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Russia Launches Long-Delayed Deep Space Radio Telescope

July 19, 2011 Comments off

space.com

Russia's Spektr-R Space Radio Observatory
An artist’s depiction of Russia’s huge Spektr-R radio astronomy satellite in Earth orbit. The satellite launched on July 18, 2011.
CREDIT: NPO Lavochkin

PARIS — Russia’s long-delayed Spektr-R radio telescope successfully launched July 18 aboard a Zenit rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, the country’s Federal Space Agency said.

There was no immediate word on the operational status of the new radio observatory beyond the fact that it was placed into the planned elliptical orbit that peaks nearly 207,000 miles (330,000 kilometers) above the Earth, and reaches a low of about 621 miles (1,000 km).

Featuring a giant 30-foot (10-meter) wide antenna, the Spektr-R observatory is Read more…

Categories: Russia, Technology Tags: , ,

Five Russian scientists who helped Iran with nuclear secrets were among 45 killed in plane crash

June 24, 2011 1 comment

dailymail

Five Russian scientists who died in a plane crash on Tuesday had been helping Iran with nuclear secrets, it has been revealed.

They were among 45 killed when the plane’s lights failed in heavy fog and careered into a motorway before bursting into flames – leading conspiracy theorists to believe it was a deliberate plot to kill the nuclear experts.

Russian security sources confirmed that the dead scientists worked at the controversial Bushehr nuclear plant on the Iranian Persian Gulf.

Killed (l to r): Three of the five Russian scientists who died in a plane crash were named as Sergey Ryzhov, Gennady Banyuk and Nikolay TrunovKilled (l to r): Three of the five Russian scientists who died in a plane crash were named as Sergey Ryzhov, Gennady Banyuk and Nikolay Trunov. All had worked at Iran’s controversial Read more…
Categories: Iran, Russia Tags: , , , , , ,

Russia, China Will Trade In Rubles,Yuan

June 24, 2011 Comments off

rian

Russian Central Bank

Russian Central Bank

Russia and China will switch to trade in rubles and yuan to boost bilateral trade and economic cooperation, following an agreement signed between the central banks of both countries, Russian Central Bank Deputy Chairman Viktor Melnikov said on Thursday.

“This agreement allows for settlements through Russian and Chinese banks not only in the freely convertible currencies but also in the yuan and the ruble,” Melnikov said.

Russia and China have also agreed to boost bilateral trade from $60 billiion in 2010 to $100 billion by 2015 and to $200 billion by 2020, Melnikov said.

People’s Bank of China Deputy Chairman Ma Delun said the agreement would give the two nations the opportunity to increase the value of deals in their national currencies and “help bring them closer to international reserve currencies.”

The deal will also help Russia and China reduce foreign exchange risks and currency conversion costs, Ma and Melnikov said

Categories: China, Russia Tags: , , , ,

France transfers sensitive warship technology to Russia

June 20, 2011 1 comment

rian.ru

French-built Mistral class amphibious assault ship

© AFP/ Eric Feferberg

France has transferred to Russia all the technology it asked for under a $1.7-billion deal for two French-built Mistral class amphibious assault ships for the Russian Navy, a Russian arms exporter said on Monday.

Under the deal signed on Friday, the first warship will be delivered in 2014 and the second in 2015.

“The French side has transferred all technologies, including the Zenit-9 [command and control] system, as well as two other systems,” said Anatoly Isaikin, head of the Rosoboronexport state-controlled arms exporter.

A formal contract for the construction of the two Mistral class ships will be Read more…

Categories: France, Russia, Technology Tags: , , , , ,

Shiveluch volcano erupts in northern Russia

June 17, 2011 Comments off

hindustantimes

A volcano in northern Russia has erupted, and is churning out ash to a height of 10,000 metres, scientists said on Friday. The 3,283-metre Shiveluch volcano increased activity in May 2009 and has been periodically spewing ash from three to eight kilometres. “Low clouds prevent us from getting a clear visual of the event, but our seismic data indicates that Shiveluch has churned out ash plumes to a height of up to 10,000 metres,” said an official at the Far Eastern Institute of Volcanology and Seismology.

Scientists said that the volcanic activity over the past two-three years has altered the contour of the volcano, with the crater increasing in size by nearly 50% and the slopes becoming far steeper than before.

The current eruption poses no immediate threat to nearby settlements. But the ash fallouts could be hazardous to health and the environment.

Categories: Russia, volcano Tags: , ,

Europe’s Rejection of Nuclear Power a Gift for Russia

June 16, 2011 1 comment

thetrumpet

« The German E.ON nuclear power station in southern Germany is set to begin closing down in 2014.

Germany will phase out nuclear power by 2022, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced June 3. A week before, Switzerland made a similar decision. Italy followed suit on June 13, voting overwhelmingly to reject nuclear power in a national referendum.

These countries will almost certainly have to replace their nuclear power with natural gas, at least in the short term. It is readily available and less polluting than coal or oil. The International Energy Agency recently predicted a “golden age of gas.”

The only problem is where Europe gets most of its gas from Read more…

Categories: Europe, Russia Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Look Out Above! Russia May Target U.S. Sats With Laser Jet

June 14, 2011 Comments off

wired

Back in the early 80s, Soviet engineers began outfitting an Ilyushin-76 jet with a laser cannon. Two models of the “Falcon-Echelon” planes were flown — presumably as counterweights to U.S. efforts to construct a fleet of missile-zapping jets. But when the Soviet Union collapsed, the Falcon-Echelon program perished, as well.

Or so it seemed at the time. Now, there’s mounting evidence that Read more…

Categories: Russia, Technology, United States Tags: , , , , , ,

China, Russia ties on sound base

June 14, 2011 Comments off

chinadaily

Sino-Russian relations are usually wrapped in high-sounding rhetoric, but they are essentially very pragmatic. For China, Russia is a geopolitical “safe rear” and, in economic terms, a major resource base. For Russia, China is a huge market just across the border and a valuable geopolitical partner. The fundamentals of the relationship are solid and not likely to change in the short or medium term.

When President Hu Jintao visits Russia on Wednesday, he and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will duly celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation between the two countries. But the main expectation this time will be the finalization of the 30-year agreement, under which Russia will supply China with 68 billion cubic meters of gas annually over the next 30 years from 2015.

When finalized, the agreement will strengthen China’s energy security and diversify Russia’s gas exports. Until now, the principal issue between the two countries has been the price of Russian gas for China. Gazprom wanted it to be as close to the lucrative European Read more…

Categories: China, Russia Tags: , , , , , , , , ,

Locusts Invade Russia and China, Threatening Food Supply

June 13, 2011 Comments off

Millions of Locusts Invade Russia

June 9, 2011

MSNBC – Giant swarms of locusts are said to be threatening the food supply for nearly 20 million people in the region.

Locust Plague Ravages NW China

May 5, 2011

Xinhua – Large swarms of locusts have laid waste to vast tracts of Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, with authorities expecting the plague to worsen as the weather heats up.

The locust plague began in the pastureland of the Ili River Valley and Read more…

Categories: China, disease and pestilence, Russia Tags: , , , , ,

Russia may develop nuclear offensive, arms race – Serdyukov

June 9, 2011 Comments off

en.rian.ru

Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov

Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov on Wednesday said that Russia would develop its own offensive nuclear force if NATO fails to come to agreement over the European defense shield.

“We have no other way, otherwise we’ll just have to develop an arms race,” Serdyukov said after a Russia-NATO meeting in Brussels.

The talks in Brussels, he said, did not result in the solution of conceptual approaches and the Russia-NATO working group on the missile shield issue only managed to agree on the plan of work for 2011.

“We failed to agree on conceptual approaches… Our dialogue must Read more…

Categories: Russia Tags: , , , , , ,