Europe's Earthcare space laser mission gets go ahead

Europe's Earthcare satellite is unlikely to get into space before 2016

Europe is to press ahead with its Earthcare space laser mission, despite a 30% rise in its probable final cost.

The satellite will study the role clouds and atmospheric particles play in a changing climate.
But the difficulty in finding a workable design for the spacecraft's lidar instrument means its total budget will now top 590m euros (£500m).
Member states of the European Space Agency are convinced though that Earthcare will deliver invaluable data.
Delegates to the 18-nation alliance this week accepted the findings of a review that assessed the technical risks of proceeding.
They also heard a clear message from the scientific community that Earthcare would do pioneering research.
"The Programme Board confirmed the conclusions of the independent assessment," said Dr Volker Liebig, Esa's director of Earth observation.
"This re-affirmed the high scientific value of the Earthcare mission - that there are unique synergies between all the instruments and it makes no sense to remove any of them. The board is confident that all has been done to reach the mission objectives in the 'costs at completion' which are at the moment foreseen," he told BBC News.
Earthcare is one of Esa's proposed Earth Explorers - a series of spacecraft that will do innovative science in obtaining data on issues of pressing environmental concern.
Three missions have so far gone into orbit, returning remarkable new information on gravity, polar ice cover, soil moisture and ocean salinity.
Earthcare will study how clouds and aerosols (fine particles) form, evolve and affect our climate, the weather and air quality.

Climate modellers need more information on clouds

Scientists say knowledge gaps in such areas severely hamper their ability to forecast future change.
Different sorts of cloud have different effects. For example, low cloud can help cool the planet while high cloud can act as a blanket.
Developing the primary instrument on Earthcare to get at this information has proved extremely problematic, however.
Prime contractor, Astrium-France, has had a torrid time arriving at a design that will reliably work in the vacuum of space.
A fundamental re-configuration of the lidar has added significantly (140m euros) to the projected total mission cost.
It has also delayed the mission's probable launch date to 2016 - two years later than recent estimates.
Concerned about developments, member state delegations had requested a review of the project's status.
The lidar will fire pulses of ultraviolet light down into the atmosphere.

EUROPE'S EARTH EXPLORERS

• Goce was launched in 2009 to map the subtle variations in Earth's gravity field
• Smos (above) has been studying ocean salinity and soil moisture for over a year
• Cryosat-2 was launched in 2010 to measure the shape and thickness of polar ice
• Swarm is a trio of satellites that will map the Earth's magnetism from next year
• Aeolus is another innovative laser mission that will measure winds across the globe
• Earthcare was selected in 2004 to examine the role of clouds and aerosols in climate change
• Two other missions will emerge from competitive selection processes

From the way this light is scattered back to the spacecraft, scientists can build up a picture of where in the atmosphere different cloud types and aerosols reside.

Combined with the data from three other instruments onboard, it should then be possible to work out the implications for the energy budget of the Earth.
"The board was asked to look into a potential de-scoping of the mission, but it was the clear view of all the scientists that the breakthrough Earthcare will deliver comes from the combination of all the instruments," Dr Liebig said.
Europe has yet to fly a space lidar mission and so developing this expertise is seen as an important technology goal for Esa.
Earth observation is currently the agency's biggest programme, representing a fifth of its total budget or 844m euros in 2011.
The extra cost of Earthcare will need to be absorbed, but Dr Liebig said the tendency of all high-technology missions to slip over time meant the additional expenditure could be managed in an affordable way.
Like all Esa missions, Earthcare will be a pan-European effort. However, the mission has particular significance for the UK.
The main structure of the spacecraft will be built in Britain (Astrium-UK at Stevenage), as will two of its instruments, at SSTL (Guildford) and SEA Group Ltd (Frome).
The fourth instrument on Earthcare is being supplied by Japan.

Somali pirates seize American yacht crew off Oman

Pirates usually target cargo ships

Four Americans sailing on a yacht off the coast of Oman have been taken hostage by Somali pirates, an international maritime watchdog says.

The S/V Quest, owned by a retired couple, was hijacked 240 nautical miles (275 miles) off Oman on Friday afternoon, Ecoterra told BBC News.
It is believed the yacht was en route from India to Oman.
While pirates usually attack cargo ships, they have hijacked a number of yachts in recent years.
Ecoterra said the capture of the S/V Quest had been reported by both its sources and by Nato's anti-piracy operation, Ocean Shield. Nato could not be reached immediately for comment.
Jean and Scott Adam, the yacht's owners, have been sailing it around the world since 2002, according to their website.
The couple wrote on the site that they had taken on two new crew members last year.
Mapping out their sailing plans for this year, they said they planned to sail from Sri Lanka to Crete in the Mediterranean, via the Suez Canal, making stops in India, Oman and Djibouti.
Vulnerable shipping

Somalia's UN mission confirmed for the Associated Press news agency in New York that the S/V Quest had been hijacked.
Omar Jamal, first secretary at the mission, called for the immediate release of the hostages and all other captives who are in the hands of the pirates.
Overstretched international anti-piracy forces operating in the Indian Ocean give priority to protecting cargo ships. The EU's Navfor force recently warned that yachts, even those travelling in convoys, were not assured of protection.
Individual yacht owners wishing to reach the Suez Canal through the Gulf of Aden are tempted, as a result, to leave convoys and strike out by themselves, maritime experts say.
The attack on the S/V Quest is the latest in a number of attacks on yachts:

• South African couple Bruno Pelizzari and Deborah Calitz are still being held in Somalia, four months after their vessel, the S/Y Choizil, was hijacked

• British couple Paul and Rachel Chandler were held for nearly 400 days after their yacht, the Lynn Rival, was hijacked near the Seychelles in October 2009

• French yacht-owner Florent Lemacon was killed in April 2009 when French commandos tried to liberate him and four other people from their hijacked yacht, the Tanit, off Somalia

Somalia has had no functioning central government since 1991, allowing piracy to flourish off its coast.
Somali pirates have made millions of dollars in recent years by capturing cargo vessels in the shipping lanes around the Horn of Africa and holding the ships and crew for ransom.
A recent US study found that maritime piracy costs the global economy between $7bn (£4.4bn) and $12bn (£7.6bn) a year.

No Permanent Hike in Size of Afghan Forces: Gates

The Pentagon and government of Afghanistan cannot afford a permanent increase to the end strength of the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF), Defense Secretary Robert Gates told senators Feb. 17.
To that end, Gates told the Senate Armed Services Committee that any increase beyond the ANSF's current manning levels should be viewed as temporary.

President Obama's administration is contemplating a request to increase the ANSF end strength to between 352,000 and 378,000 troops, according to Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who appeared with Gates at the Senate hearing to discuss the Pentagon's fiscal 2012 budget request. The ANSF should have 305,000 troops by the end of this year. The training of these troops has improved greatly in the last year, according to Mullen.
But Gates questioned the sustainability of a force that could increase by more than 70,000.
"How big an [Afghan] Army can we afford, because, let's not kid ourselves, nobody else is contributing to this in any significant way," he said. The Overseas Contingency Operations portion of the Pentagon 2012 budget request contains $12.8 billion to pay for the ANSF, a figure the Pentagon "can't sustain ... for many years," Gates said.
"The international community and Afghanistan cannot afford a force of 375,000 ANSF indefinitely," he said. "We have to think of this, I think, more as a surge for Afghans, and with a political settlement and with the degrading of the Taliban perhaps the size of the ANSF can come down to a point where it's more affordable for us and for everybody else."
Senate Armed Service Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., said he supports the increase and has spoken to Obama twice about the issue. Having more ANSF troops could save money in the long run, since, theoretically, fewer U.S. troops would be needed in Afghanistan, according to Levin.
"We are still very much in discussion inside the administration on where this comes out," Mullen said. Gates said he expects the administration to make a decision on the proposed increase "in the fairly near future."

U.S. to Brazil: 'Significant' Technology Transfer in F/A-18 Buy

WASHINGTON - Brazil would receive a "significant technology transfer" if it buys U.S.-made fighter jets, a U.S. Defense Department official said Feb. 17, seeking to ease concerns before Brazil selects a winning bidder.

The United States would permit a “significant technology transfer” to Brazil if it buys the F/A-18 from Boeing, a U.S. Defense Department official says. (The Boeing Co.)

The transfer of military technology is a key factor for Brazil as it considers Boeing's F/A-18 Super Hornet, the Rafale by France's Dassault, and the Gripen NG made by Saab of Sweden for a contract worth between $4 billion and $7 billion.

"I would argue that the technology transfer that we are offering of this magnitude would put Brazil at par with our close partners," Frank Mora, deputy assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere affairs, told a legislative committee.
When asked if it were accurate that Brazil should not have doubts about the commitment to the technology transfer, he replied: "That is correct."
"The United States has made a robust proposal of the Super Hornet technology - a significant technology transfer," he said.
The contract is for 36 fighters with the possibility of many more aircraft in the future.
The competition for the contract has dragged on for years, with President Dilma Rousseff inheriting it from her predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who had declared a preference for French planes.
Arturo Valenzuela, assistant U.S. secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs, said during the Feb. 17 hearing that "we always raise this issue" in talks between Brazil and the United States.
President Obama is scheduled to visit Brazil in late March as part of a tour that includes stops in Chile and El Salvador.
Brazil and the United States signed a military cooperation agreement in April 2010.

5.4% Increase in Singaporean Defense Budget

SINGAPORE - Singapore, which has one of Asia's best-equipped militaries, has raised its national defense budget by 5.4 percent this year, according to government data released Feb. 18.
The government plans to spend S$12.08 billion ($9.5 billion) on defense in the 2011 fiscal year, up from S$11.46 billion the year before.

Singapore's navy, army and air force will get S$11.53 billion to buy and maintain military equipment, for the upkeep of camps and for payment of salaries.
The city-state currently has a population of more than 5 million, a quarter of whom are foreigners.
Singapore's economy grew 14.5 percent in 2010, the fastest in Asia. The defense budget is about 5 percent of gross domestic product.

Egyptian Army: No Punishment For Major Who Handed Over Gun During Protests

CAIRO - The Egyptian army announced Feb. 19 that it would not punish an officer who was shown on television joining anti-regime demonstrators after surrendering his weapon.
"Based on the belief of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) in the noble objectives of the January 25 revolution, the president of the council has decided to suspend the investigation of ... [Army Maj.] Ahmed Shuman," the council said on its Facebook page.

In Tahrir Square, the epicenter of protests against deposed president Hosni Mubarak's regime, Shuman passionately explained to Al-Jazeera television why he had joined the protesters.
"I had a gun, I gave it to one of the officers because it is a peaceful, popular revolution. Our mission is to protect the people, not the regime," he said.
He also addressed Defense Minister Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, saying: "You are part of the regime; the president has been in power 30 years and you 20 years ... I beg you to go."
Tantawi is now the head of the SCAF, which took power following Mubarak's departure Feb. 11 in the face of unprecedented popular protests.
Several cases of soldiers joining the protesters were reported during the 18 days of demonstrations.
The Egyptian Army said it had created the Facebook page to better communicate with young people, who used the social networking site and micro-blogging site Twitter to organize the popular revolt.

Britain Blocks Some Exports to Bahrain, Libya

LONDON - Britain on Feb. 18 revoked licenses for the export of some security equipment to Bahrain and Libya because of the risk it might be used to suppress anti-regime protests, the Foreign Office said.
A day after announcing a review of British arms export licenses, the government had decided to revoke 44 licenses for Bahrain and eight for Libya, said Alistair Burt, minister for the Middle East and North Africa.

Licenses for Yemen and other countries were under review.
Foreign Secretary William Hague said he was alarmed that Bahrani soldiers had fired on protestors and urged authorities to exercise restraint.
"I am alarmed by reports of soldiers firing on protestors in Bahrain," said a statement from Hague, who visited the Gulf state last week as part of a visit to the Middle East and North Africa. "This is an extremely worrying development."
Burt said licenses would not be issued "where we judge there is a clear risk that the proposed export might provoke or prolong regional or internal conflicts, or which might be used to facilitate internal repression."
"This government takes extremely seriously its export control responsibilities. Britain has some of the most rigorous export controls in the world," he added.
Burt added that the government had "no evidence of British equipment being used in the unrest in Bahrain."
A British government source said the revoked licenses were mainly for riot control equipment, including tear gas and rubber bullets.
France announced earlier in the day that it had suspended exports of security equipment to Libya and Bahrain.
Bahraini security forces opened fire Feb. 18 on anti-regime protesters in the capital Manama, wounding dozens, while demonstrations in Libya have cost at least 27 lives, a newspaper reported.
Hague urged authorities to show restraint.
"The circumstances of what happened are not yet clear, but I call on the Bahrain authorities to avoid violence and the use of excessive force and to exercise restraint," he said.
"The right to freedom of expression and freedom of assembly must be respected."
He praised a pledge from Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa to open a national dialogue once calm returns, urging Bahrain to take steps to "meet legitimate aspirations for greater social and political freedoms."

Australia's Largest Ship Launched

The largest ship ever to be built for the Australian Navy took to the water for the first time Feb. 17 on the north coast of Spain.

The Canberra is the first of two 25,000-ton assault ships being built for Australia in Spain. (Royal Australian Navy)

The launch of the future HMAS Canberra took place at the Navantia dockyards in Ferrol, Spain. The 25,000-ton amphibious assault ship - a Landing Helicopter Dock or LHD in Navy parlance - will be towed to Williamstown, Australia, for completion at the Tenix shipyard, and is planned to enter service in 2014.

Vice Adm. Russ Crane, the chief of Navy, was on hand for the event, along with dozens of children of Australian diplomats waving Australian flags, according to an Australian Navy news release.
"We are well progressed in our planning for the LHD arrival," Crane said. "For now, this project is on time and on budget."
A second ship, the Adelaide, is also under construction at Ferrol, and is to be commissioned in 2015. Both ships will be based at Garden Island, Sydney, and be crewed from all three services.
A similar ship, the Juan Carlos I, was commissioned in September into the Spanish Navy.

Egypt OKs Iranian Ships' Passage Through Suez

CAIRO - Egypt on Feb. 18 gave permission for Iranian Navy ships to transit the Suez Canal into the Mediterranean, state media reported, after Israel described the move as a "provocation."
"Egypt agreed to allow two Iranian warships to transit the Suez Canal," the official MENA news agency reported.

Canal officials say it would be the first time Iranian warships have made the passage since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
MENA reported that the request for the ship to pass said they were not carrying weapons or nuclear and chemical materials.
It is not known when the ships are expected to arrive at Port Said, the northern terminus of the canal on the Mediterranean. From there they are expected to sail to Syria.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak has labeled the Iranian action as "hostile" and said Israel was closely monitoring the situation.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said an Iranian naval presence in the area was a "provocation that proves the self-confidence and cheek of the Iranians is growing from day to day."
Asked to comment on the latest development, Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor recalled Lieberman's comments on Feb. 16.
"We have nothing to add to the minister's statement," Palmor said Feb. 18. "It's still valid."
Earlier, an Egyptian foreign ministry official said the Iranian request was passed on to the defense ministry, which has to approve the passage of any warship through the canal.
His comments came a day after a canal official and a shipping agent said the request had been cancelled, at the prompting of the Egyptian government. An Iranian diplomat said administrative reasons where behind the delay.
Iran's official Fars news agency, quoting senior naval commanders, has said the ships are the 33,000-ton refueling and support vessel Kharg and the 1,500-ton light patrol frigate Alvand, both British-built.
Kharg has a crew of 250 and can carry up to three helicopters. Alvand is armed with torpedoes and anti-ship missiles.

Report: Brazil Delays Fighter Jet Decision Until 2012

BRASILIA, Brazil - Brazil is postponing a long-awaited decision on a multi-billion-dollar purchase of 36 fighter jets until next year as a result of massive budget cuts, a Brazilian newspaper reported Feb. 19.

From left: Dassault Aviation’s Rafale, Boeing’s F/A-18 Super Hornet and Saab’s Gripen NG, all in the mix for the Brazil fighter jet deal. (Dassault Aviation/The Boeing Co./Saab Group photos)

Major daily O Estado de Sao Paulo cited four unnamed government ministers as saying new President Dilma Rousseff saw no "climate" for the acquisition in 2011, and that such a move in the midst of a $30 billion slash in the year's budget would be an "inconsistency."

France, Sweden and the United States are vying for the contract, which has an initial value estimated at $4 billion to $7 billion, with the possibility of many more aircraft in the future as the Brazilian Air Force seeks to revamp its fleet of fighters.
Rousseff met for more than three hours Feb. 15 with Defense Minister Nelson Jobim to discuss the budget restrictions, and while Jobim told reporters that the pending deal would not be impacted by the cuts, he also said there were "no budget expenditures this year" for the fighter contract.
Jobim also stressed the military would take its time to choose the best bid and begin complex negotiations on technical matters and the terms of the deal, but he said he expected a decision in 2011. Sources in the president's office and the defense ministry told AFP that the purchase process was ongoing.
The intense competition for the contract has dragged on for years, with Rousseff inheriting the purchase decision from her predecessor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The shortlist for the jets is made up of the French-made Rafale, Saab Group of Sweden's Gripen NG and the U.S. F/A-18 Super Hornet, and speculation has swirled about which bid is in favor.
Lula declared a preference for French planes but ultimately left the decision to Rousseff, who has not shown any favoritism during her first 45 days in office.
Brazil insists on the unrestricted transfer of technology as part of the deal, as it intends to use the vast project to develop its aviation industry and become a regional provider.
In January, the French defense minister said his country was confident of scooping the contract. Earlier this week the Pentagon assured that Brazil would get a "significant transfer of technology" by buying U.S. fighter planes from The Boeing Co.