The End of Space Shuttle Program

The end of the space shuttle program does not mean the end of NASA, or even of NASA sending humans into space. NASA has a robust program of exploration, technology development and scientific research that will last for years to come. Here is what's next for NASA:

Exploration
NASA is designing and building the capabilities to send humans to explore the solar system, working toward a goal of landing humans on Mars. We will build the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, based on the design for the Orion capsule, with a capacity to take four astronauts on 21-day missions.

The Multi Purpose Crew Vehicle ground test article. Credit Lockheed Martin

 

 

We will soon announce the design for the heavy-lift Space Launch System that will carry us out of low Earth orbit. We are developing the technologies we will need for human exploration of the solar system, including solar electric propulsion, refueling depots in orbit, radiation protection and high-reliability life support systems.

International Space Station
The International Space Station is the centerpiece of our human spaceflight activities in low Earth orbit. The ISS is fully staffed with a crew of six, and American astronauts will continue to live and work there in space 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Part of the U.S. portion of the station has been designated as a national laboratory, and NASA is committed to using this unique resource for scientific research.

The International Space Station in May 2011. Credit: NASA

The ISS is a test bed for exploration technologies such as autonomous refueling of spacecraft, advanced life support systems and human/robotic interfaces. Commercial companies are well on their way to providing cargo and crew flights to the ISS, allowing NASA to focus its attention on the next steps into our solar system.

Aeronautics
NASA is researching ways to design and build aircraft that are safer, more fuel-efficient, quieter, and environmentally responsible. We are also working to create traffic management systems that are safer, more efficient and more flexible. We are developing technologies that improve routing during flights and enable aircraft to climb to and descend from their cruising altitude without interruption.

The Research Flight Deck is being used to develop safer and more efficient cockpit technologies. Credit: NASA

We believe it is possible to build an aircraft that uses less fuel, gives off fewer emissions, and is quieter, and we are working on the technologies to create that aircraft. NASA is also part of the government team that is working to develop the Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen, to be in place by the year 2025. We will continue to validate new, complex aircraft and air traffic control systems to ensure that they meet extremely high safety levels.

Science
NASA is conducting an unprecedented array of missions that will seek new knowledge and understanding of Earth, the solar system and the universe. On July 16, the Dawn spacecraft begins a year-long visit to the large asteroid Vesta to help us understand the earliest chapter of our solar system's history. In August, the Juno spacecraft will launch to investigate Jupiter's origins, structure, and atmosphere. The September launch of the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project is a critical first step in building a next-generation Earth-monitoring satellite system.

The Juno mission to Jupiter is set to launch in August 2011. Credit: NASA

NASA returns to the moon to study the moon's gravity field and determine the structure of the lunar interior with the October launch of GRAIL. In November, we launch the Mars Science Laboratory named Curiosity on its journey to Mars to look for evidence of microbial life on the red planet. And in February 2012, we will launch the Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array to search for black holes, map supernova explosions, and study the most extreme active galaxies.


source: http://www.nasa.gov/about/whats_next.html

 

Buzkashi, The unique sport

Game of Buzkashi in Mazari Sharif, Afghanistan

Buzkashi is the Afghan national sport. It is also a popular sport among the south Central Asians such as the Uzbeks, Hazaras, Tajiks, Kyrgyz, Kazakhs, Turkmens and Pashtuns. The Turkic name of the game is Kökbörü; Kök = "blue", börü = "wolf", denoting the grey wolf—the holy symbol of the Turkic people. Other Turkic names of the game are Ulak Tartish, Kuk Pari, Kök Berü, and Ulak Tyrtysh. Kökbörü is the most popular national sport of Kyrgyzstan. In the West, the game (Turkish: Cirit) is also played by Kyrgyz Turks who migrated to Ulupamir village in the Van district of Turkey from the Pamir region.

The carcass of a headless goat used in Buzkashi

Competition is typically fierce. Prior to the establishment of official rules by the Afghan Olympic Federation the sport was mainly conducted based upon rules such as not whipping a fellow rider intentionally or deliberately knocking him off his horse. Riders usually wear heavy clothing and head protection to protect themselves against other players' whips and boots. The boots usually have high heels that locks into the paddle of the horse to help the rider lean on the side of the horse while trying to pickup the calf. Games can last for several days, and the winning team receives a prize, not necessarily money, as a reward for their win. Top players, such as Aziz Ahmad, are often sponsored by wealthy Afgans.

A Buzkashi player is called a Chapandaz. It is mainly believed in Afghanistan that a skillful Chapandaz is usually in his forties. This is based on the fact that the nature of the game requires its player to undergo severe physical practice and observation. Similarly horses used in Buzkashi also undergo severe training and due attention. A player doesn't necessarily own the horse. Horses are usually owned by landlords and highly rich people wealthy enough to look after and provide for training facilities for such horses. However a master Chapandaz can choose to select any horse and the owner of the horse usually wants his horse to be ridden by a master Chapandaz as a winning horse also brings pride to the owner.

The game consists of two main forms: Tudabarai and Qarajai. Tudabarai is considered to be the simpler form of the game. In this version, the goal is simply to grab the calf and move in any direction until clear of the other players. In Qarajai, players must carry the carcass around a flag or marker at one end of the field, then throw it into a scoring circle (the "Circle of Justice") at the other end. The riders will carry a whip, often in their teeth, to fend off opposing horses and riders.

Buzkashi is often compared to polo. Both games are played between people on horseback, both involve propelling an object toward a goal, and both get fairly rough. However, polo is played with a ball, while Buzkashi is played with a dead animal. Polo matches are played for fixed periods totaling about an hour; traditional Buzkashi may continue for days, but in its more regulated tournament version also has a limited match time.

The calf in a Buzkashi game is normally beheaded and disemboweled and has its limbs cut off at the knees. It is then soaked in cold water for 24 hours before play to toughen it. Occasionally sand is packed into the carcass to give it extra weight. Players may not strap the calf to their bodies or saddles. Though a goat is used when no calf is available, a calf is less likely to disintegrate during the game.

A game of kokpar

Rules introduced by Afghan Olympic Federation

1. The ground has a square layout with each side 400 meters long.
2. Each team consists of 10 riders each.
3. Only five riders from each team can play in a half.
4. The total duration of each half is 45 minutes.
5. There is only one 15 minute break between the two halves.
6. The game is supervised by a referee.
7. Based on the referee's decision a rider can be substituted during the game.

A similar game is "kokpar", a traditional Kazakh game played on horseback in which two teams of players compete to carry a headless goat carcass into a goal.

Clingstone Mansion

This house is truly amazing. Not only because of his age who has been 103 years but also because it was founded in the middle of the sea. It is said that this house has stood since 1905, precisely on the rocks of Rhode Island in the middle of the sea. The house was often called Clingstone.

The house is quite large and quite comfortable. The house was built by JS Lovering Wharton, at a cost of 36,000 dollars, a distant cousin Henry Wood (79), which is now the owner.


Henry Wood with his ex-wife bought it in 1961 for $ 3600 U.S. dollars. Later he became the mansion renovation and is now an attractive and comfortable and has been inhabited for two decades more.
It was Wood's remarkable discovery.

Imagine the house has 23 rooms, and Wood still maintaining room architecture and its settings like 100 years ago. Every year, on certain holidays, Wood and his family invite dozens of friends to holiday in their place.

The house is indeed very large, therefore requiring a lot of people to be able to clean it. Understand it, Wood and his family did not live there every day. They only use it for vacation Manson. So when they come, the first thing to do is, work hard to make it shiny again.

But the volunteers, friends Wood, of course volunteered to help clean it up. They think it's interesting activity holidays filler. Wood and family and friends only came there when the summer. Usually they spend their week-long holiday period. While in winter, large Manson was silent and deserted. Boat them stay safe in the store on a floating dock near James Town Boatyard.

Passive Smokers, Hypertension Vulnerable

A study showed, children affected by cigarette smoke are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure.


"Children are classified as passive smokers, particularly men, are more susceptible to high blood pressure compared with girls," said researchers in a study reported by the Daily Mail.
In the first study, researchers found that boys who breathe secondhand smoke at home may experience high blood pressure increased significantly. However, in girls, passive smoking seems to be associated with decreased blood pressure.
Research involving more than 6,400 children shows that, boys aged 8-17 years who are exposed to tobacco smoke have blood pressure that is significantly higher than those who do not inhale cigarette smoke.
Smoke exposure was associated with systolic blood pressure, which is associated with a spike in blood each time the heart contracts.
U.S. researcher Dr. Jill Baumgartner, of the University of Minnesota, said the finding supports some previous research that suggests that something about the female sex can offer protection from harmful vascular changes due to exposure to secondhand smoke.
While the blood pressure of children who live with smokers increased by 1.6 millimeters of mercury in boys, but decreased to 1.8 millimeters in girls.
"While the increase in blood pressure observed among boys in our study may not be clinically meaningful for an individual child, they have major implications for the population," said Dr Baumgartner.
Dr. Baumgartner added, the relationship between exposure to second hand smoke and blood pressure were observed in our study provides further incentive for the government to support the smoking ban and other laws that protect children from secondhand smoke.
In the meantime, the findings presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Denver, Colorado, U.S. states, researchers analyzed data from four health surveys conducted between 1999 and 2006 by the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Packing for holiday Tips

Proper Packing Tips and Easy - mid-year holidays arrive soon. Before you go on vacation sure you're busy preparing it, for example, book a ticket transportation, planning accommodation and places to be visited. But before going there one that you definitely have to do: packing.

For some people, packing is a boring and most reluctant to do. While packing a pleasant thing, Lucky Magazine in May 2011 issue, deliver instructions and tips on how to correct and easy packing. Just 30 minutes, the following ways :

1. Avoid packing the less full as well as packing excessive, this can cause a lot of clothes wrinkle if there is space in your suitcase.

2. Use your warm clothes during the flight, so it will not take a lot of places in the suitcase. You'll need it when the aircraft cabin to grow cold.

3. Place the shoe along with items such as jewelry, socks and toiletries.

4. Roll clothes, do the folding. This will make the clothes less wrinkled and will make a lot of room for other items.

5. Use a small bag that can be used as a travel bag.

6. Use plastic bags to secure items that could cause problems and are easy to leak.

7. Separate items that light, bright and dark to avoid the dilution of color. Be careful with shoes made of velvet.

8. Choose clothing that shades of neutral and one that deserves to party.

9. Put toiletries in one mini place, so you should not need much space for this equipment.

10. At the back, wrap a small gift with a tie or socks to keep them safe and stable.

The 15 World's Largest Labyrinth

These are The 15 World's Largest Labyrinth. These places may be your best holiday places.

1. Dole Plantation

2. Reignac-sur-Indre

3. Cherry Crest Adventure Farm

4. Snakes' n Ladders

5. Davis Mega Maze

6. Longleat

7. Ashcombe

8. Richardson Castle

9. Hampton Court Maze

10. The Imprint

11. Grace Cathedral

12. Victoria Park Water Maze

13. Lands End Labyrinth

14. Brick Maze of Capri

15. Labyrinth Garden Flowers

Source: http://www.dunia-unik.com/2011/05/15-labirin-terbesar-di-dunia.html

FBI Secret Weapon

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Drive Angry (2011)

Quality: BRRip 720p

Release Date: 25 February 2011

Info: imdb.com/title/tt1502404/

Trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=E7SKuq0aLug

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Amber Heard, William Fichtner

Uploader by kofu

SINOPSIS

Milton (Nicolas Cage) is probably not a good man but does not mean that Milton has lost his humanity again. When the beloved daughter and grandson were killed in a state of danger, Milton did not hesitate to act, whatever the stakes. Milton had only one goal. He had to save her grandson before a group of devil worshipers sacrificing his grandson in their rituals.
A group of devil worshipers kidnap the grandson of Milton deliberately because they believe that the grandson of Milton is a key of what they are looking for. With this baby, this devil worshipers group will open the gates of hell and made ​​a mess all over the world. This baby must be sacrificed just as the full moon ritual for them accomplished.
Milton did not have much time. He must immediately find this group before the full moon, or his daughter would be demon sacrifice. Fortunately Milton is not alone. There are Piper (Amber Heard) who volunteered to help Milton. Unfortunately the problem is not only a group of Milton's Satan worshipers. Milton police are still hunting while at the same time, The Accountant (William Fichtner also chasing Milton. Milton should not roam the world because Milton is the Fire.

DOWNLOAD

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 [mkv-650MB]|bu

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