Falcon HTV... from New York to Los Angeles...in 12 minutes!!!

How much time will you take to read this post. By the time you finish reading this, the Falcon HTV-2, the fastest plane ever built, could have flown 18 miles. It would reach Sydney from London in less than an hour, while withstanding temperatures of almost 2,000C, hotter than the melting point of steel.

The US Defence Advance Research Projects Agency(DARPA) built the Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2. The plane was test launched on the back of a rocket from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on August 11, 2011. The plan was to launch the Falcon HTV-2 to the edge of space, before detaching the plane and guiding it on a hypersonic flight that will reach speeds of 13,000mph (about 20 times the speed of sound) on its return to Earth.
The Falcon project started in 2003. DARPA’S plan called Prompt Global Strike, aimed to give military commanders the ability to strike targets anywhere in the world within an hour. The plane has been tested in computer models and wind tunnels, but they can only simulate speeds up to Mach 15 (11,400mph). A real test was the only way to determine if the plane will remain flying at high speeds. Also the researchers wanted to test the carbon composite materials designed to withstand the extreme temperatures the plane will experience on its skin and also the navigation systems that will control its trajectory as it moves at almost four miles per second.
Had the project worked, the Falcon HTV might have replaced intercontinental ballistic missiles. But all didn’t go with the plan. After separating from the rocket at the edge of space and beginning its return to Earth, the aircraft went silent during the gliding stage of the test flight, when it was due to perform a series of manoeuvres as it hurtled through the atmosphere. The loss of the hypersonic aircraft is a serious setback for engineers trying to perfect the art of flying at such spectacular speeds.

The technology powering the Falcon project is still expected to one day propel people across great distances some 22 times quicker than modern jetliners! Can you believe now!!!

List of all Bharat Ratna awardees

Late Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi in 2008 : Karnataka
Kumari Lata Dinanath Mangeshkar in 2001 : Maharashtra
Late Ustad Bismillah Khan in 2001 for contribution in the field of Arts : Uttar Pradesh
Prof. Amartya Sen in1999 for Literature & Education : United Kingdom
Lokpriya Gopinath (posth.) Bordoloi in1999, for Public Affairs : Assam
Loknayak Jayprakash (Posth.) Narayan in 1999 for Public Affairs: Bihar
Pandit Ravi Shankar in 1999 for his contribution in the field of Arts : United States
Shri Chidambaram Subramaniam in 1998 for Public Affairs : Tamil Nadu
Smt. M.S. Subbulakshmi in 1998 for her contribution in the field of Arts : Tamil Nadu
Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 1997 for his contribution in the field of Science and Engineering : Delhi
Smt. Aruna Asaf (Posth.) Ali in 1997 for her contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Delhi
Shri Gulzari Lal Nanda in 1997 for his contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Gujarat
Shri JRD Tata in 1992 for his contribution in the field of Trade & Industry : Maharashtra
Shri Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in 1992 for his contribution in Public Affairs : West Bengal
Shri Satyajit Ray in 1992 for his contribution in the field of Arts : West Bengal
Shri Morarji Ranchhodji Desai in 1991 for his contribution in Public Affairs : Gujarat
Shri Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 for his contribution in Public Affairs : Delhi
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in 1991 for his contribution in Public Affairs : Gujarat
Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedakr in 1990 for his contribution in Public Affairs : Maharashtra
Dr. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela in 1990 for his contribution in Public Affairs : South Africa
Shri Marudur Gopalan Ramachandran in 1988 for contribution in Public Affairs : Tamil Nadu
Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan in 1987 for contribution in the field of Social Work : Pakistan
Shri Acharya Vinoba Bhave in 1983 for contribution in the field of Social Work : Maharashtra
Mother Teresa in 1980 for contribution in the field of Social Work : West Bengal
Shri Kumaraswamy Kamraj in 1976 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Tamil Nadu
Shri V.V. Giri in 1975 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Orissa
Smt. Indira Gandhi in 1971 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Uttar Pradesh
Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Uttar Pradesh
Dr. Pandurang Vaman Kane in 1963 for contribution in the field of Social Work : Maharashtra
Dr. Zakir Hussain in 1963 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Andhra Pradesh
Dr. Rajendra Prasad in 1962 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Bihar
Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy in 1961 for contribution in the Field of Public Affairs: West Bengal
Shri Purushottam Tandon in 1961 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Uttar Pradesh
Dr. Dhondo Keshav Karve in 1958 for contribution in the field of Social Work : Maharashtra
Pt. Govind Ballabh Pant in 1957 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Uttar Pradesh
Dr. Bhagwan Das in 1955 for contribution in Literature & Education : Uttar Pradesh
Shri Jawaharlal Nehru in 1955 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Uttar Pradesh
Dr. M. Vishweshwariah in 1955 for contribution in the field of Civil Service : Karnataka
Shri Chakravarti Rajagopalachari in 1954 for contribution in Public Affairs : Tamil Nadu
Dr. Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman in 1954 in Science & Engineering: Tamil Nadu
Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan in 1954 for contribution in Public Affairs : Tamil Nadu

Bharat Ratna to Prof MS Swaminathan!

List of Bharat Ratna Awardees









Prof MS Swaminathan, eminent agricultural scientist and one of the founders of the Green Revolution will soon be honoured with Bharat Ratna, the country’s top civilian award. This was announced here by Jayanthi Natarajan, minister of state for environment and forests.
“Prof Swaminathan is a national treasure. No other scientist in India has influenced the government, farmers and the civil society as he has. The government will soon make an announcement about honouring him with the Bharat Ratna ,” Natarajan said while releasing the 21st annual report of the MS Swaminathan Research Foundation, a Chennai-based initiative launched by him to help the country’s farming community on sustainable development.
Prof Swaminathan will become the eighth person from Tamil Nadu to be honoured with Bharat Ratna.

Oxygen Molecules Detected in Orion

Scientists have detected oxygen molecules in the star-forming region of Orion. Researchers believe frozen dust particles consisting of oxygen atoms evaporated in the heat of budding stars to form molecules.It is the Herschel spacecraft of European Space Agency(ESA) that has discovered oxygen molecules in space. The findings were published in the August 1 edition of Astrophysical Journal.
While oxygen in its atomic form exists in water and carbon monoxide. According to researchers it is the third most abundant element in the universe. Now the oxygen molecules were discovered in the Orion star-forming region. However, they are few in number. The scientists used three infrared frequencies emitted by Herschel's far-infrared instrument and found one oxygen molecule for every million hydrogen molecules within gas and dust surrounding Orion's forming stars. The Herschel spacecraft is equipped with the largest single mirror ever built for a space telescope.

Orion, often referred to as The Hunter, is a prominent constellation located on the celestial equator and visible throughout the world. It is one of the most conspicuous, and most recognizable constellations in the night sky. Its name refers to Orion, a hunter in Greek mythology.

Coins with the Rupee symbol are Coming!

The Indian government has come up with a new series of coins bearing the new Rupee symbol. These coins which are coming in Rs 1, 2, 5 and 10 denomination will shortly be brought into circulation in the country. The government has also released a new Rs 50 paise coin.

The finance ministry has said these coins would be easier to be recognized by blind people and will also have added security features.

South Sudan Becomes World''s Newest Nation

South Sudan becomes the newest independent country in the world, on saturday, July 9, 2011. Southern Sudan will be named the Republic of South Sudan upon independence. Salva Kiir Mayardit is its current president. Capital is Juba.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir

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South Sudan had reached a comprehensive peace agreement with North Sudan in 2005, brokered by US Secretary of State Colin Powell under former President George W Bush, that stopped the bloody civil war and paved the way for a referendum in January that year. Some 99 per cent of southern Sudanese had voted for independence from the north of Sudan in the referendum.

South Sudan man rejoicing with Flag

The people of the Southern part is mainly Christian and the Northern teriitory is Arab Muslim. Africa’s 54th state is at the bottom of the developing world. Most people live on less than $1 a day. More than 10 percent of children do not reach the age of 5. Some 75 percent of adults cannot read.
Sudan had already bloodied by two million deaths in the civil war, but many festering disputes between north and south are still remaining. Major elements of the 2005 peace agreement are unresolved — such as which side will control the oil-rich region of Abyei, where fighting has also broken out; citizenship protections for minorities; where final borders will be set; how oil earnings will be shared (the south has 70 percent of the reserves). The two sides are dependent on each other. South Sudan needs the north’s pipeline to get its oil to market. Sudan needs oil money to help pay its bills. Both need foreign investment and the north needs debt relief.

South Sudan Army

Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, said he would attend the festivities in Juba. But he also said he would continue the fight. The international community must persuade the two sides to avoid war and work to build a future for both Sudans.

Space Shuttle Era Ends!

After a 30 year long history, space shuttle flights has coming to an end. The last one, Space shuttle Atlantis blasted off on July 8, 2011 from Kennedy Space Centre, as it left Earth on the final flight of the U.S. space shuttle program.
"Today's launch may mark the final flight of the space shuttle but it propels us into the next era of our never-ending adventure to push the very frontiers of exploration and discovery in space," Obama said in a statement from the White House. About 1 million sightseers witnessed the liftoff. They had lined causeways and beaches around the Kennedy Space Center in central Florida. In its last flight  Atlantis' has a 12-day mission to the International Space Station. It will arrive at the station on 10th July, 2011. Atlantis, in its one week stay at the space station, will transfer more than 5 tonnes of food, clothing, science experiments and other equipments to the station and pack up old equipment to be returned to Earth.

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NASA is ending the shuttle program mainly because of the high operating costs. In 1986, seven astronauts died aboard shuttle Challenger when a rocket booster seal failed shortly after launch. Seven more, including Kalpana Chawla, died aboard Columbia, destroyed due to heat shield failure in 2003 as it returned to Earth.

Space shuttle Atlantis STS-135 crew commander Ferguson,
 pilot Hurley, mission specialist Magnus and mission specialist Walheim

Atlantis Cockpit

NASA will rely on Russia to fly its astronauts to the station, at a cost of more than $50 million a seat, until commercial firms are ready to take over crew ferry flights. Now onwards the US will focus on flights to asteroids and even to Mars!

China has unveiled the world’s longest sea bridge!!!

China once agian created history and fills the news. The communist giant has unveiled the world’s longest sea bridge, which stretches a massive 26.4 miles, longer than a marathon!

The Qingdao Haiwan Bridge, completed recently, links the main urban area of Qingdao city, East China’s Shandong province, with Huangdao district. The bridge took four years and cost 5.5 billion dollar to build. This will be opened in the New Year. This new Chinese wonder is almost three miles longer than the previous record-holder, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana. With an overall length of 42.58km, the route between Qingdao and Huangdao will be shortened by 30km, cutting the travel time by about 20 minutes.

However, the colossal construction is set to hold the record as the longest sea bridge only for a few years – and it will be bettered by another Chinese bridge in the next decade.
A new bridge is coming to link southern Guangdong province with Hong Kong and Macau.
Set to be completed in 2016, officials say the 6.5billion dollar bridge will span nearly 50km (30 miles).
The bridge will be a six-lane expressway that can handle earthquakes up to magnitude 8.0, strong typhoons and the impact of a 300,000 tonne vessel, said Zhu Yongling, one of the officials leading the project.

Even when constructed that structure will be dwarfed by the longest bridge in the world, which is also in China. The Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge, also Chinese, is an astonishing 102 miles in length.

The-naked-explorer!!!

Yes, we heard about many explorers who changed the course of the world with their courage and enthusisam. Here comes the news of a most modern explorer.

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She explores everything without concealing anything!  This lady takes photographs of herself naked! And she is gaining a worldwide reputation as a provocative artist admired by art experts and casual viewers alike.
Miru Kim, a former medical student from New York, goes to strange places such abandoned factories, tunnels, bridges and photographs the structures with her in the picture nude. The 30-year-old said her work has been a way of conquering her fears.
The problem is that she conquered fear, but by seeing all these fear conquered many!? Don't worry, enjoy.

The new Toyota Etios Liva Launched!!!

The new Toyota Etios Liva has been priced between Rs 3.99 - 5.99 lakhs (ex-showroom Delhi), and will be available to customers in 5 trim variants including an optional package for the G variant.

Finally the Toyota Kirloskar Motor has launched the Etios LIVA hatchback in India. It was first showcased to the Indian audience at the 2010 Auto Expo held in Delhi. The Etios LIVA is truly the hatchback version of its predecessor, namely the Etios. Both share a similar design. The main difference that the LIVA has a hatch instead of a boot.

Etios LIVA is poowered with a 1197cc petrol engine that delivers 80 PS power at 5600 rpm and generates a decent 104Nm of torque at 3100 rpm. Mated to a five speed gearbox, the engine has been tuned to offer exceptional mileage, claimed of 18.31 kilometers/litre. Slotted to compete against established players such as the Swift, Ford Figo, Hyundai i10, Nissan Micra, Tata Indica Vista, Volks Wagon Polo and the Fiat Grande Punto, the LIVA surely has its own advantages. This small car of Toyota will definitely a competitor!!!