The Guardian today - Australia edition

View in browser

the guardian today - Australia edition Wednesday 30 Aug 2017 Headlines More » Tony Abbott accuses Liberal MPs of off-the-record 'hatchet job' over $120,000 travel bill Former PM says colleagues' complaints about his expenses part of 'nasty games' that are making it harder for the government to get its message across Tropical storm Harvey: Houston mayor imposes curfew – live North Korea's Kim Jong-un says missile launch a prelude to 'containing Guam' Man born and raised in UK told he is not a British citizen Boat carrying alleged people smugglers and Chinese men landed on Queensland island Transgender troops can stay in US military for now, James Mattis says Sport More » Australia manoeuvre into winning position in first Test against Bangladesh Critical moment for Australian football awaits bullish Socceroos in Japan | Jonathan Howcroft West Indies' Shai Hope makes history in thrilling Test win over England US Open first round: Roger Federer v Frances Tiafoe – live! Arsenal rebuff Manchester City's £50m cash offer for Alexis Sánchez Culture More » Welcome to the House of Dior: from the New Look to Miranda Kerr's wedding dress Sinister donkeys and royal wedding commemorative bins: your ugliest ugly treasures Amal Awad: 'Arab women don't need westerners to give them a voice' Comment is free More » 'Don't be cruel. Please.' Navigating the marriage equality debate North Korea's missiles can be stopped – but not by 'fire and fury' | John Nilsson-Wright Leftists are rewriting history to suit their gender-fluid Aboriginal industry agenda | First Dog on the Moon Life and style More » Why corduroy-loving geography teachers are right on trend From hangover armour to 'seduction uniforms': the only five outfits you'll ever need 10 of the best lakeside towns and villages in Europe Technology More » Stormfront: 'murder capital of internet' pulled offline after civil rights action Uber pulls U-turn on controversial tracking of users after trip has ended Science More » Sport doping study revealing wider usage published after 'scandalous' delay Why fentanyl could become the UK's most dangerous drug Environment More » Under pressure: the story behind China's ivory ban Koala takes a ride in a canoe to escape rising river – video Video More » Australia Day 'excludes us', Dan Sultan says on Q&A – video Tony Abbott admits sleeping through 2009 stimulus debate after boozy night – video Four hurt in baseball bat attack at Australian university – video Most viewed in last 24 hours More » Trump reportedly axes loyal aide over patchy crowd at Phoenix rally George Gigicos reportedly told he would never manage a Trump rally again after president voiced displeasure at visible gaps in the audience My life in a religious cult: 'The most dangerous place in the world is the womb of an ungodly woman' Abbott's opposition to marriage equality will cost the Liberals for years to come | Jeff Sparrow Tourists doubting value of trip to Great Barrier Reef, dive operator tells inquiry 'A blot on the landscape': Queensland calls time on racist place names Usborne apologises for puberty book that says breasts exist to make girls 'look grown-up and attractive' Sport Culture Comment is free Guardian News & Media Limited - a member of Guardian Media Group PLC. Registered Office: Kings Place, 90 York Way, London, N1 9GU. Registered in England No. 908396

Breaking News | Soyuz launch customers search for cause of cubesat failures

August 29, 2017 View this email in your browser Soyuz launch customers search for cause of cubesat failures SAN FRANCISCO —Four of the 72 miniature satellites sent into orbit July 14 on a Russian Soyuz 2.1a rocket alongside the primary customer, the Kanopus-V-IK Russian Earth-imaging satellite, are not responding to commands from their operators and two additional cubesats are not in their intended orbits. Dauria Aerospace, Russia's first privately owned and operated satellite manufacturing company, announced Aug. 29 that it has been unable to establish contact with the two MKA-N cubesats the firm designed and built for the Russian state space corporation Roscosmos. SpaceNews has learned that two additional cubesats, the Moscow Aviation Institute's Iskra-MAI-85 and Moscow State University's Cosmo Mayak, are not responding to commands from their operators. In addition, one of Spire Global's eight Lemur-2 satellites and one of Earth-observation company Planet's Flock 2k Doves are not in their intended orbits. See Full Story Sponsored by Delivering Affordable, Intelligent Solutions: Honeywell has unequalled expertise in developing and manufacturing hardware and systems to meet the high performance demands of space missions. We are helping to create the next generation of space flight excellence. Copyright © 2017 SpaceNews Inc., All rights reserved. Our mailing address is: SpaceNews Inc. 1414 Prince St, Suite 204 Alexandria, VA 22314

NASA Digest, Vol 51, Issue 14

	August 29, 2017  MEDIA ADVISORY M17-101 NASA Cancels Planned Media Availabilities with Astronauts As Tropical Storm Harvey continues along the Gulf Coast, NASA has canceled a planned Aug. 30 question and answer session with astronaut Peggy Whitson aboard the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik took this photo of the storm Aug. 28 from the orbiting laboratory. Credits: NASA Due to the ongoing effects of Tropical Storm Harvey in Houston, NASA has canceled an in-flight question and answer session with astronaut Peggy Whitson aboard the International Space Station. Additionally, due to a change in the crew training schedule, live satellite interviews with NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Joe Acaba in Russia also have been canceled.   NASA previously planned a 30-minute news conference with Whitson on Wednesday, Aug. 30 – her final media event before returning to Earth after spending more than nine months aboard the space station. NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, where the space station mission control is located, has been closed to all but mission essential personnel since Aug. 25, and staff will not be able to support the in-flight event.   Whitson launched to the space station on Nov. 17, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and is set to return Saturday, Sept. 2. She will land in Kazakhstan at 9:22 p.m. (7:22 a.m. Kazakhstan time on Sept. 3) along with NASA's Jack Fischer and cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos. Fischer and Yurchikhin have been Whitson's crewmates since they arrived at the station in April.   Live satellite interviews with Vande Hei and Acaba from the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, where the pair will make final preparations for launch, were previously planned for Friday, Sept. 1. The astronauts, along with cosmonaut Alexander Misurkin of Roscosmos, will launch on a Russian Soyuz MS-06 spacecraft at 5:17 p.m. on Sept. 12. They are scheduled to return to Earth in February.   Learn more about the International Space Station and its crew members at: http://www.nasa.gov/station
	Press Contacts Cheryl Warner Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov Brandi Dean Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 brandi.k.dean@nasa.gov

	August 30, 2017  MEDIA ADVISORY M17-102 NASA's Johnson Space Center Closes Through Labor Day for Tropical Storm Harvey Aerial view of the Johnson Space Center NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston will remain closed to all but mission essential personnel through Labor Day due to the effects of now-Tropical Storm Harvey. The center originally closed Aug. 25 and will reopen Tuesday, Sept. 5. The center's leadership team continues to closely monitor weather conditions and the overall situation in Houston, and is preparing a full assessment of the center's status once the storm abates. "Our primary concern is the safety of our employees and all our fellow Houstonians," said Johnson Director Ellen Ochoa. "We're taking these measures to ensure the members of our team and their families can take care of themselves and their neighbors." The closing allows employees to avoid treacherous road conditions, and to attend to the needs of their families. It also allows the center to focus on the highest priority mission activities, including the landing of three International Space Station crew members this weekend in Kazakhstan. Flight control for the International Space Station continues in Johnson's Mission Control Center in Houston. Mission control is expected to remain in operation throughout this period. All backup systems required to maintain the James Webb Space Telescope, which is at Johnson for testing, were checked prior to the arrival of the storm, and are ready for use, if necessary. Space Center Houston, the official visitor center for Johnson, has announced it will extend its closure through Friday, Sept. 1. The visitor center's leadership is monitoring conditions and will announce Saturday's operating hours on Friday.  For more about Space Center Houston, go to: http://spacecenter.org For information about NASA's Johnson Space Center, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/johnson
	Press Contacts Allard Beutel Headquarters, Washington 202-358-2191 allard.beutel@nasa.gov Kelly Humphries Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111 kelly.o.humpries@nasa.gov

Geomagnetic Storm Watch (G1-class)

Space Weather News for August 30, 2017 http://spaceweather.com https://www.facebook.com/spaceweatherdotcom GEOMAGNETIC STORM IN THE OFFING: A canyon-shaped hole has opened in the sun's atmosphere, and it is spewing a stream of high-speed solar wind toward Earth. NOAA forecasters say there is a 30% chance of polar geomagnetic storms (G1-class) when the gaseous material reaches our planet on August 31st. High-latitude sky watchers should be alert for auroras this Thursday and Friday. Visit Spaceweather.com for photos and updates. Remember, SpaceWeather.com is on Facebook! Above: This canyon-shaped "coronal hole" is a region in the sun's atmosphere where the sun's magnetic field has opened up, allowing solar wind to escape. Credit: NASA/SDO/Spaceweather.com Share Tweet Forward Copyright © 2017 Spaceweather.com, All rights reserved.