Fortnightly Editorial
Where Now for Co-Operation in Space
Those who remember the Cold War and intense distrust extending beyond politics and finances will recall the historic handshake of Astronaut Stafford with Cosmonaut Leonov during the Apollo/Soyuz Mission (July 17, 1975. Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP)) this heralded the first real joint co-operation in Space between the USA and the Soviet Union. A co-operation which then went on to the crewing by Americans on the Mir Space Station during the 11 mission Mir-Shuttle. Space Station Mir was operated by the USSR then Russia in the 80’s at the height of the cold war. It led to sharing of the information gathered regarding the effects of long duration stays in space.
The Americans had already spent 84 days in Space on the USA’s Skylab in the 1970’s setting this record during the Skylab 4 mission and it would take them two decades to break this record. With the advent of Glasnost and Gorbachov’s Perestoika, the thaw in relations went on to include both the sharing of duties and crew places on the International Space Station (ISS) as well as the use of the Russian Soyuz rocket to ferry Astronauts and cargo back and forth from the ISS to the earth.[Read More].
Chinese Zhurong Rover on Mars!
After the United States, China becomes the second country to operate a rover on the red planet. On Saturday 22 May Zhurong rover set free from its accompanying lander. Watch the video and the read the article of Euronews!
In The new World
On April 28, 2021 Nasa Announces the death of Michael Collins. One of the thre original crew members of the Historic Apollo 11. Michael Collins was pilot of the Lunar Command Module.
University In Flames in Cape Town
On April 19 2021, The Scientist reported that wildfire had overtaken the University of Cape Town campus and that priceless collections of books, manuscripts, and personal papers have been lost.
The Outsiders
For almost a decade, the staff of The International Outsider have by means of undercover work been able to gain full access (more than the authorities), to the people of South Africa who live on the street, in the bush, in the mountains and on the fringes of society. This has led us into areas that we cautiously entered and though wary of the level of violence, we were very pleased with the copious amounts of information that we were party to. Much of it was involved in direct tangible criminality on the part of the people we mixed with and lived among.
Their criminal actions were mostly very minor but by sheer scale of numbers had an appreciable impact on their localities and the quality of its inhabitants. This in turn gave us a different perspective on the authorities as we could monitor their handling of a situation and whether this was corrupted in any way by either of the parties involved. Our understanding of their daily lives and also the mental states that went with them increased dramatically as a picture emerged of a society living side by side and inside the accepted version of society.[Read More].
Pan Am flight 103
Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie was an attack conducted on UK sovereign soil, yet many people were not happy with the initial investigation. Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi was found guilty of the Lockerbie bombing. Magrahi’s family appealed to the Scottish court in 2020; the ruling made by the Scottish judiciary explained that they did not want to release the evidence to Megrahi’s family lawyer, as it would destroy relations with the country involved. The US General Attorney William Barr announced new charges against Abu Agila Mas’ud.
The indictment alleged that Mas’ud is a Libyan intelligence officer, and the Lockerbie bomb maker. However, the Scottish judge recognised that there was a letter from the Jordanian King to the then UK prime minister, explaining that Marween Kersheet was a Jordanian intelligence officer and created the Lockerbie bomb.For those reasons I decided to investigate these claims, looking at the available information and evidence that would have been of interest to Megrahi’s defence.
[Read More].
Mysterious Dwarf planets.
- Dwarf Planets are a class apart in the eclectic Gas, Rock or Ice bestiary which constitutes the populace of our Solar System. Their classification is subject of hot debate and is not the subject of this article. They are smaller than the eight main planetary bodies of the solar system but size is not the main reason for instance that Pluto does not have the status of a planet. The three criteria necessary to be classified as a planet are"" • International Astronomy Union:• A Planet is in orbit around the Sun • Has sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium (a nearly round shape)• Has cleared the neighborhood
- 1. Pluto not having cleared its neighborhood was demoted to the indignation of its millions of supporters down to the less glamorous title of Dwarf Planet. But Pluto may not have said its last word in this affair and it was not the first to be a victim of reclassification. When we think about Dwarf Planets, we always figure that they are located in the outer far fringes of the solar system, which is true for the vast majority of them. The terminologies with which they are sometimes associated says it all, TNO for Trans Neptunian Objects, KBO for Kuiper Belt Object or even at times, member of the scattered disk and so on which all denotes their remote location.
[Read More].
Alba-Here to Stay!
In our last issue, we wrote about the launch of ALBA party led by Alex Salmond, the former First Minister of Scotland. The party is pro-independence and was created to help bolster the options for independence supporters and in doing that to also oust some of the pro-Union candidates in the elections on 6 May. In addition, the intention is to push the Scottish government to use the mandate they already hold (in fact they have a few) in order to have another independence referendum. The party’s overall long-term objective is to build a "socially just and environmentally responsible" Scotland.
Alba has seen a remarkable rise in members since its launch and that there are now over 5500, which is quite a feat in a matter of around two months. In addition to being pro-independence, the party has an extensive manifesto [1] and includes policies such as protection of women’s rights, currently under threat due to the SNP’s controversial Gender Recognition Reform Bill [2]. Alba does not support that bill. Many long-standing women (and men!) in the SNP have left the party and joined Alba due to this policy, among others including the equally controversial Hate Crime and Public Order Bill.
[Read More].
Articles Worth Checking
Our Picking
International Outsider
Who is telling the truth about the Pact Ribbentrop Molotov? Tensions are rising between the Federation of Russia and The United States over Ukraine. The old dispute about the pact is resurfacing again. By Anton Komarov.(History WW2)
International Outsider (Society)
In the 150 years since Charles Darwin speculated that humans originated in Africa, the number of species in the human family tree has exploded, but so has the level of dispute concerning early human evolution.
The National interest
Russia Claims It See America's F-22 and F-35 Stealth Fighters. Whether or not a Russian air defense network can successfully neutralize an F-35 stealth jet or F-22 fighter jet squadron depends on a wide range of factors
BBC Future
The missing continent. It took 375 years to find. It took scientists 375 years to discover the eighth continent of the world, which has been hiding in plain sight all along. But mysteries still remain.
Sputnik News
Science-Defying' Crystal Discovered at the Site of the First Nuclear Bomb Test – Photo after the US detonated the first nuclear bomb nicknamed "Gadget". The explosion was so powerful that it resulted in the fusion of sand and metal,
National Geographic (Archeology)
The 10 Most Astonishing Archaeological Discoveries of 2020, From an Ancient Cat Carving to the Amazon Rock PaintingsHere's what we learned about Vikings, Mongolian women warriors, and more. Sarah Cascone, December 30, 2020
Black Hole @konstructivizm
Pluto hasn’t made a full orbit around the sun since it was discovered in 1930. NASA
At 12:34:Pm On May 23/2021 The Tweet was recorded 1,133 Retweets 166 Quote Tweets 7,379 Likes, Confirming the still living passion of Pluto in the heart of the public. (We do not quote Information by number of likes)
@TheNatlInterest
As the Biden administration moves to strike a new balance between confrontation and cooperation with Moscow, some in Kyiv are reacting with frustration and alarm.
The Tweet was recorded at 2:01 PM · May 24, 2021 1 Quote Tweet 4 Likes (We do not quote Information by number of likes) The tweet shows an american and western Europe point of view of the situation in Ukraine Url https://twitter.com/TheNatlInterest/status/1396798504488558592
@InsiderDonbass
#Donbass - Ukraine proposed to exclude DPR and LPR from negotiations within the Minsk platform -Ukraine tried a new approach by proposing on 18 May 2021 to exclude the DPR and LPR (Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics) delegations from the negotiations within the Minsk platform, or even to include them in the Russian delegation,
The Tweet was recorded at 11:22 PM · May 20, 2021 11 Retweets 3 Quote Tweets 20 Likes Url https://twitter.com/InsiderDonbass/status/1395490022460112906 (We do not quote Information by number of likes) The tweet is a point of view of those who live in the middle of the war zone.
@AstroVerbot
Ötzi, also called the Iceman has add a lot to our comprehension of how our ancestors interact, the equipment found near him @AnnaScott2019 @Interouts1 proves that those interactions were wider geographically than previously thought. Age 5300 yrs https://earthsky.org/earth/otzi-the-iceman-mummy-ancient-mosses
The Tweet was recorded at 12:12 PM · May 20, 2021 9 Retweets 45 Likes (We do not quote Information by number of likes)URL Tweet https://twitter.com/AstroVerbot/status/1395321502229204993
@CanberraDSN
We read you loud and clear @chandraxray @CanberraDSN Answers to the Tweet of @chandraxray NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN) is used to keep in contact w/ Chandra & other spacecraft exploring our solar system & the Universe beyond. Giant radio antennas at 3 strategic locations around the globe — see who's communicating now: https://eyes.nasa.gov/dsn/dsn.html #TelecommunicationsDay
The Tweet was recorded at 10:09 PM · May 17, 202 14 Retweets 44 Likes (We do not quote Information by number of likes)https://twitter.com/CanberraDSN/status/1394384554723627013
Outstanding Organisations
Worth Checking
Seti
Search for extraterrestial intelligence.
The Venus project
Alternative Society.