Iraq air force backs Kurds against jihadists, scores flee
Baghdad (AFP) Aug 04, 2014 -
Baghdad's air force and Kurdish fighters from Syria joined forces with Iraq's embattled peshmerga Monday to push back jihadists whose latest attacks sent thousands of civilians running for their lives.
The Islamic State, or IS, raised its black flag in Sinjar on Sunday after ousting the peshmerga troops of Iraq's Kurdish government, forcing thousands of people from their homes.
The conqu ...
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Australia toughens terror laws on foreign fighter fears
Sydney (AFP) Aug 05, 2014 -
Australia will toughen laws to target home-grown terrorists and those who fight overseas over fears violent jihadist citizens in Syria and Iraq will return home, officials said Tuesday.
Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the terror threat to Australia had not subsided since the September 11, 2001 attacks and remained at the highest level it had ever been.
Officials have said up to 150 Austr ...
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Northrop completes UAV fuselage for NATO program
Brussels (UPI) Aug 5, 2013 -
NATO says the fuselage of the first Global Hawk Block 40 unmanned aerial vehicle for the alliance has been completed by Northrop Grumman.
The fuselage was completed at a company facility in Mississippi and its being transferred to California, where production of the long-endurance aircraft will be completed.
"The UAVs will be equipped with a state-of-the-art, Multi-Platform Radar ...
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Fourth MUOS Communication Satellite Clears Launch-Simulation Test
Sunnyvale CA (SPX) Aug 06, 2014 -
The fourth Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite in the launch order is progressing in its final testing phase, having successfully cleared acoustic tests. This evaluation used powerful sound waves to simulate vibrations the satellite will experience during launch. Now the satellite moves on to thermal vacuum testing, which is the last step in its environmental trials.
"MUOS-4 is s ...
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Jupiter's moon Io may feature more volcanoes than previously thought
Pasadena, Calif. (UPI) Aug 5, 2013 -
Jupiter's moon Io featured three massive volcanic eruptions within a two-week span last summer, leading astronomers to believe the "pizza moon" - named so for its cratered, pepperoni-like surface - may spew molten rock more often that scientists previously believed.
"We typically expect one huge outburst every one or two years, and they're usually not this bright," explained Imke de P ...
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'Impossible' engine may actually work, NASA engineers suggest
Washington (UPI) Aug 4, 2013 -
The laws of classical physics require a rocket's thrusters to push against something, creating acceleration by expelling matter (burned fuel) in the opposite direction.
Thus, so-called space drives - engines that don't require fuel, but use alternative mechanisms to thwart the laws of physics and create thrust out of thin air (really thin space air) - have always been considered "impo ...
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SpaceX launches AsiaSat8 into orbit via Falcon 9 rocket
Cape Canaveral, Fla. (UPI) Aug 5, 2013 -
SpaceX took a break from launching resupply missions to the International Space Station in order to put a new commercial satellite into orbit.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, blasting off early Tuesday morning. The rocket carried with it AsiaSat8, a new commercial satellite expected to dramatically boost video and broadband services in Asia a ...
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