Mars-bound NASA rover aiming for an August landing

This artist concept provided by NASA on Tuesday Jan.10,2012 shows the Curiosity rover cruising toward Mars. The spacecraft will adjust its flight path several times as it heads for an August landing in a Martian crater. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL

This artist concept provided by NASA on Tuesday Jan.10,2012 shows the Curiosity rover cruising toward Mars. The spacecraft will adjust its flight path several times as it heads for an August landing in a Martian crater. (AP Photo/NASA/JPL

(AP) ? A NASA spacecraft hurtling toward Mars prepared to fire its thrusters Wednesday to put itself on course for an August landing.

Engineers closely tracked the one-ton rover nicknamed Curiosity, which has been cruising along since rocketing from Earth last November.

The firing of its eight thruster engines is the most important task Curiosity will perform during its 352-million-mile flight to the red planet, but it's not unprecedented. Previous robotic explorers have had to adjust their paths several times en route to landing.

"Just because this is a well-traveled road to Mars given the number of trips we've made, I'm very careful to not let that experience cause us to be complacent," said Arthur Amador of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the $2.5 billion mission.

At the time of the course correction, Curiosity will have racked up 80 million miles and will be traveling at 10,200 mph relative to the Earth.

The day before, the team uploaded commands calling for the spacecraft to fire its eight thrusters for nearly three hours Wednesday afternoon, redirecting it closer to its target. Though it will execute the move without human interference, engineers will be on standby in the off chance that they have to abort.

"We should be very, very close to our desired aim point at the top of the Martian atmosphere" after the maneuver, Amador said.

If Curiosity did not tweak its position, it will miss Mars altogether. Engineers did this by design to prevent the rocket's upper stage that hoisted the spacecraft from hitting the red planet. Once Curiosity separated from the upper stage and was on its way, the team has several chances to fine-tune its trajectory before touchdown.

Curiosity, whose formal name is the Mars Science Laboratory, is aiming for a 96-mile-wide crater near the Martian equator that boasts a towering mountain in the center. The six-wheel, nuclear-powered rover planned to drive to the lower flanks and examine the layered deposits to determine whether the area once had conditions capable of supporting microbial life.

Armed with a suite of instruments including a laser to zap into bedrock and a jackhammer, Curiosity is more sophisticated than previous Mars surface spacecraft. Despite its capabilities, it won't be able to detect life. Instead, it will hunt for the chemical building blocks of life during its two-year mission.

Since Curiosity is too heavy to use a cocoon of airbags or rely solely on its parachute to safely reach the planet's surface, NASA will attempt a new type of landing using a so-called sky crane system.

The parachute will detach and a rocket-powered platform will fire its engines, then lower the rover to the ground on a tether similar to the way hovering heavy-lift helicopters lower huge loads at the end of a cable.

Even before arrival, Curiosity has not been idle. Several weeks after launch, Curiosity turned on its radiation detector to monitor high-energy particles streaming from the sun and exploding stars. Once at Mars, it will measure radiation levels on the surface.

Curiosity's voyage contrasts sharply with another space probe targeted at the Mars moon Phobos. Launched weeks earlier than Curiosity, Russia's Phobos-Ground probe got stranded in Earth's orbit and pieces were expected to plunge back through the atmosphere this weekend.

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Online:

Mission: http://www.nasa.gov/msl

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Follow Alicia Chang's coverage at http://www.twitter.com/SciWriAlicia

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-11-Mars%20Science%20Lab/id-1997c0ddd21d4539bc1e8221018aa626

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Sony NSX-32GT1 (Google TV)

Looking to add Google TV to your living room this holiday season? Sony's NSX-32GT1 32-inch HDTV is one of the best bets, next to Sony's NSZ-GT1 Blu-ray player ($199.99, 4 stars). It originally came out for $799.99 direct, but the price has since dropped to $499.99, putting it in line with other feature-rich 32-inch HDTVs. It's also recently received an upgrade to Google TV 3.1, which uses Android Honeycomb. The new version features a more visually appealing menu design and supports the Android Market to bring apps to your TV. For a deeper dive into Google TV 3.1, read our?hands on story.

Design
As with the Sharp Aquos LC-52LE820UN ($2,999.99, 3 stars), the NSX-32GT1 looks more like a desktop monitor than an HDTV. Its rounded edges and glossy white cabinet are right out of Apple's design book, as is the thin metal stand. The panel is framed by shiny black bezels and covered edge-to-edge in glass that gives the set a slick look, but makes the screen a bit reflective. The stand, while sturdy, does not provide any sort of adjustability (not even swivel), so keep that in mind when determining where to place the TV.

HDTVs with edge-mounted LED backlighting usually offer ultra-thin cabinets, but that's not the case here; at 2.25 inches thick, the NSX-32GT1 may be thin compared to the 3-inch-thick Mitsubishi LT-55265 ($3,199.99, 4 stars), but it's still about an inch thicker than the LG 47LE5500 ($2,099.99, 3.5 stars). There are no functions buttons to be found on the NSX-32GT1; all picture settings and other adjustments are done using the remote (the same gamepad-like Bluetooth QWERTY remote found on the Internet TV Blu-ray Player). There is a power switch and power and sleep timer LED indicators located along the lower right bezel, as well as remote and ambient light sensors.

Features
Two of the set's four HDMI ports are accessible from the left side, as are a total of four USB ports (that's three more USB ports than you'll get with most TVs), a headphone jack, and a Connect button used to pair the remote with the TV. Around back are an IR Blaster connection, one set of component A/V jacks, a coaxial TV/Cable/Antenna jack, two HDMI ports, an Ethernet port, and one digital audio output. If you have more than one non-HDMI device, you're going to have to get a component switch. The NSX-32GT1 features built-in Wi-Fi that supports two bands (2.4 and 5.0GHz) and will work with 802.11 a/b/g/n networks. A pair of 10-watt speakers are moderately loud and predictably short on bass response, but they are adequate for small rooms.

Google TV brings with it a plethora of online features with a slick user interface, but at this point in time it doesn't quite stack up against the catalog of web apps that you get with sets like the Samsung LN55C650. You do get You Tube, Napster, Netflix, and Amazon Video On Demand, as well as a few kid-based channels and news channels, but for now, you still don't get popular streaming services like Vudu, Hulu, and Blockbuster On Demand. Several major networks have blocked content to Google TV as well, so you can't even watch full episodes from their web sites.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/aHt-jaZOgMo/0,2817,2374792,00.asp

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Gingrich: Romney's business record secondary in SC

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, speaks to supporters gathered on Wednesday Jan, 11, 2012 at the Beacon Drive-In in Spartanburg, S.C. as his wife, Callista Gingrich, listens at left. (AP Photo/The Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Michael Justus)

Republican presidential candidate, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, speaks to supporters gathered on Wednesday Jan, 11, 2012 at the Beacon Drive-In in Spartanburg, S.C. as his wife, Callista Gingrich, listens at left. (AP Photo/The Spartanburg Herald-Journal, Michael Justus)

(AP) ? Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich says questions he's raising about Mitt Romney's record as a venture capitalist are "not the centerpiece" of his campaign in South Carolina.

The former House speaker said Romney's record as head of the equity firm Bain Capital is "an important question," however, because he predicated his campaign on the argument that he has the necessary business experience to restore the economy.

Gingrich says, "I'm campaigning as a pro-jobs, Reagan conservative in South Carolina."

The Georgia Republican was asked on Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends" about a man's statement at a campaign event Wednesday that Gingrich should lay off questions about whether the former Massachusetts governor benefited from a culture of corporate greed at Bain Capital. Gingrich told the questioner, "I agree with you."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2012-01-12-Gingrich/id-75030b3bb1934f78b66188ad7f02e57e

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Day 1 Tues Nov 22nd 2011 London to Toronto


We left the flat just after 9am this morning. Grey overcast, with a little fog, a typical British autumnal day. Having thought seriously about travelling or moving abroad for over a year, it seemed almost anticlimatic heading off to the airport on a journey of a lifetime.
Checkin was smooth and the plane took off on time. Having wondered and aspired for years to travel longhaul on my national carrier BA, I was pleasantly not disappointed to have a good flight, albeit you couldn't choose films or play games on the inflight console! We arrived in Toronto about 3.30pm. It was cold, 0 degrees and you felt it immediately in the opposite way to how you typically feel like you've walked into a sauna when arriving in a hot country from the UK. The UK is mild and its rarely the same anywhere else. Canadian's were as I had hoped and expected - friendly and helpful. People directed us to the right bus and then an old ?Arnold from Happy Days? lookalike led us to the subway from the bus. We then hopped on a streetcar and more usual form ensued with people getting aggrevated with our bulky backpacks. We made it to our hostel in the entertainment district, GVB, and immediately got some funny looks and pauses from the receptionist who couldn't believe we'd managed to book our room for nearly a third of the usual price at $29 a night. Looks like someone couldn't add up when loading it on Expedia!
We finally made it to our room and in hindsight was what you'd expect for the price. Unwashed duvet covers with love making stains and accompanying left behind hairs on the sheets!

Source: http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/United-Kingdom/England/Greater-London/blog-677878.html

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Justin Bieber Says He Talks To God

Singer opens up about religious beliefs in new issue of V magazine.
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber
Photo: Getty Images

Just days after debuting his new Jesus tattoo, Justin Bieber is opening up about his views on God and religion in the new issue of V magazine.

"A lot of people who are religious, I think they get lost. They go to church just to go to church. I'm not trying to disrespect them, but for me, I focus more on praying and talking to Him," the cover boy explains in the issue, according to the Winnipeg Free Press. "I don't have to go to church."

The singer's strong religious beliefs have always been a part of his public persona. At the 2011 VMAs, when Bieber accepted the Moonman for Best Male Video for "U Smile," he thanked God. "I just want to say thank you so much, not only to God but to Jesus," Bieber said. "Because I wouldn't be here without Him. He's really blessed me. He's put me in this position. So I want to say thank you so much."

The issue hits newsstands on January 12. Bieber's look was styled by Lady Gaga's stylist and Mugler creative director Nicola Formichetti. The photos were shot by other Gaga associates, fashion photographers Inez and Vinoodh.

In the issue, the singer also talked about his rise to fame, noting that now that he's reached superstardom, haters and critics have been focused on bringing him down. "Now that I'm on top, everyone wants to bring me down. Everyone's trying to tug at me and take my spot," he said. "Like Floyd Mayweather, he's the best boxer in the world. Now he is a champion. Every time he goes to a fight now, people are like, 'He's going to lose this time.' "

As 2012 presses on, Bieber is poised to have another big year, regardless of what the non-Beliebers say. He's currently recording his next album, Believe, set for release later this year.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1676935/justin-bieber-god.jhtml

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Arizona beats Southern California 57-46

Jesse Perry, Byron Wesley

By BETH HARRIS

updated 7:34 p.m. ET Jan. 8, 2012

LOS ANGELES - Jesse Perry scored 20 points, Solomon Hill added 11, and Arizona defeated Southern California 57-46 Sunday to salvage a weekend split on the Wildcats' first Pac-12 road trip of the season.

Arizona (11-5, 2-1 Pac-12) dominated the first half, outscoring USC 32-16, and led by 20 early in the second half, never letting the Trojans get closer than 10 points. Kyle Fogg added 10 points despite playing most of the second half with three fouls.

Maurice Jones scored 14 points, making all seven of his free throws, for USC (5-12, 0-4), which has lost five in a row and eight of nine. The Trojans shot a season-low 29 percent from the floor.

The Trojans were 1 of 15 from 3-point range, with Jones hitting their lone 3 midway through the second half as they cut their deficit to 10. From there, the Wildcats scored six straight to make it 53-37.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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No. 16 Michigan downs No. 18 Wisconsin 59-41

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/45921210/ns/sports-college_basketball/

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