Hundreds of Pokemon GO enthusiasts flocked to the centre of Madrid on Thursday (July 28) for a mass gathering of gamers that looked likely to spill over into much of the capital’s tourist area, while local police advised players to stay put. Pokemon GO players congregated in Madrid’s central Puerta del Sol square and were planning to take the chase to the city’s Retiro Park roughly a mile away. Some players pointed out the game […]
Sci-Tech
Solar Impulse 2: A shining global tour
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Solar Impulse 2 took off on March 9, 2015 from Abu Dhabi for the first round-the-world flight using only solar energy, a huge bet on current technology. The bid was expected to last five months, cover 35,000-kilometers (22,000 miles) and comprise 25 days of actual flying before the craft returned to the United Arab Emirates. The project was beset by delays and the plane’s total traveled distance exceeded […]
Solar plane nears end of historic round-the-world trip
by Karim Abou Merhi ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AFP) — Solar Impulse 2 was on Monday approaching the end of its epic bid to become the first sun-powered airplane to circle the globe without a drop of fuel to promote renewable energy. When the experimental aircraft touches down in Abu Dhabi in the early hours of Tuesday it will cap a remarkable 42,000-kilometre (26,097 mile) journey across four continents, two oceans and three seas. […]
The Solar Impulse 2
(AFP) The Solar Impulse 2 has broken several records during its 35,400-kilometre round-the-world journey, completing the first solo transatlantic flight powered only by sunlight, and the longest uninterrupted journey in aviation history. David Lory / AFP Videographics / AFP
NASA marks 40th anniversary of Mars landing
REUTERS — National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) celebrated a historical milestone on Wednesday (July 20): the 40th anniversary of the first U.S. spacecraft to land on Mars. On July 20, 1976, NASA successfully reached the Martian surface with their Viking Lander 1. The Viking project – comprised of two separate spacecraft – together took more than 65,000 images of the planet and collected overwhelming amounts of data. The primary goal of the Viking mission […]
NASA’s Kepler discovers more than 104 new exoplanets
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — An international team of researchers announced Monday the discovery of 104 new planets outside our solar system, including four that could have Earth-like, rocky surfaces. Scientists discovered the exoplanets using the Kepler space telescope as well as ground observations by Earth-based telescopes, including four on the summit of Mauna Kea in Hawaii. The $600 million Kepler mission has allowed scientists to discover more than 4,600 planets — 2,326 of them […]
SpaceX propels cargo to space station, lands rocket
by Kerry SHERIDAN MIAMI, United States (AFP) — A SpaceX rocket blasted off Monday toward the International Space Station, carrying a load of supplies including a docking adapter that future spaceships will use to park at the orbiting outpost. “Falcon 9 is on its way,” said a commentator at SpaceX mission control as the white rocket launched under a dark night sky from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 12:45 am (0445 GMT). Following the launch, the […]
New social media tools empower citizen journalism
by Rob Lever WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — It may be inside a protest rally, or in front of a deadly shooting. Smartphones, video and social media are empowering citizens to tell their stories like never before. This became clear with the live video earlier this month from Diamond Reynolds when she captured the aftermath of the shooting by a police officer of her boyfriend Philando Castile in Minnesota and streamed it live on Facebook. […]
For the first time, scientists to sequence genes in space
Given her background in researching some of the deadliest pathogens on Earth, including Ebola, colleagues of newly arrived astronaut Kate Rubins had expected her to want to do “crazy science fiction” on the International Space Station. Instead, Rubins pushed for carefully controlled experiments with a mix of a bacteria, a common virus and mouse cells, all already repeatedly sequenced and safe for testing in the space station’s closed-loop environment. Rubins, a trained microbiologist who arrived […]
Japan’s Nissan Motors unveils new self driving car
Japanese auto manufacturer Nissan Motor Co unveiled to the media on Tuesday, July 12 its new self driving technology ‘Propilot,’ which assists the driver in maintaining speed during heavy traffic, changing lanes, and other driving maneuvers on a highway.
Solar plane lands in Egypt in penultimate stop of world tour
CAIRO, Egypt (AFP) — The Solar Impulse 2 landed in Cairo on Wednesday for the penultimate stop in the solar-powered plane’s world tour, two days after setting off from Spain. The experimental plane had completed the first solo transatlantic flight to land in Spain last month, and will continue from Cairo to Abu Dhabi, where it began its marathon journey in March last year. After setting off from Seville, Spain on Monday morning, the plane […]
Russian hot air balloon adventurer launches round-the-world attempt
NORTHAM, Australia (Reuters) — Russian adventurer Fedor Konyukhov lifted off from Northam in Western Australia on Tuesday (July 12) in his attempt to break the world record for a hot air balloon solo flight around the world. The 64-year-old Russian Orthodox priest’s wife and children watched as he departed at sunrise from the same place American aviator Steve Fossett started his successful solo flight in 2002 to circumnavigate the globe. Fossett took 13 and a […]
