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  • Quantum Teleportation Successfully Done Over a 16km Distance

    Quantum entanglement is like magic. Quantum entangled photos where separated for the first time more than just a few meters, achieving an 89% “information fidelity” over a 10 mile distance. This represents a new distance and fidelity record.

    Arstechnica reports: “Quantum teleportation has achieved a new milestone or, should we say, a new ten-milestone: scientists have recently had success teleporting information between photons over a free space distance of nearly ten miles, an unprecedented length. The researchers who have accomplished this feat note that this brings us closer to communicating information without needing a traditional signal, and that the ten miles they have reached could span the distance between the surface of the earth and space.”

    Read the rest of the post here.

  • VEHRA: France’s Dassault Aviation Developing Sub-Orbital Space Ships

    Vehra: the reusable hypersonic vehicle project.

    “The suborbital activity began with the VEHRA (air-launched reusable hypersonic vehicle) project. This constituted an “evolution” of the X-38 experimental lifting body from NASA, for which Dassault Aviation had defined the shape.”

    This is following the example of Burt Rutan’s SpaceShipOne and SpaceShipTwo. From a 10t demonstration vehicle the project development will lead then to a 30t ship that will be capable of launching satellites of up to 300kg into orbit. Finally a heavy vehicle with 200t will be able to deliver a 7t payload into low earth orbit.

    Excellent news and everything seems to be on track, one more company on the way and doing it alone, without NASA, without ESA.

    If you are curious: Another article from Dassault from 2003 outlines the VEHRA project that has the goal of developing a totally reusable space ship that can launch to earth orbit. More details can be found here.

    Source: Dassault Aviation

  • Europe’s Steps Towards End-to-end Transportation Capability: The Advanced Re-entry Vehicle (ARV)

    European Space Agency's proposed manned Advanced Re-entry Vehicle (ARV). Photo: esa

    “The ATV currently has a capability to re-supply the ISS with up to 7.5 tonnes of propellants and cargo, and is the largest orbiting space vehicle after the US Space Shuttle. In the new scenario the pressurised Integrated Cargo Carrier would be replaced by a cargo re-entry capsule, equipped with a heat shield and able to bring back hundreds of kilograms of cargo and valuable experiments. Such a project, named the Advanced Re-entry Vehicle (ARV), would use heritage from the Atmospheric Re-entry Demonstrator (ARD), which flew successfully in 1998, as well as the work done in the definition of past space transportation system concepts.

    Finally, the possible future development of a crew transportation system hinges on extensive preliminary testing though the successful execution of several automated flights. The ISS provides a natural operational frame for conducting such flights.”

    Source: esa

  • MPEG H.264 Replacement Underway

    “The new High Efficiency Video Coding (HVC) is expected to compress video in resolutions from QVGA to 8Kx4K. It will be targeted at the same applications that use H.264 and MPEG-2 today.

    A goal for HVC is to improve on the efficiency of H.264 by a substantial amount. If the gain in compression efficiency is not very large, HVC use is likely to be more limited as was MPEG-4 Part 2. Both the resolution and efficiency will be helpful for proponents of UltraHD, since transmission of UltraHD content to the home is technically possible today, but not economically feasible, according to In-Stat.”

    Read the article from: CDRinfo

  • Boeing To Resume Work On CCDev Manned Vehicle With Bigelow Aerospace

    NASA COTS overview, click image to enlarge. Photo credit: NASA

    There is the following news coming out of Bigelow Aerospace:

    “Boeing was selected by NASA on Feb. 1 to develop critical technologies and capabilities for the space agency’s Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) initiative (as outlined in the Commercial Firms for Commercial Crew Development Using Recovery Act Funds), which offers an opportunity for the aerospace industry to develop concepts for future crewed space missions. The funded Space Act Agreement for the CCDev project is valued at $18 million.”

    Boeing is going to work on the new vehicle and technologies with Bigelow Aerospace who will provide “requirements for crew transportation to support its planned Orbital Space Complex, as well as additional investment and expertise in testing and validating the technologies necessary to construct and deploy the complex.”

    NASA winners announcement click here.

    The winners include the following companies:

    • Blue Origin will receive $3.7 million
    • The Boeing Company will receive $18 million
    • Paragon Space Development Corporation will receive $1.4 million
    • Sierra Nevada Corporation will receive $20 million
    • United Launch Alliance will receive $6.7 million

    Read the Press Release by Bigelow Aerospace click here.

  • Europe going it alone with manned space craft

    arv_1.jpg

    More options, separate technology and backup one with the other are a few of the positive aspects of this development. Europes ambitions to build a manned space craft proved incompatible with Russia’s technical requirements. A manned ATV based vehicle will use the existing Ariane 5 rocket. I am keeping an eye on this development. We could see european astronauts with their own vehicle in space by 2020 or sooner.

  • Internet via power lines in Sao Paulo, Brasil offered by AES Eletropaulo starting 2009

    AES Eletropaulo Telecom announced they will provide internet via the electrical network power lines starting in the first quarter of 2009 using the BPL technology (Broadband Powerline). This will enable any outlets to work as a internet access point within any so enabled apartments or buildings. About 150 residences are currently testing the technology and the company is currently waiting for ANATEL approval (National Telecommunications Agency). The “modems” have already been approved.

  • Memristor Storage to replace HD + RAM

    Accidental discovery of the elusive “memristor” electronic component. It could soon replace both RAM and hard drives with devices 10x smaller. Cell phones might become sensors, protecting planet Earth. Credit: Richard Hart – The Next Step

  • Apple Brazil: Apple Shop Paulista Opens Officially

    Today at 6:30pm the Apple Shop at FNAC Paulista was officially opened with a white ribbon cutting. Present at the event where, among others, the President of Apple Brazil, Apple Brazil’s Marketing Director and the Director General of FNAC in Brasil, who gave a short speech, welcoming everyone and thanking all the Apple Fan’s for their presence. The crowd was about 50 to 60 strong and somewhat timid, but gave applause after the cutting. Two photographers (not sure if bloggers, they did not look professional, but Mr. Shapiro and Co. gave a performance anyway) took some pictures. Customers where served Champagne and canapes, and a few blond, long haired, tall girls dressed in Apple Black guaranteed that eyes had something to look at other than Apple’s product line that was presented on the usual woodden tables with all devices functional for people to play with.

    I observed that there where many accessories available now that where missing before, including a few mobileme boxes that went for R$189 ($119), not far off from the original price. One of the Apple consultants pointed out that pricing would gradually fall until christmas and that many of the accessories still missing would be on the shelves soon. Currently there are 2 consultants tending to curious clients visiting the Apple Shop at FNAC Paulista. Both are very friendly and knowledgeable. Since they are not salespeople and but consultants they are there for giving advice and answers to curious questions, and unlike sales people, they took time to talk with me for over 15 minutes and answer my questions.

    Unfortunately I did not manage to talk to Mr. Shapiro, Apple Brazil’s President. I would have asked him when the iPhone will arrive here. All in all things are looking up. Keep you posted.

  • Sony Style Brasil opens first store in Sao Paulo

    loja-da-sony-no-brasil.jpgSony Style is now represented with a 2 level flag ship store measuring over 700m2 in the super luxurious new shopping center Cidade Jardim in Sao Paulo’s Morumbi district. This is the first Sony Style store in Brazil.

    Sony hopes to increase sales in the country by over 30%. Cash purchases are rewarded with 10% discount, with 5-15% discounts being common for full payments in most stores around town. Here is the address:

    Sony Style Store – Shopping Cidade Jardim

    phone (11) 2145-7150 / (11) 2145-7151

    http://www.sonystyle.com.br/store/
    Av. Magalhães de Castro, 12.000
    Morumbi, Sao Paulo SP

    Good move Sony, I will be heading there to check out the toys!

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