Planul propus vine ca răspuns la retragerea Staţiei Spaţiale Internaţionale, şantierul urmând să fie folosit pentru asamblarea de navete spaţiale capabile să ajungă la Lună şi Marte.
Staţia Spaţială Internaţională este programată să se închidă în 2016, dar există discuţii pentru prelungirea activităţii până în 2020.
Nu numai europenii şi ruşii vor să asambeze navetele direct în spaţiu, ci şi NASA care şi-a exprimat interesul pentru contruirea navetelor viitoare direct pe orbită.
Majoritatea agenţiilor spaţiale din lume se vor întâlni în luna iuni la Haga, iar şantierul spaţial va fi pe agenda de discuţii.
The BMW 5 Series Concept, fist presented in February as a concept car, joins the brand's model line-up offering a mix of the luxurious interior of a BMW 7 Series and the functionality of a 5 Series Touring or X5.
The three turbo-charged engines are coupled with a new eight-speed automatic transmission.
The car has the second greatest amount of legroom offered by any BMW while headroom is equivalent to that of a BMW X5.
Luggage capacity can be enhanced from 440 litres up to 1,700 litres.
The BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo is available as either a four-seat Executive specification or in a five-seat SE configuration. An innovative feature is a two-piece tailgate which offers two ways of opening the rear of the vehicle depending on the objects needed to be stowed.
A more conventional saloon style boot opening provides access for smaller objects. This allows the cabin area to remain warm and without noise intrusion.
The hatch-style opening combined with a flexible partition comes into play should the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo owner wish to make full use of its load-lugging capacity.
The rear seats can be moved 100mm fore or aft to either increase boot space or provide greater legroom for rear seat passengers. With the rear seats moved forwards, the seat backs folded virtually flat and the parcel shelf removed and stowed beneath the luggage compartment floor, much bulkier items can then be transported.
The BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo goes on sale in October, 2009. Confirmed prices will be announced at a later date, but the range is expected to start from approximately 45,000 Euros (£40,000) for a BMW 530d SE GT.
Design
The familiar BMW kidney grilles and large air intakes hint at the car’s performance potential, while a roof line that curves downwards towards the rear and the frameless doors both give acoupé feel.
Inside, and the seats are all set in a semi-command driving position for the best mix of forward vision yet comfortable access. One of the key features is the height of the seats.
Potential customers have expressed a desire for the luxury of a BMW 7 Series but also the feeling of security and all round visibility a car with a command driving position such as the BMW X5 offers.
Black Panel technology allows the displays of the centre console to double as a stylish trim.
The electronic displays are visible through the Black Panel technology when needed, but are discreet enough to form a stylish black band across the interior.
Control switches in galvanised metal are set into the centre console by way of contrast.
Interior standard specification includes Dakota leather upholstery, four-zone air-conditioning, panoramic sunroof and metallic paint are included.
A USB audio interface, ambient lighting and heated front seats are also standard.
Technical Features
At launch the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo will be offered in three variants - 530d, a 535i and a 550i - all with turbocharged engines.
All cars come as standard with BMW’s new eight-speed automatic gearbox announced earlier this month on the 760Li.
EfficientDynamics technologies include Brake Energy Regeneration which recharges the vehicle’s battery during engine over-run is standard.
All cars come as standard with Drive Dynamic Control that allows the driver to fine tune the chassis configuration to suit their needs. Drivers will be able to specify Normal, Comfort, Sport and Sport+, with each setting changing the steering assistance, throttle response and gear change characteristics.
Double wishbone front suspension and an integral V rear axle with air suspension provide the occupants with a composed ride.
The Reversing Assist Camera , in conjunction with the Park Distance Control system, provides a 360 degree picture of the car when manoeuvring at slow speeds.
The Side View camera option allows drivers to pull out of blind junctions with confidence. A host of additional optional equipment from Night Vision with pedestrian recognition and Head-up Display to Active Cruise Control with Stop & Go can be specified.
We spotted Korean manufacturer UMID's new MID back in November, but now it's finally seeing release, with a few changed specs and a $599 pricetag. But it probably won't change MID-haters' minds.
Occupying that perennially awkward space between a smartphone and a netbook, the mbook M1, like the Viliv S5, packs standard netbook components into a teeny space while remaining too large to be pocketable. It's a nice enough design, and the price is fair, but the sacrifices made to keep the gadget small are sure to annoy owners. Everything's been miniaturized: The headphone jack is a 2.5mm rather than the standard 3.5mm, and it includes only a mini-USB port, so you'll need an adapter for both audio and hardware input. Even the expansion slot has been miniaturized from the cheap and ubiquitous SDHC to micro-SDHC. The 16GB version will run you $599, and doubling your storage will cost an extra $150.
It includes the standard Windows XP, Intel Atom 1.33MHz proc, a 16/32GB SSD, and 512MB of memory, with a 4.8" WVGA touchscreen at a reasonable 1024x600 resolution. In short, it's just about exactly the same guts as the Viliv S5, except with a keyboard and without the standard-size ports. Tiny, yes, but if you're not already pro-MID, the mbook M1 isn't going to convince you. [Dynamism]
The bike is up, then the bike is down. You sit on the bike upright in the city, then set it down to cruise in the suburbs. It’s intuitive. It’s wild. It’s a thesis project. It’s got a video to go with it. It’s already mocked up. The final version will have a battery and hubmotor for a little kick in the pants. Environmentally friendly city and country transportation in one bike.
Each frame is adjusted to the weight of the rider. The rider may ride in either mode forever, but if the rider wants to switch from one position to another, they’ve just to push the locking lever and lean forward or backward. The rider may change positions while continuing to ride the bike.
Info on the mockup movie, below:
This is the proof of concept mockup for a commuter bike with variable frame as part of the diploma thesis of the product-designers daniel knüpfer and stefan wallmann at anhalt university, dessau in mai 2008. In the concept, the frame can be locked by a lever on the handlebar, that feature is missing in the mockup. Also, the springs that help bringing the rider in an upright position need to be adjusted to the riders weight to balance the frame (making it possible to switch positions while leaning back or forth). these springs are too weak in this prototype, therefore the riders in the video need to push the backrest a little bit. only a very lightweight rider managed to bring himself up by simply leaning forward.
Vielen Dank, Deutschland.
Designer: Daniel Knuepfer and Stefan Wallmann
 | In a dynamic new portrayal of Arthur Conan Doyle’s most famous characters, “Sherlock Holmes” sends Holmes and his stalwart partner Watson on their latest challenge. Revealing fighting skills as lethal as his legendary intellect, Holmes will battle as never before to bring down a new nemesis and unravel a deadly plot that could destroy the country. Directed by: Guy Ritchie Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Rachel McAdams, Mark Strong, Kelly Reilly |
I've got to give this Q-Sound headphone concept from Shepeleff Stephen top marks for its design. Not only does it look great, it is also innovative in its use of solar technology.
After all, it makes sense to power Bluetooth headphones with a small solar panel stretched across the headband—an area that could be easily exposed to the sun. Outside of that, the Q-Sound would also be able to handle calls or plug into a 3.5mm jack should the need arise. All-in-all the Q-Sound is a great idea—a concept I can definitely see transitioning into a real-world product. [Ecofriend via Gizmag via Ubergizmo]
"Totul pentru mine, nimic pentru voi!". Aceasta este o parte din sloganul unui politician croat care a candidat la postul de primar al oraşului croat Prolozac. Acesta nu s-a sfiit să spună că intenţionează să fure cât poate, să mintă şi să facă tot posibilul ca să-i fie bine. Şi a avut efect.
Josko Kraljevic Risa a reuşit să treacă în cel de-al doilea tur de scrutin, după ce a acumulat 27.89% din voturi, scrie www.croatiantimes.com. Bătălia finală pentru postul de primar al oraşului croat se va da pe 31 mai, între acesta şi candidatul partidului democrat din Croaţia.
"Am fost sincer. Acest oraş va fi ca propria mea afacere. Dacă îmi vor ieşi bani din ea, voi face treabă. Dacă nu îmi ies, nu fac nimic", a spus croatul.
"Am fi fost furaţi indiferent cine ar fi preluat postul. Cel puţin el e sincer. În plus, ne-a spus că, dacă treburile vor merge bine pentru el, vor merge şi pentru noi", a explicat un alegător.
“Dacă eşti pasionat de jocuri, nu există o senzaţie mai bună decat cea oferită de gameboard-ul G13,” a precizat Camelia Barbălată, Country Manager Logitech pentru România.
“Spre deosebire de alte gameboard-uri ce se axează în principal pe programare, gameboard-ul avansat G13 încorporează principiile design-ului nostru premiat, Comfort Wave. Astfel, fie că joci World of Warcraft sau mergi la următoarea petrecere LAN, gameboard-ul G13 îţi oferă un avantaj considerabil faţă de cei care trebuie să se străduiască dublu, dispunând de mai puţine opţiuni.”
Gameboard G13 dispune de un ecran LCD de 160 x 43 pixeli care afişează statusuri de joc, informaţii despre sistem şi mesaje venite de la alţi jucători. G13 oferă de asemena setări pre-configurate pentru multe jocuri populare, incluzând World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade, Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare şi multe altele.
Gameboard-ul Logitech G13 este disponibil la un preţ recomandat de 79,99 Euro.
Compared to the production model, the track was widened by 90 millimeters (3.54 in) and the ride height lowered by 60 millimeters (2.36 in).
The power output of the 3.0 TFSI V6 engine has been increased from 245 kW (333 hp) to 300 kW (408 hp), allowing the Audi Q5 custom concept to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.4 seconds. Top speed is governed at 250 km/h (155 mph).
The brand’s appearance at the 28th Wörthersee Tour (from May 20-23) in Reifnitz, Kärnten (Austria), is dedicated to the centennial celebration “100 years of Audi.”
Among the events planned for the 3,000 square meter stand is the launch of an exclusive online idea contest for Audi accessories – the “Audi Customizing Club".
An “architectural” timeline guides those visiting the stand through the history of Audi as a carmaker.
This timeline ends at a stage in the form of a banked curve with cars from Audi’s current model lineup and a concept car.
Along the timeline itself are vehicles from various decades of Audi’s history - from the Audi 50 via the Ur-quattro to the Audi A2. Audi is showing a total of 20 vehicles at its stand.
Among the other showcase vehicles at Wörthersee are the coupe and roadster versions of the new Audi TT, the Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro, the GT3 race version of the R8, the 500 hp R8 LMS, the A1 Sportback concept featuring by a new hybrid powertrain.