NASA Begins Researching Submarine for Icy Moons of the Solar System

One of the most profound and exciting breakthroughs in planetary science in the last two decades has been the discovery of liquid methane lakes on the surface of Saturn’s largest moon Titan, and liquid oceans under the icy surfaces of many of the giant gas planets’ other moons. Thrillingly, these some of these “waters” may actually harbor life.

Unfortunately, we don’t know much about them. Probes such as Juno and Cassini can only get so close. Also, subsurface oceans can only be sensed indirectly. The European Space Agency’s Huygens probe did land on Titan in 2005, but on a solid surface rather than on liquid. So how can we explore these seas?

An exciting idea being explored is developing submarines to send through space to the moons. Over the next two years, NASA is devoting half a million dollars to researching the prospect of sending such a vehicle to Titan. But there are other studies out there, too – with targets including Jupiter’s Europa and Ganymede, and Saturn’s Enceladus. But are such missions actually within our technological reach?

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The Upper Limits For Oort Cloud Comets Based on X Ray Astronomy Observations

Upper limits to the number of Oort Cloud Objects based on serendipitous occultation events search in X-rays

Authors:

Chang et al

Abstract:

Using all the RXTE archival data of Sco X-1 and GX 5-1, which amount to about 1.6 mega seconds in total, we searched for possible occultation events caused by Oort Cloud Objects. The detection efficiency of our searching approach was studied with simulation. Our search is sensitive to object size of about 300 m in the inner Oort Cloud, taking 4000 AU as a representative distance, and of 900 m in the outer Oort Cloud, taking 36000 AU as the representative distance. No occultation events were found in the 1.6 Ms data. We derived upper limits to the number of Oort Cloud Objects, which are about three orders of magnitude higher than the highest theoretical estimates in the literature for the inner Oort Cloud, and about six orders higher for the outer Oort Cloud. Although these upper limits are not constraining enough, they are the first obtained observationally, without making any model assumptions about comet injection. They also provide guidance to such serendipitous occultation event search in the future.

Veins of Minerals in Gale Crater on Mars Probably From Evaporating Lakes

Mineral veins found in Mars's Gale Crater were formed by the evaporation of ancient Martian lakes, a new study has shown.

The research, by Mars Science Laboratory Participating Scientists at The Open University and the University of Leicester, used the Mars Curiosity rover to explore Yellowknife Bay in Gale Crater on Mars, examining the mineralogy of veins that were paths for groundwater in mudstones.

The study suggests that the veins formed as the sediments from the ancient lake were buried, heated to about 50 degrees Celsius and corroded.

Professor John Bridges from the University of Leicester Department of Physics and Astronomy said: "The taste of this Martian groundwater would be rather unpleasant, with about 20 times the content of sulphate and sodium than bottled mineral water for instance!

"However as Dr Schwenzer from The Open University concludes, some microbes on Earth do like sulphur and iron rich fluids, because they can use those two elements to gain energy. Therefore, for the question of habitability at Gale Crater the taste of the water is very exciting news."

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NASA has Started Work on the Deep Space Habitation Module

As part of its comprehensive review to the NASA Advisory Council, the US space agency has presented its review of progress on the development of a Deep Space Habitat that will allow astronauts to perform multi-month and multi-year missions in deep space – all while guiding the agency towards its ambitious plan of landing humans on Mars by the end of the 2030s

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Terminator Times #17

Drones:

Two global hawks were diverted to Japan due to bad weather in Guam.

The USAF is adding electronic warfare to its drone pilots' training.

The USMC is calling for optionally manned helicopters or other VTOLs from the FVL program.

The USMC has started testing UAVs for close air support and artillery calls.

The USMC has started training how to fight against drones and without having coms.

USMC infantry squads may each get a drone operator.

The USN Firescout radar protest has been shot down.

The US Navy is testing the RQ-20A in the Arabian Gulf.

Because an AI was able to defeat a fighter pilot, is this the future of air to air combat?

Hezbollah may have UCAVs.   Video above is reported to be of a UCAV attacking ground targets.

The British will be using Unmanned Warrior to evaluate ScanEagle replacements.

The Chinese are using an ASN-209 UAV for artillery spotting.

The Mexican Navy has started using a new drone.

Iraq wants counter drone tech.

Iraq also will be getting ScanEagle drones.

An Israeli Heron drone was on a test flight and crashed. 

Israeli Aeronautics is going to deliver its first Orbiter 1k drone on time.

Israeli Aeronautics' counter drone system is undergoing testing.

Russia's drone entered Israeli airspace by accident.  Israel concurs.

Russia plans on using UCAVs in the polar regions.

Spain will be joining the European MALE 2020 project.

Taiwan has unveiled a Reaper clone.

Black Sage Technologies is claiming to be using AI in its counter UAV systems.

Unmanned Ground Vehicles:

A recent exercise gave the US Army a test of different unmanned systems, but left the army feeling the UGVs were wanting still.

Unmanned Surface Vehicles (Robo Boats):

The Anaconda USV is progressing through development.

How pirates will adapt to the coming robotic cargo ships.

Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (Robo subs):

Submerged power transfer may correct one of the problems with robo sub operations.

3d Printing:

The first V-22 is flying with 3d printed parts.

META:

Unmanned is the new normal for naval operations.

Drone or robo warfare ought to be pursued.

Recovery From the Permian Extinction Delayed by Productivity Crises During Early Triassic

Early Triassic productivity crises delayed recovery from world's worst mass extinction

Authors:

Grasby et al

Abstract:

The recovery of life after the latest Permian extinction was protracted over Early Triassic time. Detailed geochemistry of marine sections along northwest Pangea indicates that upwelling ceased at the extinction event. Nitrogen stable isotope data suggest that this was associated with progressive increase in nutrient stress throughout the Early Triassic, coincident with a significant decrease in organic carbon content despite pervasive anoxic to euxinic conditions. We argue that the Early Triassic hothouse both reduced marine productivity and deepened the nutricline, reducing the overall rate of nutrient delivery to the photic zone, creating an Early Triassic nutrient gap. When oceans finally cooled by Middle Triassic time, renewed nutrient upwelling and onset of organic-rich shale deposition occurred across northwest Pangea, marking the final return of global marine productivity.

Echovenator sandersi: a Toothed Whale Fossil Shows High Frequency Echo Location Hunting Evolved 10 Million Years Earlier Than Previously Thought

A newly-named fossil whale species had superior high-frequency hearing ability, helped in part by the unique shape of inner ear features that have given scientists new clues about the evolution of this specialized sense.

In a study published August 4 in Current Biology, researchers from New York Institute of Technology and colleagues from the National Museum of Natural History in France describe a new species of whale, Echovenator sandersi ("Echo Hunter"), an ancient relative of the modern dolphin, and its ability to hear frequencies well above the range of hearing in humans.

The research pushes the origin of high frequency hearing in whales farther back in time -- about 10-million years than previous studies have indicated.

"Previous studies have looked at hearing in whales but our study incorporates data from an animal with a very complete skull," says Morgan Churchill, a postdoctoral fellow at NYIT College of Osteopathic Medicine and the paper's lead author. "The data we gathered enabled us to conclude that it could hear at very high frequencies, and we can also say with a great degree of certainty where it fits in the tree of life for whales."

"This was a small, toothed whale that probably used its remarkable sense of hearing to find and pursue fish with echoes only," says Associate Professor Jonathan Geisler, a study co-author. "This would allow it to hunt at night, but more importantly, it could hunt at great depths in darkness, or in very sediment-choked environments."

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Tracing the Origin & Evolution of Bird Reproduction in Dinosaurs

What really did come first--the chicken or the egg? Birds' reproductive biology is dramatically different from that of any other living vertebrates, and ornithologists and paleontologists have long wondered how and when the unique features of bird reproduction originated. A new Review in The Auk: Ornithological Advances examines answers from three sources--modern birds, fossils of primitive birds, and fossils of the dinosaurs from which birds are descended--to shed new light on the subject.

All modern birds share certain reproductive features, such as a single functional ovary and the practice of incubating their eggs through direct contact. Analysis of the bird family tree also suggests that early birds built simple, open nests on the ground and that their young were "precocial," meaning they were well-developed and almost ready to fend for themselves when they hatched. Those dinosaurs close to the ancestry of birds shared some of these traits, but they had two functional reproductive tracts, and their eggs were smaller relative to their body size and more elongated than those of modern birds.

Fossils of primitive birds and eggs from the Mesozoic era place them midway between their dinosaur ancestors and their modern descendants, with eggs between those of pre-avian dinosaurs and modern birds in term of size and shape. In this way, David Varricchio and Frankie Jackson of the Montana State University are able to trace the evolution of bird reproduction through a series of distinct stages, from pre-avian dinosaurs to the birds of today.

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Evidence of Bacteria Producing Soil at the PaleoArchean/MesoArchean Boundary

Biogenic overgrowth on detrital pyrite in ca. 3.2 Ga Archean paleosols

Authors:

Sabhan et al

Abstract:

Regionally traceable paleosols in the lower Moodies Group of the Barberton greenstone belt (ca. 3.22 Ga, northeastern South Africa and Swaziland) contain locally abundant silicified nodules, originally composed of pedogenic carbonates and sulfates, interbedded with heavy-mineral laminae dominated by pyrite. Pyrite grains show rounded detrital cores and secondary idiomorphic rims with trace element concentrations and δ34S ratios clearly different from those of the cores. While cores have low Co and Ni concentrations and high Co/Ni ratios, rims show as much as 5.5 wt% of these elements and low Co/Ni ratios, reflecting the weathering of nearby ultramafic rocks. In-situ sulfur isotope analyses of pyrite cores show δ34SVCDT (Vienna Canyon Diablo troilite) values between +5‰ and –5‰, while the rims show δ34VCDT values between –20‰ and –24.5‰, suggesting biogenic fractionation of sulfur. The close spatial association and microtextural evidence for nearly contemporaneous formation of the pedogenic sulfate nodules and the secondary pyrite rims suggests microbial processing of sulfur in the paleosols, which provided reduced and 34S-depleted sulfur for the growth of authigenic pyrite. This indicates that vadose-zone soil-forming processes in the Archean involved not only physical and chemical modification of moist, unconsolidated sediment in a terrestrial environment but also already included its microbiological modification.

Progress on Chinese Aircraft Carriers

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2nd link.

Jane's suggests the 3rd carrier will be without the ski jump and use catapults.

Titan has Numerous Methane Filled Canyons

Liquid methane-filled canyons hundreds of meters deep with walls as steep as ski slopes etch the surface of Titan, researchers report in a new study. The new findings provide the first direct evidence of these features on Saturn's largest moon, and could give scientists insights into Titan's origins and similar geologic processes on Earth, according to the study's authors.

New Cassini radar observations of Titan's north pole depict cavernous gorges a little less than a kilome-ter (less than half a mile) wide with walls up to 570 meters (1870 feet) tall -- about 30 meters (98 feet) higher than New York's Freedom Tower. The eight canyons branch off from Vid Flumina, a more than 400-kilometer (249-mile) long river flowing into Titan's second-largest sea, Ligeia Mare. The new data confirm the canyons are filled with flowing methane -- a feature researchers had suspected but not directly observed, according to the study's authors.

The new findings suggest the canyons were likely carved by liquid methane draining into Vid Flumina, a process similar to the carving of river gorges on Earth, according to the study's authors. The new re-search could help scientists better understand these geological processes, they said.

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There are an Estimated 2600 to 3800 Kuiper Belt Objects Beyond 50 AU

The orbital distribution of trans-Neptunian objects beyond 50 au

Authors:

Nesvorny et al

 

Abstract:

 The dynamical structure of the Kuiper belt beyond 50 au is not well understood. Here we report results of a numerical model with long-range, slow and grainy migration of Neptune. The model implies that bodies scattered outward by Neptune to semimajor axes a>50 au often evolve into resonances which subsequently act to raise the perihelion distances of orbits to q>40 au. The implication of the model is that the orbits with 5040 au should cluster near (but not in) the resonances with Neptune (3:1 at a=62.6 au, 4:1 at a=75.9 au, 5:1 at a=88.0 au, etc.). The recent detection of several distant Kuiper Belt Objects (KBOs) near resonances is consistent with this prediction, but it is not yet clear whether the orbits are really non-resonant as our model predicts. We estimate from the model that there should presently be ~1600-2400 bodies at the 3:1 resonance and ~1000-1400 bodies at the 4:1 resonance (for q>40 au and diameters D>100 km). These results favorably compare with the population census of distant KBOs inferred from existing observations.

Extraordinary Claim: Venus COuld be the Source of Complex Life on Earth

The Venus Hypothesis

Author:

Cartwright

Abstract:

Current models indicate that Venus may have been habitable. Complex life may have evolved on the highly irradiated Venus, and transferred to Earth on asteroids. This model fits the pattern of pulses of highly developed life appearing, diversifying and going extinct with astonishing rapidity through the Cambrian and Ordovician periods, and also explains the extraordinary genetic variety which appeared over this period.

Was Venus Habitable for 2 Billion Years?

Venus may have had a shallow liquid-water ocean and habitable surface temperatures for up to 2 billion years of its early history, according to computer modeling of the planet's ancient climate by scientists at NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York.

The findings, published this week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, were obtained with a model similar to the type used to predict future climate change on Earth.

"Many of the same tools we use to model climate change on Earth can be adapted to study climates on other planets, both past and present," said Michael Way, a researcher at GISS and the paper's lead author. "These results show ancient Venus may have been a very different place than it is today."

Venus today is a hellish world. It has a crushing carbon dioxide atmosphere 90 times as thick as Earth's. There is almost no water vapor. Temperatures reach 864 degrees Fahrenheit (462 degrees Celsius) at its surface.

Scientists long have theorized that Venus formed out of ingredients similar to Earth's, but followed a different evolutionary path. Measurements by NASA's Pioneer mission to Venus in the 1980s first suggested Venus originally may have had an ocean. However, Venus is closer to the sun than Earth and receives far more sunlight. As a result, the planet's early ocean evaporated, water-vapor molecules were broken apart by ultraviolet radiation, and hydrogen escaped to space. With no water left on the surface, carbon dioxide built up in the atmosphere, leading to a so-called runaway greenhouse effect that created present conditions.

Previous studies have shown that how fast a planet spins on its axis affects whether it has a habitable climate. A day on Venus is 117 Earth days. Until recently, it was assumed that a thick atmosphere like that of modern Venus was required for the planet to have today's slow rotation rate. However, newer research has shown that a thin atmosphere like that of modern Earth could have produced the same result. That means an ancient Venus with an Earth-like atmosphere could have had the same rotation rate it has today.

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Boeing has Begun the First Human Spaceflight Capable Starliner Capsule

The next generation of America’s human spaceships is rapidly taking shape at the Kennedy Space Center as Boeing and NASA showcased the start of assembly of the first flightworthy version of the aerospace giants Starliner crew taxi vehicle – that will ferry NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS) by early 2018.

Boeing is rapidly making tangible progress towards once again flying Americans astronauts to space from American soil as was quite visibly demonstrated when the firm showed off their spanking new Starliner ‘clean-floor factory’ to the media last week, including Universe Today – and it’s already humming with activity by simultaneously building two full scale Starliner crew vehicles.

Starliner is being manufactured in what is officially known as Boeing’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility (C3PF) at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida under contract with NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP).

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British High Energy Laser Weapon Demo Program Held up by Contract Protest

Announcement of a contract award to MBDA to build a laser-directed energy weapon demonstrator for the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) has been held up by a protest filed by one of the losing bidders.

Thales UK filed the protest after missile-maker MBDA was selected in mid-July for the sought-after contract put up for competition by the MoD’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl), according to a source familiar with the program.

The grounds for the protest are unknown at this stage.

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USAF to Make Recommendation on A-10 Replacement in Fall

The US Air Force is deliberating if and how to replace its close-air support workhorse, the A-10, and may have a better picture of their path forward later this year, the service’s top civilian said Wednesday.

During an interview with Defense News, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said she and other top service leaders — such as Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein — will be briefed on various options for replacing or augmenting the A-10 Warthog this fall, as the service begins to build its next five-year budget plan.

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The USAF Air Combat Chief is NOT thrilled with the idea of an aircraft meant for permissive airspace only.

Evidence of a Supernova Found in Pleistocene Microfossil Record

Time-resolved 2-million-year-old supernova activity discovered in Earth’s microfossil record

Authors:

Ludwig et al

Abstract:

Massive stars (M≳10M⊙), which terminate their evolution as core-collapse supernovae, are theoretically predicted to eject >10−5M⊙ of the radioisotope 60Fe (half-life 2.61 Ma). If such an event occurs sufficiently close to our solar system, traces of the supernova debris could be deposited on Earth. Herein, we report a time-resolved 60Fe signal residing, at least partially, in a biogenic reservoir. Using accelerator mass spectrometry, this signal was found through the direct detection of live 60Fe atoms contained within secondary iron oxides, among which are magnetofossils, the fossilized chains of magnetite crystals produced by magnetotactic bacteria. The magnetofossils were chemically extracted from two Pacific Ocean sediment drill cores. Our results show that the 60Fe signal onset occurs around 2.6 Ma to 2.8 Ma, near the lower Pleistocene boundary, terminates around 1.7 Ma, and peaks at about 2.2 Ma.

St Paul Mammoths Went Extinct 5,600 Years ago

While the Minoan culture on Crete was just beginning, woolly mammoths were disappearing from St. Paul Island, Alaska, according to an international team of scientists who have dated this extinction to 5,600 years ago.

"It's amazing that everything turned out so precisely with dating of extinction at 5,600 plus or minus 100 years," said Russell Graham, professor of geosciences, Penn State."

St. Paul Island lies about 400 miles north of the Aleutian Islands and was part of the Bering Land Bridge before sea level rose when the last glacial period ended. Previous researchers radiocarbon-dated remains of five mammoths to about 6,480 years ago, but there was no way to know if these were the last five animals.

The researchers used a variety of proxies to date the demise of the mammoths on the island. Proxies are things in the environment that can be used to independently document the presence of an organism, even though they are not parts of it. In this study, three different spores from fungi that grow on large animal dung were extracted from lake cores and used to determine when the mammoths were no longer on the island. Proxies in sediments from cores from a lake near the cave were used to determine the time of the demise of the mammoth population.

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Dinosaurs Probably had Color Vision

Earlier this year, scientists used zebra finches to pinpoint the gene that enables birds to produce and display the colour red.

Now, a new study shows the same 'red gene' is also found in turtles, which share an ancient common ancestor with birds. Both share a common ancestor with dinosaurs.

The gene, called CYP2J19, allows birds and turtles to convert the yellow pigments in their diets into red, which they then use to heighten colour vision in the red spectrum through droplets of red oil in their retinas.

Birds and turtles are the only existing tetrapods, or land vertebrates, to have these red retinal oil droplets. In some birds and a few turtle species, red pigment produced by the gene is also used for external display: red beaks and feathers, or the red neck patches and rims of shells seen in species such as the painted turtle.

The scientists mined the genetic data of various bird and reptile species to reconstruct an evolutionary history of the CYP2J19 gene, and found that it dated back hundreds of millions of years in the ancient archelosaur genetic line - the ancestral lineage of turtles, birds and dinosaurs.

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Turtles are probably archosaurs, btw.

Evidence of an Impact Produced Polymorph in NeoArchean Spherules

Shock-metamorphosed rutile grains containing the high-pressure polymorph TiO2-II in four Neoarchean spherule layers

Authors:

Smith et al

Abstract:

At least 17 spherule layers are presently known within stratigraphic units deposited between ca. 3.47 and 2.49 Ga. The spherule layers contain varying amounts of formerly molten, millimeter-sized and smaller spherules. The aggregate thickness of spherules in these layers commonly ranges from ∼1 cm to as much as a few decimeters. Several lines of evidence support the interpretation that the spherule layers represent distal impact ejecta layers. Previously, only one shock-metamorphosed grain (quartz) had been documented from the spherule layers. Therefore, a key diagnostic criterion for the impact origin of these layers has remained elusive for 30 years. We report the discovery, using micro-Raman spectroscopy, of shock-induced TiO2-II, a high-pressure polymorph of TiO2, in 34 grains from four Neoarchean spherule layers deposited between ca. 2.65 and 2.54 Ga. As all the TiO2-II-bearing grains contain rutile, we interpret them as shock-metamorphosed rutile grains. Shock-metamorphosed rutile grains, which may be more abundant in the upper parts of three of the layers, provide unambiguous physical evidence to further support an impact origin for these four layers. Our results demonstrate that TiO2-II can survive for >2.5 b.y. in supracrustal successions that have undergone low-grade metamorphism. Because TiO2-II transforms to rutile at a temperature ≥440 °C, TiO2-II in impact ejecta layers is a potential geothermometer. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a shock-induced, high-pressure polymorph formed by an Archean impact.

Should Russia be Worried? China Makes Alliance With Pakistan, Afghanistan & Tajikistan

China is to set up an anti-terrorism alliance with Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan, state media said on Thursday, as it seeks to boost coordination with neighbors to tackle what it says is a growing domestic militant threat.

Fang Fenghui, a member of the powerful Central Military Commission which controls China's armed forces, hosted a meeting with his counterparts on Wednesday in Urumqi, capital of the western Xinjiang region, where officials say they are battling Islamist militants.

The four countries recognized the serious threat of terrorism and extremism to regional stability, the official Xinhua news agency said, and they agreed to set up a "four-country mechanism" for intelligence sharing and training.

"All parties reaffirmed they will cooperate to respond to these forces, and safeguard all member countries' peace and stability," Xinhua said.

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Ukraine War Update: Возможно падение обуви?

Russia just accused Ukraine of attempting a terrorist attack on Crimea.  

The 'incursion' was stopped and two supposed Ukrainians are dead.

Kiev denies it had anything to do with an attack.

Jane's has noted a possible build up of Russian forces in the Donbas and an offensive may be coming.

Car Bomb Used to Attack Lugansk People's Republic's Leader

The leader of a self-proclaimed separatist republic in eastern Ukraine was injured in a suspected car bombing Saturday, local media reported.

Igor Plotnitsky, the head of the Lugansk People's Republic, "was wounded this morning as a result of a powerful explosion that occurred near his car," the official pro-Russian rebels' news agency said.

Plotnitsky, 52, was being treated at a local hospital along with several other people who suffered injuries in the blast in the city of Lugansk, the report said.

The rebels' news agency claimed the explosion was an "attempt on the life" of their leader.

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Americans not Enthused by Germ Line Gene Editting, Brain Implants & Synthetic Blood

Many in the general public think scientific and technological innovations bring helpful change to society, but they are more concerned than excited when it comes to the potential use of emerging technologies to make people's minds sharper, their bodies stronger and healthier than ever before, according to a new Pew Research Center survey.

The survey covers broad public reaction to scientific advances and examines public attitudes about the potential use of three specific emerging technologies for "human enhancement."

The nationally representative survey of more than 4,700 U.S. adults centered on public views about: gene editing that might give babies a lifetime with much reduced risk of serious disease, implantation of brain chips that potentially could give people a much improved ability to concentrate and process information, and transfusions of synthetic blood that might give people much greater speed, strength and stamina. The survey is part of a research package that also includes an analysis of focus groups and an essay summarizing experts' views on these topics.

A majority of Americans would be 'very' or 'somewhat' worried about gene editing (68%); brain chips (69%); and synthetic blood (63%), while no more than half say they would be enthusiastic about each of these developments. While some people say they would be both enthusiastic and worried, overall, concern outpaces excitement.

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Orbital monitoring of martian surface changes

Orbital monitoring of martian surface changes

Authors:

Geissler et al

Abstract:

A history of martian surface changes is documented by a sequence of global mosaics made up of Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera daily color images from 1999 to 2006, together with a single mosaic from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Color Imager in 2009. These observations show that changes in the global albedo patterns of Mars take place by a combination of dust storms and strong winds. Many of the observed surface changes took place along the tracks of seasonally repeating winter dust storms cataloged by Wang and Richardson (2015). These storms tend to sweep dust towards the equator, progressively shifting albedo boundaries and continuing surface changes that began before the arrival of MGS. The largest and most conspicuous changes took place during the global dust storm of 2001 (MY 25), which blanketed Syrtis Major, stripped dust from the Tharsis region, and injected dust into Solis Planum. High wind speeds but low wind stresses are predicted in Syrtis, Tharsis and Solis by the NASA Ames GCM. Frequent changes in these regions show that dust accumulations are quickly removed by stronger winds that are not predicted by the GCM, but may result from smaller-scale influences such as unresolved topography.

The Coming Cyber War #14

Cyber War:

Five cyber security questions for the US presidential candidates. 

Russia has announced it found malware on computers of at least 20 different agencies.  Word is the NSA is retaliating for Russian hacking of the DNC, Clinton campaign and others..  Not sure how true it is. 

Is Russia a cyber superpower?

The US Navy is using its nuclear submarines are cyber weapon platforms and hacking other nations via those boats.

A DIA cyber officer profiles the global cyber combatants.

Cyber Security:

Wikileaks released an uncurated dump of the DNC information.  Included are audio files.   Even Snowden is questioning wth Wikileaks is doing.

The DNC hack has a lot of misinformation embedded in the real information. 

The FBI is looking into the DNC hack and the White House has stated partisanship has no place in cyber crime investigations. 

The Clinton Campaign was also hacked.  Clinton has stated it was Russia who was responsible.

 Trump called for Russia to hack the US to find Clinton's missing emails.  Then said he was being sarcastic.

Russia says the US is demonizing it because of election scandals, not because it is hacking.

However, Russia has the capability and motive for doing the deed. Cyber Security experts see merit in the idea Russia did the deed.

Microsoft has drafted a rewrite to the Wassenaar Agreement to try to save the cyber security trade.

Someone hacked two screens at a Vietnamese airport to display political messages.

Obama rolled out a color coded cyber threat warning system.

The auto industry also rolled out a cyber security best practices guide.

Cyber Crime:

A cyber security company has admitted in court to hacking its rival.  

A Malvertising campaign ran for an extended period.

Ransomware is now a $34 million per year industry.

The top Nigerian scammer has been reportedly arrested.

Robopocalypse Report #88

Drones:

7-Eleven demonstrated deliveries with a drone.

Amazon got permission to test its delivery drones.

A 3d printed drone is coming to market.

Facebook's mongo internet drone is reported as having a successful test flight.

Lehmann has developed a modular higher end drone.

Is this GoPro's new drone?

Self Driving Cars:

Sticker price matters for adoption of self driving cars.

The Tesla crash will not halt self driving car development according to the government.

The driver of the Tesla crash was exceeding the speed limit when it happened.

Tesla has parted ways with Mobileye.

In Japan, self driving delivery vans are being trialed.

Uber is investing money in mapping services to reduce its reliance on google.

Australia has shifted 1.5m due to continental drift and will be updating its maps for self driving cars.

Mercedes has retired its very first self driving car prototype.

Apple's car project may have had its project leader identified.

Delphi wants to put its self driving cars on the road in 2022.

3d Printing:

An attempt has been made to create standardized definitions for the 3d printing industry.

China has developed a new 3d metal printing technology.

BMW has a very advanced 3d scanning technology.

Russia has developed a 3d metal printer for their nuclear industry.

A Columbia professor has produced a new prototype for 3d printing food.

Tiertime has a new mini 3d printer.

Robotics:

Robotic construction is getting closer.

Farmbot has had a wildly successful fundraising for its agricultural robot.

There is a new artificial muscle for soft robotics.

Microbots that were inspired by germs were a thing.

Zizzy the robot uses 3d printed muscles.

Lockheed has developed a robot for inspecting its hybrid airship for leaks.

Is the robopocalypse coming for the bakery?

Sea Charger, a solar powered robo boat, has completed a California to Hawaii voyage.

Kansas City is using robots to inspect its sewers.

A new bot can overcome obstacles at Bielefeld Universoty.

Philosophy & Economics:

China wants to embrace the robopocalypse.

Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum Perturbation may Have Been Worst at the Middle Latitudes

A siliciclastic braid delta within a lower Paleogene carbonate platform (Ordesa-Monte Perdido National Park, southern Pyrenees, Spain): Record of the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum perturbation

Authors:

Pujalte et al

Abstract:

The La Pardina Formation is a siliciclastic-dominated unit up to 26 m thick intercalated within a 300 m thick Danian–lower Ilerdian succession of shallow marine carbonates in the southern Pyrenees. The unit is composed of four interdigitated facies, three of them of a coarse-grained siliciclastic character (Sf1, Sf2, Sf3), and the fourth one composed of bioclastic packstones with argillaceous matrix (calcareous facies, Cf). The siliciclastic facies make up the bulk of the La Pardina Formation in the Ordesa-Monte Perdido National Park, while the Cf is subordinate in the Park but widespread throughout the southern Pyrenees. Biostratigraphic and isotopic data suggest that the Cf pertains to the Paleocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM). No isotopic or biostratigraphic information could be obtained from the siliciclastic facies, but they are also assigned to the PETM because of their interfingering with the Cf. The siliciclastic facies were accumulated in a braid delta system fed by either a major river or by several minor rivers draining the Ebro Massif. The Sf3, Sf2 and Sf1 respectively represent the top-set, foreset and bottomset parts of the braid delta, whereas the Cf correspond to the prodelta. In proximal parts of the braid delta the Sf3 overlies a subaerial surface carved into upper Thanetian marine carbonates, a proof of a pre-PETM sea-level fall. In the remainder of the braid delta, the La Pardina Formation exhibits an overall thickening-coarsening-up trend that attests to rapid progradation. The development of the braid delta implies a dramatic increase in the influx of both coarse- and fine-grained siliciclastics, which temporarily halted a long-lasting period of carbonate-dominated sedimentation. This abrupt change demonstrates that the environmental impact caused by the intensification of the hydrological cycle during the PETM was particularly severe at middle latitudes.

A Giant Abelisaurus Theropod Foot Print Found in Bolivia

A footprint measuring over a metre wide has been discovered in the southern American country of Bolivia. It's thought to have been made by an Abelisaurus, a meat-eating dinosaur that walked the Earth millions of years ago. Palaeontologist Sebastian Apesteguia went to the site of the discovery.

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Were Heterodontosaurs Arboreal?

A newly described specimen of a tiny plant-eating dinosaur shows features indicating that it may have been able to climb around in branches -- an ability so far unknown in any dinosaurs except birds.

Dinosaurs were enormously successful vertebrates that dominated terrestrial ecosystems for almost the entire Mesozoic Era. The dinosaur family tree can be divided into three major branches: the theropods, mostly carnivorous bipeds (including birds); the sauropods, usually enormous long-necked herbivores; and the ornithischians, an incredibly diverse assemblage of beaked herbivores. Commonly known onithischians include (but are not limited to) armored dinosaurs, horned dinosaurs, bone-headed dinosaurs, and duck-bills. One of the earliest groups of ornithischians to appear in the fossil record are the heterodontosaurids, small bipeds recognizable by the long tusk-like teeth in their upper and lower beaks. Heterodontosaurids are known from the Upper Triassic to the Lower Cretaceous rocks in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America and include the namesake Heterodontosaurus from the Early Jurassic of South Africa as well as the famous filament-covered Tianyulong from the Early Cretaceous of China.


In June, researchers described a new specimen of a heterodontosaurid found in Lower Jurassic rocks from Argentina dated to about 180 million years ago. The specimen, which consists of portions of the left and right foot, several toe bones, and some tail vertebrae comes from the Cañadón Asfalto Formation in near the town of Cerro Condor, Chubut Province. The authors think it’s likely that the remains belong to Manidens condorensis, a pigeon-sized heterodontosaurid found from the same location. Unfortunately the only known specimen of Manidens lacks its feet, so there are no overlapping parts that would make the assignment definitive.

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An Alternate Explanation for Jasper Formation Prior to the Great Oxidation Event

Dust to dust: Evidence for the formation of “primary” hematite dust in banded iron formations via oxidation of iron silicate nanoparticles

Authors:

Rasmussen et al

Abstract:

Conventional models for the deposition of banded iron formations (BIFs) envisage the oxidation of upwelled ferrous iron and the precipitation of ferric oxide/hydroxide particles in surface waters that settled to form laterally extensive layers of iron-rich sediment. A fundamental tenet of this model is that fine-grained hematite (so-called dusty hematite) in least-altered BIFs represents the dehydration product of original oxide/hydroxide precipitates. However, this premise has never been proven. We have investigated the origin of the earliest-formed iron oxides in chert in well-preserved BIFs of the 2.63-2.45 billion-year-old Hamersley Group, Australia. We find that laminated chert in BIFs show progressive stages of in situ alteration from grey-green chert, containing iron-silicate nanoparticles, to red chert with abundant hematite dust. Analysis of textures by transmission electron microscopy of samples from the transition zone between grey-green and red chert reveals that dusty hematite formed after partial dissolution of iron-silicate nanoparticles by the precipitation of iron oxides in resulting cavities. These observations suggest that hematite dust is not a relict of an original seawater precipitate but the end-product of post-depositional oxidation. Our observations are consistent with paleomagnetic results from the Hamersley Group, which record two major phases of magnetic remanence carried by hematite that post-date deposition by more than 200 million years. Our results may provide an alternative explanation for the origin of jasper in BIFs deposited before the start of the Great Oxidation Event about 2.4 billion years ago. If correct, it follows that hematite dust is not a reliable proxy for paleoenvironmental conditions or biological processes in early Precambrian seawater. Furthermore, our results suggest that the primary iron precipitate in BIFs was iron-silicate mud that was silicified at or just below the sediment-water interface, a hypothesis that requires neither dissolved oxygen nor photosynthetic life, but was an inorganic, chemical process, reflecting anoxic oceans enriched in iron and silica.

Russia Supposedly Launching new Type of Spy Sat

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China may Have World's Largest Navy in 2020

Based on the number and variety of warships that the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is likely to have in commission by the year 2020, a new report says that China will have not only the largest but also the second-most capable blue-water navy in the world within the next four years.

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Humanity

Humanity.

Humanity.

As you know in this course, we are here to discuss the most influential species in the Galaxy. Past. And present. But! It is only through the past we can understand the present. The past frames and gives context to the present and without the shattered and cooled remnants of what came before, there cannot be a what is and what will come.

The species that came before are often so different than our own. So many have risen, clawed their way out of the mediocrity of the planet bound and then explode with that first frenetic burst of energy into the galactic scene. Only to find they are average or less. Then to lapse into interstellar mediocrity, recede and go extinct.

That is not the case here.

Humanity.

There is no tougher species to discuss, to consider, to pass judgment on than Humanity.

Some call Humanity the Darkness, the epitome of evil. Some call them Saviors, the greatest good. Some even worship them as Gods. Others seek out their remnants and attempt to destroy them as a religious duty.

Whether gods or demons, angels or devils, there is no denying Humanity's impact upon the Galaxy.

There are a lot of myths about Humanity. There are a lot of lies about Humanity. There is an incredible amount of passion over the subject of Humanity. Some deny they even existed at all. That their triumph, their terrible sword, their righteous or daemonic power was anything other than overwhelming.

They did exist.

They did exist and they rose up to be the single species to have conquered the galaxy. No species had done so before. Nor has done so since.

Humanity.

We find their artifacts across the entire galaxy. Derelict fleets of ships. Massive astronomic projects we can barely comprehend. Species of Terran animals on worlds everywhere and unrelated to the local biology. Even intelligent races that arose from those transplanted species. Signs of biological intervention with local, non Terran biologies, even genocides...and some Uplifts.

Humanity.

A species so capable at war, yet loathed it. One whose fury could shatter stellar clusters. One whose compassion saved worlds. A species that strove for justice, yet failed time and again in its ideals, but would always strive again to try to live up to them...A race whose reign lasted for millions of years. Evolving from its base form and back and splintered into the various 'Children of Earth.'

And, yet, now, extinct. Even its children. And its grandchildren. None are left amongst us. They have passed and are no more.

Humanity.

If not for the attack on Earth, destroying one of the capitals, The Capitol, then Humanity would probably not have boiled out into the universe to change it forever. Humanity was not the First Ones, but they were the Greatest. At least so far.

Humanity.

I will be discussing the reality of Humanity from the scholarly point of view. Those of you who hold religious views, please, set them aside for this course or drop it. I cannot promise I will not offend you. The department head has already heard every last possible protest over this course and my conduct. If you are offended, angry, disgusted, whatever, Herm won't hear it. Its best to leave now or forever hold your peace.

That said, let us begin.

2015 RR245: a dwarf planet candidate in the 9:2 resonance with Neptune

OSSOS: IV. Discovery of a dwarf planet candidate in the 9:2 resonance

Authors:

Bannister et al

Abstract:

We report the discovery and orbit of a new dwarf planet candidate, 2015 RR245, by the Outer Solar System Origins Survey (OSSOS). 2015 RR245's orbit is eccentric (e=0.586), with a semi-major axis near 82 au, yielding a perihelion distance of 34 au. 2015 RR245 has g−r=0.59±0.11 and absolute magnitude Hr=3.6±0.1; for an assumed albedo of pV=12% the object has a diameter of ∼670 km. Based on astrometric measurements from OSSOS and Pan-STARRS1, we find that 2015 RR245 is securely trapped in the 9:2 mean-motion resonance with Neptune. It is the first TNO identified in this resonance. On hundred-Myr timescales, particles in 2015 RR245-like orbits depart and sometimes return to the resonance, indicating that 2015 RR245 likely forms part of the long-lived metastable population of distant TNOs that drift between resonance sticking and actively scattering via gravitational encounters with Neptune. The discovery of a 9:2 TNO stresses the role of resonances in the long-term evolution of objects in the scattering disk, and reinforces the view that distant resonances are heavily populated in the current Solar System. This object further motivates detailed modelling of the transient sticking population.

Comparing the Martian Winds With Models Using Dust Devils

Comparing wind directions inferred from Martian dust devil tracks analysis with those predicted by the Mars Climate Database

Authors:

Statella et al

Abstract:

We have calculated the prevailing dust devil tracks direction as a means of verifying the Mars Climate Database (MCD) predicted wind directions accuracy. For that purpose we have applied an automatic method based on morphological openings for inferring the prevailing tracks direction in a dataset comprising 200 Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) Narrow Angle (NA) and High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) images of the Martian surface, depicting regions in the Aeolis, Eridania, Noachis, Argyre and Hellas quadrangles. The prevailing local wind directions were calculated from the MCD predicted speeds for the WE and SN wind components. The results showed that the MCD may not be able to predict accurately the locally dominant wind direction near the surface. In addition, we confirm that the surface wind stress alone cannot produce dust lifting in the studied sites, since it never exceeds the threshold value of 0.0225 Nm−2 in the MCD.

SpaceX Spending $300M on Red Dragon Mission

NASA estimates that SpaceX is spending on the order of $300 million on its Red Dragon Mars lander mission, a down payment on the company’s long-term ambitions for human Mars missions.

At a meeting of the NASA Advisory Council’s technology committee in Cleveland July 26, Jim Reuter, deputy associate administrator for programs in NASA’s space technology mission directorate, provided an overview of NASA’s agreement with SpaceX, announced in April, to support that company’s plans for an uncrewed Mars landing mission that could launch as soon as May 2018.

That agreement, in the form of an unfunded Space Act Agreement, does not include any exchange of funds between NASA and SpaceX. Reuter said NASA estimates it will spend approximately $32 million over four years, primarily in the form of NASA personnel providing technical support for SpaceX. About $6 million of that will be spent this fiscal year, he added.

Asked by the committee how much SpaceX was spending, Reuter indicated that the company’s investment was 10 times that of NASA. “They did talk to us about a 10-to-1 arrangement in terms of cost: theirs 10, ours 1,” he said. “I think that’s in the ballpark.” Given NASA’s investment, that implies SpaceX is spending around $300 million on Red Dragon.

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US Air Force Presses Ahead With Nuclear Weapon Systems

The Air Force moved ahead with two critical nuclear modernization programs on Friday, releasing requests for proposals for its intercontinental ballistic missile replacement and a nuclear cruise missile.

The Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD), which replaces the 1960s-era Minutemen III ICBM, and the Long Range Standoff (LRSO) weapon, which will supersede the AGM-86B Air Launched Cruise Missile, are seen by the service as pivotal for maintaining the nuclear triad and an effective strategic deterrent.

However, both programs have come under fire by lawmakers and analysts who assert that the the weapons are too costly, duplicative or even that they could add to global instability.

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2nd link.

3rd link.

The replacement nuclear bomb has received the go ahead to start production engineering.

Stealth Saga #51

KF-X:

The US & South Korea met to discuss the tech transfer aspects of the KF-X program.

ATD-X/X-2/F-3:

Japan will be placing the X-2 demonstrator on display on October 30th at Gifu AFB for the public to see.

PAK-DA:

Some are questioning whether the PAK-DA will actually happen.

PAK-FA:

India is interesting in buying an upgraded Su-30.  India has stated this will not impact the purchase of their variant of the PAK-FA, but many are expressing doubts.

J-20:

The J-20 ought to have IOC in 2019.

B-21:

The USAF is calling for the B-21 to be funded from a separate fund much like the Ohio Replacement Boomer.

The USAF is still not saying how many B-21s it needs.

B-2:

An artist worked on the concept information Northrop used for its alternative to the B-2.

B-2 bombers participated in the NATO exercise Polar Roar.

F-22:

The F-22 was once considered too provocative to send to the Middle East.

F-35:

USMC has debuted the F-35B at Red Flag.

The F-35A has been tested at Eglin AFB.

The F-35A has conducted its first shoot down.

The F-35A is looking good for its IOC, so good IOC was declared for the USAF F-35A.  There are a lot more articles on the IOC.

The F-35 is so stealthy it creates training exercise problems.

How accurate is the F-35Bs gun pod?

Tactics for F-35B pilots are evolving as the pilots better grasp the capabilities of the plane.

A USMC general has stated the F-35B is ready for war.

The F-35B's first at sea deployment will be on the USS Bonhomme Richard from Japan.

Apparently, the F-35 laser designator can only be used in the US.  The Brits are seeking permission to do so in the UK.

Canada is casting a wide net to try to find a replacement fighter. That net includes the F-35, ironically.

Canada is also continuing to pay into the F-35 program to remain part despite claiming it will not be necessarily buying the aircraft.

Israel may maintenance get outsourced.

Israeli's first F-35I has had its first flight.

Is the F-35 Singapore's next fighter buy?

Could the coup attempt in Turkey endanger its participation in the F-35 program?

The 63rd Fighter Squadron was stood up to train Turkish F-35 pilots.

The Eocene-Oligocene climate transition in the Central Paratethys

The Eocene-Oligocene climate transition in the Central Paratethys

Authors:

Ozsvárt et al

Abstract:

We studied two boreholes (Cserépváralja-1 and Kiscell-1) with continuous sedimentary records across the Eocene-Oligocene climate transition from the Central Paratethyan area. Assemblages of benthic foraminifera display a shift in dominance by epifaunal taxa in the late Eocene to shallow and deep infaunal taxa in the early Oligocene. Using the benthic foraminiferal oxygen index (BFOI), a decreasing trend of bottom-water oxygen levels is established across the Eocene-Oligocene transition (EOT), leading to the development of dysoxic conditions later in the early Oligocene.

Trends in δ18O and δ13C values measured on tests of selected benthic and planktic foraminifera roughly parallel those of the global record of stepped EOT δ18O increase and deviate only later in the early Oligocene, related to the isolation of the Paratethys. The overall similarity of the isotope curves and the presence of a planktic-benthic ecological offset suggest that the original isotope trends are preserved, despite the systematically more negative δ18O values. Of different scenarios, a quasi-uniform diagenetic overprint by fluids with low δ18O values, during burial or uplift, appears best supported. We conclude that the globally established isotopic expression of Antarctic ice sheet growth across the EOT may be recognizable in the Paratethys. Deviations from the global trends after the EOT were caused by regional paleoceanographic changes induced by the progressing Alpine orogeny and sea-level change, which led to a restricted connection with the open ocean, freshwater influx from increased precipitation, and gradual development of bottom-water oxygen depletion.

Cenozoic Theropod Dinosaurs in South America Revisited

Cenozoic dinosaurs in South America – revisited

Authors:

Molnar et al

Abstract:

Of course there were Cenozoic dinosaurs (theropods) in South America, phorusrhacid (‘terror’) birds among others, but that is not the subject here. Why did anyone think there were Cenozoic (non-avian) theropods in South America? Because of a misinterpretation of Ameghino’s belief that derived mammals lived along with dinosaurs in Late Cretaceous Argentina. But also because isolated theropod teeth were found associated with derived (Eocene) mammal fossils. These turned out to be the teeth of Sebecus icaeorhinus. This is a small crocodylomorph, skull length c. 450 mm. More recently discovered sebecosuchians were substantially larger: Barinasuchus arveloi had an (estimated) skull length of c. 1000 mm, similar to that of Daspletosaurus (1000 mm). These crocodylomorphs are generally believed to have been terrestrial animals, presumably preying on large mammals. Thus, although there were no large non-avian theropods in Cenozoic South America, there were crocodylomorphs that seem to have been ecological vicars of large theropods. The reconstruction of terrestrial trophic networks for large terrestrial tetrapods after the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinctions seems to have been slower than often supposed. At (or near) the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, large herbivores turned over from archosaurs to mammals, but turnover of large carnivores was slower. In South America, dinosaur-size crocodylomorphs lived as late as the Miocene. Thus modern terrestrial ecosystems do not, trophically, reflect those of even the Early Neogene in some southern continents. Sebecosuchians, at least in South America, seem to have been unaffected by the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinctions.

Kollikodon ritchiei: a Second Specimen of the Rare Australosphenidan Mammal Found, Sister Group to Monotremes

The upper dentition and relationships of the enigmatic Australian Cretaceous mammal Kollikodon ritchiei

Authors:

Pian et al

Abstract:

Mesozoic mammals from Australia are rare, so far only known from the Early Cretaceous, and most are poorly represented in terms of dentitions much less cranial material. No upper molars of any have been described. Kollikodon ritchiei is perhaps the most bizarre of these, originally described on the basis of a dentary fragment with three molars. Here we describe a second specimen of this extremely rare taxon, one that retains extraordinarily specialised upper cheekteeth (last premolar and all four molars). Each molar supports rows of bladeless, rounded cuspules many of which exhibit apical pits that may be the result of masticating hard items such as shells or chitin. Reanalysis of the phylogenetic position of this taxon suggests, based on a limited number of apparent synapomorphies, that it is an australosphenidan mammal and probably the sister group to Monotremata. This reanalysis also supports the view that within Monotremata, tachyglossids and ornithorhynchids diverged in the early to middle Cenozoic.

'Whiffs' of Oxygen From Archean Sediments

Evidence for a reducing Archean ambient mantle and its effects on the carbon cycle

Authors:

Aulbach et al

Abstract:

Chemical reduction-oxidation mechanisms within mantle rocks link to the terrestrial carbon cycle by influencing the depth at which magmas can form, their composition, and ultimately the chemistry of gases released into the atmosphere. The oxidation state of the uppermost mantle has been widely accepted to be unchanged over the past 3800 m.y., based on the abundance of redox-sensitive elements in greenstone belt–associated samples of different ages. However, the redox signal in those rocks may have been obscured by their complex origins and emplacement on continental margins. In contrast, the source and processes occurring during decompression melting at spreading ridges are relatively well constrained. We retrieve primary redox conditions from metamorphosed mid-oceanic ridge basalts (MORBs) and picrites of various ages (ca. 3000–550 Ma), using V/Sc as a broad redox proxy. Average V/Sc values for Proterozoic suites (7.0 ± 1.4, 2σ, n = 6) are similar to those of modern MORB (6.8 ± 1.6), whereas Archean suites have lower V/Sc (5.2 ± 0.4, n = 5). The lower Archean V/Sc is interpreted to reflect both deeper melt extraction from the uppermost mantle, which becomes more reduced with depth, and an intrinsically lower redox state. The pressure-corrected oxygen fugacity (expressed relative to the fayalite-magnetite-quartz buffer, ΔFMQ, at 1 GPa) of Archean sample suites (ΔFMQ –1.19 ± 0.33, 2σ) is significantly lower than that of post-Archean sample suites, including MORB (ΔFMQ –0.26 ± 0.44). Our results imply that the reducing Archean atmosphere was in equilibrium with Earth's mantle, and further suggest that magmatic gases crossed the threshold that allowed a build-up in atmospheric O2 levels ca. 3000 Ma, accompanied by the first "whiffs" of oxygen in sediments of that age.

Russian Naval Air Defense Systems in Trouble

There have long been reports that the ongoing delays with the commissioning of the Admiral Gorshkov frigate have to do with defects in its air defense systems. These were thought to be primarily related to problems with integration of the Poliment Redut air defense missile system. The Poliment system was designed to be Russia’s answer to AEGIS, with four phased array antennas that are able to track 16 targets at the same time. The Redut system consists of four or eight vertical launch systems that launch three types of missiles. The 9M100 is the short-range missile, with a range of up to 15km. The 9M96M is the medium-range missile, with a range of 40-50km. Finally, the 9M96 long-range missile is supposed to have a range of up to 150km.

It now appears that the Redut’s problems are much more serious than just integration. A recent report notes that the Ministry of Defense has stopped trials of the system because of continuing problems with the 9M96 long-range missile. Specifically, the missiles appear to fail after three seconds of flight. Some reports indicate that the Redut system works well hitting targets up to 40km away, but fails in the long range. The implication is that the short and medium range missiles work well, but the long range missile does not. Nevertheless, this may be an improvement over previous results, as trials of the Redut system on the Steregushchiy class corvettes in 2014 showed that they were only able to hit targets at distances of up to 15km because the medium-range Furke-2 radar system was not functioning properly.

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China Pressing Ahead With ASAT System

China’s Defense Ministry confirmed today that it was pressing ahead with anti-missile system tests after pictures appeared on state television, depicting a successful missile intercept test conducted in 2010. The Chinese announcement coincides with growing tension over South Korea’s decision to allow the U.S. deployment of THAAD anti-missile system in the Korean peninsula.

According to Yang Yujun, spokesman of the People’s Republic of China’s Defence Ministry, the development of missile defense capabilities is an essential part of the country’s national security strategy. “It will improve the self-defense capability of China and is not targeting any particular country and will not affect international strategic stability,” Yujun said, adding that China would consider taking unspecified measures to maintain strategic balance in the region. China is unimpressed by Washington claims that the introduction of THAAD poses no threat to China.

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China also released video of its missile defense test.

Scuffle in the South China Sea #62

China has reiterated its claims to the South China Sea.

China has also stated it will prosecute 'trespassers' in the South China Sea. 

China continues to fly bombers over the South China Sea.

The undersea competition in the South China Sea.

Russia and China will be exercising in the South China Sea in September. 

Here is a snapshot of China's Southern Theater Command, the command responsible for the South China Sea.

And here's a look at Sino-ASEAN dialogues over the last 25 years.

The Philippines will be acquiring additional helicopters.

Some are claiming the roots of the modern Chinese territorial ambitions in the South China Sea stem from the Opium Wars.

Malaysia is participating in exercises with the US Navy.

Vietnamese forces are practicing retaking islands.

First Chinese Aircraft Carrier Embarked J-15s

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