Science & Technology
Citing debris risk, NASA delays spacewalk to fix space station antenna
A spacewalk planned for Tuesday to repair a faulty antenna on the International Space Station was postponed indefinitely, NASA said, citing a "debris notification" it received for the orbiting research laboratory.
Two U.S. astronauts had been scheduled to venture outside the space station at 7:10 a.m. Eastern time (1210 GMT) to begin their work, facing what NASA officials had called a slightly elevated risk posed by debris from a Russian anti-satellite missile test this month.
But about five hours before the outing was to have commenced, NASA said on Twitter that the spacewalk had been called off for the time being.
"NASA received a debris notification for the space station. Due to the lack of opportunity to properly assess the risk it could pose to the astronauts, teams have decided to delay the Nov. 30 spacewalk until more information is available," the space agency tweeted.
It was not made clear how close debris had come to the space station, orbiting about 250 miles (402 km) above the Earth, or whether it was related to the Russian missile test.
NASA TV had planned to provide live coverage of the 6-1/2-hour "extravehicular activity," or EVA, operation by astronauts Thomas Marshburn and Kayla Brown. The outing would be the fifth spacewalk for Marshburn, 61, a medical doctor and former flight surgeon with two previous trips to orbit, and the first for Barron, 34, a U.S. Navy submarine officer and nuclear engineer on her debut spaceflight for NASA.
The objective is to remove a faulty S-band radio communications antenna assembly, now more than 20 years old, and replace it with a new spare stowed outside the space station.
According to plans, Marshburn was to have worked with Barron while positioned at the end of a robotic arm operated from inside the station by German astronaut Matthias Maurer of the European Space Agency, with help from NASA crewmate Raja Chari.
The four arrived at the space station on Nov. 11 in a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, joining two Russian cosmonauts and a NASA astronaut already aboard the orbiting outpost.
Four days later, an anti-satellite missile test conducted without warning by Russia generated a debris field in low-Earth orbit, and all seven crew members took shelter in their docked spaceships to allow for a quick getaway until the immediate danger passed, according to NASA.
The residual debris cloud from the blasted satellite has dispersed since then, according to Dana Weigel, NASA deputy manager of the International Space Station (ISS) program.
But NASA calculates that the remaining fragments continued to pose a "slightly elevated" background risk to the space station as a whole, and a 7% higher risk of spacewalkers' suits being punctured, as compared to before Russia's missile test, Weigel told reporters on Monday.
Although NASA has yet to fully quantify additional hazards posed by more than 1,700 larger fragments it is tracking around the station's orbit, the 7% higher risk to spacewalkers falls "well within" fluctuations were previously seen in "the natural environment," Weigel said.
Still, mission managers canceled several smaller maintenance tasks under consideration for Tuesday's spacewalk, Weigel added.
Russia has fined Google $2.5 decillion after the US tech giant took action against pro-Kremlin TV channels on YouTube following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
Russia imposed a daily fine four years ago - a fine that has since swelled to an unprecedented level - ($20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 - a 33-digit figure).
To put this into perspective, global GDP reaches an estimated $110 thousand billion (12-digit figure), according to the IMF.
Speaking to Russia’s TASS news agency, one expert, Roman Yankovsky from the HSE Institute of Education, said Google “clearly will not pay this penalty, and the Russian Federation will not be able to recover this money from the company."
Euronews reported that a short calculation shows that he is right.
Google's holding company, Alphabet, has a market capitalisation of slightly more than $2 trillion. Even with earnings of $80.54 billion from the last quarter, the tech giant doesn’t seem to be able to afford to pay the fine.
Google first barred pro-Moscow channel Tsargrad TV, which is owned by oligarch Konstantin Malofeev, four years ago.
At the time, Google was fined a daily penalty of 100,000 roubles and warned that amount would double every 24 hours if it went unpaid.
The original fine has been compounded by further penalties after Google eventually blocked a total of 17 Russian TV channels as a result of international sanctions, The Telegraph reported.
The tech giant now owes a staggering $2.5 decillion.
Science & Technology
Apple launches new iPad mini with AI features
Apple said it would roll out the first set of AI features in the U.S. version of the English language this month through a software update with iPadOS 18.1.
Apple on Tuesday launched its new generation of the iPad mini packed with AI features including writing tools and an improved Siri assistant, as the iPhone maker races to boost its devices with artificial-intelligence capabilities, Reuters reported.
The new iPad mini is powered by Apple's A17 Pro chip, which is used in the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models. With a six-core central processing unit, the A17 Pro would boost CPU performance by 30% compared to the current generation iPad minis and is central to running Apple Intelligence, Apple's AI software.
Apple said it would roll out the first set of AI features in the U.S. version of the English language this month through a software update with iPadOS 18.1.
The features will be available for iPads with A17 Pro or M1 chips and later generations, Apple said, adding it will roll out additional features including image-generation tools, Genmoji and ChatGPT-powered capabilities over the next several months, read the report.
Apple in September unveiled its long-awaited, AI-boosted iPhone 16 lineup, but with the AI features still in test mode, the company failed to excite some investors while early sales data raised some questions around demand.
Still, research firm Canalys on Monday said the iPhone 16 would help Apple's sales in the fourth quarter and drive momentum into the first half of 2025, after Apple reached a record high third-quarter shipments.
The iPad mini, starting at $499, is available for pre-orders starting on Tuesday and will begin arriving to customers and Apple store locations next week, Apple said.
Science & Technology
Iran sends satellites to Russia for rocket launch
In September, Iran carried out its second satellite launch this year using a rocket built by its Revolutionary Guards
Iran has sent two locally made satellites to Russia to be put into orbit by a Russian space vehicle, the semi-official news agency Tasnim reported on Saturday, in the latest space cooperation between the two U.S.-sanctioned countries.
The development of Kowsar, a high-resolution imaging satellite, and Hodhod, a small communications satellite, is the first substantial effort by Iran's private space sector, the report said.
Russia sent Iranian satellites into orbit in February and in 2022, when U.S. officials voiced concern over space cooperation between Russia and Iran, fearing the satellite will not only help Russia in Ukraine but also help Iran monitor potential military targets in Israel and the wider Middle East, Reuters reported.
Kowsar could be used in agriculture, natural resource management, environmental monitoring, and disaster management, Tasnim said.
Hodhod is designed for satellite-based communications and could be used in remote areas with little access to terrestrial networks.
In September, Iran carried out its second satellite launch, this year using a rocket built by its Revolutionary Guards.
The launch came as the United States and European countries accuse Tehran of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia that could be used in its war with Ukraine. Iran has denied this.
Tahawol: Ramped up deportation of Afghan migrants discussed
Saar: Int’l humanitarian aid to Afghanistan discussed
Afghanistan exported more than 2,500 tons of pine nuts in 1402
Tehran says it is ‘unhappy’ about IEA taking news of killing of Afghans at border seriously
IEA says deportation of Afghan migrants from neighboring countries has intensified
Khalilzad says it would have been better to get IEA involved in talks early on
$1 billion contract for exploration and extraction of Jawzjan gas signed with Uzbek company
Acting Minister of Industry and Commerce leaves for Kazakhstan
Afghanistan produces its own buses for urban transportation
Health Ministry marks World Sight Day, says 25,000 people in Afghanistan go blind each year
Tahawol: Ramped up deportation of Afghan migrants discussed
Saar: Int’l humanitarian aid to Afghanistan discussed
Tahawol: Illegal migration causes explored
Saar: Impact of US election on wars discussed
Tahawol: Int’l Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists discussed
-
Business4 days agoChina resumes direct rail trade with Afghanistan
-
Regional5 days agoLebanon, Israel could agree to ceasefire within days, Lebanese prime minister says
-
Latest News4 days agoOIC special envoy meets with Pakistani officials for talks on Afghanistan
-
Business3 days agoPrivate sectors of Afghanistan, Kazakhstan sign contracts worth $100 million
-
Sport4 days agoRashid Khan retained by Gujrat Titans ahead of IPL 2025 auction
-
Regional3 days agoIran preparing strike on Israel from Iraqi territory within days, Axios reports
-
Latest News3 days agoDAB plans to set up electronic payments in Afghanistan
-
Regional3 days agoSeven killed, dozens injured in blast in Pakistan’s Balochistan province