Boeing’s biggest-ever plane makes maiden flight
Boeing’s biggest-ever plane makes its maiden flight.
Tag: engineering
Russians set date for next Soyuz launch to ISS
The Russians have set the new date, April 5, for next manned Soyuz launch to ISS.
Power has been restored at all six Fukushima reactors
Power has been restored at all six Fukushima reactors in Japan.
Overall, the situation appears completely under control, so much so that in a rational world it probably would be possible to put several of these reactors back in operation. The Reuters story above, however, is amusing to read in one sense, as it struggles mightily to make things sound worse than they are.
Dawn Opens its Eyes, Checks its Instruments
All systems go! Dawn did a camera and instrument checkout last week, in preparation for its summertime arrival at the asteroid Vesta.
Subsidies to Ariane to keep it afloat
Subsidies to the Ariane 5 rocket to keep it afloat.
Something is seriously wrong with any operation (like Ariane) that dominates the market and still loses money the past two years.
New Horizons passes the orbit of Uranus on its way to Pluto
New Horizons has passed the orbit of Uranus on its way to Pluto.
The first death in space
The first death in space.
The first spacewalk
An evening pause: Forty-six years ago today Alexei Leonov became the first man to walk in space. This Soviet-era film shows practically the entire event, using footage from two cameras. Unfortunately, I don’t speak Russian and it is not subtitled. I’d love it if someone out there could provide a translation.
Several things to note as you watch:
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The situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant continues to stabilize
Here’s some good news: The situation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant continues to stabilize.
The article has a lot to say about the panicky overreaction of much of the press and political class over this incident. For example:
In summary it appears more and more that health consequences from reactor damage will be extremely minimal even for workers at the site. It will now be a surprise if anyone who has not been inside the plant gates this week is affected by the situation at at all – apart from all the people worldwide who have been taking iodide pills or eating salt unnecessarily. There may also be measurable psychological health effects from the global media-driven hysteria surrounding the situation, of course.
Japan raises nuclear alert level
This ain’t good: Japan has raised the nuclear alert level at its stricken nuclear power plants.
Then again, it appears that the dangers remain limited to a relatively small area, within 20 kilometers of the power plant.
Iran claims it has build a flying saucer
You can’t make this stuff up! Iran is claiming it has built a working flying saucer.
Messenger has successfully entered orbit around Mercury
After an almost seven year journey, Messenger has successfully entered orbit around Mercury. More here.