Sci-Tech

ESA’s Philae probe releases first image from landing

(Reuters) — The Philae probe on Wednesday (November 12) released a close-up image of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as the European Space Agency (ESA) said on-board instruments are working despite the anchors not working as planned. The picture, taken with the lander’s ROLIS camera, was taken 3km away from the target during the craft’s descent. Philae’s landing marks a first in space exploration and the climax of a decade-long mission to examine up close the remnants of the birth […]

U.S., European authorities arrest 16 online drug, weapons traders

(Reuters) – U.S. and European authorities have arrested 16 suspected members of underground drugs and weapons cybermarkets this week, in addition to the alleged operator of the website known as Silk Road 2.0, Europe’s police agency Europol said on Friday. U.S. authorities said on Thursday they had shut down Silk Road 2.0, the successor website to Silk Road, an underground online drugs marketplace, and charged its alleged operator, Blake Benthall, with conspiracy to commit drug […]

BMW develops street lights with electric car-charging sockets

(Reuters) – BMW has developed street lights equipped with sockets to charge electric cars, it said on Friday, and will run a pilot project in Munich next year that uses existing local authority lighting networks. BMW said it has made two prototype “Light and Charge” street lights which combine efficient Light Emitting Diodes (LED) with the company’s ChargeNow recharging stations for electric cars. “Seamless charging infrastructure is essential if we want to see more electric […]

Station Astronauts wrap up preps for Wednesday spacewalk

(Courtesy NASA features) — The Expedition 41 crew of the International Space Station geared up Tuesday for a pair of spacewalks. Two NASA astronauts wrapped up final preparations to head outside Wednesday and replace a power regulator, while two of their Russian colleagues checked out spacesuits for an Oct. 22 excursion. Flight Engineers Reid Wiseman and Barry Wilmore spent most of the day completing preparations for their 6 ½-hour spacewalk slated to begin around 8:20 […]