Stakes high for 1st private rocket launch to space station

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla?? Nerves are frayed here on Florida's space coast as commercial company SpaceX prepares to launch its Dragon capsule on the first-ever flight of a private vehicle to the International Space Station.

The milestone mission is being viewed as a test not only of Dragon but of private spaceflight in general. It will be the first commercial spaceship test flight for NASA's new plan to outsource transportation of cargo ? and eventually crew ? to the space station to the private sector now that the agency's space shuttle fleet is retired.

SpaceX's Dragon space capsule is due to lift off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station here at 4:55 a.m. EDT (0855 GMT) on top of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. The first 75 hours of the flight are critical to get the vehicle in the correct orbit to catch up with the space station on Monday and dock on Tuesday.

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"I think we're going to be biting off our fingers between now and hour 75," SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell told SPACE.com during a press briefing today (May 18). "I don't think there's going to be a lot of sleep in the next 70 or 75 hours for the folks at SpaceX."

Weather forecasters predict a 70 percent chance of good conditions for launch on Saturday, with just a small risk of clouds preventing a liftoff. The booster is scheduled to begin fueling at 1:05 a.m. EDT (0505 GMT). [ Photos: SpaceX Poised for Historic Launch ]

Dragon fire into space
The gumdrop-shaped Dragon has flown only once before, a successful test flight in December 2010 that sent it to orbit and back. However, that flight lifted off after a first attempt was called off because of a minor technical glitch.

Shotwell herself admitted that the rocket has never successfully gotten to T-Zero (launch time) in a launch countdown on the first try.

"We have not hit a T-Zero yet," she said. "However, our team learns more everyday about this vehicle. I'm going to give myself a better than 50-50 shot of lifting off tomorrow, and if we lift off I believe we'll make orbit."

Both SpaceX and NASA have been very upfront that failure is an option for this flight. SpaceX experienced several failures during the first launches of its smaller Falcon 1 rocket, and even NASA stumbled through rocket failures during the early days of the Space Race. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rockets, however, have launched on two flights, each of them reaching orbit.

"This is a test flight," said Phil McAlister, NASA's director of Commercial Spaceflight Development. "NASA views test flights primarily as learning opportunities. They don't fit very neatly into characterizations of success or failure."

If SpaceX is unable to launch the Dragon capsule Saturday, the company will have to wait until Tuesday, May 22, to try again. That's when the next window to launch the Falcon 9 rocekt to the space station opens, SpaceX officials have said.

Space taxi business boom
NASA has awarded SpaceX a $1.6 billion contract to develop Dragon and fly 12 cargo-delivery missions to the space station. If tomorrow's flight goes smoothly, the first of these should launch in early fall.

Overall, NASA is planning eight Falcon 9 flights in 2013, including two supply runs to the space station and six missions for commercial and government partners, such as communications satellite launches.

SpaceX is one of two private spaceflight companies NASA has hired to ferry cargo to the station ? the other is Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va. This outsourcing plan is intended to allow NASA to focus on pursing travel beyond low-Earth orbit, including manned missions to asteroids, the moon and Mars.

"The upcoming SpaceX launch is a thoroughly exciting moment in the history of space flight, but is just the beginning of a new way of doing business for NASA," John Holdren, White House science and technology advisor, said in a statement. "This new way of partnering with U.S. industry is a cornerstone of President Obama's plan for space exploration, and supporting it adequately is essential to maintaining America's leadership in space."

You can follow SPACE.com assistant managing editor Clara Moskowitz onTwitter@ClaraMoskowitz.Follow SPACE.com for the latest in space science and exploration news on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

? 2012 Space.com. All rights reserved. More from Space.com.

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WATCH: Gloria Estefan Plays Santana's Mom on 'Glee'

Get on your feet, Gloria Estefan fans, because the Latina superstar is headed to Glee! Estefan will play Santana Lopez's (Naya Rivera) mother Maribel in the upcoming season finale.

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Installing Accounting Software for More Efficient Business ...

Business companies can only grow if they have sufficient knowledge and technology in managing all aspect of their business, most especially their finances. Accounting is a critical undertaking, as it lets owners keep track of their productivity rate, sales, and positioning against competitors in the market.

Conventional accounting comes in thick ledger books. This implies meticulous and difficult work for the company accountant. One mistake entry may cause a huge loss or even termination for the company. Fortunately, technology developed a breakthrough to lessen their burden and improve financial management of every company. Today, accounting software has been backing up millions corporation owners and accountants worldwide.

Accounting software is essential in recording, classifying, and assessing all finances of every company. This can be of great help to all businesses in all industries regardless of their coverage. Here are some specific benefits of having this kind of system in your own business.

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Accounting software has efficient programming system that enables owners monitor everything that is happening in their business through their personal computers. It has easy-to-navigate features that aid beholders in evaluating every transaction easily. Company accountants, whether beginners or not, can also simply keep track of every accounts payable and receivable, inventories, and payrolls with software?s programmed formats and automatic features.

All accounting software programs like peachtree quantum 2012 can also aid in making financial reports. Business owners can easily review the current status of their business by just clicking some features of the installed program system. They can also see all products or services provided by each of their workers and the amount paid by every customer. This accounting device can also audit input data and help owners easily analyze and decode all finances.

At the end of each year, many business owners may find themselves rushing through the thick conventional ledgers to update their personal and business tax records. But with accounting software like peachtree quantum 2012, many business owners are now worry-free. All finances they take for the whole year can be mapped through the software in their computers.

Indeed, accounting software like peachtree quantum 2012 can be your great partner in detailed monitoring of all your finances and making sure your company meets growth expectations.

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Manny Pacquiao denounces anti-gay allegations

LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Manny Pacquiao says he loves and supports gays and lesbians, even though he does not approve of gay marriage.

The world champion boxer and Filipino congressman has been criticized ever since he was quoted in an interview on the examiner.com website saying he opposed President Barack Obama's support for gay marriage.

Pacquiao said Wednesday in an interview with The Associated Press that he doesn't support gay marriage because of his Roman Catholic beliefs. But he said he has gay friends and relatives, and supports their rights.

"I'm not against the gay people," Pacquiao said. "I'm not condemning them. ... I have a cousin (who is) gay. I have relatives (who are) gay. I have a lot of friends (who are) gay, so I'm not condemning gays. What I said is I'm not in favor of same-sex marriage. That's the one thing I said to the guy.

"I told (the reporter) I'm against same-sex marriage," Pacquiao added. "He said, 'Why?' I said, 'It's the law of God.' That's all I said."

The examiner.com story contained a Bible passage from Leviticus calling for the death of "a man (who) lies with a man," and Pacquiao said many readers erroneously believed he had quoted that verse.

He said he had not, and the writer later clarified in a follow-up post that he had included the verse himself.

"My favorite verse in the Bible is 'Love one another,' and 'Love your neighbor as you love yourself,'" Pacquiao said. "It's in the Bible: Do not judge. I'm not judging."

Pacquiao was banned from a popular Hollywood shopping mall after the article was publicized Tuesday, and an online petition encouraging sponsor Nike to drop Pacquiao received 4,868 signatures before it was suspended Wednesday morning. The petition site, change.org, posted a note saying that the author of the original article had clarified that Pacquiao didn't cite the Bible passage.

Pacquiao spoke to the AP next to his pool at his comfortable Los Angeles home, where the congressman lives while training for fights at Freddie Roach's Wild Card Gym in Hollywood. The champion had the day off from training, spending the morning in medical exams before a big lunch and some relaxation.

Although Pacquiao is experiencing a newfound passion for his religion and has socially conservative views in line with many Filipinos' beliefs, he was eager to clear his name after a 24-hour avalanche of criticism over the belief that the eight-division world champion boxer had denounced gay rights and even supported the killing of gay people.

Although he opposes same-sex marriage, Pacquiao declined to weigh in on civil unions, the internationally popular alternative, saying he didn't know enough about the concept to form an opinion.

"It's hard to give a correct answer to what's the right situation," he said.

The expansive Los Angeles mall known as The Grove, where the syndicated entertainment-news show "Extra" films its episodes, wouldn't allow Pacquiao to film a segment on its premises, worrying that an appearance by the boxer could be disruptive. Host Mario Lopez, an avid boxing fan, instead filmed an interview with Pacquiao at the fighter's home.

Pacquiao chuckled at the knowledge that his words ? even words he said he didn't say ? carry more weight than those of an average athlete because of his political aspirations.

"With great power comes great responsibility, so that's my responsibility, to handle everything," Pacquiao said. "This has happened before. You have to explain and understand. It's a lot more fun to train (for a fight)."

Pacquiao is the Philippines' most famous person and one of the world's most popular athletes. The eight-division world champion is a movie star, singer, pitchman and congressman, representing the Sarangani province in the Philippines' House of Representatives since May 2010.

He has won 16 consecutive fights since March 2005, beating Oscar De La Hoya, Juan Manuel Marquez, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley and Antonio Margarito. He will defend his WBO welterweight title against Timothy Bradley on June 9 in Las Vegas.

Pacquiao has embraced Catholicism in recent months after marital trouble with his wife, Jinkee. Although he has always attended Mass before his fights, the boxer has taken up frequent Bible study, and he traveled from the Philippines to the U.S. in the company of a spiritual adviser and pastor, Jeric Soriano, now a regular presence in Pacquiao's life in Los Angeles and the Philippines.

"It's difficult sometimes, but God gave me a talent," Pacquiao said. "He gave me a wisdom and a knowledge."

Although Pacquiao has some conservative social views, he also has ties to progressive American politicians, including Nevada Sen. Harry Reid. The boxer campaigned for the Democratic majority leader during his tough re-election victory over Sharron Angle in 2010.

Pacquiao also visited Obama at the White House last year, discussing basketball and boxing. The fighter says he enjoyed meeting Obama, but didn't share his views on same-sex marriage.

Pacquiao is the fourth of six children born into poverty in the Philippines, and he has four children of his own with his wife. He has spoken out against birth control during his political career, affirming his Roman Catholic faith.

Floyd Mayweather Jr., Pacquiao's only rival for pound-for-pound supremacy in boxing, took to Twitter on Wednesday to tout his own beliefs.

"I stand behind President Obama & support gay marriage," Mayweather tweeted. "I'm an American citizen & I believe people should live their life the way they want."

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Mark Ruffalo on the Fracking Fight (Rolling Stone)

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Know Why Video Marketing Is A Great Search Engine Optimization ...

There are indeed a lot of newer and more innovative search engine optimization solutions nowadays. This is because of the ever continuing search of more effective SEO solutions that many online entrepreneurs have today. Although you may not indeed be an SEO expert, you still need to be aware of these innovative methods so that you can utilize them for your online business. In a way, it is very important that you are able to let your online business cope up with the changing world of the internet, if you want it to continue flourishing.

One particular innovation in the world of search engine optimization solutions today would be SEO video marketing. Just like articles or blogs, these videos are generally contents on the internet that you can use for your SEO work. Since there are now a lot of online video sharing sites on the internet, these videos can easily work to the advantage of any SEO campaigns that you may have. With their help, your SEO campaigns can easily amass the traffic that it needs to land your website on the first pages of search engines.

Videos are more visually entertaining so it better than articles and simple blogs. It is also believed that more information is absorbed by those who watch these videos. Your target market can also be easily attracted by the tips and other useful information found in these videos. Since this a more effective way in providing valuable information, this marketing strategy especially works for your target market.

You can see that most high-ranking websites on search engines today have utilized videos as their search engine optimization solution. This simply shows that video marketing is an effective search engine optimization solution for these websites. You can make this SEO soluition work for your advantage too if you, along with your SEO expert, have the knowledge on how to use videos for your campaigns.

SEO video marketing is just among the many innovative search engine solutions that come out each day. You are set to succeed if you just continue to be open to newer SEO solutions available online. So make sure that you are constantly updated on the latest trend on SEO solutions for your business to succeed in the online business world.

If you need SEO Consultant in Singapore for your business website SEO, please check out 3sevenmarketing.com to know more about the SEO Services provided and how search engine optimization can help to improve your website search engine results.

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Honda unveils new Segway-like vehicle for indoors

Today,?Honda announced the UNI-CUB???personal mobility device that's very similar to the Segway. But unlike the Segway that's?mainly used for outdoors, the much smaller UNI-CUB is a one-person scooter for indoor spaces. Honda first announced the personal transpo system back in 2009, and the UNI-CUB that you can see in the video above is the latest update to its design.

The?lithium-ion battery-powered machine has a compact design with a seat fashioned like a saddle. Honda claims it's easy enough to balance, but we bet the injured, the sickly, and the elderly who have the most use for something like this would have a hard time getting used to riding it.

The UNI-CUB can move in any direction you choose, no matter where you're facing. To control it, you only need to shift your weight toward one direction or use its smartphone app. While it's not yet ready for release, Honda will be testing the UNI-CUB in June at?Japan's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation.

(Source)

This article was written by Mariella Moon and originally appeared on Tecca

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