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Wednesday, December 5, 2012

At least two people in Cairo, Egypt have died after clashes at the presidential palace broke out between supporters and opponents of president Mohamed Morsi. Dozens more were injured.

On Tuesday night, opponents of Morsi set up tents and began camping outside the palace. On Wednesday, reports say supporters of Morsi stormed the encampment and tore down tents belonging to opponents and attacked them. Some threw rocks at them while others threw molotov cocktails, forcing opponents to retreat.

Protests both in support of and opposing Morsi broke out around Egypt after he enacted new powers on November 22 that include making his decisions free from judicial oversight. A referendum is to be presented on December 15 outlining a new constitution for the country.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

For the first time since April 20, no oil is flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, though the halt may be temporary, as integrity testing began on a new sealing cap. The cap was installed on a leaking well in an effort by the BP energy company to contain oil spewing into the Gulf of Mexico. The previous containment cap, which was removed Saturday, had a much looser fit than the new one and allowed oil to escape into the Gulf. It took about three days for the cap to be removed, the site prepared, and the new one to be slowly lowered into position.

The energy company had planned to begin running integrity tests Tuesday to measure the performance of the well under pressure. The tests were delayed a day for further analysis, but clearance to proceed was given Wednesday afternoon, then a leak in a choke line had to be repaired. BP senior vice president Kent Wells announced at his Thursday afternoon briefing that the final valve on the cap assembly started to close at 1:15 PM Thursday and was fully closed at 2:25 PM, finally shutting in the oil flow. If the tests show that the well is strong enough, the sealing cap valves will likely remain closed. If the well cannot be safely closed from the top, the new cap is designed to funnel almost all the oil to ships above while two relief wells are constructed for a permanent fix. After the old cap was removed, oil flowed freely into the waters of the Gulf until the present cap was installed at about 7:00 PM CDT Monday (00:00 UTC Tuesday).

BP has stated that this oil containment system has never been deployed at the current depths, nor has it been tested in the conditions that it will be expected to operate in. During the testing period, which could last anywhere from six to forty-eight hours, all undersea oil containment systems will be temporarily suspended. The company made clear that, even if the tests succeed, this does not mean that oil leakage has permanently ceased.

Doug Suttles, a BP executive, explained that during the test, the well pressure will be carefully monitored. Suttles said at a Monday briefing that the ideal would be for tests to show high pressure around the seal, indicating that no oil is escaping. He also stated that on the other hand, the pressures could be lower than anticipated, leading to the assumption that the well is damaged and is leaking oil and gas into surrounding rock. If this were to happen, keeping the cap shut could further damage the well. The solution for this scenario is to reopen the valves and funnel most, if not all, of the oil to ships above.

Drilling of the first relief well was suspended until completion of the integrity test. Kent Wells explained at his Wednesday morning briefing that the first relief well is now 4 feet from the original well and there is a remote possibility that the pressure test could open a path to the relief well. Drilling of the second relief well has stopped at 16,000 feet so as not to interfere with the first well and to keep routing options open in case the first relief well fails. Even if the pressure tests do succeed and the main well is shut, work on the first relief well will continue until it intercepts the main well. When this occurs, mud and cement will be pumped into the well for a permanent seal. Containment and clean up operations will continue even after the relief wells are finished to deal with oil already released.

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill began on April 20 when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, killing eleven and marking the start of the worst offshore oil spill in United States history.

Sunday, June 1, 2008

According to NASA, new images received from the Phoenix lander on Mars shows a possible layer of ice on its landing site. Scientists received the images on Friday May 30 from the craft’s robotic arm camera. The image was taken on the fifth Martian day, or Sol 5.

Scientists say that as Phoenix landed, the exhaust from its thrusters cleared away a three to four inch layer of Martian soil which exposed a flat layer of a white substance, that NASA says could be ice. The image shows the white layer which is shiny and smooth.

“It’s the consensus of all of us that we have found ice. We were expecting to find ice within two to six inches of the surface. The thrusters have excavated two to six inches and, sure enough, we see something that looks like ice. It’s not impossible that it’s something else, but our leading interpretation is ice,” said top Phoenix investigator at the University of Arizona in Tucson Peter Smith.

One exposed edge of the underlying material was seen in Sol 4 images, but the newer image reveals a greater extent of it. The abundance of excavated smooth and level surfaces adds evidence to a hypothesis that the underlying material is an ice table covered by a thin blanket of soil. Tests will be performed on the soil and surrounding area to determine exactly what the substance is.

“We could very well be seeing rock, or we could be seeing exposed ice in the retrorocket blast zone. We’ll test the two ideas by getting more data,” stated Ray Arvidson, one of the mission investigators.

Phoenix is searching for evidence of water and microbial life on Mars. Its mission is to determine Mars’s ability or inability to host life and hold water. The Phoenix lander uses a robotic arm to dig through the protective top soil layer to the alleged water ice below and ultimately bring both soil and water ice to the lander platform for sophisticated scientific analysis.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

The remaining members of the Expedition 25 crew are set to launch to the International Space Station on Thursday at 7:10 pm EDT from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, which will return the station to its full complement of 6 persons. They will launch in the Russian Soyuz TMA-01M vehicle and dock on Saturday. According to Space Fellowship there is only one Soyuz capsule currently docked to the station, for emergency escape.

Currently there are three astronauts on the station: Commander Doug Wheelock and Flight Engineers Shannon Walker and Fyodor Yurchikhin. The additional crew scheduled to join them are Flight Engineers Oleg Skripochka, Alexander Kaleri, and Scott Kelly.

The three crew now on the station were part of Expedition 24; the other half of that Expedition crew have returned to Earth. When the three now on the station are replaced, the three now about to join them will become half of Expedition 26.

While the astronauts wait for their counterparts’ arrival, they continue work on the station. Wheelock and Walker both participated in an experiment to study the long term effects of exposure to microgravity on crew members. Wheelock was collecting biological samples to place into the Human Research Facility which is a science rack in the station’s Destiny module. Meanwhile, Flight Engineer Fyodor Yurchikhin was working in the Russian segment of the station, swapping mechanical gear and installing new software. He also updated the station’s inventory management system.

The crew is also doing daily exercises to strengthen their muscles and bones to compensate for the effects of microgravity. The exercise machines include a cycle ergometer, a treadmill, and a device that simulates free-weights on Earth and pistons in vacuum cylinders.

Friday, October 30, 2009

A search and rescue mission is underway off the coast of California for nine people missing after a US Coast Guard plane collided in midair with a Navy helicopter. The plane, a C-130 Hercules transport, was carrying seven and two were on the AH-1 SuperCobra assault helicopter.

Searchers from the Navy and Coast Guard have found floating debris from the aircraft. The collision occurred roughly 15 miles from San Clemente Island, and a pilot in the area witnessed a fireball. Some debris is confirmed as coming from a C-130. The plane and crew were based at Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento and the helicopter and crew were from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing presence at Camp Pendleton.

According to Petty Officer Henry Dunphy, the airplane was equipped with survival gear. “We’re hoping to find survivors. We’re not ruling that out,” he said.

The rescue operation is being conducted by both air and sea. Lieutenant Josh Nelson of the Coast Guard said that “we are throwing everything we can at this right now,” adding that the crews were trained in survival techniques.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Oscar Diös is a Swedish businessman looking to invest in a new project within the aviation community. He’s already bought the venture’s first airliner, a Boeing 747-200.

However, his intention is not to start an airline, and the jet is not intended for flight. Instead, he plans to convert the airliner into a unique business which he calls the ‘Jumbo Hostel’. The 450-seat widebodied jetliner will have 25 rooms sleeping a total of 85 people, including some in a luxury suite in the cockpit, and will sit at the entrance to Stockholm-Arlanda Airport.

Built in 1976, the aircraft was an “old wreck” when acquired, according to Oscar. The aircraft was being offered for sale at Stolkholm-Arlanda after previous owner Transjet became bankrupt. The airframe has then been completely gutted and is being fitted with a new, modernised interior. Each room contains three bunk beds. A cafe and a walkway across the left wing are also featured.

The airliner will sit on a concrete platform at the airport’s entrance, with its landing gear secured in steel cradles. It is intended to offer a good view of the day-to-day operation of the airport.

The hostel, which is to open in December, is aimed at families with children, aviation enthusiasts, low-budget travelers and people catching early morning flights who wish to leave it as late as possible before rising to get to check-in – unlike its competitors, the Jumbo Hostel is ten minutes walk from the check-in desks.

Wikinews conducted an email interview with Oscar Diös to talk about the hostel. The full exclusive interview is available below.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

An American Airlines jetliner has overshot the runway at the airport in the Jamaican capital Kingston injuring at least 40 people.

The Boeing 737-800 jet overran the runway at Norman Manley International Airport late Tuesday as it was coming in for a landing during a heavy rainstorm. The plane went through a fence at the end of the runway and skidded over a roadway before coming to rest on a beach. There were no reports of any fatalities.

More than 150 people were on board the flight, flying as Flight 331, originated in Washington, D.C. at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport with a stop at Miami International Airport in Florida before heading to Kingston.

A spokesman for American Airlines says part of the plane’s landing gear collapsed, and one engine on the right side came off the wing. The fuselage was split open and the jet came to rest metres from the Caribbean Sea.

One passenger, Pilar Abaurrea, described the landing in a telephone interview with the Associated Press, saying, “All of a sudden, when it hit the ground, the plane was kind of bouncing, someone said the plane was skidding and there was panic.” Abaurrea also noted that the flight had encountered turbulence so severe that the drinks service was suspended three times and then cancelled completely.