside enough to have an IAEA meeting where they might manage to recommend sanctions and stuff to the UN Security Council, which would have to make any final decision. We should be expecting Israeli air and commando strikes any week now...
And doesn't international geopolitics sound so kindergarten trivial sometimes. Of course, if there weren't already ten thousand nuclear warheads on the planet...
And the aforementioned Canadian elections. After being wiped out in 1993, only retaining two seats in the House of Commons, it looks like the Conservatives are striding to victory over there - hell, they may even win some seats in Quebec again for the first time since Kim Campbell...
Rubbing hands, now, where is that colour coded map that we can see updated with the various ridings/electorates and to which party they go to - there is always one on the media websites somewhere. Now, the election is next Monday I think, now, when will be optimal staying at home grabbing the results as they come online time? Tuesday afternoon and evening methinks.
And yes, I am pathetic when it comes to international politics LOL.
Pauly
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