Russia and China Could Join NASA To Defend the Earth from Asteroids - http://clapway.com/2016/01/12/russia-and-china-could-join-nasa-to-defend-the-earth-from-asteroids-123/

NASA has announced the creation of the Planetary Defense Coordination Office to detect and track asteroids near Earth. Russia and China could join the effort. The office will be managing all projects funded by NASA in order to monitor asteroids and comets that lurk near the Earth’s orbit.

In Case of Impact Threat, The Agency Has Our Back

The office will also be in communication with the Federal Emergency Management Agency along with other US federal authorities. This will ensure that in case there is a real threat, NASA can take action in a timely way.

In a statement, the agency declared that asteroid detection, tracking, and defense is something the agency takes very seriously. At the moment, there are no pressing threats. However, incidents like the 2014 Chelyabinsk super-fireball and the recent Halloween Asteroid keeps the world on its toes. So NASA has designed an office to continuously be on the lookout.

Near-Earth Objects Are Always Around

There have been more than 13,500 NEOs or Near-Earth Objects discovered since 1998. According to NASA data, 1,500 NEOs are detected each year. Many of these objects hit the Earth every day though they fall as grains of sand. Most of these objects are detected with Earth-based telescopes and the Neowise infrared telescope.

New Initiative Will Detect Bigger Asteroids and Comets

Further research is done on these objects at places like the agency’s InfraRed Telescope Facility or the Spitzer Space Telescope or the National Science Foundation. The new Planetary Defense Coordination Office will act as the one-stop for all asteroid and comet-related research. The office will specifically focus on mid-sized and larger objects that are potentially dangerous, 450 feet or bigger.

The goal is to develop technology that can deflect or redirect threatening comets and asteroids. This is also the goal for the agency’s Asteroid Redirect Mission. As part of this mission, NASA is partnering up with the European Space Agency for the Asteroid Impact and Deflection Assessment mission in 2022. This mission will be testing the ability to redirect an object by hitting it with a spacecraft.

Will Russia and China Join NASA and ESA?

NASA and ESA could be joined by Russia and China. There’s plenty of time before 2022. While NASA may fair well from a joint mission with Roscosmos, the agency is currently banned from working with China in space missions. An international collaboration is an ideal scenario, so there could come a time when Russia, China, the European continent and NASA come together to protect the Earth.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6xJ_81TzBg

Russia and China Could Join NASA To Defend the Earth from Asteroids

NASA, Elon Musk and SpaceX vs ESA and China: The Race to Mars - http://clapway.com/2016/01/10/nasa-elon-musk-and-spacex-vs-esa-and-china-mars-edition-123/

NASA is committed to putting a man on the Martian atmosphere. Recent announcements from ESA, China and Elon Musk’s SpaceX are bringing out doubts. Analysts are predicting that NASA’s ambitions would need a budget of $100 billion to $1 trillion. The agency’s budget for 2016 is just $19.3 billion.

Is the Martian Price Tag Too Big?

There’s very low chances that NASA will get to Mars on their own. The majority of the space exploration community would agree that an international collaboration would increase the chances of success significantly. If not, NASA risks having another Apollo-like run on their hands.

ESA, China and Russia Have Eyes Set on the Moon

ESA and NASA have no problem forming an alliance, but the difference in their interests is halting the process. The European Space Agency is now joining Roscosmos and CNAS in efforts to build a colony on the moon for future human inhabitants.

However, that doesn’t mean that this is their only goal. The ESA actually covered $470 million of the expenses to build a space capsule for NASA’s Orion mission. The Airbus Group is building this initial module, which will serve as a stepping stone in getting men to Mars.

Roscosmos and the Chinese National Space Program are fully capable of helping to carry out a Mars mission. However, Russia’s declining economy is forcing it to reduce spending on space efforts. China and the United States have struggled to form successful partnerships for security reasons. In fact, China has been barred from the ISS since 2011. Since that date, the United States has been banned from collaborating with China on any space-related programs.

NASA Needs International and Private Partners

In addition to forming partnerships with international space agencies, NASA also greatly benefits from private sector collaborations. The most relevant to date are Boeing, Airbus and Elon Musk’s SpaceX. These two organizations are currently one of a handful in charge of commercializing space travel. Investment from these organizations help NASA out significantly. Reaching out to more relevant and interested parties will benefit the agency.

Getting aid from foreign governments is a harder but beneficial bet. But engaging the private sector is probably safer. Global companies are coming to terms with the real cost of space travel is. Now, some companies have even designed cheaper ways to do it.

SpaceX and Blue Origin Are NASA’s Best Allies

2015 hosted a safe launch and landing of reusable rockets by Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Blue Origin. These events prove that space travel doesn’t need to be expensive. It also brought NASA a recipe on how to make their resources reusable. The space agency has been looking for a greener option to using resources for 30 years. The private sector managed it pretty quickly.

NASA has a lot of work to do to if they really want to get the kind of budget to put men on Mars. Until then, it will greatly benefit from domestic and international partnerships. It’s going to be a slow run until we reach the Red Planet.

NASA, Elon Musk and SpaceX vs ESA and China: The Race to Mars

NASA Breaks Away from China and Russia - http://clapway.com/2016/01/09/nasa-goes-separate-ways-from-china-and-russia-123/

Despite NASA’s tireless efforts for a manned Mars mission and more Mars exploration missions, its partner has decided to go a different way. The European Space Agency has decided to return interest to the moon, which is the same thing that China and Russia are doing with their own space agencies.

NASA and ESA Used to Be Faithful Partners

The two agencies used to go hand in hand, but it looks like those days are just about over. The European Space Agency has released the details of their efforts in a video called ‘The Moon Awakens’. It tells the story of the ESA’s efforts to build a colony on the moon by 2020, and trips will be taking off from the ISS very soon.

This is not meant to be a competitive mission. ESA has expressed that they believe this mission should be ruled by cooperation, harmony and ‘peaceful coexistence’. The details on what exactly will be built will be released after some serious research and development. Regardless, it’s an exciting time for the agency.

Is Moon Exploration No Longer Exciting? China, Russia and ESA Don’t Think So

It wouldn’t be fair to say that we know everything we can know about the moon. If humans are to migrate anywhere out of planet Earth, the moon will most likely be the first stop. Mars is still too vague a conquest for the idea of a colony. Right now, it is more like a checkpoint to get further into the solar system.

ESA, CNAS and Roscosmos have different plans in mind. They want to know every particle of the moon and prepare it for potential human migration. This is no less ambitious a task than it is to venture off to Mars.

NASA Faces A Tough Time

United States presidential elections are just around the corner. Whatever president gets the seat this year will assign a new NASA administrator. This could also mean a new budget, new direction and new goals. President Obama was all for the Mars efforts, but the new commander-in-chief could have different things in mind.

Members of the Republican Party, for example, have expressed interest in the moon’s resources. A leader from this party would likely be inclined to drill and mine the moon rather than spend money on Martian efforts. It looks like NASA is pretty much alone in wanting to get to Mars.

 

NASA Breaks Away from China and Russia

RF AIDS Center: Russia is Full of HIV and Aids - http://clapway.com/2015/12/01/russia-is-full-of-hiv-and-aids/

The World AIDS Day did record a global decline with the rate of HIV and Aids, but that does not do much for Russia. Russia’s Federal AIDS Center has estimated that the country could see around 1 million people diagnosed with HIV and Aids by 2016. This is a shocking and very depressing statistic to be completely honest. Russia is going the opposite way of what they want to decrease the people diagnosed with HIV and Aids.

THE REASON WHY HIV AND AIDS ARE UP IN RUSSIA

The Russian government has announced refusal in any sort of harm reduction programs stating that they do not want people to continue their dangerous lifestyle if they had them. This would include distribution of clean needles and clean condoms. However, this has no chance of happening according to the Russian government. The Global Fund project manager for Eastern Europe and Asia reported that Russia was no longer funding any outreach organizations. The Global Fund then stated that only 4,300 people are receiving anti-retroviral drugs, which was over 55,000 less than the amount that were getting treated in 2009. The Health Ministry also stated that around 30 percent of all people in Russia who have HIV or Aids do not have access to anti-retroviral drugs. Unfortunately, things do not look good for Russia right now as the amount of people without access to these drugs is increasing.

Some sympathy must be given to Russia, but the government has turned down a few solutions that would most likely help them decrease HIV and Aids in Russia. The government of Russia seems like they are not going to accept any solution, which might end up being their problem. Government officials have also stated that they turned down the idea of implementing sexual education programs in Russian schools. They stated that this would just give the kids the idea of performing sexual activities. As can be seen, it appears like Russia is not willing to take a chance with some of these solutions.

RF AIDS Center: Russia is Full of HIV and Aids

Russian Military Technology is Far Superior to Turkey"s - http://clapway.com/2015/11/25/russian-military-technology-is-far-superior-to-turkeys123/

An American counter-terrorism analyst claims that Russian military technology is very far ahead of America’s. This comes after Sunday reports that the US military conducted a successful test on Lockheed Martin’s Terminal High Altitude Area Defense systems and Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense.

US Military is Suspicious on America’s True Power

The test, which cost $230 million, were conducted aboard the USS John Paul Jones destroyer, and according to the results, all missiles hit their targets in every test but one. The US Missile Defense Agency nevertheless declared the test successful, boasting on its power.

Certain members of the military, including Scott Bennett, a former US Army psychological warfare officer, regard this test as a bluff. The technology, according to him, is not up to par to what has been seen of Russian military technology. And judging by what’s been seen so far with Russia in Syrian territory, it’s obvious the Russians did their homework.

While this can be considered just cynical theorism, the truth is Russia is widely known for their technological expertise, be it for war or for space exploration. Russian presence in Syria means that they aren’t there to play, and according to anti-terrorism analysts, it’s best if the US has the same outlook.

What does this Bear on The Russia vs. Turkey?

Bearing these things in mind, it’s possible that Turkey is facing a silent killer. While Russia has no intentions of going into war with Turkey over the downed bomb jet, they will certainly not forget this offence, and will respond in kind when they have the chance. It is only a matter of time.

 

Russian Military Technology is Far Superior to Turkey"s

Russian Technology Will Save the World From ISIS - http://clapway.com/2015/11/21/russian-technology-will-save-the-world-from-isis123/

Putin Steps Up to Defend Freedom From ISIS

Russia is pounding the jihadists in Syria with bombs emblazoned with the words “For our People” and “For Paris” after Moscow vowed vengeance following the bombing of a plane over Sinai. Russian broadcasts have released a video in which a man is seen writing “For our People!” and “For Paris!” in black pen on aerial bombs mere minutes before a warplane is set to launch from the country’s airbase in Syria.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtwNxl2a1tw

To ISIS: For Our People, And For Paris!

Pilots and service technicians of the airbase sent the message to ISIS by airmail, as confirmed by the Russian Defense Minister on social media. The Defense Ministry went on to say that Russian armed forces are carrying out the campaign as vengeance for the vicious attacks in Paris and the bombing of the Russian plane over the Sinai, which have since been claimed by ISIS.

Russia and France Join Forces

This campaign against ISIS is being carried out in collaboration with the French armed forces. Earlier this week, Russian Head of State Vladimir Putin promised to hound and “punish” the group behind the ISIS group that bombed a traveler jet over Sinai last month, killing all 224 people on board. Most of the people on board were primarily Russian tourists.

After the carnage in Paris which declared the lives of 130 people at the hands of ISIS, Putin and French Head of state Francois Hollande consented to ensure closer contact and control of their countries’ operations in Syria.

Both leaders will meet at the Kremlin next week.

 

Russian Technology Will Save the World From ISIS

Scientists have recently unearthed a 30,000-year-old giant #virus from the icy wastelands of northeastern #Russia. It"s now nicknamed "frankenvirus." - http://clapway.com/2015/09/10/revive-30000-year-old-giant-virus123/

Scientists have recently unearthed a 30,000-year-old “giant virus” from the icy wastelands of northeastern Russia. Mollivirus sibericum, nicknamed “frankenvirus,” is the fourth type of prehistoric virus found since 2003. In an effort to learn more about the specimen, researchers are now attempting to reanimate it, bringing life to the species in a scientific experiment that takes after the book its nickname was inspired by. The findings are reported in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Mollivirus sibericum the Giant Virus

Found in the Siberian permafrost, Mollivirus sibericum is roughly 0.6 microns in size, scientifically putting it under the classification of a “giant virus,” or one that measures longer than half a micron (or a thousandth of a millimeter), according to Live Mint.

Interestingly enough, these ancient viruses are actually more genetically complex than their modern-day counterparts. Mollivirus sibericum, for example, contains well over 500 genes, whereas the modern flu we’ve all come to dread only has eight.

SCIENTISTS BRING THE FRANKENVIRUS BACK TO LIFE

The French researchers behind the discovery have been focused on studying these types of viruses for some time now. They hope to revive the specimens by placing them into single cell amoebas. This procedure will permit scientists to effectively study the viruses in safe laboratory conditions. The same idea was implemented to resurrect and study the “Spanish flu” virus, which killed millions of people in its hay day.

Urgency is particularly needed, as there is a possibility that climate change can melt the permafrost and bring the viruses back to life in that manner. This is especially true as people continue to seek oil in same regions the ancient viruses are known to be found in:

“A few particles that are still infectious may be enough, in the presence of a vulnerable host, to revive potentially pathogenic viruses,” states Jean-Michel Claverie, one of the lead researchers.

“If we are not careful, and we industrialize these areas without putting safeguards in place, we run the risk of one day waking up viruses such as small pox that we thought were eradicated,” he warned.

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FOR TECHNOLOGY RELATED NEWS AND PRODUCT REVIEWS, CHECK OUT CLAPWAY TRENDS:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTCwx6CgWBI

Scientists Revive 30,000 Year Old Giant Virus

Another day on the job took an unexpected turn for the worse when five #polarbears trapped a team of meteorologists in #Russia. With #globalwarming and polar ice caps melting, polar bears are deprived of their ice habitat and it’s possible we may see more human to bear encounters. - http://clapway.com/2015/09/04/polar-bears-arctic-russia123/

Another day on the job took an unexpected turn for the worse when five polar bears trapped a team of meteorologists in Russia. After a fight broke out over food among the bears, the animals settled in the fields outside the Fyodorv weather station on Vaygach island, preventing the meteorologists from voyaging outside to carry out their research, according to the World Wildlife Fund.

THE TEAM ATTEMPTED TO SCARE THE BEARS

The team, consisting of two meteorologists and an engineer, attempted to scare the bears using flares from a distance. The bears, however, remained unfazed. Currently, the team of meteorologists has no other means of warding off the bears. The weather station does not have a perimeter fence to protect itself, so the team remains trapped in that area. For now, keeping a safe distance from the bears is one way of ensuring their safety.

HELP IS ON THE WAY

WWF said the team is now waiting for Russian officials to bring them more substantial protection against the bears. What remains unclear is when the help will arrive and in what form.

ARCTIC PEOPLES MUST BE MORE PREPARED FOR POLAR BEARS

Polar bears in Russia live along the Arctic coast from Murmansk in the west to Chukotka in the east. “People living in the Arctic must be prepared to face a polar bear, “ said Viktor Nikiforov, the WWF Polar Bear Patrol program manager, in the statement. “However, the station staff have no weapons.”

HOW TO DEFEND YOURSELF FROM BEARS

With global warming and polar ice caps melting, polar bears are deprived of their ice habitat and it’s possible we may see more human to bear encounters. It is important to remember how to defend yourself from bears in case of an attack. If a bear sees you or is approaching you, remain clam and try to look as large as possible by standing tall and waving your arms around. Always remember to avoid eye contact. And finally, if a bear charges at you, know that it is most likely a bluff, and that standing your ground will most likely make the bear turn away.

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Blasting loud music may or may not save you from bears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3PUtvl8mxc

Polar Bears Trap Scientists In Arctic Russia

There is high demand for the Arctic"s #territorialwaters, specifically the transit routes that could be designed there as #ClimateChange opens #Arctic land. - http://clapway.com/2015/08/30/climate-change-us-and-russia-warming-arctic-circle-110/

The warming waters in the arctic circle have been prophesied to mean many things: a dangerous rise in sea level, loss of habitat for dozens of animals and even improvement to others, but it is also paving the way for new advantages for the lands in between these poles. There is high demand for knowledge of the Arctic’s territorial waters, specifically the transit routes that could be designed there, not to mention natural resources. Tensions are very high in the Arctic, and the superpowers of the world are already giving chase to the potential gold mines hidden there.

DOES THE US HAVE A LACK OF CAPACITY?

US President Barack Obama is travelling to Alaska this coming Monday, and this will make him the first to ever visit the Arctic Circle while still in office, and his goal is to discover what the true effects of climate change are in the region. This approach has been revealed to be unexpected, given the fact that there is so much more to uncover. Adm Paul Zukunft of the Coast Guard says there has been clamoring about our nation’s lack of capacity to sustain any meaningful presence in the Arctic.

 

RUSSIA TAKES FULL ADVANTAGE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

The Chukchi Sea has seen an increase in vessel presence as time has come along, from all kinds of territories, most notably, Russia, who still presses on allocating the land surrounding the North Pole. The nation recently declared its intentions to claim large portions of the Arctic Ocean, even claiming that the continental shelf extending into the sea is also Russian territory under the Law of the Sea convention. The United States has yet to ratify the measure to allow Russia to make these claims, but Russia may be willing to take as much advantage of the potential new resources as possible, in as little time as necessary.

WILL TENSIONS CONTINUE TO RISE?

The Arctic Circle is very valuable. It contains untapped reserves of oil, gas and fish, and it could open new developments as the glaciers continue to recede. Russia is already building 10 new search-and-rescue stations at ports of the Arctic shoreline, and has increased military presence in the region, even going as far as dropping 50 paratroopers onto the North Pole.

President Obama’s mission will is not to journey to Alaska to open talks with Russia, but there is definitely a strenuous atmosphere in the Arctic, not only between the US and Russia, but Canada as well. However, there is a strict level of diplomacy being kept between the nations in the region to preserve the relationship between them and to take as objective an approach to the opportunities that present themselves as possible.

There is no telling if Russia will continue to slowly stake its claim to Arctic waters, but for now, all’s well in the Arctic Circle.

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DOING TOO MUCH WRONG? TRY PAVLOK!

https://youtu.be/s7HxIEggMGY

Climate Change: US and Russia Relations Tense As Arctic Circle Warms

Warfare Tech: Flying Axe Made In Russia #Russia #flyingaxe #VladimirPutin - http://clapway.com/2015/08/27/flying-axe-russia123/

A flying axe, useful to lumberjacks rather than to military personnel, has been presented at an international aviation and space salon, which opened on Tuesday in Russia. The medieval weapon armed with a futuristic twist impressed the show’s guests – including Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A flying axe for the aircraft or space industry?

The baffling 1.5-meter flying axe was designed by young engineers for aerial warfare. The technology – a giant light-weight, ground-controlled axe equipped with a motor – was presented by 17-year-old Pavel Komarov, RT reported.

Social media responded promptly to the weird invention. “To put it mildly, they surprised the president,” wrote Dmitry Smirnov, a correspondent from Komsomolskaya Pravda, on his Twitter account.

Not the first flying axe made in Russia

Others claimed that this is hardly the first flying axe designed in Russia. Earlier in June, a group of school boys from Siberia invented a similar device. A flying axe even appeared in a Soviet popular science journal as early as 1986, although its purpose still remain unclear.

Russia is currently the world’s second biggest supplier of weapons after the United States. It is highly unlikely that we will see any giant hatchets flying above our heads in the near future unless Thor is in town. However, according to Sergey Letkov, the experimental model developed by eight-graders in Siberia has flown for a total of 50 hours reaching speeds of 65 to 70 kilometers per hour.

MAKS 2015: one of the world’s biggest air shows

Beside the flying axe and a Russia-Iran deal to build Tehran’s own remote-sensing satellite systems, the MAKS-2015 international biannual aerospace show will see major aircraft manufacturers, including Airbus and Boeing attending with billion dollar deals on the line.

Reuters wrote that Russian civil aviation companies are nevertheless facing a disappointing week at the country’s largest air show as “economic crisis” and “Western sanctions” have scared away many foreign firms.

Prospects looked different two years ago just before the Ukraine crisis plunged relations between Russia and the West “to their worst level since the Cold War,” Reuters reported. The MAKS air show in fact generated some $21 billion in deals, a figure “civil aviation firms can only dream of today.”

Over 400,000 people are expected to attend the venue during the six-day event and about 760 companies from 35 countries will participate in the air show.

Despite the political conjuncture, however, Putin has stated that MAKS will continue to serve as a platform for “expert dialogue, the development of industrial cooperation, and for finding new partners.”

What do you think of the flying axe and of Russia’s MAKS show? Share your views in the comments section below.

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The flying axe looks tough, but will it be a match for IntelliARMOR’s IntelliGLASS?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evZzeuru5rk

Warfare Tech: Flying Axe Made In Russia

Reddit Begins Censoring Itself on a Per-Country Basis - http://clapway.com/2015/08/14/reddit-begins-censoring-itself-on-a-per-country-basis123/

On Thursday Reddit said that it will begin to censor posts, and even whole communities, based on takedown requests received from authorities.

Russia Bans Reddit. Sort of.

On August 13 news hit Reddit that Russia had banned its citizens from visiting the website. It wasn’t entirely surprising since the country had already announced that it planned to ban the site. Unfortunately for Redditors, the news released prematurely because only one URL was banned. For the curious, you can find that URL here.

The post that got Russia up in arms was posted on a subreddit called /r/rudrugs, which is a collection of threads relating to drugs in Russia. The post? It was about how to grow mushrooms–not exactly a hot issue given the surrounding circumstances.

Reddit Reaches Out

In light of Russia’s ban, Reddit has decided to take a proactive approach to the situation by censoring /r/rudurgs in Russia, and /r/WatchPeopleDie in Germany.

In an accompanying statement, Reddit says the decision was decided “in order to preserve the existence of Reddit in those regions.” While there has been no word on whether Germany has taken issue with Reddit communities, it seems likely that there was a growing dissonance between Germany and at least one community.

Reddit on Fire

Technically, Reddit doesn’t have any obligation to heed to take down requests since it’s an American company. However, the company doesn’t want to risk the entire site being banned country-wide, so it is willing to compromise with valid requests.

Meanwhile, many Redditors are upset at the news, especially considering the recent events surrounding the company’s former CEO, Ellen Pao. Reddit recently banned some of its more controversial subreddits which ignited a fuse that lead to Pao’s resignation.

These localised bans appear to be products of its new content guidelines. After Pao’s departure, the company said that it will “remove anything that incites harm or violence against an individual or group of people,” but content “that violates a common sense of decency” will remain on the site, but it will only be visible to registered users.

A Reddit spokesperson announced its decision to implement localised bands on /r/ChillingEffects, which can be read in full here.

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Reddit Begins Censoring Itself on a Per-Country Basis

Climate Change: Arctic Ice Melting and Five Nations" Deal - http://clapway.com/2015/07/16/climate-change-arctic-ice-melts-and-five-nations-make-deal678/

With the effects of global climate change mounting, international politics are being forced to adapt to the migration of other species caused by human pollution. Specifically, currently, the Arctic ice sheets are breaking down into ice floes and arctic ice melting. The United States and Russia are two among three other countries whom have signed a major deal to prohibit commercial fishing in the Arctic sea ice surrounding the North Pole.

ARCTIC SAVVY NATIONS CONVENE IN OSLO

Other signing nations include Norway, Canada and Denmark. The agreement took place in Oslo, Norway. One might think coming this far in talks regarding fishing rights and prohibitions is premature because the Arctic is not predicted to have reliable fish stocks for a long time, but scientists have recently suggested the opposite more likely because of the thinning ice expected to occur this summer.

WHY CAN’T WE ALL GET ALONG UP THERE

The deal became necessary when several neighboring nations all submitted claim over Arctic territory. Considering these contradictory claims is a 21-member UN arbitration panel. A main geographic object of legal elocution is the Lomonosov Ridge, which is a 1,120 mile (1,800 km) long underwater mountain range, splitting the Arctic into two halves.

VARIOUS CLAIMS AND TRANSGRESSIONS

Denmark claims right over Arctic territory by proxy of Greenland, which is technically an autonomous Danish territory. Increasing complicity is the fact that earlier this year the Russian Deputy Prime Minister named Dmitry Rogozin actually opened a drifting Russian base on an Arctic ice flow, defying an already established Norwegian travel ban.

There was a deal almost completed last year which would have successfully barred fishing, but it was halted in March 2014 when Russia annexed the Ukrainian Crimea peninsula.

US WANTS INTERNATIONAL CONSENSUS IN ARCTIC

US support the creation of a “precautionary approach” in the Arctic area, as a fail safe to any uncomfortably political encounters or transgressions that may still be yet to come. A US statement said that these five countries involved in the deal agree to allow fishing in the area “only once one or more international mechanisms are in place to manage any such fishing in accordance with recognised international standards.”

NORWAY WANTS GLOBAL CONSENSUS

Boerge Brende, the Norwegian Foreign Minister also added in a statement that it’s imperative to persuade other nations not part of the deal to respect these five countries’ agreement; to stay their fishing hands when it comes to the Arctic.

GREENPEACE IS DISCONTENT

Greenpeace was thrilled about the agreement, but when they learned it was only temporary, they protested that most of the involved countries were merely doing this to preserve to possibility of resource extraction indifferent to local populations, and that the “protect the Arctic” theme was just a façade.

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Climate Change: Arctic Ice Melting and Five Nations" Deal

Space Pioneers Reunite To Celebrate 40th Of Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, The First Human Space Flight - http://clapway.com/2015/06/13/space-pioneers-reunite-to-celebrate-40th-of-apollo-soyuz-test-project-the-first-human-space-flight-864/

In July of 1975, 40 years ago, a U.S. Apollo spacecraft ran into a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft. Crew members of both ships, doing the polite thing, took the opportunity to introduce themselves. The two spacecraft commanders, Alexey Leonov and Tom Stafford, shook each other’s hands. What may be just a natural gesture to us was known as the “handshake in space,” which represented something quite symbolic: a coming together of the world’s 2 superpowers, America and Russia – the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project – the last of the Apollo missions and the first international human space flight.

 

THE REUNION OF TOM STAFFORD AND ALEXEY LEONOV

Stafford, Leonov and others met this Monday June 8 in Weatherford, Stafford’s hometown, a little over 60 miles from Oklahoma City. The two decade-long friends hugged and re-created the legendary handshake that made history 40 years ago. Both men were wearing suits that did not resemble what they wore decades ago.

“We worked together, and it proved to the world that two countries with different languages, different units of measurement and vastly different political systems could work together to achieve a common goal,” Stafford said. He also recalled the comments his friend gave during a pre-mission news conference, when someone asked the cosmonaut what language he would speak in space.

“In space we speak three languages,” said Stafford, who was imitating the response of Leonov. “We speak English. We speak Russian. We speak Oklahoman.”

 

The APOLLO-SOYUZ MISSION

Ben Keppel says that the mission will forever be significant, due to the fact that the Space Race began as a competitive race between the States and the Soviet Union, while the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project was a friendly partnership between the two countries. Keppel is an associate professor in the history department at the University of Oklahoma.

Keppel goes on to add that the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project also was a big positive symbol for America and Russia, as it represented the tension dying away, a long-term process of cultural diplomacy between the 2 powerhouses.

 

THE FRIENDSHIP OF STAFFORD AND LEONOV

Another positive outcome of that historic Apollo-Soyuz handshake that took place decades ago in space, is that Alexey Leonov and Tom Stafford have remained incredibly close friends ever since. Both have traveled several times to their respective homelands, as well as joined one another on hunting trips.

Leonov aided Stafford and his wife Linda in their adoption of two sons from Russia 11 years ago in 2004. Leonov himself has a granddaughter that he named after one of Stafford’s daughters, while Stafford has a grandson who he named after Leonov, Andrew Alexi.

“He is like a brother to me,” Stafford said.

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Space Pioneers Reunite To Celebrate 40th Of Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, The First Human Space Flight