An American astronaut who set the US record for cumulative time in orbit safely returned to Earth early Wednesday along with two Russian cosmonauts after a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station. https://youtu.be/JVSpjf6Huqc
Sci-Tech
Apple unveils iPhone 7 but some still waiting for iPhone 8
(REUTERS) Apple Inc unveiled an iPhone 7 with high-resolution cameras and no headphone jack at its annual launch event Wednesday, though the biggest surprise was the debut of a three-decade-old Nintendo game franchise, Super Mario Bros, on the smartphone. While shares of Apple barely budged, Nintendo’s U.S.-listed shares jumped 29 pct on investors’ hopes that Super Mario would be another mobile gaming hit for the Japanese company akin to the wildly popular Pokemon Go. […]
Apple unveils iPhone 7; ditches the audio jack
Apple unveiled its new water and dust-resistant iPhone 7 with high-resolution cameras at its fall product event on Wednesday (September 7). The world’s best-known technology company said the iPhone 7, starting at $649, would have one, zooming 12-megapixel camera. The ‘Plus’ edition, starting at $769, would feature two cameras. It also removed the analog headphone jack, as was widely expected. The new headphones supplied by Apple with the phone will plug into the same port […]
Astronaut prepares for five month mission to the ISS
REUTERS — NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough discussed his upcoming mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday (September 6) and contingency plans if SpaceX rockets are unable to resupply the space station. Kimbrough and his crewmates cosmonauts Andrey Borisenko and Sergey Ryzhikov of the Russian Space agency will launch on September 23 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The team will conduct nearly 250 experiments during the five-month expedition with varied emphasis, including: life […]
Missing comet lander Philae spotted at last: ESA
by Pascale MOLLARD Mariëtte Le Roux PARIS, France (AFP) — Europe’s Rosetta spacecraft has finally spotted its tiny lander Philae, thought to be lost forever, stuck in a ditch on the surface of a comet hurtling through space, ground controllers said Monday. “THE SEARCH IS OVER! I’ve found @Philae2014!!” the European Space Agency (ESA) tweeted on behalf of Rosetta, orbiting comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko at some 682 million kilometers (424 million miles) from Earth. The agency released […]
Virtual and augmented reality (Videographic)
(AFP) Virtual and augmented reality gadgets are expected to hog the limelight at Berlin’s mega consumer electronics show IFA this week, as Pokemon Go gave a tantalising preview of the appetite for reality-altering technologies. Videographic explaining virtual reality. Courtesy: Jonathan Renaud de la Faverie Katherine Levy Spencer / AFP Videographics / AFP
Egg-shaped drone aims to crack UAV market
BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) — A new unmanned aerial vehicle from Beijing-based technology company PowerVision hopes to shake up the drone market with their eye-catching egg-shaped design. When stationary, the PowerEgg drone looks a bit like an ostrich egg with no obvious signs of the ability to fly. But when switched on, four rotor blades emerge from the rugby ball-sized device to propel it skywards at a speed of 5 metes-per-second. The makers say it is perfect […]
Facebook Messenger adds live video broadcasting
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — Facebook Messenger on Thursday added the ability to stream live video, adding a feature enjoyed by fans of rival application Snapchat. Instant Video lets people broadcast real-time video in Messenger text exchanges, according to a Facebook blog post. “It’s perfect for sharing quick moments with friends who aren’t right by your side or making your conversations richer by seeing each other face-to-face when you are messaging,” Facebook said of […]
Launch pad blast destroys SpaceX rocket, Facebook satellite
by Leila MACOR with Jean-Louis SANTINI in Washington MIAMI, United States (AFP) — An unmanned SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the launch pad during a test in Florida on Thursday, destroying a satellite that Facebook planned to use to beam high-speed internet to Africa. The blast at Cape Canaveral — though it caused no injuries — marks a setback for the California-based private space firm and its founder, internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, who wants […]
Wake up and smell your alarm clock
BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) — The smell of coffee is supposed to get you going in the morning. Now a French start-up has taken this idea a stage further with an olfactory alarm clock designed to gradually wake you up by diffusing the smell of espresso instead of blasting your ears with an audio ring. Sensorwake is the brainchild of 20-year-old Guillaume Rolland and is being launched at this week’s IFA, Europe’s leading trade show for consumer […]
X-ray satellite uncovering the secrets of black holes
Data from a defunct satellite is helping astrophysicists decipher the secrets of super massive holes and the hot plasma that surrounds the galaxies. Let’s find it out! https://youtu.be/apucDtWigb4
Japan unveils lunar rover design for Google’s moon challenge
TOKYO, Japan (Reuters) — Japanese space race team Hakuto unveiled its lunar rover design on Monday (August 29), for next year’s Google-sponsored Lunar X PRIZE competition. At 58 centimetres long and 36 centimetres high, the prototype weighs only 4 kilogram. The weight is kept down by using the latest carbon fibre material typically used for aircraft. Each wheel is equipped with motors, allowing for smooth manoeuvrability on the moon’s surface. Google launched its Lunar XPRIZE […]
