Fuel from the Moon

Russian scientists have calculated approximate content of helium isotope ³He in the moon soil, as well as thought over possibilities for commercial production of this fuel.

Scientists have great interest in ³He, since this isotope is regarded as “fuel of the future” for ecologically friendly thermonuclear reaction. ³He-based power engineering requires stock of the isotope, which can be found on Earth’s natural satellite. Helium is concentrated in lunar soil (regolith) due to millions of years of particle bombardment by solar wind.

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Fuel from the Moon

Earth’s “Refrigerator” Keeps Freezing

Russian scientists performed a journey to Arctic archipelagos for studying impact of climatic change on their glaciers.

Franz Josef Land, Spitsbergen and Novaya Zemlya are unique archipelagos, where Arctic ice fields border. Said fields are responsive to all changes, taking place in hydrosphere and atmosphere. Moreover, life cycles of almost all local living organisms, directly depends on icy cover.

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New Rocket Airplane for Space Tourists

Russian engineers develop a rocket airplane, which will deliver space tourists to Earth’s orbit. Researchers plan to demonstrate ready and tested vehicle in 2011-2012.

Russian experimental machine-building plant signed the contract with the Russian investor, who prefers to be anonymous. The contract provides funding for development of M-91 aviation and space system – six months of preliminary engineering and couple of years for all necessary tests.

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Low-Noise Fans for ISS Developed

Engineers of Central Institute of Aerohydrodynamics have developed and already tested two low-noise fans for life-support system of International space station.

New design of fans is aimed at making cosmonauts’ life and work at ISS more comfortable. The development has low noise level and same aerodynamic parameters, compared to standard fans.

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“Cluster” For Solar Battery Production to Appear

Russian authorities plan to create a so-called “solar cluster” in the Krasnoyarsk Territory. The cluster will consist of chains of innovative science absorbing industries with solar batteries as final product.

Scientists of the region have fresh raw material – silicon polycrystals, technologies for processing said material, and everything else, required for producing components for solar electrics.

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Antarctica’s Ghost Mountains Excite Scientists

Scientists are going to explore Antarctica’s famous mystery – the Gamburtsev Mountain Range. Researchers believe this journey to be the last great expedition on our planet.

Researchers are going to find out how this mountain range was formed and conserved in the heart of the Antarctica. Geologists wonder how did mountains appear in the middle of the continent – they should not have been formed.

The expedition will be multinational – polar explorers come from USA, Great Britain, Germany, Australia, China and Japan – and is expected to last for 2.5 months.

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Hello – Anyone There?

Images of Earth, snapped by space probe Venus Express, failed to tell astronomers whether our planet had life.

The research is conducted by means of VIRTIS spectrometer, a part of Venus Express, which has been launched to study Venusian environment in 2005. The aim of the project is to develop some techniques for detection of life on other planets.

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Russian Research Reactor to be Launched Soon

Russian physicists schedule first criticality of the research beam tank reactor for the next year.

The research unit will be launched in St. Petersburg and is expected to reach its full power of 100 megawatt in 2011. The reactor is 90% ready – its components will soon be installed properly.

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ISS’s Wastes Nowhere to Waste

Less than five months were enough for sanitary conveniences of International space station to get out of order again.

Since the failure took place in the Russian part of the station, Russian crewmembers do their best to fix everything. The failure possibly happened in the gas separator.

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ISS’s Wastes Nowhere to Waste

New Business Jet Developed in Russia

Russian engineers created a light business jet, which body is made of composite materials and, its engine requires ordinary gasoline, not special jet kerosene.

New jet has two seats and fast-acting parachute escape system of domestic production, which provides parachute descent of the plane together with its crew. Authors of the unique system guarantee their development works as low as at 40 meters above the ground.

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Next Target – Jupiter

Russia, Europe and the United States are getting ready for sending their spaceships to Jupiter in next 10-12 years.

International project on studying Jupiter becomes more real every day. Russian scientists say that three independent expeditions will head for the giant planet in 2012-2020, moreover, European space agency is going to send even two satellites, one of which will stay on the safe high orbit.

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Information Technologies Unite Russia and India

Indian authorities named three main directions for cooperation with Russia in information technologies. These three are telemedicine, extension of IT-parks and software development for product certification.

Indian authorities think that Russian scientists and IT experts have profound experience in mentioned fields of interest. Future cooperation between the two countries may also be in information security, since India suffers from IT crimes.

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Information Technologies Unite Russia and India

Spaceship Tests Finished

Central Institute of Aerohydrodynamics recently announced about successful acoustic trials of the “Express MD-1” space vehicle. The tests confirmed quality, safety and working efficiency of satellite’s flight model.

The trials took place in the reverberant chamber RK-1500, simulating acoustic loads, which the ship experiences in space. The vehicle was exposed to high-frequency pressure pulsations, which appear during take-off, transonic flights and maximum ramming.

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15 Russian Rovers Head for Mars

Russia plans to start the project on establishing the network of tiny research stations on Mars in 2014. Scientists want to send 15 stations, weighing about 20 kilograms each, to the Red planet.

The draft design of these small automatic researchers, worked out in cooperation of Russian and Finnish scientists, already exists. Funding of the space programme is scheduled for 2014.

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Antarctica Gets Warmer

Russian Antarctic station Bellingshausen reports that this September is the warmest September of all 50 years of meteorological observations.

Monthly mean temperature was about -1.3 degrees Centigrade. Moreover, annual mean ground air temperature was 2.5 degrees Centigrade higher than 50 years ago. Local warming is accompanied with reduction of marine ice cover.

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Russia and Taiwan: Cooperation in Nanotechnology

Russian and Taiwan authorities recently discussed nanoscience and nanotechnologies and shared experience in industrial innovations.

Parties also talked about possible cooperation in nanoelectronics,
nanobiotechnologies, photovoltaics (the field of technology and research related to the application of solar cells for energy by converting sunlight directly into electricity), composite materials and etc.

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Bacteria as Biosensors

Russian scientists suggest using Helicobacter pylori as biological sensor for diagnostics of stomach malignant tumors.

These bacteria are known to be responsible for development of gastric ulcer and stomach cancer. In Russia about 40 people out of 100 thousand hear this diagnosis every year. Early detection of tumor formation is one of main aspects of successful therapy.

However, existing methods of stomach cancer diagnostics cannot provide exact detection of tumors. Russian researchers seem to have found the solution. Stomach cancer has one peculiar feature – tumor cells are unable to produce hydrochloric acid, thus tumor environment becomes alkalized. Therefore, gastric juice can signal about malignant growth.

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Take Part in Mammoth Hunt

Paleontologists from Moscow created a video clip for the museum of natural sciences. The video is called “Mammoth Hunt”.

The video clip will be demonstrated to visitors of the museum-park in Khanty-Mansiysk, which mainly exhibits almost full-size bronze statues of extinct giants.

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Kola Superdeep Borehole Will Be Destroyed

Kola superdeep borehole, pride of Russian geology, will be closed down. Engineers already started dismantling unique equipment.

Kola superdeep borehole was the result of a scientific drilling project of the former USSR. The project attempted to drill as deep as possible into the Earth's crust. Drilling began on May 24, 1970 on the Kola Peninsula, using an "Uralmash-4E" and later an "Uralmash-15000" drilling rig.

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“Automatic Nurse” to Help Ailing Ones

Scientists from Moscow State University are working on a new device – “automatic nurse”.

The device has nothing to do with frivolous fantasies – it is an automatic syringe, which makes injections, collects blood samples for tests, withdraws the syringe with the needle and produces results of the tests.

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The Purest Water Is in Russia

Researchers from Pyatigorsk developed a technology for water purification – they claim it to be the best in the world.

The technology is based upon the law of water capillary lift – the smaller conductor’s diameter results in the higher water lift.

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The Purest Water Is in Russia

Original Oil Filter Developed

Russian engineers designed an original oil filter for automobile engines.

The filter has several new features – one of them is powerful ring magnet, which protects rubbing part of an automobile from abrasive wear, caused by mechanical impurities, which can contain metals.

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