Gizmorama
January 17, 2011
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Don't be a victim of Identity Theft. Protect yourself today!
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Good Morning,
The last article of this issue takes a look at Earth's
average temperatures in this century as compared to those
of the 20th century. Our planet has experienced the two
hottest years in its history in the last decade!
Until Next Time,
Erin
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China first in wind power capacity
BEIJING - China has surpassed the United States as the coun-
try with the largest wind power installation in the world,
China's state-run news agency Xinhua reports. China installed
16 gigawatts of wind power capacity in 2010, a 62 percent
increase from the previous year, said the Chinese Renewable
Energy Industries Association, Xinhua reports.That brings
the country's total installed capacity to 41.8 gigawatts,
giving China -- the world's top emitter of greenhouse gases
-- the potential to replace 31.3 million tons of coal,
slashing emissions of more than 90 million tons of carbon
dioxide, Xinhua reports. The United States, by contrast, in-
stalled about 5 gigawatts of new wind-power capacity in 2010,
bringing its total installed capacity to 40.2 gigawatts, says
the Global Wind Energy Council. Yet China's grid-connected
capacity lags behind installed capacity by more than 30 per-
cent, CREIA says, which is considerably higher than the 10
percent gap in advanced countries and affects wind power
efficiency. To translate the country's wind power installa-
tions into massive utilization, Greenpeace said the govern-
ment must introduce effective incentive policies and comp-
letely overhaul the national grid.
Study: Moon water likely from comets
MIDDLETOWN, Conn. - Water found on the moon probably came
from comets that bombarded the lunar surface after its forma-
tion, U.S. scientists say. Researchers led by James Greenwood,
a professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Wesleyan
University in Middletown, Conn., analyzed the chemical prop-
erties of water in lunar rock samples collected by NASA
astronauts during Apollo moon landings between 1969 and 1972,
SPACE.com reported Monday. This moon water has the same
properties as those of three known comets, the researchers
said. Greenwood's team found the chemical properties of the
lunar water were similar to those that had been measured in
three comets: Hyakutake, Hale-Bopp and Halley. "If comets
delivered the majority of water to the moon, an inescapable
result is that the Earth also received a large cometary input
to its oceans," Greenwood said. "This may end up solving one
of the great questions of our field, namely the origins of
the Earth's oceans."
Deal expands commercial travel to ISS
VIENNA, Va. - A U.S. company, Space Adventures, says it
struck a deal to offer tourists a chance to go to the Inter-
national Space Station. The arrangement between Space Adven-
tures, the Russian Federal Space Agency and Rocket Space
Corporation Energia designates three seats on the Soyuz
spacecraft for commercial passengers, the Vienna, Va., com-
pany said Wednesday in a release. Space Adventures didn't
disclose its financial arrangement or how much it will charge
its customers. The flights will last about 10 days and will
contribute to the increase of launch capacity to the space
station, the company said. "We are extremely excited to
announce this agreement and would like to thank our Russian
partners in increasing Soyuz production and providing Space
Adventures these well sought-after transportation services on
the only commercially available manned spacecraft currently
in operation," Space Adventures Chairman Eric Anderson said.
"We have been speaking with these parties about science,
education and multi-media programs ... ." Space Adventures
became known 10 years ago with the launch of Dennis Tito, the
world's first privately funded space explorer. Since then,
the company has arranged seven more missions to the space
station. "Cumulatively, our clients have spent almost three
months in space, traveling over 36 million miles," Anderson
said. "(They) have been true ambassadors in sharing their
experience and explaining to millions of people around the
world why it's important to explore space."
NOAA: 2010 ties as Earth's warmest year
WASHINGTON - Last year tied with 2005 as the warmest year
based on global surface temperature, data from the National
Climatic Data Center indicates. The Earth's temperature 1.12
degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average, USA Today
reported Wednesday. The data indicated warmer-than-average
temperatures were recorded for most of the globe's surface.
The warmest temperatures were reported in high-latitude re-
gions of the northern hemisphere, Canada, Alaska, the tropical
region Atlantic Ocean, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and
northern Africa. Nine of the 10 warmest years on record have
occurred since 2001, USA Today reported. Last year also was
the 34th straight year that global temperatures were above
average.
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