NASA asteroid probe may find clues to origins of life on Earth

A U.S. space probe was cleared for launch on Thursday to collect and return samples from an asteroid in hopes of learning more about the origins of life on Earth and perhaps elsewhere in the solar system, NASA said on Tuesday.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket was scheduled to blast off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida to dispatch the robot explorer Osiris-Rex on a seven-year mission.

United Launch Alliance is a partnership of Lockheed-Martin and Boeing.

Osiris-Rex is headed to a 1,640-foot (500-meter) wide asteroid named Bennu, which circles the sun in roughly the same orbit as Earth. Scientists estimate there is a one-in-800 chance that Bennu might actually hit Earth 166 years from now.

Heating from the sun gently pushes the asteroid, and charting its path is among the goals of the $1 billion mission. The U.S. space agency also hopes Osiris-Rex will demonstrate the advanced imaging and mapping techniques needed for future science missions and for upcoming commercial asteroid-mining expeditions.

Osiris-Rex is expected to reach Bennu in August 2018 and begin a two-year study of its physical features and chemical composition. The solar-powered spacecraft will then fly to Bennu's surface and extend a robot arm to collect at least 2 ounces (60 grams) of what scientists hope will be carbon-rich material.

"We're going to asteroid Bennu because it's a time capsule from the earliest stages of solar system formation, back when our planetary system was spread across as dust grains in a swirling cloud around our growing protostar," lead researcher Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona told a prelaunch news conference on Tuesday.

Inside the developing solar system, small rocky bodies were beginning to form, many of them studded with water ice and organic materials, which are key compounds that may have made Earth habitable or even given life its start, Lauretta said.

If all goes as planned, the capsule containing samples from Bennu will be jettisoned from the returning Osiris-Rex spacecraft on Sept. 24, 2023, for a parachute descent and landing at the U.S. Air Force Utah Test and Training Range.

Elon Musk calls SpaceX blast a ‘most difficult, complex failure’

SpaceX founder and chief Elon Musk said on Friday he was unsure why one of the company’s Falcon rockets burst into flames on its Florida launch pad last week, destroying both the rocket and an Israeli communications satellite it was due to lift into orbit.

“Still working on the Falcon fireball investigation. Turning out to be the most difficult and complex failure we have ever had in 14 years,” Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur who is also the chief executive of Telsa Motors, wrote on Twitter.

A SpaceX-led accident investigation is underway, overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration's Commercial Space Transportation office.

A massive fireball enveloped the rocket on Sept. 1 as it was being fueled for a routine test of its first stage. The rocket was scheduled to blast off two days later.

The rocket’s nine engines had not yet ignited for a test firing when a fireball engulfed the upper stage. “There was no apparent heat source,” Musk said on Friday.

The accident destroyed the $200 million communications satellite owned by Israel-based Space Communication, which was going to be used by Facebook and Eutelsat to expand internet access in Africa.

Hawthorne, California-based SpaceX has not yet said how much damage was done to its launch pad, located at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

SpaceX has backlog of more than 70 launches for commercial and government customers, worth more than $10 billion.

The rocket that was destroyed was the second of 29 Falcon 9 rockets to fail. It took SpaceX about three weeks to identify the likely cause of its previous accident, which occurred on June 28, 2015.

The problem was traced to a faulty bracket, which was holding a bottle of helium inside the rocket’s upper stage. When the strut broke about two minutes after liftoff, the upper-stage liquid oxygen tank over-pressurized and ruptured, triggering an explosion.

SpaceX replaced thousands of struts throughout its fleet and had successfully flown nine times before last week’s failure.

China is reorganizing its army

China is reorganizing its army

The newspaper "South China Morning," said the reorganization and restructuring to be held in the Chinese army's operation include revamping half of the ground forces by solving half the 18 legions legions of the number and distribution of its members among the innovative teams supposed to be of between 25 and 30 squad.

The number of members of the same legion of Chinese army corps between 30 thousand and 100 thousand troops.

It is expected that the reorganization will lead to layoffs of tens of thousands of Chinese military personnel.

And it includes the People's Liberation Army, two million individuals currently.

It also plans to reorganize the Chinese military leadership bodies. It is assumed that the solution to the current governing bodies and the formation of 15 new leadership.

Bahrain begins attention of Russian helicopters

Bahrain begins attention of Russian helicopters

Announced the company "Vertolioti were Russian" (helicopters Russia), said on Wednesday that Bahrain is interested in the techniques of Russian helicopters, but at this time there are no plans to sign contracts and agreements with this country in the framework of the "Jeremiah -2016 Forum" (Army - 2016) forthcoming.

She said, Yekaterina Pavlova, a spokeswoman for the company, today: "Bahrain is interested in helicopters" Mai - 17/8 "and" Mi - 26 "and" maidens "and" Mi - 171 A2 "and" Ka - 32 E11 ABC "The after-sales service."

It is worth mentioning that all these helicopters are suitable excellently for use in conditions of southwest Asia, due to the characteristics of climatic and geographical terrain. The company "Helicopters of Russia" is ready to make an offer their products and services in the international military-technical forum "Jeremiah -2016" no plans yet to sign contracts and agreements. "

She explained the spokeswoman, that "helicopters of Russia", had already been carried out, in January 2016, negotiations with Bahrain in the framework of the Bahrain International Air Show 'in 2016, where he offered the company an expert on the Bahraini side, promising a range of helicopters, and talked also about organization of services capabilities aftermarket.

This recently appeared in some media reports that "Russian helicopters" company is about to sign a cooperation agreement with Bahrain in the international military-technical forum "Jeremiah -2016", which will be held in the period 6-11 September / September in Kubinka the outskirts of Moscow.

The company is holding "Russian helicopters" of the world's leading production companies helicopters, was established in 2007.

The holding company includes 5 helicopters factories and office design company and a competent after-sales service.

America is preparing to approve the sale of fighter jets from Boeing Co. to Qatar and Kuwait

Reported four sources familiar with living in the United States and the Arab Gulf region, told Reuters that the United States is on track to sell $ seven billion dollars of fighter aircraft manufactured by Boeing Co. to Qatar and Kuwait, after years of delay and perhaps begin to notify the US House of Representatives about it next week at the earliest.

The sales process has been on hold for more than two years amid fears on the part of Israel, Washington's closest allies in the Middle East that it uses a gear against it.

US officials criticized Qatar for alleged ties armed Islamist groups.

Boeing has said it is encouraged by the continued progress and hopes to see progress in the two deals the two big sales soon. The US State Department said it could not comment on any arms sales are under way between the governments.

The reason for the delay state of frustration among US defense officials and industry executives profile officials who warned that a slowdown in Washington could lose billions of dollars if the work is fed up with buyers and sought other suppliers.

And come to the expected sale of fighter jets to approve while the White House is seeking to strengthen ties with Gulf Arab allies, who want to increase their military capabilities.

It is feared allies of Washington rapprochement with Iran's arch-foe after the nuclear agreement with world powers earlier this year.

An official from Qatar's Ministry of Defense declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter, "It (the agreement) is imminent. We expect a decision next week."

America is preparing to approve the sale of fighter jets from Boeing Co. to Qatar and Kuwait

The adviser said the Qatari army also said that the deal is moving forward.

Either they did not comment on the cost of the transaction or the number of aircraft to be handed over.

And taught by the Ministries of Defense (Pentagon) and external Americas sell 36 Boeing F -15 fighter aircraft to Qatar worth some four billion dollars. It also is considering selling 28 aircraft F / A - 18 E / F Super Hornet fighter as well as other options for the sale of 12 of Kuwait in a deal estimated at three billion dollars.

Sources said that officials of the two ministries had agreed to a large extent already before the deals while they are waiting for final approval from the White House, which now supports the deals currently.

According to one source, which is not authorized to speak publicly, "management's decision very soon."

Once granted the White House official approval, US officials will inform the US House of Representatives on an informal basis before sending a formal notification to Congress after 40 days to announce the deals at that stage.

One source said that a third deal to sell F-16 fighter jets from the production of Lockheed Martin Corp. for Bahrain is still under study, but approval will not take long that way.

And increase Qatar - which hosts the biggest US air base in the Middle East - Kuwait's military Anvagahma after uprisings across the Arab world, and amid growing tensions between Gulf Arab states and Iran.

Kuwait, Qatar, part of a coalition of 34 countries announced by Saudi Arabia in December in order to face the regulatory Islamic state and al-Qaida in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Egypt and

Shoigu: Airplane new Russian early warning superior to foreign counterparts

Shoigu: Airplane new Russian early warning superior to foreign counterparts


Russia continues to work in the construction of the radar of the new bird.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said during a meeting with the Russian armed forces commanders, Friday continued engineering design and testing project "Premiere 476" to create "a -100" multitasking aircraft business. "He will appreciate the plane," a -100 ", a plane early warning detection targets to be struck, the air traffic control situation and terrestrial and marine. He noted the Russian defense minister to "the plane" a -100 "superior to their foreign counterparts in capacity." He added that the new aircraft capabilities "will enable them to discover new types of targets, tracking and guidance striking the aircraft ".

India opens Vietnam's defensive line of credit worth $ 500 million

India opens Vietnam's defensive line of credit worth $ 500 million


HANOI (Reuters) - gave Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Vietnam on Saturday, line of credit at half billion dollars on defense cooperation to give a boost to the country quickly seek a military deterrent with the intensification of conflicts in the South China Sea.



The agreement came within 12 cooperation agreement signed by Moody's in Hanoi with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Xuan Facebook during the first visit by an Indian prime minister to Vietnam 15 years ago.



And linking India and Vietnam share a border and have huge commercial operations with China, which is often disagreed with it because of disputes over sovereignty in the Himalayan region and the South China Sea.



Countries and enhances Dvaathma also strongly promoted by India for the BrahMos missile which

outpace the speed of sound. India is trying to sell the missile to Vietnam and four other countrie, according to a government statement seen by Reuters in June.



It is unclear whether the latter includes a credit line of $ 100 million already India has agreed to make available to Vietnam for four patrol ships in a deal that was agreed upon in late 2014.



Moody's said in a speech to the media that the credit line is intended "to facilitate mutual defense cooperation" and that the relationship between the two countries "will contribute to the stability, security and prosperity in this region."


Modi, who was on his way to attend the Group of Twenty summit in China did not say anything about the patrol ships or BrahMos missiles did not comment on what to do with Vietnam's credit line.


Iji and provide credit line after an increase of nearly 700 percent in Vietnam defense purchases starting from 2015, according to the Stockholm International Peace, a think tank following the arms trade over five years.