Monday, December 31, 2018

Newspapers Hit By Cyberattack — What You Need To Know | TODAY

Major US newspapers get hit by cyberattack

I'm going

Wednesday, December 26, 2018

President Trump Makes Secret Visit to Iraq - second stop in Germany

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump flew into Iraq under cover of darkness on 25 December 2018,Christmas Night.The President had been taken to task in the media for not visiting the troops over the holidays.
Air Force One landed at a darkened Al-Asad Air Base west of the Iraqi capital,Baghdad.During his three-hour visit,the President thanked the US troops and their senior leaders for their service,success and sacrifice.He wished tham a Merry Christmas,posed for selfies and signed autographs for the broadly smiling Soldiers gathered in a dining hall.*
National Security Advisor John Bolton accompanied the Trumps.From Iraq,the presidential entourage flew on to Ramstein Air Base,Germany to visit US forces there.It was the President's first ever trip to a war zone.*
Islamic State militants persist in western Iraq by hiding in caves and tunnels of the desert region,and also range across the Iraqi border into Eastern Syria.President Trump told reporters on Wednesday that the US had intended all along to withdraw its 2,000 troops from Syria once all of the IS military bases there had been taken out.The withdrawal from Syria will be measured,rather than hasty.In any event,he had no intention of withdrawing US forces from Iraq,and they were capable of responding if IS staged a resurgence in Syria.
There have reportedly been plans to station US Special Operations Forces in Iraq who could mount raids into Syria as needed.Additionally,President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has promised to hunt down any IS remnants in Syria,Mr.Trump said.

US Air Force GPS III Space Vehicle 01 - full coverage provided by SpaceX


Monday, December 17, 2018

Rocket Lab Accomplishes First Launch for NASA

On 16 December 2018,NASA contractor Rocket Lab successfully launched and deployed into orbit a payload of CubeSats for the agency.The launch was from New Zealand on the company's Electron rocket.This shows how,with yet another competitor in the launch business, the spaceflight industry is experiencing massive growth, technically and geographically.
The launch took place at Rocket Lab's Launch Complex One on New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula.It was the first time CubeSats have launched for NASA on a dedicated rocket for small payloads,as opposed to a ride-sharing arrangement.
The CubeSats of ELaNa XIX will explore such topics as high energy particle measurement in Earth's radiation belt; navigation plans for exo-planet implementation;and radiation shielding.

Rocket Lab Electron ELaNa XIX satellites deployment - CubeSats for NASA

Rocket Lab Electron launches NASA ELaNa XIX

Branson 'wins space race' after successful Virgin Galactic flight | ITV ...13 December 2018

Saturn's Rings Are Disappearing

Monday, December 10, 2018

Heliophysics Careers:NASA Announces Voyager 2 Has Entered Interstellar Space - plus the successors to the Voyager Insterstellar Mission (IBEX and the future probe,IMAP)

If you would like to consider a career in heliophysics or just increase your knowledge of the solar system and its immediate environment,the local interstellar medium,you need to catch up with the stunning developments of recent years.So this blog will try to get you up to speed.Indeed,a major breaking news item crossed the desk today:Voyager 2 has left the heliosphere,the region of strong solar influence,and entered the interstellar medium,the influence of the other stars in the Milky Way.This is six years after its twin,Voyager 1,left the heliosphere in 2012.
Comparing data from Voyager's instruments,it has been ascertained that the spacecraft crossed the outer edge of the heliosphere,the heliopause,on 5 November 2018.The heliopause is where the tenuous,hot solar wind meets the cold,dense interstellar medium,NASA said.Voyager 1,although it was launched 16 days later than Voyager 2,crossed the heliopause in 2012 because of its different trajectory than Voyager 2.Yet one of Voyager 1's instruments gave out in 1980,long before it neared the edge of the heliosphere.That means that Voyager 2,which has the same instrument,but in working order,can provide a unique data set on the nature of the gateway to interstellar space and the local interstellar medium.This working instrument is the Plasma Science Experiment (PLE),so that Voyager 1 made the same passage with one eye shut,so to speak;while Voyager 2 is traveling with eyes wide open.This is causing excitement on the Voyager team.
In any event,on 5 November,the PLE detected a sharp drop off in the speed of solar wind particles,and there has been no solar wind flow in Voyager 2's environment since then,and hence the scientists' conclusion that Voyager 2 has left the heliosphere.
Voyager 2's other working instruments are:
1.the cosmic ray subsystem;
2.the lower charged particle instrument;and
3.the magnetometer,all of which are recording data consistent with Voyager 2's having left the heliosphere. *
According to Voyager project scientist Ed Stone:
There is still a lot to learn about the region of interstellar space immediately beyond the heliopause.*
Adds Nicola Fox,director of the Heliophysics Division at NASA headquarters:
To have the Voyagers sending back information about the edge of the Sun's influence gives us an unprecedented glimpse of truly uncharted territory.*
The new successor mission to Voyager's Interstellar Mission is IMAP,the Insterstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe,scheduled for a 2024 launch.It will investigate the heliospheric Ribbon and other phenomena with a suite of 10 instruments.Resaerchers from institutions in Poland,Switzerland and Germany will be collaborating on the mission with the US team.
In the past decade, a successor to the Voyager Interstellar Mission,NASA's IBEX spacecraft,and Voyager 1 itself,have revolutionised heliophysics with their discoveries:
1.There is no bow shock wave near the edge of the heliosphere,which was postulated for so long;
2.There is a previously unknown Ribbon in the heliosphere that is two to three times brighter than anything in the sky.It is composed of energetic neutral atoms,or ENAs,the origin of which is unknown;
3.The heliosphere has the shape of a flattened globe with four tails;not the shape of a comet with a long tail!*
At MIT,heliophysics is classified as a branch of astrophysics.

Monday, November 5, 2018

Orion ESM Delivery Ceremony from Bremen, Germany


Spaceflight Milestone Unfolds as Europe Delivers ESA Orion Service Module

A major milestone in NASA's Orion Program is unfolding as of this writing.The ESA Orion Service Module,designed to provide power,propulsion and life support systems to the Orion crew module,has taken off aboard a hulking Antonov AN 25 aircraft on a transatlantic flight from Bremen,Germany to Cape Canaveral Air Force Station,Florida.The 5 November 2018 takeoff was marked by a ceremony on 2 November in Bremen participated in by NASA Astronaut Randy Bresnik,a veteran of the International Space Station.NASA will hold a reception event on 16 November.*
The ESM will undergo final testing and integration with other Orion components,including the new Space Launch System rocket,at NASA facilities in Florida and Ohio.This is to prepare for the uncrewed deep space test flight called Exploration Mission-1,similar to the unmanned test flight the Saturn V rocket made during the Apollo Program.EM-1 is being managed for a launch date of December 2019;yet reviewing possible manufacturing and production schedule risks,such as some hurricane damage that was sustained,June 2020 is currently posted by NASA as the fallback date for the mission.
EM-1 will test the complex navigation procedures and critical systems for sending astronauts farther from Earth than ever before,to a high lunar orbit and eventually Mars,beginning with EM-2 in 2023.On these distant missions,NASA's Deep Space Network will be used for crew communications for the first time.*
Corporate participants in the ESA Orion Service Module project include Airbus Space and Defence;Thales Alenia Space,a subsidiary of Italy's Leonardo S.p.A.;and Orion Program lead contractor Lockheed Martin.*
Airbus Space and Defence (Euronext:EAD);Leonardo S.p.A. (OTCMKTS:FINMF);Lockheed Martin (LMT)



Monday, October 15, 2018

Boeing MH-139: Capable, Affordable, Ready to Serve


Boeing-Leonardo MH-139 helicopter


Boeing and International Partner Win Air Force Contract

Boeing and its Italian partner Leonardo have been awarded a US Air Force contract potentially worth 2.38 billion dollars for up to 84 Leonardo MH-139 helicopters.Leonardo will manufacture the choppers at its AgustaWestland plant in Philadelphia,while Beoing will missionise the aircraft to meet the Air Force's special needs.The choppers will be used by Air Force Security Forces to protect the nation's land-based ICBM deterrent.They will also be used for training and VIP transport.*
The MH-139s,which are the military version of the commercial AW-139,will replace the venerable UH-1N Huey,which entered service in 1970.The companies will get 367 million dollars for the first four helicopters.Then the Air Force will decide whether to proceed with further production.*
Leonardo,formerly known as Finnmecanica,is based in Rome and is exclusively an aerospace and defence firm with numerous subsidiaries,such as AgustaWestland and Thales Alenia Space.*
The Boeing Company (BA),Leonardo S.p.A. (Italy:Milan LDO)

Monday, September 24, 2018

When Can I Buy Shares of...? - Saudi Aramco Listing Still On

The public listing of Saudi Arabia's state-owned oil titan,Saudi Aramco,is still going to happen,insisted CEO Amin Nasser to CNBC on 23 September 2018.The plan to make an Initial Public Offering of Saudi Aramco shares has been postponed indefinitely while the company pursues a large 70% stake in Saudi Basic Industries,a petrochemicals concern.
According to Mr.Nasser:
From our side,I just want to say-reiterate-that the Government has announced that they are committed to the IPO.
It's a major deal.We are doing the due diligence currently.And you cannot list while you are going through an acquisition of this size.*
Saudi Aramco explains:
To achieve our vision,we continue to make progress on our journey to grow additional value and strengthen our resilience to crude oil market volatility through the strategic integration of our downstream operations and the development of our chemicals business.
The scale of our upstream and downstream operations,and our expertise across the hydrocarbon value chain,position us to identify and capitalise on new opportunities and enter new markets.
The expansion of our downstream activities will increase our global presence,creating greater sustainable competitive advantage.*
Mr.Nasser adds:
The National Transformation Programme,designed to build the institutional capacity needed to achieve the ambitious goals of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030,reaffirms Saudi Aramco's role as an important driver of the Kingdom's growth and enables the expansion of our commercial ecosystem.

Tuesday, September 4, 2018

Countdown to T-Zero: ICON Satellite to Study Space Weather - new video


NASA's ICON Mission Rescheduled,Launch Moved to Florida

NASA's Ionospheric Connection Explorer satellite,or ICON,has been cleared again for launch following a lengthy delay.It was originally to have been launched from the US Army Kwajalein Island's Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Test Facility in June of this year,but was called back when the Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems Pegasus rocket began emitting anomalous data during a ferry flight from Vandenburg AFB to Kwajalein.The bad data was traced to a faulty sensor which was subsequently replaced,NASA said.
The new launch date is 6 October 2018,with a ninety minute launch window that opens at 4:00 AM EDT.The Pegasus rocket will be launched from the NGIS Stargazer 1011 aircraft,a converted Lockheed TriStar L-1011 airliner,one of only three airworthy L-1011s in the world.
Takeoff will be from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station,Florida and launch will occur off the coast of Daytona at altitude 39,000 ft.,with a heading of 105.0 degrees.*
ICON will study how charged and neutral gases behave and interact in the upper atmosphere,where the forces acting in the ionosphere simultaneously include shifts in neutral winds;pressure gradients;and solar activity.ICON will study each of the forces individually so scientists can better elucidate cause-and-effect relationships.*
ICON is an Explorer-class mission with supervision from the NASA Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt,Maryland.*
Northrop Grumman Corporation (NOC)

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

SpaceChain CEO Brings Blockchain to the NewSpace Industry

SpaceChain CEO Brings Blockchain to the NewSpace Industry: SpaceChain is another exciting newcomer to the space industry. The company is building an open-source satellite network, which aims to enable a next-generation infrastructure for the blockchain industry. SpaceChain Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Zheng Zuo told Via Satellite that the organization aims to explore the

Monday, August 13, 2018

Launch of Delta IV Heavy with Third Stage & NASA's Parker Solar Probe - short version


Aerospace Investing:The Parker Solar Probe Firms

Here are some stocks related to this mission for you to consider:
Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc (AJRD) - made the rocket engines
Boeing Co (BA) - United Launch Alliance partner - made the Delta IV Heavy
Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT) - United Launch Alliance partner - made the Delta IV Heavy;owns Astrotech Space Operations (satellite processing)
Northrop Grumman Corp (NOC) - made the third stage



Watch NASA send a probe to the sun! - with commentary by Everday Astronaut


Thursday, August 2, 2018

The Bangles Live - In Your Room - Arroyo Seco,New Mexico 2018


Update:Parker Solar Probe Clears Checkout

On 30 July 2018,NASA's Parker Solar Probe,having cleared checkout in the clean room and been encapsulated in its fairing,was transported to Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station,Florida from contractor Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville,Florida.
The spacecraft was subsequently mated with a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket on 31 July in the Vertical Integration Facility.Preparations continue at the Cape for its 11 August launch.

How Close To The Sun Can Humanity Get? | Space Time - new video


Alice Sara Ott spielt Chopin | NDR Kultur Neo


Marianne Faithfull reason to believe


Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Countdown to T-Zero: Flying Faster, Hotter and Closer Than Ever to the Sun


Bulletin:Parker Solar Probe Launch Postponed

The launch of NASA's Parker Solar Probe,a spacecraft which will make history as the first to penetrate the Sun's atmosphere,has been delayed until 11 August 2018 at 3:48 AM EDT.During final inspection,a small strip of foam was discovered beneath the payload fairing,resulting in a pause for further study.The satellite was originally to lift off on 6 August 2018.
The payload fairing is a cone consisting of two conjoined panels that protect a spacecraft from the rigors of launch.It is jettisoned once the Earth's atmosphere has been cleared.
The PSP will be launched on a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station,Florida.

Monday, July 16, 2018

Report:DOJ Approves of CVS-Aetna Merger

According to trade publication Reorg Research,the relevant US Department of Justice staff will not oppose the merger of drugstore chain/pharma benefits manager CVS Health with health insurer Aetna,sending a sigh of relief through the sector and an uptick in share prices.The 69 billion dollar transaction is a move seen at least partly as a reaction to the entry of electronic commerce giant Amazon into the health care field.Another possible reaction was by health insurer Cigna as it seeks to merge with pharma benefits manager Express Scripts.
In January 2018,Amazon,Berkshire Hathaway and JP Morgan Chase,which collectively employ more than 500,000 people,announced they are forming a joint enterprise to provide care for staff at a reasonable cost by enabling simplified,high quality and transparent health care through technology.JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon explained:
The three of our companies have extraordinary resources,and our goal is to create solutions that benefit our US employees,their families,and,potentially,all Americans.*
Reorg Research provides automated docket updates;breaking news;and analysis for distressed debt investors;lawyers;and restructuring professionals.The New York-based company seeks to provide independent,insightful and timely market intelligence and analysis for better business and investment decisions.*
The DOJ staffers will submit their recommendation to their superiors for final approval at the end of July.*
Aetna Inc (AET),Cigna Inc (CI),CVS Health (CVS),Express Scripts (ESXR)

Jet Propulsion Laboratory Nestled in Hillside

Jet Propulsion Laboratory Nestled in Hillside: Photo of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory nestled in the Pasadena, Calif. hillside, taken in January, 2016.

Monday, June 25, 2018

NASA Solicits Industry for Gateway Project - commercial and international effort

On 21 June 2018,NASA issued a draft solicitation by way of a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for proposals for the first element of the Gateway project.The Gateway is basically a small space station,most recently referred to as the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway.Built with commercial and international partners,it will support robotic and human exploration of the Moon and beyond,including Mars,in accordance with Space Policy Directive 1.*
The draft solicitation seeks proposals for the first element of the Gateway,which is to be a high power,solar electric propulsion (SEP) spacecraft to maintain the Gateway's position in space and move it between lunar orbits as needed,NASA said.It will also power the Gateway's controls and communications.Industry's response to the draft will facilitate the issuance of a final solicitation later this summer.The current target date for the launch of this power and propulsion element by a commercial rocket is 2022.
In addition to the draft,an Industry Day has been scheduled for 10 July 2018 at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland,Ohio.
The SEP spacecraft is to enable the high rate,reliable communications between Earth and deep space that are critical for deep space spacewalks and human exploration of celestial bodies such as the Moon and Mars.*
Since 2016,companies have been developing prospective habitation elements for deep space exploration in the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP) programme.Five of the firms are developing complete Gateway concepts.*
Jason Crusan is director for Advanced Exploration Systems at NASA headquarters in Washington.

Tuesday, June 12, 2018

Bulletin:NASA ICON Mission Postponed

While being ferried,the Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems (formerly Orbital ATK) Pegasus rocket emitted off-nominal data.It is therefore being returned to Vandenberg AFB for inspection and data analysis,NASA said.The ICON spacecraft itself is in nominal condition.The mission will be rescheduled for a later date.*
Northrop Grumman (NOC)

Monday, June 4, 2018

Orbital ATK Readies NASA ICON Mission

On 2 June 2018 at Vandenberg Air Force Base,California,Orbital ATK personnel finished all-day operations to move and mate the Pegasus XL rocket to the Stargazer L1011 aircraft,a converted airliner,in preparation for the 15 June (14 June EST) launch of NASA's ICON (Ionospheric Connection Explorer) satellite.The ICON mission,led by UC Berkeley,will study the mysterious boundary between the Earth's atmosphere and outer space,the ionosphere.The ionosphere is a complex transitional area of plasma that thickens in the day with high ultraviolet radiation,charged particles from the Sun,and thins out again at nighttime.It can be difficult for spacecraft to navigate because of the variable drag it subjects them to.To date,relatively little is known about this critical region for telecommunications and GPS signals,which can be distorted or even completely disrupted there,and ICON,a mission of NASA Heliophysics,hopes to fill in some of the gaps.
Our increased situational awareness of the region will help protect astronauts and satellites alike,NASA says.*
The Orbital ATK Pegasus XL rocket was being prepared to be ferried by the Stargazer aircraft to NASA's Kwajalein Atoll facility in the remote Republic of the Marshall Islands in the Pacific,with a refueling stop at Hickam AFB,Hawaii.The NASA facility,which includes a tracking station for crewed spaceflight and NASA research,is a tenant of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site,which is primarily a test facility for US missile defence and space research programmes.The Reagan Test Site,as it is informally known,is managed by the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) and assisted by Bechtel Corporation.Besides an impressive array of deep space and other antennae and radars,there are also launch facilities on some of the 11 islands of the Atoll that are leased from the Marshall Islands by the US Army,such as a commercial SpaceX  facility on Omelek Island.*
Orbital ATK (OA)

Monday, May 21, 2018

Bulletin:Joint NASA - German Geosciences Mission Set for Wednesday Launch

The GRACE-FO (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment-Follow On) mission is set for a 22 May 2018 launch from Space Launch Complex 4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base,California.Liftoff is scheduled for 12:47:39 PDT/3:47:39 EDT with an instantaneous launch window and another chance on 23 May.The two GRACE-FO spacecraft will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket along with five Iridium NEXT communications satellites as ride-ons.*
GRACE-FO will carry on the work of the first GRACE mission (2002-2017) of observing the movement of water and other elements of Earth's mass by tracking the fluctuating pull of their gravity with a high degree of precision,by pointing one of the angular spacecraft toward Earth and the other to outer space.Just as in the original GRACE mission,GRACE-FO will track the evolution of Earth's water cycle,recording the movement of water from the highest mountains to the depths of the sea.By tracing the distribution of water's mass over time,the mission will help to solve the mysteries of some of today's climatology challenges.*
The two GRACE-FO satellites were built by the Airbus Defence and Space subsidiary of Airbus SE.NASA's part of the mission is being managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the German Research Centre for Geosciences' (GFZ) portion is managed by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR).The data will start coming in to the NASA tracking station at McMurdo,Antarctica about 23 minutes after deployment.*
Airbus SE (EADSY) US:OTC



It's A Two-Horse Race Between Amazon And Walmart: Retail Expert Jan Knif...


NASA Wallops Flight Facility,Virginia - Antares Orbital ATK Cygnus CRS-9 OA-9 ISS Resupply Ship Launch


Saturday, May 12, 2018

Hubble captures first image of surviving companion to a supernova

Hubble captures first image of surviving companion to a supernova: Though the Hubble Space Telescope celebrated its 28th year in space earlier this week, the orbiting observatory is apparently far from finished. According to a new study published March 28 in the Ast

Monday, April 30, 2018

Excitement Builds as NASA's Mars InSight Mission Stacked and Ready for Launch

On Saturday 5 May 2018,the first ever launch of a NASA planetary science probe from the West Coast will occur at Vandenberg Air Force Base,California.The Mars InSight spacecraft was transported to Space Launch Complex-3 at Vandenberg on 23 April and hoisted to the top of a  United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket,where it was carefully positioned,attached and tested by engineers and technicians.*
Mars InSight is headed for the Elysium Planitia region of Mars' Northern Hemisphere,where it is slated to land on 26 November 2018.Launch is scheduled for 7:05 am Eastern/4:05 am Pacific with a two hour launch window.
The spacecraft was designed and built by Lockheed Martin,with mission management by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.Major contributions were also made by the French Centre Nationale d'Etude Spatiales and German DLR space agencies.InSight is intended to study the deep interior of Mars by taking its temperature with a burrowing instrument and listening for seismic events known as marsquakes.The data will enable the development of a map of the Martian interior,thus illuminating how Mars and,by extrapolation,other rocky planets such as Earth may have formed.*
Wind and atmospheric pressure and temperature will also be measured by InSight's sensors.At the same time,the seismometer on InSight can provide data on the many meteorites that penetrate the thin Martian atmosphere.Overall,it promises to be a highly informative mission,building up the knowledge base for crewed missions in the 2030s.*
In addition to InSight,the Atlas V will also be carrying the first ever CubeSats to venture into deep space,a technology experiment called Mars Cube One (MarCO).MarCO is actually a mini-spacecraft with two satellites that will test new communications and navigation capabilities for deep space missions,possibly including InSight itself.*
West Coast residents from Bakersfield,California south to Rosarito,Mexico may be able to view the spacecraft rising up and heading south.*
ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.*
Lockheed Martin (LMT),Boeing (BA)

Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein On China, Volatility In The Stock Market And The Future ...


Relationship With Angela Merkel Is Great: President Donald Trump | CNBC


Monday, April 16, 2018

Yale’s Robert Shiller: Solid Earnings Season May Not Prevent Correction ...


Alien life may be hiding in the clouds of Venus

Alien life may be hiding in the clouds of Venus: When it comes to searching for life elsewhere in the solar system, astronomers typically fixate on Mars or the handful of ice-encrusted moons around Jupiter and Saturn. But according to a new study,

Monday, April 9, 2018

Microsoft Founder Foresees Another Financial Crisis Ahead

According to one of the world's wealthiest and most respected businessmen and philanthropists,,Microsoft principal founder and billionaire Bill Gates,another shattering downturn is on the way.Making his annual appearance on the Reddit programme "Ask Me Anything" on 27 February 2018,Mr.Gates opined:
It is hard to say when,but this is a certainty.
Fortunately,we got through the last one (2008) reasonably well.Warren (Buffett,billionaire co-founder of Berkshire Hathaway) has talked about this and he understands this area far better than I do.Despite this prediction of bumps ahead,I am quite optimistic about how innovation and capitalism will improve the situation for humans everywhere.*
Mr.Gates had a bit of advice for investors in the face of this warning:
If you aren't willing to own a stock for 10 years,don't even think about owning it for 10 minutes.*
Mr.Buffett had these words for investors in his 2018 annual letter to Berkshire Hathaway investors:
It is a terrible mistake for investors with long-term horizons-among them,pension funds,college endowments and savings-minded individuals-to measure their investment "risk" by their portfolio's ratio of bonds to stocks.Often,high-grade bonds in an investment portfolio increase its risk.*
There is simply no telling how far stocks can fall in a short period.Even if your borrowings are small and your positions aren't threatened by the plunging market,your mind may well become rattled by scary headlines and breathless commentary.And an unsettled mind will not make good decisions.*
Stick with big,"easy" decisions and eschew activity.*
Microsoft (MSFT),Berkshire Hathaway Inc. Class B Shares (BRK.B)

Monday, March 19, 2018

Scientific Workshop:Lunar Orbital Ops Take Shape as Orion Program Progresses

The assembly of the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway is slated to begin in 2022,NASA says,with the power and propulsion system being launched and placed in lunar orbit;to be followed by habitation,logistics and airlock capabilities,establishing the core functionalities of the new space station.
NASA will send one Orion crew a year to the LOP-G in its early years,requiring high levels of autonomy and /or teleoperations for its research projects.Robots could help maintain the station during both crewed and uncrewed periods.*
In a recent NASA workshop,scientists expressed their desires for research projects in cislunar space aboard the LOP-G.It yielded a basic understanding of the science that could be conducted from the cislunar vantage point,and the potential spacecraft resources required for it.More than 190 abstracts were received from scientists.Both scientists and engineers were invited to it to discuss future exploration on the LOP-G.
Being beyond Earth's magnetosphere on the LOP-G opens up a range of observational possibilities not otherwise available,in such fields as astrophysics,heliophysics and Earth science.As well,the deep space exposure to high energy radiation and space debris during solar system missions poses risks requiring study for understanding and mitigating the threats.
Inside,the scientists pointed out,the LOP-G could be fitted with instruments to evaluate radiation effects on electronics and other susceptible materials.Monitors could be activated during crew visits for evaluation of behavioural health;neurocognitive functions;and radiation and microgravity effects on crew.
Outside the LOP-G,materials research platforms that host interchangeable experiments with standardised attachments could be installed.In the course of Earth observations from the LOP-G,there are the opportunity to use Earth as a proxy for exoplanet detection,as well as regular views of polar regions.For heliophysics,solar activity characterisations are possible,and could improve our understanding of solar cycles and their effects on Earth,as well as possible risks to astronauts and spacecraft.Even at the Moon,it has to be remembered that the Apollo missions were of short duration,planned to avoid periods of intense solar activity,so any longer stay in cislunar space and beyond poses as yet unquantified risks.*
The LOP-G can be used to deploy increasingly capable CubeSats to conduct experiments.The LOP-G infrastructure can support nearby spacecraft servicing,wide aperature telescope assembly,and serve as a communications relay for large data returns to Earth from small probes or satellites in the lunar environment.
Robotically collected lunar samples could be investigated aboard the LOP-G,or preserved on it for their return to Earth;and astronauts on the LOP-G could remotely operate rovers on the surface to characterise lunar resources or venture to the unexplored lunar far side.*
Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc (AJRD),Orbital ATK (OA),Boeing (BA),Lockheed Martin (LMT)







Tuesday, March 6, 2018

Moon to align with Jupiter, Mars and Saturn before dawn Thursday

Moon to align with Jupiter, Mars and Saturn before dawn Thursday: Early risers will be greeted with a celestial alignment in March with the moon falling in line with several planets on the morning of March 8.

Monday, February 26, 2018

Note that the far side of the Moon,which we cannot see from Earth,is mainly bright highlands,as opposed to dark seas.It is also more heavily cratered. - Music by Chris Zabriskie - The full rotation of the Moon as seen by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orb...


NASA:On Second Thought, the Moon's Water May Be Widespread and Immobile

On Second Thought, the Moon's Water May Be Widespread and Immobile

Advisory Committee Says Relist AstraZeneca's FluMist Vaccine

The FDA'S Advisory Committee on Immunizations has recommended that pharma titan AstraZeneca's FluMist Quadrivalent (R) vaccine be added to the list of approved influenza vaccines for the 2018-19 flu season.It next goes to the CDC director's desk for final approval.The nasally administered vaccine had been suspended from the list when the CDC's annual data on flu vaccine efficacy did not indicate it was effective enough in children ages 2-17.The vaccine was still available in other countries,however,which had conflicting data on FluMist.*
FluMist is unique among flu vaccines in that it contains a live yet weakened influenza virus.It is also distinguished by its being administered at a prime source of influenza infection:the nostrils,perhaps giving it an immunological advantage.It is intended for use by the 2-49 age group.*
One reason for the relisting recommendation is that the current severe outbreak of flu in the US has taken about a hundred children's lives so far,some of whom may have skipped vaccination out of fear of injections.FluMist would give such persons an alternative.As well,AstraZeneca has been tweaking the vaccine to make it more targeted to the yearly influenza forecast,and the H1N1 strain in particular.*
Astra Zeneca is a multinational biotech and pharmaceutical company with headquarters in Cambridge,England.Its subsidiary MedImmune develops FluMist and the company's other biologics.AstraZeneca focuses its research on the areas of oncology;respiratory and autoimmune disorders;and cardiovascular and metabolic diseases.*
At time of publication,AstraZeneca stock was up 0.19 to 34.20,with a dividend yield of 4.09%.*
AstraZeneca (AZN)