Archive for the ‘Official’ Category
A ground crew member checked the level of radiation near the Soyuz capsule after its landing.
Although NASA is concerned about last weekend’s rough, off-target landing of a Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying three astronauts, an agency official expressed confidence on Tuesday that the Russians would solve the problem.
The Soyuz capsule, carrying a crew home from the International Space Station, made a steeper-than-normal re-entry early Saturday and landed in Kazakhstan about 260 miles short of its target.
Russian and American officials said the astronauts — Dr. Peggy A. Whitson of NASA; the Russian capsule commander, Col. Yuri I. Malenchenko; and a South Korean bioengineer, Yi So-yeon — had been exposed to twice the normal stresses of gravity, but were not harmed. They remain in Russia for normal postflight debriefings and examinations.
William Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for space operations, told reporters Tuesday that the incident was “clearly a concern” to the agency but that it was too early to judge the impact on future space flights.
Mr. Gerstenmaier said there had been a problem with the Soyuz descent module separating as planned from a propulsion module. This was the second consecutive Soyuz re-entry with a separation problem, he said, noting that a return last October also ended in a steeper-than-normal “ballistic re-entry.”
The Soyuz has explosive bolts that are supposed to separate its three sections before the center descent module carrying the astronauts assumes a normal re-entry orientation with its heat shield down. If the other modules do not break away as planned, Mr. Gerstenmaier said, the heat and forces of re-entry are supposed to pull them apart.
If this does not happen, the descent module could be damaged or destroyed by returning through the atmosphere at the wrong angle.
Mr. Gerstenmaier cautioned against giving too much credence to initial reports out of Russia that the astronauts had been in extraordinary danger, noting that the Soyuz had been safely launched and recovered for decades and that there was “an inherent reliability in the system.”
San Francisco set for torch relay
Posted on: April 9, 2008
- In: Athens | Beijing 2008 | china | Greece | march | Official | Olympia | protesters | San Francisco | Tibet | Torch
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Richard Gere at vigil
Hundreds of pro-Tibet protesters have marched in San Francisco, as the city prepares to host the next leg of the international Olympic torch relay.
Demonstrators carrying Tibetan flags marched to the Chinese consulate to denounce Beijing’s policy on Tibet.
Officials have promised tight security for Wednesday’s torch relay, following chaotic scenes in London and Paris.
Officials in Beijing have condemned the disruption to the procession but promised that it would continue.
Extra police will line the torch’s route as it follows a six-mile (10km) route through San Francisco, starting at 1300 (2000 GMT).
Mayor Gavin Newsom said he had been in touch with officials in the UK and France to discuss ways of handling the protesters.
“I’m not naive to the challenge associated with this event,” he said.
At a candle-lit vigil on Tuesday near City Hall, South African Archbishop and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Desmond Tutu urged world leaders not to go to the Games.
“For God’s sake, for the sake of our children, for the sake of their children, for the sake of the beautiful people of Tibet – don’t go,” he said.
“Tell your counterparts in Beijing you wanted to come but looked at your schedule and realised you have something else to do.”
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Hollywood actor and long-time Tibet activist Richard Gere attacked China’s plans to parade the torch through Tibet.
“The game-plan of bringing this torch to Tibet, as if it was a harmonious society, is so patently false and insulting to the Tibetans,” Mr Gere told the rally.
But in San Francisco’s Chinatown, community representatives held a news conference to call for a peaceful relay and voice pride over China’s hosting of the Games.
“If I support the Olympics, of course I don’t support the protests,” local resident Ling Li told the Associated Press News agency.
“This is the first time China has had the Olympics. We should be proud of this.”
The flame was lit in Greece on 24 March and is being relayed through 20 countries before being carried into the opening ceremony in Beijing on 8 August.
Protests have already caused serious disruption to legs in London and Paris. In Paris, the torch had to be extinguished three times, while in London there were 37 arrests.
The demonstrators are protesting over a security crackdown in Tibet after anti-Chinese unrest.
Tibetan exile groups say Chinese security forces killed dozens of protesters. Beijing says about 19 people were killed in rioting.
- In: AOL | Deal | Official | Table
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Time Warner Chief Executive Jeffrey Bewkes has said that Time Warner is open for a deal on AOL.
Bewkes acknowledged weakness in the AOL business and told the Bear Stearns media conference Tuesday that Time Warner was open to combining AOL with another company “whatever configuration makes it the strongest and the most valuable.”
These comments follow on from statements Bewkes made in February where he said Time Warner would split off AOL’s dying subscription business from the online content/ advertising side. Erick said then that “this is code for a sale or IPO, or both. Time Warner should sell off the access business to a private equity shop and go full-steam ahead with its IPO plans for Platform A.” Today’s revelations would indicate that a sale or merger is definitely on the books.
As the New York Times points out
, AOL is still an appealing company, even if its glory days are behind it. The company booked $5.2 billion in revenue in 2007 with AOL properties receiving 112 million visitors a month.
The only question now is who, and for how much.
| Website: | www.aol.com |
| Location: | Dulles, Virginia, United States |
“AOL is a leading global advertising-supported Web company, with the most comprehensive display advertising network in the U.S., a substantial worldwide audience, and a suite of popular Web brands and products.
The company’s strategy focuses on… Learn More
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