Today's Reuters Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News:
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FAA clears Virgin Galactic spaceship for test flights
Wed,30 May 2012 04:14 PM PDT
Reuters - CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has cleared SpaceShipTwo, a commercial six-passenger spacecraft owned by Virgin Galactic, to begin rocket-powered suborbital test flights, the company said on Wednesday. SpaceShipTwo manufacturer Scaled Composites of Mojave, California, received a one-year experimental launch permit on May 23 for test flights beyond the atmosphere, FAA spokesman Hank Price said. ... Full Story | Top |
Fukushima quake, tsunami disturbed upper atmosphere: NASA
Wed,30 May 2012 12:33 PM PDT
Reuters - WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The massive earthquake and tsunami that hit Fukushima, Japan, last year wreaked havoc in the skies above as well, disturbing electrons in the upper atmosphere, NASA reported. The waves of energy from the quake and tsunami that were so destructive on the ground reached into the ionosphere, a part of the upper atmosphere that stretches from about 50 to 500 miles above Earth's surface. The ionosphere is the last, thinnest part of the atmosphere, where solar ultraviolet radiation breaks up molecules and leaves a haze of electrons and ions. ... Full Story | Top |
Tomato genome project bears fruit
Wed,30 May 2012 10:02 AM PDT
Reuters -  LONDON (Reuters) - An international team of scientists has cracked the genetic code of the domesticated tomato and its wild ancestor, an achievement which should help breeders identify the genes needed to develop tastier and more nutritious varieties. The full genome sequence of a tomato breed known as Heinz 1706, and a draft sequence for its closest wild relative Solanum pimpinellifolium, were published in the journal Nature on Wednesday. ...
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Intelsat buys ride on new SpaceX heavy-lift rocket
Tue,29 May 2012 02:23 PM PDT
Reuters - CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Intelsat Global Holdings S.A. will buy a ride for a future communications satellite on Space Exploration Technologies' planned heavy-lift rocket, the companies said on Tuesday. The contract is the first for a Falcon Heavy rocket, which is being designed to carry more than twice as much as the Boeing-built Delta 4 Heavy launcher, which is currently the biggest rocket in the U.S. fleet. ... Full Story | Top |
SpaceX capsule docks at space station, opens new era
Fri,25 May 2012 04:12 PM PDT
Reuters -  CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured the SpaceX Dragon cargo ship and guided the privately owned craft into a docking berth on Friday, opening a new chapter in the U.S. space program. The unmanned capsule was the first commercial spaceship to reach the orbital outpost. "This really is the beginning of a new era in commercial spaceflight," said Alan Lindenmoyer, who manages NASA's commercial space transportation programs. Using the station's 58-foot long (17.7-meter) robotic crane, NASA astronaut Don Pettit snared Dragon at 9:56 a.m. ...
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Astronauts snare SpaceX Dragon capsule: NASA
Fri,25 May 2012 03:00 PM PDT
Reuters -  CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Astronauts aboard the International Space Station captured Space Exploration Technologies' unmanned Dragon cargo capsule on Friday, the first private ship to reach the orbital outpost. Using the station's robot arm, NASA astronaut Don Pettit latched on to the capsule at 9:56 a.m. EDT as the two vehicles sailed at 17,500 mph around Earth. Dragon, which is making a test flight under a NASA contract with the company, known as SpaceX, was expected to be attached to a station docking port later on Friday. ...
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Corrected: Gevo starts up first new plant, shares jump
Fri,25 May 2012 01:57 PM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - Gevo Inc started production at a converted ethanol plant in Minnesota, bringing on line the world's first commercial-scale facility to make advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals. Shares rose more than 9 percent. Gevo said it had flipped the switch on the plant, which will produce isobutanol from corn starch, on Wednesday and it expects to ship the first rail cars of the chemical to its customer Sasol around the end of June. ... Full Story | Top |
Giant telescope to explore far reaches of cosmos
Fri,25 May 2012 08:56 AM PDT
Reuters -  LONDON/AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The world's biggest and most advanced radio telescope, capable of detecting signs of extraterrestrial life in the far reaches of the universe, will be located in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. The decision to split the location of the $2 billion "Square Kilometre Array" followed intense lobbying by the two leading bidders, South Africa one side and a joint bid from Australia and New Zealand on the other. ...
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Gevo starts up first new plant, shares jump
Thu,24 May 2012 02:02 PM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - Gevo Inc started production at a converted ethanol plant in Minnesota, bringing on line the world's first commercial-scale facility to make advanced biofuels and renewable chemicals. Shares rose more than 9 percent. Gevo said it had flipped the switch on the plant, which will produce isobutanol from corn starch, on Wednesday and it expects to ship the first rail cars of the chemical to its customer Sasol around the end of June. Sasol will use the isobutanol as a feedstock in its chemical products, although the organic compound can also be used as an alternative to gasoline. ... Full Story | Top |
SpaceX capsule zips through practice drive by space station
Thu,24 May 2012 01:52 PM PDT
Reuters - CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - Space Exploration Technologies' unmanned Dragon spaceship flew smoothly in a practice drive by the International Space Station on Thursday, clearing the way for it to become the first private vessel to reach the orbital outpost. If Dragon continues to operate as planned, it will fly to within about 30 feet of the $100 billion station on Friday and shut down its maneuvering thrusters so the station crew can snare it with a robotic crane and hook it onto a docking port. Dragon took a test drive past the station early on Thursday, coming as close as about 1. ...
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Factbox: What does the Square Kilometre Array do?
Thu,24 May 2012 07:28 AM PDT
Reuters - (Reuters) - A decision on where to site the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) radio telescope, either South Africa or Australia and New Zealand, could be made on Friday. Scientists hope the telescope will help answer fundamental questions about the origin and evolution of the universe, and whether it contains life beyond our planet. Here is a look at the radio telescope: WHAT DOES IT DO? -The SKA will drive technology development particularly in information and communication technology. ... Full Story | Top |
Decision time on site for giant radio telescope
Thu,24 May 2012 07:26 AM PDT
Reuters - LONDON (Reuters) - The location of a huge radio telescope strong enough to detect extraterrestrial life in the far reaches of the universe could be settled on Friday when the group in charge of the project meets in the Netherlands. When completed in 2024 the "Square Kilometre Array" (SKA) will be made up of 3,000 dishes, each 15 meters wide, together with many more antennae, that will stretch over 3,000 km (1,864 miles). ... Full Story | Top |
Italy doctors save baby with smallest artificial heart
Thu,24 May 2012 07:13 AM PDT
Reuters -  ROME (Reuters) - Italian doctors have saved the life of a 16-month-old boy by implanting the world's smallest artificial heart to keep the infant alive until a donor was found for a transplant. The doctors at Rome's Bambino Gesu hospital said the operation was carried out last month and made public this week. The baby, whose identity has not been disclosed, was kept alive for 13 days before the transplant and is now doing well. The baby was suffering from dilated myocardiopathy, a heart muscle disease which normally causes stretched or enlarged fibers of the heart. ...
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Pioneering U.S. commercial spaceflight quiets critics
Wed,23 May 2012 03:11 PM PDT
Reuters - CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - A pioneering commercial spaceship closed in on the International Space Station on Wednesday, a key test in a controversial program to reduce the U.S. government's role in human space flight. Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX, launched its Dragon cargo capsule into orbit on Tuesday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida for a test run to the $100 billion orbital outpost. Dragon is expected to make its first pass by the space station on Thursday. Starting from a point 6. ...
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SpaceX rocket lifts off for space station trial run
Tue,22 May 2012 03:59 PM PDT
Reuters - CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (Reuters) - An unmanned rocket owned by privately held Space Exploration Technologies blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Tuesday on the first commercial flight to the International Space Station. The 178-foot (54-meter) tall Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 3:44 a.m. EDT from a refurbished launch pad just south of where NASA launched its now-retired space shuttles. Less than 10 minutes later, the rocket delivered its cargo - a Dragon capsule with 1,200 pounds (544 kg) of supplies for the station crew - into orbit. ...
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