Here on newsphiles.org we’re happy to post the daily space feed from SpaceDaily. News for and sometimes from the industry professionals. Communication about and from beyond the planet surface with and on-orbit satellite news. Below you’ll find the current feeds. Just click the ‘read the rest of this entry’ link. Please enjoy.

Space News

China-Russia Mars mission set for takeoff - Hong Kong (UPI) Jan 5, 2009 - The first joint Chinese-Russian mission to Mars is set to take off in October and reach the red planet in August 2010, an exploration project designer said.

Shenzhou-7 Monitor Satellite Finishes Mission After 100 Days In Space - Beijing (XNA) Jan 06, 2009 - The accompanying satellite of Shenzhou-7 orbital module has accomplished its preset mission after 100 days in space, the Beijing Aerospace Control Center (BACC) said on Sunday.

Dead Stars Tell Story Of Planet Birth - Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 06, 2009 - Astronomers have turned to an unexpected place to study the evolution of planets - dead stars. Observations made with NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope reveal six dead "white dwarf" stars littered with the remains of shredded asteroids. This might sound pretty bleak, but it turns out the chewed-up asteroids are teaching astronomers about the building materials of planets around other stars.

Examining A Slice Of The Arctic - Moffett Field CA (SPX) Jan 06, 2009 - If aliens from another planet sent a probe to Earth in search of life, their most promising target would be the tropics, where the greatest density and diversity of life are found. But on other nearby worlds, planets and moons within reach of present-day spacecraft, tropics are hard to come by. Most likely, if we find life elsewhere in our solar system, we'll find it in ice.

Zeroing In On The Hubble Constant - Pasadena CA (SPX) Jan 06, 2009 - In the early part of the 20th Century, Carnegie astronomer Edwin Hubble discovered that the universe is expanding. The rate of expansion is known as the Hubble constant. Its precise value has been hotly debated for all of the 80 intervening years. The value of the Hubble constant is a key ingredient in determining the age and size of the universe.

Time For A New National Security Space Paradigm - Bethesda MD (SPX) Jan 06, 2009 - History has shown that timing is important. In this case, the new Obama administration has a unique and historic opportunity to address the many national security space issues simultaneously. In recent years multiple commissions and panels have reviewed the shortcomings of national security space management, organization, acquisition and performance.

India Touts Plans To Hoist Tricolour On Moon By 2020 - Shillong, India (SPX) Jan 05, 2009 - India is planning to hoist the tricolour on the moon by 2020, a space agency official said here Sunday, adding that the country's first manned flight into space was also on cards by 2015.

New Visualization Techniques Yield Star Formation Insights - Boston MA (SPX) Jan 05, 2009 - New computer visualization technology developed by the Harvard Initiative in Innovative Computing has helped astrophysicists understand that gravity plays a larger role than previously thought in deep space's vast, star-forming molecular clouds.

Solving The Mysteries Of Metallic Glass - Boston MA (SPX) Jan 05, 2009 - Researchers at MIT have made significant progress in understanding a class of materials that has resisted analysis for decades. Their findings could lead to the rapid discovery of a variety of useful new kinds of glass made of metallic alloys with potentially significant mechanical, chemical and magnetic applications.

Princeton Researchers Discover New Type Of Laser - Princeton NJ (SPX) Jan 05, 2009 - A Princeton-led team of researchers has discovered an entirely new mechanism for making common electronic materials emit laser beams. The finding could lead to lasers that operate more efficiently and at higher temperatures than existing devices, and find applications in environmental monitoring and medical diagnostics.

Spirit and Opportunity rovers mark five years on Mars - Washington (AFP) Jan 4, 2009 - The US space agency's Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity this month mark their fifth anniversary on the Red Planet, where they have endured harsh conditions and revealed a deluge of information.

India Hoping To Extend Mission Life Of Chandrayaan-I - Shillong (PTI) Jan 05, 2009 - Scientists can now extend the duration of India's maiden moon mission Chandrayaan-I beyond its planned two-year period.

China Lauds NASA Mars Rovers Five Year Marker - Washington (XNA) Jan 05, 2009 - Mars probe has extended mankind's endless dream of exploring the mysterious universe five years after NASA's rover Spirit landed safely on the planet Mars.

Earth News

When Life On Earth Became So Big - Blacksburg VA (SPX) Jan 05, 2009 - In 3.5 billion years, life on earth went from single microscopic cells to giant sequoias and blue whales. Scientists have now documented quantitatively that the increase in maximum size of organisms was not gradual, but happened in two distinct bursts "tied to the geological evolution of the planet," said Michal Kowalewski, professor of geosciences at Virginia Tech.

How Neanderthal Got Whacked By Modern Humans - Paris, France (SPX) Jan 05, 2009 - In a recently conducted study, a multidisciplinary French-American research team with expertise in archaeology, past climates, and ecology reported that Neanderthal extinction was principally a result of competition with Cro-Magnon populations, rather than the consequences of climate change.

Walker's World: FDR's words still echo - Paris (UPI) Jan 5, 2009 - As President-elect Barack Obama's speechwriters try to craft the soaring and heartening words that will mark his inauguration and start to define his presidency, they could do a great deal worse than return to the inaugural speech of another president who took the oath of office amid another great economic crisis and Wall Street scandal.

Vidalia Farmers Develop Alternative To Hand-Transplanting Onions - Statesboro GA (SPX) Jan 05, 2009 - Growers in southeastern Georgia have the perfect combination of climate and soil to produce some of the world's best onions: the famous Vidalia sweet onions. Prized for their mild taste and sweetness, Vidalia onions are shipped throughout North America for use in recipes and relishes.

U-Pick Pumpkin Farms Recycle Urban Leaves - New Brunswick, Canada (SPX) Jan 04, 2009 - Americans love pumpkins. The growing popularity of rural fall festivals, grade school farm tours, and "u-pick" pumpkin farms has resulted in an increase in consumer demand for pumpkins throughout the country. A critical challenge for pumpkin farmers promoting entertainment agriculture, or "agritourism", is maintaining fields that are weed-free, attractive, and safe for consumers.

Thousands flood refugee camps after strong Indonesia quakes - Manokwari, Indonesia (AFP) Jan 5, 2009 - Thousands of frightened residents flooded makeshift refugee camps in Indonesia's West Papua province Monday after two powerful earthquakes flattened buildings and killed at least one person.

Put kangaroos, camels on Australian eco-menu: scientists - Sydney (AFP) Jan 4, 2009 - Saving the planet by eating kangaroos and wild camels may seem like pie in the sky, but the offbeat menu comes with a scientific stamp of approval in Australia.

Protea Plants Help Unlock Secrets Of Species Hotspots - London UK (SPX) Jan 05, 2009 - New species of flowering plants called proteas are exploding onto the scene three times faster in parts of Australia and South Africa than anywhere else in the world, creating exceptional 'hotspots' of species richness, according to new research published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

Organic Plant Waste Proves Effective Weed Control For Citrus Trees - Giza, Egypt (SPX) Jan 05, 2009 - Interest in organic crop production is increasing around the world. Organics are healthy for consumers while adding environmental benefits and decreasing the amount of synthetic herbicides in foods, soil, and water. While organics gain popularity with consumers, organic farmers are faced with new production challenges, especially managing and reducing invasive weeds.

One dead, dozens hurt in Indonesian earthquakes - Manokwari, Indonesia (AFP) Jan 4, 2009 - earthquakes rocked Indonesia on Sunday, leaving at least one dead and dozens injured, and triggering panic in the nation hardest hit by the 2004 Asian tsunami.

New Use For Human Hair - Verona MS (SPX) Jan 05, 2009 - Agricultural crop production relies on composted waste materials and byproducts, such as animal manure, municipal solid waste composts, and sewage sludge, as a necessary nutrient source. Studies have shown that human hair, a readily available waste generated from barbershops and hair salons, combined with additional compost, is an additional nutrient source for crops.

New Study Examines Effects Of South Carolina Chlorine Gas Disaster - washington DC (SPX) Jan 04, 2009 - The study indicates how chlorine gas release could affect major metropolitan areas; the Department of Homeland Security identifies chlorine attack as top-15 scenario

Japan registers small waves after Indonesia quakes - Tokyo (AFP) Jan 4, 2009 - Japan's Pacific coast was lapped by minor tsunami waves Sunday after a string of powerful earthquakes off Indonesia, the country's meteorological agency said.

Space War news

Analysis: War is a cruel business - Washington (UPI) Jan 5, 2009 - War is a cruel business and needs to be looked at accordingly. All the hype of trying to ensure minimum civilian casualties is good for public relations and added headaches for those who plan wars. If civilian casualties truly have to be stopped and "collateral damage" (the military euphemism for civilians who get in the way of its bullets, bombs, rockets, missiles and airplanes) is to be avoided, there exists a far simpler way: Avoid going to war.

Woman suicide bomber kills 35 by Baghdad shrine - Baghdad (AFP) Jan 4, 2009 - A female suicide bomber killed at least 35 people, including women and children, and wounded 65 others on a religious march near the holy Kadhimiyah shrine in northern Baghdad on Sunday.

Taiwan not impressed by reported Chinese plan to withdraw missiles - Taipei (AFP) Jan 4, 2009 - Taiwan said Sunday it would continue its arms build-up despite reports that China may cut the number of missiles it has targeting the island, in another sign of improving ties between the rivals.

Sri Lanka's Tamil separatist conflict far from over: analysts - Colombo (AFP) Jan 4, 2009 - Sri Lankans celebrated the fall of the Tamil Tigers' de facto capital with street parties, but military observers say bloodier battles may still lie ahead as the rebels take refuge in the jungles.

Rockets and optimism for Israelis near the Gaza border - Sderot, Israel (AFP) Jan 4, 2009 - To Israelis living along the Gaza border the sound of artillery pummelling the Palestinian enclave is a hopeful sign that the rocket fire may stop at last. But then a missile slams into a house.

Pakistan seizes explosives-packed van: security official - Peshawar, Pakistan (AFP) Jan 4, 2009 - Pakistani security forces battling to clear militants from the area along a key NATO supply route into Afghanistan on Sunday seized a van packed with 1,000 kilos of explosives, an official said.

Pakistan reviewing Indian file on Mumbai: official - Islamabad (AFP) Jan 5, 2009 - Pakistan said Monday it was reviewing a dossier India handed over regarding the deadly Mumbai attacks, which triggered fresh tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Pakistan opens NATO supply road in daytime: official - Peshawar, Pakistan (AFP) Jan 5, 2009 - Pakistan Monday reopened during daytime hours a key northwest supply route for Western troops in Afghanistan, a local official said, as the army wrapped up an anti-militant drive in the area.

Nine rebels killed in Afghan operation: police commander - Kandahar, Afghanistan (AFP) Jan 5, 2009 - Nine Taliban militants were killed in a gunfight early Monday by Afghan and NATO troops in the southern Afghan province of Kandahar, a senior police official said.

Israeli army moves on Gaza City as war toll passes 510 - Gaza City (AFP) Jan 5, 2009 - Israeli troops and Hamas fighters battled at dawn in Gaza on Monday amid tank, artillery and air strikes, as the death toll from the offensive to end rocket attacks passed 510.

Israeli air strikes hit 130 Gaza targets overnight: military - Jerusalem (AFP) Jan 5, 2009 - The Israeli air force hit 130 targets in Gaza overnight, an army spokesman said Monday morning.

Israel tightens grip on Gaza, ceasefire pressure mounts - Gaza City (AFP) Jan 5, 2009 - Israeli troops tightened their military grip on Gaza with new air strikes and ground battles on Monday while Europe led a diplomatic offensive to secure a ceasefire.

Gaza's underground lifeline in the sights of Israeli warplanes - Rafah, Gaza Strip (AFP) Jan 4, 2009 - Abu Ali vows that once the war in Gaza ends he will quickly repair his tunnel under the frontier with Egypt, one of the many underground links used by Palestinian smugglers that have been blasted by Israeli warplanes.