Latest news with #Bille
Times
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
The five best Uma Thurman movies
Uma Thurman's effortless charisma, commitment and versatility has made her one of Hollywood's most iconic leading actors. As she celebrates her 55th birthday on April 29, we've chosen our five favourite Thurman films. Let us know your favourites in the comments below. Despite only appearing in half the story, Fantine will always be the most cherished role in any adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables. Fourteen years before Anne Hathaway won the Oscar for playing Fantine in Tom Hooper's take on the musical, Thurman stepped into the shoes of the most sympathetic character in French literary history: a single mother at death's door who turns to sex work to support her daughter. Thurman perfectly captures Fantine's slow, tragic deterioration and eventual hopelessness in Bille
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Vanguard 1 is the oldest satellite orbiting Earth. Scientists want to bring it home after 67 years
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Decades ago during the heady space race rivalry between the former Soviet Union and the United States, the entire world experienced the Sputnik moment when the first artificial satellite orbited the Earth. Sputnik 1's liftoff on Oct. 4, 1957 sparked worries in the U.S., made all the more vexing by the embarrassing and humiliating failure later that year of America's first satellite launch when the U.S. Navy's Vanguard rocket went "kaputnik" as the booster toppled over and exploded. An emotional rescue for America came via the first U.S. artificial satellite. Explorer 1 was boosted into space by the Army on Jan. 31, 1958. Nevertheless, despite setbacks, Vanguard 1 did reach orbit on March 17, 1958 as the second U.S. satellite. And guess what? While Explorer 1 reentered Earth's atmosphere in 1970, the Naval Research Laboratory's (NRL) Vanguard 1 microsatellite is still up there. It just celebrated 67 years of circuiting our planet. NRL remains the owner of the object and the developer of its technology. Vanguard 1 was the first satellite to generate power using solar cells. Today, the satellite is in an elliptical orbit with its perigee roughly at 410 miles (660 kilometers), swinging out to an apogee of approximately 2,375 miles (3,822 kilometers) from Earth, with a 34.25 degree inclination. A team that includes aerospace engineers, historians and writers recently proposed "how-to" options for an up-close look and possible retrieval of Vanguard 1. Snagging the oldest orbiting satellite of any nation would not be easy, but is worthy of further study, the team noted last year at a science and technology conference sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Vanguard 1 is a time capsule of the Space Age, the study group explained. The notion of recovery offered by the team was their own, not necessarily reflecting the view of their organization, Booz Allen Hamilton, a leading advanced technology company that deals with an array of critical defense, civil, and national security issues. Matt Bille, a Booz Allen aerospace research analyst in Colorado Springs, Colorado led the Vanguard 1 salvage scenario research. "We're not the first people to have the idea, and we hope we won't be the last," Bille told "But we'll have to wait and see whether any entities with the needed capability decide the value to them is worth the expenditure." As one would expect, the elder satellite is no longer transmitting, but its whereabouts are known. "Yes, the satellite went silent in 1964," Bille said, "when the output of the solar cells dropped below the power needed to run the transmitter." Publicly available tracking data show Vanguard 1's location and orbit, information that could be used to target higher-resolution sensors, he added. Those sensors might determine whether the satellite is intact and confirm its spinning or tumbling status, said Bille. If Vanguard 1 is recovered and hauled back to Earth, how much could be gleaned from up-close inspection? "Our research indicated possible interest in the condition of the solar cells, batteries, and metals, along with the record of micrometeorite or debris strikes over such a long time," Bille responded. "It would be a record for retrieving an exposed spacecraft." Bille and colleagues have scoped out options for missions and payloads using technology that could safely inspect, and, if desirable, retrieve the satellite for study, then put on display as astronautical archaeology. Vanguard 1 could be placed into a lower orbit for retrieval, for instance, or taken to the International Space Station to be repackaged for a ride to Earth. After study, this veteran of space and time would make for a nifty exhibit at the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum. An as-yet-unidentified lead organization could serve as the Vanguard Mission Authority (VMA), the study team explains. The overall mission would be split into two phases: Firstly, imaging of Vanguard 1 to find out its condition prior to a retrieval decision. Given a go, then the actual recovery of the satellite would proceed. But there's a major challenge of snuggling up close to the three pound (1.46-kilogram) Vanguard 1. It is a small-sized satellite, a 15-centimeter aluminum sphere with a 91-centimeter antenna span. It would be a delicate, 'handle with care' state of affairs. As suggested by the study group, perhaps a private funder with historical or philanthropic interests could foot the retrieval bill. Keep in mind that entrepreneur Jared Isaacman made self-funded space treks using a SpaceX capsule, even taking the first civilian space walk. He has also proposed a mission to saunter up to the Hubble Space Telescope. Then there's well-heeled Jeff Bezos of Blue Origin that backed the retrieval of Apollo-program Saturn V engines from the Atlantic for museum displays. Bringing Vanguard 1 home is appealing for several reasons. The ability to develop and demonstrate industry-provided space repositioning services is one. "For materials engineers and space historians, it would be a learning opportunity like no other," Bille and study members argue. "Retrieving Vanguard 1 would be a challenge, but an achievable and invaluable step forward for the entire U.S. space community." Similar in view is Bill Raynor, the Naval Research Laboratory's associate superintendent of the spacecraft engineering division. — 'Astronaut archaeology' could improve space station design. Here's how — Archaeology on the moon: How to preserve spaceflight artifacts from Apollo era — Archaeology on the ISS? Scientists study how astronauts use and store stuff in space While Vanguard-1 went silent in May 1964, Raynor said that since that time, the satellite's 133-minute orbit has been tracked by a network of optical space surveillance sensors and continues to be of scientific interest to this day. "The results of the tracking of Vanguard-1's orbit provided much of the early data supporting the discovery and estimation of the Earth's oblateness, similar to a pear-shape," Raynor told If Vanguard 1 was recovered and brought back here to Earth, how much could we glean from its long duration exposure? "For material and radiation effects scientists and engineers," Raynor added, "it would be an unprecedented opportunity for investigating the effects of long-term space environmental exposure."
Reuters
13-02-2025
- Reuters
Shell should take responsibility for oil spills, Nigerian community leader says before UK trial
LONDON, Feb 13 (Reuters) - Shell (SHEL.L), opens new tab should take responsibility for environmental damage in Nigeria caused by oil spills, a community leader said on Thursday as a pivotal hearing in lawsuits brought against the British oil major began at London's High Court. Godwin Bebe Okpabi, leader of the Ogale community in the Niger Delta, told Reuters that he was appealing to Shell's conscience to remediate the damage, which he said had "destroyed our way of life". Thousands of members of the Ogale and Bille communities are suing Shell and its Nigerian subsidiary SPDC over oil spills in the Niger Delta, a region blighted by pollution, conflict and corruption related to the oil and gas industry. Decades of oil spills have caused widespread environmental damage, which has destroyed the livelihood of millions in the local communities and impacted their health. Shell, however, says the vast majority of spills were caused by illegal third-party interference, such as pipeline sabotage and theft, which is rife in the Niger Delta. A Shell spokesperson said the litigation "does little to address the real problem in the Niger Delta: oil spills due to theft, illegal refining and sabotage, which cause the most environmental damage". Shell's lawyers said in court filings that SPDC recognises it is obliged to compensate those harmed by oil spills even if SPDC is not at fault, but not where it has already done so or where spills were caused by "the malicious acts of third parties". But Okpabi said Shell had made billions of dollars in Nigeria – which he called "blood money" – and had a moral responsibility to prevent and remediate oil spills. "As we speak, people are dying in Ogale, my community," he said. "It is sad that Shell will now want to take us through this very expensive, very troublesome trial, claiming one technicality or the other." He was speaking outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London ahead of a four-week hearing to determine issues of Nigerian law and whether SPDC can be held liable for oil spills caused by third-party interference, ahead of a further trial in 2026. The case, parts of which began nearly a decade ago, has already been to the United Kingdom's Supreme Court, which ruled in 2021 that the case should be heard in the English courts. The lawsuit is the latest example of multinationals being sued in London for the acts of overseas subsidiaries, following a landmark 2019 ruling in a separate case.
