Spacex Merlin 1D Full Duration test firing and Orbital fires up the AJ-26 engine

Nasa Space Flight – SpaceX and Orbital both fired their new engines. SpaceX’s Merlin 1D rumbled for a full mission duration firing, while Orbital’s AJ-26 continued its testing ahead of its debut on their Antares launch vehicle The Spacex Merlin D has improved performance. Thrust is increased from 95,000 lbf (sea level) to 140,000 lbf …

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Canada tracking to 6.2 million barrels per day and one major BC gas field could double natural gas production

1. The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers has an updated oil forecast. The new forecast has an increase of 800,000 barrels per day over last years forecast for 2025 The US is heading to over 10 million barrels per day of crude oil by 2020 because of shale oil and tight oil in North Dakota …

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Reconfigurable Silicon Nanowire Transistors

Nanoletters – Over the past 30 years electronic applications have been dominated by complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices. These combine p- and n-type field effect transistors (FETs) to reduce static power consumption. However, CMOS transistors are limited to static electrical functions, i.e., electrical characteristics that cannot be changed. Here we present the concept and …

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DARPA High energy laser update

High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS) FY 2010 8.989 FY 2011 20.894 FY 2012 29.453 From the DARPA 2012 budget Description: The goal of the High Energy Liquid Laser Area Defense System (HELLADS) program is to develop a high-energy laser weapon system (150 kW) with an order of magnitude reduction in weight compared …

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Middle sized cities will be the source of world GDP growth

Today, developed economies such as the U.S., Western Europe and emerging market megacities—cities with more than ten million people—contribute 73 percent of world GDP growth. By 2025, their contribution diminishes to a mere one-third of global GDP. McKinsey has a report – Urban world: Mapping the economic power of cities (62 pages) 23 megacities and …

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China is forecast to be the number one source of tourists by 2015

In 2010, 57.4 million Chinese traveled out of China to see the world and to spend money on outbound tourism.For 2015, the China National Tourism Administration CNTA forecasts that 100 million travelers spending US$100 billion will turn China into the worldwide No. 1 international tourism source market. In 2010, the number of domestic tourists reached …

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