NASA tests Mars space suit

Tue Mar 22, 2011

A team of NASA scientists has tested a space outfit in an Antarctic base with conditions similar to those on Mars, for possible use on the Red Planet.

Designed by Argentine aerospace engineer Pablo de Leon, the NDX-1 space suit proved to be resistant to frigid temperatures and winds of more than 47 mph, Reuters reported.

The suit is created with NASA funds and is made of more than 350 materials, including tough honeycomb Kevlar and carbon fibers to reduce its weight without losing resistance.

Researchers in the Argentine air force base of Marambio tried out techniques for collecting soil samples on Mars, wearing the $100,000 prototype suit.

The base was chosen because it has easy access to permafrost, or soil that stays frozen most of the year.

"This was the first time we took the suit to such an extreme, isolated environment so that if something went wrong we couldn't just go to the store" and buy a repair kit, De Leon said after returning from the week-long expedition.

NASA scientists, who took part in the 'Mars in Marambio' mission, went on simulated spacewalks, operated drills and collected samples while wearing the outfit.

De Leon said the suit gave a claustrophobic feeling with its helmet and built-in headset for communicating with the outside world.

Head of the space suit laboratory at the University of North Dakota also said that Antarctica was the ideal place for sample collection because it is one of the least contaminated places on earth and can provide clues about the gear's impact.

"Mars is a mixture of many different environments: deserts, and temperatures and winds like in Antarctica," De Leon said. "So we try to take bits of different places and try to see if our systems can withstand the rigors of Mars if we go there."

US President Barack Obama said last year that astronauts will orbit Mars and return safely by the mid-2030s.

Although Obama has promised Mars landing, NASA's tightening budget makes a manned mission to the Red Planet seem more far-fetched.

The US National Research Council suggested this month that robotic missions to Mars and Jupiter's icy moon Europa top NASA's agenda for an upcoming decade of planetary exploration.

De Leon, however, hopes that the NDX-1 space suit or even a part of it will be worn by astronauts when they first step on Mars.

"Even if just one bolt of our space suit or one tiny bit of our design makes it to Mars, I'll be more than happy," he concluded.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171135.html.

Top Yemeni general joins protesters

Mon Mar 21, 2011

A top general has joined anti-government protesters in Yemen, as political crisis in the country has exacerbated following the recent brutal crackdown on the popular uprising.

In a televised message on Monday, Gen. Ali Mohsen expressed his support for anti-government protesters.

Mohsen, however, has not announced his resignation, AFP reported.

This comes after Yemeni ruler Ali Abdullah Saleh sacked his entire government on Sunday amid persisting protests by the oppression-weary public that has staged a revolution against his regime.

Saleh has vowed to form a new government soon and has instructed the current cabinet, which was headed by Prime Minister Ali Mohammed Mujawar, to act as a caretaker and run daily operations until a new government is formed.

In a move to put pressure on president Saleh to give up power, the governor of southern province of Aden also stepped down on Monday.

Amid a slew of defections to the opposition by Yemeni military and civilian leaders, Ahmed Qaatabi resigned "to protest what is happening in the county," said a Yemeni official on condition of anonymity.

Also on Sunday, crowds swarmed the square near the Sana'a University, commemorating 52 people that died on Friday in an attack by the military's snipers.

Protest rallies have been raging on since January, blaming the Saleh regime for trampling upon the rights of the people.

Since the beginning of the popular revolution, scores of people have been killed and hundreds more wounded during armed attacks by Saleh's loyalists.

Meanwhile, a number of influential Yemeni clerics on Sunday called on Saleh to appease the demands of protesters and end his decades-old rule to avoid further violence and bloodshed.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/171022.html.

Massive protest held in Iraqi Kurdistan

Sun Mar 20, 2011

An unprecedented number of protesters have gathered in the Iraqi Kurdistan to protest the regional government's corruption and failure to implement democracy.

The Sunday rallies took place in the city of Sulaymanieh and were attended by a large crowd, who gathered to attend the Nowruz celebrations, which marks the change of the year, Reuters reported.

"We are gathering in thousands today to celebrate the festival of Nowruz and to stress that we still ask for our demands of reforms to be answered," said Nasik Qadir, spokeswoman for protesters in the city.

"We are here to say that our demands have still not been met."

The rallies, inspired by the recent revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt, have been raging on since last month, urging the removal of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).

The government has reportedly deployed a 4,000-strong contingent to Kurdistan's city of Kirkuk to prevent protests.

The troops belong to the Peshmerga division, which operates in the northern region as an offshoot of the Iraqi Army's Regional Guards.

The outraged public were about to raise their voices about a lack of basic services and Kurdish hegemony over the city and the province.

The KRG, however, claimed it had received credible intelligence about planned attacks against the Kurdish community.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170934.html.

One protester killed, 100 injures in Syria

Sun Mar 20, 2011

Syrian forces have reportedly attacked anti-government protesters in a southwestern city, killing one person and wounding more than 100 others.

The Sunday rallies in Daraa were attended by some 10,000 people, an activist told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"The security forces backed by police fired live rounds at the demonstrators," the witness said.

Security forces were also reported to have fired tear gas canisters to disperse thousands of mourners attending a Saturday funeral ceremony for four people who were killed in a demonstration on Friday.

Several people were also injured during the Friday protest, which had called for more political freedom and an end to corruption in the country.

The Syrian authorities have said they would investigate the deaths, according to the daily Al-Watan, which is close to the government.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170926.html.

Secret Bahrain-KSA deal exposed

Sun Mar 20, 2011

Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have reportedly struck a secret deal, which would compel each side to protect the other's political interests.

The deal was signed during Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa's visit to Saudi Arabia last month, the Iraqi news website, Nahrain-Net reported.

Based on the accord, the Bahraini monarch should confer with Saudi King Abdullah on political, military and security affairs as well as issues related to Manama's foreign policy.

It also allows Riyadh to set up autonomous and permanent military bases in Bahrain.

The deal enabled Saudi Arabia's recent invasion of Bahrain in support of Manama's suppression of the popular revolution, the website said.

Demonstrators in the Shia-majority Bahrain have been demanding the ouster of the Sunni-led Al Khalifa monarchy as well as constitutional reforms since February 14.

More than a dozen people have been killed and about 1,000 injured since the start of the anti-government protests.

Violence has intensified against the demonstrators ever since the deployment of Saudi forces, which have started operating in the country alongside servicemen from the United Arab Emirates.

The deal allows Saudis to control Bahrain's intelligence and carry out any measure to change Bahrain's demographics.

Thousands of Bahrainis protested earlier in the month against what they denounced as Manama's naturalization policy, through which it attempts to change the country's demographic map.

"All those who are naturalized will be pro-government, and those in the police and army will follow their orders even if they are against the Bahraini people," said a protester.

Riyadh has to keep its side of the bargain by helping Al Khalifa to continue ruling Bahrain.

Thousands have turned out in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia in recent days to protest the Saudi invasion.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170955.html.

Syrian forces fire tear gas at funeral

Sat Mar 19, 2011

Syrian security forces have fired tear gas to disperse mourners attending a funeral ceremony for the people killed in an anti-government demonstration on Friday.

On Saturday, thousands gathered in the city of Daraa, which is located south of Damascus, to mourn the death of four people killed during the demonstration on Friday.

The mourners chanted slogans as they carried the coffins of the victims.

On Friday, the demonstrators called for political freedoms and an end to corruption in the country.

Several people were also injured during the demonstration in Daraa.

The Syrian authorities said they would investigate the deaths, according to the Syrian daily Al-Watan, which is close to the Syrian government.

At least one person was arrested during the funeral ceremony, which nearly 10,000 people attended, human rights groups said.

Bashar al-Assad has been the president of Syria for the past 11 years. He took office in 2000 following the death of his father Hafez al-Assad, who was the leader of the country for three decades.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170825.html.

Iran ready to help Bahrain Red Crescent

Sun Mar 20, 2011

The secretary general of the Iranian Red Crescent Society (IRCS) says the organization is ready to help the Red Crescent deal with the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Bahrain.

Zaher Rostami told Press TV on Saturday that Bahrain should allow Red Crescent relief workers into the kingdom since it is an international humanitarian body with no borders.

"If we are given permission, we are ready to send our relief forces to help the Bahraini people with medical and health supplies," Rostami said.

He also expressed condolences to the Bahraini people over the deaths in the crackdown and said the IRCS condemns the inhumane actions committed against protesters by the Bahraini government.

Rostami also stated that the Bahraini government should not target hospitals, doctors, and nurses.

He denounced the brutal crackdown on protesters in Bahrain, and criticized the Saudi Arabian military intervention.

On Thursday, Iranian Rescue and Relief Organization Director Mahmoud Mozaffar said Iran is ready to dispatch humanitarian assistance to all Muslim nations in the region.

Bahrainis began peaceful demonstrations calling for constitutional reforms in the capital's Pearl Square on February 14, but later began demanding the abolition of the 230-year-old monarchy.

At least 12 people have been killed and about 1,000 injured during the anti-government protests in the tiny Persian Gulf kingdom, where the US Fifth Fleet is based.

UAE soldiers arrived in Bahrain on Friday to join Saudi Arabian troops, which were sent there earlier in the week, to help the Bahraini government's deadly crackdown on anti-government protests.

Source: PressTV.
Link: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/170838.html.