What?: May 2016

Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Ray J Is Trying to Create the ‘Tesla of Electric Bikes’ [bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]

European Space Agency: Facts & Information [bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]

European Space Agency

Credit: European Space Agency.

The European Space Agency is the coordinating entity for European civilian space activities. With 22 member states, its headquarters is in Paris, and it also has several centers scattered in several European countries.

ESA is a substantial contributor to the International Space Station and frequently flies astronauts to the orbital complex. Its most recent astronaut class in 2009, nicknamed the Shenanigans, includes six astronauts. Italian Luca Parmitano was the first among that group to make it to space, in 2013.

Additionally, ESA has numerous satellite programs designed to explore Earth as well as other planets. Some of its more prominent missions include Mars Express, which is in orbit around the Red Planet, and Rosetta, which arrived at Comet 67 P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014.

Origins after WWII

Europe began to get serious about creating a space agency after the end of World War II. According to ESA, between 1945 and 1950 scientists in Europe were leaving the continent in pursuit of opportunities in the United States and Soviet Union, which were both working on rocket technology that would later lead to a space race between the two superpowers.

In 1958, two prominent European scientists — Pierre Auger and Edoardo Amaldi — recommended that the European governments unite and set up an organization among them that would be similar to CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research.)

By 1964, countries were laying the groundwork for the European Launch Development Organisation to work on launchers, and the European Space Research Organisation to make spacecraft. Today, ESRO is probably best remembered for its agreement with NASA to build Spacelab, a reusable module for space shuttle flights that astronauts used for scientific experiments.

The European Space Agency itself came to be in 1975 through a merger of ESRO and ELDO, with 10 founding member countries. Its first satellite mission was Cos-B, which looked at gamma-rays in space.

As of 2016, ESA has 22 member states and has made several large contributions to the International Space Station, including the Columbus module and the Node 2 connecting module. It also supplied a series of cargo ships called the Automated Transfer Vehicle, each of which was named after a prominent space person.

European astronaut program

Spacelab’s agreement led NASA to invite ESA to submit astronaut applications. The initial three astronauts were selected in 1978, with German’s Ulf Merbold making it into space first in 1983 aboard STS-9. This also happened to be Spacelab’s first flight.

As the pace of missions increased in the 1980s, several ESA member states did astronaut selections of their own. These astronauts went on to fly in both space shuttle missions and Russian Soyuz missions, including voyages to the Mir space station.

ESA’s European Astronaut Centre was founded in 1990 as the agency geared up for contributions to the International Space Station. A new astronaut selection was performed, winnowing down more than 22,000 applications to six selected astronauts in 1992.

Six years later, Europe decided to put the ESA astronauts and the astronauts selected in individual nations into one large corps. By then, European astronauts were taking on mission specialist responsibilities on the shuttle, which opened up opportunities for spacewalks and other activities. The most recent selection concluded in 2009.

Some of the more notable achievements include the first European spacewalk with a U.S. spacesuit (Claude Nicollier, who worked on the Hubble Space Telescope during STS-103 in 1999) and the first European to join an International Space Station crew (Thomas Reiter, 2006).

This Mars photo from ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft was taken on Dec. 15, 2012, and beamed to Earth on Dec. 18. The spacecraft was 9.761 kilometers from Mars at the time.

Credit: ESA

Other ESA activities

ESA spacecraft and instruments have visited several planets in the solar system, including Earth orbital missions. Cassini, a joint mission with NASA, has been orbiting Saturn and its moons since 2004; Cassini’s lander Huygens, which was led by ESA, landed successfully on the moon Titan in 2005. Mars Express is orbiting the Red Planet in search of Mars water, including probing underground with its instruments. Rosetta not only imaged Comet 67-P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko from up close, it also sent a lander, Philae, to the surface. The GAIA telescope is currently mapping billions of stars with unprecedented precision.

One of ESA’s large focuses in the next few years will be the ExoMars mission, which it is doing in partnership with Russia. The first part of the mission — a satellite called the Trace Gas Orbiter, as well as a small test lander — lifted off successfully for Mars in 2016. A follow-on rover was expected to launch in 2018, but slipped to 2020 due to scheduling problems.

Other prominent recent science missions include the space telescopes Planck and Herschel; Venus Express, which concluded its mission in 2014; LISA Pathfinder, which is testing out technology to learn about gravitational waves; and the James Webb Space Telescope, led by NASA and expected to launch in 2018. ESA currently has missions planned for Mercury (BepiColombo, 2018) and Jupiter (JUICE, 2022), and others that will seek dark matter (Euclid, 2020) and observe the energetic universe (Athena, 2028).

ESA used to have a contract for a cargo vehicle called the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), which brought supplies to the International Space Station. While that program is now concluded, ESA’s European Space Operations Center in Germany still does ISS work, such as having astronauts in orbit test-drive rovers on Earth’s surface. Additionally, controllers work on the station’s Columbus science lab. The center also serves as the point of control for several ESA satellite and planetary missions.

Rockets, navigation & research

The agency also is working on the next generation of its Galileo navigation system, which is an alternative to GPS technology. When the deployment is complete, there should be 30 satellites in orbit allowing people on the ground to get an exact fix on their location.

ESA also has its own rockets. The most famous, Ariane, has gone through several generations of development since Ariane 1 first blasted off Dec. 24, 1979. The rocket initially was used only by European governments, but was opened up to international missions when it was clear that more launches were needed to keep the program going. ESA also has lofted Vega and Soyuz rockets.

Space engineering is another major activity undertaken by ESA. Some of its major research areas include thermal control, structures and mechanisms, propulsion and mechanical engineering. It also performs software engineering and product assurance.

Additional resource

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[bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]European Space Agency: Facts & Information

Cassini-Huygens: Exploring Saturn’s System [bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]

Artist’s concept of NASA’s Cassini spacecraft at Saturn.

Credit: NASA/JPL

The Cassini-Huygens spacecraft has been orbiting Saturn since 2004. The mission is known for discoveries such as finding jets of water erupting from Enceladus, and tracking down a few new moons for Saturn. Now low on fuel, the spacecraft will make a suicidal plunge into the ringed planet in 2017 and capture some data about Saturn’s interior on the way. (This will avoid the possibility of Cassini some day crashing on to a potentially habitable icy moon, such as Enceladus or Rhea.)

The ambitious mission is a joint project among several space agencies, which is a contrast from the large NASA probes of the past such as Pioneer and Voyager. In this case, the main participants are NASA, the European Space Agency and Agenzia Spaziale Italiana (the Italian space agency).

Launch and cruise

Cassini didn’t head straight to Saturn. Rather, its mission involved complicated orbital mechanics. It went past several planets — including Venus (twice), Earth and Jupiter — to get a speed boost by taking advantage of each planet’s gravity.

The nearly 12,600-lb. (about 5,700 kilograms) spacecraft was hefted off of Earth on Oct. 15, 1997. It went by Venus in April 1998 and June 1999, Earth in August 1999 and Jupiter in December 2000.

Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, passes in front of the planet and its rings in this true color snapshot from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft. This view looks toward the northern, sunlit side of the rings from just above the ring plane. It was taken on May 21, 2011, when Cassini was about 1.4 million miles (2.3 million kilometers) from Titan.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

There were some on Earth who were concerned that Cassini’s pass by Earth would be risky, given that the spacecraft was carrying radioisotope thermoelectric generators (nuclear power) on board. These generators are commonly used for NASA missions.

NASA responded by issuing a supplementary document about the flyby and detailing the agency’s methodology for protecting the planet, saying there was less than a one-in-a-million chance of an impact occurring.

Cassini safely flew by, and after taking a pass by Jupiter settled into orbit around Saturn on July 1, 2004. Among its prime objectives were to look for more moons, to figure out what caused Saturn’s rings and the colors in the rings, and understanding more about the planet’s moons.

Perhaps Cassini’s most detailed look came after releasing the Huygens lander towards Titan, Saturn’s largest moon. Huygens descended through the mysterious haze surrounding the moon and landed on Jan. 14, 2005.

It beamed information back to Earth for nearly 2.5 hours during its descent, and then continued to relay what it was seeing from the surface for 1 hour, 12 minutes.

In that brief window of time, researchers saw pictures of a rock field and got information back about the moon’s wind and gases on the atmosphere and the surface.

Magnificent moons

One of the defining features of Saturn is its number of moons. Excluding the trillions of tons of little rocks that make up its rings, Saturn has 62 discovered moons as of September 2012. NASA lists 53 named moons on one of its websites.

This first panorama of Titan released by ESA shows a full 360-degree view around the Huygens probe. The left-hand side shows a boundary between light and dark areas. The white streaks seen near this boundary could be ground ‘fog’, as they were not immediately visible from higher altitudes. Huygens drifted over a plateau (centre of image) and was heading towards its landing site in a dark area (right) during descent.

Credit: ESA/NASA/University of Arizona.

In fact, Cassini discovered two new moons almost immediately after arriving (Methone and Pallene) and before 2004 had ended, it detected Polydeuces. [Gallery: Latest Saturn Photos from NASA’s Cassini Orbiter]

As the probe wandered past Saturn’s moons, the findings it brought back to Earth revealed new things about their environments and appearances. Some of the more notable findings include:

Saturn has not gone ignored, either. For example, in 2012, a NASA study postulated that Saturn’s jet streams in the atmosphere may be powered by internal heat, instead of energy from the sun. Scientists believe that heat brings up water vapor from the inside of the planet, which condenses as it rises and produces heat. That heat is believed to be behind jet stream formation, as well as that of storms.

Extending the mission

Cassini wrapped up its four-year planned mission in June 2008 and then embarked on the Cassini Equinox mission, which went through to September 2010. During those two years, Cassini flew past Titan 26 times and Enceladus seven times. It also zipped by Dione, Rhea and Helene once.

Now the probe is in the Cassini Solstice Mission, which is intended to last until September 2017. The probe focused on a series of flybys of Saturn’s icy moons, particularly Enceladus and Titan. Saturn’s solstices will come in May 2017, meaning it will be summer in the northern hemisphere and winter in the southern hemisphere.

Because Cassini arrived at Saturn at the last solstice, NASA says this extension will let scientists study seasonal changes in detail at the ringed planet.

Saturn orbits the sun every 29 Earth years. By the time Cassini reaches the end of its extended mission, the spacecraft will have accompanied the planet for about half of that journey.

Additional resource

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http://www.space.com/17754-cassini-huygens.html Cassini-Huygens: Exploring Saturn's System

[bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]Cassini-Huygens: Exploring Saturn’s System

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Pink Has No Cool When She Meets Her Crush Johnny Depp [bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]

Best Telescopes for the Money [bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]

Space.com Editors have selected 12 Great Telescopes in 4 Categories. Are you a traveler? Student of the sky? On a budget? Live in a small home? Do you like digital tech? Or prefer an analog approach?

Credit: Space.com – Dave Brody

A photon leaps off the sun and, about 500 seconds later, bounces off our Earth. Light has been dancing and rebounding from faraway and nearby celestial objects for more than 13 billion years. It’s time you caught some of it for your very own.

That’s what telescopes do; they gather light. But which telescope you choose to collect that radiance will vary according to your needs and budget. Our editors have selected a few of the best options in four categories. Click on each to read a review of the telescopes in these groups:

Or see our Best Telescopes for Kids – Preschool and Up pages.

Now, let’s see which type of telescope is the best fit for your needs:

After looking carefully at a variety of telescopes, we selected the ones that have enough horsepower to drive many years of satisfying observation but that don’t break the bank. You can read our in-depth review of the best hobbyist telescopes here. See our top choices below:

Editors’ Choice: Celestron SkyProdigy 130

Reflector / AltAz / Tripod / Go-To
Easiest setup; totally self-aligning on the sky

Easy set-up, self-aligning and optically excellent beginner telescope

Credit: Celestron

The Celestron SkyProdigy 130 is the first consumer telescope to offer fully automatic alignment. Once set up, it takes just 3 minutes under the night sky for the scope to find itself. Then you can drive this high-quality Newtonian reflector using the wired remote keypad. The SkyProdigy comes with two 1.25-inch Kellner eyepieces (25mm and 9mm). The nicely machined focuser can also accept 2-inch eyepieces.

***

Alternate Editors’ Choice: Orion SkyQuest XT8i IntelliScope

Reflector / AltAz / Dobsonian
Most “Big Bang” for your buck; largest aperture

Much “Big Bang” for your buck, has this large aperture Dobsonian telescope.

Credit: Orion Telescopes and Binoculars

Orion’s SkyQuest is an 8-inch (203mm) Dobsonian telescope. It’s a big light-bucket with an excellent-quality primary mirror that’s great for hauling in the old tired photons of distant galaxies and nebulae. As long as you don’t intend to take long-exposure astro-photos, the SkyQuest is a fabulous tool. Also, be aware that it’s a bit of a kit: You must screw together the altitude-azimuth mount, fit-up the tilting optical tube and do a few more bits of assembly. But it’s fun to do and the result is a wonderful scope you can use for decades.

***

Editors’ Budget Choice: Celestron NexStar 130SLT

Reflector / AltAz / Tripod / Go-To
Best overall value; nicest blend of needed features

This tripod mounted Newtonian reflector boasts wonderful overall value trhrough a great blend of needed features

Credit: Celestron

In our opinion, Celestron’s NexStar 130SLT gives best views of celestial objects of any telescope in its price range. It does not automatically align itself (as its close cousin the SkyProdigy 130 does) but it sets up quickly enough. It’s wired NexRemote keypad lets you fly precisely around the sky, or will autopilot you to any of 4,000 objects in its database. Given its low price, you may have budget left over to buy at least one good 2-inch wide-field eyepiece, for an astonishing “space-walking” visual experience. And, if you want to take portraits of planets and other denizens of deep space, this telescope will accept small cameras.

Read our deep review and comparison of these three hobbyist scopes.

When it comes to skywatching on the go or from urban areas, a smaller, portable telescope might be more your speed to make observing the night sky a bit easier. You can read our in-depth review of the best portable telescopes. See our top choices below:

Editors’ Choice: Pentax PF-80ED-A (Angled View) – “Spotting Scope”

[For photography, pick the Or PF80ED-A Straight-Through]
Refractor (mount, tripod and eyepieces sold separately)
Clearest and sharpest“grab and go” compact telescope

This is the sharpest and most rugged “grab and go” compact telescope we tested.

Credit: Pentax

There is not a better quality, rugged, portable telescope made than the Pentax PF-80ED. Use it at night for astronomy and during the day for birding, sports-watching or other activities requiring a close-up view. At 16.3-inches (41.5 centimeters) and 3.6 lbs. (1.6 kg), it hides in your suitcase or carry-on bag, ready for adventures everywhere. It won’t fog up. Rain and spray can’t hurt it. And Pentax gives you the industry’s best warranty. You’ll need to buy a tripod separately, and possibly a 1.25-inch astronomy eyepiece or two for skywatching.

***

Also Consider: Orion ShortTube 80-A

Refractor (mount and tripod sold separately)
Most cost-effective “grab and go” compact telescope

This is the most cost-effective “grab and go” compact telescope: Decent aperture, fairly tough, lightweight and very good optics.

Credit: Orion Telescopes and Binoculars

The Orion ShortTube 80-A is many an eclipse-chaser’s favorite telescope; 3.1inches (8 cm) of aperture executed in extra-low-dispersion “ED” glass. Try pairing it with Orion’s heavy-duty model tripod and head for no-wiggle skywatching. For daytime terrestrial observing, add Orion’s “correct image diagonal” to keep your view right side up.

***

Editors’ Budget Choice: Celestron TravelScope 60 – National Park Edition

Refractor / AltAz Tripod
Least costly for night-sky and daytime Earth views

$At an almost unbelievably low price, this mini-refractor is ready to travel in it's custom backpack with included tripod, eyepieces, finder-scope, flashlight and compass. Although the aperture is small, you'll get satisfactory night sky and daytime Earth views.$

At an almost unbelievably low price, this mini-refractor is ready to travel in it’s custom backpack with included tripod, eyepieces, finder-scope, flashlight and compass. Although the aperture is small, you’ll get satisfactory night sky and daytime Earth views.

Credit: Celestron

No room? No money? No problem! Celestron’s TravelScope 60 National Park Foundation telescope does a lot with (and for) a little. But this scope’s 2.36-inch (6 cm) aperture is large enough to yield 140x magnification with its included Barlow lens. And it comes, ready to travel, with its own tripod, moon filter, mirror diagonal (for upright views), compass, and clip-on flashlight; all in its own backpack. Grab and go.

***

A Computerized Compact: Celestron NexStar 4SE

Catadioptric / AltAz / Tripod / Go-To
Most fully featured Go-To portable

The most fully featured “Go-To” portable we tested, this Maksutov Cassegrain hybrid telescope aligns easil;y to the sky and tracks your celestial targets.

Credit: Celestron

Celestron’s NexStar 4SE is a Maksutov-Cassegrain catadioptric telescope; a folded light-path which keeps the dimensions small and your view large. It can even function as a telephoto camera lens. Small enough to take to distant dark-sky observing sites, this 4-inch (10-cm) aperture scope uses Celestron’s SkyAlign system to setup quickly and navigate to any of 40,000-listed targets. Most of them are stars, but there are still a lifetime of more fascinating phenomena to see. [Read our Full Review of the Hybrid Celestron NexStar 4SE]

Read our deep comparison of these four portable compact scopes.

For some skywatchers starting out, how easy a telescope is to operate may be a key factor when deciding what to buy. You can read our in-depth review of the best telescopes for beginners here. See our top choices below:

Editors’ Choice: Orion StarBlast 6 or StarBlast 6i “IntelliScope”

Reflector/ AltAz Rocket-Box
Simplest to use; gobbles big gulps of photons

This simple-to-use tabletop Dobsonian comes out of the box ready to observe. The “IntelliScope” computer guides you to manually move the ‘scope to objects on the sky.

Credit: Orion Telescopes and Binoculars

***

Also Consider: Celestron COSMOS 90GT Wi-Fi

Refractor / AltAz Tripod / Go-To
Most innovative, future-proof and “digital”

(Note: This Cosmos-branded 90GT telescope has been discontinued by Celestron and will be replaced later this year with a newer model, so it may be hard to find.)

$This innovative refractor sits on a mount that's controlled from your Android or iOS handheld device.$

This innovative refractor sits on a mount that’s controlled from your Android or iOS handheld device.

Credit: Celestron

The Celestron COSMOS 90GT Wi-Fi takes its observing orders your Apple or Android smartphone or tablet via the free COSMOSNavigator app [App Store or Google Play]. This 3.5-inch (90 mm) refractor is our choice for planet watching. Just be a little careful not to bend the lightweight aluminum tripod.

Read our deep comparison of these two easy-to-work telescopes.

Price will always be an important part of any telescope buying decision, and there are some great options to get the most out of an inexpensive instrument. You can read our in-depth review of the best inexpensive telescopes here. See our top choices below:

Editors’ Choice: Astronomers Without Borders OneSky 130

Reflector / AltAz “Rock and Roll” Turntable
Best gift under $200 and helps developing nations

BUY the Astronomers Without Borders OneSky 130: Average price: $199.99

This clever pop-up Newtonian reflector gives you a remarkably large aperture and super-easy operation at very low cost. Nearly half your purchase price goes to support science education in developing nations.

Credit: Space.com – Jeremy Lips and Dave Brody

Give this OneSky telescope as a gift (even to yourself!) and you automatically make a donation to the nonprofit Astronomers Without Borders (AWB). Young science students a world away will benefit from enhanced education programs as you enjoy your astronomy hobby. We are all under one sky.

And you’ll be getting an extraordinarily good telescope; 5.1 inches (130 mm) of aperture, good quality glass, two “Modified Achromat” (Kellner) eyepieces and an innovative compact-expanding design. It’s a truss-tube Newtonian reflector on a simple-to-work altitude-azimuth mount, with a built-in handle. We truly love this telescope.

***

Also Consider: Celestron Cometron 114

Reflector / AltAz Panhandle Tripod
Least expensive “galaxy grabbing” deep-sky scope

BUY the Celestron Cometron 114 from Amazon.com: Average price: $179.95

If you can get under a dark sky, this petite Newtonian reflector can grab galaxies.

Credit: Celestron

If you prefer a tripod-mounted scope (you can’t always count on a having a stable table at a remote observing site) you will like Celestron’s Cometron 114AZ. Massing 8.4-lb. (3.8 kg), this nicely made reflector does a lot of things well. At 4.5 inches (114 mm) the aperture isn’t huge, but the Cometron benefits from its more expensive, larger siblings in the Celestron line and is a great first telescope.

***

Also Consider: Celestron ExploraScope 60AZ NPF Edition

Long Tube Refractor / AltAz Tripod
Best gift, or hobby-entry tool, under $100

$This is the best "first telescope" under $100, whether given as a gift or purchased for personal use, this maintenance refractor will give years of enlightening skywatching.$

This is the best “first telescope” under $100, whether given as a gift or purchased for personal use, this maintenance refractor will give years of enlightening skywatching.

Credit: Celestron

When money is tight, but you want to give the meaningful gift of the universe, we suggest the ExploraScope 60AZ from Celestron. It’s long refracting tube calls to mind Galileo’s own original telescope, which essentially founded what we now call “science.” The AltAz mount lets you intuitively use it for daytime as well as night. Just point and look. Like the short-tube TravelScope 60 reviewed above, this ExploraScope NPF Editions comes with two included eyepieces, a 3x Barlow lens, a compass and a useful LED flashlight on a carabiner clip.

Read Our Full Review of these three budget-minded telescopes.

Look, here’s the deep truth of telescopes: It does not matter at what price point you get into amateur astronomy. Telescopes gather light. And, yes, more light — or purer light — is better. But once you tune in to the reality that the universe is coming directly to you — to meet you wherever you are, as long as you look up — you will never be the same. Once you start observing with a telescope, you will likely never stop.

May the photons be with you.

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http://www.space.com/15693-telescopes-beginners-telescope-reviews-buying-guide.html Best Telescopes for the Money

[bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]Best Telescopes for the Money

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Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke Thinks Daenerys Should Reject Euron’s Proposal [bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]

Entertainment – TIME http://time.com/4346928/game-of-thrones-emilia-clarke-daenerys-euron-proposal/

During a recent conversation with TIME about her new film, Me Before You, actress Emilia Clarke reflected on love, including the romantic life of her Game of Thrones character Daenerys.

In the most recent episode of the HBO drama, Euron Greyjoy declared that he would seduce Dany with his Iron Fleet of ships “and then some,” Clarke says. But the actress doubts he has a shot with the Mother of Dragons.

“Salt water doesn’t look good in that wig,” she says. “Also the handlebar mustache is not really on the top of my list.”

Euron’s proposal came just one episode after the Khaleesi demonstrated her independence by lighting the Khals who threatened her reign on fire.

“I don’t know. Daenerys relying on a big strong man like that? I think those days are over.”

Entertainment – TIME

During a recent conversation with TIME about her new film, Me Before You, actress Emilia Clarke reflected on love, including the romantic life of her Game of Thrones character Daenerys.

“Salt water doesn’t look good in that wig,” she says. “Also the handlebar mustache is not really on the top of my list.”

Euron’s proposal came just one episode after the Khaleesi demonstrated her independence by lighting the Khals who threatened her reign on fire.

“I don’t know. Daenerys relying on a big strong man like that? I think those days are over.”

Entertainment – TIME

During a recent conversation with TIME about her new film, Me Before You, actress Emilia Clarke reflected on love, including the romantic life of her Game of Thrones character Daenerys.

“Salt water doesn’t look good in that wig,” she says. “Also the handlebar mustache is not really on the top of my list.”

Euron’s proposal came just one episode after the Khaleesi demonstrated her independence by lighting the Khals who threatened her reign on fire.

“I don’t know. Daenerys relying on a big strong man like that? I think those days are over.”

Entertainment – TIME

During a recent conversation with TIME about her new film, Me Before You, actress Emilia Clarke reflected on love, including the romantic life of her Game of Thrones character Daenerys.

“Salt water doesn’t look good in that wig,” she says. “Also the handlebar mustache is not really on the top of my list.”

Euron’s proposal came just one episode after the Khaleesi demonstrated her independence by lighting the Khals who threatened her reign on fire.

“I don’t know. Daenerys relying on a big strong man like that? I think those days are over.”

Entertainment – TIME

[bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke Thinks Daenerys Should Reject Euron’s Proposal

Best Telescope for Beginners [bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]

Do you want painless, quick access to the universe? Our editors suggest these nimble telescopes. One is “digital”; the other is “analog.” Take your pick:

Chart of Space.com’s high-quality telescope picks.

Credit: by Karl Tate, Infographics artist

Editors‘ Choice:

Orion StarBlast 6 or StarBlast 6i “IntelliScope”

Reflector/ AltAz Rocket-Box
Simplest to use; gobbles big gulps of photons

For some people, the definition of “easy” does not include a screen, a keypad, icons or apps. If that is you, you are right: The universe is analog, not digital. So why not put your money into bigger, better optics to capture more starlight rather than cutesy gimmickry to find it?

This simple-to-use tabletop Dobsonian comes out of the box ready to observe. The “IntelliScope” computer guides you to manually move the ‘scope to objects on the sky.

Credit: Orion Telescopes and Binoculars

You want the largest light bucket you can get for your dollar. Orion Telescopes produces several models at various sizes and prices. Try the $339.99 StarBlast 6 Dobsonian reflector. You’ll get nearly 6 inches (15 cm) of aperture on a tabletopturntable, rocker-arm mount and a pair of 1.25-inch eyepieces. The telescope is very easy to setup, and you’ll be observing very quickly — pure analog, just as inventor John Dobson intended.

Unlike a few of its larger siblings, this Orion pops out of its shipping box fully assembled. Everything “just works,” from the nonbinding PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) bearings letting the scope swivel and rock easily, to the smooth focuser. Like all Newtonian refractors, you will someday need to collimate the optical path by adjusting the mirror, but it’s not hard to do.

With a noncomputerized instrument like this, you are more likely to have extra discovery moments: There’s nothing quite like the thrill of manually slewing a telescope across the sky when something catches your eye. Your brain sets off a little fire of neurons, pleading with you to stop, look around and key in on it; perhaps a galaxy or nebula you weren’t looking for. At that moment, you join a brotherhood/sisterhood of astronomers stretching back through Hubble and Herschel and Galileo and on down into prehistoric times.

To assist your observation planning — or even just to help you get familiar with the cosmic real estate up there — Orion includes Starry Night astronomy software. (Full disclosure: This author helped to create the Starry Night product.)

If you really want some extra targeting assistance, step up to the StarBlast 6i “IntelliScope” ($499.99). The “i” in StarBlast 6i stands for “IntelliScope.” It’s not a Go-To (that’s very hard to do on a Dobsonian) but rather a Push-To. A small electronics pack keeps track of the telescope’s altitude and azimuth and, once aligned, tells you when you’re closer to, or farther from, your intended objective. [Watch this video explaining the Orion StarBlast 6i IntelliScope, and read our full review.]

Also Look At:

Celestron COSMOS 90GT Wi-Fi

Refractor / AltAz Tripod / Go-To
Most innovative, future-proofand “digital”

Celestron recently found a very clever way to give you much more telescope for your money. But you need to be comfortable with digital devices.

(Note: This Cosmos-branded 90GT telescope has been discontinued by Celestron and will be replaced later this year with a newer model, so it may be hard to find.)

$This innovative refractor sits on a mount that's controlled from your Android or iOS handheld device.$

This innovative refractor sits on a mount that’s controlled from your Android or iOS handheld device.

Credit: Celestron

Most “Go-To” scopes have a microprocessor onboard with many lines of dedicated software code and a special-purpose keypad, cabled to the mount. The Celestron COSMOS 90GT does away with all that stuff, because you already own it! Yes, that Apple or Android smartphone or tablet makes a perfectly excellent telescope controller. All you need to do is download Celestron’s free COSMOSNavigator app from the App Store or Google Play, and then pair it with the telescope via Wi-Fi. You won’t need access to a network; the 90GT is a network.

We love refractors for spying on neighboring planets. Optically, this 3.5-inch (90 mm) spyglass does not disappoint. The lens coatings do a very fair job of contrast improvement. With a focal ratio of 10.1, it is not especially “fast.” But if you have clear, dark skies, you won’t need more speed unless you get into serious astrophotography.

Like all refractors, the COSMOS 90GT suffers from a bit of chromatic aberration; you’ll see a ring of color spectrum around bright objects as the shorter indigo and blue wavelengths are bent more (by the lens glass) than the longer red wavelengths. To keep the price squarely in the first-time-buyer range, Celestron did not go to the much more expensive ED (extra-low-dispersion) glass and harder-to-cast lens architecture needed to reduce this colorful artifact. But if you’re new to the hobby, we doubt this will bother you much.

The aluminum tripod scared us a bit. It’s softer than steel and could easily get bent. Worse, the legs have a rectangular cross-section. If they take a serious dent, or get twisted, or become warped (all quite possible), they will not smoothly slide to their collapsed position.

We do love the accessory tray, though. Not only does it serve as a spreader to lock the tripod in position, but the tray has a sweet rubber-coated hump designed to rest your phone or small tablet at a viewable, but nonslip and fall, angle. Smart! Of course, it also holds your eyepieces.

In summary: It feels altogether wizard-y the first time you touch your phone’s screen and the long, thin telescope slews to a celestial sight. You’re going to enjoy this!

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Euro Soyuz Rocket Launches 2 Galileo Satellites (Video) [bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]

PARIS—A Europeanized Russian Soyuz rocket on Tuesday (May 24) successfully placed two European Galileo positioning, navigation and timing satellites into medium-Earth orbit — the 13th and 14th in a series of 26 Galileo spacecraft, with more to come.

Operating from Europe’s Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, on the northeast coast of South America, the Soyuz rocket’s Fregat upper stage released the two 733-kilogram spacecraft into their 22,522-kilometer-altitude orbit some three hours and 48 minutes after liftoff.

Launch operator Arianespace confirmed the accurate orbital injection, and European Space Agency officials said both satellites were healthy and sending signals.

In addition to four in-orbit-validation satellites, one of which is no longer functioning correctly, the European Commission ordered 22 spacecraft from a consortium led by OHB SE of Bremen, Germany, with the payloads provided by SSTL of Guildford, England.

Specially modified heavy-lift Ariane 5 rockets are scheduled to launch the remaining 12 satellites, four at a time. The first of the three was scheduled for Nov. 17, with the other two set for 2017 and 2018.

With another successful Soyuz launch performed to expand the Galileo satellite navigation system, Arianespace today reaffirmed the company’s important role in supporting European governments and institutions with independent, reliable and available access to space.

Credit: Arianespace

The Galileo constellation, with many of the same performance goals as the U.S. GPS, Russia’s Glonass and China’s Beidou networks, is considered fully operational at 24 satellites. But European officials have always said they would launch 30 satellites to provide sufficient in-orbit backup.

Paul Verhoef, director of navigation at the 22-nation European Space Agency, said an invitation to tender to industry for eight more Galileo satellites, plus up to six options, had been issued earlier this month.

A contract decision is expected by the end of the year and will present ESA and the European Commission — the executive arm of the 28-nation European Union and the owner of the Galileo program — with a difficult choice.

The least-expensive decision ostensibly would be to order recurrent models from the OHB team to take advantage of the scale economies that have already brought down the satellites’ cost.

OHB’s first contract, for 14 satellites, was signed in January 2010 and valued at 566 million euros ($640 million at today’s exchange rate), or 40.4 million euros per satellite. The second contract, for eight satellites, was signed in January 2012 and was valued at 255 million euros, or 31.9 million euros per satellite.

But the commission has been adamant about wanting to maintain dual sourcing for Galileo wherever possible, which would argue in favor of structuring the contract-tender process in some way as to reduce the OHB advantage and favor bids by others — Airbus Defence and Space, Thales Alenia Space and perhaps others.

The Galileo network is on track to offer initial services late this year, and full service in 2020. Galileo services include an Open Service, which resembles what’s available to users from the U.S. GPS system; a Search and Rescue Service, which includes a return message to advise victims that their distress messages have been received; and the secure Public Regulated Service (PRS), reserved for military and civil-protection authorities.

The 13th and 14th of 26 European Galileo positioning, navigation and timing satellites were successfully placed into orbit on May 24 by a Europeanized Soyuz rocket. The European Union, which owns Galileo, is expected on June 7 to approve the start of formal negotiations with the United States and Norway on access to Galileo’s secure PRS signal.

Credit: ESA

United States, Norway in line for Galileo PRS access

The United States — particularly the U.S. military — and Norway have requested access to PRS. Galileo’s owner, the European Commission, is likely to be given a go-ahead to open negotiations on PRS use by these two nations on June 7, during a meeting of the European Council, said Philippe Jean, head of the Galileo unit at the European Commission.

Once that has occurred, the commission will open its own negotiations with U.S. and Norwegian authorities to discuss terms of access to PRS.

A Galileo May 23 prelaunch briefing and the Galileo webcast were the latest indications of Galileo owners’ discomfort with the idea that European national military forces are all but certain to be the biggest users of PRS. Jean limited his summary of PRS users to police and customs authorities.

Galileo’s Commercial Service, a feature that distinguishes it from GPS, is still some ways off. It will not be among the services to debut this year.

In the briefing with journalists, Jean said the commission had yet to define the technical parameters for the Commercial Service. No date was given for Commercial Service start. Aviation authorities and associations have debated how much they would pay for the Commercial Service, and what specific performance guarantees they would receive in return.

With early satellite infrastructure now nearing completion, the focus is shifting to the ground segment and the user market.

Verhoef said a five-month test of the Galileo ground network started on March 1 and will consist of monitoring performance to prepare for initial services by the end of the year.

Verhoef said software upgrades to the ground network to enable it to function with the planned 30 satellites is also under way.

The space age dawned with the launch of Sputnik 1, Earth’s first artificial satellite, in 1957. Thousands of additional spacecraft have followed in Sputnik’s footsteps, serving humanity in a variety of ways. How well do you know Earth’s satellites?

A Soviet technician works on Sputnik 1 before the satellite's Oct. 4, 1957 launch.

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Satellite Quiz: How Well Do You Know What’s Orbitin…

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The battle for the smartphone market

Carlo des Dorides, executive director of the Galileo Satellite Systems Agency (GSA), said major chip manufacturers have said they would offer Galileo-compatible products.

“The next step is to embark these chips on smartphones on the receiver side,” des Dorides said during the briefing, adding that the start of initial Galileo services this year will spur chipset development. “Today they [the chip manufacturers such as Broadcom and Qualcomm] see Galileo as the third constellation of reference. There is certainly commercial interest there.”

With the United States, Russia and China also providing global navigation services, and India and Japan building large regional networks with their own satellites, the question is whether the major smartphone builders and others will integrate multiple constellations into their hardware.

This story was provided by SpaceNews, dedicated to covering all aspects of the space industry.

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[bestandroiddoubledinheadunit950.blogspot.com]Euro Soyuz Rocket Launches 2 Galileo Satellites (Video)