Herschel confirms Enceladus as primary water supply for Saturn atmosphere

Paris (ESA)
Jul 27, 2011

Observing Saturn, Herschel has detected evidence of water molecules in a huge torus surrounding the planet and centered on the orbit of its small moon, Enceladus. The water plumes on Enceladus, which were detected by the Cassini-Huygens mission, inject the water into the torus and part of it eventually precipitates into Saturn's atmosphere. The new study has identified Enceladus as the primary water supply to Saturn's upper atmosphere; this is the first example in the Solar System of a moon directly influencing the atmosphere of its host planet.

Astronomers have detected water, which is a fundamental molecule on Earth, in many different environments throughout the Universe. Given its key role during the formation and evolution of the Solar System, determining the abundance and investigating the origin of this molecule on and around planets can provide crucial insight into the history of our cosmic neighborhood.

The origin of the water in the upper atmosphere of the giant planets - Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune - as well as in that of Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, is particularly enigmatic. The first evidence of this water was found by ESA's Infrared Space Observatory (ISO) in 1997 and confirmed, a couple of years later, by NASA's Submillimeter Wave Astronomy Satellite (SWAS).

These bodies have chemically reducing atmospheres; oxidation reactions do not occur - due to the lack of oxygen - and astronomers do not expect large amounts of water there. Reducing atmospheres are similar in composition to the nebula from which the Solar System originated; the early Earth also had such an atmosphere, which was later supplied with oxygen by the first living organisms that appeared on the planet.

Although chemically reducing, the outer planets' atmospheres do contain traces of water in their warm, deep layers; however, the cold temperatures present at cloud level, which cause water to condense, prevent its transport to higher layers. Thus, the existence of water in the upper atmospheres of these objects calls for an external supply of such molecules, which may vary from planet to planet.

A new study, based on data taken with ESA's Herschel Space Observatory, offers a first answer to the puzzle in the case of Saturn. The main water provider to this planet's upper atmosphere appears to be its small moon Enceladus, whose plumes of water vapor and ice were detected by the NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini-Huygens mission in 2005.

"This is the first time we see a moon directly acting on its host planet's atmosphere and modifying its chemical composition," comments Paul Hartogh from the Max-Planck-Institut fur Sonnensystemforschung (MPS) in Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany, who led the study. Hartogh is the Principal Investigator of the Herschel Key Program Water and related chemistry in the Solar System, within which the observations have been performed. "This unique situation has not previously been observed in the Solar System," he adds.

The new detection, obtained with the HIFI spectrometer on board Herschel, is fundamentally different from those achieved over a decade ago. Whereas the spectra acquired by ISO and SWAS only revealed emission by water molecules in Saturn's atmosphere, Herschel has unexpectedly recorded absorption lines, as well. Thus, the newly detected water must be located somewhere in the foreground of the planet, along its line of sight to the observatory, and in a colder environment than that responsible for the emission lines.

"The best explanation suggests that the water detected by Herschel is distributed in the Enceladus torus, a tenuous ring of material fed by this moon's plumes and centered on its orbit," explains co-author Emmanuel Lellouch from the Laboratoire d'Etudes Spatiales et d'Instrumentation en Astrophysique (LESIA) of the Observatoire de Paris, at Meudon, in France, who performed the modelling of the observations. The Enceladus torus is located at a distance from the center of the planet of nearly four times Saturn's radius.

The first sign of absorption was found in spectra taken during Herschel's calibration phase, in the summer of 2009. Further observations performed in 2010 confirmed the earlier detection at various wavelengths. The fact that no absorption was detected by SWAS over ten years ago is due to the varying geometry of Saturn's system of rings and satellites as viewed from the Earth and its vicinity.

The rings and satellites are currently seen almost edge-on, whereas the configuration was much more oblique at the time of the SWAS observations. "This is a further clue implying that the absorbing water revealed by Herschel is distributed in a torus along the planet's equatorial plane," adds Lellouch.

Ultimately, part of the water ejected by Enceladus precipitates into Saturn's and Titan's upper atmospheres, while the rest reaches the other satellites and the rings. The high velocity resolution and sensitivity of the HIFI spectra allowed the astronomers to characterize the torus' dynamics and to investigate the fate of the water molecules.

"Combining Herschel data with models of water evolution in Saturn's environment, we could estimate the source rate of Enceladus and the rate at which water precipitates into Saturn's atmosphere," notes Hartogh.

The source rate is in agreement with in-situ measurements performed by the Cassini spacecraft. The study concludes that the water abundance observed in Saturn's upper atmosphere can be fully explained in terms of an Enceladus origin. On the other hand, Enceladus does not seem to provide enough water to match the values observed for Titan, and the issue of this object's water supply remains open.

"After Cassini's detection of Enceladus' plumes, Herschel has finally shown where the water emanating from this moon ends up - a nice piece of team work exploiting the complementarity of two very different missions in ESA's Science program," comments Goran Pilbratt, ESA Herschel Project Scientist. "We now look forward to hopefully shedding new light on the origin of water in the atmosphere of Titan and the other giant planets as well," he concludes.

Source: Saturn Daily.
Link: http://www.saturndaily.com/reports/Herschel_confirms_Enceladus_as_primary_water_supply_for_Saturn_atmosphere_999.html.

Faith and fashion beyond the burqa ban

by Shenaz Kermalli
26 July 2011

London - Europe’s obsession with the way Muslim women choose to dress is far from over. Several months after France banned the burqa, a garment that covers the face and body, from public spaces, Belgium has followed suit. As of last week, women wearing the burqa in public (who constitute a tiny minority in the country) will be fined and could spend up to seven days in prison.

Whether such a ban might ever be implemented in the UK is less clear. Despite the British government’s statement that it would never adopt such measures, calling them “un-British”, public opinion doesn’t appear to agree. In a YouGov poll taken after the French ban, two-thirds of the British public favored banning the burqa in Britain.

This trend highlights the need to improve understanding of Islam and Muslims.

Fortunately, there are many humanitarian organizations in the UK that aim to both empower young Muslims and build greater understanding and trust between faith communities. The London-based Three Faiths Forum (3FF), for example, builds bridges between Jews, Christians and Muslims, as well as atheists and those belonging to non-Abrahamic faiths, through regular events and mentoring programs.

3FF’s most recent event was a short design course, called “Faith and Fashion”, held earlier this month at the London College of Fashion (LCF). The course was held exclusively for Muslim and Christian girls from local faith schools to explore how faith can inspire fashion, showing that the two can be linked in a positive way and need not only be negatively associated, as with burqa bans.

During the class, Reverend Joanna Jepson, a chaplain at the LCF who designed the course, said she wanted to create a safe space for young girls to engage in meaningful dialogue. “The program was about getting the students to understand their own identity and hear each other’s stories, as well as to learn the artistic journey from concept to finished design.”

Interestingly, many of the Muslim students in the course who wore the hijab (headscarf) and/or abaya (a long over-garment) said that they found it immensely important to their identity to wear a visible marker of their faith, despite the hostile stares they often received when out in public.

Zainab Niaz, a 15-year-old student at a Muslim school in east London, said fashion played a huge role in her decisions about what clothing to wear, primarily because she was Muslim. “If you didn’t have Islam, you couldn’t show what religion you were, which is an important part of where you’re from.” When asked why letting people know which faith she belonged to was important, Zainab said, “It adds to the diversity of the city.”

Sadiya Ali, 14, from a Catholic school in north London, said: “I don’t think of fashion as beauty. I think of fashion as the clothes that you wear religiously. ”

Sporting a neatly tied black scarf tucked into her Catholic school uniform blazer, Sadiya said she has faced continual harassment at her school and in public for her decision to cover her hair. She is adamant though, that people respect her for who she is.

“I’m not afraid to [wear the headscarf] and I’m not forced or scared into wearing a scarf. Sometimes people will judge you by what you wear and they stereotype you before they meet you. But whatever people say you should just ignore it because at the end of the day, it’s your choice and what you want to wear,” Sadiya added. “Don’t follow other people – be yourself.”

The voices of the young may not always be the loudest or the most powerful but they often carry more weight than policy-makers appreciate. If the state continues to target Muslims by dictating what to cover and what not to cover, they risk further isolating a community that already feels disengaged. The next generation deserves better.

Source: Common Ground News.
Link: http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?id=30119&lan=en&sp=0.

No honor in 'honor killings'

by Rasha Dewedar
26 July 2011

Cairo – Women in Arab countries have become increasingly visible in demonstrations for democracy, especially in Egypt and Tunisia. However, they still face several hurdles, many of which were discussed at a recent training program in Stockholm for opinion makers from the Middle East and North Africa. As a journalist from Cairo, I had the opportunity to get to know different people from the rest of the Middle East, as well as Sweden, to understand what women experience in different contexts.

One of the most important issues women face are so-called “honor” killings. Across the world, too many women are murdered by their male relatives, because they have “dishonored” their families by engaging in “unacceptable” relationships.

Although having a sexual relationship outside of marriage is what usually comes to mind, causing “dishonor” may also include marrying a man from different religion or sect, or even a husband the family simply doesn't accept.

Sadly, “honor” crimes continue, primarily because of the absence of effective regulation and the lack of implementation of existing laws, in addition to negative attitudes towards women.

But slowly, governments are doing something about it.

According to the Ma’an News Agency, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas ordered an amendment to the existing “honor killing law” in May, which states that perpetrators of crimes “in defense of family honor” should no longer receive lenient sentences. This decision came after the Ma’an News Agency highlighted the case of Ayah Barad'iyya, a 20-year-old woman from Hebron who was drowned by her uncle because he disagreed with her about the man she had chosen to marry.

Earlier, in 2009, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad issued a decree to amend the Syrian Penal Code with an article that confers a more severe sentence for “honor” crimes than before.

Article 548 of the Syrian Penal Code previously stated that anyone who commits an “honor killing” could claim mitigating circumstances and receive a reduced sentence. The new article, however, clearly states that murder in the name of “family honor” would result in a sentence of no less than two years. Article 548 was amended again in January 2011 to increase the penalty from two years to five to seven years.

However, Bassam El-Kady, the director of the Syrian Women Observatory (SWO), one of Syria’s main women’s rights organizations, said that the “article should be cancelled, not amended”, echoing sentiments of many women’s rights activists who believe the sentence isn’t harsh enough.

Individuals and organizations are also working to end these crimes. Breaking the silence around the act is one of their most important tools.

One of these efforts is Murder in the Name of Honor, a book written by the Jordanian journalist and activist Rana Al-Husseini in 2009 to raise awareness of the brutality of these killings. The book chronicles Al-Husseini’s 15-year journey to uncover stories of violence against women and draw attention to the fact that this is a global epidemic, not something that only happens in Arab or Muslim communities.

In Egypt, the Center for Egyptian Women's Legal Assistance (CEWLA) started a project four years ago, focusing on four governorates in Upper Egypt. The group uses different activities and media programs on local radio and television channels to break the taboo around discussing crimes of “honor” by allowing those listening to the shows to call and ask questions or share their stories.

A Facebook group, “No Honor in Crime” also works to raise awareness about the issue and talks about positive steps taken to combat “honor” crimes.

The Jordan-based group, which reaches out to Arab activists in all countries, decided not to focus on honor and human rights, but instead on debating “honor” as a concept.

By creating spaces where “honor” was discussed as a concept, participants had to subject their current understandings of honor to logic and reason, and therefore had to take a more critical attitude to the issue. The mission of the group therefore became a “society-wide conversation to reclaim honor”.

But another factor in women’s lives might actually have the greatest impact. According to the September 2005 Population Reference Bureau Report, Arab women now have similar or higher levels of education compared with their husbands, especially in Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Palestine. Women are fast becoming more educated, and information is an important source of empowerment, as education will offer women more opportunities to work and become financially independent. In a few years, this could result in more women speaking up for laws that protect their rights – and countries instituting more policies that show they are listening to women.

Source: Common Ground News.
Link: http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?id=30118&lan=en&sp=0.

First Euro Hawk Unmanned Aircraft System Touches Down in Germany

Manching, Germany (SPX)
Jul 26, 2011

Euro Hawk, the first high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE), signals intelligence (SIGINT) unmanned aircraft system (UAS) based on the RQ-4 Global Hawk produced by Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) for the German Bundeswehr, successfully touched down in Manching, Germany.

The Euro Hawk took off on July 20 at 2:50 PDT (11:50 Central European Summer Time) from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and landed at 10:06 Central European Summer Time July 21 in Manching Air Base.

The Euro Hawk will carry a new SIGINT mission system developed by EADS Deutschland GmbH (Cassidian) and integrated in Manching, Germany.

"Today's arrival of the Euro Hawk on German soil marks a significant step in delivering this highly capable and unique system to the Bundeswehr," said Nicolas Chamussy, head of UAVs, Cassidian Air Systems, and member of the board of directors, EuroHawk GmbH. "Our trans-Atlantic partnership with Northrop Grumman has helped the entire team achieve this outstanding milestone, which also reinforces Cassidian's role as a leader for complex UAS solutions in Europe."

Delivery of the first Euro Hawk demonstrator to the Bundeswehr is scheduled for mid-2012, with another four systems scheduled tentatively between 2015 and 2017.

"Soon, the Bundeswehr will be able to independently cover their needs for SIGINT data collection and analysis, thus contributing to NATO, European Union and United Nations operations," said Neset Tukenmez, chief executive officer, EuroHawk GmbH. "Euro Hawk will also serve as a working model for other programs and countries."

The Euro Hawk marks several important milestones - it is both the first international version of the RQ-4 and the first HALE SIGINT UAS in Europe. NATO's AGS will follow close behind and mark the second international RQ-4 and the second HALE UAS in Europe.

"As a leader in advanced UAS, Northrop Grumman has the unmatched experience to provide a strong foundation to produce extraordinarily capable and reliable unmanned surveillance systems," said George Guerra, vice president, HALE Systems, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems.

"Today is a wonderful step towards delivering the Euro Hawk to the German air force, and a great testament to the Northrop Grumman and the EADS Deutschland GmbH (Cassidian) team who worked diligently to make it happen."

With a wingspan larger than most commercial airliners, endurance of 30 hours and a maximum altitude of more than 60,000 feet, Euro Hawk is an interoperable, modular and cost-effective replacement to the fleet of manned Breguet Atlantic aircraft which was in service since 1972 and retired in 2010.

Source: Space War.
Link: http://www.spacewar.com/reports/First_Euro_Hawk_Unmanned_Aircraft_System_Touches_Down_in_Germany_999.html.

Villagers Tie up Police, Douse with Gasoline, Over Land Conflict

By Chen Yilian
July 25, 2011

Villagers in Guangdong Province tied three plainclothes policemen to the base of an overturned truck and doused them with gasoline on July 23, before pelting them with rocks in apparent retaliation for land confiscations over a period of years.

It was the latest eruption of raw violence against the authorities in China. Desperate citizens have resorted to force in a string of cases in recent months, attempting to make their feelings known to a system whose formal mechanisms for redress often end up leading to further victimization.

Land confiscations are one of the most acute points of contention between Communist Party officials and ordinary Chinese, as corrupt cadres collude with real-estate developers, and often gangs of thugs, to forcibly evict people from their houses before selling the land. Compensation is promised more often than it is honored.

Photographs of the incident in Shunde, Foshan, Guangdong Province, were uploaded to Sina Weibo, a microblog service, soon after it took place on July 23.

The three men in the photograph appeared to be struggling to free themselves and appealing to onlookers. Witnesses said that angry villagers regarded the men as no better than gangsters and threw stones at them. Elderly villagers cried as gasoline was poured over the three policemen, though they were not set alight.

More than 1,000 riot police later descended on the village, capturing at least 30 villagers and injuring many others.

A resident, Mr. Deng, told The Epoch Times that contrary to state-run media reports, the conflict was about land confiscation and not fishing rights. “We don’t have much land left; most of it was taken by the government. Without land for farming, we will not have any food to eat,” he said.

“The land was taken for construction, but the government gave very little compensation to the villagers,” he added.

Mr. Deng said that the three policemen had first apprehended several villagers before others came to their rescue, subduing the men and lashing them to a truck that had been overturned.

The local Chencun Police Station would not comment on when the villagers arrested after the incident would be released. The operator said that information about the incident goes through Party authorities.

In May and June a series of bomb blasts were orchestrated by citizens against Communist Party buildings, many of them the culmination of years-long protests against land seizures. Premeditated violence of that kind had hardly been seen before in China. Commentators saw it as a turning point in how Chinese people are responding to the injustices of Communist Party rule.

Source: The Epoch Times.
Link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china-news/villagers-tie-up-police-douse-with-gasoline-over-land-conflict-59513.html.

Mongolians Beaten After Protesting Land Seizure

By Matthew Robertson
July 26, 2011

Over a dozen Mongolians were hospitalized last week after being beaten by thugs hired by a Chinese millionaire who was trying to take over their land, according to a rights group.

The protest took place in Inner Mongolia’s Bairin Right Banner on July 18, according to the Southern Mongolia Human Rights Information Center. Over 1,000 herders had gathered to resist the efforts of a business known as Sui from taking over a large portion of their grazing land.

Sui had enlisted the help of hundreds of Chinese to intimidate locals and kill their livestock with heavy vehicles and bulldozers, the group said.

Locals clashed with the hired militia and dozens were beaten in the melee.

In response, communist authorities dispatched 300 riot police to crack down on the protest. It is unclear whose interests the police were defending, but the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center quotes locals who said, “We must stand up to defend our human rights rather than being silently killed by the Chinese army.”

The initial protest was triggered when one man, Mr. Baatar, was reportedly “brutally beaten” while tending his sheep on the morning of July 18, sustaining a broken skull and brain injuries. He was taken to the hospital where he remains in critical condition.

After that, his peers came out in large numbers to protest.

An online appeal letter sets out the grievances of local Mongolian herders. “After the death of Mr. Mergen that ignited the large-scale protests in May, this is another serious case in which again Mongolian herders risked their lives for defending their land,” the letter said.

“We have been impoverished; we have lost our lands to the Chinese; we have been plundered of our natural resources; our livestock are perishing; many of us have become homeless on our own lands. We are treated with no dignity. We must stand up to defend our human rights rather than be silently killed by the Chinese army.”

Bairin Right Banner has more than 80,000 Mongolians, most of whom are herders. Some in the region are now calling for a “long-term, large-scale, nonviolent resistance movement” to defend their rights against Chinese encroachment.

Source: The Epoch Times.
Link: http://www.theepochtimes.com/n2/china-news/mongolians-beaten-after-protesting-land-seizure-59547.html.

Tunisia voter registrations spike

2011-07-25

Some 104,000 new voters registered on Saturday (July 23rd) for the October 23rd constitutional assembly elections, TAP reported. "The massive influx recorded on Saturday in registration offices shows the Tunisian citizens' confidence in the regularity of voter registration," TAP quoted Boubaker Thabet, the head of the Higher Independent Authority for Elections (ISIE) as saying. More than 500,000 Tunisians have registered to vote since the drive began on July 11th.

Source: Magharebia.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/newsbriefs/general/2011/07/25/newsbrief-05.