SPACE WAR EXPRESS - MAY 22, 2006
http://www.spacewar.com
24/7 Coverage Of War in the 21st Century
Go to link to access the article.
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NEWS AS OF 12:30 UTC - May 22, 2006

SPACEWAR

Effects-Based Airpower And Space Power

Washington DC (AFNS) May 22, 2006 - The term effects-based operations (EBO) entered the military lexicon during the Gulf War of 1991 and has propagated widely since then. Initially some Air Force members used EBO to help explain that war's dramatically successful outcome.

SUPERPOWERS

New Tests For Sino-Russian Ties

Beijing (UPI) May 22, 2006 - The strategic partnership forged between China and Russia as a counterweight to American predominance on the world stage a decade ago is gaining momentum.

MISSILE NEWS

Major concern if North Korea launches long-range missile: US

Washington (AFP) May 19, 2006 - The United States warned Friday that it would be a major international concern if North Korea launched a long-range missile, amid reports Pyongyang may be preparing to test-fire the weapon.

THE NEW LIBYA

Just What Is The Libyan Model

Washington (UPI) May 22, 2006 - Although once enemies, the rapprochement between the United States and Libya advanced further this week with the announcement that diplomatic relations between the two countries are being restored.

Will North Korea Take A Lead From Libya

CYBERWARS

Money And Power Up Against The National Security Agency

Washington (UPI) May 22, 2006 - Outraged that some telecom companies are selling out their customers to the government? Then vote with your wallet, or so argues one activist group. But the seemingly good idea may be rather difficult to follow through.

THE STANS

US delegation due Monday in Kyrgyzstan to settle air base rent

Bishkek (AFP) May 20, 2006 - Washington is to send a delegation to Kyrgyzstan to negotiate over Bishkek's demands for a hundred-fold rent increase on a US airbase in the Central Asian state, President Kurmanbek Bakiyev said Saturday.

TERROR WARS

House Will Probe DHS Transport Contract

Washington (UPI) May 22, 2006 - U.S. lawmakers say they will hold hearings to probe a Department of Homeland Security transport contract, which members of Congress from both parties charge raises procurement and security concerns.

UAV NEWS

AFRL Awards ISIS Contracts To Northrop Grumman

Rome NY (SPX) May 22, 2006 - The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) recently awarded two contracts, with a combined value in excess of $15.5 million, to Northrop Grumman in support of its "Integrated Sensor Is Structure (ISIS)" program. ISIS envisions a stratospheric airship operating as a surveillance platform more than 70,000 feet above the Earth.

TERROR WARS

US Officials Explain Guard Border Plan

Washington (UPI) May 22, 2006 - U.S. President Bush's decision to deploy 6,000 National Guard troops to the U.S.-Mexican border will cost around $756 million. That estimate does not include the funding already programmed in to pay the training and personnel costs for the more than 100,000 soldiers likely to fulfill that duty, a top Pentagon official said Thursday.

NUKEWARS

Israel's Olmert says Iran could obtain nuclear bomb in 'months'

Washington (AFP) May 21, 2006 - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday that Iran could obtain a nuclear bomb in "months" and vowed that Israel would take the "necessary measures" to stop this occurring.

EU offers reactors to Iran, threatens arms embargo

Energy, Iran in focus as German FM begins Gulf tour

Iran refuses to comment on EU nuclear proposal

Suspension of enrichment against Iran's legitimate rights: FM

US works to contain Iran in Gulf: report


Iran Dismisses Badge Law Report As False

Washington (UPI) May 22, 2006 - The Iranian government and a number of experts dismissed reports that a new law had been passed in the Islamic Republic to force Jews, Christians and other religious minorities to wear color-coded badges in public.

Iran May Force Color-IDs On Non Muslims

IRAQ WARS

Assessing The Iraqi Militias

Washington (UPI) May 22, 2006 - If one looks at today's militias in Iraq, the forces of the Shiite Supreme Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRI, are often new or lower grade older personnel which generally are much better suited to sectarian and ethnic struggles than the SCIRI forces trained by Iran through 2003 as regular forces.

Blood, oil and ancient glories: a factfile on Iraq

Baghdad (AFP) May 20, 2006 - Iraq, which on Saturday formed a national unity government in the midst of widespread bloodshed, sits on some of the world's largest oil reserves.

British FM plays down speedy troop exit from Iraq

Iraqi Oil Output Up Says US In Upbeat Assessment

Italy will switch to civilian role in Iraq: minister

Japan making arrangements on Iraq troops pullout: report

SPACE WAR EXPRESS - MAY 23, 2006

http://www.spacewar.com

24/7 Coverage Of War in the 21st Century


MISSILE NEWS
LM Tests Extended-Range Cruise Missile

<img src="http://www.spacewar.com/images/lm-jassm-plane-b1b-edwards-afb-sm.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=2 align="right" border=1 width=80 height=100>

Orlando FL (SPX) May 23, 2006 - Lockheed Martin announced Monday it has successfully tested its extended-range JASSM system at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. JASSM is an air-to-surface standoff missile system and the world's first stealthy conventional cruise missile.

GPS NEWS
European Galileo Satellite Program In Early Budget Over Run


<img src="http://www.spacedaily.com/images/galileo-orbit-sm.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=2 align="right" border=1 width=100 height=80>
Brussels (AFP) May 22, 2006 - Europe's Galileo satellite navigation system has already run more than 400 million euros (513 million dollars) over budget in its first phase, the head of the group managing the project said on Monday. The over run was due mainly to miscalculations for the costs of building and launching two test satellites, said Rainer Grohe, director of the Galileo Joint Undertaking.

UAV NEWS
Unmanned Aircraft Trial For North West Shelf Going Ahead


<img src="http://www.spacewar.com/images/naval-armidale-class-patrol-boat-sm.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=2 align="right" border=1 width=80 height=100>

Canberra, Australia (SPX) May 23, 2006 - A Defence trial, using an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and an Armidale Class patrol boat, will be conducted across Australia's North West Shelf region in September 2006, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Defence, Senator Sandy Macdonald announced today.

SATELLITE PHONES AND INTERNET
Satellite Phones Ensure We Are Never Lost At Sea

Chicago (UPI) May 22, 2006 - Your wireless Internet connection -- dear workaholic -- will never be lost at sea. Whether you are sailing the Caribbean, the Mediterranean or the open ocean, your wireless broadband will continually be connected to the office, family or friends -- an electronic lifeline back to the mainland.

AeroAstro Launches IVMS Voice Service
Globalstar Applauds New DoD Policy For Procurement Of Satellite Phones
tratos Announces BGAN Mobile Satellite Service For US
CapRock Expands Disaster Services in Preparation For Hurricane Season
New Network Needed to Solve First Responder Communications Crisis


MISSILE DEFENSE
<img src="http://www.spacewar.com/images/abm-2002mar-vafb-sm.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=2 align="right" border=1 width=80 height=100>

US consults Europeans on anti-missile site
Washington (AFP) May 22, 2006 - The United States is consulting European allies about deploying missile defenses in Europe to thwart a Middle Eastern ballistic missile threat, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday.

ISRAELI NUKES
Peres warns of arms race if Iran acquires bomb


<img src="http://www.spacewar.com/images/shimon-peres-sm.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=2 align="right" border=1 width=80 height=100>

Jerusalem (AFP) May 22, 2006 - A nuclear-armed Iran could inspire other regional heavyweights such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia to acquire their own atomic weapons, Israel's Deputy Prime Minister Shimon Peres said Monday.

WORLD NUKES
Dealing With Nuke Proliferation


<img src="http://www.spacewar.com/images/un-kofi-annan-sm.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=2 align="right" border=1 width=80 height=100>

Tokyo (UPI) May 23, 2006 - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan warns the world is at a crucial crossroads and fears instead of aiming for restricted nuclear proliferation. "It seems almost to be sleepwalking down" the path to where a "rapidly growing numbers of states feel obliged to arm themselves with nuclear weapons," said Annan.

NUKEWARS
Germany and China agree Iran should not have nuclear bomb: Merkel


<img src="http://www.spacewar.com/images/merkel-wen-jaibao-afp-sm.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=2 align="right" border=1 width=80 height=100>

Beijing (AFP) May 22, 2006 - Germany and China agree that Iran should not be allowed to build nuclear weapons, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday after meeting Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao.

UN nuclear chief seeks compromise on Iran
Springtime For Ahmadinejad
Iran refuses to negotiate on nuclear work

KOREAN NUKES
US says no better deal for NKorea


<img src="http://www.spacewar.com/images/pyongyang-kumsusan-memorial-palace-sm.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=2 align="right" border=1 width=100 height=80>

Singapore (AFP) May 22, 2006 - North Korea will not get a better deal by staying away from six-nation negotiations aimed at getting the Stalinist state to end its nuclear program, the top US diplomat to the talks said Monday.


SUPERPOWERS
India defence minister to visit Japan, China to discuss military ties


<img src="http://www.spacewar.com/images/india-mukherjee-ivanov-moscow-15-nov-afp-sm.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=2 align="right" border=1 width=100 height=80>

New Delhi (AFP) May 22, 2006 - India's defence minister will visit Japan and China this week to forge closer links on military cooperation including anti-terrorism, a defence ministry official said Monday.

CYBER WARS
Singapore to install hundreds more surveillance cameras

<img src="http://www.spacewar.com/images/singapore-cbd-sm.jpg" hspace=5 ace=2 align="right" border=1 width=100 height=80>

Singapore (AFP) May 22, 2006 - Singapore will install hundreds more surveillance cameras on its streets, including around a central district where the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) meetings will be held in September, a report said Monday.

Two get jail time for music piracy
Personal data stolen on millions of US veterans

TERROR WARS
US Senate Acts Wisely On Hayden


<img src="http://www.spacewar.com/images/us-general-michael-hayden-afp-sm.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=2 align=right border=0>

Washington (UPI) May 23, 2006 - The U.S. Senate has given the Bush administration an extended blank check on domestic electronic phone surveillance. As we predicted in these columns last week, the U.S. Senate confirmation hearings on Gen. Michael Hayden focused on data mining from U.S. domestic phone records during his tenure as head of the National Security Agency.

POLITICAL ECONOMY
The Biggest Kids On The Block Combine Economic Forces


<img src="http://www.terradaily.com/images/paris-stock-exchange-sm.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=2 align="right" border=1 width=100 height=80>

Paris (UPI) May 23, 2006 - The proposal by the New York Stock Exchange for a $21 billion merger with the Euronext stock market group, along with NASDAQ's 25 percent shareholding in the London Stock Exchange, is probably in the great scheme of global affairs more important than any ups and downs in the relationships between Washington and the European capitals.

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SPACE WAR EXPRESS - MAY 23, 2006
http://www.spacewar.com
24/7 Coverage Of Earth in the 21st Century

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ MIT Probe Rejects BMD Research Fraud Claim

Cambridge MA (UPI) May 24, 2006
An internal MIT review has found university officials largely blameless for a three- to four-year delay in examining allegations of research fraud at Lincoln Laboratory, the Boston Globe reported Saturday.

+ Cold War Not Over

Washington (UPI) May 24, 2006
The Cold War is over. The Soviet empire has collapsed. The West has won. The countries of the former Eastern Bloc have nearly all turned to democracy and many have even joined NATO and the European Union. Nuclear weapons (at least some of them) have been dismantled. The world is a far safer place now. Or is it?

CYBER WARS

+ Washington Ablaze In Wake Of NSA Phone Record Scandal

Washington (UPI) May 24, 2006
Disclosure that the National Security Agency has allegedly and covertly obtained the phone records of millions of American from AT&T, BellSouth and Verizon has created a political firestorm in Washington over privacy issues.

TERROR WARS

+ New Law To Punish Animal Rights Terrorism

Washington (UPI) May 24, 2006
The House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing Tuesday on proposed legislation aimed at outlawing what its proponents say is economic terrorism by animal rights activists.

+ Extremism On The Rise In Germany
+ Amnesty Condemns US On Human Rights


THE STANS

+ US Navy Personnel In Afghanistan

Washington (UPI) May 24, 2006
The U.S. Navy is increasingly deploying its personnel far from the ocean, in Afghanistan. Cmdr. Jim Hamblet, who previously commanded the Portsmouth, Va.-based Mobile Security Squadron 6, a unit that patrols Iraqi oil platforms in the Persian Gulf, is now in charge of an 82-member reconstruction team in Ghazni province.

+ Attack May Spoil Kashmir Summit

http://www.spacewar.com/War.html

SPACE WAR EXPRESS - MAY 26, 2006
http://www.spacewar.com
24/7 Coverage Of Earth in the 21st Century

SUPERPOWERS

+ Chinese And US Scientists To Cooperate

Beijing (UPI) May 26, 2006 - The U.S. National Science Foundation opened an office in Beijing Wednesday, aimed at encouraging greater collaboration between Chinese and U.S. scientists. The office hopes to stimulate ideas and programs in areas including physics, bioscience and information science, said the foundation's director, Arden L Bement.

+ China's Defense Challenge

NUCLEAR DOCTRINE

+ 'Nukes breed nukes,' ElBaradei warns

Washington (AFP) May 25, 2006 - The head of the UN atomic watchdog warned Thursday that world powers must renounce nuclear arms or accept that more and more countries will manage to secure their own bombs.

IRANIAN NUKES
+ Blair: we don't want conflict with Iran, we're too busy

London (AFP) May 25, 2006 - Prime Minister Tony Blair said he did not want to start a conflict with Iran as Britain's armed forces already had enough problems to handle, in interview released Thursday by his office.

+ Gulf States Fear Iran War
+ Ahmadinejad accuses 'enemies' of plotting ethnic tensions
+ Energy worries, Iran cloud EU-Russia summit
+ Iran faces choice whether to remain isolated: Bush
+ Iran warns Japan not to procrastinate on oil: report
+ Qatar pours cold water on Gulf initiative on Iran
+ Russian official set for nuclear talks in Iran
+ World powers foreign ministers to meet on Iran next week: US

NUKEWARS

+ US envoy rules out new incentives to draw North Korea back to talks

Seoul (AFP) May 25, 2006 - The US envoy to six-party nuclear disarmament talks again ruled out any new incentives to draw North Korea back to the negotiating table as he arrived in South Korea Thursday .

+ North Korea Regulates Ties With South

PAKISTANI NUKES

+ US lawmakers want Pakistan to reopen probe on illicit nuclear network

Washington (AFP) May 25, 2006 - US lawmakers on Thursday called for the reopening of a probe into a nuclear smuggling network led by disgraced Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan amid concerns he could have supplied Iran with nuclear weapon designs.

TERROR WARS

+ NSA Datamining Pushes Tech Envelope

Washington (UPI) May 26, 2006 - Amid the political firestorm surrounding the National Security Agency's use of wiretapping for domestic phone calls, inquiries as to technology as well as legality have become prevalent. Key to most of this is the question as to whether the National Security Agency has overstepped its bounds.

+ US Bringing Terrorists To Book
+ Fighters intercept small plane near Bush flight

NANO TECH

+ Border Patrol Chief Spells Out Growth Plan

Washington (UPI) May 26, 2006 - The head of the U.S. Border Patrol spelled out to Congress Wednesday his organization's five year expansion plan to boost border security. David Aguilar, chief of the Border Patrol, described the National Guard's role in protecting the southern border as a two-year bridge to a more comprehensive, five-year plan in a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee.

IRAQ WARS

+ US to keep force levels in Iraq 'to win': Bush

Washington (AFP) May 25, 2006 - US President George W. Bush on Thursday refused to set a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq following the creation of its new government, saying "we will keep the force level there necessary to win".

+ Brzezinski Wants Orderly Iraq Withdrawal
+ Marine chief to visit Iraq amid allegations of marines killing civilians
+ Britain pays out over British serviceman's nerve gas tests

EPIDEMICS

+ Iran Bird Flu On UN Agenda

United Nations (UPI) May 24, 2006 - U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on Vietnam to share knowledge gained in a successful campaign against bird flu, but warned the country to not let its guard down in the continuing fight against the disease.

NANO TECH

+ Invisibility Through Nano

New York (UPI) May 26, 2006 - Invisibility cloaks that bend light might develop using nanotechnology, experts tell UPI's Nano World. "There are probably quite a number of useful things you could do with stealth for the military," said researcher John Pendry, a physicist at Imperial College London.

THE STANS

+ Taliban offensive seeks to discourage NATO deployments: NATO chief

Washington (AFP) May 25, 2006 - NATO's supreme commander said Thursday a spring offensive by Taliban fighters appears aimed at discouraging US allies taking part in an expanded NATO-led force in southern Afghanistan.

EARTH OBSERVATION
+ NASA GOES Mission Goes On Schedule

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station FL (SPX) May 26, 2006
The N version of NASA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite series launched on schedule Thursday evening from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Boeing Delta IV rocket carrying the satellite lifted off at the beginning of its launch window, at 6:11 p.m. Eastern Time.

+ Digital Globe European Partner To Supply Sat Imagery To European Commission

SPACEMART

+ LM And EADS Space To Team On NavSat Systems

Gaithersburg MD (SPX) May 26, 2006 - Lockheed Martin and EADS Astrium announced Thursday they have agreed to team up to ensure the interoperability of the Global Positioning System III and the European Galileo Satellite Navigation programs, considered the world's two most important upcoming navigation spacecraft.

+ Scientists Predict How To Detect A Fourth Dimension Of Space
+ NSF Partnership Funds Instrument For World's Largest Telescope
+ Final Go Given For Ariane 5 Launch
+ EADS Astrium Develops Its Links With The Brazilian Space Industry
+ SES ASTRA Increases Shareholding In ND Satcom To 100 percent
+ Russians harness star power in new battery
+ Checking Out Cheyenne And Testing Relay For Phoenix

SPACEDAILY TEXT EXPRESS - MAY 26, 2006
TODAY'S SPACE
May 26, 2006

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MARSDAILY

- Checking Out Cheyenne And Testing Relay For Phoenix
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Checking...or_Phoenix.html

Pasadena CA (SPX) May 26, 2006 - Opportunity Status for sol 818-824 Opportunity is healthy and continuing to make its way toward "Victoria Crater." Opportunity made 108 meters (354 feet) of progress in two sols of driving and was approximately 1,000 meters (just over half a mile) from Victoria Crater at the end of Sol 823.

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EARTH OBSERVATION

- Digital Globe European Partner To Supply Sat Imagery To European Commission
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Digital_...Commission.html

Longmont CO (SPX) May 26, 2006 - DigitalGlobe's European business partner, Eurimage in Rome, Italy, has contracted with the European Commission's Joint Research Center to supply worldwide satellite imagery over a four-year period.

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SPACEMART

- EADS Astrium Develops Its Links With The Brazilian Space Industry
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/EADS_Ast...e_Industry.html

Brazilia, Brazil (SPX) May 26, 2006 - EADS Astrium has purchased a 42% stake in the Brazilian company Equatorial Sistemas. This partnership will strengthen the presence of EADS Astrium in Brazil by enabling it to become a privileged partner in Brazilian space programmes in particular those from the Brazilian Space Agency and its industrial part the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research.

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LAUNCH PAD

- Final Go Given For Ariane 5 Launch
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Final_Go...e_5_Launch.html

Kourou, French Guyana (SPX) May 26, 2006 - Arianespace has given the go-ahead for its heavy-lift Ariane 5 mission on Saturday carrying the Satmex 6 and Thaicom 5 satellites.

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GPS NEWS

- LM And EADS Space To Team On NavSat Systems
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/LM_And_E...at_Systems.html

Gaithersburg MD (SPX) May 26, 2006 - Lockheed Martin and EADS Astrium announced Thursday they have agreed to team up to ensure the interoperability of the Global Positioning System III and the European Galileo Satellite Navigation programs, considered the world's two most important upcoming navigation spacecraft.

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EARTH OBSERVATION

- NASA GOES Mission Goes On Schedule
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/NASA_GOE...n_Schedule.html

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station FL (SPX) May 26, 2006 - The N version of NASA's Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite series launched on schedule Thursday evening from Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The Boeing Delta IV rocket carrying the satellite lifted off at the beginning of its launch window, at 6:11 p.m. Eastern Time.

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SPACE SCOPES

- NSF Partnership Funds Instrument For World's Largest Telescope
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/NSF_Part..._Telescope.html

Kamuela, Hawai'i (SPX) May 26, 2006 - The W. M. Keck Observatory and the National Science Foundation (NSF) announced that $5 million of NSF funding has been granted over the next four years to design and construct a major new capability for the Keck I telescope.

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SPACE TRAVEL

- Planetary Society Presents a New World to Congress
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Planetar...o_Congress.html

Washington DC (SPX) May 26, 2006 - May 25 marks the 45th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's 1961 speech to Congress launching the Apollo Program.

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ENERGY TECH

- Russians harness star power in new battery
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Russians...ew_battery.html

Moscow (AFP) May 25, 2006 - Russian scientists have invented a battery that can capture energy not only from the sun, but also from the stars, the head of a research institute at the Dubna Nuclear Institute, near Moscow, said on Thursday.

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SPACEMART

- SES ASTRA Increases Shareholding In ND Satcom To 100 percent
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/SES_ASTR...00_percent.html

Chateau de Betzdorf, Luxembourg (SPX) May 26, 2006 - SES ASTRA, an SES GLOBAL company, has announced today that it raises its stake in the satellite communications supplier ND SatCom from 25.1 to 100 per cent by acquiring the 74.9 per cent share from the German-based high-tech group AUGUSTA Technologie AG.

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PHYSICS NEWS

- Scientists Predict How To Detect A Fourth Dimension Of Space
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Scientis...n_Of_Space.html

Durham NC (SPX) May 26, 2006 - Scientists at Duke and Rutgers universities have developed a mathematical framework they say will enable astronomers to test a new five-dimensional theory of gravity that competes with Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.

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SOLAR SCIENCE

- TIMED Mission Extended For Second Time
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/TIMED_Mi...econd_Time.html

Laurel MD (SPX) May 26, 2006 - NASA announced Thursday it is extending the Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics spacecraft's mission for another four years, through 2010. Since its launch in 2001, TIMED has been collecting atmospheric and near-space data during various phases of the solar cycle.

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SOLAR SCIENCE

- Two APL-built Instruments Observe Recent Total Solar Eclipse
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Two_APL_...ar_Eclipse.html

Laurel MD (SPX) May 26, 2006 - Space scientists from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), in Laurel, Md., got a first-hand look at what happens to Earth's atmosphere when the sun was abruptly "turned off" during the March 29, 2006, total solar eclipse.

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SPACEWAR

- Chinese And US Scientists To Cooperate
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Chinese_An..._Cooperate.html

- China's Defense Challenge
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Chinas_Def..._Challenge.html

- NSA Datamining Pushes Tech Envelope
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/NSA_Datami...h_Envelope.html

- Border Patrol Chief Spells Out Growth Plan
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Border_Pat...rowth_Plan.html

- Brzezinski Wants Orderly Iraq Withdrawal
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Brzezinski...Withdrawal.html

- Invisibility Through Nano
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Invisibili...rough_Nano.html

- Gulf States Fear Iran War
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Gulf_State...r_Iran_War.html

- US Bringing Terrorists To Book
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/US_Bringin...ts_To_Book.html

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TERRADAILY

- MIT Poet Develops 'Seeing Machine'
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/MIT_Poet...ng_Machine.html

- New Vaccine Development Provides Potent Long-Lasting Immunity
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/New_Vacc...g_Immunity.html

- Cure For Reading Glasses May Be In View
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Cure_For...Be_In_View.html

- Robotic Joystick Reveals How Brain Controls Movement
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Robotic_...s_Movement.html

- When It Comes To Privacy, Gender Matters
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/When_It_...er_Matters.html

- Sweet Success For Pioneering Hydrogen Energy Project
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Sweet_Su...gy_Project.html

- Better Distillation Curve Apparatus Built
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Better_D...atus_Built.html

- Ocean Useful In Hurricane Disaster Relief
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Ocean_Us...ter_Relief.html

- Managing Indian E-Waste
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Managing...an_E_Waste.html


YESTERDAY'S NEWS

- ITER Fusion Reactor Project Agreement Initialed At Brussels Meet
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/ITER_Fus...ssels_Meet.html

- AEROFLEX Adds Plainview PW5032 RadHard To Product Line
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/AEROFLEX...oduct_Line.html

- Hopkins Physics Lab To Build NASA's Radiation Belt Storm Probes
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Hopkins_...orm_Probes.html

- MSV Accelerates Telecom Satellite Program
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/MSV_Acce...te_Program.html

- American Astronomical Society Releases Statement On Alma
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/American...nt_On_Alma.html

- France Telecom Launches BGAN Service Across United States
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/France_T...ted_States.html

- Arianespace Liftoff Now Set For Saturday
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Arianesp...r_Saturday.html

- Inexpensive Detector Sees The Invisible In Color
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Inexpens...e_In_Color.html

- ESA Makes World Fire Maps Available Online
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/ESA_Make...ble_Online.html

- Harris Wins Subcontract For Joint Environmental Toolkit As Part Of Raytheon Team
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Harris_W...theon_Team.html

- Balloon Borne Student Experiments From Esrange Space Center
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Balloon_...ace_Center.html

- NASA Names Scales Associate Administrator For Institutions And Management
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/NASA_Nam...Management.html

- ESA Extends SOHO Mission
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/ESA_Exte...HO_Mission.html

- The Totalitarian Temptation in Space
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/The_Tota...n_in_Space.html

- ISS Columbus Module Heads For Kennedy Space Center
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/ISS_Colu...ace_Center.html

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SPACEWAR

- Iran likely to dominate global security agenda for years: report
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Iran_likel...ars_report.html

- Progress but no closure at Iran talks: US
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Progress_b...n_talks_US.html

- AT and T's NSA Legal Woes Continue To Grow
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/AT_and_Ts_...ue_To_Grow.html

- Boeing Delivers First Small Diameter Bomb I System To US Air Force
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Boeing_Del..._Air_Force.html

- Comtech Wins Contract To Retrofit AN/TRC-170 Troposcatter Terminals
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Comtech_Wi..._Terminals.html

- GAO Finds Problems In New DOD Satellite Communications Program
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/GAO_Finds_...ns_Program.html

- Israel Selects Raytheon And Rafael For Short-Range Missile-Defense Interceptor
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Israel_Sel...nterceptor.html

- Nano-Loaded Wireless Sensors
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Nano_Loade...ss_Sensors.html

- Tenix Unveils New Data Transmission Technology
http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Tenix_Unve...Technology.html

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TERRADAILY

- Beyond The Hype And The Scare Stories, How Safe Are Nanoparticles
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Beyond_T...oparticles.html

- How Did Continents Split
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/How_Did_...ents_Split.html

- New Attempt To Monitor fisheries
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/New_Atte..._fisheries.html

- Revolutionary Hydrogen Sensor Developed
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Revoluti..._Developed.html

- Climate change threatens EU biodiversity target: Britain
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Climate_...et_Britain.html

- Curse or blessing? Barents Sea teems with 'Stalin's crabs'
http://www.terradaily.com/reports/Curse_or...lins_crabs.html

SPACE DAILY EXPRESS - May 29, 2006
http://www.spacedaily.com
24/7 Coverage Of Space in the 21st Century
TODAYS NEWS IN BRIEF

LAUNCH PAD

+ Heaviest Ariane 5 Payload Orbits Without A Hitch

Kourou, French Guyana (SPX) May 27, 2006
Arianespace's heavy-lift Ariane 5 ECA launched on time and without difficulty late Saturday afternoon, delivering two large telecom satellites into geostationary transfer orbits. The rocket lifted off from its pad at Europe's Spaceport at the start of a 45 minute launch window at 6:09 p.m. local time.

+ Air Force Orders More Space Launches From Orbital
+ Submerged Russian sub launches satellite

OZONE NEWS

+ Ozone Layer Seems To Be Recovering

NASA Marshall Space Flight Center - Huntsville AL (SPX) May 29, 2006
Think of the ozone layer as Earth's sunglasses, protecting life on the surface from the harmful glare of the Sun's strongest ultraviolet rays, which can cause skin cancer and other maladies. People were understandably alarmed, then, in the 1980s when scientists noticed that manmade chemicals in the atmosphere were destroying this layer.

SPACEMART

+ Indian Space Capability Gains Global Recognition

Bangalore, India (PTI) May 29, 2006
Diversifying from selling remote sensing images worldwide, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will soon make a big splash in the area of satellite building and offering launch services to other countries.

+ Justice Department Clears Intelsat-PanAmSat Merger
+ Government and Military Remain Key To Commercial Satellite Revenues

CONSTELLATIONS

+ Mobile Satellite Ventures Accelerates US Satellite Program

Reston VA (SPX) May 29, 2006
Mobile Satellite Ventures (MSV) and its joint venture partner, MSV Canada, today announced that it had reached an agreement with Boeing to accelerate the deployment of its two North American satellites, which will form the backbone of its satellite-cellular wireless communications network.

STELLAR CHEMISTRY

+ NASA Interstellar Boundary Explorer Mission Moves Ahead

San Antonio TX (SPX) May 29, 2006
Just as the Voyager 2 spacecraft is approaching the edge of our solar system, Southwest Research Institute received official confirmation from NASA Headquarters to proceed into the mission implementation phase for the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission.

SOLAR SCIENCE

+ Magnetic Storms Affect Humans As Well As Telecommunications

Moscow, Russia (SPX) May 29, 2006
It has long been established that magnetic storms not only affect the performance of equipment, upset radio communications, blackout radars, and disrupt radio navigation systems but also endanger living organisms. They change the blood flow, especially in capillaries, affect blood pressure, and boost adrenalin.

BLUE SKY

+ Atmospheric Warming Expanding The Tropics

Washington DC (SPX) May 29, 2006
Earth's atmosphere seems to be warming in a way that is drawing the jet streams away from the equator and toward the poles, expanding tropical areas in the process, researchers reported Friday. If the data hold up, it means some of Earth's desert areas will be expanding, and drought conditions could strike formerly well-watered regions around the globe.

MILTECH

+ Paratroopers could fly 200km with new wings system: Jane's

London (AFP) May 26, 2006
A new military parachute system which fits wings on soldiers could enable them to travel to 200 kilometres (124 miles) after jumping, Jane's Defence Weekly defence magazine said Friday.

MISSILE NEWS

+ US urges Russia to reconsider missile sales to Iran

Washington (AFP) May 26, 2006
The United States urged Russia Friday to reconsider its decision to honor a contract to sell TOR-M1 surface-to-air missiles to Iran.

+ US tests ship-based defense system against short-range missile

AEROSPACE

+ Bush, Blair resolve dispute over Joint Strike Fighter

Washington (AFP) May 26, 2006
The United States and Britain announced Friday agreement to end a long-running row over technology that had threatened plans to cooperate in developing a new Joint Strike Fighter aircraft.

IRANIAN NUKES

+ Blair bows to US pressure on Iran, climate change: report

London (AFP) May 28, 2006
British Prime Minister Tony Blair bowed to US pressure by toughening remarks on Iran and softening them on global warming while in Washington, according to a report Sunday that Blair's office denied.

+ Iran FM threatens retaliation in event of US strike
+ Iran has no nuclear ambitions: vice president tells Pakistan
+ Bush administration debates direct talks with Iran: report
+ Iran willing to accept cap on uranium enrichment: envoy
+ Oman shows solidarity with Iran in nuclear standoff: analysts
+ Iran, Russia agree to continue nuclear talks

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

+ Indonesia quake teams using tsunami experience, says UN chief

Washington (AFP) May 28, 2006 - International rescue teams helping victims of the Indonesia earthquake, which has killed over 4,600 people, gained valuable experience in the operation after the 2004 tsunami disaster, UN aid coordinator Jan Egeland said Sunday.

+ Hospitals overwhelmed in Indonesian quake zone
+ New Orleans again vulnerable as new hurricane season opens

SHAKE AND BLOW

+ More quakes show power of Pacific 'Ring of Fire'

Jakarta (AFP) May 28, 2006
The Pacific's volatile "Ring of Fire" unleashed two more earthquakes Sunday, a day after a temblor in Indonesia left more than 3,300 dead in one of the world's most seismically active regions.

+ Earthquakes and volcanoes, Indonesia's twin nightmares
+ Pacific 'Ring of Fire' unleashes another disaster
+ Earthquake in ocean near Tonga
+ Earthquake jolts northern Philippines, no damage or injuries
+ Strong earthquake hits Papua New Guinea

ENERGY TECH

+ US oil and gas industry heads into hurricane season still weak

New Orleans, Louisiana (AFP) May 28, 2006
With exploration and production still struggling to catch up to last year's levels, the US's crucial Gulf of Mexico oil and gas industry is gearing up for what could be another dangerous hurricane season.

+ Oil giants turn to Arctic promised land
+ Oil prices firmer on Iran, US demand concerns
+ Strategic Russian pipeline to be re-routed 400 kilometres from Baikal
+ Bush hails House bill opening Alaska wildlife refuge to drilling

CIVIL NUCLEAR

+ India admits more work to be done on nuclear deal with US

New Delhi (AFP) May 26, 2006
More work has to be done on the landmark Indo-US nuclear deal before it goes through Congress, according to New Delhi's top diplomat.


http://spacedaily.com/cgi-bin/dada/mail.cgi/u/spaceday/

http://www.spacewar.com/War.html

SPACE WAR EXPRESS - MAY 30, 2006
http://www.spacewar.com
24/7 Coverage Of Earth in the 21st Century

MISSILE NEWS

+ Pentagon seeking non-nuclear submarine missile: report

New York (AFP) May 29, 2006
The Pentagon is pressing Congress to approve the development of a new weapon that would enable the United States to carry out non-nuclear missile strikes against distant targets within an hour, The New York Times reported in its Monday edition.

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Rafael Selected For Short-Range Missile Interceptor

Tucson AZ (SPX) May 30, 2006
Raytheon Company and Rafael Armament Development Authority have been selected to develop a new terminal missile defense interceptor to defeat a variety of low-cost, short-range ballistic missile threats. The source selection was made by the Israel Missile Defense Organization.

MILPLEX

+ EADS And Terma Join Forces In Defence Business

Munich, Germany (SPX) May 30, 2006
EADS and Terma, Lystrup, have joined forces to extend their established co-operation in the field of defence. EADS Defence and Security Systems (DS) and Terma have agreed to explore further business opportunities particularly in the fields of Command and Control, Air Defence, Electronic Warfare, Future Soldier Systems and radar technology.

MILTECH

+ SOSTAR-X Released To Service As Test Campaign Starts

Friedrichshafen, Germany (SPX) May 30, 2006
The European SOSTAR-X programme for the development and demonstration of an advanced airborne ground surveillance radar system has started flight testing.

+ Lockheed Martin Demonstrates New Vehicle Armor
+ Raytheon AN SPY-3 Multifunction Radar Successfully Conducts Testing
+ Foster-Miller Receives Large Contract For Military Robot Parts And Service

UAV NEWS

+ UAV Development Will Drive Advanced Aerospace Technologies

London UK, (SPX) May 30, 2006
In 2000, the world market for UAVs represented only approximately $2.4 billion, but in the next decade, that figure is expected to top $15 billion, according to a new visiongain report.

+ Lockheed Martin Wins USAF Deal To Upgrade Sniper
+ Delivery Of The First Contractual Step Of The nEUROn Program

EARTH OBSERVATION

+ Commercial Remote Sensing Satellite Market Stabilizing

Newtown CN (SPX) May 30, 2006
In a new study, "The Market for Civil & Commercial Remote Sensing Satellites," Forecast International is projecting deliveries of approximately 139 imaging satellites worth $16.3 billion over the next 10 years. The first half of the period will be more active than the second, with 97 spacecraft slated for production within the next five years.

+ Digital Globe and Getty Images To Supply Satellite Images To News Media
+ Intermap Technologies Receives Radar Mapping Contract
+ Smiths Detection To Supply Next-Gen Meteorological System
SUPERPOWERS

+ NATO Lacks Muscle To Help US

Washington (UPI) May 30, 2006
Is the expanded "super NATO" America's greatest strategic ally, or is it in reality a hollow shell, multiplying American strategic commitments without providing any significant resources to deal with them?

THE STANS

+ India, Pakistan agree on joint survey of contested marsh

New Delhi (AFP) May 26, 2006
Nuclear rivals India and Pakistan ended two days of talks Friday and agreed to conduct a joint survey of a disputed marshland considered of little strategic value, a spokesman said.

+ Coalition raid kills 50 Taliban in Afghanistan: official

OLD NUKES

+ Russia to remove enriched uranium from satellite states by 2013

Moscow (AFP) May 29, 2006
Russia announced on Monday that it would repatriate by 2013 the enriched uranium from reactors the USSR set up in 17 countries, as part of the Global Threat Reduction Inititative (GTRI).

IRANIAN NUKES

+ World powers weigh nuclear 'guarantee' for Iran, Russia says

Moscow (AFP) May 29, 2006
World powers are prepared to guarantee Iran's right to develop nuclear energy provided Tehran eases international concerns over its nuclear intentions and cooperates fully with the UN atomic watchdog, Russia said Monday.

NUCLEAR BLACKMARKET

+ US, Japan prepare for controversial smuggling drill

Tokyo (AFP) May 29, 2006
The US and Japan were due to carry out a reduced version of an international anti-smuggling drill on Monday after China and South Korea pulled out apparently through fear of offending North Korea.

+ US, allies hold WMD-seizing drills in Mediterranean

IRAQ WARS

+ Bush bans protests at military funerals

Washington (AFP) May 29, 2006
President George W. Bush on Monday signed a law that bans protests at military funerals, in a bid to counter a group that has staged anti-gay demonstrations at ceremonies for soldiers killed in Iraq.

+ Italy to reduce troops in Iraq in June, pullout by end of year: FM
+ Probes into civilian killings nearing an end: Pentagon
+ Top US general says 'premature' to reach conclusion on Iraq killings

SPACEMART

+ Volvo Aero Components Powering Large Number Of Ariane 5 Launches

Stockholm, Sweden (SPX) May 29, 2006
Volvo Aero's components have helped to lift the Ariane 5 ECA into space on two successful launches in 2006 – including last Saturday's record-breaking satellite payload.

+ AGS To Supply Services For FTI-SAT Program
+ Satelinx To Equip Seniors With Location Base Devices
+ Comtech Wins $1.9M From U.S. Government For Satcom Products
+ ND SatCom Introduces New 2.4m Transportable Ground Terminal
+ Carbon-Based Quantum Dots Could Mean 'Greener,' Safer Technology

SPACE WAR EXPRESS - MAY 31, 2006
http://www.spacewar.com
24/7 Coverage Of Earth in the 21st Century

SUPERPOWERS

+ China and India to sign accord to expand military ties

Beijing (AFP) May 29, 2006
China and India signed an agreement Tuesday to expand defence ties, the Chinese foreign ministry said, in a deal that is expected to see the neighbors conduct more military training exercises. The memorandum of understanding was signed during a visit by Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee to Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters.

+ China drops out of joint anti-terrorism exercise
+ Putin sees 'competition' to Sino-Russia security group in Central Asia
+ Russia, China close ranks in Central Asia
+ India seeks friendship with both China, Japan
+ Bush speaks by phone with leaders of France, Russia, Germany

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ US Navy Announces Terminal Descent Intercept

Washington (UPI) May 31, 2006
U.S. sea-based ballistic missile defence capabilities demonstrated a new engagement aspect on May 24 when a Standard Missile 2 Block IV successfully intercepted a ballistic missile target in its terminal descent or endo-atmospheric phase, Jane's Navy International reported May 26.

+ Raytheon, RAFAEL Win Short-Range Missile Tender

ICBM NEWS

+ India Cancels Agni III Test

Washington (UPI) May 31, 2006
The Indian government has decided to cancel the first test-firing of its Agni III inter-continental ballistic missile. The Agni III was the pride of the Indian strategic missile program and was designed to have a range of at least 1,400 miles, and possibly as far as 2,000 miles, giving it the capability of hitting cities across southern China with nuclear weapons.

IRANIAN NUKES

+ US confident incentive package for Iran to be approved

Washington (AFP) May 30, 2006
The United States said it was optimistic that ministers of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany meeting in Vienna this week would endorse a plan to end the crisis over Iran's nuclear program.

+ China confirms world powers to meet Thursday on Iran
+ Crude oil prices rise amid Iran concerns
+ Draft proposal on Iran nuclear dispute
+ EU offer will be test for Iran's real intentions: Solana

NUCLEAR BLACKMARKET

+ Pakistani court hears plea over nuclear scientist

Islamabad (AFP) May 30, 2006
A Pakistani high court has asked the government to inform it of the reasons for the detention of a nuclear scientist whose relatives say he has been held for two years, a lawyer said Tuesday.

+ Malaysia to have nuclear monitoring station

KOREAN NUKES

+ North Korea Keen On South Korea Election

Seoul (UPI) May 31, 2006
North Korea is campaigning to help South Korea's ruling party win upcoming local elections in the hopes of benefiting from its cross-border reconciliation policy which emphasizes massive economic aid.

THE STANS

+ A Long Hot Afghan Summer

Washington (UPI) May 31, 2006
The street violence that shook the Afghan capital Sunday heralds the tide of unrest and frustration that has swept the southern provinces of the country, where the Taliban is waging its fiercest campaign since being ousted from power five years ago by U.S.-led forces.

+ Can Singh Solve Kashmir

MILTECH

+ Boeing To Develop F-15 Mission Planning Software For USAF

St Louis (SPX) May 31, 2006
Boeing received a $13.2 million U.S. Air Force contract to develop new F-15 mission planning software under the Mission Planning Enterprise Contract (MPEC) program.

+ NGC Conducting Flight Tests Of New Electro-Optical Surveillance And Detection System
+ Boeing Delivers Network-Centric JTRS Radios To Future Combat System Program
+ Raytheon SLAMRAAM Program Marks Delivery of First Integrated Fire Control Shelter

TERROR WARS

+ Privacy And Tech Fears Stall Border Plans

Washington (UPI) May 31, 2006
Concerns about privacy, rows over technology and the fear of an economic slowdown caused by delays at the border are threatening U.S. plans to tighten entry requirements for people crossing from Canada.

+ EU Blocks US Anti-Terror Airline Deal

EUROPLEX

+ End to CFE deadlock 'unlikely': diplomatic sources

Vienna (AFP) May 30, 2006
An end to the deadlock over the treaty on conventional forces in Europe (CFE) is unlikely before the end of the week, delegates at an international conference on the matter said Tuesday.

IRAQ WARS

+ US says more Iraq forces active but more attacks

Washington (AFP) May 30, 2006
The US Defense Department reported Tuesday gains in developing Iraq's security forces but also a rise in attacks, higher casualties and greater sectarian violence.

+ 1,500 more US troops to Iraq: Pentagon
+ White House vows details of Iraq killings inquiry to be made public
+ US lawmaker again charges coverup in Haditha, Iraq

SPACE DAILY EXPRESS - May 31, 2006
http://www.spacedaily.com
24/7 Coverage Of Space in the 21st Century
SPACEMART

+ Space Launch Acquired By Space Adventures

Washington DC (SPX) May 31, 2006
Space Adventures announced Tuesday it has completed an agreement to acquire Space Launch Corp. of Fountain Valley, Calif., as a wholly owned subsidiary. Founded in 1999, Space Launch has been developing micro-satellite launch capabilities for the military under a contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

TECH SPACE

+ ESA Proba-2 Spacecraft To Validate More New Technologies

Paris, France (SPX) May 31, 2006
Proba-2, currently under development and due for launch in September 2007, is the second in ESA's series of small, low-cost satellites intended to validate new spacecraft technologies while also carrying scientific instruments. The Proba satellites are part of ESA's In-Orbit Technology Demonstration Program, funded through the General Support Technology Program.

SPACE TRAVEL

+ A Voyage To The Edge Of Sol

Pasadena CA (SPX) May 31, 2006
As the 28-year-old Voyagers 1 and 2 spacecraft approach the edge of interstellar space, they have found that the heliosphere, the "bubble" within which the sun dominates, bulges outward in the northern hemisphere and is pressed inward in the south.

SATURN DAILY

+ Titan Ringed

Pasadena CA (SPX) May 31, 2006
The Cassini spacecraft captured this view of Saturn's largest moon, Titan (5,150 kilometers, or 3,200 miles across) looking out from slightly beneath the giant planet's ringplane.

MARSDAILY

+ Opportunity Gets Dug Into Loose Soil Again

Pasadena CA (SPX) May 31, 2006
Opportunity's wheels dug into loose soil during a drive on sol 833 (May 29, 2006). The drive was planned for about 24 meters (79 feet) but resulted in only 1.5 meters (5 feet) of forward progress. The flight team directed Opportunity on sol 834 to take images for studying the situation and planning a way to drive out of the loose material.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

+ Extending The Reach Of Disaster Relief From Fire To Flood

Paris, France (SPX) May 31, 2006
Different disasters require different responses and, in turn, multiple technological solutions, which is a costly duplication of resources. REMSAT II, a project supported by ESA’s Telecommunications Department, has, however, successfully extended its forest fire fighting capabilities to the domain of flood relief, saving both resources and lives.

SPACE SCOPES

+ ATK To Provide More Components For James Webb Space Telescope

Minneapolis MN (SPX) May 31, 2006
Alliant Techsystems announced Tuesday it has received a $65 million contract to provide more components and subsystems to Northrop Grumman for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope.

LAUNCH PAD

+ SES Global Contracts Sea Launch For AMC-21 Satellite

Luxembourg (SPX) May 31, 2006 - SES Global announced Tuesday it has contracted with the Sea Launch Company for a mission on its Land Launch system to send the AMC-21 spacecraft into orbit in mid-2008.

STATION NEWS

+ Russia Prepares To Launch Another Progress Space Truck To ISS

Moscow (RIAN) May 31, 2006
A Progress M-57 space freighter will be launched to the International Space Station on the back of a Soyuz-U rocket on June 24, 2006, the Federal Space Agency said Tuesday.

INTERNET SPACE

+ Old Hardware, New Applications

Chicago (UPI) May 31, 2006
The market for virtual servers -- software that lets computer users employ more than one operating system, whether it is Windows or Linux, on a single server -- is surging. Experts tell UPI's Networking that more than 45 percent of servers in corporate networks purchased in the coming year will be "virtualized," as IT departments seek to squeeze more applications and connectivity out of the same amount of hardware.

VSAT NEWS

+ SES ASTRA Takes Over ND SatCom Shares

Betzdorf, Luxembourg (SPX) May 29, 2006
SES ASTRA announced Monday that it has raised its stake in satellite-communications supplier ND SatCom from 25.1 percent to 100 percent by acquiring the 74.9 percent share from the German-based high-tech group AUGUSTA Technologie AG.

SUPERPOWERS

+ China and India to sign accord to expand military ties

Beijing (AFP) May 29, 2006
China and India signed an agreement Tuesday to expand defence ties, the Chinese foreign ministry said, in a deal that is expected to see the neighbors conduct more military training exercises. The memorandum of understanding was signed during a visit by Indian Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee to Beijing, foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told reporters.

+ China drops out of joint anti-terrorism exercise
+ Putin sees 'competition' to Sino-Russia security group in Central Asia
+ Russia, China close ranks in Central Asia
+ India seeks friendship with both China, Japan
+ Bush speaks by phone with leaders of France, Russia, Germany
MISSILE DEFENSE

+ US Navy Announces Terminal Descent Intercept

Washington (UPI) May 31, 2006
U.S. sea-based ballistic missile defence capabilities demonstrated a new engagement aspect on May 24 when a Standard Missile 2 Block IV successfully intercepted a ballistic missile target in its terminal descent or endo-atmospheric phase, Jane's Navy International reported May 26.

+ Raytheon, RAFAEL Win Short-Range Missile Tender

ICBM NEWS

+ India Cancels Agni III Test

Washington (UPI) May 31, 2006
The Indian government has decided to cancel the first test-firing of its Agni III inter-continental ballistic missile. The Agni III was the pride of the Indian strategic missile program and was designed to have a range of at least 1,400 miles, and possibly as far as 2,000 miles, giving it the capability of hitting cities across southern China with nuclear weapons.

IRANIAN NUKES

+ US confident incentive package for Iran to be approved

Washington (AFP) May 30, 2006
The United States said it was optimistic that ministers of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany meeting in Vienna this week would endorse a plan to end the crisis over Iran's nuclear program.

+ China confirms world powers to meet Thursday on Iran
+ Crude oil prices rise amid Iran concerns
+ Draft proposal on Iran nuclear dispute
+ EU offer will be test for Iran's real intentions: Solana

NUCLEAR BLACKMARKET

+ Pakistani court hears plea over nuclear scientist

Islamabad (AFP) May 30, 2006
A Pakistani high court has asked the government to inform it of the reasons for the detention of a nuclear scientist whose relatives say he has been held for two years, a lawyer said Tuesday.

+ Malaysia to have nuclear monitoring station

KOREAN NUKES

+ North Korea Keen On South Korea Election

Seoul (UPI) May 31, 2006
North Korea is campaigning to help South Korea's ruling party win upcoming local elections in the hopes of benefiting from its cross-border reconciliation policy which emphasizes massive economic aid.

CLIMATE SCIENCE

+ Sea-Surface Warming Linked to Worse Tropical Storms Activity

Washington DC (SPX) May 31, 2006
Climate researchers said Tuesday they may have found a connection between rising sea-surface temperatures over the past 40 years and more intense tropical storm activity across the globe.

+ China, neighbours vow to tackle sandstorm menace

FROTH AND BUBBLE

+ China growth unsustainable on all counts, must change: economist

Beijing (AFP) May 30, 2006
China's growth model, based on the West's economic model with its massive appetite for resources and increasing environmental degradation is unsustainable and will have to change, a leading environmentalist said Tuesday.

+ Pollution turning China's Yangtze river "cancerous"
+ 'Mercury Sponge' Technology Goes From Lab To Market

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

+ Indonesia quake death toll nearly 5,700: official

Jakarta (AFP) May 30, 2006
The death toll from the earthquake that rocked Indonesia's main island of Java at the weekend has risen to at least 5,698, the social affairs ministry said late Tuesday.

+ Deaths Mount In Indonesia

SHAKE AND BLOW

+ Geologists warn Indonesia quake could awaken nearby volcano

Jakarta (AFP) May 30, 2006
Geologists warned Tuesday that simmering Mount Merapi volcano could blow its top in the wake of the powerful quake that devastated swathes of Indonesia's main island of Java.

+ Indonesia's Merapi spews heat clouds and lava
+ Comoros on alert as volcano simmers

(SPACE WAR EXPRESS - June 1, 2006
http://www.spacewar.com
24/7 Coverage Of Earth in the 21st Century

KOREAN NUKES

+ Consortium to terminate North Korean nuclear power reactor project

New York (AFP) May 31, 2006 - An energy consortium that was charged with carrying out the construction of lightwater nuclear power reactors to entice North Korea to end its atomic weapons drive formally decided Wednesday to terminate the project.

IRANIAN NUKES

+ US outlines Iran nuclear policy

Washington (AFP) May 31, 2006 - In announcing Wednesday a US offer to join the talks on Tehran's nuclear program, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice delivered a comprehensive outline of US policy on Iran.

+ A Way Out For Iran
+ US offers to join Iran talks in deal with Russia, China
+ UN nuclear chief calls on Iran to clear way to nuclear talks with US

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ BAE Systems Delivers Initial F-35 JSF Electronic Warfare System

Nashua NH (SPX) Jun 01, 2006 - BAE Systems has delivered the first electronic warfare system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Fort Worth, Texas.

LASER TECH

+ Quintessence Photonics Wins US DoD Subcontract

Sylmar CA (SPX) Jun 01, 2006 - Quintessence Photonics has announced that it has received a subcontract for the development of high power, high brightness semiconductor lasers as part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) program for Architecture for Diode High Energy Laser Systems (ADHELS). QPCI's portion of the DARPA award is for $3.1M including all phases.

+ DSTO Centre of Expertise in Photonics to Boost Defence Research

THE STANS

+ Pakistan Says Bin Laden Not In The Upper Dir

Washington (UPI) Jun 01, 2006 - Pakistani Federal Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao has denied U.S. media reports that Al-Qaida head Osama bin Laden is hiding in Upper Dir. The Daily Times on May 29 quoted Sherpao telling reporters that, "There is no iota of truth in the news report depicting the presence of bin Laden in the NorthWest Frontier Province.

IRAQ WARS

+ Rising Terror Curve In Iraq

Washington (UPI) Jun 01, 2006 - The latest wave of attacks in Iraq confirms the growing capabilities of the Sunni insurgency. The total number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq through Tuesday, May 30, since the start of operations to topple Saddam Hussein on March 19, 2003, was 2,467, according to official figures issued by the U.S. Department of Defense.

+ New Approaches For Reconstructing Iraq
+ Khalilzad Bids For Deal With Insurgents
+ US president 'troubled' by Haditha shootings

SPACEMART

+ Boeing To Develop New Electronic Circuits For Extreme Space Environments

St. Louis MO (SPX) Jun 01, 2006
Boeing announced Wednesday it has joined a university-industry team working to develop a reliable, cost-effective electronic technology that helps robotic and human space missions operate in environments of extreme cold and space radiation.

+ Gilat Provides Cellular Backhaul Infrastructure for Angola Telecom
+ Mobile Satellite Ventures Awarded Two New US Patents
+ QinetiQ Joins Galileo Development
+ Discovery Still On Track For July Launch
+ Kazakh Leader Says First Satellite Means Space-Power Status
+ Spacewalk To Focus On Station Repairs And Experiments
+ Columbus Arrives At Kennedy
+ SpaceX Achieves Key Milestone of Tenth Launch Agreement
+ Voyager Data May Reveal Trajectory Of Solar System

VOLCANIC NEWS

+ Indonesia's Merapi spews longer trails of lava

Jakarta (AFP) May 31, 2006 - Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano maintained a high level of activity for a fifth consecutive day Wednesday, spewing heat clouds and longer trails of lava down its slopes, geologists said.


DISASTER MANAGEMENT

+ Indonesia quake survivors face another wet night outside

Yogyakarta, Indonesia (AFP) May 30, 2006 - Tens of thousands of homeless earthquake survivors in central Indonesia faced another wet night in the open, with rain beginning to fall over the zone at dusk on Wednesday.

+ Pleas for help as Indonesia defends quake aid

SHAKE AND BLOW

+ US weather experts forecast above-normal hurricane threat

Miami (AFP) May 31, 2006 - Caribbean and US coastlines are under greater threat in this year's tropical storm season with five out of nine projected hurricanes expected to rank as intense storms, US climatologists said Wednesday.

+ Powerful hurricane season looms in Atlantic
+ Saffir-Simpson scale ranks hurricane intensity
+ US develops hurricane evacuation plans for pets
+ Subsidence in New Orleans abetted hurricane disaster: study
+ Sprint Nextel Network Strengthened As Hurricane Season Looms

CLIMATE SCIENCE

+ Climate change: Arctic went from greenhouse to icehouse

Paris (AFP) May 31, 2006 - Dramatic shifts in Earth's climate system drove the sea at the North Pole from sub-tropical temperatures to icy chill in the relatively brief span of 10 million years, a series of studies published on Thursday says.


+ Climate change could fuel fiercer hurricane cycles: researchers

Washington (AFP) May 31, 2006 - Human-induced climate change could be fueling increasingly active and deadly hurricane cycles, US researchers said, a day ahead of the official Atlantic hurricane season's start on Thursday.

CIVIL NUCLEAR

+ Iran Calls For Tenders On Two New Reactors

Washington (UPI) Jun 01, 2006 - The deputy chief Iran's Organization for Atomic Energy, Mohammad Saeedi, announced on May 30 that Iran intends to build two new nuclear reactors.

+ Ex-French nuclear chief charged over Chernobyl cover-up

ICE WORLD

+ Belgium to build biosphere in Antarctic

Brussels (AFP) May 31, 2006 - Belgium unveiled plans Wednesday to build the first eco-friendly scientific base in Antarctica, as part of an internationally-organized year of polar activity.

ENERGY TECH

+ Oil prices retreat as US offers talks with Iran

New York (AFP) May 31, 2006 - Crude oil futures fell on global markets Wednesday after the United States offered to hold direct talks with Iran over the Islamic republic's disputed nuclear program.

+ Bottom Line: Shot Commodities

SPACE DAILY EXPRESS June 1,2006
http://www.spacedaily.com
24/7 Coverage Of Space in the 21st Century

SHUTTLE NEWS

+ Discovery Still On Track For July Launch

Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Jun 01, 2006
NASA officials said Wednesday they remain determined to keep to the current space shuttle launch schedule and to continue to examine possible safety hazards as closely as possible in the meantime. Shuttle Discovery, sitting on its launch pad at Kennedy Space Center, should lift off sometime in July for a flight to the International Space Station.

SPACEMART

+ Kazakh Leader Says First Satellite Means Space-Power Status

Astana (RIAN) Jun 01, 2006
Kazakhstan's president said Wednesday that the forthcoming launch of the country's first communications satellite would be a landmark as it meant Kazakhstan would join the space club. KazSat communications satellite is at the Baikonur space center in the Central Asian republic for preparations ahead of its June 18 launch.

STATION NEWS

+ Spacewalk To Focus On Station Repairs And Experiments

Washington DC (SPX) Jun 01, 2006
International Space Station crew members Pavel Vinogradov and Jeff Williams will embark on a spacewalk Thursday to attempt three repair operations on the orbiting facility and retrieve two science experiment packages.

+ Columbus Arrives At Kennedy

ROCKET SCIENCE

+ SpaceX Achieves Key Milestone of Tenth Launch Agreement

El Segundo CA (SPX) Jun 01, 2006
SpaceX announced that the number of launches on manifest has now reached double digits. The ninth launch, already announced, is with MDA Corporation of Canada and will carry the Cassiope satellite on a Falcon 9 in mid 2008.

SPACE TRAVEL

+ Voyager Data May Reveal Trajectory Of Solar System

Newport Beach CA (SPX) Jun 01, 2006
Nearly 30 years after launch, the two Voyager spacecraft are still operational and returning useful data. In their early years they produced some of the first close up images of the large outer planets.

SATURN DAILY

+ Saturn Moon Enceladus Rolled Over

Pasadena CA (SPX) Jun 01, 2006
Saturn's moon Enceladus - an active, icy world with an unusually warm south pole - may have performed an unusual trick for a planetary body: It may have rolled over.

TECH SPACE

+ Boeing To Develop New Electronic Circuits For Extreme Space Environments

St. Louis MO (SPX) Jun 01, 2006
Boeing announced Wednesday it has joined a university-industry team working to develop a reliable, cost-effective electronic technology that helps robotic and human space missions operate in environments of extreme cold and space radiation.

VSAT NEWS

+ Gilat Provides Cellular Backhaul Infrastructure for Angola Telecom

Petah Tikva, Israel (SPX) Jun 01, 2006
Jun 01, 2006--Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. has announced that it will provide communications equipment and services to Angola Telecom, one of the largest operators in Sub-Saharan Africa.

PATENT SPACE

+ Mobile Satellite Ventures Awarded Two New US Patents

Reston VA (SPX) Jun 01, 2006
Mobile Satellite Ventures, LP (MSV) has announced that the United States Patent Office has awarded the company two more patents to bolster its extensive ancillary terrestrial component (ATC) patent portfolio. This award brings the number of patents to eleven total U.S. ATC patents issued recently to MSV.

GPS NEWS

+ QinetiQ Joins Galileo Development

Farnborough, England (SPX) Jun 01, 2006
QinetiQ announced Wednesday it has signed a contract to join the European consortium conducting Phase CDE1 of development of the Galileo satellite constellation.

EXO WORLDS

+ Dawn Team Looking Good For Launch Next Year

Pasadena CA (JPL) Jun 01, 2006
Dawn is making good progress preparing for its 2007 launch. Let's look forward to some of what must happen during the next year on the most visible part of the project - the spacecraft - to prepare for its launch.

+ Like Planet, Like Sun

VOLCANIC NEWS

+ Indonesia's Merapi spews longer trails of lava

Jakarta (AFP) May 31, 2006 - Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano maintained a high level of activity for a fifth consecutive day Wednesday, spewing heat clouds and longer trails of lava down its slopes, geologists said.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

+ Indonesia quake survivors face another wet night outside

Yogyakarta, Indonesia (AFP) May 30, 2006 - Tens of thousands of homeless earthquake survivors in central Indonesia faced another wet night in the open, with rain beginning to fall over the zone at dusk on Wednesday.

+ Pleas for help as Indonesia defends quake aid

SHAKE AND BLOW

+ US weather experts forecast above-normal hurricane threat

Miami (AFP) May 31, 2006 - Caribbean and US coastlines are under greater threat in this year's tropical storm season with five out of nine projected hurricanes expected to rank as intense storms, US climatologists said Wednesday.

+ Powerful hurricane season looms in Atlantic
+ Saffir-Simpson scale ranks hurricane intensity
+ US develops hurricane evacuation plans for pets
+ Subsidence in New Orleans abetted hurricane disaster: study
+ Sprint Nextel Network Strengthened As Hurricane Season Looms

CLIMATE SCIENCE

+ Climate change: Arctic went from greenhouse to icehouse

Paris (AFP) May 31, 2006 - Dramatic shifts in Earth's climate system drove the sea at the North Pole from sub-tropical temperatures to icy chill in the relatively brief span of 10 million years, a series of studies published on Thursday says.


+ Climate change could fuel fiercer hurricane cycles: researchers

Washington (AFP) May 31, 2006 - Human-induced climate change could be fueling increasingly active and deadly hurricane cycles, US researchers said, a day ahead of the official Atlantic hurricane season's start on Thursday.

CIVIL NUCLEAR

+ Iran Calls For Tenders On Two New Reactors

Washington (UPI) Jun 01, 2006 - The deputy chief Iran's Organization for Atomic Energy, Mohammad Saeedi, announced on May 30 that Iran intends to build two new nuclear reactors.

+ Ex-French nuclear chief charged over Chernobyl cover-up

ICE WORLD

+ Belgium to build biosphere in Antarctic

Brussels (AFP) May 31, 2006 - Belgium unveiled plans Wednesday to build the first eco-friendly scientific base in Antarctica, as part of an internationally-organized year of polar activity.

ENERGY TECH

+ Oil prices retreat as US offers talks with Iran

New York (AFP) May 31, 2006 - Crude oil futures fell on global markets Wednesday after the United States offered to hold direct talks with Iran over the Islamic republic's disputed nuclear program.

+ Bottom Line: Shot Commodities

KOREAN NUKES

+ Consortium to terminate North Korean nuclear power reactor project

New York (AFP) May 31, 2006
An energy consortium that was charged with carrying out the construction of lightwater nuclear power reactors to entice North Korea to end its atomic weapons drive formally decided Wednesday to terminate the project.

IRANIAN NUKES

+ US outlines Iran nuclear policy

Washington (AFP) May 31, 2006
In announcing Wednesday a US offer to join the talks on Tehran's nuclear program, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice delivered a comprehensive outline of US policy on Iran.

+ A Way Out For Iran
+ US offers to join Iran talks in deal with Russia, China
+ UN nuclear chief calls on Iran to clear way to nuclear talks with US

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ BAE Systems Delivers Initial F-35 JSF Electronic Warfare System

Nashua NH (SPX) Jun 01, 2006
BAE Systems has delivered the first electronic warfare system for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Fort Worth, Texas.

LASER TECH

+ Quintessence Photonics Wins US DoD Subcontract

Sylmar CA (SPX) Jun 01, 2006
Quintessence Photonics has announced that it has received a subcontract for the development of high power, high brightness semiconductor lasers as part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) program for Architecture for Diode High Energy Laser Systems (ADHELS). QPCI's portion of the DARPA award is for $3.1M including all phases.

+ DSTO Centre of Expertise in Photonics to Boost Defence Research

SPACE WAR EXPRESS - June 2, 2006
http://www.spacewar.com
24/7 Coverage Of Earth in the 21st Century

NUKEWARS

+ World powers agree breakthrough on Iran nuclear program

Vienna (AFP) Jun 1, 2006 - A day after the United States said it could join talks on Iran's disputed nuclear program, world powers agreed Thursday on a breakthrough package of incentives and sanctions to get Iran to suspend nuclear fuel work that has raised fears of weapons development.

+ Iran will not negotiate nuclear program with US: minister
+ Text of British foreign secretary's statement on Iran's nuclear program

MILPLEX

+ Four US soldiers dead in helicopter crash in southern US

Miami (AFP) Jun 1, 2006
A US military helicopter crashed Thursday in the southern state of Georgia, leaving four soldiers dead and one injured, the military said.

MISSILE NEWS

+ New Cruise Missile Successful In First Flight Test

Eglin AFB FL (SPX) Jun 02, 2006
The Air Force's newest cruise missile was successfully launched for the first time May 18. The Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile - Extended Range was released from a B-1B Lancer and cruised more than 400 nautical miles to its target at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.

+ LM Tracking Antenna Supports Minuteman III Flight Test

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ Boeing Completes Environmental Tests For Wideband Gapfiller Satellite

St Louis MO (SPX) Jun 02, 2006
The first of Boeing's three Wideband Gapfiller Satellites has successfully completed key dynamic environmental tests, confirming the spacecraft's structural design and mechanical integrity, the company announced Thursday.

KOREAN NUKES

+ US pours cold water on North Korean invite for direct talks

Washington (AFP) Jun 1, 2006
The United States poured cold water Thursday on a proposal by North Korea for direct talks to end a nuclear standoff.

+ US rejects North Korean overture
+ Blix commission cautions against regime change in Iran, N. Korea

MILTECH

+ Test Demonstrates Total Force Concept

Edwards AFB CA (SPX) Jun 02, 2006
While many airmen were demonstrating their ability to survive and operate in a hostile environment at Camp Corum during the recent operational readiness exercise, a group of testers here were busy demonstrating another facet of the Air Force Flight Test Center's wartime mission.

+ US Marine Corps Awards GD Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle Contract
+ BAE Systems To Provide Enhanced Vision For US Army Combat Vehicles
+ BlastGard Introduces New Aviation Product Line
+ GD To Procide RG-31 Mine Protected Vehicles For Canadian Military

AEROSPACE

+ Australians Learn From US C-17 Mission

Townsville, Australia (SPX) Jun 02, 2006
Two C-17 Globemaster IIIs from Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, arrived here last week at the Australian Defense Force's request. U.S. Airmen are moving Australian forces and equipment to Darwin, Australia, to allow the Australian military to quickly respond to unrest in neighboring East Timor.


THE STANS

+ Afghan spring offensive stronger than expected: Dutch army chief

The Hague (AFP) Jun 1, 2006
The offensives against NATO forces in Afghanistan are particularly strong this spring, the commander of the Dutch armed forces said Thursday, shortly after Dutch soldiers were ambushed in the south of the country.

ROBO SPACE

+ International Planetary Probe Meeting Set

Pasadena CA (SPX) Jun 02, 2006
Robotic exploration of planets with atmospheres is the topic of NASA's Fourth International Planetary Probe Workshop this month in Pasadena, Calif.

SPACEMART

+ Orbital To Supply Six Satellite Payloads For ORBCOMM

Dulles VA (SPX) Jun 02, 2006
Orbital Sciences announced Thursday it has received a $17 million contract from its subsidiary ORBCOMM Inc. to supply six data communications satellite payloads. The contract also includes options for two additional payload sets. If exercised, the options would bring the total contract value to $21.5 million, the company said in a statement.

+ ESOC Goes To SpaceOps 2006

ENERGY TECH

+ Physicists Persevere In Quest For Inexhaustible Energy Source

Madison WI (SPX) Jun 02, 2006
As gas prices soar and greenhouse gases continue to blanket the atmosphere, the need for a clean, safe and cheap source of energy has never seemed more pressing. Scientists have long worked to meet that need, exploring alternative energy technologies such as wind and solar power.

+ Biodiversity Key To Sustainable Biofuel
+ Ditch the tie, Japan tells workers as "Cool Biz" drive begins

SHAKE AND BLOW

+ US wary as Atlantic hurricane season starts

New Orleans (AFP) Jun 1, 2006
The Atlantic hurricane season started Thursday with experts predicting more storm misery on Caribbean and US coasts while New Orleans is still battling to get over the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

VOLCANIC NEWS

+ Indonesian volcano active for sixth day

Jakarta (AFP) Jun 1, 2006
Indonesia's Mount Merapi volcano spilled lava and heat clouds for a sixth consecutive day Thursday, sending trails of molten rock down its western slope for the first time, scientists said.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

+ Indonesia quake toll soars as hospitals strained

Bantul, Indonesia (AFP) Jun 1, 2006
The number of casualties from the Indonesian quake soared Thursday as the United Nations said hospitals were overcrowded and still lacked basic supplies to treat the mass of injured.

+ VP wants quake relief delivered monthly, not daily

SPACE WAR EXPRESS - June 5, 2006
http://www.spacewar.com
24/7 Coverage Of Earth in the 21st Century

ICBM NEWS

+ India Pulls The Plug On The Agni 3 ICBM Project

Washington (UPI) Jun 05, 2006
The Agni III ICBM, the pride of India's strategic deterrent force, has been shot down before it could even conduct its first test flight. Why did the Indian government pull the plug? The ambitious rail and road-mobile Agni III was the pride of the Indian strategic missile program and was designed to have a range of at least 2,000 miles, giving it the capability of reaching almost all of China with nuclear weapons.

SPACEWAR

+ Japanese Military Going Into Space

Tokyo (UPI) Jun 05, 2006
Japan's Liberal Democratic Party has drafted a bill to allow Japan's military into space. The calls for the military to venture into space within the parameters of self-defense rights. That would be a drastic change from the current civilian-based limitations that Japan has placed on space ventures.

+ AFSO 21 Crucial To Achieving New Vision
+ CENTAF Releases Airpower Summary

GPS NEWS

+ Lockheed Martin And EADS To Cooperate On Satellite Navigation Standards

Gaithersburg MD (SPX) Jun 05, 2006
Lockheed Martin and EADS Astrium announced Sunday they have signed a teaming agreement to ensure interoperability of the Global Positioning System III and the European Galileo Satellite Navigation programs - the world's two most important upcoming satellite navigation systems.

MISSILE NEWS

+ FMS Pakistan HARPOON Block II Anti-ship Missiles

Washington DC (SPX) Jun 01, 2006
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified Congress of a possible Foreign Military Sale to Pakistan of HARPOON Block II Anti-ship Missiles as well as associated equipment and services. The total value, if all options are exercised, could be as high as $370 million.

MILTECH

+ US Army Shifts Training Focus To Stryker Teams

Schofield Barracks HI (AFNS) Jun 05, 2006
The U.S. Army 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team continues to transform with five new units and a fleet of new, highly mobile, survivable and lethal Stryker vehicles. Similarly, the brigade's 5th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, is continuing to transform training by shifting from individual soldier tasks to Stryker team building exercises.

+ Samsung SDI develops new 3D technology

TERROR WARS

+ Senate Bill Means Wider Briefing On Spying

Washington (UPI) Jun 01, 2006
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is moving to end a long-standing arrangement under which just a few members of congress are briefed on the most sensitive of U.S. intelligence activities.

+ Boeing Team Pursue Secure Border Initiative
+ SBInet Proposal Reflects Border Security Experience

SUPERPOWERS

+ Rumsfeld urges China to come clean on military spending

Singapore (AFP) Jun 3, 2006
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld urged China Saturday to explain its increased military spending to the world, saying it was in its interest to demystify actions that others find potentially threatening.

+ Moscow Facing A Complex Chinese Challenge
+ US scientist, once suspected China spy, settles lawsuits

+ G8, China, India and others pledge to boost education standards

MILTECH

+ Armor Holdings Receives Armor Component Order for Up-Armored HMMWV

Jacksonville FL (SPX) Jun 05, 2006
Armor Holdings has announced the receipt of an order from AM General valued at $87.4 million under a blanket purchase agreement to provide armor components for the M1151 and M1152 Up-Armored HMMWV program.

EUROPLEX

+ Naval moves seek to warm Israel-NATO ties

Brussels (AFP) Jun 4, 2006
An Israeli frigate is to take part in NATO naval exercises in the Black Sea this month, the latest example of efforts to boost cooperation, although ties remain cool, officials and analysts say.

NUKEWARS

+ Iran Intransigence Threat To NPT

Washington (UPI) Jun 05, 2006
A top State Department official said if the international community fails convince Iran to give up its uranium enrichment program, it will dramatically undermine the 40-year-old Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, an international agreement credited with preventing new states from developing nuclear weapons.

+ Iran will not discuss its right to enrichment: Ahmadinejad
+ Iran's supreme leader stands by nuclear programme
+ Rice brushes aside Iran threat on oil supplies
+ Rumsfeld plays down Ahmadinejad statement on nuclear proposal
+ US echoes Gulf fears of pollution from Iran's nuclear program
+ US sweetens offer to Iran: diplomats
+ What About Israel And Iran

IRAQ WARS

+ Learning The Hard Truths On Iraq

Washington (UPI) Jun 05, 2006
There are no good strategic options in Iraq, and there is a serious risk of failure regardless of the policies the United States pursues. The United States also has increasingly limited options.

+ Iraqi Model Becomes A Failed Strategy
+ Losing The Shiites

TECTONIC FORCES

+ Scientists say no big Indonesia quake again soon

Yogyakarta, Indonesia (AFP) Jun 4, 2006
There is little danger of another strong earthquake on Indonesia's Java island in the near future, scientists said Sunday, as jittery survivors endured more aftershocks.

+ Red alert still in effect at Indonesian volcano

+ Volcano fears? Indonesians turn to rice cakes

SHAKE AND BLOW

+ Indonesia to make community grants for quake reconstruction

Jakarta (AFP) Jun 4, 2006
The Indonesian government will disburse reconstruction aid to quake survivors in the form of community grants to encourage collective rebuilding, reports said here Sunday.

+ Injured and alone, disabled quake survivor returns home
+ Tough start for Indonesia's quake babies

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

+ Future Hurricane Disasters May Become More Costly

Cullowhee NC (SPX) Jun 05, 2006 - As the 2006 hurricane season gets under way, nationally known hurricane impact researcher Rob Young, associate professor of geosciences at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, N.C, says the manner in which the federal government responded to last year's hurricane disasters will make future disasters even more costly.

+ Sinking Levees

+ Climate Change Responsible For Increased Hurricanes

MONSOON NEWS

+ Early monsoon death toll tops 100 in India

New Delhi (AFP) Jun 3, 2006
The death toll from lightning strikes and powerful storms rose to 105 Saturday as annual summer monsoon rains tore through India earlier than usual, authorities said.

+ 29 dead, 100,000 evacuated as rains drench southern China
+ Pakistan to relocate 55,000 earthquake survivors

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SPACE WAR EXPRESS - June 6, 2006
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24/7 Coverage Of Earth in the 21st Century

ROBO SPACE

+ IEDs Influencing Robotic Warfare Concepts

Tallahassee FL (SPX) Jun 06, 2006
Over the past three years, thousands of American soldiers in Iraq have been horribly injured or killed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The explosives, placed near or buried under roadways and often detonated by remote control, frequently target U.S. military vehicles and convoys -- often with deadly success.

+ A Better Wetware Interface
+ iRobot Awarded 64.3 Million Contract For PackBot Robots

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ NGC Promotes International Cooperation On Key Missile Defense Programs In Seville

Reston VA (SPX) Jun 06, 2006
Northrop Grumman will promote international cooperation on key missile defense programs at the Association Aeronautique et Astronautique de France (AAAF) International Conference on Missile Defence, June 7-9 in Seville, Spain.

SPACEWAR

+ Defining A Warfare Doctrine For Circumterrestrial Space

Washington (UPI) Jun 06, 2006
This summer the United States plans to publish its new space doctrine stipulating the deployment of weapons in circumterrestrial space.

NUKEWARS

+ Experts Differ On How To Deal With Iran

Washington (UPI) Jun 06, 2006
Experts are divided in whether Iran will seek to head off a confrontation with the West over its nuclear program. A conference last week at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, heard conflicting assessments on how Tehran was likely to react to the latest proposals presented to them about dismantling their nuclear program from the United States and the European Union Trio, or EU3 nations of Britain, France and Germany.

ENERGY TECH

+ UW-Madison Professor To Coordinate US Fusion Science Effort

Madison WI (SPX) Jun 06, 2006
A University of Wisconsin-Madison professor will be the liaison between United States plasma and fusion science researchers and a group that is building the U.S. share of ITER, an international fusion experiment that eventually could lead to an abundant, economical and environmentally benign energy source.


+ Wind Energy Research Reaps Rewards
+ Security And The Energy End Game
+ Global Clean Water Scarcity A Failure Of Public Policy

WATER WORLD

+ Global Clean Water Scarcity A Failure Of Public Policy

Albuquerque NM (SPX) Jun 06, 2006 - Now is the time to address the devastating effects of increasing water scarcity and declining water quality around the world, according to a recently released white paper written jointly by Sandia National Laboratories and the Washington think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

SAUDI ARABIA

+ Saudi Arabia Vital To US Goals Despite S11

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (UPI) Jun 06, 2006
Defeating al-Qaida, stabilizing Iraq, brokering peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and preventing Iran from becoming a nuclear power -- these are the most important objectives of the United States in the Middle East. And on each of them, Saudi Arabia is largely in agreement with the American position.

THE STANS

+ Pakistani Economy Enjoying Boom Times

Washington (UPI) Jun 06, 2006
War is not often seen as a source of economic growth, but Pakistan seems likely to emerge as one of the main beneficiaries of the Bush administration's War on Terror.

IRAQ WARS

+ No Answers To New Iraq Terror

Washington (UPI) Jun 06, 2006
The latest wave of attacks in Iraq confirms the growing capabilities of the Sunni insurgency. The total number of U.S. troops killed in Iraq through Monday, June 5, since the start of operations to topple Saddam Hussein on March 19, 2003, was 2,478, according to official figures issued by the U.S. Department of Defense.

+ New Type Of Police Force Needed
+ Southern Iraq Marshes Show Progress Toward Recovery

UAV NEWS

+ Rafael Demonstrates Skylite B Mini-UAV Yo Israel Defense Forces

Haifa, Israel (SPX) Jun 06, 2006
RAFAEL Armament Development Authority Ltd conducted a demonstration of its tactical mini-UAV, SkyLite B, for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) today. The UAV is part of the SkyLite family of mini-UAVs that gather intelligence for field and Special Forces using an electro-optic sensor.

MILTECH

+ Eye-Catching Mobile Security On Its Way

Washington (UPI) Jun 06, 2006
The mobile phone may soon be equipped with a higher level of security thanks to Leeds, United Kingdom-based technical solutions company xVista and its iris-scanning technology. The company says it has developed what it considers to be United Kingdom's first iris-scanning system that can be housed within compact low-power computing systems such as a camera mobile phone.

TERROR WARS

+ Canadian Troops Told Geneva Convention Does Not Apply To Taliban And al-Qaida

Washington (UPI) Jun 06, 2006
Canadian troops in Afghanistan have been told the Geneva Conventions and Canadian regulations regarding the rights of prisoners of war don't apply to Taliban and al-Qaida fighters captured in action.

SpaceWar Express - June 7, 2006
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Your World At war 24/7
MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Israel Plans New Arrow Mark 4

Washington (UPI) Jun 07, 2006 - Israel Aircraft Industries subsidiary Elta Group, the Israel Air Force, and the Israeli Ministry of Defense are designing components for the Arrow Mark IV, which will have qualitatively better performance than current versions. According to a report, which cited Israeli defense sources, the Arrow Mark IV will have a new radar unit, improved interceptor missiles, and other components that will convert the system from a theater anti-ballistic missile defense system into an integrated nationwide anti-ballistic missile defense system.

+ Successful Test Flight for Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missiles
+ AEGIS BMD Weapon System Tracks Advanced, Separating Ballistic Missiles
+ Congress Queries New Trident Warhead Plan
+ Japan SM-2 Block IIIB STANDARD Missiles

AEROSPACE

+ Terma Selected To Manufacture Key Components Of F-35 JSF

Lystrup, Germany (SPX) Jun 07, 2006 - The U.S. aircraft manufacturer Lockheed Martin has selected Terma for the supply of Conventional Edges for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Horizontal Stabilizer. The selection will lead to a contract under which Terma will produce the high-tech carbon-fibre composite parts.

NUKEWARS

+ Nuclear Suppliers Group Urges Iran To Cooperate With IAEA

Brasilia (AFP) Jun 07, 2006 - The 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group has urged Iran to "cooperate fully" with the UN nuclear watchdog agency IAEA and seek a diplomatic solution to the dispute over its nuclear program. A meeting last week of the NSG, which sets guidelines for the export of nuclear-related equipment, material and technology, focused particularly on Iran, the Brazilian foreign ministry said.

+ Iran Sees Positives In Nuclear Proposal
+ Iranian Response To Nuclear Offer Gives Hope To Major Powers

SUPERPOWERS

+ Growing Sino-India Military Ties

New Delhi (UPI) Jun 07, 2006 - Indian defense minister Pranab Mukherjee's recent visit to Japan, China and Singapore indicates the emergence of a creative regional security strategy that boosts New Delhi's global image, Indian defense analysts said Tuesday.


+ Senior US General Holds Talks With Top Brass Of India Military

TERROR WARS

+ Border Mission Drains War 'Reset' Fund

Washington (UPI) Jun 07, 2006 - When the Senate took $1.9 billion out of the war supplemental to fund border security last month, $1.6 billion came out of funds to replace equipment destroyed or worn out from four years of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. The money was diverted at the behest of the White House in a last-minute bid to address growing political unrest about illegal immigration.

IRAQ WARS

+ Ban The Falafel

Washington (UPI) Jun 07, 2006 - Recent news reports from the Iraqi capital indicate that radical Islamists are launching a campaign to prohibit the sale of ... falafel. Yes, you heard right, falafel. While this is the sort of news you might expect to hear from a late-night stand-up comedian on television, sadly, this is not a joke.

SPACE TRAVEL

+ Griffin Welcomes Russian Help In Future Space Missions

Washington DC (SPX) Jun 07, 2006
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin said he would welcome Russian participation in future space exploration missions that go beyond the International Space Station. At a news briefing Monday, in which Griffin and other NASA officials discussed several reorganizations under way to prepare for future human flights to the Moon and Mars under the Constellation Program, he responded to a question about the potential for more U.S.-Russian cooperation in space.

+ US Astronauts To Fly New Space Ship By 2014

LAUNCH PAD

+ Sea Launch Prepares For Galaxy 16 Liftoff

Long Beach CA (SPX) Jun 07, 2006
Sea Launch announced Tuesday that the Odyssey Launch Platform and its accompanying Sea Launch Commander have departed Home Port in Long Beach in preparation for the company's third satellite launch of the year: PanAmSat's Galaxy 16. The liftoff is scheduled for the opening of a two-hour launch window, at 12:50 a.m. Pacific Time on June 17.

+ Peckham Named Sea Launch President And General Manager

SPACEMART

+ EADS Astrium Awarded Third Satellite By ARABSAT

Paris, France (SPX) Jun 07, 2006
EADS Astrium and ARABSAT announced Tuesday they have signed a contract for the construction of the BADR-6, or "Full Moon," satellite. Scheduled to enter service in 2008, BADR-6 will provide communications services over a wide area encompassing the entire Middle East and North Africa region, from Morocco to the Gulf and a large part of sub-Saharan Africa.

+ France Telecom To Offer Thuraya Services In Algeria

EARTH OBSERVATION

+ First CloudSat Images Wowing Scientists

Washington DC (SPX) Jun 07, 2006
The first images from NASA's new CloudSat satellite already are revealing never-before-seen 3-D details about clouds. Mission managers tested the flight and ground system performance of the satellite's Cloud-Profiling Radar in late May, and they found it to be working perfectly.

+ UAE To Monitor Construction Sites Via Satellite

ENERGY-TECH

+ New China Mega Dam Avoids Building 50 Nuclear Reactors

Beijing (AFP) Jun 07, 2006
China has given the go-ahead for its third-largest dam, as part of its Herculean endeavor to control the waters of the Yangtze river and generate electricity, state media said Tuesday.

+ China Blasts Away Huge Wall At Three Gorges Dam
CLIMATE SCIENCE

+ Annan Warns Of Poverty And Conflict As Deserts Expand

Algiers (AFP) Jun 07, 2006
UN chief Kofi Annan warned Monday of worsening poverty and conflict if nothing is done quickly to save the world's drylands from desertification, especially in Africa.

+ Environment Across China Getting Worse

SpaceWar Express - June 8, 2006
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MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ Lockheed Martin Delivers Upgraded P-3 Maritime Surveillance Aircraft

Eagan MN (SPX) Jun 08, 2006
Lockheed Martin has delivered the 10th upgraded P-3C maritime surveillance aircraft originally contracted by the U.S. Navy's Naval Air Systems Command as part of a foreign military sale to the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN).

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ LM Opens New Laboratory To Study Network Enabled Capabilities

Farnborough, UK (SPX) Jun 08, 2006
Lockheed Martin has opened a new state-of-the-art laboratory in Farnborough. The new reconfigurable experimentation facility--called "Swift" because it will rapidly develop solutions to complex problems--will help Lockheed Martin and its civil and military customers collaborate to create new solutions to address emerging threats and other operational challenges using network enabled capabilities (NEC).

MILTECH

+ Ultra Electronics MSI Supplies Advanced Hand Controls For Stryker

Wallingford CN (SPX) Jun 08, 2006
Ultra Electronics Measurement Systems has signed a contract with Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace worth $386,000 to provide advanced technology hand controls for the Protector, a Remote Weapon Station (RWS) used on the U.S. Army's Stryker armored vehicle.

MILTECH

+ The First A330 MRTT Aircraft Platform Delivered For Military Modification

Madrid, Spain (SPX) Jun 08, 2006
The initial A330 aircraft to be converted into a multi-role tanker/transport (MRTT) was delivered to the final outfitting facility, where the Royal Australian Air Force aircraft will receive mission equipment that includes a state-of-the-art centerline Air Refueling Boom System (ARBS), two under-wing hose and drogue pods, plus a centerline hose and drogue refueling unit.

THE STANS

+ Pakistan Hikes Defence Spendings

Islamabad (AFP) Jun 08, 2006
Pakistan on Monday increased defence spending by 12 percent and announced the highest ever allocation of funds to fight poverty in its new budget for fiscal year starting July 1.

TERROR WARS

+ Indonesia Warns Rumsfeld Over US Approach To War On Terror

Jakarta (AFP) Jun 08, 2006
Indonesia's defense minister bluntly warned US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Tuesday that an overbearing US approach the war on terrorism has led many in the world to view US power as a threat.

TERROR WARS

+ New Law Will Exempt Spies From Privacy Act

Washington (UPI) Jun 08, 2006
A little-noticed proposal from the Senate Intelligence Committee would exempt federal agencies from important provisions of the Privacy Act in the name of the war against terrorism.

TECH SPACE

+ Raytheon Delivers Final APG-73 Radar For Super Hornet

El Segundo CA (SPX) Jun 08, 2006
With its final mechanically scanned APG-73 radar system for the F/A-18E/F headed to the U.S. Navy, Raytheon has received a contract worth up to $22.8 million to provide spares and support for the successful program.

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ AEGIS BMD System Tracks Separating Incoming Missiles

Kauai HI (SPX) Jun 08, 2006
Lockheed Martin's Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense weapon system, using a prototype signal processor, successfully tracked several advanced ballistic missile targets in separate tests off the coast of Hawaii in April, the company announced Tuesday.

NUKEWARS

+ Diplomacy 101, Lies And Spin

Washington (UPI) Jun 08, 2006
Rule 1 in diplomatic negotiations between belligerents is no preconditions. Unless, of course, unconditional surrender, a la Nazi Germany and imperialist Japan, is the objective. Bogged down in an insurgency that has spawned bloody anarchy, the U.S. is in no position to squeeze Iran into giving up its nuclear ambitions.

TERROR WARS

+ Old Faces At The CIA

Moscow (UPI) Jun 08, 2006
U.S. Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden has been sworn in as CIA director and, unlike his predecessor, also as first deputy of John Negroponte, director of National Intelligence. This signifies the subordinate position of the once unquestionable authority in the U.S. intelligence community.

TERROR WARS

+ Boeing Wins Demonstration Contract To Detect Biological Warfare Agents

St Louis (SPX) Jun 08, 2006
Boeing and a team of U.S. bio-defense companies will modify the ScanEagle unmanned air vehicle (UAV) to look for biological warfare agents as part of a program funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) of the U.S. Department of Defense.

TRADE WARS

+ Koreas Agree On Business Deals

Seoul (UPI) Jun 08, 2006
North and South Korea reached an agreement Tuesday on greater economic cooperation focusing on light industry and natural resources development, despite lingering military tensions.

CIVIL NUCLEAR

+ Scientists Tackle Long-Standing Questions About Plutonium

Livermore CA (SPX) Jun 08, 2006 - Scientists have gone a long way to solving a question about the nature of plutonium that has remained a mystery since the Manhattan Project. Plutonium behaves like no other element in nature.

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MISSILE NEWS

+ US Weapon Plans Threaten Missile Proliferation

Moscow (AFP) Jun 09, 2006
US plans to develop low-yield nuclear weapons and to use ballistic missiles for carrying conventional warheads are threatening the world's nuclear non-proliferation regime, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov charged Wednesday.

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Raytheon To Develop Standard Missile-3 for Sea-Based Missile Defense

Tucson AZ (SPX) Jun 09, 2006
Raytheon announced Thursday it has been awarded a $424 million U.S. Navy contract - including options - to develop Standard Missile-3 Block IA and continue Block IB development, leading to sea-based missile defense deployment.

+ Pentagon Approves Missile Sales To Japan
+ RTI Selected By LM Team For The Aegis Open Architecture Weapon System

UAV NEWS

+ Predators Provide Eyes In The Sky Over Afghanistan

Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan (AFNS) Jun 09, 2006
What has a 50-foot wingspan, buzzes like a giant insect and can put an AGM-114 Hellfire missile through a window from 8,000 miles away? It is the Air Force's MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial vehicle, and it's arguably one of the most requested assets in Operation Enduring Freedom, said Capt. Jonathan Songer, commander of the Predator launch and recovery element here.

+ BAE Systems To Convert 20 F-4 Phantoms Into Target Drones

SUPERPOWERS

+ China, US Hold Military Talks Following Heated Exchanges

Beijing (AFP) Jun 09, 2006
China and the United States held high-level talks here Thursday aimed at improving military ties, officials said, following recent heated exchanges between the two world powers over defense issues.

IRANIAN NUKES

+ UN Watchdog Says Iran Accelerated Uranium Enrichment

Vienna (AFP) Jun 09, 2006
Iran accelerated uranium enrichment on the same day this week that world powers asked it to halt the work and open talks to guarantee it will not make nuclear weapons, the UN atomic agency said Thursday in a report obtained by AFP.

KOREAN NUKES

+ UN Finds Highly Enriched Uranium Traces In Iran

Vienna (AFP) Jun 09, 2006
United Nations inspectors have found new traces of highly enriched uranium in Iran, in equipment at a technical university in Tehran, the UN nuclear watchdog said Thursday in a confidential report obtained by AFP.

IRAQ WARS

+ The Terror Of Iraq Dies

Vancouver, Canada (UPI) Jun 09, 2006
The man who made Iraq tremble died Thursday, killed in a U.S. air strike, along with several of his followers. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was his nom-de-guerre; a Jordanian by birth, his real name was Ahmed Fadel Nazzal al-Khalayila.

+ Iraq Al-Qaeda Chief Zarqawi Killed In Air Strike
+ Why Maliki Is Failing

NUKEWARS

+ SKorean FM 'Deeply Concerned' Over NKorean Missile Activity

Seoul (AFP) Jun 09, 2006
South Korea's foreign minister on Wednesday expressed deep concern over recent reports that North Korea may be preparing to test-fire a long-range missile. "South Korea and the United States are deeply concerned," Ban Ki-Moon said, urging the communist nation not to take steps that would aggravate the situation.

SPACEMART

+ Space Systems Loral To Build Satellite For Sirius

Palo Alto CA (SPX) Jun 09, 2006
Space Systems/Loral announced Thursday it has been chosen by Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. to build SIRIUS FM-5, a powerful new geostationary satellite for use in its satellite radio service.

+ NASA Ames Lays Out CEV Tasks
+ ESA Picks SSTL To Develop Atmospheric CO2 Detector
+ Gilat Completes SkyEdge VSAT Network For Telefonica Brazil
+ Digital Angel Awarded Contract For Satellite-Based Tracking
+ Globalstar Receives Initial Authority For New Alaska Satellite Ground Station

GPS NEWS

+ Saft To Supply Li-ion Batteries For Galileo Satellites

Paris, France (SPX) Jun 09, 2006
ESA announced Thursday it has selected Saft Batteries lithium-ion modules to provide onboard power for the four satellites comprising the In-Orbit Validation phase of the Galileo global navigation system.

EARTH OBSERVATION

+ EarthData Wins 16 Million Contract To Map Papua New Guinea

Frederick MD (SPX) Jun 09, 2006
EarthData International announced Thursday it has been awarded a $16 million contract by the Australian government to produce the first-ever high-resolution image and terrain maps of Papua New Guinea. The Australian government is funding the project under a memorandum of understanding with the government of Papua New Guinea.

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NEWS AS OF 12:30 UTC - June 12, 2006

SPACEWAR

+ Air Force Space Command Delivers Capability For Direct Zarqawi Hit

Peterson AFB, CO (SPX) Jun 12, 2006
Air Force Space Command delivered space combat effects for the precision strike that resulted in the death of terrorist leader Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi, head of al-Qaeda in Iraq. A Global Positioning System-aided GBU-38 Joint Direct Attack Munition was one of the two munitions used in the bombing of Zarqawi's last safe house.

+ New Ops Planned In Wake Of Zarqawi Hunt


SUPERPOWERS

+ How Can Russia Respond To US Military Space Developments

Moscow (RIAN) Jun 12, 2006
This summer the United States plans to publish its new space doctrine stipulating the deployment of weapons in circumterrestrial space. Colonel Anthony Russo, head of the U.S. Strategic Command's space division, said the new policy would remove any ambiguity about official responsibility for figuring out who was behind any attack on U.S.-owned commercial satellites.

+ The Western Challenge Facing Moscow
+ US To Revise Laws To Boost High-Tech Trade With China
+ India And US To Work Out Details Of Nuclear Energy Trade This Week

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Land-Based ABM Market Continues As Most Profitable Sector

London UK (SPX) Jun 12, 2006
The total missile market is expected to be worth more than $100 billion by 2015, according to a new visiongain report. Missiles for land-based AD systems will make up the largest share of this market, accounting for approximately 25 per cent of its total value.

+ Ballistic Missile Defense Key To Defending Taiwan
+ LockMart Completes Testing Of Aegis Weapon System For Norway

MISSILE NEWS

+ Trident 2's Targets

Moscow (UPI) Jun 12, 2006
If you see a gun hanging on the wall at the beginning of a play, famous Russian writer Anton Chekhov used to say, you can be sure someone is going to get shot in the end. The United States seems to be doing just that, even with a risk of shooting itself in the foot.

+ India Successfully Test-Fires Nuclear-Capable Missile

IRANIAN NUKES

+ Iran Strike Easier Than Iraq Mission In 1981

Tel Aviv, Israel (UPI) Jun 12, 2006
A retired Israeli general who planned the demolition of Iraq's nuclear reactor in 1981 said this week that it would now be technically "easier" to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities in a pre-emptive air strike.

+ Iran Studying Nuclear Proposal But Will Not Compromise Over Nuclear Rights

UAV NEWS

+ Successful Test Flights Of New Armed UAV

Dahlgren VA (AFNS) Jun 12, 2006
Test flights of the Navy-built Guardian Griffin unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in May demonstrated a new capability to support U.S. joint forces with missions ranging from convoy escort and port security to combat patrol.

WEATHER REPORT

+ NPOESS Findings Leave Questions Unanswered On State of US Weather Satellites

Washington DC (SPX) Jun 12, 2006
The House Science Committee has heard from agencies involved in the construction of a vital U.S. weather forecasting satellite that has fallen severely behind schedule and is vastly over budget. This is not the first hearing the Committee has held on the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) program, and it certainly will not be the last.

SPACE DAILY

+ NASA Firm On Discovery Launch In July

Washington DC (SPX) Jun 12, 2006
NASA's manager of the space shuttle program said Discovery is looking fit and ready to go for its launch next month, and the agency has every intention of lifting off as scheduled - perhaps as early as July 1 - despite some unanswered technical and safety questions.

+ JAXA And DLR Conduct Orbit To Ground Optical Communication Experiment
+ Sea Launch To Orbit Telecom Satellite June 17
+ Pratt and Whitney Rocketdyne J-2X Engine To Power CLV Upper Stage
+ Opportunity On The Road Again
+ Stationary Spirit Progressing On Long-Term Experiments
+ Aeroflex Awarded Mars Science Lab Contracts
+ Corkscrew Asteroid About To Leave The Local Earth Neighborhood
+ Venus Express Commissioning Phase Completed

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INDIAN NUKES

+ India And US Hold Talks On Landmark Nuclear Energy Pact

New Delhi (AFP) Jun 12, 2006
Diplomats from India and the United States met in New Delhi Monday for their first high-level talks on the details of a landmark but controversial nuclear cooperation deal. "The talks, which were detailed and comprehensive, are over for the day and now the two sides will meet again on Tuesday," a US embassy official told AFP after Monday's discussions.

IRANIAN NUKES

+ Iran Will Not Join Shanghai Cooperation Organization

Moscow (UPI) Jun 08, 2006
Iran, Belarus and other countries expected to become full members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, will not join it in the foreseeable future. The reason is the organization's need to address the economic integration of Central Asia and the creation of a common sphere of humanitarian regional cooperation.

KOREAN NUKES

+ North Korea Flexes Missile Muscle To Grab US Attention

Washington (AFP) Jun 13, 2006
North Korea's preparations for possible long-range missile tests - its first in nearly a decade - may be an attempt to grab the attention of a US government distracted by its nuclear row with Iran, experts said Monday.

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ RTI Selected Lockheed Martin Team For The Aegis Open Architecture Weapon System

Santa Clara CA (SPX) Jun 13, 2006
Real-Time Innovations, The Real Time Middleware Company, announced today that middleware provided by RTI was selected by a U.S. Navy's Lockheed Martin team to provide the real time data distribution infrastructure for Aegis Open Architecture, the next generation of the Aegis Weapon System. AOA will be deployed by the US Navy beginning in 2008.

MILTECH

+ Elbit Systems 30mm Unmanned Turret Tested Successfully in Finland

Haifa, Israel (SPX) Jun 13, 2006
Elbit Systems recently announced that its 30mm Unmanned Turret system has successfully completed extensive field trials. The tests were conducted in Finland at a firing range belonging to the Finish Armed Forces.

+ Virtual Heavies Key To Northern Edge Simulations

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ Lockheed Martin Begins Final Phase Of Integrated Wireless Network Competition

Gaithersburg MD (SPX) Jun 12, 2006
The Lockheed Martin-led team has been selected by the Department of Justice to compete in the final phase of the multi-billion dollar Integrated Wireless Network (IWN) competition. During this final competitive phase, the team will prepare a design and implementation plan for an initial IWN service area covering a specific geographic region of the nation.

MISSILE NEWS

+ LockMart Completes Hellfire Flight Test Series on Tiger Helicopter

Orlando FL (SPX) Jun 13, 2006
Lockheed Martin announced the successful completion of a four-year program to integrate its precision-strike Hellfire II missile system - including the M299 "smart launcher" - with its first international helicopter launch platform, Eurocopter's Tiger armed reconnaissance helicopter (ARH) for Australia.

+ Raytheon Paveway II Wins Contract For Air Force Laser Guided Bomb

AEROSPACE

+ Marines Want To Accelerate MV-22 Buy

Washington (UPI) Jun 09, 2006
The U.S. Marine Corps hopes to redirect more than $230 million in the emergency war supplemental from programs like Night Vision Goggles and explosive ordnance disposal equipment to buy three MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.

TERROR WARS

+ AMA Mulls Rule For Military Doctors

Chicago (UPI) Jun 13, 2006
The ethics panel of the 245,000-member American Medical Association (AMA) said Sunday that physicians in the military or in law enforcement cannot participate in interrogations of prisoners.

UAV NEWS

+ Elbit Systems Adds New UAV System To Skylark Family

Haifa, Israel (SPX) Jun 13, 2006
Elbit Systems has introduced a new UAV system - the Skylark II. Integrating technologies developed for the man-packed Skylark I mini UAV system and Hermes tactical UAV systems, the Skylark II is a close range class tactical UAV system providing advanced, high performance ISTAR capabilities.

IRAQ WARS

+ Bush Focuses On Iraq

Washington (UPI) Jun 13, 2006
President George W. Bush and the nation's war council are meeting at Camp David to set their bearings in Iraq. The meeting, comprised of at least two lengthy sessions Monday and another Tuesday at the suburban Maryland retreat, is a virtual who's who of key officials in the war.

EARTH OBSERVATION

+ CALIPSO All Set To Collect Most Detailed Atmospheric Data Yet

Seattle WA (SPX) Jun 13, 2006
NASA's Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observation spacecraft has begun gathering data from the Earth's atmosphere that are expected to become a key tool in unraveling just how much effect the reflectivity of clouds and tiny particles called aerosols are having on the planet's changing climate.

+ NASA Detector Sees Infrared Light In Colors
+ Land Use Mapped In Philippines
+ NASA To Help US Forest Service Test UAV For Wildfire Capabilities

LAUNCH PAD

+ Sea Launch Awarded Assignment For Thuraya-3 Satellite

Long Beach CA (SPX) Jun 13, 2006
Sea Launch announced Monday it has signed a contract with Boeing Satellite Systems International to use a Sea Launch Zenit-3SL vehicle to lift the Thuraya-3 satellite into geosynchronous transfer orbit from Sea Launch's equatorial launch site in the Pacific Ocean in January 2007.

ROCKET SCIENCE

+ Irvin Aerospace to Develop CEV Airbags For NASA

Santa Ana CA (SPX) Jun 13, 2006
Irvin Aerospace announced Monday it has been awarded a five-year NASA contract to develop an advanced space capsule airbag landing attenuation system for its Crew Exploration Vehicle.

SPACEMART

+ Saab Acquires Ericsson Microwave Systems

Arlington VA (SPX) Jun 13, 2006
Saab AB announced Monday it is acquiring Ericsson Microwave Systems. The acquisition adds world-leading radar and sensor operations to Saab's product portfolio in defense, aviation, space and civil security.

ENERGY TECH

+ China Moves Ahead With Ambitious Plan For More Yangtze River Hydro Power

Beijing (AFP) Jun 13, 2006
China plans to build a dozen hydroelectric power plants in the next 20 years with an installed capacity totalling 90.2 million kilowatts, state media reported Monday. The projects will be built on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, known as the Jinsha River, and on two upstream Yangtze River tributaries, known as the Yalong and Dadu Rivers, Xinhua news agency reported.

SHAKE AND BLOW

+ Activity At Merapi Slows

Mount Merapi, Indonesia (AFP) Jun 13, 2006
Indonesia's Mount Merapi has slowed its threatening activity, spewing less lava and fewer clouds of gas and ash but a top alert on the volcano is being maintained, scientists said Monday.

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SPACEMART

CHINESE ICBMs

+ China Deploys New Dong Feng

Washington (UPI) Jun 14, 2006
China's new Dong Feng-31, or CSS-9, road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missile is expected to enter service during 2006, Jane's Intelligence reported on its Web site janes.com on June 9. The DF-31 is expected to be followed by the extended-range DF-31A version in 2007, the Web site said.

KOREAN ICBMs

+ Japan Has No Knowledge Of Any Imminent NKorean Missile Launch

Tokyo (AFP) Jun 14, 2006
Japan said Tuesday it had no indications to back up reports that North Korea plans an imminent test of a long-range missile like the one it fired over the country in 1998. "At the present moment, we have no knowledge of North Korea's imminent launch," said Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe, the government spokesman.

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missile Passes Key Test

Washington (UPI) Jun 14, 2006
The Raytheon company announced June 5 that its Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missiles, or GEMs, destroyed two surrogate ballistic missile targets in a test at White Sands Missile Range, N.M.

NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION

+ US Cites Four Chinese Firms For Helping Iran WMDs

Washington (AFP) Jun 14, 2006
The United States Tuesday cited four Chinese companies and one US firm as "proliferators of weapons of mass destruction," for allegedly helping Iran's missile program. "The companies targeted today have supplied Iran's military and Iranian proliferators with missile-related and dual-use components," said Stuart Levey, US Treasury under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.

SUPERPOWERS

+ Iran Must Prove Nuclear Work Peaceful Say Nuclear Superpowers

Vienna (AFP) Jun 14, 2006
The incentives deal offered by world powers to Iran last week stipulates that Tehran has to suspend uranium enrichment until its nuclear activities are proven to be peaceful, according to a copy of the confidential text shown to AFP Tuesday.

AEROSPACE

+ BAE Systems Delivers F-22 Digital Electronic Warfare System

Nashua NH (SPX) Jun 14, 2006
BAE Systems has delivered the first production digital electronic warfare system to Lockheed Martin for use in the U.S. Air Force's Raptor no. 4084. The airframe is well into production and slated for delivery to the Air Force in November 2006.

+ F-22 Test Team Perform Supersonic High-Altitude JDAM Drop
+ Boeing Flies EA-18G Wingtip and Jamming Pods

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ LM Selects Symmetricom Oscillator For MUOS Satellite Program

San Jose CA (SPX) Jun 14, 2006
Symmetricom reports that the company was chosen to supply its master reference oscillator for the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite led by Lockheed Martin for a U.S. Navy customer. MUOS is a next-generation narrowband tactical satellite communications system designed to significantly improve communications for U.S. forces on the move.

+ DRS Tech To Supply Battlefield Digitization Systems To US Army

MILPLEX

+ House Panel Backs 427 Billion Dollar Defense Budget

Washington (AFP) Jun 14, 2006
The House of Representatives Appropriations Committee on Tuesday approved a 427-billion-dollar defense spending bill for the 2007 fiscal year, including some 50 billion dollars for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

+ Navy Selects LM's MK-54 Torpedoes High Altitude Launch Capability
+ Pennsylvania National Guard Gets Stryker Light Armored Vehicles

EARTH OBSERVATION

+ Google Announces Major Update For Google Earth

Mountain View CA (SPX) Jun 14, 2006
Google has announced a series of updates to the company's mapping product suite, further illustrating Google's commitment to creating powerful tools for sharing geographic information. Announced live at Google's first Geo Developer Day, these innovations both connect users to information about the world around them, as well as address the growing needs of the developer community.

+ Harmful Algal Blooms Monitored From Space In Chile

INTERNATIONAL SPACE

+ Mitsubishi Heavy To Invest In Next-Generation Rocket

Tokyo, Japan (AFX) Jun 14, 2006
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. plans to spend a total of 5 billion yen ($44 million) to prepare facilities for manufacturing the next-generation H-IIB domestic rocket, scheduled for launch in fiscal 2008, The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported Tuesday.

+ Shanghai Lands Star Role In Satellite Mission
+ Malaysia To Work With India On Space Technology
+ SES Americom Wins Long-Term Satellite Contract With Comsat Mexico
+ Swales Delivers Final Micro-Satellite For NASA THEMIS Mission
+ Stephen Hawking Calls For Mankind To Reach For Stars

SPACEMART

+ Optimize Your Trade Study Analyses With AGI And Phoenix Integration

Exton PA (SPX) Jun 14, 2006 - Space mission planners have access to advanced optimization algorithms that generate optimal solutions from trade studies without scripts or programming. The new Optimizer extension for STK/Analyzer software was developed by Phoenix Integration, Inc., of Blacksburg, VA, and is offered by Analytical Graphics, Inc. (AGI) of Exton, PA.

+ Mind Over Matter No Longer Science Fiction
+ A Naturally Inspired Robot
+ Listen Out For Satellite Radio
+ Gilat Offers New Services For Cisco IP VSAT Module
+ Boeing Names Jamieson Senior VP of Engineering Ops And Tech
+ Faulty Design Caused Genesis Mishap

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KOREAN ICBMs

+ US To Respond If North Korea Tests Missile

Seoul (AFP) Jun 15, 2006
The top US envoy to South Korea warned Wednesday that Washington and its allies would "respond appropriately" if North Korea test-fired a missile capable of reaching the United States. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow said Washington was monitoring preparations for a long-range missile test that have reportedly been under way for more than a month at a remote launch pad in northeastern North Korea.

+ Chronology Of North Korean Missile Development

IRANIAN NUKES

+ World Awaits Positive Iranian Nuclear Response

Vienna (AFP) Jun 15, 2006
World powers, seeking to woo Iran with incentives in return for guarantees its nuclear program is peaceful, held off threatening sanctions, diplomats said at a meeting of the UN atomic agency. The International Atomic Energy Agency, which monitors compliance with international nuclear safeguards, is expected to debate Iran's nuclear activities in Vienna on Thursday.

+ Iran President Arrives In China For Nuclear Summit

MILTECH

+ NAVAIR Selects M-PACT For IR Missile Seeker Cooling

Montville NJ (SPX) Jun 15, 2006
Marotta Controls announced today that it has been selected by NAVAIR to build high-pressure pneumatic Pure Air Generating Systems for integration into the LAU-7 and LAU-127 missile rail launchers using its proprietary Pure Air Compression Technology, M-PACT.

+ Northrop Grumman Flight Tests Radar Antenna For B-2 Stealth Bomber
+ High Energy Scans More Efficient At Ports
+ Buckeye System Brings New Digital Capability to Warfighters
+ Raytheon Teams Up With Nordics For Estonia Missile Bid

IRAQ WARS

+ No Relief In Iraq

Washington (UPI) Jun 15, 2006
The hunting down and killing of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, al-Qaida's director of operations in Iraq, came during a week that saw no let up in pressure on the hard-pressed U.S. forces in that country.

TERROR WARS

+ Can Intelligence Oversight Be Fixed

Washington (UPI) Jun 15, 2006
Three former intelligence agency and congressional intelligence staffers say the oversight relationship between Congress and the CIA is in shambles. But can it be fixed? The Center for American Progress Tuesday held a forum in conjunction with a report released assessing the status of the relationship between the legislative and executive branches.

UAV NEWS

+ Laboratory Tests Fuel Efficient Flying-Wing Aircraft

Wright-Patterson AFB OH (AFNS) Jun 15, 2006
The Air Force Research Laboratory and industry are testing a new type of aircraft with the potential to get up to 30 percent better fuel mileage, due to its unique flying-wing shape. The prototype blended wing body aircraft is a modified triangular-shaped aircraft configuration with 20 control surfaces along its trailing edge.

+ Team GoldenEye Wins Phase III Of DARPA OAV-II Program

SPACEMART

+ Douglass Urges NASA And Industry To Address Workforce Crisis

Arlington VA (SPX) Jun 15, 2006
NASA must take specific and immediate action to meet a coming aerospace workforce crisis head on, John Douglass, president and chief executive officer of the Aerospace Industries Association, told Congress Tuesday.

+ Mark Valerio To Head Special Programs At Lockheed Martin

Denver CO (SPX) Jun 15, 2006
Lockheed Martin announced Wednesday it has named Mark Valerio vice president and general manager, special programs for its Space Systems Company. Valerio succeeds Thomas J. Scanlan, who is retiring June 30.

+ SES Astra Expands Satellite Capacity
+ Full Shuttle Crew Arrives At Kennedy
+ Preps Begin For Next Ariane Dual Satellite Launch
+ Brits Unveil Latest Robot To Search For Life On Mars
+ High Noise Levels On ISS Harmful For Astronauts Say Doctors
+ Clyde Space Gets SMART with OTS CubeSat Power Management Solution

GPS NEWS

+ deCarta And Inrix Accelerate Traffic-Enabled Location-based Services

San Jose CA (SPX) Jun 15, 2006
deCarta (formerly Telcontar), the leading supplier of software platforms and services for the location-based services industry, and Inrix, the leading supplier of real-time and predictive traffic information services, today announced the integration and immediate availability of Inrix's traffic information into deCarta's Drill Down Server and Traffic Manager.

+ SiRF Teams With Fastrax To Speed GPS Deployments

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MILTECH

+ ATK Tests Advanced 155mm Projectile

Minneapolis MN (SPX) Jun 16, 2006
Alliant Techsystems announced today that it successfully tested its advanced, 155mm precision projectile - Saber. Saber offers the U.S. Army a design capability and a low per unit cost for the Block 1B upgrade to the Excalibur program.

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Boost Phase Blues Impact Missile Shield Developments

Washington (UPI) Jun 16, 2006
The mainstream U.S. media usually simplifies the arguments both in favor of and against different kinds of ballistic missile defense systems. Repeatedly, simplified or out of date assertions are presented as - and accepted - as irrefutable fact. For a long time, even many skeptics of other aspects of BMD have sung the praises of developing boost phase anti-missile defenses.

UAV NEWS

+ Greece Orders Two Sperwer UAV Systems From Sagem Defense

Eurosatory, Villepinte (SPX) Jun 14, 2006
The Greek Armed Forces have just ordered two additional Sperwer tactical UAV systems from Sagem Defense Securite. Two initial systems were delivered at the end of 2004 and the beginning of 2006; they have been in use by the Greek Army - for the first time - since mid 2005.

NUKEWARS

+ Iran And Syria Sign Defense Agreement

Tehran (AFP) Jun 16, 2006
Defense ministers from close allies Iran and Syria on Thursday signed an agreement for military cooperation against what they called the "common threats" presented by Israel and the United States. In a joint press conference, Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najjar and visiting Syrian counterpart Hassan Turkmani said their talks had been aimed at consolidating their defense efforts and strengthening support for one another.

NUKEWARS

+ Iran Supreme Leader Implicitly Rejects Nuclear Suspension

Tehran (AFP) Jun 16, 2006
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Thursday his country would not bow to pressure over its atomic program, implicitly rejecting international calls to suspend nuclear enrichment.

NUKEWARS

+ Japan Doubts North Korean Missile Test Imminent

Tokyo (AFP) Jun 16, 2006
Japan on Thursday downplayed the possibility of an imminent missile test by North Korea after its ally the United States warned of a response if Pyongyang carries out a long-range launch. "We are not in an extremely serious situation," Foreign Minister Taro Aso said when asked about the string of the reports that North Korea is planning to test-fire an intercontinental ballistic missile.

MISSILE NEWS

+ New American Non-Nuclear ICBM Creates Global Dangers

Moscow (UPI) Jun 16, 2006
On May 22, The Washington Post carried an article "A Missile Strike Option We Need" by two former U.S. Secretaries of Defense - Harold Brown, 1977-1981. and James Schlesinger, 1973-1975. Brown and Schlesinger suggested installing non-nuclear warheads on U.S. strategic missiles, first of all, Trident II D5 submarine-launched ballistic missiles, or SLBMs, which have multiple independently targeted reentry vehicles, or MIRVs.

MILTECH

+ Raytheon Tests Projectile with Semi-Active Laser Seeker

Tucson AZ (SPX) Jun 16, 2006
Raytheon successfully flight tested its Mid Range Munition Chemical Energy (MRM-CE) guided projectile with semi-active laser seeker (SAL) at the U.S. Army's Yuma, Ariz., Proving Grounds May 4. The round was fired from an M1A2 SEP (System Enhancement Program) tank at a moving target at a range of about 5.4 miles (8.7 kilometers).

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ Raytheon To Support US Navy Satellite Communications System

Norfolk VA (SPX) Jun 16, 2006
Raytheon Technical Services received a 31.5 million dollar U.S. Navy contract to provide logistics support for the USC-38 satellite communications system.

MILTECH

+ Saab Lands Major New Camouflage Technology Deal

Stockholm, Sweden (SPX) Jun 16, 2006 - Saab Barracuda has announced the award of a $20.2 million delivery order by the U.S. Army to continue production of the company's Ultra-Lightweight Camouflage Net System (ULCANS). This is the first award in a potential $1.8 billion, 10-year program, for only to contenders of which Saab ambition is to receive more than half the share.

NUKEWARS

+ US And Europe Urge Iran To Heed Nuclear Call

Vienna (AFP) Jun 16, 2006
World powers were united at the UN atomic agency Thursday in urging Iran to suspend uranium enrichment to show it does not seek atomic weapons, with the United States warning of Security Council action if Tehran fails to comply, diplomats said.

IRAQ WARS

+ US Military Death Toll In Iraq Hits 2500

Washington (AFP) Jun 16, 2006
The US military death toll in Iraq climbed to 2,500 Thursday with the combat death of a marine as Congress approved another 66 billion dollars for the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. The White House lamented the toll, calling it "a sad benchmark," but said President George W. Bush believed they did not die in vain.

+ White House Says There Will Be No Permanent Iraq Presence

Washington (AFP) Jun 16, 2006
The White House said Thursday that the United States would have "no permanent bases" in Iraq, because keeping overseas military facilities open always depends on the host government and US planners.

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KOREAN NUKES

+ US Expects North Korea To Return To Nuclear Talks

Washington (AFP) Jun 19, 2006
The United States expects North Korea to renew its moratorium on long-range missile tests and return to six-party talks aimed at ending its nuclear ambitions, the White House said Sunday.

+ NKorea Accuses US Spy Plane Of Incursion
+ Japan Warns North Korea Over Any Missile Attack
+ North Korea Threatens To Wipe Out US Forces In South Korea

IRANIAN NUKES

+ Iran Rejects Preconditions To Nuclear Talks

Tehran (AFP) Jun 19, 2006
Iran said Sunday it would not accept any "preconditions" for fresh international talks over its disputed nuclear programme, implicitly rejecting demands that the Islamic republic suspend sensitive uranium enrichment work.

INDIAN NUKES

+ India Signs Up For UN Convention Against Nuclear Terrorism

New Delhi (AFP) Jun 19, 2006
India has acceded to an international convention against nuclear terrorism drafted by the United Nations, a government statement said. India's cabinet Friday gave its approval for signing and ratifying the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, the statement said.

MISSILE NEWS

+ Aerojet To Develop New ICBM Systems Technologies

Sacramento CA (SPX) Jun 19, 2006
Aerojet announced Wednesday it has received a 19 million dollar contract from the U.S. Air Force to develop new upper stage solid rocket motor technologies for application on future strategic strike systems. The contract is the second recently awarded to Aerojet in this technology area.

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ Raytheon Demos Faster Smaller And Simpler Troposcatter Solution

McKinney TX (SPX) Jun 19, 2006
Three critical, enhanced Troposcatter (TROPO) capabilities - speed, size and simplicity - were highlighted by Raytheon Company during a recent record-setting demonstration. These capabilities improve bandwidth, reduce the number of vehicles needed for transport of TROPO equipment and establish communications links more expediently.

UAV NEWS

+ Police Launch Eye-In-The-Sky Technology Above Los Angeles

Los Angeles (AFP) Jun 19, 2006
Police launched the future of law enforcement into the smoggy Los Angeles sky Friday in the form of a drone aircraft, bringing technology most commonly associated with combat zones to urban policing.

THE STANS

+ Leaders Urge Joint Drive For Peace At Kazakh Summit

Almaty (AFP) Jun 19, 2006
Leaders of countries in conflict-stricken Central Asia and their neighbours on Saturday called for cooperation to secure peace amid issues such as Middle Eastern violence and the nuclear threat.

SUPERPOWERS

+ Shanghai Pact Struts World Stage

Washington (UPI) Jun 19, 2006
When the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was formed on June 15, 2001, almost no one in the U.S. media took any notice of it. But they are starting to pay attention now. On Thursday, the fifth birthday of the SCO, which one of its founders, then-Chinese President Jiang Zemin liked to refer to as "the Shanghai Pact", leaders and senior representatives of more than half the world's population returned to Shanghai, the financial capital of China, for the meeting.

+ Chinese Military Delegation Departs For US War Games

IRAQ WARS

+ Securing Baghdad Will Take Legions To Garrison

Washington (UPI) Jun 19, 2006
The United States and Iraq are conducting a major security operation in Baghdad. Reports indicate that a total of 70,000-75,000 men, two regular Iraqi divisions, two MOI security force divisions, and substantial amounts of U.S. troops may be involved.

EARTH OBSERVATION

+ ESA And Spot Image Set Precedence With Data Sharing

Paris, France (ESA) Jun 19, 2006
ESA and Spot Image, the company that distributes data commercially from the French Space Agency's (CNES) Spot satellites, signed a multiyear agreement, which kicked off in January 2006, permitting ESA-accepted Category-1 projects to order more than 10 000 images per year from the Spot 1, 2, 3 and 4 satellites.

+ NASA Missions Help Dissect Sea Level Rise

+ NGOs Using Satellite Imagery To Plan Agriculture Relief Efforts
+ High-Flying Satellites Give Land Managers The Low-Down On Cheatgrass
SPACEMART

+ Governments Accounted For Over Half Of New Satellite Business In 2005

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 19, 2006
Hannover Fairs USA and Futron Corporation have announced results of their annual satellite industry survey conducted during the International Satellite Communications exchange (ISCe 2006) that concluded last week in San Diego, Calif.

+ Satellite Guidance For The Visually Impaired

LAUNCH PAD

+ First Kazakh Satellite Launched

Baikonour, Kazakhstan (AFP) Jun 19, 2006
Kazakhstan's first telecommunications satellite was launched from Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan early Sunday in the presence of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Kazakh counterpart Nursultan Nazarbayev.

+ Sea Launch Delivers Galaxy 16 Satellite to Orbit

DRAGON SPACE

+ China Satellite Launcher Rejects US Proliferation Accusations

Beijing (AFP) Jun 17, 2006
China's top satellite launcher angrily denied U.S. accusations that it was assisting Iran's missile programs and demanded that its assets in the United States be freed up, state press said Saturday.


+ The Next Generation Of Yuhangyuans

ENERGY TECH

+ Looming Energy Crisis Requires New Manhattan Project

Los Angeles (AFP) Jun 19, 2006
The United States urgently needs an effort similar to the Manhattan Project or NASA's moon mission to confront a looming energy crisis, scientists said at a high-level energy conference here.

TECH SPACE

+ Bacterium Takes A Shine To Metals

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 19, 2006
Exposed metal surfaces are highly vulnerable to corrosion, but paint or other protective coatings can interfere with some uses, as well as add significant costs. Now, a comprehensive series of experiments suggests a new form of protection: bacteria.

SHAKE AND BLOW

+ US Not Prepared For Catastrophe Finds Official Report

Washington (AFP) Jun 19, 2006
The United States is not prepared to cope with a large-scale terrorist attack or a powerful hurricane, the US Department of Homeland Security said in a report published Friday.

+ Residents Run For Cover As Philippine Volcano Spews Ash
+ Indonesian Volcano Quietens Down

KOREAN MISSILES

+ North Korea Missile Fueled For Launch

Washington (AFP) Jun 20, 2006
North Korea has finished fueling a long-range missile, moving a key step closer to a test launch, The New York Times reported late Sunday. US officials concluded that North Korea had completed the fueling of the Taepodong 2 missile believed capable of reaching the United States after examining satellite images, the Times wrote on its website.

+ North Korea Plays A New Missile Card
+ North Korea Stirs Jitters With Missile Launch Boast

IRANIAN NUKES

+ Iran Prepares Nuclear Counter Proposal

Tehran (AFP) Jun 20, 2006
Iran said Monday it was preparing a counter-offer as officials rejected a key stipulation in a proposal by world powers for the Islamic republic to halt uranium enrichment ahead of nuclear talks.

+ US Policy Becoming Confused Over Iran Says Russia

RUSSIAN NUKES

+ US And Russian Nuclear Weapons Deal Extended

Washington (AFP) Jun 20, 2006
The United States and Russia have extended the US-funded program that pays for the dismantling of weapons of mass destruction inherited by Russia from the former Soviet Union, the White House said Monday.

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Patriot Missile Destroys Drone For Second Straight Hit

Tewksbury MA (SPX) Jun 20, 2006
Raytheon's Patriot Guidance Enhanced Missile scored a second consecutive successful test flight as a GEM-T missile destroyed a surrogate cruise missile at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., the company announced Monday.

GPS NEWS

+ Raytheon's Enhanced Paveway II Remains Right on Target in Danish Tests

Tucson AZ (SPX) Jun 20, 2006
Raytheon's Enhanced Paveway II precision guided weapon demonstrated its continued reliability and unmatched accuracy by successfully hitting intended targets in a recent series of tests by the Royal Danish air force.

ROCKET SCIENCE

+ Globemaster Airdrops Falcon Small Launch Vehicle

Edwards AFB CA (AFNS) Jun 20, 2006
A C-17 Globemaster III performed the second in a series of tests June 14 by airdropping a 65-foot, 65,000-pound mockup of a booster rocket over Edwards Precision Impact Range Area. The drop, performed at 29,500 feet above sea level, was part of a project called Falcon Small Launch Vehicle, a joint venture between the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the Air Force, designed to develop a new method for putting satellites into low-earth orbit.

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ French Army And MoD Experiment Network-Enabled Operations

London, UK (SPX) Jun 20, 2006
The Transformation and Integration Centre (TIC), a distributed battlelabing environment between Thales' different sites in France and multi-domestic countries was made available to the French MoD last March to experiment the contribution of a battlelab to study future Network Enabled Capabilities.

ROBO SPACE

+ Georgia Tech Opens Robotics and Intelligent Machines Center

Atlanta GA (SPX) Jun 16, 2006
The College of Computing and College of Engineering at Georgia Tech today announced the establishment of the Robotics and Intelligent Machines center, a new interdisciplinary research center that will draw on the strengths and knowledge of robotics experts from both colleges.

UAV NEWS

+ Raytheon Wins Contract On ISIS UAV Project

Rome NY (AFNS) Jun 20, 2006
The Air Force Research Laboratory has awarded a $7,996,471 contract to Raytheon Systems, Co., of El Segundo, Calif., for a surveillance sensor program. The two-year contract is funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency of Arlington, Va., in support of its Integrated Sensor IS Structure, or ISIS, program.

SAUDI ARABIA

+ Saudi Secret To Success In War

Washington (UPI) Jun 20, 2006
Ever since a group of 19 terrorists struck at the heart of America on Sept. 11, 2001, Saudi Arabia, from where 15 of the 19 hijackers originated, suddenly found itself on the front lines of the war on terror. And for the most part it was largely unprepared.

IRAQ WARS

+ Deteriorating Realities In Iraq

Washington (UPI) Jun 20, 2006
The long cable about the stark realities of life in Baghdad from U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalizad reproduced in the Washington Post Sunday should serve as a corrective to the wave of renewed optimism that has swept Washington about the Iraq war over the past few weeks.

SUPERPOWERS

+ Putin Has An Asian Vision For Growth And Cooperation

Moscow (UPI) Jun 20, 2006
In the run-up to the fifth Shanghai summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, Chinese, Indian, Pakistani, and Iranian media published Russian President Vladimir Putin's essay on SCO, prompting new thoughts about what Putin had termed as the "Shanghai spirit."

SpaceWar Express - June 21, 2006
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Your World At war 24/7

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ US Missile Defenses Likely Activated For North Korean Test

Washington (AFP) Jun 20, 2006
The launch of a long-range North Korean missile would provide the first real test of a US missile defense system that has cost billions of dollars to build and is still in development, analysts said Tuesday. The Washington Times, citing US officials, said the system has been activated in the past two weeks amid signs North Korea is preparing to launch an intercontinental Taepodong-2 missile.

KOREAN NUKES

+ North Korea Missile Test Not A Sure Thing Says South Korea

Seoul (AFP) Jun 20, 2006
South Korea said Tuesday there was no certainty North Korea would test-fire a missile, amid mounting international concern over reports of launch preparations in the Stalinist state. "The reports say it may be imminent that North Koreans may test-fire a long-range missile but it is not quite sure they have put fuel in the rocket," said Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon.

+ US Says North Korea Moving Forward In Missile Launch
+ China Stays Mum On North Korea Missile Antics
+ A Second Nuclear Front
+ US And South Korea Differ Over North

INDIAN NUKES

+ US Considers Indian Nuclear Deal

Washington (UPI) Jun 21, 2006
The U.S. Congress is in a bind. It can reject the high-profile nuclear deal with India and damage relations with the world's largest democracy, or approve the arrangement and act against a non-proliferation policy. India's ostracism from the nuclear scene ended unofficially last year after an agreement with the United States, but the country continues to wait for action that would legalize the deal.

MILTECH

+ Mid-Infrared Lasers Confuse Heat-Seeking Missiles

Sylmar CA (SPX) Jun 21, 2006
Quintessence Photonics has announced that it has won a US Government Contract to develop and deliver high-power Mid-Infrared Lasers. The Phase III award is a follow on to previous development activity funded by the US Army which culminates in the delivery of semiconductor lasers which emit light in the Mid-Infrared wavelength regime.

+ Exercise Highlights Raptor Synergy, Joint Capabilities
+ Precision-Guided Munitions Play Key Role
+ Heavyweight 'Cougars' Protect Marines in Iraq

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ Qinetiq Selects Riverbed To Optimize British Royal Navy Tactical Networks

San Francisco (SPX) Jun 19, 2006
Riverbed Technology has announced that QinetiQ, working for the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Royal Navy, has accelerated application performance over UHF, HF and satellite links for TCP-based naval communications traffic using Riverbed's Steelhead appliances.

+ Boeing Demonstrates TSAT Next-Generation Processor Router Capability

SUPERPOWERS

+ Iraq Mission Sets Precedent For Japan To Play Greater Global Role

Tokyo (AFP) Jun 21, 2006
Japan's historic military mission to Iraq which was declared complete Tuesday has set a precedent for its expanding role overseas which remains deeply controversial, analysts said. The troops engaged in humanitarian assistance have suffered no casualties and not even fired their weapons, but their presence on dangerous turf shows a new image of a country known in recent times purely as an economic power.

SPACEMART

+ CEO Says Arianespace Looks To Serve Asian Market

Singapore (SPX) Jun 21, 2006
Jean-Yves Le Gall, chief executive officer of Arianespace, said his company is ready to serve the Asia-Pacific market from a position of strength, benefiting from a sustained launch tempo, a full range of services, a capable launcher family, and the backing of Europe and its experienced industry team.

+ FCC Approves Merger Between Intelsat And PanAmSat
+ Energia And Intersputnik Sign Agreement Of Cooperation


LAUNCH PAD

+ Arianespace To Launch First Vietnamese Telecom Satellite

Singapore (SPX) Jun 21, 2006
Arianespace announced Tuesday it will launch the VINASAT-1 satellite for Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Corp. in 2008. VINASAT-1 will be built by Lockheed Martin Commercial Space Systems. The first Vietnamese telecommunications satellite, VINASAT-1 will be launched on an Ariane 5 rocket during the first half of 2008 from Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.

+ Russian Rocket Orbits Kazakh Satellite

GPS NEWS

+ Luxembourg Companies To Build Galileo Antenna System

Luxembourg (SPX) Jun 21, 2006
SES ASTRA, an SES GLOBAL company, announced Tuesday its subsidiary SES ASTRA TechCom has been selected for a project of Europe's global satellite navigation system Galileo. Together with its Luxembourg partner, HITEC Luxembourg, SES ASTRA TechCom has been chosen as lead partner to provide two large telemetry, tracking and control antenna systems which will allow the ground control of the Galileo satellite fleet when it is in orbit.

WEATHER REPORT

+ Goodrich Technology Aboard GOES-N

Charlotte NC (SPX) Jun 21, 2006
When the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's latest spacecraft, the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite-N, launched last month, it carried Goodrich Corp.'s Solar X-ray Imager telescope mirror assembly.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

+ Military Police Arrive To Combat Crime In New Orleans

New Orleans (AFP) Jun 21, 2006
Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco on Tuesday welcomed 100 military police officers and 60 state police troopers deployed to help New Orleans deal with a flood of violent crime as it struggles to recover from Hurricane Katrina.

+ Carmanah Unveils World's Most Versatile Solar Powered Airfield Light
+ Seismic Shock Absorbers For Woodframe Houses

ENERGY TECH

+ US And French Power Companies Sign MoU For Evolutionary Power Reactor

Baltimore MD (SPX)Jun 20, 2006
Constellation Energy and Electricite de France (EdF) today announced that the two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). Specifically, EdF and Constellation Energy's subsidiary, Constellation Generation Group, have agreed to work together toward an agreement allowing EdF to provide assistance to Constellation Energy as part of the development of the U.S. Evolutionary Power Reactor (EPR).

+ Innovative, Affordable Solar Energy Solution For Vineyards
+ Finding A Better Way To Make Biodiesel
+ Northwestern Team Develops MRI For Fuel Cells

CAR TECH

+ Self-Powered Sensors To Watch Over Hydrogen Cars

New York (UPI) Jun 21, 2006
Nanotechnological, inexpensive sensors that can detect invisible, odorless hydrogen leaks and sound the alarm wirelessly could help safeguard future vehicles and refueling stations based on the gas, experts told UPI's Nano World.

SpaceWar Express - June 22, 2006
news.spacewar.com
Your World At war 24/7


MISSILE DEFENSE

+ US To Conduct Missile Defense Test Off Hawaii

Washington (AFP) Jun 21, 2006
A US warship prepared to shoot down a mock warhead of a medium-range missile over the Pacific Wednesday in the latest of a series of tests of a sea-based missile defense system, a spokesman said. It comes amid tensions over North Korean preparations to launch a long-range missile, but a spokesman for the US Missile Defense Agency said the missile defense test had been planned for months.

+ Patriot GEM Has Second Test Flight Success

KOREAN NUKES

+ North Korea Again Hails 1998 Missile Launch

Tokyo (AFP) Jun 21, 2006
North Korean media hailed Wednesday for the second time this week the 1998 launch of a missile over Japan, stoking concern that Pyongyang plans a new long-range launch. State radio, in a daily commentary monitored by Tokyo-based service Radiopress, praised the firing of the Taepodong-1 missile into the Pacific Ocean eight years ago as a feat of science.

+ North Korea Must Keep Promise Not To Test Missile Says Bush

+ North Korean Missile Would Pull Japan Closer To US

NUCLEAR DOCTRINE

+ Brown Backs Britain Keeping Its Nuclear Deterrent

London (AFP) Jun 22, 2006
Britain's finance minister, Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown, made it ringingly clear Wednesday that the country will remain a nuclear power if,as expecred, he becomes the next prime minister. In a speech to the movers and shakers in London's City financial district, Brown let it be known that he was in favour of spending billions of pounds on a new generation of weapons to keep Britain in the global nuclear club.

+ Weapons Experts Warn US Lawmakers On Indian Nuclear Deal

IRAN NUKES

+ World Powers Join US In Seeking Prompt Iran Answer

Washington (AFP) Jun 21, 2006
World powers joined US President George W. Bush on Wednesday in pressing Iran to respond within weeks rather than months as proposed by Tehran to a call to end its controversial nuclear research. The new round of diplomatic jostling came after Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said for the first time Wednesday that Tehran would respond to the international plan on the nuclear row within two months.

SUPERPOWERS

+ Stop The World

Washington (UPI) Jun 22, 2006
The United States is a greater threat to global stability than Iran or China? Clearly a preposterous suggestion, you would say. Well, think again because that's how our European allies have sized up the current state of geopolitical play. At least, those were the findings of a Harris poll conducted with the Financial Times, a newspaper regarded by most foreign policy cognoscente as the world's best English-language daily.

MILTECH

+ Successful Meteor Missile Firings With Gripen Completed

Stockholm, Sweden (SPX) Jun 22, 2006
An important stage in the Meteor missile programme was reached today when the second Air Launched Demonstration (ALD) firing took place. This successfully continued the first Meteor firing campaign with a Gripen fighter aircraft at the FMV Vidsel test range in northern Sweden.

+ US Army Awards Contract To Raytheon For Excalibur Production

IRAQ WARS

+ A Better Week For US Forces In Iraq

Washington (UPI) Jun 22, 2006
War abounds in ironies. This past week saw U.S. military fatalities in Iraq pass another milestone figure - 2,500. Yet it was also a week that saw U.S. soldiers dying in that country at a lower rate than at almost any previous time this year.

+ US Officers Say Rejected Amnesty Has Merit

SPACE DAILY

+ Ariane 5 Receives Improved Upper Stage

Kourou, French Guiana (SPX) Jun 21, 2006
Assembly of the Ariane 5 ECA for Arianespace's next dual-satellite mission marked another milestone this week when the launcher received its cryogenic ESC-A upper stage. The upper stage, supplied by EADS Space Transportation, is an element of the upgraded propulsion system that provides increased lift capabilities for the Ariane 5 ECA.

+ NASA Announces CLV Support Contract
+ Deorbited Russian Progress Cargo Craft Dumped In Pacific
+ GeoEye Awarded Airport Mapping Database Contract
+ Chunghwa Telecom Mulling Second Taiwan Sat With SingTel
+ Microsoft Shows Off Software Kit For Robot Builders
+ An Adaptive Interface For Controlling The Computer By Thought
+ NASA To Orbit Fruit Flies To Test Immune System
+ Botanist To Study Seed Behavior Aboard Space Station


WEATHER REPORT

+ Boeing Hands Over GOES-N Early To NASA

St Louis MO (SPX) Jun 21, 2006
Boeing announced Wednesday that GOES-N - the first of three Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites built for NASA and the NOAA - has reached its orbital slot 22,300 miles above the equator, and Boeing engineers have transferred control of the satellite to NASA.

+ Research Expedition Braves World's Worst Weather

TERRA DAILY

+ New Study Spells Bad News For Quake-Prone California

Paris (AFP) Jun 21, 2006
Southern California remains under the curse of an earthquake that may strike soon, according to a study which rules out hopes that stresses may have eased the peril posed by the notorious San Andreas fault. The San Andreas runs north-south along almost all of western California, passing through San Francisco and running just north of Los Angeles, before emerging in the far south in the San Jacinto fault.

+ Philippine Communists Offer Ceasefire Around Restive Volcano
+ Experts Urge Better Management And Information About Desert Spread
+ Chevron Pursues Opportunities in Emerging Biofuels Sector
+ Hundreds Dead And Missing In Indonesia Floods
+ Indonesia Sees 39th Bird Flu Death
+ Seoul Could Scrap Food Aid If North Korea Fires Missile

SpaceWar Express - June 23, 2006
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Your World At war 24/7
BRITISH NUKES

+ UK Defence Secretary Opens Up Nuclear Deterrent Debate In Britain

London (AFP) Jun 22, 2006
Britain's defence secretary on Thursday backed finance minister Gordon and critics raged after he insisted the country would remain a nuclear power if, as expected, he becomes prime minister.

KOREAN NUKES AND MISSILES

+ Cheney Rebuffs Pre-Emptive Strike On North Korea

Washington (AFP) Jun 22, 2006
Vice President Dick Cheney Thursday rebuffed a call for a pre-emptive missile strike to knock out a long-range missile that North Korea has been preparing for launch.

+ US Says North Korea Will Pay A Cost For Missile Launch
+ North Korea Can Not Launch Nuclear Missile Says Japanese official

IRANIN NUKES

+ Iran Will Answer On Nuclear Deal After July G8 Summit

Geneva (AFP) Jun 22, 2006
UN chief Kofi Annan said Thursday that Iran was unlikely to respond until after the mid-July G8 summit of world leaders to an offer of incentives in return for a pledge to suspend uranium enrichment. Speaking in Geneva after what he called a "very useful talk" with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, Annan said Tehran was taking the proposal seriously.

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ US Warship Shoots Down Missile Warhead In Pacific Test Says Military

Washington (AFP) Jun 22, 2006
A US warship successfully shot down a target missile warhead over the Pacific Thursday in a test of a sea-based missile defense system, the US military said. A Japanese destroyer performed surveillance and tracking exercises during the test, marking the first time any US ally has taken part in a US missile defense intercept test, the US Missile Defense Agency said.

+ US Could Use Experimental Battery If NKorea Shot Missile At It

SUPERPOWERS

+ China Threatens To Rival American Power Status

Washington (UPI) Jun 22, 2006
China's rapid military expansion over recent years has sparked concern amongst American officials that its battlefield capabilities may eventually pose a threat to U.S. dominance.

+ US-European Summit Ends In Boredom And Peace

MILTECH

+ OBL Dreams Of EMP Bomb Attack On USA

Washington (UPI) Jun 22, 2006
A former Pakistani intelligence agent who once worked closely with Osama bin Laden says that the U.S. may well be attacked with electro-magnetic pulse bombs. During a June 22 interview with Adnkronos International news agency Khalid Khawaja said, "The e-bomb shall be the new threat for the USA, not the nukes or gas attacks."

UAV NEWS

+ US Sky Regulator Clips Wings Of Los Angeles Police Drone

Los Angeles (AFP) Jun 22, 2006
US aviation regulators grounded Thursday a Los Angeles crime-fighting drone aircraft due to concerns over potential air traffic accidents.

+ AAI Acquires Australian UAV Developer Aerosonde

IRAQ WARS

+ US Commander Confident Troops Level Will Come Down Despite Violence

Washington (AFP) Jun 22, 2006
The top US commander in Iraq said Thursday he remains confident US forces levels can be reduced this year despite sectarian violence and a surge in Iranian-backed attacks on US forces.

CYBERWARS

+ Sri Lanka To Register Satellite Phone Users And Regulate Satellite TV

Colombo (AFP) Jun 22, 2006
Sri Lanka Thursday announced plans to register users of satellite telephones and regulate satellite television broadcasts amid the worsening unrest on the island. Telecommunications Regulator Kanchana Ratwatte said President Mahinda Rajapakse has ordered the formulation of laws to regulate all satellite-based television broadcasters and phone service providers, including widely available Thuraya phones.

POLITICAL ECONOMY

+ Supercomputers Key To Staying Ahead In World EcoTechno Race

Washington (UPI) Jun 22, 2006
The technology used in aerospace engineering and weather forecasting is being used these days to produce better laundry-detergent bottles and animated movies too, thanks to high-performance computing. So perhaps it's no surprise that the use of supercomputers to conduct research and product testing is being heralded by those who use it as essential to the functioning of their business.

LAUNCH PAD

+ Boeing Delta II Delivers Military Technology Demonstration Mission

St. Louis MO (SPX) Jun 22, 2006
Boeing announced Thursday its Delta II launch vehicle successfully carried into orbit an experimental payload for the joint U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory.

+ Alcatel To Provide Comms Payload For Arabsat Satellite
+ Alcatel To Provide Onboard Equipment For Soyuz-Fregats

CHIP TECH

+ Magnetic Field Computers 500 Times Faster

Bath, England (UPI) Jun 22, 2006
Researchers at Britain's University of Bath will lead a $1 million, three-year international project to develop magnetic fields for use in computers. The project could produce a way of carrying electrical signals without the need for wiring.

ROBO SPACE

+ Italian Robot Maid Wins Prize At RoboCup

Rome (UPI) Jun 22, 2006 - An Italian domestic robot that reminds people when to eat, sleep and even when to take medicine, has won a top prize at the RoboCup tournament in Germany. Lucia, a robotic home helper, was created by a team from the Italian National Research Council.
GPS NEWS

+ UN To Hold Workshop On Navsat Applications In Sub-Saharan Africa

Vienna, Austria (SPX) Jun 22, 2006
The United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs is holding a five-day Regional Workshop on the Applications of Global Navigation Satellite System Technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa in Lusaka, Zambia, from June 26 to June 30.

TIME AND SPACE

+ Scientists Plan To Recreate Big Bang To Uncover Universial Mysteries

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador (AFP) Jun 22, 2006
International scientists will recreate the immediate aftermath of the "Big Bang" in a bid to uncover the mysteries of the universe, a world physics summit announced Thursday.

ENERGY TECH

+ World Energy Consumption Could Be Cut By Half With Clean Technology

Paris (AFP) Jun 22, 2006
Oil and electricity consumption across the world could easily be cut by half, with major benefits for the environment, if clean energy technologies that are currently available were applied, an international watchdog said here Thursday.

+ China Offers Model For Sustainable City
+ Coast Guard Gets Wind Farm Power

CIVIL NUCLEAR

+ Cheney Warns Congress Against Delaying Indian Nuclear Deal

Washington (AFP) Jun 22, 2006
US Vice President Dick Cheney warned Thursday that Congress would risk squandering a critical opportunity if it held up approval of a landmark civilian nuclear deal with India. "We hope Congress will be quick to enact legislation that enables our two nations to move forward on this important agreement without delay," Cheney said at a meeting of American and Indian business leaders in Washington.

EPIDEMICS

+ Chinese Scientists Ask US Journal To Withdraw Letter On Human Bird Flu

Washington (AFP) Jun 22, 2006
Eight Chinese scientists have asked a leading US medical journal to withdraw a letter published Thursday alleging that China knew about a human case of bird flu two years before the first case was officially announced.

SpaceWar Express - June 26, 2006
www.spacewar.com
Your World At war 24/7
SPACEWAR

+ US Using Space Supremacy To Wage Combat In Iraq And Afghanistan

Washington (AFP) Jun 23, 2006
The US military is relying ever more on space satellites to help wage combat in places like Iraq and Afghanistan, though analysts say that Washington's space supremacy could be threatened by rivals in the future.

+ IT Keeping US Military Ahead Of Game
+ U-2 Showcases New Cockpit Built For The Future

UAV NEWS

+ Last Block 10 Global Hawk Arrives For Check Flights

Edwards AFB CA (AFNS) Jun 26, 2006
An RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicle, the last Block 10 production aircraft, arrived here June 15 for a thorough checkup before delivery to the warfighter. The aircraft will undergo a series of acceptance and operational check flights by the 452nd Flight Test Squadron before flying to Beale Air Force Base, Calif., to take its place as a fully operational reconnaissance aircraft.

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ Russia Launches New Military Satellite

Moscow (AFP) Jun 25, 2006
Russia launched a new military satellite early Sunday from the Baikonur space centre in Kazakhstan, the latest addition to a network of about 60 similar Russian devices orbiting the planet, Russian space authorities said.

+ Warfighting Integration Reduces Inaccuracy And Inefficiency
+ Rockwell Collins And Thales To Deliver High Data Rate Networking Radios

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Can The US ABM System Actually Shoot Down A Taepodong 2
Washington (UPI) Jun 23, 2006
North Korea is preparing to test launch its Taepodong 2 nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 2,100 miles to 2,700 miles. The Washington Times has reported that America's high-tech, controversial and cutting edge ballistic missile defense system was activated in response.

+ Missile Defense Test Yields Successful 'Hit to Kill' Intercept

+ Japan And US Sign Pact Over Joint Development Of Ballistic Missile Defense

IRAN NUKES

+ Iran Brandishes Oil Weapon In Nuclear Row

Tehran (AFP) Jun 25, 2006
Iran on Sunday again brandished oil as a weapon in a dispute over its nuclear programme, as it continued to resist international demands to freeze sensitive uranium enrichment work. The threat came amid mounting pressure on Tehran to accept a proposal that it halt enrichment -- at the centre of fears it could acquire nuclear weapons -- in exchange for multilateral talks and a package of incentives.

MILTECH

+ Debut Of A New Lightweight Aerostat System To Monitor IEDs

Fayetteville NC (SPX) Jun 26, 2006
Carolina Unmanned Vehicles has successfully debuted their new version of the Lightweight Aerostat System (LAS) at the Improvised Explosive Device (IED) 2006 Symposium & Expo held at Fayetteville, NC from 12 to 14 June 2006.

MILPLEX

+ EADS Strains Franco-German Ties

Berlin (UPI) Jun 23, 2006
There may be a diplomatic rift in the pipeline between Germany and France after French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin hinted that he would like to expand his government's influence at European air and space company EADS.

SPACEMART

+ Sanmina-SCI Delivers 35 Millionth Set-Top Box Unit To EchoStar

San Jose CA (SPX) Jun 26, 2006
Sanmina-SCI Corp. announced Friday it has delivered the 35 millionth set-top box unit to EchoStar Technologies Corp., a subsidiary of EchoStar Communications Corp., a licensee of direct broadcast satellite television products and services.

VSAT NEWS

+ Telenor Adds New Satellite Terminals To Its Portfolio

Oslo, Norway (SPX) Jun 26, 2006
Telenor Satellite Services, a subsidiary of Telenor of Norwaym, announced Friday it will add the Wideye SABRE 1 Broadband Global Area Network satellite terminal and accessories to its portfolio of on-demand communications technologies.

+ Hughes Offers Broadband Satellite Service For Smaller Networks
+ ViaSat Acquires Enerdyne

CONSTELLATIONS

+ Iridium Expects Threefold Increase In Alaska-Based Traffic This Summer

Bethesda MD (SPX) Jun 26, 2006
Iridium Satellite said Monday that traffic in Alaska using its mobile satellite communications network should increase by 300 percent over the next few months. Over the last several years, Iridium has averaged a 40 percent growth rate annually in Alaska-based traffic.

+ Globalstar Files For Expanded ATC Authority

GPS NEWS

+ Baltimore Public School Buses Made Safer With GPS System

Torrance CA (SPX) Jun 26, 2006
Radio Satellite Integrators Inc. announced it has been contracted by the Baltimore City Public School System and is currently installing a turn-key automatic-vehicle-location system for their school bus fleet.

SHAKE AND BLOW

+ NASA Finds Intense Lightning Activity Around A Hurricane Eye

Huntsville AL (SPX) Jun 26, 2006
When you think of lightning, you think of a thunderstorm. Many people also assume that hurricanes have a lot of lightning because they are made up of hundreds of thunderstorms.

+ Global Warming Surpassed Cycles Of 2005 Hurricane Season

WEATHER REPORT

+ NOAA Selects Nortel To Enhance Weather Satellite Support

Washington (SPX) Jun 26, 2006
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has awarded an estimated US$3 million contract to a subsidiary of Nortel Government Solutions for systems engineering and software development for ground systems supporting the GOES (Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite) weather satellites.

+ Weather Modification Takes Another Step

ENERGY TECH

+ When Gold Becomes A Catalyst

Grenoble Cedex, France (SPX) Jun 26, 2006
Gold has always been perceived as a precious material: you win a gold medal when you prove to be the best in a competition; you only get a Gold credit card when you are a preferential customer, and the jewelry made of this material is amongst the most valuable.

+ Diamond By-Product Of Hydrogen Production And Storage Method

CIVIL NUCLEAR

+ European Consortium To Build Uranium Enrichment Plant In US

Washington (AFP) Jun 25, 2006 - US authorities have given a European-led consortium peremission to build the first uranium enrichment plant in the United States for 30 years. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the new 1.5 billion dollar plant would be built at Eunice in New Mexico by Louisiana Energy Services (LES).

+ IAEA Studies Enrichment Compromise But US Remains Unimpressed

FLORA AND FAUNA

+ Journey To Yungay Is A Trip Into The Dead Zone

Yungay, Chile (SPX) Jun 26, 2006
Yungay, Chile, is hardly a tourist destination. Indeed, it's hardly a town. More like a ghost town. In the past, Yungay was a center of activity for a nearby sodium nitrate mine. Now, the mine is closed, the town all but deserted. Despite its remote isolation, in recent years, Yungay has become a popular international travel destination - not for tourists, but for astrobiologists.

+ The Fruits Of Intelligence Is Remembering Where To Get Food

EARTH OBSERVATION

+ Canada To Fund More Access To Latest Satellite Imaging Data

Ottawa, Ontario (SPX) Jun 26, 2006
Hon. Gary Lunn, Canada's Minister of Natural Resources, announced Friday a five-year, $2.4-million project to provide access to new, high-quality satellite images of Canada. Speaking at the 2006 Geomatics Leaders Forum in Ottawa, Lunn also announced that the improved and standardized satellite images will be available to all Canadians for free over the Internet.

+ GlobeXplorer Adds 200th City To CitySphere International Datebase

SpaceWar Express - June 27, 2006
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Your World At war 24/7

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ The Growing Hubris Over Missile Defense Capabilities

Washington (UPI) Jun 23, 2006
A small amount of confidence and self-promotion in Washington is often a good thing, but too much can be deadly. The Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, charged with developing a multi-layered system that could defend the United States, its allies, and troops abroad from missile attack, has gone too far.

+ US To Deploy Anti-Missile Radar In Japan
+ US Presses Czechs For Signal On Willingness To Host Anti-Missile Base

NUCLEAR DOCTRINE

+ Britain Decides To Stay A Nuclear Weapons Power In The 21st Century

London (UPI) Jun 26, 2006
It is unusual to watch a senior and experienced politician walk deliberately into trouble. But Gordon Brown, for the past nine years the successful steward of the world's fourth-largest economy and the second-most powerful man in Britain after Tony Blair, knew exactly what he was doing when he kicked the third rail of left-wing politics by pledging to renew Britain's nuclear forces.

IRAN NUKES

+ Iran Says Oil Weapon Only A Last Resort

Tehran (AFP) Jun 26, 2006
Iran said Monday that it would only use its vast oil resources as a weapon of last resort in the international dispute over its nuclear programme. The comments came the day after Iran's oil minister threatened to use oil as a weapon if the country's "interests are attacked", amid mounting pressure on Tehran's hardline leadership to freeze sensitive atomic work.

+ An Interview With Iranian Opposition Leader Maryam Rajavi

SPACEWAR

+ Boeing-Led Team Fires Surrogate Lasers From Airborne Laser Aircraft

St Louis MO (SPX) Jun 27, 2006
A Boeing-led industry team and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) took a major step toward demonstrating the capability of the Airborne Laser (ABL) by successfully firing surrogate lasers from inside the aircraft.

TECH SPACE

+ Stealth Radar System Sees Through Trees And Walls Undetected

Columbus OH (SPX) Jun 27, 2006
Ohio State engineers have invented a radar system that is virtually undetectable because its signal resembles random noise. The radar could have applications in law enforcement, the military and disaster rescue.

NUKEWARS

+ IAEA Chief Says Nuclear Terrorism A Serious Threat

Berlin (AFP) Jun 26, 2006
The head of the UN's nuclear watchdog warned Monday there was a real threat that terrorist groups could resort to nuclear weapons. "We worry about sub-national groups, extremist groups acquiring nuclear weapons. It is a nightmare because they will use it," said Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
IRAQ WARS

+ The Futile debate Over The Future Of Iraq

New York (UPI) Jun 26, 2006
In the recent U.S. Senate debate over a timeframe for troop withdrawal from Iraq, both sides of the aisle seem to have missed the point. Neither the Republicans' "stay the course" approach nor Sen. John Kerry's proposal to establish a specific time-table addressed the reality of post-war Iraq. And applying a more flexible timeframe, as advocated by other Democrats, failed equally.


+ The Myriad Problems With Cutting Troop Numbers In Iraq

UAV NEWS

+ RE2 and RTI To Enhance Software Infrastructure of Unmanned Systems

Pittsburgh PA (SPX) Jun 27, 2006
RE2 has announced that it has formed a non-exclusive strategic alliance with Real-Time Innovations (RTI) to give vendors a comprehensive Joint Architecture for Unmanned Systems (JAUS)-compliant middleware solution for unmanned vehicles and robotic platforms. RE2 is a Carnegie Mellon spin-off specializing in agile defense robotics, particularly JAUS development and services.

AEROSPACE

+ Joint Strike Fighter Is Not Flawed Finds Australian Government

Canberra, Australia (SPX) Jun 27, 2006
Defence strongly disagrees with media reporting today that the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) program is 'flawed' and should be abandoned. This reporting, following on from a newspaper article today, misrepresents the true status of the JSF program.

ROCKET SCIENCE

+ Second Stage Vega Motor Roars To Life In ESA Test

Paris, France (SPX) Jun 27, 2006
ESA announced its Vega small-satellite launch vehicle has made a new step toward its maiden flight, late next year, with the success of the first firing test Monday on its second stage motor, the Zefiro 23. The static firing was performed at the Italian Ministry of Defense test center in Salto di Quirra, Sardinia.

SPACE MEDICINE

+ NASA Modifies Image Technology To Fight Diabetes

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jun 27, 2006
NASA image-processing technology used to explore orbital images of Earth and distant worlds is being modified for diabetes research. Scientists at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., helped modify the technology, which has greatly increased the speed of the research.

SPACEMART

+ MedStar Using Iridium Phones To Back Up Hospital Communications

Bethesda MD (SPX) Jun 27, 2006
Iridium announced Monday that MedStar Health, the largest healthcare system in the Baltimore, Md., and Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, has selected Roadpost to provide Iridium satellite emergency backup communications for its personnel and facilities. Roadpost will supply Iridium hardware and monthly services, including nine multi-channel fixed terminals and 96 mobile handsets.

+ BP North America Selects Hughes For Nationwide Broadband Service
+ Boeing Weighs Options For Internet Unit Connexion

OBSERVATION

+ Ball Aerospace To Provide Two Cameras For Glory Mission

Boulder CO (SPX) Jun 27, 2006
Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp. announced Monday it will design and build two cloud cameras for NASA's Glory mission under contract to Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. The Glory mission is part of the U.S. Climate Change Science Program to improve understanding of what forces influence global environmental changes and how to predict those changes.

+ France Offers Alternative To Google Earth

ENERGY TECH

+ Device Burns Fuel With Almost Zero Emissions

Atlanta GA (SPX) Jun 27, 2006
Georgia Tech researchers have created a new combustor (combustion chamber where fuel is burned to power an engine or gas turbine) designed to burn fuel in a wide range of devices ? with next to no emission of nitrogen oxide (NOx) and carbon monoxide (CO), two of the primary causes of air pollution.

+ Stabilizing Explosive Elements

CIVIL NUCLEAR

+ US Congress Expected To Clear Indian Nuclear Deal In First Vote

Washington (AFP) Jun 26, 2006
US lawmakers are expected to give conditional backing this week to a US civilian nuclear deal with India in the first congressional vote on the controversial agreement since it was first adopted nearly a year ago. The House International Relations Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations committee are scheduled to consider the far reaching deal on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

FLORA AND FAUNA

+ Showing Off Your Weapons In The Animal Kingdom

Flagstaff AZ (SPX) Jun 27, 2006
Working at the Wichita Mountains National Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma, researchers have shown that when an adult male lizard gapes his jaws at a rival male during an intense territorial interaction, information is made available to his opponent about how hard he can bite - indeed, the lizard's jaw muscles become clearly visible.

WATER WORLD

+ Magnets Help Explain Rain Patterns

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 27, 2006
If someone said you can understand rain patterns and the dynamics of the atmosphere by studying magnets and magnetism - and therefore make better predictions of the effects of global warming - would you think he's crazy? Brilliant? The atmosphere spans the entire globe, while a magnet fits easily in your hand; can they really be so similar?

SpaceWar Express - June 29, 2006
www.spacewar.com
Your World At war 24/7

LAUNCH PAD

+ Boeing Completes First Delta IV West Coast Launch

St. Louis MO (SPX) Jun 29, 2006
Boeing announced it has completed the first launch of its Delta IV rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The rocket carried a secret NROL-22 satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office.

+ ATK Technologies Support Delta IV Launch Of NRO Satellite

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ France To Launch Military Communications Satellite In August

Fauvieres, France (AFP) Jun 28, 2006
France is set to launch its military communications satellite, Syracuse 3B, on August 11 from its base in Kourou, French Guiana, the program director said Wednesday. "The launch of the Syracuse 3B by an Ariane 5 ECA rocket carrying a Japanese communications satellite is scheduled for August 11," said Caroline Laurent, head of the Syracuse program at the French weapons agency (DGA), during a visit to the Fauvieres military base.

SUPERPOWERS

+ Blair Confirms Decision This Year On UK Nuclear Weapons

London (AFP) Jun 28, 2006
Prime Minister Tony Blair confirmed Wednesday that a decision on whether to replace Britain's Trident nuclear deterrent will be taken "later this year". Challenged by main opposition Conservative leader David Cameron during his weekly question period in parliament, Blair said an independent nuclear deterrent was an "essential part" of Britain's national security.

+ The End Of Blair-Bush Partnership Looming Fast

IRANIAN NUKES

+ EU Warns Iran Not To Play For Time On Nuclear Offer

Moscow (AFP) Jun 28, 2006
The European Union warned Iran on Wednesday against delaying a response to a proposal on resolving the international standoff over the country's controversial nuclear programme. "Iran should not play for time and we expect Iran to come back soon to the Vienna package," the European Union's external relations commissioner, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, said during a visit to Moscow. "Iran has to show it is serious about it."

+ Iran Opposition Wants Sanctions

KOREAN NUKES

+ Japan And Canada Urge North Korea To Give Up Nuclear Arms

Ottawa (AFP) Jun 28, 2006
Canada and Japan agreed Wednesday to pressure North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons drive, with the Canadian prime minister saying Pyongyang's moves were posing "a very real threat."

UAV NEWS

+ Empire Test Pilot School Completes First Unmanned Aerial Systems Course

London UK (SPX) Jun 29, 2006
Responding to the rapid growth in demand for training in the area of unmanned aerial systems, QinetiQ's Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS), based at the MOD Boscombe Down site, has completed its first 'Introduction to Unmanned Aerial Systems Trials and Evaluation' short course.

MILTECH

+ MTI Micro Delivers On Energy Density Milestone

Albany NY (SPX) Jun 28, 2006
MTI MicroFuel Cells, the developer of the award-winning Mobion micro fuel cell technology and a subsidiary of Mechanical Technology, has announced today that it has achieved an energy density of over 1.3Wh per cc of fuel on a 30 Watt Mobion laboratory test unit.

+ Boeing Awarded Contract To Build Avengers For Egypt

AEROSPACE

+ F-22 Excels At Establishing Air Dominance

Washington (AFNS) Jun 28, 2006
Beginning with Lot 7 production of the F-22 Raptor, the Air Force hopes to enter into a cost-saving, multi-year procurement contract with the aircraft and engine manufacturer. According to Maj. Gen. Richard B.H. Lewis, Air Force executive officer for the F-22 program, a multi-year procurement contract could mean a $225 million cost avoidance for the Air Force.

THE STANS

+ Kurdistan Strains US-Turkey Ties

Washington (UPI) Jun 28, 2006
Diplotmatic ties between the United States and Turkey are fractured and unless strong efforts are made to improve them, Washington may lose an important ally in the Middle East, warns a new report.

CYBER WARS

+ Hawala Far Swifter Than SWIFT

Washington (UPI) Jun 28, 2006
President Bush was swift to react angrily against the New York Times for exposing U.S. monitoring of SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunications) as a suspected conduit for the transfer of terrorist funds. Former Attorney General Edwin Meese accused the newspaper of giving "aid and comfort to the enemy," which is tantamount to treason.

IRAQ WARS

+ US Casualties Rising In Iraq

Washington (UPI) Jun 28, 2006
The striking lull in U.S. casualties we reported in our previous column did not last. Figures for U.S. troops killed and wounded in Iraq over the past week rose sharply and showed a remarkable statistical consistency with trends prior to the lull.

WATER WORLD

+ 2004-2005 Hurricanes Fueled Exceptional Red Tide

Tampa FL (SPX) Jun 28, 2006
According to a recent study, the 2004 and 2005 hurricane seasons did a lot more than spread misery and financial woe above ground in Florida. When four hurricanes crossed the state, the exceptional rainfall may have also fueled the intense 2005 red tide when runoff from a super-charged water-table delivered high amounts of nutrients into coastal waters via submarine groundwater discharges.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

+ Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System Up And Running

Paris (AFP) Jun 28, 2006
A tsunami warning system for the entire Indian Ocean "is up and running as scheduled", the United Nations' Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), which has been overseeing the scheme, announced on Wednesday.


+ Saving New York From A Major Hurricane
+ Hopes High For Wireless In Global Aid

ENERGY TECH

+ Pentagon Sued For Blocking New Wind Power Plants

San Francisco (AFP) Jun 28, 2006
The Sierra Club filed a federal lawsuit in San Francisco on Wednesday charging the US Department of Defense (DOD) with blocking the construction of wind power plants. The environmental group accused the Pentagon of essentially creating a nationwide moratorium on new wind farms by barring their construction within the line of sight of military radar.


+ MTI Micro Delivers On Energy Density Milestone
+ Fifty-Five Bodies Pulled From China Coal Mine
+ US Announces Solar Energy Initiative
+ Rooftop PV Data For Better Energy Prediction Models
+ Italy To Face EU Court For Failing To Adopt Nuclear Plans

ABOUT US

+ Researchers Seek A Balm For Aging

Washington (UPI) Jun 29, 2006
There's no question about it -- we're living longer. But what is at the root of longevity, and what quality of life can one expect during those extra years? At a recent conference, U.S. researchers reported that boosting levels of growth hormones may help people to live on their own longer, while a Polish study pointed to a protein from fat tissue as a key determinant in longevity.

SPACE TRAVEL

+ NASA Looks Beyond Shuttle With New Spaceship

Washington (AFP) Jun 28, 2006
NASA is already looking into the future with a new generation spacecraft to replace its aging shuttle fleet that could one day take astronauts on an ambitious mission to Mars after returning to the Moon.

+ Aerojet To Develop Rocket Powered Landing System For CEV
+ Irvin Aerospace Provides Chute For Record Air Launch Test

SHUTTLE NEWS

+ NASA Engineer Quits 5 Days Before Launch

Houston (UPI) Jun 28, 2006
A 30-year NASA veteran and one of the agency's top shuttle engineers has reportedly angrily resigned only five days before Saturday's Discovery launch. Charlie Camarda had been director of engineering at the Johnson Space Center and played a major role on NASA's Mission Management Team that is preparing for this weekend's launch.

+ US To Make New Bid To Get Shuttle Back In Space
+ An Eight Minute Ride To Orbit
+ Space Shuttle To Take Five Men And Two Women Into Space
+ A Guitar-Playing German Astronaut

TECH SPACE

+ Space Clothes Saving The Lives Of Earthlings

Paris (AFP) Jun 28, 2006
From bras and babysuits equipped with monitors to tough suits to protect sportsmen and adventurers from the hazards of life on Earth, space technology is boldly pushing back fashion frontiers.

+ AMPAC-ISP To Supply Loral With Thrusters For Telstar
+ Gravitational Wave Detector Is Operational

SpaceWar Express - June 30, 2006
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Your World At war 24/7
NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION

+ Chinese Leadership Calls For Build Up Of Strategic Missile Forces

Beijing (AFP) Jun 29, 2006
Chinese President Hu Jintao has pledged to step up scientific and technological reforms in the military, as he marked the 40th anniversary of the nation's nuclear force, state media said Thursday.

IRAN NUKES

+ World Powers Give Iran A Week To Respond

Moscow (AFP) Jun 29, 2006
World powers gave Iran one more week Thursday to provide a "clear and substantive response" to an international proposal on suspending uranium enrichment, but Tehran immediately rejected the deadline. Foreign ministers of the G8 group of leading nations said EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani will meet next Wednesday to discuss the plan.

+ Iran Rejects Calls To Give Speedy Response To Nuclear Package

KOREAN NUKES

+ Bush And Koizumi Warn North Korea Against Launching Test Missile

Washington (AFP) Jun 29, 2006
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Thursday that he and US President George W. Bush had agreed to impose unspecified "pressures" on North Korea if it launches a long-range missile.

+ NKorea Missile Test Could Derail Six-Way Talks

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Japan Brings Aegis Missile Defense Warship Home Amid NKorean Crisis

Tokyo (AFP) Jun 29, 2006
Japan said Thursday it was bringing home an Aegis-equipped destroyer from US-led exercises off Hawaii, in apparent preparation for a possible North Korean missile launch. The Kirishima is one of four Japanese ships equipped with Aegis, a US system designed to intercept missiles.

MILTECH

+ Boeing Awarded B-52H Weapons Integration Contract

St Louis MO (SPX) Jun 30, 2006
Boeing has received a U.S. Air Force contract worth up to $150 million to support new weapons integration efforts on the B-52H bomber. Work on the B-52 Smart Weapons Integration Next Generation (SWING) will be performed by engineers based at the company's Integrated Defense Systems facility in Wichita, Kansas. The contract expires December 2020.

+ Testers Evaluate Helmet-Mounted Display in Cockpit

SINO DAILY

+ China Slams US Vote To Drop Restrictions On Taiwan Contacts

Beijing (AFP) Jun 29, 2006
China warned Thursday a move by US lawmakers to lift a ban on high-level US government contacts with Taiwan was a "serious violation" of the basis of Sino-American relations. "China has always resolutely opposed all forms of official contacts between United States and Taiwan authorities," foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told a regular press conference.

SUPERPOWERS

+ The Costs Of America's War Escalating

Moscow (UPI) Jun 30, 2006
The Bush administration allocated huge sums towards military programs, though the money was spent not on the planned acquisition of arms, but on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and on other similar operations. This means that the U.S. Department of Defense's budget remained the same in fixed prices as under President Ronald Reagan, but spending on acquisitions has been cut to a third.

GPS NEWS

+ USAF Awards Contract To Rockwell Collins For Next-Gen GPS Technology

Cedar Rapids IO (SPX) Jun 30, 2006
The U.S. Air Force has selected Rockwell Collins to develop next-generation Global Positioning System technology as part of the Modernized User Equipment (MUE) Receiver Card Development program. The main objective of the program is to develop and demonstrate modernized user segment receiver cards, establishing first proof of design for the modernized GPS architecture.

TERROR WARS

+ Is The Middle Ages On The Comeback Trail

Washington (UPI) Jun 30, 2006
Three years ago the Taliban operated in squad sized units. Last year they operated in company sized units (100+ men). This year the Taliban are operating in battalion-sized units (400+ men). So reported Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey (Ret), professor of International Affairs at West Point, after his second trip to Afghanistan to assess the balance of forces.

+ UK Court Ruling Leaves Terror Policy In Shreds

SHUTTLE NEWS

+ Bad Weather Threatens To Delay Controversial Discovery Launch

Cape Canaveral FL (AFP) Jun 29, 2006
NASA officials kept a close eye Thursday on a storm threatening to delay Discovery's controversial launch set for Saturday, only the second flight since the Columbia tragedy. US space agency officials said the shuttle was ready to rocket into orbit if weather permits and again defended their decision to go ahead with the mission despite lingering concerns over safety.

+ Shuttle Countdown Proceeding Despite Concerns
+ Space Shuttle Mission Details
+ The US Space Shuttle An Aging Transport Vehicle
+ Saturday Launch Marks Quarter Century For Shuttle
+ Shuttle Discovery To Launch Into A Worrying Unknown
DRAGON SPACE

+ China Seeks Space Station Access

Beijing (UPI) Jun 30, 2006
China has allowed reporters inside its space launch control room at Aerospace City near Beijing as part of an effort to join in the world's space projects. The rare visit by foreign reporters occurred as China seeks access to the International Space Station, as well to assuage fears its space program is driven by military needs, The Independent reported Thursday.

APPOINTMENTS

+ Former Astronaut Takes Over Air Force Space Command

Peterson Air Force Base CO (SPX) Jun 30, 2006
Gen. Kevin P. Chilton has assumed command of the U.S. Air Force Space Command in a ceremony on June 26, presided over by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley.

GPS NEWS

+ Rockwell Collins Wins Air Force Contract For Next Gen GPS

Cedar Rapids IA (SPX) Jun 30, 2006
Rockwell Collins announced this week that the U.S. Air Force has selected the company to develop next-generation Global Positioning System technology as part of its Modernized User Equipment Receiver Card Development program.

+ Next Generation Tracking Technology Emerging

EPIDEMICS

+ Effects Of Avian Flu Pandemic Disasterous

Washington (UPI) Jun 30, 2006
An avian influenza pandemic "could kill millions of people, cripple economies, bring international trade and travel to a standstill and even jeopardize political stability," according to Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs Paula J. Dobriansky.
FROTH AND BUBBLE

+ China Ratifies International Convention On Oceanic Pollution

Beijing (AFP) Jun 29, 2006
China's parliament ratified Thursday an international treaty on preserving the marine environment and preventing pollution on the high seas, state press said Thursday. The National People's Congress ratified the 1996 Convention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter at a session that ended here Thursday, Xinhua news agency said.

+ Landfills And Chemical Weapon Debris A Good Match

ENERGY TECH

+ First Global Lighting Study Is Released

Paris (UPI) Jun 30, 2006
The first global survey of lighting uses and costs suggests the world's electric bill would greatly decrease with a switch to efficient lighting systems. The Paris-based International Energy Agency, which conducted the study, said it found lighting is a major source of electricity consumption.

+ Germany Now Has Two Energy Plans

CAR TECH

+ Back Middle Car Seat Maybe Un-Cool But It Is The Safest Car Seat

Buffalo NY (UPI) Jun 28, 2006
A U.S. study shows the middle of a car's back seat may be the least desirable, most uncomfortable and most "un-cool" spot -- but it is also the safest. University at Buffalo researchers studied all U.S. automobile crashes involving a fatality between 2000 and 2003 in which someone occupied the rear middle-seat.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

+ FEMA Reform Plans Pick Up Pace

Washington (UPI) Jun 30, 2006
One of the leading advocates in the U.S. Congress of removing the Federal Emergency Management Agency from the Department of Homeland Security has reversed himself, joining sponsors of a bill to reform the agency within the department.

SpaceWar Express - July 03, 2006
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IRAN NUKES

+ Iran Rejects Deadline For Nuclear Response

Tehran (AFP) Jul 02, 2006
Iran again rejected Sunday a deadline to respond to an international offer aimed at resolving a nuclear standoff after world powers said they expected a "clear and substantive response" by mid-July. "A deadline is not an issue. We think such statements are not constructive and they will not help in resolving the problem" foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said.

+ Iranian Leader Slams World Bullies At African Summit
+ US Military Doubts Bombing Of Iran Would succeed
+ Iran To Continue Uranium Enrichment Program

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Singapore To Improve Defences Against Ballistic Missiles

Singapore (AFP) Jul 03, 2006
Singapore will improve its air defence systems as it lies within the range of ballistic missiles possessed by an increasing number of countries, its defence minister said in remarks published Saturday.

+ Japanese Town Opposes Patriot Missile Deployment
+ Poland Cautious About Hosting US Anti-Missile Shield

MILPLEX

+ Why The Pentagon Spends

Moscow (UPI) Jul 03, 2006
The Pentagon's budget equals half of the world's defense spending. Why is the United States spending so much on its military? Sergei Rogov, director of the Institute of U.S. and Canadian Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, told a RIA Novosti correspondent that at the height of the Cold War in the 1950s the United States spent about 10 percent of its GDP on military programs.

+ European Defence Market Introduces Code Of Conduct
+ Eurocopter Wins 3 Billion Dollar Contract With US Army

CIVIL NUCLEAR

+ Second US Congressional Panel Backs US-India Nuclear Deal

Washington (AFP) Jun 29, 2006
A controversial deal to help India develop civilian nuclear facilities cleared another hurdle in the US Congress on Thursday, boosting its chances of winning full approval in coming weeks. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee approved legislation to enable the accord in a 16-2 vote, two days after the House of Representatives' International Relations Committee gave its backing 37-5.

MILTECH

+ Raytheon Awarded US Navy Contract For Airborne Low Frequency Sonar

Tewksbury MA (SPX) Jul 03, 2006
Raytheon has been awarded a $45 million U.S. Navy contract for the AN/AQS-22 Airborne Low Frequency Sonar (ALFS) system. Under the contract, Raytheon Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) will manufacture, test, deliver and integrate six AN/AQS-22 systems and provide associated services, support and weapon replaceable assemblies.

CYBER WARS

+ China Vows To Step Up Control Over Internet Content

Beijing (AFP) Jun 29, 2006
China's Internet minders have vowed to step up controls of Internet content, especially in the most active areas of blogs, bulletin boards and search engines, state media said Thursday.
SHUTTLE AND STATION

+ Weather Discovery Grounded For Second Straight Day

Cape Canaveral FL (AFP) Jul 02, 2006
Concerns over lightning forced NASA to call off Discovery's launch for a second straight day on Sunday, delaying just the second space shuttle flight since the 2003 Columbia tragedy by at least two more days.

+ Weather Discovery Grounded For Second Straight Day
+ ISS Crew Awaits Seven Shuttle Visitors

LAUNCH PAD

+ UP Aerospace Sets New Mexico Launch In August

Hartford CT (SPX) Jul 03, 2006
UP Aerospace announced Friday that it has set Aug. 14 as the date of its first commercial space launch from New Mexico's spaceport facility. The company's SpaceLoft XL vehicle will carry more than 50 payloads and experiments from sponsors in the United States and Europe.

IRON AND ICE

+ Large Asteroid To Pass Close By Earth

Los Angeles (SPX) Jul 03, 2006
An asteroid with the power to wipe out a small country will miss the Earth on Monday. Asteroid 2004 XP14 is nearly half a mile wide and was discovered in December 2004. It is in the "Apollo" class of asteroids, which are those that cross orbits with Earth.

SPACEMART

+ ISRO Opens Space Up To Indian Private Industry

Mumbai, India (PTI) Jul 03, 2006
The world may be flat for India's exploding tech industry, but the next global ambition - being shaped on a spindle-shaped island in the Bay of Bengal -depends firmly on the earth's curvature. At Sriharikota, India's sole spacesport, international orders for satellites are mounting, and with them the country's global ambitions.

+ Echostar Selects Loral For New Satellite
TECH SPACE

+ First Teraflop Class Supercomputer Decommissioned After 10 Years Service

Albuquerque (UPI) Jul 03, 2006
The world's first teraflop computer has been decommissioned by the U.S. government despite still being among the world's 500 fastest supercomputers. Although young in age, the historic supercomputer -- based at the Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M., and known as ASCI Red -- is very old by supercomputer standards.

+ NASA Completes Space Technology 5 Microsat Mission
+ Researchers Set Speed Record For Silicon-Based Chips
+ San Diego Eliminates Waste Using Cingular-Powered Wireless Data Solution
SPACE MEDICINE

+ A Lack Of Gravity Can Make Us Dangerously Lightweight

Duluth MN (SPX) Jul 03, 2006
Researchers at the University of Minnesota have identified a way for astronauts to reduce their risk of developing kidney stones while in space. Astronauts lose calcium in their bones and strength in their muscles while in space because of the zero-gravity environment. This calcium can end up in their kidneys, putting them at risk for developing kidney stones.

ENERGY NEWS

+ Environmental Fury Over US Bill To Expand Oil And Gas Drilling

Washington (AFP) Jul 03, 2006
Environmental groups on Friday accused the US Congress of selling out to the energy lobby after the House of Representatives voted to lift a 25-year moratorium on offshore oil and natural gas drilling.

+ Russia Plans Atomic Energy Expansion

ATMOSPHERE NEWS

+ Catastrophic Lake Burst Chills Climate

Cardiff UK (SPX) Jul 03, 2006
Ocean circulation changes during the present warm interglacial were more extensive than previously thought, according to new research by the University of East Anglia (UEA) and Cardiff University.

+ NASA Study Finds Clock Ticking Slower On Ozone Hole Recovery

SpaceWar Express - July 04 2006
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Your World At war 24/7

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ Putin Wants More Russian Satellites In Space

Moscow (AFP) Jul 04, 2006
President Vladimir Putin called Monday for more Russian satellites to be launched into orbit as part of a space development strategy bewteen now and 2015. His comments came at a government strategy meeting in Moscow where Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said it was necessary to improve the quality of new laucnhers and satellites and that Russia's space programme should focus on the "quality and not the number" of satellites.

+ Russian Spy Satellite Breaks Down

GPS NEWS

+ Russia's Space Navigation Woes

Moscow (UPI) Jul 04, 2006
The Russian satellite navigation system, which, as the name suggests, monitors ship and air traffic, is itself in need of effective state monitoring. It is high time top national leaders focused on the solution to two high-priority challenges: prompt efforts to launch the required number of navigation satellites, and the creation of favorable conditions for their broad commercial use in order to make the system financially independent.

KOREAN NUKES

+ North Korea Warns Off US Attack

Seoul (SPX) Jul 03, 2006
North Korea vowed Monday to counter any attack by the United States with its "mighty nuclear deterrent," accusing Washington of raising tension on the Korean peninsula. North Korea, which says it has built nuclear weapons, accused the US of exerting military pressure on the Stalinist country and of driving six-way talks on Pyongyang's nuclear program to breaking-point.


+ US Shrugs Off North Korea Nuclear Threat

Washington (AFP) Jul 03, 2006
The White House on Monday dismissed North Korea's threat of a nuclear strike in the event of a US attack as "deeply hypothetical" and urged Pyongyang to rejoin nuclear negotiations. North Korea vowed Monday to counter any strike by the United States with its "mighty nuclear deterrent," accusing Washington of raising tension on the Korean peninsula.

+ North Korea's Missile Threat
+ Pyongyang Denounces US For Deploying Spy Planes

MISSILE NEWS

+ Iran Denies Cruise Missile Purchase From Ukraine

Tehran (AFP) Jul 04, 2006
Iran on Sunday denied purchasing cruise missiles from Ukraine after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said a Ukrainian firm had delivered half a dozen to the Islamic republic. "I am surprised by the comments made by Mr. Ivanov. No, we did not have any purchase of illegal weapons, and we did not purchase such missiles," Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said.

IRANIAN NUKES

+ Iran Says Could Be Flexible In Nuclear Talks

Tehran (AFP) Jul 03, 2006
Iran could be flexible in talks to resolve a nuclear standoff with the international community if its "red lines" were respected, a senior security official said Monday ahead of a key meeting with the EU on the row.

AEROSPACE

+ Avionics Modernization Program Under Way

Edwards AFB CA (SPX) Jul 04, 2006
The 8th Flight Test Squadron's C-130 Avionics Modernization Program test team here has been actively working toward the first flight of the first modified airframe scheduled for late August.

MILPLEX

+ Britain Ready To Overhall Defense Acquisition In Major Shake Up

London UK (SPX) Jul 04, 2006
A new blueprint to ensure the United Kingdom's Armed Forces are able to get the best equipment at the best price, has been unveiled UK by the Defence Minister Des Browne.

+ US Unveils F-16 Package For Pakistan

TECH SPACE

+ Falcon Supercomputer To Solve Problems

Wright-Patterson AFB OH (AFNS) Jul 04, 2006
The newest supercomputer at the Aeronautical Systems Center's Major Shared Resource Center went into production recently, enabling advanced problem-solving capabilities for mission-critical support to the Department of Defense.


+ What Do Racquel Welch And Quantum Physics Have In Common

ABOUT US

+ A Surprise About Our Body Clock

Salt Lake City UT (SPX) Jul 04, 2006
The first gene known to control the internal clock of humans and other mammals works much differently than previously believed, according to a study by Utah and Michigan researchers.

ROBO SPACE

+ I Robot, Your Companion

Paris, France (SPX) Jul 03, 2006
Robotic technology is advancing apace and now a top team of European scientists and engineers hope to make the leap from single function 'dumb' machines to adaptive learning machines.

TERROR WARS

+ DNI Appoints Ombudsman To Guard Analysis

Washington (UPI) Jul 03, 2006
The director of national intelligence has appointed an analytic ombudsman so intelligence analysts who feel under political pressure to tilt their work, or who feel their reports are being misrepresented, have someone to turn to outside their own agency.

+ Britain's Afghan Mess

DEMOCRACY

+ President Of China Calls For Greater Democracy

Beijing (AFP) Jul 03, 2006
Chinese President Hu Jintao has called for greater democracy in China and democratic elections, in a speech on the eve of the ruling Communist Party's 85th anniversary, state media said Monday. "The democratic implementation of political power is to uphold the principle of the rule of the people and to depend on the people to rule," Xinhua news agency quoted Hu as saying in a June 29 speech.

+ China To Pass Law This Year Restricting The Media
+ Historic Train Arrives In Lhasa After Scaling Tibetan Heights

CIVIL NUCLEAR

+ US Congress Panels OK India Nuke Deal

Washington (UPI) Jul 03, 2006
The U.S.-India nuclear deal looks set for rapid implementation after back-to-back endorsements by both houses of Congress last week. The key committees in the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives both approved the agreement despite strong campaigns mounted by anti-nuclear proliferation activists.

TERRADAILY

+ 45 Dead In China As Floods And Landslide Hit Hit Numerous Countries

Beijing (AFP) Jul 03, 2006
Torrential rains in China since late last week have triggered flooding and landslides that have left at least 45 people dead and up to nine missing, state press reported Monday. Altogether, at least 349 people died in weather-related disasters in June, while 99 others were still missing, Xinhua news agency quoted the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) saying.

+ Mount Merapi Besieged By Monkeys
+ Jellyfish-Like Creatures May Play Major Role In Fate Of Oceanic CO2
+ Internet Promoting Pseudo-Epidemics
+ UN Clings To Signs Of Hope In Development Goals
+ Malaysian Bigfoot Shares Human Roots

SpaceWar Express - July 05 2006
www.spacewar.com
Your World At war 24/7

KOREAN MISSILES

+ North Korea Launches At Least Three Missiles On US Holiday

Washington (AFP) Jul 04, 2006
The United States on Tuesday launched frenzied diplomacy to respond to North Korea for a "provocative" wave of missile launches but said the rockets posed no immediate threat to US territory.

+ North Korea Fires Three Missiles
+ Japan Says NKorea Missile Launches Grave Problem

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ Raytheon CAC2S Program Delivers System To Marines For Live Testing

Tewksbury MA (SPX) Jul 03, 2006
Raytheon delivered the first CAC2S (Common Aviation Command and Control System) string to Marines at Camp Pendleton, Calif., earlier this month, marking the beginning of the final live phase of system testing.

MILTECH

+ Highly modified C-130 ready for war on terrorism

Robins AFB GA (AFNS) Jul 05, 2006
The beginning of an era for Robins Air Force Base and the warfighters of Air Force Special Operations Command was marked June 28 as the first-of-its-kind MC-130W was presented to Lt. Gen. Michael W. Wooley, AFSOC commander, in a ceremony here.

+ German Bundeswehr Procures An Additional 149 DINGO 2 Vehicles
+ USJFC Extends GD Contract for Engineering And Tech Support

LASER TECH

+ Research Office Helps Excite Oxygen to Make Laser

Arlington VA (AFNS) Jul 05, 2006
A team of researchers supported by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research has made a breakthrough in Electric Oxygen Iodine Laser research. The results were recently presented at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research Molecular Dynamics Program Review, held June 5-8, in Arlington.

IRAQ WARS

+ B-1B Pilot Reaches 4000 Flying Hours

Baghdad, Iraq (AFNS) Jul 05, 2006
A 9th Expeditionary Bomb Squadron pilot etched his name in the history books as he became the first pilot to go over 4,000 flying hours in the B-1B. Lt. Col. Jeff Roetzel recently completed an Operation Enduring Freedom combat mission that put him on a plateau that no other pilot has ever reached.

+ Al-Qaida Alive And Kicking

IRAN NUKES

+ EU Awaits First Response From Iran On Ending Nuclear Impasse

Brussels (AFP) Jul 05, 2006
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana holds key talks Wednesday with Iran's chief nuclear negotiator as Europe and the United States await a response to an offer to end a growing nuclear standoff.

CYBER WARS

+ Blogs Study May Provide Credible Information

Arlington, VA (AFNS) Jul 05, 2006
The Air Force Office of Scientific Research recently began funding a new research area that includes a study of blogs. Blog research may provide information analysts and warfighters with invaluable help in fighting the war on terrorism.

+ Chinese Lawyers Denounce Proposed Media Restriction Law
SHUTTLE NEWS

+ Up To Six Pieces Of Debris Fell Off Discovery Says NASA

Cape Canaveral (AFP) Jul 04, 2006
Discovery's fuel tank "performed very well" during the shuttle's launch Tuesday, shedding small pieces of debris as expected without endangering the astronauts, a top NASA official said.

+ Shuttle Performs Perfect Fourth Of July Liftoff
+ Discovery Soars On Crucial Mission For US Space Ambitions

LAUNCH PAD

+ INSAT-4C Ready For Launch

Bangalore, India (SPX) Jul 05, 2006
ISRO officials said Tuesday they have completed all preparation for the launch of the INSAT-4C telecom satellite this month. The spacecraft will be carried in orbit aboard India's Geo-synchronous Satellite Vehicle-5 from the Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota. The current launch window runs between July 10 and 15.

GPS NEWS

+ India To Build Independent Satellite Navigation System

Bangalore, India (SPX) Jul 05, 2006
ISRO officials met with industry representatives Tuesday to discuss the Indian government's plan to build an independent satellite navigation system using home-grown components. The project, called the Indian Regional Navigation System, will be implemented over the next five or six years and will consist of a constellation of seven or eight satellites, as well as a large ground segment.

+ Trimble Provides SatNav Services To Western Australia

EARTH OBSERVATION

+ SSTL Delivers Beijing-1 EO Satellite

Surrey, England (SPX) Jul 05, 2006
Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. announced Tuesday it has just completed a commercial satellite contract with Beijing Landview Mapping Information Technology Co., marking the first attempt to commercialize data services using Earth-observation satellites.

+ Device To Improve Weather Observations

SPACEMART

+ Eutelsat Atlantic Bird 4 Begins Commercial Service

Paris, France (SPX) Jul 05, 2006
Eutelsat Communications announced Tuesday its Atlantic Bird 4 satellite has gone into full commercial service at 7 degrees west longitude. Operating since 1998 as Hot Bird 4 from Eutelsat's geostationary neighborhood, the newly branded Atlantic Bird 4 was freed to initiate its new mission at 7 degrees west with the transfer on April 22 of broadcast clients to Hot Bird 7A.

+ Worldspace Commissions Terrestrial Repeater Prototypes
+ Globalstar To Provide Satellite Voice And Data Services To South Africa
+ HughesNet Broadband Satellite Surpasses 300,000 Subscribers

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

+ NASA Technologists Aid Water Purification Effort In Iraq

Huntsville AL (SPX) Jul 05, 2006
A team of NASA engineers, who are used to making a difference in the lives of astronauts in space, recently had the chance to improve the lives of villagers in Iraq using NASA technology. The engineering team at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center helped to install and test a water purification system in the northern village of Kendala.

+ NASA Satellite Positioning Software May Aid in Tsunami Warnings
+ Conservation Planning Loopholes Threaten Imperiled Species


ENERGY TECH

+ Increased Groundwater Flow After Earthquakes Suggests Oil Extraction Apps

Santa Cruz CA (SPX) Jul 04, 2006
The most obvious manifestation of an earthquake is the shaking from seismic waves that knocks down buildings and rattles people. Now researchers have established a more subtle effect of this shaking--it increases the permeability of rock to groundwater and other fluids.

+ World Car Sales To Slow In West But Leap In China And India During 2006

SpaceWar Express - 06 July 2006
news.spacewar.com
Your World At war 24/7
KOREAN NUKES

+ Rumsfeld Calls Taepodong Failure A Fact

Washington (AFP) Jul 05, 2006
US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Wednesday said the apparent failure of North Korea's long-range Taepodong-2 missile failed was a "fact." "Let me put it this way," he told reporters. "Why would someone spend that much money and launch that expensive an effort and then only gain 38 or 40 seconds worth of information from it?"

+ US And North Korean Neighbours Enraged At Missile Tests
+ Bush Says Missile Failure Does Not Lessen North Korea Concern
+ UN Weighs Punitive Measures In Response To North Korean Missile Tests
+ Cool Heads Needed On North Korea ICBM Tests
+ North Korea And Iran Similar Problems But Different Solutions
+ Business As Usual In Pyongyang Despite Missile Test Failure

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ North Korean Launches Put US Missile Defense System To Test

Washington (AFP) Jul 05, 2006
The US missile defense system was put to its first real test Tuesday and Wednesday with North Korea's launch of a long-range missile and a half dozen shorter range missiles. US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he was on and off the phone with top US commanders almost continuously for days before the missile tests.

+ Affordable Patriot Weapons System Demonstrated

MILTECH

+ First STOVL F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Takes Shape

Samlesbury, UK (SPX) Jul 06, 2006
BAE Systems has started assembling the aft fuselage of the first short take-off and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). Assembly started on time with the loading of the first three parts of the left hand aft fuselage into an assembly jig at the company's state-of-the-art F-35 JSF facility at Samlesbury, England.

ROBO SPACE

+ QinetiQ Kits Convert JCBs And CATs To Full Remote Control

Hampshire, UK (SPX) Jul 06, 2006
QinetiQ has just launched a range of Applique Robotic Kits (ARKs) that in less than 12 hours, convert the current in-service military JCB 4CXM or CAT320B families of vehicles into fully integrated remote controlled units for use in various hazardous environments.

NUKEWARS

+ British Nuclear Warheads Could Be Triggered By Road Crash: New Scientist

London (AFP) Jul 05, 2006
Britain's Trident nuclear warheads could be partially detonated in a road pileup or plane crash, unleashing lethal doses of radiation, the British weekly New Scientist said on Wednesday.

TERROR WARS

+ The Impossible Dream Of Building Walls To Stay Safe

Washington (UPI) Jul 05, 2006
Particularly galling to the Israeli government is the belated discovery that "security fences," no matter how robust, can be flown over by hundreds of homemade Qassam rockets and tunneled under by Palestinian fighters to kidnap an Israeli soldier on the other side.

SHUTTLE NEWS

+ Discovery Crew Finds No Initial Shuttle Damage

Houston (AFP) Jul 05, 2006
The space shuttle Discovery's crew found no damage Wednesday after inspecting the orbiter's nose and wings for damage with a special robotic arm, a top NASA official said. "We have a very clean vehicle," shuttle flight director Tony Ceccacci said of the initial safety check, which came on the first full day of orbit.

SPACE TRAVEL

+ USA Partners With Pioneer Aerospace On CEV

Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Jul 06, 2006
United Space Alliance and Pioneer Aerospace announced Wednesday they have joined forces to develop a parachute landing system for NASA's new Crew Exploration Vehicle. The CEV is the crew vehicle of the space agency's next phase of exploration called the Constellation Program. This program aims to take astronauts to the Moon, Mars and beyond, beginning in the next decade.

+ South Korea Picking Astronauts
GPS NEWS

+ Boeing To Build Three More GPS Satellites

St. Louis MO (SPX) Jul 06, 2006
Boeing announced Wednesday it has received a $138-million award from the U.S. Air Force to build three more Global Positioning System satellites under the GPS Block IIF contract. The award - an exercised option - brings to 12 the number of Block IIF satellites Boeing is building under the military's NAVSTAR GPS joint program office.

+ ESA Selects Esrange For Galileo

SPACEMART

+ ND SatCom And EADS Provide Satellite Network For German Armed Forces

Freidrichshafen, Germany (SPX) Jul 06, 2006
ND SatCom and EADS Space Services announced Wednesday they have won a contract with the German Armed Forces to establish the next step of that military's satellite communications program, SATCOMBw Stufe 2.

+ High Definition Could Change Landscape Of Radio Industry
+ Globalstar Simplex Data Services Now Cover Alaska To Chile
+ Nanomagnets In Chips And Antenna

ENERGY TECH

+ Saft To Provide Lithium-Ion Batteries for Boeing GEO Mobile Satellites

Baltimore MD (SPX) Jul 06, 2006
Saft announced Wednesday it has received a contract from Boeing to supply lithium-ion batteries for the Mobile Satellite Ventures Satellite program. The multi-million dollar contract will mark Saft's largest U.S. commercial satellite contract for Li-ion batteries and the first commercial satellite program utilizing Li-ion technology for Boeing.

+ Diesel Fuel And Industrial Chemicals Made From Simple Sugar
+ Alberta Premier Spurns Criticisms Of Oil Sands

WATER WORLD

+ NOAA Says CO2 Buildup Starting To Threaten Marine Life

Boulder CO (UPI) Jul 05, 2006
U.S. scientists say worldwide emissions of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel burning are altering ocean chemistry and threatening marine life. The landmark report released Wednesday by the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., summarizes the known effects of increased atmospheric carbon dioxide on marine organisms.

+ Sierra Leone Capital Hit By Worst Water Shortages In Decades
+ NASA Satellites Find Balance In South America's Water Cycle

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

+ Wildfire Suppression Costs May Be Reduced Using New Model

Portland OR (SPX) Jul 06, 2006
Recent research shows that using the right mix of agency and contract crews is the most cost effective way to fight fires rather than using contract or agency crews exclusively, according to Geoffrey Donovan, a research forester at the Forest Service's Pacific Northwest Research Station.
CLONE AGE

+ Cloned Trees To Get Big City Testing

Ithaca NY (UPI) Jul 05, 2006
Cornell University researchers are partnering with U.S. nursery operators in a project to help trees thrive in harsh urban landscapes. The scientists, led by Nina Bassuk of Cornell's Urban Horticulture Institute, have developed a new cloning technique called clonal propagation.

TECTONICS

+ Study Finds Seismic Quakes May Be Precursors To A Bigger One

Stanford CA (UPI) Jul 05, 2006
U.S. geoscientists are urging their colleagues around the world to search for evidence of tiny earthquakes in seismically active areas. "In the last six years, there's been an explosion in research in what people are calling slow, silent or aseismic earthquakes," said Paul Segall, a Stanford University geophysics professor and lead author of a study concerning them.

+ Watching Rocks Grow: Theory Explains Landscape Of Geothermal Springs

MISSILE NEWS

+ Taiwan To Test Fire Cruise Missile Capable Of Hitting China

Taipei (AFP) Jul 06, 2006
Taiwan plans to test-fire a cruise missile capable of hitting rival China despite concerns from the United States, a report here said Thursday. The cruise missile, with a range of 600 kilometers (360 miles), will be test-fired at a ceremony in September attended by President Chen Shui-bian in the south of the island, the ettoday.com online newspaper said.


MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Making Mistakes On BMD

Washington (UPI) Jul 06, 2006
Political and military leaders throughout history have been lulled or lured into catastrophic miscalculations because they either over-estimated the tactical capabilities of their weapons and fortifications, or underestimated those of their enemies.

+ North Korea Missiles Test US Stance
KOREAN NUKES

+ The Real Threat From North Korea

Washington (UPI) Jul 06, 2006
The same North Korean ICBM efforts that throw a rock at Alaska can throw a large nuclear warhead at every ally the United States has in Northeast Asia. Japan and South Korea are not only close allies, they are critical trading partners.

+ Second Taepodong Launch Not Imminent Say US Officials
+ US Says There Will Ne No Snap Resolution Over North Korea Crisis
+ UN Experts Fail To Break Impasse Over North Korea Sanctions
+ Calling The Bluff On North Korea
NUKEWARS

+ The Other Libyan Model

Washington (UPI) Jul 06, 2006
On May 15 the U.S. State Department announced its intention to remove Libya from the U.S. list of states sponsors of terrorism and upgrade the diplomatic relationship between the two countries to the level of embassies. On May 31 the United States and Libya signed and exchanged the official documents establishing embassies in their respective capitals.

MILPLEX

+ India To Buy Russian Frigates And Missiles

New Delhi (AFP) Jul 06, 2006
The Indian government Thursday approved the purchase of three Russian-built warships and multi-role missile systems to strengthen its navy, Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee said. "The three frigates will be acquired at a cost of 51.14 billion rupees (1.13 billion dollars)," the defence minister said after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's security committee gave its nod to the deal.

+ US Expresses Concern Over North Korean Weapon Exports

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ Boeing To Define Next Generation Polar Satellite Payload For US Air Force

St. Louis MO (SPX) Jul 07, 2006
Boeing announced Thursday it has received a $1.5 million U.S. Air Force contract to study the next-generation communications payload for a polar-orbiting satellite.

EUROPLEX

+ Soccer, God And Donald Rumsfeld

Perigord, France (UPI) Jul 06, 2006
As a young man, the competitive sport of the U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was wrestling, so he may have been paying much attention to the World Cup of soccer, now reaching its climax with the final between France and Italy on Sunday night in Berlin.

SHUTTLE NEWS

+ Discovery Does Backflip For Crucial Safety Pictures

Houston, Texas (AFP) Jul 06, 2006
Discovery Commander Steven Lindsey successfully steered the space shuttle into a tricky backflip Thursday, allowing the International Space Station crew to take pictures critical to the shuttle's safety, NASA said.

+ Shuttle Mission Continues With Station Rendezvous

LAUNCH PAD

+ ILS Schedules Proton Breeze M Return To Flight in August

McLean VA (SPX) Jul 07, 2006
International Launch Services announced Thursday it has scheduled a commercial launch mission Aug. 5 from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, when its Proton rocket will lift Eutelsat's HOT BIRD 8 satellite into geosynchronous orbit.

+ Eutelsat HOT BIRD 8 Arrives At Baikonur

CHIP TECH

+ Solitons Might Power Molecular Electronics

Columbus OH (UPI) Jul 06, 2006
U.S. scientists say they've discovered exotic particles called solitons -- short for "solitary waves" -- have intricate internal structures. Since the 1980s, researchers have known solitons can carry an electrical charge when traveling through certain organic polymers.

SPACEMART

+ Russia Aims To Corner 21 Percent Of Space Services Market

Moscow, Russia (RIA Novosti) Jul 07, 2006
Russia intends to take at least 21 percent of the global space services market by 2015 as part of a development strategy approved by the government, a top space official told RIA Novosti on Thursday.

+ Indian Broadband Market Could Explode
+ Northrop Grumman Appoints Two Vice Presidents

TERRADAILY

+ Ancient Raindrops Reveal The Origins Of California's Sierra Nevada Range

Stanford CA (SPX) Jul 07, 2006
One of the longest ongoing controversies in Earth science concerns the age of California's Sierra Nevada, the tallest mountain range in the continental United States and site of Yosemite National Park, Lake Tahoe and other scenic wonders.

+ Silent Earthquakes May Foreshadow Destructive Temblors

EPIDEMICS

+ Land Use, Land Cover Affect Human Health, Food Security

Manhattan KS (SPX) Jul 06, 2006
They say a picture is worth a thousand words. A Kansas State University geography professor is using satellite imagery to research how land use and land cover changes affect human health and food security.

DARWIN TODAY

+ Oceanic Invasions Across Darwin's Impassable Barrier

Panama, Panama (SPX) Jul 06, 2006
Reef fish share genetic connections across what Darwin termed an 'impassable barrier', 5000km of deep ocean separating the eastern and central Pacific, according to a report by Smithsonian scientists in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

TRADE WARS

+ China Urges US To Lift High Tech Restrictions On Exports

Beijing (AFP) Jun 27, 2006
Beijing called on the United States Tuesday to ease restrictions on the export of high technology equipment to China, following reports that Washington was preparing to toughen up such rules.

SpaceWar Express - July 10, 2006
www.spacewar.com
Your World At war 24/7

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Bush Says Missile Defense System Had Chance Against Taepodong-2

Chicago (AFP) Jul 07, 2006
President George W. Bush said the US missile defense system is modest but had a "reasonable chance" of shooting down a long-range North Korean missile fired at the United States. "Yeah, I think we had a reasonable chance of shooting it down. At least that's what the military commanders told me," Bush said at a news conference.

+ US Deploys High-Tech Destroyer To Japan To Replace Older Vessel
+ Canada Will Not Join US Missile Defense Program For Now

KOREAN NUKES

+ North Korean Official Repeats Threat Of Physical Measures

Seoul (AFP) Jul 08, 2006
A North Korean official repeated demands for Japan to halt sanctions imposed following Pyongyang's missile tests and threatened "stronger physical measures" in response, Yonhap news agency reported late Saturday.

+ US Ready To Meet North Korea Bilaterally In Future Talks
NUCLEAR DOCTRINE

+ With Missile Launch And North Korea Renews Nuclear Specter

Seoul (AFP) Jul 07, 2006
North Korea's threats to take "stronger actions" have raised the specter of another long-range missile launch or a nuclear test, but it will think twice before choosing the nuclear option, analysts said Friday.

MILTECH

+ Joint Strike Fighter Named Lightning II

Washington (AFP) Jul 07, 2006
The Joint Strike Fighter fighter was named the F-35 "Lightning II" Friday to evoke similarly named US and British warplanes of the past, the air force chief of staff said Friday. General T. Michael Moseley announced the new name at a ceremony at a Lockheed Martin plant in Fort Worth, Texas where the stealthy, next generation fighter is being built.
RAY GUNS

+ Simulated Missile In Airborne Laser Ground Test Tracks And Targeted

St. Louis MO (SPX) Jul 09, 2006
Boeing with its industry partners and the US Missile Defense Agency, successfully conducted an Airborne Laser (ABL) ground test June 6, demonstrating the weapon's ability to track and target a ballistic missile.

SPACEWAR

+ DoD Leaders Eye Space Technology Role In Combat Effects

Keystone CO (AFNS) Jul 09, 2006
Air Force Space Command's top functional leaders and space experts turned out in full force to support the 2006 Space Warfare Symposium here June 27 through 29.

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ Syracuse 3B Military Satellite Arrives At Kourou

Paris (SPX) Jul 09, 2006
The new-generation military communications satellite Syracuse 3B, built by Alcatel Alenia Space as prime contractor for the French Defense procurement agency (DGA), arrived today in Kourou, French Guiana, for launch by an Ariane 5 ECA on August 11, 2006.

+ German Armed Forces Will Receive Secure Network With Two Satellites

IRAQ WARS

+ In Search Of A Reconciliation Plan For Iraq

Amman, Jordan (UPI) Jul 09, 2006
The number of attacks, bombings and corpses continues to rise in war-torn Iraq, almost two weeks after Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced a reconciliation plan intended to end fighting.

+ Japanese Soldiers Head Home As Iraq Mission Ends

SPACE TRAVEL

+ Russian Soyuz Flights To Cost NASA 12 Million Dollars A Seat

Moscow, Russia (AFP) Jul 10, 2006
NASA will have to pay $12 million (9-million euros) to use a Russian Soyuz rocket to reach the International Space Station next year, according to reports Friday. Russian space agency Roskosmos was quoted as saying the charge applies to a NASA astronaut's planned flight in the spring of 2007.

SPACEMART

+ Russians Want Space Industry To Expand By 2015

Moscow, Russia (RIA) Jul 10, 2006
Russia's government will discuss a plan to establish three or four integrated strategies incorporating about 60 percent of all of the country's space industry enterprises at a meeting this Thursday, a source told the RIA Novosti news agency.

+ India Set To Launch Heaviest Communications Satellite
+ OHB-System Awarded Contract For Six Orbcomm Satellites

OPINION SPACE

+ Discovery Puts American Space Program Back On Track

Moscow (RIA) Jul 10, 2006
The successful Independence Day launch of the U.S. space shuttle Discovery has temporarily restored the "heartbeat" of the American manned space program. The results of this mission are extremely important for the International Space Station program, more so than for the United States.

ROCKET SCIENCE

+ Successful Test Firing For Vega

Paris, France (SPX) Jul 10, 2006
ESA's Vega launch vehicle successfully tested its second stage motor, the Zefiro 23, at the Italian Ministry of Defense test center in Salto di Quirra, Sardinia, on June 26.

CAR TECH

+ Low-Emission Cars Popular In China This Year

Beijing (AFP) Jul 08, 2006
Fuel-efficient cars with low emissions proved popular in China's auto market in the first half of this year, accounting for half of the top-10 best selling vehicles. Xiali, manufactured by the Tianjin FAW Xiali Automobile, popular for its low energy-consumption, kept its number one position on the list of top selling low-emission cars, Xinhua news agency said.

CIVIL NUCLEAR

+ IAEA Chief Cautions Turkey Over Nuclear Energy Plans

Ankara (AFP) Jul 07, 2006
Turkey must plan carefully in its ambition to build its first nuclear reactor, the head of the world nuclear watchdog IAEA said here Friday as environmentalists protested his support for nuclear power.

WATER WORLD

+ Iraqi Water Plant Rebuilt But Can It Keep Pumping

Baghdad (AFP) Jul 08, 2006
By the time of the US invasion of 2003, the Sharq Dijlah water treatment plant supplying much of eastern Baghdad was limping along at 60 percent capacity and producing only partially clean water. Three years and 43 million dollars of USAID money later, the plant has nearly doubled its output and serves more than 1.5 million Baghdad residents.

FIRE STORM

+ Warming Climate Plays Large Role In Western US Wildfires

San Diego CA (SPX) Jul 07, 2006
A new study led by scientists at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, implicates rising seasonal temperatures and the earlier arrival of spring conditions in connection with a dramatic increase of large wildfires in the western United States.

www.spacewar.com

Your World At war 24/7
ICBM NEWS

+ India Shrugs Off Failure Of Long-Range Missile

<img src="http://www.spacewar.com/images/missile-agni-3-sm.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=2 align="right" border=1 width=70 height=100>
New Delhi (AFP) Jul 10, 2006

India Monday shrugged off the unsuccessful maiden test of its ambitious nuclear-capable long-range missile, as red-faced defence scientists began trying to work out what went wrong.

KOREAN NEWS

+ North Korean Missile Drives Wedge Through Asia

<img src="http://www.spacewar.com/images/north-south-korea-china-japan-map-sm.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=2 align="right" border=1 width=80 height=100>
Seoul (AFP) Jul 10, 2006

North Korea's new long-range missile may have malfunctioned within seconds, but the launch has succeeded in driving a sharp wedge between countries negotiating with the communist state.

NUCLEAR DOCTRINE

+ Axis Of Evil Survivors Play By The Same Book

<img src="http://www.spacewar.com/images/ahmadinejad-kim-jong-il-sm.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=2 align="right" border=1 width=100 height=80>
Seoul (AFP) Jul 09, 2006

Hours after North Korea defiantly shot seven missiles into the sea last week, Iran said it was postponing talks in Brussels on its nuclear program for fear of hit squads. Rewind to January. Tehran announced it would resume uranium enrichment, ripping up a previous deal, just two months after Pyongyang suspended negotiations on its own nuclear program.

IRAN NUKES

+ Cornered Iran Running Out Of Options Says State Department

<img src="http://www.spacewar.com/images/oil-prices-greenback-sm.jpg" hspace=5 vspace=2 align="right" border=1 width=100 height=80>
Washington (AFP) Jul 10, 2006

The State Department's number three diplomat Nicholas Burns on Sunday said Iran "miscalcuated" by trying to drive a wedge between the United States and its allies, and threatened UN action if Tehran fails to heed international concerns over its nuclear program.

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Thermoteknix Success In Hit To Kill BMD Test

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Cambridge, UK (SPX) Jul 07, 2006

Thermoteknix' MIRIC TB2-30 miniature infrared camera took part in another successful 'hit to kill' missile defense test on June 22nd, off the island of Kauai, Hawaii. A standard Missile 3 was launched from the Aegis cruiser USS Shiloh to intercept a separating target with an integrated multi-purpose sensor payload developed in conjunction with Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL).

+ Japan Has Right To Protect Itself Says Foreign Minister

SUPERPOWERS

+ Is Russia Strong Or Weak

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Washington (UPI) Jul 10, 2006

"Russia is never as strong as she looks; Russia is never as weak as she looks." This quotation, or ones similar to it, have been attributed to Talleyrand, Metternich, and Churchill. In May 2002, Putin pronounced a modified version of it (which he attributed to Churchill): "Russia was never so strong as it wants to be and never so weak as it is thought to be."

+ It Is Broke So Fix It

MILPLEX

+ US And Russia Growing Rivals In Global Arms Sales

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Moscow (UPI) Jul 10, 2006

The growing Russian-U.S. rivalry for arms sales in Latin America is arousing political as well as economic tensions as Russia reaches out to the vehement anti-American president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez.

+ Boeing On Top In Military Aerospace Markets

IRAQ WARS

+ And It Is Still Not Civil War

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Washington (UPI) Jul 10, 2006

The war in Baghdad took a turn for the worse Sunday as masked gunmen pulled at least 40 Sunni Arabs from their houses, cafes, and cars and executed them in cold blood. Iraq's President Jalal Talabani said it brought the country to a "dangerous edge." I thought it was already there.

MILTECH

+ ATK Awarded Technology Contract for US Army Precision Guidance Kit

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Minneapolis MI (SPX) Jul 11, 2006

Alliant Techsystems has received one of two Technology Demonstration contracts from the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center to develop a Precision Guidance Kit (PGK) for the Army's 155mm Howitzer.

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ROCKET SCIENCE

+ Indian GEO Rocket Disintegrates Shortly After Lift-Off

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Bangalore, India (AFP) Jul 11, 2006

An advanced expendable rocket carrying India's heaviest satellite ever disintegrated in a fiery plume of smoke and flames seconds after lift-off Monday, dealing a crippling blow to the country's ambitious space programme.

+ China Successfully Tests New Rocket Engine

LAUNCH PAD

+ SpaceX Moving Toward Next Launch Attempt

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El Segundo CA (SPX) Jul 11, 2006

My apologies for the long delay in providing an update. Between the Falcon 1 return to flight, Falcon 9 development and the NASA COTS program, this has been an inordinately busy period for SpaceX.

+ Arianespace To Launch Arabsat BADR-6 Satellite

EARTH OBSERVATION

+ Europe To Launch First Polar Orbiting Weather Satellite

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Paris, France (SPX) Jul 11, 2006

MetOp-A, the first member of a new family of European satellites designed to monitor the Earth's atmosphere from low Earth polar orbit, is due to be launched from Baikonur, Kazakhstan, on July 17.

SPACEMART

+ Loral Skynet Brasil To Provide ENTEL Chile With Satcom Services

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Bedminster NJ (SPX) Jul 11, 2006

Loral Skynet do Brasil announced Monday it has signed a contract with ENTEL Chile, the country's second largest telecommunications company, to provide nationwide fixed communications services aboard Loral Skynet's Estrela do Sul 1 and Telstar 14 satellite.

+ Iridium Provides Communications For Antarctic Air Guard

+ Researchers Crack Gailieo Code

SHAKE AND BLOW

+ Seven Dead Or Missing As Typhoon Lashes South Korea

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Seoul (AFP) Jul 10, 2006

At least five people have been killed and two others are still missing after powerful typhoon Ewiniar lashed the southern part of the Korean peninsula Monday, officials said. The downpour flooded buildings and roads, cut off telephone services and forced hundreds of people to flee their homes.

+ Fourteen Dead In Heavy Monsoon Rains In India Taking Toll To 286

+ Indonesia Downgrades Alert For Most Of Merapi Slopes

+ US Still Not Prepared For Hurricanes

CLIMATE SCIENCE

+ Slab May Fall From Eiger Any Day

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Grindelwald, Switzerland (UPI) Jul 10, 2006

A geologist in Switzerland is warning Europe a massive rock slab may break away soon from the treacherous mountain of Eiger. Geologist Hans-Rudolf Keusen told the Times of London that any day now, a slab of rock weighing millions of tons may crash into the valley below.

+ Giant Ice Ball Different From Hail

+ Alpine Glaciers Could All But Disappear Within This Century

+ Fears Over Impact Of Global Warming On Chinese Rivers

EPIDEMICS

+ Satellite Systems To Warn Of Health Threats

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Paris, France (SPX) Jul 11, 2006

Satellite solutions can make all the difference to the efficiency of telemedicine. With this in mind, ESA is preparing a European telemedicine via satellite programme which will be of direct benefit to the healthcare community.

ENERGY TECH

+ China To Complete Four Strategic Oil Reserve Facilities This Year

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Beijing (AFP) Jul 10, 2006

China will complete construction of four strategic oil reserve facilities this year, boosting its storage capacity by up to 12 million tons, state media reported Monday. Ma Kai, minister of the National Development and Reform Commission and director of the National Energy Office, said four petroleum bases with a total storage capacity of between 10 and 12 million tons will be completed this year, Xinhua news agency reported.

+ DOE Publishes Research Roadmap For Developing Cleaner Fuels

+ Nano Replacement For Petroleum

SpaceWar Express - July 12, 2006
www.spacewar.com
Your World At war 24/7
SPY SATS

+ Satellite Photos Detect Activity At North Korea Missile Bases

Tokyo (AFP) Jul 12, 2006
North Korea could be preparing for new launches of mid-range missiles following last week's tests, with activity detected at its bases, a report said Tuesday citing Japanese government sources.

+ SAIC Acquires Geoviz

NUCLEAR DOCTRINE

+ Japan Mulls Increased Military Muscle Against North Korea

Tokyo (AFP) Jul 11, 2006
Japan is considering the need for a limited military offensive capability in case of a threat of attack from North Korea, a move which would break with 60 years of pacifism. North Korea's missile tests last week have prompted intensified debate in Japan about whether to deviate from the post-World War II constitution and to develop a full-fledged military.

+ Pyongyang Seeks Help From Seoul To Fend Off Calamity From Outside

IRANIAN NUKES

+ Iran Talks Going Nowhere As Russia Says Iran Decades From Nukes

Washington (UPI) Jul 11, 2006
Russia believes Iran to be 25 to 30 years away from possession of nuclear arms, but U.S. experts disagree. "We should look at the real possibilities of Iran," Val Spector, the president of the International Academy of Sciences on Problems of National Security, said Monday.

MILTECH

+ Boeing Scores Direct Hit In Laser JDAM Moving Target Test

St. Louis MO (SPX) Jul 12, 2006
Boeing has tested its Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (LJDAM) weapon system June 30 against a moving target. "Laser JDAM's performance continues to exceed our highest expectations," said Boeing LJDAM Program Manager Scott Van Dyke.

+ Final Development Of Intelligent Munitions System
+ BAE Systems Wins Contracts For Electro-Magnetic Rail Gun Programs
+ BBN Wins DARPA Artificial Intelligence Technology Contract
+ Navy Begins Operational Evaluation Of Revolutionary Raytheon AESA Radar

MISSILE NEWS

+ LM Tests Guided MLRS Unitary Rockets At White Sands

Dallas TX (SPX) Jul 11, 2006
Lockheed Martin announced Monday it has successfully conducted an Enhanced Blast Warhead flight test of its Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System unitary rockets recently at White Sands Missile Range, N.M. All test objectives were achieved, the company said in a news release.

VSAT NEWS

+ ViaSat Awarded HAIPE IS Version 3 Network Encryption Contract

Carlsbad CA (SPX) Jul 12, 2006
ViaSat has been awarded a contract for approximately $10 million from the Maryland Procurement Office (MPO) to implement Version 3 of the High Assurance Internet Protocol Encryptor Interoperability Specification (HAIPE IS) on ViaSat AltaSec inline network encryptors.
THE STANS

+ Losing The Forgotten War In Afghanistan

Washington (UPI) Jul 10, 2006
The war in Afghanistan is going far worse than almost anyone in the United States -- or even in the Bush administration -- realizes. And the bad news has been building up for a long time.
LAUNCH PAD

+ Launch Failure Will Not Dent Indian Space Program Say Officials

Bangalore (SPX) Jul 12, 2006
Indian scientists were Tuesday probing the failure of a rocket meant to launch a communications satellite, but said it was not a major blow to the country's three-decade-old space programme. The deep-space rocket carrying India's heaviest communications satellite disintegrated in a plume of smoke and flames seconds after lift-off Monday.

+ Satellite Debacle Hits Indian Satellite TV Plans
+ ISRO To Constitute Panel To Probe GSLV Failure

DRAGON SPACE

+ Lunar Touchdown For China

Melbourne, Australia (SPX) Jul 12, 2006
Recently, the media has experienced another cascade of reports on the possibility of a Chinese manned lunar program. Translations of an article from a Hong Kong newspaper have hit the wires, and even found their way back into English-language versions of mainland Chinese publications.
SHUTTLE NEWS

+ Shuttle Mission Day Six Marked By Calm Routine

Washington DC (SPX) Jul 12, 2006
The crews of Discovery and the International Space Station spent Tuesday unloading more of the 7,000 pounds of clothing, food and other supplies brought by the shuttle in the Italian-built multi-purpose Leonardo cargo module.

+ Astronauts Fill Space Station With Critical Cargo
+ NASA To Use Space Age Droid Satellites
EARTH OBSERVATION

+ Symposium To Highlight Dragon Program Successes

Lijiang, China (SPX) Jul 12, 2006
Nearly 200 scientists have gathered in this city in the Yunnan Province this week for the third annual Dragon Symposium. Opening the symposium, Liao Xiaohan, China's vice director of the Department of High Technology and Industrialization in the Ministry of Science and Technology, highlighted the success of the Dragon Program and the scientific results achieved so far, after two years of cooperation with ESA and MOST.

+ Human Perception Of The Environmental Shapes Policy And Action
+ Summation Wins Contract For Weather Satellite Ground Equipment

GPS NEWS

+ US Cracks Europe GPS Satellite Codes

Brussels (UPI) Jul 11, 2006
U.S. scientists have reportedly cracked the European Union's secret satellite navigation codes. The codes, to be used by the EU's Galileo satellite system, casts doubt the $4.2 billion project will pay for itself through commercial fees, The London Telegraph reported Tuesday.

TERRADAILY

+ Morocco The Last Frontier Before Europe

Rabat, Morocco (UPI) Jul 11, 2006
For millions of would-be African immigrants, Morocco represents the last frontier, or the first serious hurdle between Africa and Europe, between prosperity and despair, life and death.

+ Smog Damage To Crops Costing Billions
+ US May Ask Russian Help With Nuke Waste
+ Nearly Half Of Chinese Chemical Plants Pose Major Environmental Risks
+ Surprising Discovery May Lead to Better Understanding of Water Quality
+ China Clamps Down On Flu Talk
+ UK Conservative Chief Gets Approval For Wind Turbine At Home
+ Indian Supreme Court Refuses To Halt Controversial Dam Project
+ Talk To Your Baby And They Learn To Speak
+ Monsoons Cover Most Of India As Death Toll Due To Rains Nears 300
+ University To Build New Hurricane Prediction Model
+ Study Finds Rogue Waves Are A Fact Not A Myth

SpaceWar Express - July 13, 2006
www.spacewar.com
Your World At war 24/7

RAY GUNS

+ NGC Develops Skyguard Laser Defense System For Local Defense

Redondo Beach CA (SPX) Jul 13, 2006
Northrop Grumman has developed the Skyguard laser-based air defense system for U.S. government agencies and allies that require near-term defense against short-range ballistic missiles, short- and long-range rockets, artillery shells, mortars, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles.

+ THAAD System Intercepts Live Missile Target

IRANIAN NUKES

+ Iran To Be Referred To Security Council

London (UPI) Jul 12, 2006
Iran is to be referred back to the United Nations Security Council following its failure to respond quickly enough to an incentive package aimed at defusing the current nuclear dispute, world powers announced Wednesday.

+ Oil Prices Rise As Iran Referred Back To UN Security Council
+ Iran Says Jailed French And German Nationals Risk New Charges

KOREAN NUKES

+ US Cool To China-Russia Resolution On North Korea

The White House on Wednesday gave a cool reception to a compromise resolution by Russia and China on North Korea, reiterating US support for a Japanese measure that calls for sanctions. Asked for Washington's position on the new resolution, national security spokesman Frederick Jones replied: "We have previously expressed support for the Japanese resolution. We remain supportive of the Japanese resolution."

+ US Military Exercise Violates North Koreans Sovereignty
+ South Korea Presses North Korea Not To Fire More Missiles
+ Japan Says No Plans To Strike North Korea

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Armed Services Panel Chairman Vows To Boost BMD

Washington (UPI) Jul 12, 2006
The chairman of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee vowed Tuesday to try to accelerate U.S. missile defense capabilities. However, Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., said he had no specific dollar amount in mind, nor did he know where the money might be best used, the Navy Times reported.

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ SpaceDev To Provide Antenna Mechanisms For MUOS Program

Poway CA (SPX) Jul 13, 2006
SpaceDev, subsidiary Starsys, Inc., was recently awarded a contract by Lockheed Martin to provide antenna pointing gimbals for the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) program, which is under direction of the U.S. Navy. MUOS is a next-generation narrowband tactical satellite communications system designed to significantly improve ground communications for U.S. forces on the move.

IRAQ WARS

+ Iraq Faces More Massacres

Washington (UPI) Jul 12, 2006
The latest eruption of sectarian violence in Iraq Sunday confirms the grim diagnosis we made in these columns on April 10. The new Iraqi government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is powerless in its own capital. The nation has fragmented. Beirut and Belfast rules now apply in Iraq.

CYBER WARS

+ US State Department Fends Off Asian Hacker Attack

Washington(AFP) Jul 12, 2006
The US State Department said it was conducting a forensic probe Wednesday after hackers in East Asia tapped into computer systems at its Washington headquarters and diplomatic posts in the region.

FLORA AND FAUNA

+ Hot And Heavy Dinos Rules The Earth

Gainesville FL (SPX) Jul 13, 2006
If you think dinosaurs are hot today, just think back to about 110 million years ago when they really ran hot and heavy. One of the larger animals, a behemoth called Sauroposeidon proteles, weighed close to 120,000 pounds as an adult. Now, a new study led by the University of Florida suggests it may have had a body temperature close to 48 degrees Celsius.

+ One Dose of Radiation Causes 30 Percent Spongy Bone Loss
+ Trees Could Grow In Antarctica Within Century Says Scientist
+ Heavy Fishing Blamed For Jellyfish Explosion Off Namibia

AFRICA NEWS

+ Illicit Migrant Unites Africa-EU

Rabat, Morocco (UPI) Jul 12, 2006
How do you stop millions of jobless, hungry, frightened war-wary Africans from trekking north across the Sahara Desert into Morocco and from there hopefully to Europe; braving along the way modern day traders in human lives, treacherous seas they navigate aboard un-seaworthy death traps and tens of thousands of security personnel deployed with the sole purpose of stopping them?

ENERGY TECH

+ Canada To Defend Its Oil And Uranium Exports At G8 Talks

Ottawa (AFP) Jul 07, 2006
Canada will look to defend its massive energy exports at a Group of Eight industrialized nations summit in St. Petersburg, Russia mid-July, officials said Friday. "The issue of energy, energy security, energy supply is very important to Canada," a senior official told reporters at a summit briefing in Ottawa.

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

+ India And Pakistan Ink Aid Pact Nine Months After Killer Quake

New Delhi (AFP) Jul 11, 2006
India Tuesday approved a donation of 25 million dollars to buy building materials for Pakistani Kashmir nine months after a major earthquake killed 73,000 people there. The Indian foreign ministry said the assistance was part of a pledge made at an UN-sponsored donors' conference for the victims of the October 2005 earthquake which razed tens of thousands of homes in Pakistan.

+ Indonesia Downgrades Volcano Alert
+ Senate Votes to overhaul US Emergency Agency

AEROSPACE

+ Boeing Puts Aircraft Market At 2.6 Trillion Dollars

London (AFP) Jul 12, 2006
US aircraft giant Boeing forecast Wednesday a market for new aircraft worth 2.6 trillion dollars in the next two decades, and claimed European arch-rival Airbus had the wrong strategy to capitalise on it.

+ Rolls-Royce And Japanese Materials Institute To Develop Super Alloys

GPS NEWS

+ Difficult Road Ahead For Russian Space Navigation

Moscow, Russia (RIA) Jul 13, 2006
The Russian satellite navigation system, which, as the name suggests, monitors ship and air traffic, is itself in need of effective state monitoring.

+ Next-Generation Tracking Will Change Supply Chain Management

CHIP TECH

+ Researchers Set Speed Record For Silicon-Based Chips

Atlanta GA (SPX) Jul 13, 2006
A research team from IBM and the Georgia Institute of Technology has demonstrated the first silicon-germanium transistor able to operate at frequencies above 500 GHz. Though the record performance was attained at extremely cold temperatures, the results suggest that the upper bound for performance in silicon-germanium devices may be higher than originally expected.

SPACEDAILY

+ Astronauts Test Shuttle Repair Material In Final Spacewalk

Houston, Texas (AFP) Jul 12, 2006
Two spacewalking Discovery astronauts on Wednesday tested shuttle repair material created after the Columbia disaster as part of NASA's efforts to prevent another tragedy. In the last of three spacewalks, astronauts Piers Sellers and Mike Fossum floated into Discovery's payload bay to paste a sealant on pre-damaged heat shield samples to test the material's performance in zero gravity.

+ Russia Launches Inflatable Test Satellite From Urals
+ Flying Over The Cloudy World
+ Mars Opportunity Rover Getting Closer to Victoria Crater
+ Cassini Spots Another New Tiny Saturn Moon
+ NASA To Study Plants To Help Astronauts Grow Food In Space
+ NASA Selects Consortium For Education Cooperative
+ VLT Catches Supernova Between Galaxies

SpaceWar Express - July 14, 2006
www.spacewar.com
Your World At war 24/7
RAY GUNS

+ THAAD Radar Used In Integrated Flight Test

Tewksbury MA (SPX) Jul 14, 2006
The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) radar built by Raytheon Company performed successfully in a flight test conducted by the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) at the White Sands Missile Range today.

MISSILE NEWS

+ BAE Systems to Protect Army Aircraft With Advanced System

Nashua NH (SPX) Jul 14, 2006
The U.S. Army has awarded BAE Systems a sole-source award for its Common Missile Warning System (CMWS) to protect Army fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft from heat-seeking missiles. BAE Systems in Nashua, N.H., received a five-year indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) award with a maximum ceiling of $1.4 billion on May 19.

NUKEWARS

+ Indian Intercontinental Ballistic Missile Fail Major Test

Washington (UPI) Jul 14, 2006
India's space program suffered a two stunning setbacks in two days this week. First, the Agni III intercontinental ballistic missile, India's first, failed in its long awaited test launch Sunday. The very next day, a domestically built rocket carrying a television broadcasting satellite failed shortly after liftoff.

+ China Seriously Concerned Over North Korean Situation
+ Inter-Korean Project In Doubt

FLOATING STEEL

+ Northrop Grumman Tops Off America's Newest Aircraft Carrier

Newport News, VA (SPX) Jul 14, 2006
Northrop Grumman Corporation reached a major milestone as it lifted the 700-ton island onto the flight deck of the nation's newest and most advanced nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, George H. W. Bush (CVN 77). The ship's namesake and 41st President of the United States, George H. W. Bush, participated in the event. He was accompanied by his wife and former First Lady Barbara Bush.

UAV NEWS

+ Boeing Unmanned Little Bird Demonstrator Helicopter Flies Unmanned for First Time

St. Louis MO (SPX) Jul 14, 2006
Boeing has achieved a major milestone in the development of its Unmanned Little Bird (ULB) technology demonstrator by flying the versatile aircraft unmanned for the first time. Boeing demonstrated the capability June 30 at the U.S. Army's Yuma Proving Ground in Yuma, Ariz., about 130 miles from the Boeing Rotorcraft facility in Mesa, Ariz., where Boeing has tested the aircraft, a modified MD 530F single-turbine helicopter, over the past two years with a safety pilot on board.

+ Boeing Begins ScanEagle Training In New Mexico

IRAQ WARS

+ Sadr Critical To Stability In Iraq

Amman, Jordan (UPI) Jul 14, 2006
Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and his forces are vital to Iraq's stability and must be engaged to avoid an all out civil war in the country, a new report says.

TERROR WARS

+ Rail Security Pilot Project Tests Groundbreaking Body Screening Solution

New York NY (SPX) Jul 14, 2006
July 11, 2006--L-3 Communications announced today that its Security and Detection Systems subsidiary is participating in the second phase of the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Rail Security Pilot (RSP) project, which will screen transit passengers for explosives.

MILTECH

+ Armor Holdings Acquires Innovative Ballistic Fiber Technology

Jacksonville FL (SPX) Jul 14, 2006
Armor Holdings has announced that it has acquired Integrated Textile Systems, Inc. ("ITS"), a Monroe, North Carolina-based manufacturer of the high-strength material, Tensylon. Tensylon, derived from an ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene polymer, has a wide variety of applications, including advanced fiber composites for use in ballistic products.

MILTECH

+ LM Awarded AEGIS Weapon Systems Contract For Australian Destroyer Program

Moorestown NJ (SPX) Jul 14, 2006
The U.S. Navy today awarded Lockheed Martin $85 million for long-lead material items and critical work center efforts to support the production of three Aegis Weapon Systems for Australia's Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) program. The contract immediately authorizes $64.5 million for this effort.

GPS NEWS

+ NATO Awards GPS-Based Force Tracking System Contract

Hauppauge NY (SPX) Jul 14, 2006
Globecomm Systems has announced the Company and EMS SATCOM, a division of EMS Technologies Inc., as a major sub-contractor, has been awarded a contract valued at $7.8 million from NATO to provide a Multi-National global positioning satellite-based friendly force tracking system (FTS).

+ SATNAV Industry Meet Held at ISRO Satellite Centre
+ ESA Selects Esrange Space Center For Galileo Tracking

SPACEMART

+ Shutdown Of Connexion-by-Boeing Service Predicted

Menlo Park CA (SPX) Jul 05, 2006
In a briefing note to clients, Telecom, Media and Finance Associates, Inc. (TMF Associates), the specialist Mobile Satellite Services consulting firm, predicts that it will not be possible to make a commercial success of the in-flight Internet service offered by Connexion-by-Boeing on airlines such as Lufthansa and Singapore Airlines, and that the service will ultimately be shut down.

+ Globalstar Satellite Data Services Cover Alaska to Chile
+ Intelsat To Support EADS And ND SatCom Partnership
+ REDiSat Network Available To Companies And First Responders

SPACEDAILY

+ Shuttle Crew Enjoys Light Duty After Spacewalks

Washington DC (SPX) Jul 14, 2006
On the ninth day of their 13-day mission, and following three lengthy spacewalks outside the International Space Station, the crew of space shuttle Discovery enjoyed a period of light duty, interrupted by a few teleconference events.

+ EADS Space Says MetOp Ready For Launch
+ Astronauts Used SPACEHAB Cargo Carrier During Spacewalk
+ Spirit Continues Work As Martian Days Grow Shorter
+ Hubble Advanced Camera Back In Business
+ Supernova Leaves Behind Mysterious Object
+ Chandra Spies Cosmic Fireworks

SpaceWar Express - July 17, 2006
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Your World At war 24/7
KOREAN NUKES

+ UN Demands End To North Korea Missile Program As Pyongyang Says No

United Nations (AFP) Jul 16, 2006
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted Saturday a resolution condemning North Korea's missile tests that was promptly rejected by Pyongyang as it vowed to carry out further launches.

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ South Korea To Develop Missile Defense Command

Seoul (AFP) Jul 16, 2006
South Korea's army will develop a new military command centre later this year to combat missile and artillery threats from North Korea, Yonhap news agency said Sunday. "In line with a military overhaul plan, the command will be established between September and October," an unnamed government source told Yonhap.

+ Hezbollah rains rockets on Israel

IRANIAN NUKES

+ Iranian Leadership Rejects Freeze Of Sensitive Nuclear Work

Tehran (AFP) Jul 15, 2006
Iran's leadership has rejected demands to freeze sensitive nuclear work contained in an international proposal aimed at resolving the crisis over Tehran's nuclear drive, an official was quoted as saying Saturday.

NUKEWARS

+ US And Russia Building A Friendship Based On Nuclear Waste

Washington (UPI) Jul 17, 2006
Since the mid-1990's, Moscow has sought to make money through storing spent nuclear fuel from other countries in sparsely populated regions of the Russian Federation. Up until recently, though, Washington has not allowed this due to its displeasure over Russian assistance to the Iranian nuclear program.

+ Russia And US Unveil Plan To Fight Nuclear Terrorism

UAV NEWS

+ Global Hawk Assembly Begins At New Production Facility

San Diego CA (SPX) Jul 17, 2006
Employees at Northrop Grumman's newest production facility in Moss Point, Miss., are adding RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned air vehicle fuselage subassemblies to their manufacturing portfolio.

CHIP WARS

+ Semiconductor Industry Critical To US National Security

Washington (UPI) Jul 17, 2006
The United States needs to bolster its capacity to manufacturer and develop cutting-edge semiconductors not just for economic reasons, but for national-security purposes as well, or so industry analysts argue.

GPS NEWS

+ Raytheon To Develop Next-Gen GPS Receiver

El Segundo CA (SPX) Jul 14, 2006
Raytheon announced Thursday it has won an initial $38-million contract from the U.S. Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center's Global Positioning System Joint Program Office to design next-generation GPS receivers.

FLOATING STEEL

+ Possible Step Forward For Taiwan Submarine Deal After US Concession

Taipei (AFP) Jul 17, 2006
Taiwan's long-delayed plan to buy eight conventional submarines from the United States may move forward after a reported US concession, legislators said Sunday. Reports said Richard Lawless, Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Asia and the Pacific, sent a letter to Taiwan's defense minister Lee Jye last month.

TERROR WARS

+ India Undecided Over Next Round Of Peace Talks With Pakistan

New Delhi (AFP) Jul 15, 2006
India indicated Saturday that peace talks with nuclear rival Pakistan expected to be held next week would be delayed in the wake of train blasts in Mumbai that killed at least 181 commuters.

WAR NEWS

+ Hezbollah: the Party of God rains rockets on Israel
+ Mideast, Iran, Sudan to top EU foreign ministers' agenda
+ Two British navy ships steam to Lebanon to evacuate Britons
+ Israeli warplanes strike Lebanese airport, bridge, roads
+ At least 45 killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon
+ 19 civilians killed in Israeli raids in south Lebanon: medics
+ Foreigners trapped in Lebanon chafe at call to sit tight
+ Israeli police detain Jazeera team in Haifa: TV

IRAQ WAR

+ Iraq Insurgents Switch Targets

Washington (UPI) Jul 17, 2006
The rapidly escalating sectarian violence in Iraq appears to have distracted the Sunni insurgents from their previous assaults on U.S. forces. The good news for U.S. forces in Iraq is that during the past two weeks is that the rate oat which American soldiers are being killed in the country has fallen again very significantly.

+ Bad Signs In Iraq
+ The Growing Crisis Facing NATO In Afghanistan

+ For an AFP news wire service covering events in the Middle East click here.

SPACE TRAVEL

+ Discovery Gets Green Light To Return To Earth

Cape Canaveral FL (AFP) Jul 16, 2006
NASA officials have cleared space shuttle Discovery to return to Earth on Monday, because repeated inspections have shown no signs of damage to the spacecraft's heat shield surfaces.

+ Genesis Spacecraft Inflated And In Orbit
+ Nastar Center To Offer Human Space Flight Training

SPACE SCIENCE

+ AAS Supports Emergency NASA Appropriations

Washington DC (SPX) Jul 17, 2006
The American Astronomical Society has announced it is supporting the efforts of Sens. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md., and Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, to secure emergency appropriations for NASA's science efforts.

+ Mikulski NASA Amendment Passes Key Senate Committee
+ NASA Balloon Flight Successful At Esrange Space Center

TECH SPACE

+ Semiconductor Industry Critical To US National Security

Washington (UPI) Jul 17, 2006
The United States needs to bolster its capacity to manufacturer and develop cutting-edge semiconductors not just for economic reasons, but for national-security purposes as well, or so industry analysts argue.

+ Raytheon To Develop Next-Gen GPS Receiver
+ Dartmouth Proposes Stratospheric Astronomical Airship

DRAGON SPACE

+ China To Invest $17 Billion In Aviation Sector

Beijing (AFP) Jul 15, 2006
China plans to spend 17.4 billion dollars on its aviation sector in the next five years, buying 430 new airplanes and building 42 new airports, a government commission said Friday. The growth means mainland China's air transport sector will be the second biggest in the world after the United States, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission said in a statement.

CAR TECH

+ Smart Cars To Rule The Roads

London (UPI) Jul 17, 2006
It's been more than 20 years since Knight Rider hit the airwaves, but the next generation of KITT-style cars may be seen on freeways very soon. The next generation of autonomous "smart cars" is now on the agenda for both military and high-end automobile manufacturers, according to a report from the recent RoboBusiness conference.

+ Greenland Makes Oil Companies Melt

WEATHER REPORT

+ ESA Controllers Prep For MetOp Launch

Darmstadt, Germany (SPX) Jul 13, 2006
Flight controllers at ESA's Space Operations Center are preparing for the July 17 launch and early orbit phase of the MetOp spacecraft.

+ Tsunami Aid Worth $7,100 Per Person
+ French Heatwave Prompts Alert
+ Death Toll From Typhoon Bilis Rises To 115 In China
+ Lava Flow Increasing From Philippine Volcano

FLORA AND FAUNA

+ Life and Death On Planet Parasite

Santa Barbara CA (SPX) Jul 16, 2006
Scientists have discovered that parasites are surprisingly important in food webs and their findings appear in a report published this week in the Early Edition of the on-line version of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Scientists with the University of California, Santa Barbara, the U.S. Geological Survey, and Princeton University contributed.

SINO DAILY

+ China Bans Trade In Human Organs

Beijing (AFP) Jul 15, 2006
China, which has been accused of trafficking in organs harvested from executed prisoners, will ban the sale of human body parts and related commercial activities from August 1, state media reported on Saturday.

+ $100 Million ADB China Loan To Clean Up Wuhan Waterways
+ Thousands Of Swimmers Brave Pearl River In Confidence Show

CYBER NEWS

+ Is Net Neutrality Discriminatory

Chicago (UPI) Jul 12, 2006
The idea of Net neutrality sounds fair in the abstract, but experts are telling UPI's The Web column the policy proposals emanating from Congress and the federal bureaucracy may actually be quite discriminatory.

+ War For Talent In Indian IT Goes On

SpaceWar Express - July 18, 2006
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CIVIL NUCLEAR

+ US-India Nuke Deal Revisited

Washington DC (UPI) Jul 17, 2006
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice argued one week ago that Congress should pass the U.S.-India civilian nuclear cooperation deal before breaking for summer recess, but many experts counter the draft on the table implicitly promotes proliferation while setting a double-standard that may alienate other would-be partners.

IRAN NUKES

+ Premature To Speak Of Iran Sanctions Says Putin

Saint Petersburg (AFP) Jul 17, 2006
Russian President Vladimir Putin called Monday on Iran to respond to a plan for resolving the impasse over its nuclear program, but said it was too early to speak of sanctions on Tehran.

INDIA NUKES

+ Agni Failure Bad News For India

Washington DC (UPI) Jul 17, 2006
The failure of two major India missile launches in two days Sunday and Monday proved intensely embarrassing for the nation's prestige and threw major doubt on its military-industrial high-tech capabilities.

MISSILE NEWS

+ China Aims 820 Missiles At Taiwan

Taipei (AFP) Jul 17, 2006
Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian on Monday renewed his warning of China's growing military threat, saying it is now targeting the island with 820 missiles. Chen, during a meeting with a group of Japanese scholars attending a forum in Taipei, said he had expected China's peaceful rise and the development of democracy there.

WAR REPORT

+ Disastrous Miscalculations In The Middle East

New York NY (UPI) Jul 17, 2006
As the violence in the Middle East escalates, it is hard not to conclude that every player involved directly or indirectly has badly miscalculated. This conflict will not end by a restoration of the status quo ante. Israel will refuse to allow a replay of the last two weeks.

+ Hezbollah A Force To Be Reckoned With
+ What Israel Wants From Lebanon
+ Lebanon crisis delays UN focus on Iran nuclear issue -- diplomats
+ Four civilians killed in new Israeli strike on Lebanon
+ Twelve Lebanese killed as Israeli missile hits minibus
+ Foreigners flee Israel onslaught on Lebanon
+ Mass exodus from south Lebanon as residents flee

SUPERPOWERS

+ US-Russian Ties Strained At G8

St. Petersburg, Russia (UPI) Jul 17, 2006
The Group of Eight summit in St. Petersburg was to mend fragile U.S.-Russian ties, but instead laid bare even more cracks in the relationship between both governments. The former Cold War enemies differed on a number of issues, namely on the conflict in the Middle East, on Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization, and on the state of Russian democracy.

+ How To Score Putin's G8
+ Japan Needs Sufficient Deterrence Against Attack Says Koizumi

MILPLEX

+ US To Sell Taiwan 66 Fighter Planes Amid Growing Chinese Threat

Taipei (AFP) Jul 17, 2006
The United States has agreed to sell Taiwan 66 advanced fighter jets to counter China's continued arms build-up, it was reported Monday. A Taiwanese delegation proposed the procurement of the fleet of F-16C/D fighters during an annual military meeting with Washington early this month, the China Times said.

SPACEWAR

+ LockMart Selects NG Inertial Unit For Mobile User Objective System Satellite

Woodland Hills CA (SPX) Jul 18, 2006
Lockheed Martin has selected Northrop Grumman to provide the critical navigation systems for a next generation military satellite communications system. The U.S. Navy's Mobile User Objective System Satellite (MUOS) is a next-generation narrowband military satellite communications system that is designed to significantly improve communications for U.S. forces on the move.

MILTECH

+ QinetiQ Sells TALON Robots To Royal Netherlands Army

Amsterdam, The Netherlands (SPX) Jul 18, 2006
QinetiQ has just shipped six TALON explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) robots to the Royal Netherlands Army for immediate deployment in Afganistan with its Air Force. This is the first European order placed via QinetiQ for the TALON vehicles, developed by its wholly owned US subsidiary Foster-Miller.

LAUNCH PAD

+ ISRO And DRDO Deal Differently With Disastrous Launches

New Delhi, India (PTI) Jul 18, 2006
It was a Black Sunday and an even worse Monday for India's aerospace ambitions. Two much-hyped rocket systems - one the guided missile Agni-III, and another the GSLV-FO2 launch vehicle carrying a satellite - built by two famed institutions, (RDO and ISRO, landed in the sea, drowning with them years of effort and hundreds of crores of rupees.

+ Rocket Problems Delay MetOp-A Launch

EARTH OBSERVATION

+ South Korea To Launch Arirang-2 EO Satellite

Seoul, South Korea (SPX) Jul 18, 2006
South Korea plans to launch a satellite for geographical updates, natural resource searches and environmental observation from a Russian spaceport late this month, government officials have announced.

GPS NEWS

+ Competitors Will Threaten Established Portable Nav Device Vendors

Oyster Bay NY (SPX) Jul 18, 2006
The enormous market expansion and related price war in the consumer navigation market is no longer new. What has changed is that the resulting attempts at product segmentation and the additional revenue streams for the most competitive portable navigation segment are increasingly arriving in the form of network-connected services.

TECH SPACE

+ Inflatable Comms Antennas Wins Frost and Sullivan Innovation Award

Palo Alto CA (SPX) Jul 18, 2006
Frost and Sullivan has selected GATR Technologies Inc. as the recipient of its 2006 Product Innovation of the Year Award in the aerospace and defense satellite antenna market for GATR's inflatable satellite antenna.

+ Supercomputers Help Physicists Understand A Force Of Nature
+ Australian DTH TV Service To Use Harmonic IP-Based MPEG-2 Video

SHUTTLE NEWS

+ Discovery Lands Safely And On Time In Florida

Washington DC (SPX) Jul 18, 2006
Space shuttle Discovery landed safely at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday morning, ending a mission that lasted 13 days, logged 5.3-million miles and was as trouble-free as any previous flight of NASA's manned space vehicles. Discovery touched down at 9:13 a.m. Eastern Time on Kennedy's 3-mile-long runway and gently coasted to a stop one minute later.

WEATHER REPORT

+ At Least 105 Dead As Tsunami Nightmare Returns To Indonesia

Pangandaran, Indonesia (AFP) Jul 18, 2006
Over 100 people were killed when an undersea earthquake unleashed huge waves on Indonesia's Java island, echoing the devastating 2004 Asian tsunami, the Red Cross said Tuesday.

+ Death Toll From Tropical Storm Bilis Rises To 188 In China
+ Britain Set For Record Temperatures As Heatwave Builds Over Europe

VOLCANO NEWS

+ Ecuador Volcano Buries Farms In Ash And Ready To Boil Over

Quito (AFP) Jul 17, 2006
Tungurahua, a volcano in southern Ecuador, erupted for a fourth day Monday, burying thousands of farms in ash and threating to "boil over" and dump lava on a nearby town, officials said. Explosions were heard for days, said Geophysical Institute engineer Pablo Samaniego, who compared the volcanic activity to a "pot of milk waiting to boil over at any moment".

+ Increased Activity At Philippine Volcano Sparks Fears Of Eruption

PILLAGING PIRATES

+ US Committed To Security In Malacca Strait Says Top Navy Official

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Jul 17, 2006
The United States is prepared to share maritime expertise with Malaysia to fight piracy in the troubled Malacca Strait, a visiting admiral said Monday. "It is a vital strait not just locally but internationally. It is one that we all have an interest in," the chief of US naval operations, Admiral Michael Mullen, told reporters.

EARTH OBSERVATION

+ South Korea To Launch Arirang-2 EO Satellite

Seoul, South Korea (SPX) Jul 18, 2006
South Korea plans to launch a satellite for geographical updates, natural resource searches and environmental observation from a Russian spaceport late this month, government officials have announced.

GPS NEWS

+ Competitors Will Threaten Established Portable Nav Device Vendors

Oyster Bay NY (SPX) Jul 18, 2006
The enormous market expansion and related price war in the consumer navigation market is no longer new. What has changed is that the resulting attempts at product segmentation and the additional revenue streams for the most competitive portable navigation segment are increasingly arriving in the form of network-connected services.

ABOUT US

+ Trade Of Humans Is Big Business

Washington DC (UPI) Jul 17, 2006
Illegal immigration is a lucrative, if somewhat cutthroat business, representing approximately some $500 million per annum. This is tax-free money that goes right into the pockets of the handlers, or the so-called guides of the human cargo that flows northwards from sub-Saharan Africa like a great river of bodies.

SpaceWar Express - 19 July, 2006
www.spacewar.com
Your World At war 24/7
SUPERPOWERS

+ China's Top General Visits The Pentagon

Washington(AFP) Jul 18, 2006
China's top military official met with US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld Tuesday to discuss closer military relations in the highest level visit of its kind in more than five years, officials said.

MISSILE NEWS

+ Successful Test Of First-stage Motor For US Navy Intermediate-Range Missile

Promontory UT (SPX) Jul 19, 2006
Alliant Techsystems and Lockheed Martin have announced that they have successfully test fired a first-stage booster motor under the Submarine Launched Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (SLIRBM) Booster System Demonstration for the U.S. Navy.

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Lockheed Martin Delivers PCA Software For SBIRS

Washington DC (UPI) Jul 19, 2006
Lockheed Martin announced Tuesday that it had delivered the Pointing and Control Assembly software to support software qualification and thermal vacuum testing of the first Space-Based Infrared System, or SBIRS, geosynchronous orbit satellite.

+ EADS And India Join Forces To Develop A Missile Warning System

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ South Korea Delays Military Satellite Launch

Seoul (AFP) Jul 18, 2006
South Korea on Tuesday delayed the launch of its first military satellite by 10 days to August 20 at the request of the US launching company, defense officials said. The Mugunghwa 5 military communications satellite was originally due to lift off on August 10 from the South Pacific.

+ BAE Systems To Develop The Next Gen In Wireless Tactical Networks
+ Special Mobile Communications Vehicles For Homeland Security

WAR REPORT

+ US Orders Nine Warships To Waters Off Lebanon

Washington (AFP) Jul 18, 2006
The United States on Tuesday ordered nine warships to waters off the Lebanese coast amid fears of possible terrorist attacks on ships evacuating US nationals, officials said. Though only 124 Americans have been brought out so far, the State Department defended the speed of the evacuation, calling it "highly organized, very efficient, very active."

+ Frightened Lebanese Flee Israeli Bombardment Of South
+ Israel Says 1500 Hezbollah Missiles Fired Accuses Iran Of Helping Abductions
+ Nations Mobilize For Mass Evacuations From Lebanon

KOREAN NUKES

+ North Korea Launches Wartime Alert

Seoul (AFP) Jul 19, 2006
North Korea has launched a wartime alert, putting its armed forces and nationals in a state of a war mobilization, an unconfirmed news report said here Wednesday.

MILTECH

+ Northrop Grumman Begins Flight Testing Of Global Hawk Radar Tech

San Diego CA (SPX) Jul 19, 2006
Northrop Grumman has received a $90 million contract, to be completed in September 2009, from the U.S. Air Force to integrate a new airborne surveillance radar on the Global Hawk unmanned aerial system (UAS) to provide unprecedented situational awareness to battlefield commanders.

CYBER WARS

+ New Video Systems Aid Cops And Help Fight Terrorists

Washington (UPI) Jul 19, 2006
New surveillance technologies can revolutionize the war on terror and crimefighting techniques, a tech company executive told UPI. The new technologies may provide evidence and recreate events after the fact and could also be proactive in preventing crime.

SPACE TRAVEL

+ With Safe Return Of Discovery NASA Aims For Regular Shuttle Flights

Cape Canaveral, Florida (AFP) Jul 18, 2006
With Discovery and its crew of six safely back on Earth, NASA set its eyes on next month's scheduled launch that should mark the resumption of regular shuttle flights.

+ Near-Flawless Shuttle Mission Boosts US Space Program
+ After Discovery Success NASA Sets Its Sights On The Stars
+ Bigelow Spacecraft Carries NASA Genebox For Orbital Testing
+ NASA Seeks Master Developer For KSC Exploration Park

LAUNCH PAD

+ MetOp-A Launch Delayed A Second Time

Moscow, Russia (SPX) Jul 19, 2006
The launch of the MetOp-A satellite has been postponed for the second straight day due to an anomaly on one piece of equipment of the Soyuz launch vehicle. The next scheduled launch attempt has not yet been announced.

TECH SPACE

+ CNES Alcatel And Orange France Testing Hybrid Satellite System

Toulouse and Paris, France (SPX) Jul 19, 2006
CNES, Orange France and Alcatel announced Tuesday they have selected Toulouse and the Midi-Pyrenees region for the first trial outside their laboratories of the main technical characteristics of a new mobile broadcasting system transmitted via a hybrid satellite and a terrestrial transmission system using the S-band.

+ UK Maritime And Coastguard Agency Equips With Iridium Satphones
+ Iridium Reports Mobile Satellite Services Growth
+ Sharply Tuned Nanostrings Work at Room Temperature
+ Cracking The Secret Codes Of The European Galileo Satellite Network

CAR TECH

+ Ford First To Offer Clean-Burning Hydrogen Vehicles

Dearborn, Michigan (AFP) Jul 18, 2006
Ford on Monday became the first automaker to begin production of a commercially viable hydrogen engine, which emits little but clean water vapor into the air. The hydrogen-powered internal combustion engines are destined for shuttle buses and will be ready for delivery later this year, said Ford Motor Co. spokesman Nick Twork.

+ Toyota To Expand Hybrid Car Range In US

ROBOT NEWS

+ European Research Team Strives To Make Robotic Systems More Decisive

Munich, Germany (SPX) Jul 19, 2006
The Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics is a partner in the Integrated Research Project BACS (Bayesian Approach to Cognitive Systems), which is being sponsored by the EU and will run until 2010. In this project, researchers are investigating the extent to which Bayes' theorem can be used in artificial systems capable of managing complex tasks in a real world environment.

VOLCANO NEWS

+ State Of Calamity Declared Near Philippine Volcano

Legaspi, Philippines (AFP) Jul 18, 2006
A "state of calamity" was declared in towns and villages near the Mayon volcano southeast of the Philippine capital as lava flow intensified Tuesday. This allows the provincial government to use emergency funds to prepare evacuation camps, provincial governor Fernando Gonzales said.

WEATHER NEWS

+ NASA Explains Puzzling Impact Of Polluted Skies On Climate

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 19, 2006
NASA scientists have determined that the formation of clouds is affected by the lightness or darkness of air pollution particles. This also impacts Earth's climate.

+ Centuries Of Land-Use Profoundly Impact Earth System
+ Europe's Heat Wave Claims Five More Lives
+ US Simmers As Record Temperatures Reap Transport Chaos
+ Monsoon Hits Korean Peninsula Over 150 Dead Or Missing
+ Second Tropical Storm Of 2006 Brews Off North Carolina Coast

SpaceWar Express - July 20, 2006
www.spacewar.com
Your World At war 24/7
WAR REPORT

+ Israel And United States Spreading War In Strategic Overstretch

Washington (UPI) Jul 20, 2006
The U.S. government and armed forces could face the unanticipated threat of strategic overstretch if the current Middle East crisis gets out of hand. Over the past week, Israel has responded to massive Hezbollah rocket bombardments into its northern areas with deep air strikes into Lebanon and has used strong language holding Iran and Syria responsible as the key allies and protectors of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and of Hamas in the Palestinian territories.

+ UN Takes Lead In Mideast Conflict Resolution Vacuum
+ Mid East Donnybrook Or Imbroglio
+ Sending Army South Uneasy Task
+ Mideast Cease-Fire Not Imminent

WAR ANALYSIS

+ The Real Mideast War

Paris (UPI) Jul 20, 2006
The core of the first problem in the latest Middle East crisis is that three of the key players believe they are fighting for their very lives. And this leads to the second and far more profound problem for the region: The prospect of the part-civil and part-religious war between the Sunni and Shiite communities of Islam spilling over from the killing fields of Iraq into the wider Arab world.
OPINION SPACE

+ Fixing The CIA

Washington (UPI) Jul 20, 2006
I have some thoughts for U.S. Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden in his new job as director of the CIA. I will confine myself to advice on the care and feeding of some of the denizens of the building where he will be taking up his new position. His predecessor, Porter Goss, seemed unable to make it out of the lobby each morning without causing some sort of internal squabble.

+ The Super-Rich Of China Extremely Insecure

MILPLEX

+ Defense Spending Games Are Just A Gimmick

Washington (UPI) Jul 20, 2006
On Thursday, the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to "mark up" the Fiscal Year 2007 Department of Defense appropriations bill. However, there are already clear indications of what appears to be one of the major budget gimmicks the SAC will employ.

MILTECH

+ US Funds Body Armor Research

Washington (UPI) Jul 20, 2006
The U.S. military is turning to the animal world in an effort to develop lighter, tougher and longer lasting body armor. A Massachusetts Institute of Technology engineering graduate student, Benjamin Bruet, is part of a U.S.-funded team that has tested horns, antlers, fish scales and other natural materials to study how animals shield themselves in the wild, National Geographic News reported.

+ Elisra Group Unveils New Support Jamming System For Fighters

GPS NEWS

+ Raytheon Demonstrates Space-Based Navigation System In India

Farnborough, England (SPX) Jul 20, 2006
Raytheon announced Tuesday it has successfully completed the Preliminary System Acceptance Test for the GPS Aided GEO Augmented Navigation-Technology Demonstration System.

+ SENS Simplex Service Extends to Mexico

UAV NEWS

+ Elop To Provide Naval And Aerial UAV Payloads Valued At 15 Million Dollars

Haifa, Israel (SPX) Jul 16, 2006
Elbit Systems Ltd. announced that its subsidiary Elbit Systems Electro-Optics Elop Ltd. ("Elop"), was awarded several new contracts to supply advanced CoMPASS payloads for naval and aerial use, valued at approximately $15 million.

WEATHER REPORT

+ Defense Weather Satellites Offer 50 Years Of Service

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 20, 2006
"Weather" it's a hurricane, typhoon or thunderstorm in the constantly changing environment of global weather conditions, agencies behind the scenes continually provide data for distribution to Department of Defense and civilian government agencies.

+ GOES-13 Solar X-Ray Imager Sees First Light

NUKEWARS

+ North Korea Scraps North-South Family Reunions

Seoul (AFP) Jul 19, 2006
North Korea said Wednesday it would scrap cross-border family reunions on the divided peninsula, accusing Seoul of siding with its Western allies in the standoff over Pyongyang's missile launches.

DRAGON SPACE

+ China To Develop Deep Space Exploration In 5 Years

Beijing, China (SPX) Jul 20, 2006
A senior Chinese space agency official said Wednesday that China would actively plan its deep space exploration over the next five years, focusing on lunar and Mars exploration.
LAUNCH PAD

+ MetOp-A Launch Delayed A Second Time

Moscow, Russia (SPX) Jul 20, 2006
The launch of the MetOp-A satellite has been postponed for the third straight day due to mechanical problems. The launch was scrubbed two minutes before its scheduled liftoff.

SPACEMART

+ JSAT Begins Prep For Arianespace Dual-Sat Mission

Kourou, French Guyana (SPX) Jul 20, 2006
Engineers are checking out the JCSAT-10 satellite inside the S5 facility at Europe's Spaceport and preparing it for the dual-payload Ariane 5 ECA launch currently scheduled for Aug. 11.

+ LM A2100 Satellite Fleet Achieves 150 Years In Orbit
+ Blueprint For Nanotechnology Risk Profile Proposed
+ ESO Sub-Millimeter Astronomy Fully Underway
+ Mars Expeditions Pose Bone-Loss Risk
+ NASA To Test Automated DAME
+ NASA Marks 30th Anniversary Of Mars Viking Mission
+ Satellite Security Systems Wins 10 Year Air Quality Contract At LA Port
+ FSRI Sponsors Microgravity Research Flights From Cape Canaveral

EPIDEMICS

+ Scientists Develop SARS Vaccine

College Park MD (UPI) Jul 20, 2006
U.S. scientists using the Newcastle Disease virus -- a common poultry disease -- say they have developed a vaccine for severe acute respiratory syndrome. The University of Maryland-College Park researchers say their vaccine, in early National Institutes of Health trials, successfully immunized monkeys against SARS and human parainfluenza viruses. They are now working on a vaccine for H5N1 avian influenza under a $4.1 million NIH contract.

+ Avian Flu Numbers Increase Across SE Asia

ROBOTS AND CLONES

+ New Generation Of System Agents Could Assist Alzheimers Sufferes

Madrid (UPI) Jul 20, 2006
Computers, motion sensors, home-to-hospital video cameras and other devices could help patients with early stages of dementia maintain safe, independent living longer. At the same time, the devices -- even something such as a popular computer game -- may be able to gives doctors hints as to how well a patient is doing on his or her own.

+ Stem Cell Bill Passes US Senate In Time For Bush Veto
+ Researchers Enlist Proteins To Switch On Heart Tissue Repair System

ENERGY TECH

+ Greenland Begins Sale Of Oil Concessions

Copenhagen (AFP) Jul 19, 2006
Greenland has opened an eagerly awaited round of concession sales for oil and gas exploration for which officials expect record bidding, authorities on the island said on Wednesday. There are hopes that the remote oil fields of Greenland, an ice-covered island off the coast of northeast Canada, could become a new eldorado for oil companies thanks to a spectacular rise in fossil fuel prices and uncertainty concerning future supplies.

+ Antarctic Under Threat As Thirst For Oil Grows

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

+ China's Vice Premier Calls For Flood Prevention

Beijing (AFP) Jul 19, 2006
Six more people were confirmed dead in China to bring the death toll from rainstorms and flooding triggered by Tropical Storm Bilis to 204, state media said Wednesday. As the death toll rose, Vice Premier Hui Liangyu urged governments in the affected provinces to do their utmost to prevent the spread of disease, Xinhua news agency said.

+ Doctor, Nurses Arrested For Katrina Mercy Killings
+ Europe Gasps As Heatwave Temperatures Soar
+ Fires Rage In Indonesian Borneo And Sumatra

SpaceWar Express - July 21, 2006
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PROLIFERATION

+ Iran Present At North Korea Missile Launch Says US

Washington (AFP) Jul 20, 2006
Washington accused Iranian officials Thursday of being present at North Korea's latest missile launches, escalating US suspicions of sensitive military cooperation between the Islamic state and Pyongyang.

BRITISH NUCLEAR WEAPONS

+ British MPs To Vote Renewing Nuclear Deterrent

London (AFP) Jul 20, 2006
Members of the House of Commons, Britain's elected lower house of parliament, will be given a vote on whether Britain should renew its nuclear deterrent force, a cabinet minister said Thursday.

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Lockheed Martin Team Tests Multiple Kill Vehicle Thruster

Redmond WA (SPX) Jul 21, 2006
Lockheed Martin has announced that its team has successfully completed initial testing of the kill vehicle divert thruster for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency's Multiple Kill Vehicle Payload System.

ROCKET SCIENCE

+ Rocket Technology Testing Reaches 100-Percent Operation

Edwards AFB CA (AFNS) Jul 21, 2006
America's only staged combustion liquid booster rocket engine now in development marked an important milestone July 12 at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss. The engine reached steady-state 100-percent operation, demonstrating mainstage performance for the first time.


+ MetOp-A Launch Delayed Indefinitely
+ DARPA Clears Falcon 1 For Next Launch Attempt

RAY GUNS

+ High-Energy Lasers Could Defend Commercial Aircraft From MANPADs

Redondo Beach, CA (SPX) Jul 21, 2006
Northrop Grumman has formally proposed a ground-based, high-energy laser system, Skyguard, as part of a layered airport defense against the man-portable air defense systems (MANPADs) threat to commercial aviation.

UAV NEWS

+ LM Skunk Works Reveals High Altitude Unmanned System

Farnborough, England (SPX) Jul 21, 2006
Lockheed Martin this week unveiled a new high altitude, unmanned aerial demonstrator at the Farnborough International Air Show. The preview was part of a review of several projects involving LM's legendary Skunk Works highlighting technologies the company is exploring to enable technology for the future.

+ Boeing Persistent Munition Demonstrator Achieves Autonomous Flight

MILTECH

+ Center Performs Mission Critical Tests on F-35

Arnold AFB TN (AFNS) Jul 21, 2006
Arnold Engineering Development Center recently conducted successful aerodynamic loads testing on a 12-percent scale model of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter in the center's 16-foot transonic wind tunnel.

WAR REPORT

+ Israel Demands Return Of Men As Cease Fire Pressures Mount

Tel Aviv, Israel (UPI) Jul 20, 2006
Israel tacitly rejected Lebanese calls for a cease-fire, insisting that first and foremost its soldiers kidnapped and taken to Lebanon must be returned. The soldiers were kidnapped by Hezbollah gunmen who crossed the United Nations sanctioned border, attacked a patrol and made away with the two soldiers.

+ Hezbollah Still In The Shadown Of Iran
TERROR WARS

+ Al-Qaida Regrouping And On The March

Washington (UPI) Jul 20, 2006
Conventional wisdom -- and the Bush administration -- holds that the United States' attack on Afghanistan dislodged and weakened the al-Qaida terrorist organization. It's back, a top terrorism expert told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Tuesday.

IRAQ WARS

+ US General Vows Crackdown On Baghdad Violence

Washington DC (AFNS) Jul 21, 2006
Iraqi and coalition security forces will redouble efforts to stem a recent spate of bombings, murders and kidnappings conducted in and around Baghdad, a senior U.S. military officer said today.

SINO DAILY

+ Taiwan Holds Live War-Game That Simulates A Chinese Invasion

Ilan, Taiwan (AFP) Jul 20, 2006
Taiwan held its largest live-fire military exercise in years on Thursday, testing fighter jets, US-made Patriot missiles and ground troops against a simulated invasion by arch foe China.

EARTH OBSERVATION

+ Denver To Host International Remote Sensing Conference

Denver CO (SPX) Jul 14, 2006
More than 1,000 remote-sensing scientists from around the globe will converge at the Colorado Convention Center July 31 to Aug. 4 to exchange ideas and practices at the 2006 International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium.

+ DMCii Wins European Commission Contract For Agricultural Monitoring
+ Cardiff From Earth Space
DISASTER MANAGEMENT

+ New Warning System Fails For Latest Tsunami Victims

Jakarta (AFP) Jul 18, 2006
Indonesians fleeing the tsunami that lashed the south coast of Java had no warning of their fate, with a country-wide early warning system not due to be in place until 2009, officials said Tuesday.

+ Why Nobody Stopped Katrina Mercy Killing Is Unclear
+ Villagers To Evacuate From Rumbling Philippine Volcano
+ Half Of Pacific Islands Mangroves Could Disappear Says UN
+ Applied Global And SkyPort Announce Strategic Partnership
+ Malaysia And Indonesia Join Forces To Dampen Haze Problem
+ Europe Swelters In Heatwave
+ European Satellite To Boost Weather Forecasting

SPACEDAILY

+ China To Explore Mars As Well As The Moon

Beijing (AFP) July 19, 2006
China plans to embark on an ambitious space exploration program that will see it focusing on Mars as well as the moon, a senior space agency official was quoted as saying Wednesday. The program, to be carried out in the next five years, also calls for stepping up international cooperation, the official Xinhua news agency quoted Sun Laiyan, head of the China National Space Administration, as saying.

+ Mars Mission Lasts Well Past Sell-By Date
+ MIT Team Envisions Exploring Mars With Mini Probes
+ Spirit to Get New Capabilities Winter Turns to Spring
+ Beagle Crater Is Next Stop For Opportunity
+ Stellar Blast Teaching Astronomers New Lessons About Cosmic Explosions
+ First Data Release From UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey
+ BAE and SSTL To Deliver Processor For Chandrayaan-1
+ Three-Telescope Interferometer Shows Patchy Red Giants Common Fate
+ Cassini Reveals Xanadu Region On Titan To Be Earth-Like
+ International Space Station Tee Off Approved By NASA

(SpaceWar Express - July 24, 2006
www.spacewar.com
Your World At war 24/7
WAR REPORT

+ Israel-Hezbollah War Marks New Turn In Fourth Generation War

Cleveland (UPI) Jul 21, 2006
With Hezbollah's entry into the war between Israel and Hamas, Fourth Generation War has taken another developmental step forward. For the first time, a non-state entity has gone to war with a state not by waging an insurgency against a state invader, but across an international boundary. Again we see how those who define 4GW simply as insurgency are looking at only a small part of the picture.


+ Air power shortcomings shadow Israel's next steps in Lebanon

Washington (AFP) Jul 21, 2006
Israeli air power alone is capable of damaging Hezbollah but not defeating the Shiite militia, confronting Israel with a choice of a ground offensive in southern Lebanon or a diplomatic settlement, US military analysts said.

+ A Notebook Of Discordant Reports From The Mideast
+ Toll Of Israel Strategy Could Be War With Lebanon Itself
+ German Spies Working To Free Israeli Soldiers
+ Israel punches into Lebanon as civilians flee

NUKEWARS

+ North Korean Progress Still As Elusive As Ever

Washington (UPI) Jul 22, 2006
The United States and four other key players in East Asia found an elusive unity in their condemnation of North Korea's missile test a month ago. But experts say divergent national interests will challenge the United States, China, Japan, Russia and South Korea in their campaign to jumpstart talks aimed at pressuring the Kim Jong Il regime to end its nuclear program.

+ Pacifist Japan cannot 'sit still' if attacked: defense chief
+ North Korea 'completely irresponsible', 'dangerous': Rice

IRAQ WARS

+ Casualties Creep Up In Iraq

Washington (UPI) Jul 21, 2006
The grim paradox we noted in previous Iraq Benchmarks column continues. The rate at which U.S. troops are being killed in Iraq remain relatively low.

+ The Writing On The Wall Does Not Look Good In Iraq

CYBER WARS

+ A Year Later Still No Cybersecurity Czar

Washington (UPI) Jul 20, 2006
Just over a year after the Department of Homeland Security announced it would create a position for a cybersecurity czar, the Cyber Security Industry Alliance is lobbying for DHS to finally install someone into the job.

TERROR WARS

+ Terror Survey Has Frightening Outlook

Washington DC (UPI) Jul 17, 2006
Terrorists are making the world an increasingly dangerous place for U.S. citizens, a new survey warns. Analysts and policy experts across the political spectrum believe that the world is becoming increasingly more dangerous for America and her citizens.


+ Scientists Develop Tricorder Sensor To Detect Bioweapons

SINO DAILY

+ China warns US not to sell fighter jets to Taiwan

Beijing (AFP) Jul 22, 2006
Beijing has warned Washington not to proceed with a reported deal to sell fighter jets to Taiwan, indicating it would impact on regional security and harm Sino-US relations, state media said on Friday.

SUPERPOWERS

+ Can Russia Get Respect?

Washington (UPI) Jul 21, 2006
At the recent G8 summit in St. Petersburg, President Putin and other Kremlin officials went to great efforts to convey the message that Russia is now, once again, a great power. The Western press is increasingly describing Russia as a great power too. This new view was summed up on the cover of the July 15 issue of The Economist with the words "Living with a Strong Russia," next to a picture of a dour Putin in front of an enormous Russian flag.

MISSILE NEWS

+ India tests surface-to-air missile

Bhubaneshwar, India (AFP) Jul 23, 2006
India Sunday tested its surface-to-air Trishul missile from a site in the eastern coastal state of Orissa, defence officials said.

MILTECH

+ EADS Supplies New Type Of Ground Surveillance Radar

Ulm, Germany (SPX) Jul 21, 2006
EADS will equip the German Armed Forces with a new kind of ground surveillance radar (BUR - Bodenuberwachungsradar) for reliably detecting movements both on the ground and in the air close to the ground.

+ BBN Technologies Awarded Contract to Enhance Low-Energy Networking Communications

AEROSPACE

+ Northrop Grumman Delivers Key F-35 Lightning II Subsystem

San Diego CA (SPX) Jul 21, 2006
Northrop Grumman Corporation has successfully delivered its first F-35 Lightning II integrated communications, navigation and identification (CNI) system ahead of schedule. When fully developed, Northrop Grumman's integrated CNI system will provide more than 40 functions to the pilots of the F-35, one of two 5th Generation fighters in the world.

MILITARY COMMUNICATIONS

+ Russia Launches Kosmos Military Satellite

Moscow, Russia (AFP) Jul 24, 2006
Russia launched a military satellite Friday from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in the northwestern region of Arkhangelsk, the Interfax and ITAR-TASS news agencies reported.

+ Boeing Announces C-130 Total Life Extension Program
+ Network-Centric Tech for US Army SATCOM On-the-Move
+ Northrop Grumman Brings BACN To Disaster Exercise

GPS NEWS

+ Lockheed Martin Completes Fifth Modernized GPS Satellite

Farnborough, England (SPX) July 18, 2006
Lockheed Martin announced today that it has completed the fifth in a series of eight modernized Global Positioning System (GPS) IIR satellites that the company is developing for the U.S. Air Force. The spacecraft are the most technologically advanced GPS satellites ever developed and will provide significantly improved navigation performance for U.S. military and civilian users worldwide.

SPACEDAILY

+ Spirit Clears Away Dust And Loads New Software

Pasadena CA (SPX) Jul 24, 2006
Beginning July 22 in the early hours of its 907th Martian day, or sol, Spirit began knitting together and testing all 200 pieces of new flight software that mission controllers transmitted to the rover in recent weeks.

+ Sunning Frozen Soil Could Answer Martian Life Question
+ Chinese Scientists Conduct Life Support Research For Living On Mars
+ Space Flight Firm Moving To Roswell
+ First Chinese Taikonaut Talks About Eight Years In Training
+ Schlegel Assigned To ESA Columbus Laboratory Mission To ISS
+ Dark And Distant Bodies Reveal Secrets Of Galactic And Stellar Formation
+ NASA Gives Green Light For SOFIA

SPACEMART

+ Russia And Europe Agree On Joint Space Project

Farnborough, England (RIAN) Jul 24, 2006
Russia and Europe have agreed to launch a joint space-based antenna project for exploration purposes, a Roscosmos spokesman said Friday. "The 12-meter deployable antenna is designed to conduct exploration of processes in space and to transmit information to Earth," Igor Panarin said last week at the Farnborough International Airshow.

+ Europe Testing New Mobile Broadcasting Concept
+ ESA To Help Europe Prepare For Space Tourism
+ Silkworm Space Cookies Add Flavour To Diet

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

+ Cover-up claims as China storm toll leaps to 530

Beijing (AFP) Jul 22, 2006 - Chinese officials were warned against cover-ups on Saturday after the death toll from a tropical storm more than doubled overnight.

+ Indonesia starts Java clean-up
+ Europe cooler but deadly heatwave set to return
+ New Study Fuels Louisiana Subsidence Controversy
+ CapRock Provides Dual Teleport For Back-Up Emergency Communications

DARWIN TODAY

+ Scientists Strengthen Case For Life More Ancient Than Previously Thought

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 23, 2006
Ten years ago, an international team of scientists reported evidence, in a controversial cover story in the journal Nature, that life on Earth began more than 3.8 billion years ago--400 million years earlier than previously thought. A UCLA professor who was not part of that team and two of the original authors will report in late July that the evidence is stronger than ever.

+ Bacteria Give Up Secrets In War Waged On Plants
+ Tyrannosaur Survivorship -- Tough Times For Teens
+ Beekeepers Work Hard For The Honey
+ Bird Brains Shrink From Exposure To Contaminants

ENERGY TECH

+ European retirees creating a boom market for Thai property

Hua Hin, Thailand (AFP) Jul 23, 2006 - Veteran Swedish hotelier Sven Wermelin has travelled across Europe and Asia for his career, but also in search of a place to spend his retirement.

+ Illicit Trade Led To Modern Globalization
+ Exiled Tibetans warn against increased mining

SpaceWar Express - July 25, 2006
www.spacewar.com
Your World At war 24/7

NUCLEAR BLACKMARKETS

+ Lawmakers call for release of State Department nuclear report

Washington (AFP) Jul 24, 2006
Democratic lawmakers on Monday accused the US government of withholding a report containing information that could hurt chance of congressional passage of a US-India nuclear energy deal.

+ US calls on Pakistan not to use new reactor for bombs

KOREAN NUKES

+ US Prepares New Measures For North Korea

Washington (UPI) Jul 24, 2006
The United States is considering a new package of economic and other sanctions against North Korea, a top diplomat told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Thursday.
MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Japan Debates First Strike Idea

Washington (UPI) Jul 24, 2006
North Korea's Taepodong-2 test launch on July 4 has triggered a profound debate about Japan's future. Following the test, a major Japanese newspaper reported what appeared to be a trial balloon for a major strategic debate about adopting a preemptive strike option for Japan's Self Defense Forces if the country is ever threatened with a nuclear ballistic missile strike.

MILTECH

+ Researchers Discuss Insect-Size Aircraft

Arlington VA (AFNS) Jul 25, 2006
Air Force Office of Scientific Research officials here recently completed a workshop entitled "Biologically Inspired Flight for Micro Air Vehicles" in Denver. Micro air vehicles, or MAVs, are part of a new breed of remotely controlled aircraft that are significantly smaller than currently available remotely controlled aircraft. Most are only about six inches long.

+ Marines Eye Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Capabilities
+ Successful Demonstration Of Persistent Unmanned Maritime Surveillance

IRAQ WARS

+ Mideast Crisis Threatening Iraq Says Maliki

London (UPI) Jul 24, 2006
Iraq may sink deeper into chaos and instability if the conflict between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah is not halted immediately, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki warned Monday.

+ The Shiite Bloody Saturday Leaves Baghdad Reeling

WAR REPORT

+ The Chronology Of Another Middle East War

Washington (UPI) Jul 24, 2006
Last May Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert paid his first visit to Washington as prime minister of the state of Israel where he met President George W. Bush. The two leaders had much to talk about; the war on terrorism, the war in Iraq and the emerging threat of Iran building nuclear weapons.
MILPLEX

+ DOD Not Tracking Terror War Costs Says GAO

Washington (UPI) Jul 24, 2006
The Pentagon has not reported the real costs of America's Global War on Terror, a new GAO report said.

+ American Uberpower Makes For Grim Lonely Times
+ JAVELIN Anti-tank Missile Systems Sale To Bahrain

SPACE TRAVEL

+ Bigelow Releases First Images Inside Genesis

Las Vegas NV (SPX) Jul 25, 2006
Bigelow Aerospace has released the first interior photos from a portion of the company's inflatable Genesis I spacecraft currently in orbit. The images represent a sample of what the company said it hopes to produce in its "Fly Your Stuff" program.

+ Arianespace Transfers Ariane 5 ECA To Final Assembly Building
+ China Looks To Space For Super Fruit And Vegetables
+ First Men On Moon Used Pen To Fix Lander

SPACEMART

+ Dubai Aerospace To Create First Middle East Aerospace University

Farnborough, England (SPX) Jul 25, 2006
Dubai Aerospace Enterprise and Cranfield University have signed a 20-year partnership agreement to offer a wide range of top-level courses at the new DAE University, which will open its doors in Dubai this October. The organizations announced their agreement Monday at the Farnborough International Airshow.

+ Iranian Woman Blazes Trail Into Space

TIME AND SPACE

+ Reversing And Accelerating The Speed Of Light

Ames IA (SPX) Jul 25, 2006 - Physicist Costas Soukoulis and his research group at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory on the Iowa State University campus are having the time of their lives making light travel backwards at negative speeds that appear faster than the speed of light.

SpaceWar Express - July 26, 2006
news.spacewar.com
Your World At war 24/7
MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Experts Debate Space-Based Missile Defense Assets

Washington (UPI) Jul 26, 2006
A new report claims U.S. anti-ballistic missile defenses must be deployed in space to be effective, but critics disagree. Several analysts say the study is based on false pretenses and the deployment of defense mechanisms into space is not in national security interests.

+ LockMart Awards Aegis Data Recording Systems Contract To VMETRO

IRAN NUKES

+ Major powers seek elusive consensus on Iran nuclear issue

United Nations (AFP) Jul 25, 2006
Envoys of six world powers resumed tough bargaining here Tuesday and were considering turning to their political masters to break a deadlock on a UN draft resolution mandating a halt to Iran's uranium enrichment activities.

KOREAN NUKES

+ Isolated NKorea peeks out at world at Asian talks: analysts

Kuala Lumpur (AFP) Jul 25, 2006
North Korea's presence at a regional forum here this week provides a rare chance for the pariah state to escape mounting diplomatic isolation after its missile tests, analysts say.

+ Informal six-party nuclear talks scheduled at ASEAN

CYBER WARS

+ Study finds Japan open to cyber attacks

Tokyo (AFP) Jul 25, 2006
A large number of computers at Japanese ministries and police agencies are dangerously vulnerable to cyber attacks and viral infections, a government survey said Tuesday.

MILTECH

+ Canadian Forces Selects Gensym G2 Rule Engine

Burlington MA (SPX) Jul 26, 2006
Gensym Corporation has announced that Canadian Forces Experimentation Center (CFEC) and Defence Research and Development Canada's (DRDC) Center for Operational Research and Analysis (CORA) have selected Gensym's G2 rule-engine software products to support concept development and experimentation work on mission-critical planning decisions, including those for command and control, defense of Canada, and logistics.

ROBO SPACE

+ Lifelike Simulated Patients Enhance Training

Sheppard AFB TX (AFNS) Jul 26, 2006
The use of advanced, more lifelike simulated patients at the aerospace medical service apprentice course is enhancing medical training for Airmen here attending technical school with the 882nd Training Group.

NUKEWARS

+ Kadhafi says Libya was close to building nuclear bomb

Tripoli (AFP) Jul 25, 2006
Libya was on the verge of building a nuclear bomb before it decided in 2003 to abandon its programme to produce weapons of mass destruction, its leader Moamer Kadhafi said, according to the country's official news agency.

IRAQ WARS

+ Iraqi Forces One Spot Of Good News Says Top General

Washington (UPI) Jul 26, 2006
A top Iraqi general has offered a sober assessment of Iraq's troubles but said one of the things that has gone right is the Iraqi military, which he believes will grow beyond the stated goal of 160,000.

+ US, Iraqi troops to go to Baghdad 'in fairly good numbers': Rumsfeld

UAV NEWS

+ Schilling Robotics Sells State-of-the-Art Remotely Operated Vehicle

Kiel, Germany (SPX) Jul 26, 2006
In 2007, the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences (IFM-GEOMAR) in Kiel, Germany will receive the world's most advanced remotely operated vehicle (ROV) system for marine research. The ROV system, built by the U.S. company Schilling Robotics, costs EUR 4.7 million (approximately $6 million USD).

WAR REPORT

+ Lebanon Becoming A Wilderness Of Mirrors

Washington (UPI) Jul 26, 2006
Syria, under the Assad reign (father and son), has been involved in all the wars and tensions of the Middle East since 1970 when Air Force chief Gen. Hafez al-Assad launched his country's 22nd coup d'etat since World War II. For its inaugural issue in 1985, Insight magazine ran Assad on the cover as "The World's No. 1 Terror Broker."

+ Israel ground offensive limited to south Lebanon: army
+ Israel rules out rapid truce as warplanes bomb Beirut
+ Israeli raid kills family of seven as Lebanon toll nears 400
+ Berlin Aims For Prisoner Swap To End Israel-Lebanon War

SHUTTLE NEWS

+ NASA Warms Up Atlantis For STS-115

Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Jul 26, 2006
NASA engineers have moved space shuttle Atlantis to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in preparation for transfer to the launch pad early next week.

SPACEMART

+ Lockheed Martin Announces 2nd Quarter Results

Bethesda MD (SPX) Jul 25, 2006
Lockheed Martin reported Tuesday its second quarter net earnings were $580 million ($1.34 per diluted share) compared to $461 million ($1.02 per diluted share) in 2005. Net sales were $10.0 billion, a 7 percent increase over second quarter 2005 sales of $9.3 billion. Cash from operations for the second quarter of 2006 was $1.6 billion.

LAUNCH PAD

+ Arianespace Readies Syracuse 3B Satellite For Launch

Kourou, French Guyana (SPX) Jul 25, 2006
Arianespace's upcoming Ariane 5 ECA flight will match a range of payloads for its dual-satellite launch. The next mission, scheduled for Aug. 11, will carry France's Syracuse 3B military relay platform, along with the civilian JCSAT-10 telecommunications spacecraft for Japan's JSAT Corp.

SOLAR SCIENCE

+ New Camera Enhances Forecasting Of Sun-Generated Storms

Kirtland AFB NM (AFNS) Jul 26, 2006
Every 100-plus minutes, while orbiting approximately 50 miles above the Earth onboard the Coriolis satellite, the Solar Mass Ejection Imager experiment scans the darkness of space-seeking, sun-generated magnetic clouds of particles intent on striking the planet.

ROCKET SCIENCE

+ Orbital and Rocketplane Kistler Announce Strategic Relationship

Oklahoma City OK (SPX) Jul 26, 2006
Rocketplane Kistler and Orbital Sciences announced Tuesday that they have entered into a strategic relationship to support the NASA COTS program and other applications of RpK's innovative space transportation system.

BLUE SKY

+ NASA Experiment Finds Possible Trigger For Radio-Busting Bubbles

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 26, 2006
NASA-funded researchers have identified a possible cause of giant bubbles that often form above the equator in the electrically charged upper atmosphere. These bubbles, manifestations of a phenomenon called Equatorial Spread-F, disrupt radio signals that must pass through the atmosphere, including those for satellite communications, navigation systems, and the GPS.

WEATHER REPORT

+ Typhoon hits China, over 700,000 evacuated

Beijing (AFP) Jul 25, 2006
Typhoon Kaemi struck the southeast coast of China on Tuesday, sparking the evacuation of more than 700,000 people in an area still reeling from a tropical storm that claimed over 600 lives.

+ Heatwave deathtoll rises as Europe blisters under sun
+ Heat wave strains US power supply
+ Drought reduces famous Brazilian waterfall to a trickle
+ Kenya's tea production hit by drought

FLORA AND FAUNA

+ Ancient Global Warming Drove Early Primate Dispersal

Ann Arbor MI (SPX) Jul 26, 2006
The continent-hopping habits of early primates have long puzzled scientists, and several scenarios have been proposed to explain how the first true members of the group appeared virtually simultaneously on Asia, Europe and North America some 55 million years ago.

CLONE AGE

+ More Organs A Heartbeat Away

Boston (UPI) Jul 26, 2006
Doctors say it is time to go "Back to the Future" and return to the way organs were originally acquired for human transplantation: waiting for a patient's heart to stop.

+ EU Approves Stem-Cell Research

SpaceWar Express - July 27, 2006
news.spacewar.com
Your World At war 24/7


MISSILE NEWS

+ Indian Army To Get World's First Supersonic Cruise Missiles

Washington DC (UPI) Jul 26, 2006
The Indian Army will become the first military force in the world to operate supersonic cruise missiles when it deploys the BrahMos surface-to-surface missile next year. The missile is expected to be deployed by September 2007. The joint Indo-Russian BrahMos has a 180-mile range.

MISSILE DEFENSE

+ Taiwan Successfully Test Fires Patriot Missile Defense System

Tewksbury MA (SPX) Jul 27, 2006
The Republic of China successfully destroyed two surrogate ballistic missiles with the Patriot Air and Missile Defense System during the Han Kuang military exercises conducted near Ilan in the northeast region of Taiwan.
MILTECH

+ New Long-Range Bomber On Horizon For 2018

Langley AFB VA (SPX) Jul 27, 2006
A new bomber scheduled for operation as early as 2018 will enhance America's long-range strike capabilities, according to Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley in a recent Armed Services Committee speech.

+ Composite Technology to Improve Tactical Shelters
+ Second Generation Power System For US Military
MILPLEX

+ USAF Adds Billions To F-22 Raptor Costs

Washington (UPI) Jul 26, 2006
The U.S. Air Force's plan to buy up to 60 more F-22 fighter jets will cost $1.7 billion, the Government Accountability Office said.

+ Britain to protest US use of airport to send missiles to Israel
WAR REPORT

+ Israeli-Lebanese Conflict - Round-up Of Analysis

Washington (UPI) Jul 26, 2006
In due course the guns will fall silent in Lebanon, giving room to a political settlement that will most likely come accompanied by a demand for yet more foreign forces to take a position in an effort to guarantee a lasting peace writes Claude Salhani.

ERRORWARS

+ Rumsfeld circulates proposal for 'war on terror' trials: spokesman

Washington (AFP) Jul 26, 2006
US defense chiefs are reviewing draft legislation proposed by the administration to try "war on terror" detainees under new rules rather than under existing military law, a spokesman said Wednesday.

+ US Updates Border Screening

KOREAN NUKES

+ North Korea vows "do-or-die resistance"

Seoul (AFP) Jul 26, 2006
North Korea's defense minister said Wednesday his country would wage "all-out, do-or-die resistance" after criticism from the United States and the UN Security Council over its missile tests.

+ Rice confronts new crises at Southeast Asian meeting

UAV NEWS

+ Mediaware Awarded Contract For North West Shelf UAV Trial

Canberra, Australia (SPX) Jul 27, 2006
Mediaware has announced that it has been awarded a contract by the Australian Department of Defence for its D-VEX Digital Video Exploitation System. D-VEX will be acquired and deployed by the Australian Department of Defence in the forthcoming North West Shelf Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) surveillance trials scheduled for September 2006.

SPACE TRAVEL

+ Space Frontier Foundation Slams NASA CEV Plans

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 27, 2006
The Space Frontier Foundation announced Wednesday it has issued a whitepaper calling NASA's post-space shuttle plans the initial stages of complete failure. As the first step in a long-term campaign, the organization said it considers the agency's Crew Exploration Vehicle effort "a dead-end that is both unaffordable and unsustainable."

+ Russian Rocket Fails Shortly After Launch

SPACE TECH

+ NASA Awards Contracts For Constellation Program Study

Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Jul 27, 2006
NASA has awarded a 90-day study contract to four space-related companies to examine separately long-term ground processing and infrastructure planning for the agency's Constellation program.

+ ICG Demonstrates Iridium Technology In Airship Trials
+ NASA Partners With AirLaunch On Small Sat Development
+ Nano Helps Keep Cells Alive
+ Tiny Chip Demonstrates Big Memory in Cosmos

SHUTTLE NEWS

+ NASA Preparing Atlantis For Monday Rollout

Kennedy Space Center FL (SPX) Jul 27, 2006
NASA technicians are preparing space shuttle Atlantis for its four-mile journey to Launch Pad 39-B at Kennedy Space Center on Monday, July 31, the agency announced Wednesday. First motion is scheduled for 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time. Atlantis' launch window begins Aug. 28 for an 11-day mission to the International Space Station.

CIVIL NUCLEAR

+ India says no compromise on US nuclear deal

New Delhi (AFP) Jul 26, 2006
India said on Wednesday it would make no compromises on a landmark deal with the United States to get civil nuclear technology amid criticism that the pact could endanger national security.

+ House to debate US-India nuclear energy bill
+ Russia to build Kazakhstan's first nuclear power plant

DISASTER MANAGEMENT

+ Almost 3,000 believed dead, missing in NKorea floods: rights group

Seoul (AFP) Jul 26, 2006
Nearly 3,000 North Koreans were believed dead or missing in floods and landslides after torrential rains hit the impoverished country, a respected South Korean human rights group said Wednesday.

+ One year on, Mumbai's great flood debate rumbles on

HURRICANE SCIENCE

+ NASA Africa Mission Investigates Hurricane Origin And Development

Washington DC (SPX) Jul 27, 2006
Scientists from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, universities and international agencies will study how winds and dust conditions from Africa influence the birth of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean.

SINO DAILY

+ China issues guidelines against police torture

Beijing (AFP) Jul 26, 2006
China on Wednesday issued guidelines aimed at stopping the use of torture by police in dealing with suspects and criminals, state media said. Previous regulations only prohibited law enforcement and judicial officers from using "brutal means" to extract confessions without explaining what that meant, Xinhua said.