New Spain king moves to clean up palace's image

July 28, 2014

MADRID (AP) — Spain's new King Felipe VI has ordered the palace's accounts to be audited externally and the results made public, in an apparent bid to clean up the royal family's tarnished image.

A palace statement said Monday said the king had decided on a series of measures that include plans for a new code of good conduct, a ban on immediate royal family members working in the public sector and greater control of gifts received by the royal family.

Felipe became king last month when his father, King Juan Carlos, stepped down after a four-decade reign, saying new royal blood was needed to energize the country. The palace had become embroiled in several scandals in recent years and Felipe said he intended to restore public trust in the monarchy.

Japan, Britain to launch joint missile research

Tokyo (AFP)
July 17, 2014

Japan said Thursday it would join forces with Britain to jointly develop missile technology for fighter jets, while also moving to export Japanese-made parts for US surface-to-air missiles.

The decision comes several months after Japan lifted a self-imposed ban on weapons exports, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe looks to expand Japan's diplomatic and military presence on the global stage.

The exports would be the first since Japan in April approved a new policy that replaces its 1967 blanket ban on shipping arms overseas.

The joint research with Britain was linked to a European missile project called Meteor, with an initial emphasis on how current Japanese technology could enhance British-developed missiles, according to a statement jointly issued by several ministries, including Japan's foreign and defense ministries.

The Meteor project, which is developing missiles for Eurofighter planes, is being led by Franco-British missile maker Matra BAe Dynamics (MBD) along with other European firms.

"We believe that we can create more sophisticated products by bringing together the finest technologies from both Britain and Japan," a Japanese defense official told a press briefing Thursday evening.

A spokesperson for Britain's Ministry of Defense welcomed the joint project.

"This is a positive reflection of growing levels of co-operation between UK industry and Japan," the spokesperson said.

In a separate decision, Tokyo would also allow US-bound exports of parts for the Patriot Advanced Capability-2 (PAC-2) missile defense system developed by Washington.

The parts were originally supplied by a US defense contractor that no longer makes the product.

An earlier report this month by the leading Nikkei business daily said Mitsubishi Heavy Industries plans to export a high-performance sensor for the PAC-2 missile defense system.

The sensor is a key component of an infrared device at the tip of the missile that identifies and tracks targets, the Nikkei said.

Under Japan's new arms export rules, weapon sales are still banned to conflict-plagued countries or nations that could undermine international peace and security, and they must contribute to international peace and boost pacifist Japan's security.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Japan_Britain_to_launch_joint_missile_research_999.html.

Chinese president wields economic might on LatAm tour

Havana (AFP)
July 23, 2014

Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up a nine-day Latin American tour in Cuba on Wednesday, heading home with dozens of deals underlining Beijing's growing interest -- and influence -- in the region.

Xi kicked off his trip at a summit of the BRICS emerging powers in Brazil, then traveled to Argentina, Venezuela and Cuba -- three countries that have often been among the most outspoken critics of US dominance over the region.

His charm offensive began with the announcement by the BRICS -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -- of a new $50-billion development bank and $100-billion reserve fund designed to provide an alternative to the Western-led World Bank and International Monetary Fund.

Latin American leaders had glowing praise for the move, which Xi followed up by proposing a $20-billion infrastructure fund for the region.

"A new beginning, a new perspective, a new motivation," he said at the launch of the development bank on July 15.

It earned him a warm welcome in Argentina, whose cash-strapped government, locked out of capital markets since defaulting on its debt in 2001, is fighting off hedge funds in a US court while staring down the threat of another default.

Argentina and China signed more than 20 deals worth several billion dollars during Xi's visit, in areas from oil to mining to agriculture.

"The arrival of new actors is going to bring our countries new and better opportunities, because it will no longer be possible to have a world where some dominate others. It will be a world of cooperation and that should be the new global model," said Argentine President Cristina Kirchner.

- 'Promising market for China' -

Xi again had his sights on raw materials and energy in his visit to Venezuela, where he signed some 30 deals with President Nicolas Maduro in the oil, mining and agriculture sectors.

"Venezuela has become one of the top countries for Chinese investment," said Xi.

China is also Venezuela's top creditor, and the second-largest market for Venezuelan oil after the United States. It pays for its average 640,000 daily barrels in part by writing down the $17-billion debt Caracas owes it.

Xi announced a "comprehensive strategic partnership" with both Argentina and Venezuela, highlighting China's eagerness to do business with the two resource-rich countries often given the cold shoulder by US and European investors.

He took the same tack in Cuba, signing more than two dozen deals ranging from a credit line to modernize the port of Santiago de Cuba, to developing golf courses in the Americas' only communist-ruled nation.

Cuba does not have as much heft on global markets as the other stops on Xi's itinerary, but its Cold War history is bound up with China's.

"China is full of confidence about the future development of relations between our country and Cuba, and that we will forever be good friends, comrades and brothers of Cuba," Xi said.

But analysts said his trip was more about business than ideology.

"China's political and economic expansion is pragmatic in character. It's not about ideology or competition with the United States, but a Chinese policy of looking long-term for natural resources in different parts of the world," said Venezuelan political analyst Carlos Romero.

Latin America in turn "represents a promising market for Chinese consumer goods," said Carlos Malamud of the Elcano Institute in Caracas.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Chinese_president_wields_economic_might_on_LatAm_tour_999.html.

Italy opens theme park in tribute to film industry

July 28, 2014

ROME (AP) — A new amusement park outside Rome celebrates the world of cinema, taking visitors back to the golden age of Italian film production when the Rome-based Cinecitta Studios — still in operation — were known as "Hollywood on the Tiber."

"Here, the idea is that people will also enter not only sets, but the confusion of a place where we are shooting movie. Everything will be illusion," said Emmanuel Gout, president of Cinecitta Parks. "The visitor will become a protagonist of the day, becoming a star, becoming involved in some fake movie."

At a submarine set, visitors get into character by donning marine helmets and racing through an action-packed movie scene. These marines bark orders and frantically spin valves, trying to avert an impending disaster.

Fans of Sergio Leone spaghetti Westerns will delight in the Western set, which features an Ennio Morricone soundtrack for make-believe cowboy showdowns. A 1920s New York set is inspired by Dante Ferretti's set work for the Martin Scorsese film, "Gangs of New York." Ferretti actually designed all the sets for the park.

But beyond the lights, camera and action, no amusement park is complete without some wild rides. Cinecitta World mixes roller coasters with the pleasure of cinematic recreation: a futuristic corkscrew roller coaster connected to a spaceship and a water coaster in an ancient Rome set.

Italy is not exactly known for its amusement parks — most tourists come to Rome to view real ancient ruins, like the Colosseum. But Cinecitta World's creators hope this park will coax tourists to tack an extra day onto their itineraries.

"The average tourist spends five days in Paris but two and a half days in Rome," said Luigi Abete, president of the Italian Entertainment Group. "After they opened the Disney theme park outside Paris, the average stay went up."

And Cinecitta World does stand out among theme parks in several ways. For one thing, the food is better. No greasy funnel cakes or corn dogs to be found: Visitors instead can sit down to a civilized meal at an Italian wood-fired pizzeria at the Gatsby-esque Charleston Club; a healthful buffet (with a glass of wine, for grown-ups) at the Old American Bistro, or a rollicking barbecue at the saloon.

But beyond the food, there's plenty of kitsch at Cinecitta World. With its jumble of loose references to bygone films that many children (and even some adults) won't be familiar with — from the 1914 silent film "Cabiria" to American classics like "High Noon" and "Indiana Jones" — it seems oddly and refreshingly disconnected from the current moment.

"While other places say what you have to dream, we don't. We are free," said Gout. Italians seem to agree. "It takes us back in time," said Mirella Monti, a visitor at a preview before the park's official July 24 opening. "Cinema always has this effect: In a few seconds, it catapults you into a completely different environment than reality — it could be the future or the past."

WWI: Austria displays declaration of war on Serbia

July 28, 2014

VIENNA (AP) — Austrian and Serbian diplomats marked the 100th anniversary of Austria's declaration of war on Serbia — which ultimately led to the outbreak of World War I — by attending an exhibition Monday that displays the historic document.

The diplomats shook hands next to the declaration, which is on show at Vienna's Leopold Museum, as the two countries marked its publication a century ago. Austria declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914, after a month of mounting tensions sparked by the assassinations of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie. They were shot in the Bosnian capital of Sarajevo by Serb nationalist Gavrilo Princip.

The declaration drew in other great powers — some on the side of Serbia, others backing Austria — to lead to World War I.

Key World War I battle re-enacted in Poland

July 27, 2014

SZKOTOWO, Poland (AP) — About 200 history enthusiasts from across Europe have gathered on a hilly area in Poland to reconstruct the Battle of Tannenberg, an engagement between the Russian and German Empires in the first days of World War I.

The reenactment was held Sunday, one day before the 100th anniversary of the start of the war. It was held on the site of the original battle, which a century ago was in eastern Prussia, but which now lies in northern Poland.

The battle took place from Aug. 26-30, 1914, and resulted in a major defeat for Russia. The victorious German commander, Paul von Hindenburg, became a national hero, and was later Germany's president. The battle is also sometimes known as the second Battle of Tannenberg. The first took place in 1410.

Dutch declare day of national mourning

July 22, 2014

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Dutch government has declared Wednesday a day of national mourning as the country prepares for the arrival of the first bodies of victims of the downed Malaysia Airlines Flight 17.

The country's king and queen will be at an air base in Eindhoven to greet two military planes that are scheduled to arrive around 4 p.m. (1400 GMT) Wednesday carrying the first victims' remains. The government said Tuesday that church bells can be rung during the day and for the five minutes preceding the flights' arrival. Dignitaries will then observe a minute's silence and "everybody can join in."

France sends soldiers to guard Air Algeria wreck

July 25, 2014

PARIS (AP) — French officials dispatched a military unit to secure the site in restive Mali where an Air Algeria plane crashed with 116 people aboard. France's interior minister said Friday that terrorism cannot be excluded as a cause for the tragedy, though it was likely due to bad weather.

The MD-83 aircraft, owned by Spanish company Swiftair and leased by Algeria's flagship carrier, disappeared from radar less than an hour after it took off early Thursday from Burkina Faso's capital, Ouagadougou, for Algiers. The plane had requested permission to change course due to bad weather.

A French Reaper drone based in Niger spotted the wreckage in Mali, near the Burkina Faso border, French Transport Minister Frederic Cuvillier told France-Info radio on Friday. Two helicopter teams also overflew, noting that the wreckage was in a concentrated area. A column of soldiers in some 30 vehicles were dispatched to the site, he said.

A statement early Friday from the office of President Francois Hollande said the aircraft had been clearly identified "despite its state of disintegration." Quick discovery of the wreckage is "decisive" in piecing together what happened, the transport minister said, describing the aircraft as "disintegrated" and debris "in an apparently small area."

"We think the plane went down due to weather conditions, but no hypothesis can be excluded as long as we don't have the results of an investigation," French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve told RTL radio.

"Terrorist groups are in the zone. ... We know these groups are hostile to Western interests," Cazeneuve said. The pilots had sent a final message to ask Niger air control to change its route because of heavy rain, Burkina Faso Transport Minister Jean Bertin Ouedraogo said Thursday.

French forces intervened in northern Mali in January 2013 to rout Islamist extremists controlling the region. A French soldier was killed earlier this month near the major town of Gao, where French troops remain. Separatist Touaregs also have been fighting each other.

Nearly half the 110 passengers aboard the plane were French, and France is deeply shaken by the drama. The president promised to mobilize all French military and civilian means in the region and call on partners to help.

The French gave the location of the crash site as in the Gossi region of Mali, on the border with Burkina Faso. "We sent men, with the agreement of the Mali government, to the site, and they found the wreckage of the plane with the help of the inhabitants of the area," said Gen. Gilbert Diendere, a close aide to Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore and head of the crisis committee set up to investigate the flight.

The crash was the third airline disaster within a week. Last week, a Malaysia Airlines flight was shot down over war-torn eastern Ukraine; the U.S. has blamed it on separatists firing a surface-to-air missile. On Wednesday, a Taiwanese plane crashed during a storm, killing 48 people.

French forces had joined the search for the Air Algeria flight, alongside Algeria and other neighboring countries plus the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA. Algerian aircraft also participated in the hunt.

Swiftair, a private Spanish airline, said the plane was carrying 110 passengers and six crew, and left Burkina Faso for Algiers at 0117 GMT Thursday. The passengers were 51 French, 27 Burkina Faso nationals, eight Lebanese, six Algerians, five Canadians, four Germans, two Luxembourg nationals, one Swiss, one Belgian, one Egyptian, one Ukrainian, one Nigerian, one Cameroonian and one Malian, Ouedraogo said. The six crew members were Spanish, according to the Spanish pilots' union.

China to launch satellite for Venezuela

Beijing (XNA)
Jul 25, 2014

The China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) has signed an agreement with Venezuela for in-orbit delivery of a second remote sensing satellite for the country, the company said on Tuesday.

CASC subsidiary Great Wall Industry Corporation will be the major contractor of the project, the corporation said.

But the corporation did not give a specific timeframe for the project.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, who is on a four-nation Latin America tour, told his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro Sunday in Caracas that China is ready to expand satellite technology transfer to Venezuela.

China sent a remote sensing satellite, the "VRSS-1," into space from northwest China's Gobi desert for Venezuela in 2012.

VRSS-1 is Venezuela's first remote sensing satellite and is mainly used for the country's land resource inspections, environmental protection, disaster detection and management, crop yield estimation and city planning.

Source: Space-Travel.
Link: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/China_to_launch_satellite_for_Venezuela_999.html.

ISS Crew Opens Cargo Ship Hatch, Preps for CubeSat Deployment

Washington DC (SPX)
Jul 25, 2014

The six-person Expedition 40 crew enjoyed an abbreviated workday Thursday, having worked late the previous night to welcome the arrival of a Russian cargo craft a little less than six hours after its launch from Kazakhstan.

The ISS Progress 56 resupply spacecraft, packed with almost three tons of food, fuel and supplies, automatically docked to the station's Pirs docking compartment at 11:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday. The space freighter launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 5:44 p.m. to begin the 4-orbit trek to the orbiting complex.

After they completed a leak check at the interface between the Progress and Pirs, Flight Engineers Alexander Skvortsov and Max Suraev opened the hatch Thursday morning to begin unloading cargo from the resupply vehicle. The new Progress is loaded with 1,764 pounds of propellant, 48 pounds of oxygen, 57 pounds of air, 926 pounds of water and 2,910 pounds of spare parts, experiment hardware and other supplies for the Expedition 40 crew.

Commander Steve Swanson began his day in the Kibo laboratory cleaning the Saibo experiment rack's glovebox, known as the Clean Bench.

Meanwhile, Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman recharged a battery associated with one of the U.S. spacesuits to make sure that the necessary equipment remains ready to support a spacewalk.

Swanson and Wiseman then took a break from their work to talk with U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Chairman Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX) and committee members. The two NASA astronauts discussed the importance of space station research and technology, getting students interested in STEM fields and the station's role in setting the path for America's next giant leap to send humans to Mars.

Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency focused much of his attention on preparations for the deployment of small CubeSat nanosatellites in the weeks ahead. Gerst installed NanoRacks CubeSat Deployer hardware onto the Multipurpose Experiment Platform, which will be passed through the Kibo module's scientific airlock to launch the various CubeSats into orbit.

Among the cargo aboard Orbital Sciences' Cygnus cargo ship when it arrived at the station last week were 16 deployers containing a total of 32 CubeSats, including 28 Dove nanosatellites built and operated by Planet Labs Inc. for a humanitarian Earth-imaging program.

Gerst and Swanson rounded out their day reviewing procedures for a test they will conduct Friday with a trio of soccer-ball-sized, free-flying robots known the Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites, or SPHERES.

For this upcoming experiment session, the SPHERES will be outfitted with stereoscopic goggles dubbed the Visual Estimation and Relative Tracking for Inspection of Generic Objects, or VERTIGO, to enable the free-floating robots to perform relative navigation based on a 3D model of a target object.

The third Russian cosmonaut aboard the station, Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev, worked with a cell cultivation experiment known as Kaskad and performed routine maintenance on the toilet in the Russian segment of the station.

Artemyev, Skvortsov and Swanson also continued their participation in a study of lightweight, commercially available clothing designed to resist odors. Since there's no washing machine on the station and launching enough clothes for a change every day would consume valuable cargo space on resupply vehicles, the station's crew members re-wear their garments for multiple days.

The three crew members have been wearing the new germ-resistant test clothes to check for comfort and odor control.

Source: Space-Travel.
Link: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/ISS_Crew_Opens_Cargo_Ship_Hatch_Preps_for_CubeSat_Deployment_999.html.

Emirates paves way for Middle East space program with mission to Mars

London, UK (SPX)
Jul 25, 2014

The United Arab Emirates has announced plans to launch a mission to Mars by 2021. A first for the Arab world, the mission and accompanying Space Agency are a big deal for the UAE - scientifically and politically.

Investing in space activities is not new territory for the UAE. Its investments in space-related technology has already exceeded some US$5.4 billion, developing satellite data, mobile satellite communications and earth mapping and observation facilities.

This is not surprising when we live in an age where space hardware is important for a range of practical everyday uses such as telecommunications and navigation. Accordingly, many countries have invested in purchasing satellites and their launches, data from space, and other space infrastructure.

Next level space missions

But there is something unique about the UAE's announcement of plans to create a space agency and launch an unmanned mission to Mars by 2021. The plans indicate that the UAE will develop its own spacecraft building and perhaps also launching capabilities.

While many countries participate in space activities through the purchase of hardware and launches from external providers, the ability to build and launch their own craft domestically lifts a country to the next level of the space faring elite.

The announcement also implies that the UAE plans to pursue hugely expensive space activities with a primarily scientific purpose. Yes, this project has a practical purpose in that it is to inspire UAE technology growth and the education of forthcoming scientists. However a country is also making a statement when it moves from space-related activity for purely practical purposes, to the more heady goals of exploration, inspiration and science.

Power, prestige and politics

The leap from practical to primarily scientific space activity is noteworthy. This is partly because a space program is a way for states to assert their prestige.

There is historical precedent that undertaking space activities for exploration garners prestige and indicates power: financial strength, technological capabilities and also ideologically the capability to be at the forefront of an area of research that taps into humanity's biggest goals.

The origins of putting human-made objects into space were during the Cold War between the US and the USSR, often referred to as the first space race.

But we have moved on from the days where space was a bipolar activity: many countries have space capabilities and activities are undertaken for a wide range of reasons. Also non-state actors are increasingly active in space, including several (such as Mars One) that have planned manned missions to Mars.

Still, the UAE's Mars mission has a political subtext on several levels. Domestically, it is timed to shore up nationalistic sentiment for the 50th anniversary of the country's formation. Regionally, the project indicates leadership within the Middle East region. And globally, the mission marks the entry of an Arab nation into the elite club of countries with such ambitious space programs.

Success guaranteed?

Will this project work, both scientifically and in order to build international prestige? Scientifically, Mars missions have proved tricky. Many have failed, including the UK's Mars Beagle 2 rover, which reached Mars in 2003 but failed upon landing on the Martian surface. Therefore it remains to be seen what exactly the plans are for the UAE's Martian device, and what it will achieve.

Politically, the planned program to Mars and also the creation of an UAE Space Agency makes a powerful statement. It puts the Middle East on the map with regards to space exploration for scientific purposes. It could also drive the creation of a Middle East space program, akin to that of the European Space Agency.

This does not undermine the scientific value or importance of the project proposed by the UAE. The space science research community is well-networked transnationally, and a well-funded project to the red planet by the UAE should be welcomed.

Source: Mars Daily.
Link: http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/Emirates_paves_way_for_Middle_East_space_program_with_mission_to_Mars_999.html.

Earth survived near-miss from 2012 solar storm: NASA

Washington (AFP)
July 24, 2014

Back in 2012, the Sun erupted with a powerful solar storm that just missed the Earth but was big enough to "knock modern civilization back to the 18th century," NASA said.

The extreme space weather that tore through Earth's orbit on July 23, 2012, was the most powerful in 150 years, according to a statement posted on the US space agency website Wednesday.

However, few Earthlings had any idea what was going on.

"If the eruption had occurred only one week earlier, Earth would have been in the line of fire," said Daniel Baker, professor of atmospheric and space physics at the University of Colorado.

Instead the storm cloud hit the STEREO-A spacecraft, a solar observatory that is "almost ideally equipped to measure the parameters of such an event," NASA said.

Scientists have analyzed the treasure trove of data it collected and concluded that it would have been comparable to the largest known space storm in 1859, known as the Carrington event.

It also would have been twice as bad as the 1989 solar storm that knocked out power across Quebec, scientists said.

"I have come away from our recent studies more convinced than ever that Earth and its inhabitants were incredibly fortunate that the 2012 eruption happened when it did," said Baker.

The National Academy of Sciences has said the economic impact of a storm like the one in 1859 could cost the modern economy more than two trillion dollars and cause damage that might take years to repair.

Experts say solar storms can cause widespread power blackouts, disabling everything from radio to GPS communications to water supplies -- most of which rely on electric pumps.

They begin with an explosion on the Sun's surface, known as a solar flare, sending X-rays and extreme UV radiation toward Earth at light speed.

Hours later, energetic particles follow and these electrons and protons can electrify satellites and damage their electronics.

Next are the coronal mass ejections, billion-ton clouds of magnetized plasma that take a day or more to cross the Sun-Earth divide.

These are often deflected by Earth's magnetic shield, but a direct hit could be devastating.

There is a 12 percent chance of a super solar storm the size of the Carrington event hitting Earth in the next 10 years, according to physicist Pete Riley, who published a paper in the journal Space Weather earlier this year on the topic.

His research was based on an analysis of solar storm records going back 50 years.

"Initially, I was quite surprised that the odds were so high, but the statistics appear to be correct," said Riley.

"It is a sobering figure."

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Earth_survived_near-miss_from_2012_solar_storm_NASA_999.html.

Russian Cargo Craft Launches for 6-Hour Trek to ISS

Washington DC (SPX)
Jul 25, 2014

The unpiloted ISS Progress 56 resupply spacecraft, packed with nearly three tons of cargo for the Expedition 40 crew, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 5:44 p.m. EDT Wednesday (3:44 a.m. Thursday, Kazakh time) to begin a 6-hour, 4-orbit flight to the International Space Station.

At the time of launch, the station was flying about 260 miles above northeast Kazakhstan, having passed directly over the launch site three minutes earlier.

A series of thruster firings by Progress over the next several hours will adjust the orbit to put the Russian space freighter on track for a rendezvous with the station and an automated docking to the Earth-facing port of the Pirs docking compartment at 11:30 p.m.

The new Progress is loaded with 1,764 pounds of propellant, 48 pounds of oxygen, 57 pounds of air, 926 pounds of water and 2,910 pounds of spare parts, experiment hardware and other supplies for the Expedition 38 crew. Expedition 40 Flight Engineers Alexander Skvortsov and Max Suraev will open the hatch to Progress Thursday morning to begin unloading the cargo.

Progress 56 is slated to spend about three months docked to the complex before undocking to make way for ISS Progress 57.

The ISS Progress 55 cargo craft, which undocked from Pirs on Monday, is now a safe distance from the complex for a series of engineering tests prior to being sent to a destructive re-entry over the Pacific Ocean on July 31.

The station's crew began the workday at 6 a.m. Wednesday, four hours later than the usual 2 a.m. reveille to accommodate the late-night arrival of Progress.

Commander Steve Swanson and Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst participated in more Ocular Health exams as flight surgeons track the vision health of the astronauts aboard the station.

NASA recently identified that some astronauts experience changes in their vision, which might be related to effects of microgravity on the cardiovascular system. Researchers are working to understand and prevent these changes in astronauts. With guidance from the Ocular Health team on the ground, Gerst performed an ultrasound scan of Swanson's eyes.

Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman then pitched in to help out with Wednesday's exams and conducted an ultrasound scan of Gerst's eyes. Swanson and Gerst later measured each other's blood pressure and collected electrocardiogram data for Ocular Health.

Swanson also temporarily removed the Multi-user Droplet Combustion Apparatus from the Combustion Integrated Rack's combustion chamber to replace some igniter tips.

The commander then moved on to assist Wiseman, who was participating in another round of data collection for the Sprint exercise study. Sprint measures the effectiveness of high-intensity, low-volume exercise training in minimizing the loss of muscle mass and bone density that occurs during spaceflight. Station crew members currently work out around 2 0.5-hours every day, and the Sprint team is looking into ways to reduce that total exercise time while maintaining crew fitness

Wiseman also set up and photographed new test samples for the Binary Colloidal Alloy Test, or BCAT. Results from this ongoing investigation of colloids - mixtures of small particles distributed throughout a liquid - will help materials scientists to develop new consumer products with unique properties and longer shelf lives.

For the ongoing Burning And Suppression of Solids experiment, or BASS, Gerst conducted a series of flame tests at reduced oxygen pressure to get a stable blue flame for a longer period of time. Housed inside the station's Microgravity Science Glovebox, BASS is investigating the hypothesis that some materials may actually become more flammable in space.

Results from BASS will help screen materials for their use aboard future spacecraft. The research also provides scientists with improved computational models that will aid in the design of fire detection and suppression systems both in space and here on Earth.

Gerst also used several dermatology tools on his forearm to collect data for the Skin B experiment, which investigates the accelerated aging of skin that seems to occur during spaceflight. Results from this study will improve the understanding of the mechanisms of skin aging as well as provide insight into the aging process of similar body tissues.

On the Russian side of the station, Suraev and Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev began the day with an examination of the veins in their lower legs to provide data on the body's adaption to long-duration spaceflight.

With Progress 56 slated to arrive at the station well-past the crew's usual bedtime, all three Russian cosmonauts aboard the station took a 4-hour nap at beginning 12:30 p.m.

The station also conducted a "deboost" Wednesday morning to steer clear of some space debris.

The engines of the station's Zvezda service module conducted a 32-second firing at 6:57 a.m. EDT to slightly lower the orbit of the complex and steer clear of a fragment of debris from a Russian Breeze-M upper stage used in the launch of a Russian satellite in December 2011.

The "deboost" of the station was coordinated between NASA and Russian flight controllers after tracking data confirmed that the fragment would have posed a high probability of a conjunction with the station. Although last-minute tracking data indicated that the fragment would have passed a safe distance away from the station, flight controllers elected to proceed with the engine firing since it would have no impact on other activities.

Earlier data indicated that if no maneuver would have been conducted, the fragment would have made its closest approach to the station at 9:16 a.m. with an estimated radial miss distance of just 1/10 of a mile and an overall miss distance of 3.6 miles.

The maneuver lowered the station's orbit by 1.1 statute miles at apogee and 1/10 of a statute mile at perigee and left the station in an orbit of 258.8 x 256.9 statute miles.

The conjunction posed no threat to the crew, had no impact on station operations or the launch of Progress 56.

Source: Space-Travel.
Link: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Russian_Cargo_Craft_Launches_for_6_Hour_Trek_to_ISS_999.html.

Russian Spacecraft To Host Experiments After ISS Supply Run

Moscow (RIA Novosti)
Jul 24, 2014

Russia's Progress M-23M resupply spacecraft is due to get undocked on Tuesday from the International Space Station (ISS) and embark on an autonomous scientific flight to study the impact of its engines on the plasma of the Earth's ionosphere.

"An experiment titled 'Radar-Progress' is scheduled to be held on board the Progress [spacecraft] from July 22 to August 1, it is connected to the studies by earth-based observatories on the light-reflecting capacity of plasma heterogeneities generated by propulsion systems in the ionosphere," a source in the Russian mission control center told RIA Novosti.

Another Progress cargo ship is to be launched on July 24. It will bring 45 snails to the ISS for a scientific experiment, which will see how space flight influences morphological and electrophysiological properties of a biological object's regeneration process, Russian space agency Roscosmos said last week.

The unmanned spaceship will also deliver fuel, food, water and oxygen for the crew, as well as scientific equipment. The Soyuz-U carrier rocket will put the new Progress M-24M ship into orbit on July 24, at 1:44 a.m. Moscow time.

A total of 130 Progress spacecraft have supported orbiting outposts over the past three decades, lifting many tons of supplies to low Earth orbit.

Source: Space Daily.
Link: http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Russian_Cargo_Spacecraft_to_Host_Experiment_After_Delivering_Supplies_to_ISS_999.html.

Voyager Spacecraft Might Not Have Reached Interstellar Space

Washington DC (SPX)
Jul 24, 2014

In 2012, the Voyager mission team announced that the Voyager 1 spacecraft had passed into interstellar space, traveling further from Earth than any other manmade object. But, in the nearly two years since that historic announcement, and despite subsequent observations backing it up, uncertainty about whether Voyager 1 really crossed the threshold continues.

There are some scientists who say that the spacecraft is still within the heliosphere - the region of space dominated by the Sun and its wind of energetic particles - and has not yet reached the space between the stars.

Now, two Voyager team scientists have developed a test that they say could prove once and for all if Voyager 1 has crossed the boundary. The new test is outlined in a study accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union.

The scientists predict that, in the next two years, Voyager 1 will cross the current sheet - the sprawling surface within the heliosphere where the polarity of the sun's magnetic field changes from plus to minus.

The spacecraft will detect a reversal in the magnetic field, proving that it is still within the heliosphere. But, if the magnetic field reversal doesn't happen in the next year or two as expected, that is confirmation that Voyager 1 has already passed into interstellar space.

"The proof is in the pudding," said George Gloeckler, a professor in atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and lead author of the new study.

Gloeckler has worked on the Voyager mission since 1972 and has been a vocal opponent of the view that Voyager 1 has entered interstellar space. He said that, although the spacecraft has observed many of the signs indicating it may have reached interstellar space, like cosmic rays, Voyager 1 did not see a change in magnetic field that many were expecting.

"This controversy will continue until it is resolved by measurements," Gloeckler said.

If the new prediction is right, "this will be the highlight of my life," he said. "There is nothing more gratifying than when you have a vision or an idea and you make a prediction and it comes true."

The Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft were launched in 1977 to study Jupiter and Saturn. The mission has since been extended to explore the outermost limits of the Sun's influence and beyond. Voyager 2, which also flew by Uranus and Neptune, is on its way to interstellar space.

Gloeckler and co-author, Len Fisk, also a professor in atmospheric, oceanic and space sciences at the University of Michigan, are basing their new test on a model they developed and published earlier this year in The Astrophysical Journal.

The model assumes that the solar wind is slowing down and, as a result, that the solar wind can be compressed. Based on this assumption, the study says Voyager 1 is moving faster than the outward flow of the solar wind and will encounter current sheets where the polarity of the magnetic field will reverse, proving that the spacecraft has not yet left the heliosphere.

The scientists predict this reversal will most likely happen during 2015, based on observations made by Voyager 1.

"If that happens, I think if anyone still believes Voyager 1 is in the interstellar medium, they will really have something to explain," Gloeckler said. "It is a signature that can't be missed."

Ed Stone of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and NASA's Voyager Project Scientist said in a statement that "It is the nature of the scientific process that alternative theories are developed in order to account for new observations. This paper differs from other models of the solar wind and the heliosphere and is among the new models that the Voyager team will be studying as more data are acquired by Voyager."

Alan Cummings, a senior research scientist at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and a co-investigator on the Voyager mission, believes Voyager 1 has most likely crossed into interstellar space, but he said there is a possibility that Gloeckler and Fisk are right and the spacecraft is still in the heliosphere.

He said that if Voyager 1 experiences a current sheet crossing like the one being proposed in the new study, it could also mean that the heliosphere is expanding and crossed the spacecraft again.

"If the magnetic field had cooperated, I don't think we'd be having this discussion," Cummings said. "This is a puzzle. It is very reasonable to explore alternate explanations. We don't understand everything that happened out there."

Stephen Fuselier, director of the space science department at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, who is not involved with the research and is not on the Voyager 1 team, said the scientists have come up with a good test to prove once and for all if Voyager 1 has crossed into interstellar space.

However, he does not agree with the assumption that the paper is making about the how fast the solar wind is moving. But, he said there is no way to measure this flow velocity, and if Gloeckler and Fisk's assumptions are correct, the model makes sense and Voyager 1 could still be inside the heliosphere.

"I applaud them for coming out with a bold prediction," said Fuselier, who works on the Interstellar Boundary Explorer mission that is examining the boundary between the solar wind and the interstellar medium.

"If they are right, they are heroes. If they are wrong, though, it is important for the community to understand why ... If they are wrong, then that must mean that one or more of their assumptions is incorrect, and we as a community have to understand which it is."

Fuselier, who believes Voyager 1 has entered interstellar space, said he will reserve judgment on whether Gloecker and Fisk are correct until 2016. He said there is a sizeable fraction of the space community that is skeptical that Voyager 1 has entered interstellar space, but the new proposed test could help end that debate. Another good test will come when Voyager 2 crosses into interstellar space in the coming years, Fuselier and Cummings said.

"If you go back 10 years and talk to the Voyager people, they would have told you 10 years ago that what they would see upon exiting the heliosphere is very, very different from what they are seeing now," Fuselier said. "We are just loaded down with surprises and this might be one of them."...

Source: Space-Travel.
Link: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Voyager_Spacecraft_Might_Not_Have_Reached_Interstellar_Space_999.html.

Russian cargo craft docks with ISS, science satellite fails

Moscow (AFP)
July 24, 2014

A cargo craft successfully docked with the International Space Station, the Russian space agency Roskosmos said Thursday.

Meanwhile controllers encountered problems with a separate research satellite when its engines failed to fire, Russian news agencies reported.

The Russian Progress M-24M cargo craft automatically docked with the International Space Station at 0331 GMT with more than 2.3 tones of supplies after having lifted off from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan six hours previously.

The ISS currently hosts a crew of three Russian cosmonauts, two US astronauts, and one German.

Separately, engineers at Progress were trying to save a research satellite after it failed to respond to commands, which has left it in an improper orbit, Russian news agencies said.

The Foton-M satellite was launched on July 19 on a two-month mission to study the effect of weightlessness on plants and insects.

The mishap is the latest in series of setbacks that has plagued Russia's once-famed space program.

Source: Space-Travel.
Link: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Russian_cargo_craft_docks_with_ISS_science_satellite_fails_999.html.

ESA mission name for astronaut Tim Peake: Principia

Paris (ESA)
Jul 22, 2014

When ESA astronaut Tim Peake sets off for his six-month space journey next year, he will be flying under the mission name of Principia. More than 4000 people replied to the call for a mission name earlier this year and Principia was suggested 20 times. The name refers to Isaac Newton's world-changing three-part text on physics, Naturalis Principia Mathematica, describing the principal laws of motion and gravity.

Famously pondering why apples fall from trees, Newton wrote down the laws of gravity and laid the basis for working with it, a requirement for spaceflight. Tim Peake will spend six months living in weightlessness, the first time a British-ESA astronaut will visit the International Space Station.

"I am delighted with this name that honors one of Britain's most famous scientists," Tim says. "I hope it will also encourage people to observe the world as if for the first time - just as Isaac Newton did.

"Our planet Earth is a precious and beautiful place and we all need to safeguard it."

Tim will be launched from Russia's Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in November 2015 - and will be able to enjoy Newton's favorite fruit as supply ships arrive at the international space laboratory. One of his aims is to inspire children during his stay in space, in particular by promoting healthy eating.

The International Space Station is first and foremost a place of science, and the six astronauts there spend much of their time working on experiments that cannot be done anywhere on Earth.

It's a busy time in space for ESA astronauts, with Alexander Gerst currently working in the Station, Samantha Cristoforetti leaving for it in November this year, and Andreas Mogensen being launched shortly before Tim's mission for a 10-day stay on the Station.

Source: Space Mart.
Link: http://www.spacemart.com/reports/ESA_mission_name_for_astronaut_Tim_Peake_Principia_999.html.

Next ISS Cargo Spacecraft Rolls Out to Pad

Washington DC (SPX)
Jul 23, 2014

The International Space Station's Expedition 40 crew tackled physics and medical research Tuesday, as a new Russian resupply spacecraft rolled out for Wednesday's launch to the orbiting complex. Meanwhile, flight controllers are tracking a possible conjunction with a piece of space debris that could come into the neighborhood of the station on Wednesday morning

The ISS Progress 56 cargo craft rolled out on a railcar to the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan early Tuesday morning for final preparations for liftoff. The Progress, loaded with about 5,700 pounds of food, fuel and supplies for the six-person Expedition 40 crew, will launch Wednesday at 5:44 p.m. EDT (3:44 a.m. Thursday, Baikonur time) on a 4-orbit, 6-hour fast track rendezvous to dock with the station's Pirs docking compartment at 11:30 p.m.

Live NASA Television coverage of the Progress launch begins at 5:30 p.m. and returns at 11 p.m. for docking coverage.

Pirs was vacated late Monday with the undocking of the ISS Progress 55 cargo craft, which separated from the station at 5:44 p.m. Progress 55 is now a safe distance from the complex for a series of engineering tests prior to being sent to a destructive re-entry over the Pacific Ocean on July 31.

Aboard the orbiting complex, Commander Steve Swanson began the workday with another eye exam for the Ocular Health study.

NASA recently identified that some astronauts experience changes in their vision, which might be related to effects of microgravity on the cardiovascular system. Researchers are working to understand and prevent these changes in astronauts.

With guidance from the Ocular Health team on the ground, Flight Engineer Alexander Gerst examined Swanson's eyes using optical coherence tomography equipment.

Afterward, Swanson conducted an ultrasound scan of his right thigh and calf for the Sprint experiment, which measures the effectiveness of high-intensity, low-volume exercise training in minimizing the loss of muscle mass and bone density that occurs during spaceflight.

Station crew members currently work out around 2 0.5-hours every day, and the Sprint team is looking into ways to reduce that total exercise time while maintaining crew fitness. Gerst assisted the commander with this Sprint session.

Then it was Gerst's turn to provide data for the Ocular Health study, as Swanson conducted an optical coherence tomography exam on the European Space Agency astronaut's eyes.

Flight Engineer Reid Wiseman began his day removing sensors and an armband monitor that had tracked his body's core temperature over a 36-hour period for the Circadian Rhythms study. Because the station orbits the Earth every 92 minutes and experiences 16 sunrises and sunsets every day, the astronauts do not have the same day/night cues that people have on Earth.

Results from this investigation will provide insights into the adaptations of the human autonomic nervous system in space and will help optimize crew schedules and workplace illumination.

Wiseman moved on to setting up the Burning And Suppression of Solids experiment, or BASS, for another round of combustion studies in the Microgravity Science Glovebox.

BASS is investigating the hypothesis that some materials may actually become more flammable in space, and the results from BASS will help screen materials for their use aboard future spacecraft. The research also provides scientists with improved computational models that will aid in the design of fire detection and suppression systems both in space and here on Earth.

Following a break for lunch, Wiseman photographed some slow growth experiment samples from the Binary Colloidal Alloy Test, or BCAT.

Swanson then removed and stowed the samples so the next set of BCAT samples could be processed. Results from this ongoing investigation of colloids - mixtures of small particles distributed throughout a liquid - will help materials scientists to develop new consumer products with unique properties and longer shelf lives.

Afterward, Swanson and Wiseman tagged up for a conference call with flight controllers on the ground to discuss the timeline for a spacewalk the two NASA astronauts will conduct in August.

As Wiseman wrapped up his work with BASS, Swanson and Gerst completed another set of Ocular Health exams, using a fundoscope to take detailed imagery of each other's eyes.

On the Russian side of the complex, Flight Engineer Max Suraev inspected windows in Pirs and the Zvezda service module. He also inspected and cleaned several laptop computers and recharged the satellite phone in the Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft docked to the Rassvet Mini-Research Module-1.

Flight Engineer Alexander Skvortsov recharged the satellite phone in the Soyuz TMA-12 before moving onto the Virtual experiment, a study of the vestibular system's adjustment to weightlessness. Skvortsov also downloaded data from the Identification experiment, which tracks the dynamic loads on the station during events such as dockings or reboosts.

The third Russian cosmonaut aboard the station, Flight Engineer Oleg Artemyev, spent much of his morning replacing flow meters components in the Vozdukh atmosphere purification system. He later joined Skvortsov for some maintenance work on a communications panel.

Artemyev rounded out his workday setting up a thermostat for the Kaskad cell cultivation experiment. He also participated in the Vzaimodeystviye (Interactions) experiment, which studies the impacts of personal, cultural and national differences among crew members.

Meanwhile back on Earth, flight controllers are tracking a possible conjunction with a fragment of a Russian Breeze-M upper stage rocket body that could come into the neighborhood of the station on Wednesday morning. Discussions are being conducted with Russian ballistics officials on the best approach for a debris avoidance maneuver, should one be required.

The most likely option, if necessary, would be a slight retrograde burn (deboost) for the station that would provide adequate distance from the debris and still preserve the trajectory for the 4-orbit rendezvous of Progress 56.

As of Tuesday morning, the radial miss distance between the object and the station is calculated to be about 2/10 of a mile with an overall miss distance of some 19 miles. No final decision on the maneuver is expected until late Tuesday or early Wednesday, and there is no risk to the crew or operations on the station.

At Kourou, French Guiana, technicians are completing tests on the attitude control system in the third stage of the Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket that will launch the European Space Agency's fifth and final Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV-5). Arianespace and ESA are working toward establishing a firm launch date, with launch likely to take place early next week. The ATV-5, named the "Georges Lemaitre" in honor of the Belgian physicist and astronomer, is slated to dock to Zvezda on August 12.

Source: Space-Travel.
Link: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Next_ISS_Cargo_Spacecraft_Rolls_Out_to_Pad_999.html.

India could return to Mars as early as 2017

Moscow (Voice of Russia)
Jul 23, 2014

India is ramping up for a follow-up mission to Mars between 2017 and 2020 which will be scientific in scope, the chairman for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has said.

The final decision will be hammered out after the Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM) attempts to enter the orbit of the Red planet on September 24, ISRO chairman Isro K Radhakrishnan said on Thursday, the Times of India reports.

On November 5, India launched the MOM or 'Mangalyaan' in a bid to become only the fourth country or union in history to successfully launch a mission to Mars, following successful trips by the Soviet Union, the United States and the European Space Agency.

Radhakrishnan said the ongoing MOM had completed 79 percent of its journey. The planned September orbit insertion, which will see the apogee kick motor restarted after 300 days in a bid to change the craft's momentum, could prove a landmark moment in the country's history.

"If we are successful in the first attempt we will be the first country in the world to accomplish it and also the first Asian country to achieve it," the Times of India cites Radhakrishnan as saying.

Mangalyaan is carrying equipment that will enable it to perform nearly half-a-dozen scientific experiments during its four-month orbit of the planet. One such experiment will be to check for the presence of methane, a sign that Mars may once have supported life.

The cost of the satellite however is quite small relative to other similar missions, clocking in at around $73 million - less than your average Hollywood blockbuster. The primary goal of the launch is to showcase rocket technology India has developed, rather than to study Mars.

Newly-elected Prime Minister Narendra Modi hopes to make India the world's first low-cost supplier of space technology, saying the IRSO put them in an "elite global group of five-six countries today."

Modi's comments followed the June 2014 launch of five foreign satellites by the PSLV (Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle).

India has thus far launched 40 satellites for 19 countries, many of them advanced nations.

Source: Mars Daily.
Link: http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/India_could_return_to_Mars_as_early_as_2017_999.html.

Russian Resupply Spacecraft to Deliver Snails to ISS for Experiments

Moscow (RIA Novosti)
Jul 21, 2014

Russia's Progress M-24M resupply spacecraft, due to be launched on July 24, is to deliver 45 snails to the International Space Station (ISS) for scientific experiments, Russian space agency Roscosmos reported Tuesday.

Containers with snails are to be delivered to the ISS to continue the Regenration-1 experiment.

"The goal of the experiment is to see how space flight influences morphological and electrophysiological properties of a biological object's regeneration process," the report reads.

The data obtained from the experiments could be used to help develop medical support for long-term space flights.

A total of 130 Progress spacecraft have supported orbiting outposts over the past three decades, lifting many tons of supplies to low Earth orbit.

The previous spacecraft in the Progress series, the Progress M-23M, was launched on April 9, on a mission to deliver fuel, additional hardware, food, water and oxygen for the crew, as well as scientific equipment for conducting experiments to the ISS.

Source: Space-Travel.
Link: http://www.space-travel.com/reports/Russian_Resupply_Spacecraft_to_Deliver_Snails_to_ISS_for_Experiments_999.html.

Manned mission to Moon scheduled by Roscosmos for 2020-2031

Moscow (Voice of Russia)
Jul 21, 2014

Russia is planning a manned mission to the Moon in 2030-2031, Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) First Deputy Head Alexander Ivanov said on Monday, July 14, reports TASS.

"In our program this (manned mission to the Moon) is scheduled for 2020-2031. This program (Federal Space Program for 2016-2025) is being coordinated now," he said.

When asked when the first settlement might be built on the Moon, Ivanov said this question was much more complex and needed additional attention.

Source: Moon Daily.
Link: http://www.moondaily.com/reports/Manned_mission_to_Moon_scheduled_by_Roscosmos_for_2020_2031_999.html.

Russians sentenced to 4 ½ years on riot conviction

July 24, 2014

MOSCOW (AP) — A Moscow court convicted two Russian opposition activists and sentenced them to 4 ½ years in prison Thursday for their role in organizing protests a day before President Vladimir Putin's inauguration in May 2012.

Sergei Udaltsov and Leonid Razvozzhayev were sentenced for organizing mass riots and colluding to commit a crime. They both pleaded not guilty in a trial that has dragged on since October 2012, when they were detained and put under house arrest. Prosecutors requested had eight years in prison for each.

Since Putin's return to the presidency in 2012, when hundreds of thousands protested the vote in the streets of Moscow, the government has cracked down with a slew of laws restricting protests and curbing activity of non-governmental organizations. One law increases the fine for taking part in unsanctioned protests 150 fold to 300,000 rubles (nearly $9,000), close to the average annual salary. More recent legislation has upped the penalties for those who are detained more than once at an unsanctioned protest.

With a rising approval rating at home, there has been little domestic dissent as prominent opposition activists are prosecuted in court and quietly put out of the public eye. Russia's leading opposition figure, anti-corruption blogger Alexei Navalny, has been under house arrest, barred from receiving visitors or communicating on social media, since February pending another trial.

Udaltsov and Razvozzhayev were detained after a Kremlin-controlled TV station aired a documentary containing footage allegedly showing them meeting with a foreign politician to discuss funding for protests against Putin. Udaltsov, who was one of the top leaders of the street protest movement in 2012, all but disappeared from public view after being put under house arrest almost two years ago.

The two were convicted for their role as organizers of a May 2012 demonstration where clashes broke out after police restricted access to a square where the protesters had permission to gather. The resulting trial — dubbed the "Bolotnaya Affair," after the name of the square — has involved charges against 32 people, 11 of whom have been convicted and sentenced to prison or house arrest. Most of those sentenced were not active or prominent members of the opposition movement, and some said during the trial that the May 2012 protest was their first.

Jim Heintz in Moscow contributed to this report.

Playters New Solar Farm 7.25 MW solar farm approved

London, UK (SPX)
Jul 24, 2014

EEW Eco Energy World is pleased that our proposal for a Solar Farm at Playters New Farm, Church Road, Ellough, Beccles was approved by the Waveney District Council Development Control Committee on Tuesday 15 July.

The solar farm will comprise of nearly 28,000 solar panels each measuring 1.65m x 0.992m. Once installed, the capacity will be 7.245MW, generating approximately 6,719MWH annually. This is enough to power around 2170 average homes.

Councillors and Council planning officers seemed particularly impressed with the screening for the site, which will limit any impact.

The Council report stated: 'For its size this site is arguably the best screened of any of the solar farms that the Council has considered.'

Svante Kumlin from Eco Energy World said: "We have been working through the planning process with Council officers to ensure we bring forward a good quality application that provides clean renewable energy without harming local views.

"The approval of this new solar farm in Ellough will make a positive contribution towards Waveney District Council and national renewable energy targets."

Source: Solar Daily.
Link: http://www.solardaily.com/reports/Playters_New_Solar_Farm_7_25_MW_solar_farm_approved_for_Eco_Energy_World_999.html.

Self-cooling solar cells boost power, last longer

Washington DC (SPX)
Jul 23, 2014

Scientists may have overcome one of the major hurdles in developing high-efficiency, long-lasting solar cells-keeping them cool, even in the blistering heat of the noonday Sun. By adding a specially patterned layer of silica glass to the surface of ordinary solar cells, a team of researchers led by Shanhui Fan, an electrical engineering professor at Stanford University in California has found a way to let solar cells cool themselves by shepherding away unwanted thermal radiation.

The researchers describe their innovative design in the premiere issue of The Optical Society's (OSA) new open-access journal Optica.

Solar cells are among the most promising and widely used renewable energy technologies on the market today. Though readily available and easily manufactured, even the best designs convert only a fraction of the energy they receive from the Sun into usable electricity.

Part of this loss is the unavoidable consequence of converting sunlight into electricity. A surprisingly vexing amount, however, is due to solar cells overheating.

Under normal operating conditions, solar cells can easily reach temperatures of 130 degrees Fahrenheit (55 degrees Celsius) or more. These harsh conditions quickly sap efficiency and can markedly shorten the lifespan of a solar cell. Actively cooling solar cells, however-either by ventilation or coolants-would be prohibitively expensive and at odds with the need to optimize exposure to the Sun.

The newly proposed design avoids these problems by taking a more elegant, passive approach to cooling. By embedding tiny pyramid- and cone-shaped structures on an incredibly thin layer of silica glass, the researchers found a way of redirecting unwanted heat-in the form of infrared radiation-from the surface of solar cells, through the atmosphere, and back into space.

"Our new approach can lower the operating temperature of solar cells passively, improving energy conversion efficiency significantly and increasing the life expectancy of solar cells," said Linxiao Zhu, a physicist at Stanford and lead author on the Optica paper.

"These two benefits should enable the continued success and adoption of solar cell technology."

Solar cells work by directly converting the Sun's rays into electrical energy. As photons of light pass into the semiconductor regions of the solar cells, they knock off electrons from the atoms, allowing electricity to flow freely, creating a current. The most successful and widely used designs, silicon semiconductors, however, convert less than 30 percent of the energy they receive from the Sun into electricity - even at peak efficiency.

The solar energy that is not converted generates waste heat, which inexorably lessens a solar cell's performance. For every one-degree Celsius (1.8 degree F) increase in temperature, the efficiency of a solar cell declines by about half a percent.

"That decline is very significant," said Aaswath Raman, a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford and co-author on the paper. "The solar cell industry invests significant amounts of capital to generate improvements in efficiency. Our method of carefully altering the layers that cover and enclose the solar cell can improve the efficiency of any underlying solar cell. This makes the design particularly relevant and important."

In addition, solar cells "age" more rapidly when their temperatures increase, with the rate of aging doubling for every increase of 18 degrees Fahrenheit.

To passively cool the solar cells, allowing them to give off excess heat without spending energy doing so, requires exploiting the basic properties of light as well as a special infrared "window" through Earth's atmosphere.

Different wavelengths of light interact with solar cells in very different ways-with visible light being the most efficient at generating electricity while infrared is more efficient at carrying heat. Different wavelengths also bend and refract differently, depending on the type and shape of the material they pass through.

The researchers harnessed these basic principles to allow visible light to pass through the added silica layer unimpeded while enhancing the amount of energy that is able to be carried away from the solar cells at thermal wavelengths.

"Silica is transparent to visible light, but it is also possible to fine-tune how it bends and refracts light of very specific wavelengths," said Fan, who is the corresponding author on the Optica paper.

"A carefully designed layer of silica would not degrade the performance of the solar cell but it would enhance radiation at the predetermined thermal wavelengths to send the solar cell's heat away more effectively."

To test their idea, the researchers compared two different silica covering designs: one a flat surface approximately 5 millimeters thick and the other a thinner layer covered with pyramids and micro-cones just a few microns (one-thousandth of a millimeter) thick in any dimension.

The size of these features was essential. By precisely controlling the width and height of the pyramids and micro-cones, they could be tuned to refract and redirect only the unwanted infrared wavelengths away from the solar cell and back out into space.

"The goal was to lower the operating temperature of the solar cell while maintaining its solar absorption," said Fan. "We were quite pleased to see that while the flat layer of silica provided some passive cooling, the patterned layer of silica considerably outperforms the 5 mm-thick uniform silica design, and has nearly identical performance as the ideal scheme."

Zhu and his colleagues are currently fabricating these devices and performing experimental tests on their design. Their next step is to demonstrate radiative cooling of solar cells in an outdoor environment.

"We think that this work addresses an important technological problem in the operation and optimization of solar cells," he concluded, "and thus has substantial commercialization potential."

Source: Solar Daily.
Link: http://www.solardaily.com/reports/Self_cooling_solar_cells_boost_power_last_longer_999.html.