US launches drone from aircraft carrier

  

The X-47B is the first drone designed to take off and land on a carrier.

(Associated Press) - A drone the size of a fighter jet took off from the deck of an American aircraft carrier for the first time Tuesday in a test flight that could eventually open the way for the U.S. to launch unmanned aircraft from just about any place in the world.

The X-47B is the first drone designed to take off and land on a carrier, meaning the U.S. military would not need permission from other countries to use their bases.

"As our access to overseas ports, forward operating locations and airspace is diminished around the world, the value of the aircraft carrier and the air wing becomes more and more important," Rear Adm. Ted Branch, commander of Naval Air Forces Atlantic, said after the flight off the Virginia coast. "So today is history."

The move to expand the capabilities of the nation's drones comes amid growing criticism of America's use of Predators and Reapers to gather intelligence and carry out lethal missile attacks against terrorists in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen.

Critics in the U.S. and abroad have charged that drone strikes cause widespread civilian deaths and are conducted with inadequate oversight.

Still, defense analysts say drones are the future of warfare.

The new Joint Strike Fighter jet "might be the last manned fighter the U.S. ever builds. They're so expensive, they're so complex, and you put a human at risk every time it takes off from a carrier," said James Lewis, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.

"This is the next generation of military technology the unmanned vehicles, the unmanned submersibles, the unmanned aircraft. This will be the future of warfare, and it will be a warfare that is a little less risky for humans but maybe a little more effective when it comes to delivering weapons and effect."

While the X-47B isn't intended for operational use, it will help Navy officials develop future carrier-based drones. Those drones could begin operating by 2020, according to Rear Adm. Mat Winter, the Navy's program executive officer for unmanned aviation and strike weapons.

The X-47B is far bigger than the Predator, has three times the range and can be programmed to carry out missions with no human intervention, the Navy said.

While the X-47B isn't a stealth aircraft, it was designed with the low profile of one. That will help in the development of future stealth drones, which would be valuable as the military changes its focus from the Middle East to the Pacific, where a number of countries' air defenses are a lot stronger than Afghanistan's.

"Unmanned systems would be the likely choice in a theater or an environment that was highly defended or dangerous where we wouldn't want to send manned aircraft," Branch said.

During Tuesday's flight, the X-47B used a steam catapult to launch, just as traditional Navy warplanes do. The unarmed aircraft then landed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland.

The next critical test for the tailless plane will come this summer, when it attempts to land on a moving aircraft carrier, one of the most difficult tasks for Navy pilots.

Earlier this month, the X-47B successfully landed at the air station using a tailhook to catch a cable and bring it to a quick stop, just as planes setting down on carriers have to do.

The X-47B has a wingspan of about 62 feet (19 meters) and weighs 14,000 pounds (6,350 kilograms), versus nearly 49 feet (15 meters) and about 1,100 pounds (499 kilograms) for the Predator.

While Predators are typically piloted via remote control by someone in the U.S., the X-47B relies only on computer programs to tell it where to fly unless a human operator needs to step in. Eventually, one person may be able to control multiple unmanned aircraft at once, Branch said.

The group Human Rights Watch said it is troubled by what it described as a trend toward the development of fully autonomous weapons that can choose and fire upon targets with no human intervention.

"We're saying you must have meaningful human control over key battlefield decisions of who lives and who dies. That should not be left up to the weapons system itself," said Steve Goose, director of the arms division at Human Rights Watch.

Developed by Northrop Grumman under a 2007 contract at a cost of $1.4 billion, the X-47B is capable of carrying weapons and providing around-the-clock intelligence, surveillance and targeting, according to the Navy, which has been giving updates on the project over the past few years.

The X-47B can reach an altitude of more than 40,000 feet (12,192 meters) and has a range of more than 2,100 nautical miles (3,890 kilometers), versus 675 for the Predator. The Navy plans to show the drone can be refueled in flight, which would give it even greater range. 

Canadian spaceman returns to earth after six months

 

Canadian spaceman Chris Hadfield on Tuesday returned to Earth after a half year mission.

MOSCOW (AFP) - Canadian spaceman Chris Hadfield on Tuesday returned to Earth along with two other astronauts after a half year mission to the International Space Station that saw him become a global celebrity through his Twitter microblog.

Hadfield landed safely in the Kazakh steppe along with American Tom Marshburn and Russian Roman Romanenko aboard a Russian Soyuz-TMA capsule that had left the space station earlier Tuesday morning, mission control said.

Russian state television pictures showed the giant white parachute of the Soyuz capsule unfurling successfully after re-entry and the capsule then touching down in the Kazakh steppe, sending a plume of dust upwards into the sky.

The Soyuz touched down at 0231 GMT in the steppe south of the central Kazakh city of Karaganda, Russian mission control and NASA TV confirmed.

On a sunny spring morning, all three astronauts were then successfully extracted from the capsule by recovery teams who rushed to the scene.

They were then placed in special chairs amid the long steppe grasses, covered in special thermal blankets and offered tea by the ground crews. All three appeared in good health.

Hadfield had captured the public imagination with regular updates on Twitter that gave an unprecedented insight into daily life in space and access to spectacular images taken from the ISS.

In a fitting climax to his mission, Hadfield posted a cover version of the David Bowie classic "Space Oddity" that showed him singing and even playing the guitar aboard the station. It became an immediate hit on YouTube.

Japan hosts World Tea Festival

 

Enthusiasts gather once every three years in Japan to talk about one of the world's favorite drinks.

HIGASHIYAMA (AFP) - In the shadow of a giant Chinese character for "tea" written in live cypress trees, enthusiasts gather once every three years in Japan to talk about one of the world s favourite drinks.

The World Tea Festival this month celebrated the liquid in all its forms, from the earthenware teapots used in Japan to the delicate bone china of an English cup and saucer; from the samovars that gurgle in Russian novels to the short, sweet, shot-sized glasses drunk in Turkey.

For the connoisseur there were tasting sessions where expert blenders guided visitors through the range of teas grown on the slopes of Shizuoka in central Japan; some sweet, some sharp, some citrus and some an eye-watering 300,000 yen per kilogram ($1,500 per pound).

While most teas retail for considerably less than that, the prize blend by the Kakegawa Jonan Tea Industry Union is labour intensive, taking 50 people a whole day to harvest just four kilograms of the delicate buds.

There were also tea ceremonies where the powdered form of Japanese green tea was whipped into a frothing frenzy with a stubby bamboo brush.

"Sado" -- tea ceremony -- is laden with symbolism, from the movement of the hands that spoon the fine dust into the cup to the manner in which it is drunk and the seasonal significance of the colourful compacted sugar cakes that accompany it.

The every day form of strong, slightly bitter green tea is the beverage of choice for millions of Japanese. It is drunk at home, in the office and on the go in ready-made bottles bought from convenience stores.

In this part of Japan, tea is a very serious business, said Mitsuru Shirai, who heads Shizuoka prefecture s office for tea and agricultural produce.

"It is tea that has created us," he said, calling the festival "a combined celebration of culture and industry."

The green leaves have been grown here for nearly 800 years; today they support 15,000 farmers, 800 different companies, and provide 100,000 jobs in an industry worth 44 billion yen ($444 million) to the local economy.

Shizuoka produces 40 percent of the tea that Japan s 128 million citizens drink.

Like all farmers, tea growers have to contend with their share of troubles.

Tea specialist Hidehiro Inagaki said three years ago around 60 percent of Shizuoka s tea crop was lost to a cold snap.

"If they get too cold, the buds do not come out because the plant saves energy to keep itself warm," he said.

In a bid to keep the cold at bay, rather ugly-looking large electric fans blow warmed air down the avenues of tea bushes. It isn t pretty, say the farmers, but it works.

In the weeks after the 2011 nuclear disaster at Fukushima, when reactors were sent into meltdown after a huge tsunami rolled ashore, a cloud of radiation drifted over parts of Japan.

Some of that radiation made its way into the tea, with at least 162 kilograms of dried leaves seized at a Paris airport after being found to be above safety limits.

Two years after the disaster the Institute for Research on Tea continues to analyse soil samples for signs of contamination.

"This year the central government no longer requires testing, but we continue to do so at prefecture level," said Kazuo Mochizuki, head of the institute, which was founded in 1908 and continues to work on developing new varieties of tea.

Despite the technologies now in play that make harvesting much easier and mean bushes are more resistant to disease and produce higher yields, for farmer Toshiharu Suguira the quintessential nature of tea is what he sees.

In the 40 years since he took over a three-acre farm from his father, the mountainsides with their serried ranks of tea bushes have provided a constant vista.

"Nothing has changed," he said.

Google Doodles of 2012

Here's an image gallery showcasing each of the doodles the company displayed in the U.S. in 2012. 

'Moby Dick' | Oct. 18, 2012 Although Herman Melville's massive tome is widely considered one of the greatest American novels of all time, it was actually first published in London on Oct. 18, 1851, under the title "The Whale." It came out a month later in the United States. 'Little Nemo in Slumberland' | Oct. 15, 2012 Winsor McCay created his "Little Nemo" comic strip in 1905, and then went on to become a pioneer in the early art of animation. Niels Bohr | Oct. 7, 2012 The Danish physicist was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1922 "for his services in the investigation of the structure of atoms and of the radiation emanating from them." Google's 14th birthday | Sept. 27, 2012 On its 14th birthday, Google celebrated in the traditional manner: with a (doodle of a) birthday cake. Clara Schumann | Sept. 13, 2012 On what would have been her 193rd birthday, Clara Schumann is celebrated by Google for her contributions to 19th century European romantic music 'Star Trek' | Sept. 7, 2012 William Shatner is an "O" with his trademark "Trek" hairdo in the interactive Google Doodle that celebrates the 46th anniversary of the original series. Maria Montessori | Aug. 31 In the early 20th century, Montessori developed a unique style of teaching that emphasized freedom and creativity in the classroom over memorization and testing. Her methods are still in use today in schools around the world. Julia Child | Aug. 15 ( Google ) Tributes to the late chef were omnipresent as Child was remembered on the 100th anniversary of her birth. London Olympics | July 27 - Aug. 12 Google went all out for the Olympicsr, and had a different doodle for every day of the Games. Amelia Earhart | July 24 Amerlia Earhart was born 115 years ago on July 24, 1897, and her disappearance in 1937 remains an unsolved mystery. Gustav Klimt | July 14 In addition to being the 150th anniversary of the birth of Gustav Klimt, July 14 apparently also marks the 12th anniversary of the company creating an official chief doodler. The Fourth of July In a folksy tribute to America's birthday, Google filled in its logo's letters with lyrics from Woody Guthrie's classic "This Land Is Your Land." Alan Turing | June 23 In one of their most intricate doodles yet, Google employees created an interactive series of puzzles as a tribute to Turing, whose work helped pave the way for the modern computer. Father's Day | June 17 This year the third Sunday in June fell on the 17th. Analysts expected consumers to spend more on Father's Day gifts in 2012 than ever before. Drive-in movie theaters | June 6 A short animated film depicting a scene at an imaginary drive-in movie theater greeted visitors to Google's home page on June 6, the 79th anniversary of the first drive-in movie. Peter Carl Fabergé | May 30 The master goldsmith and jeweler to czars was born on this date in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1846. Golden Gate Bridge's 75th anniversary | May 27 Construction started on the Golden Gate Bridge in January 1933. It opened to the public on May 27, 1937. Robert Moog | May 23 In honor of Robert Moog's 78th birthday, Google put an interactive virtual Moog Synthesizer up on its home page. 2012 Doodle 4 Google winner | May 18 Second-grader Dylan Hoffman won the 2012 national Doodle 4 Google competition. Mother's Day | May 13 A brief animation helped visitors to Google.com celebrate Mother's Day in America. Howard Carter | May 9 Howard Carter, a real-life Indiana Jones, discovered King Tut's tomb. Keith Haring | May 4 Haring, a cultural activist and artist, sought to bring art to the masses. Gideon Sundback | April 24 Gideon Sundback may not have invented the zipper, but he perfected it Earth Day | April 22 A series of photos presented a time-lapse view of a garden project that Google staffers worked on. Robert Doisneau | April 14 A tribute to Parisian photographer Robert Doisneau on April 14 was an example of the website's increasingly sophisticated homepage illustrations. Eadward Muybridge | April 9 Eadweard Muybridge's Zoopraxiscope was one of the earliest motion picture devices. Ludwig Mies van der Rohe | March 27 Architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, who emphasized simplicity in his work, is known for his famous commandment: "Less is more." Juan Gris | March 23 Spanish artist Juan Gris got a Google Doodle on the 125th anniversary of his birth. St. Patrick's Day | March 17 Google's 2012 St. Patrick's Day tribute was inspired by Ireland's famed Book of Kells, a medieval illuminated manuscript. Akira Yoshizawa | Mar. 14 Yoshizawa helped raise origami's profile as an art form, eventually landing an exhibit in the Louvre in Paris. International Women's Day | March 8 International Women's Day is less well known in the United States than in other nations. Giaochino Rossini / Leap Day | Feb. 29 A cast of frogs (get it? "leap day") performs Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" opera. Heinrich Hertz | Feb. 22 In case you arenÂ’'t sure just what old Heinrich is responsible for, here is a hint: The metric unit hertz (Hz), which stands for the number of cycles per second of any kind of phenomena, and is frequently used to describe radio and audio waves, is named after him. Valentine's Day | Feb. 14 For Valentine's Day, Google's homepage featured a short animated film. [See story to view. Charles Dickens | Feb. 7 The 200th anniversary of the birth of literary icon Charles Dickens. Largest snowflake ever | Jan. 28 The largest snowflake ever recorded. SOPA & PIPA legislation | Jan. 18 On Jan. 18, Google joined other popular websites in bringing attention to proposed anti-piracy legislation that opponents feared could lead to Internet censorship Martin Luther King Jr. | Jan. 16 The civil rights leader was honored yet again with a Google Doodle. Nicolas Steno | Jan. 11 Nicolas Steno was a 17th century brainiac with the type of weird genius that led to his discovery of the human salivary duct and made him a pioneer in geology. Charles Addams | Jan. 7 Charles Addams created the Addams Family. New Year's Day | Jan. 1