Military training and simulation revenues to remain steady
London (UPI) Aug 1, 2013 -
Revenues in the world's military training and simulation market will remain steady in the near future.
The forecast was made by market analysis firm Frost & Sullivan in its report, Global Military Training and Simulation (T&S) Market Assessment.
The United States military, it said, accounts for 68.4 percent of the total military T&S market, but budget sequestration has led to an ...
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Hitchhiking robot thumbs its way across Canada
Ottawa (AFP) Aug 01, 2014 -
A talking robot assembled from household odds and ends is hitchhiking thousands of kilometers across Canada this summer as part of a social experiment to see if those of its kind can trust humans.
Society is "usually concerned with whether we can trust robots," Frauke Zeller, co-creator of the "hitchBot," told AFP.
Hollywood movies like "The Terminator" and "The Matrix" often depict mach ...
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NASA's Space Launch System Boosters Office Completes Critical Design Review
Huntsville AL (SPX) Aug 08, 2014 -
As progress continues on NASA's new rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), the solid rocket boosters team successfully completed its critical design review Aug. 6. This is an important milestone for the program, as it verifies the boosters are ready to move forward with qualification testing.
The two five-segment solid rocket boosters will provide the majority of the liftoff thrust for the ...
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ATK Passes Critical Design Review for NASA's Space Launch System Booster
Arlington VA (SPX) Aug 08, 2014 -
ATK (ATK) has successfully completed its Critical Design Review (CDR) with NASA to verify that the five-segment solid rocket booster is on track for an unmanned, first flight of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) in 2017. The SLS vehicle is planned to launch humans deeper into space than ever before.
"Achieving this milestone is a tremendous accomplishment for ATK and NASA as we continue bui ...
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Russia to Give 'Tough' Response to Western Sanctions Soon
Moscow (RIA Novosti) Aug 08, 2014 -
Russia will soon unveil a series of protective economic measures - including in the sensitive space industry - aimed at taking the edge off recent Western sanctions, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Wednesday.
"All our measures will be aimed, primarily, at protecting our economy," Rogozin, who oversees the defense and space industry, told reporters during his visit to the Energia ...
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Robonaut Upgrades, Spacewalk Preps and Cargo Ops for ISS Crew
Washington DC (SPX) Aug 08, 2014 -
Spacewalk and visiting vehicle preparations, materials research, telerobotics and upgrades for the International Space Station's mechanical crew member were the focus of the Expedition 40 crew's workday Thursday.
Expedition 40 Commander Steve Swanson of NASA and his team of five flight engineers began the day with the usual 2 a.m. EDT reveille, followed by a daily planning conference with ...
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NASA Upgrades Its 3-D Spacecraft App
Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 08, 2014 -
A new-and-improved version of NASA's Spacecraft 3D app for mobile devices is launching to coincide with the second anniversary of the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover's landing on Mars. In addition, content from the updated app is integrated with a new book of images, published by National Geographic, that chronicles the rover's journey.
The app is available for download from a hre ...
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SpaceX to build world's first commercial rocket launch site in south Texas
Moscow (Voice of Russia) Aug 08, 2014 -
SpaceX has announced it will build the world's first commercial launchpad for orbital rockets in the south of Texas. The facility, which is expected to drag the area out of an economic hole, might become operational in 2016.
The exact location chosen for the new launchpad is Boca Chica Beach east of Brownsville, near the US-Mexico border. The area, which has mostly been associated with smu ...
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US looks to Japan space program to close Pacific communications gap
Moscow (Voice of Russia) Aug 07, 2014 -
Tokyo's space initiative, set for launch in 2019, is turning into an effort to enhance ties with Washington in the cosmos. The US, shifting its military strategy to the Asia-Pacific, is looking for partners to extend its satellite links in the region.
The program would start as a means for protecting communication and surveillance satellites from thousands of pieces of space junk, includin ...
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Nearly all Gaza rockets self-made: Israeli army
Jerusalem (AFP) Aug 07, 2014 -
The vast majority of rockets fired by Hamas at Israel over the past month were made in Gaza using civilian materials, a senior Israeli military official said Thursday.
The coastal Palestinian enclave was the setting for the 28-day conflict with Israel, during which Israel set out to seriously impair the Islamist movement's military abilities.
Over the course of the conflict, the de-facto ...
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China tightens controls on Internet messaging apps
Beijing (AFP) Aug 07, 2014 -
China is banning users of Internet messaging services from posting political reports without permission, and demanding they promise to "uphold the socialist system", state media said Thursday.
China tightly controls the Internet, but its online population of 632 million has used messaging applications to push the boundaries of the ruling Communist party's restrictions on free speech.
Int ...
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Fighter jet shot down over rebel-held east Ukraine: AFP
Zhdanivka, Ukraine (AFP) Aug 07, 2014 -
A Ukranian fighter jet tumbled to earth in a fireball Thursday after it was blasted out of the air while flying low over rebel-held territory in the east of the country.
An AFP crew saw the Sukhoi warplane explode in mid-air and the parachute of at least one pilot opening up in the clear blue sky.
Explosions and flashes erupted from the wreckage as it continued to burn on the ground, s ...
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UN Council meets amid alarm over Iraq jihadist advance
United Nations, United States (AFP) Aug 07, 2014 -
The UN Security Council met Thursday in emergency session to address the crisis sparked by the jihadist offensive in Iraq, with France and the United States weighing action.
French President Francois Hollande offered to support forces combating the fighters during talks with Kurdish leader Massud Barzani while the US administration reportedly was considering air strikes to shore up Iraqi for ...
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Russian troop buildup on Ukraine border fans fears of incursion
Donetsk, Ukraine (AFP) Aug 06, 2014 -
A NATO warning of a Russian troop buildup on the border with Ukraine fueled fears Wednesday of a major incursion, as Kiev stepped up moves to recapture the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, hit for the first time by an air strike.
On the sanctions front, Russia retaliated Wednesday for recent US and EU measures, slapping one-year bans and limits on food and agricultural imports from the countries ...
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Successful testing for new Virginia-class submarine
Groton, Conn. (UPI) Aug 7, 2014 -
The U.S. Navy's 11th Virginia-class attack submarine has successfully completed its alpha sea trials, shipbuilder General Dynamics Electric Boat reports.
The trials, directed by the U.S. Navy, involved testing of propulsion-plant operations, the submerging of the vessel for the first time, and high-speed runs on and below the surface.
"The crew and shipbuilders worked together as ...
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North Korea Scales Up Yongbyon Nuclear Site's Activities
Moscow (RIA Novosti) Aug 08, 2014 -
North Korea is expanding the operations of the Yongbyon nuclear site, renovating its 5 megawatt-electric (MWe) reactor to make plutonium for nuclear weapons and expanding the centrifuge plant, Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) said in a recent report.
"The June 30th satellite imagery, combined with procurement data obtained by ISIS, suggests that North Korea is emphas ...
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