By ALLAN HALL



Futuristic: Orbital Technologies has revealed plans for a space hotel, which could be open by 2016



Russia may have lost the first space race to America - but it is now on course to become the Thomas Cook of the Milky Way with a hotel among the stars.



Design plans were unveiled in Moscow this week by Orbital Technologies, the Russian company seeking to get wealthy tourists boldy going where they have never gone before.



So far only 500 people have been into space. Aside from a few very rich men willing to pay for the privilege, they have all been trained astronauts and cosmonauts.







Space tourism: The hotel room pods will be fitted with binoculars and cameras so guests can enjoy the spectacular intergalactic views





Orbital's chief executive Sergei Kostenko said his orbiting hotel will be 'far more comfortable' than the International Space Station. With room for seven guests in four cabins, visitors to the 706 cubic feet pod will be able to see the wonders of space through huge windows.



Called the CSS (Commercial Space Station) it will be built 217 miles above the earth and accessed via Russian Soyuz rockets.



Available for use as an emergency bolthole for astronauts aboard the manned space station, visitors will also be able to choose beds that are either vertical or horizontal - due to the weightlessness of space. And its showers will be totally sealed to stop water going where it shouldn't.





Space age: The rooms will also act as an emergency bothole for astronauts at the manned space station





Mr Kostenko said: 'Our planned module inside will not remind you of the ISS. A hotel should be comfortable inside, and it will be possible to look at the Earth through large portholes.



'The hotel will be aimed at wealthy individuals and people working for private companies who want to do research in space.'



Food will be suited to individual preferences, and celebrity chefs could be employed to cook the meals before they were sent into space.



Mr Kostenko added that 'a number of agreements on partnership have already been signed' and further funding was being sought from private enterprises.





Drop-off point: Guests will be sent in to the Commercial Space Station via Russian Soyuz rockets





Exclusive: The hotel will be aimed at wealthy individuals and people working for private companies who want to do research in space





Opening time: Orbital Technologies said it hoped the hotel will be up and running in just five years time





A five day stay is rumoured to cost £100,000.



Orbital Technologies is affiliated with RSC Energia, the prime Russian contractor for the International Space Station and the operator of all of the long line of Soviet and Russian space stations.



Mr Kostenko added that his space station would be up and running for tourists, hopefully by 2016, long before Virgin boss Richard Branson builds his.







Price: The amount spent on the project has not been revealed, but a five-day stay will cost around £100,000



source: dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Intrepid journey: A caver stands in front of a huge rock formation as the light shines beneath a skylight in Hang Son Doong

These are the breathtaking images which capture the hidden depths of the world's biggest cave passage, which still has left cavers still searching for its end.

Hidden in the depths of the Vietnamese jungle lies The Hang Son Doong, part of a network of over 150 caves.

Discovered by British cavers in 2009, the cave passage in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park was originally thought to be a modest 150 metres long and 200 feet high.


Wonderful waterfalls: A waterfall explodes into Hang Son Doong in the hidden depths of the Vietnamese jungle, which is part of a network of over 150 caves


But these remarkable images - taken during two further expeditions of the caves - show the previously undiscovered depths of the magnificent cave passage, now the largest in the world.

At a mammoth 2.5 miles long, 330ft wide and almost 800ft high, Hang Son Doong also known as Mountain River Cave, is as high as 25 double decker buses.

And as shown in these amazing images taken by photographer Carsten Peter, there is even a jungle concealed deep inside the cave.

Carsten from Munich, Germany, took the images in 2010 when he joined British and German cavers during further expeditions of the site.


Going underground: Expedition members enter the cave, tunnelled out by the Rao Thuong River in Vietnam - the cave was discovered in 2009


The purpose of the expedition was to make a complete exploration of Hang Son Doong and create a photographic record of the cave.

Cartsen, 52 said he spent up to two weeks at a time deep inside the caves, where he slept with just a sleeping bag and spent his time exploring and photographing the secret underground world.

He said: ‘We discovered new parts of the cave, it's a huge area so to find them and access them is very difficult.

‘Photographing caves of this size is a challenge, it needs a lot of preparation.


Gigantic proportions: At a mammoth 2.5 miles long, 330ft wide and almost 800ft high, Hang Son Doong also known as Mountain River Cave, is as high as 25 double decker buses


‘But it's a great feeling to photograph a newly discovered cave, for me I see the cave for the first time when I see the photographs.

‘I love to explore, I have been in some great caves in my lifetime and this is one of the most magnificent.

‘I've been a photographer and explorer for the last 35 years and I've visited so many caves, I've lost count.

‘But this is by far one of the most unique and unusual caves I have ever seen.
‘To see a cave so large it has a forest inside is superb - it was overwhelming.’

source: dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER


Window on the world: Gone are the small aircraft windows in the 'vitalising zone' which provides a panoramic view for passengers


With its see-through aircraft cabin, passengers of the future will get a get a window on the world as they fly through the sky.

For this plane with it's 'intelligent' cabin wall membrane and interactive games, may be everyday air transport in 2050.

The futuristic concept for travel in 40 years time has been unveiled in London by planemakers Airbus - and it'll terrify those who already have a fear of flying.


Flight of fancy? An artist's impression of an X-ray of an 'intelligent' concept cabin of an aircraft of the future


First, business and economy cabins are replaced by zones for relaxation in the front, work in the back, and a fully-stocked bar for socialising.

Passengers will be able to see everything to the sides and in front of them. So blindfolds might be handy come take-off and landing time.

The aircraft's walls change according to light conditions. There are holographic pop-up gaming displays and in-flight entertainment powered by the heat of passengers' bodies.

The technology could mean travellers might even be able to read bedtime stories to their children back home.

Most of the basic technology such as moulding seats and 'head-up displays' already exist, but how Airbus plan to make the plant-based, transparent 'skin' of the plane remains a mystery.


Starry skies: The cabin wall membrane controls air temperature and can become transparent to give passengers views throughout the day and night


Voyage of discovery: Artist's impression of how the aircraft of 2050 will look on the outside at night


The concept cabin would be a bionic structure that 'mimics' the efficiency of bird bone, claim Airbus.

It would provide strength where needed, and also allows for an 'intelligent' cabin wall membrane which controls air temperature and can become transparent to give passengers open, panoramic views.

Airbus believes that mid-century passengers might be able to enjoy a game of virtual golf or take part in interactive conferences, while the cabin 'identifies and responds' to travellers’ needs.

The cabin of the future follows last year’s unveiling of the Airbus concept plane, packed with technologies to reduce fuel burn, emissions, waste and noise.

In the cabin concept, the 'vitalising zone' helps passengers relax, with vitamin and antioxidant-enriched air, mood lighting, aromatherapy and acupressure treatments.


Anyone seen my ball? Passengers will be able to play virtual golf in the interaction zone on the plane


Airbus engineering executive vice-president Charles Champion said: 'Our research shows that passengers of 2050 will expect a seamless travel experience while also caring for the environment.

'The concept cabin is designed with that in mind, and shows that the journey can be as much a voyage of discovery as the destination.'


Sky's the limit: Charles Champion, Airbus's Executive Vice President of Engineering, unveils the Airbus Concept Cabin at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London

source: dailymail

By GRAHAM SMITH

You'll believe an ape can talk: A five-second preview from the forthcoming Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes took the Internet by storm yesterday. Today a full trailer was unveiled to awestruck science-fiction fans


The original 1960s film was a milestone in prosthetic make-up effects.

Now the latest instalment in the Planet Of The Apes franchise is taking another giant step forward in depicting 'realism' in fantasy cinema.

A five-second preview clip of Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes posted online yesterday, left awestruck science-fiction fans clamouring for more. Today, the full trailer was unveiled.


Spellbinding: Filmmakers have made liberal use of CGI technology to create what looks to be the most realistic depiction yet of a humanised ape


Pop culture icon: Roddy McDowall as Cornelius in Escape From The Planet Of The Apes, the third film in the franchise


Yesterday's tantalisingly brief segment shows an actor - who could be Andy Serkis as Caesar, the part made famous by Roddy McDowall in the original films - in his ape 'make-up'.

This close-up comes at the end of the full trailer for the new prequel, which shows how apes in the present day came to be supremely intelligent beings who take over Earth.


The new prequel, which shows how apes in the present day came to be supremely intelligent beings who take over Earth, stars James Franco (right) as a scientist conducting experiments on the animals


Filmmakers have made liberal use of CGI technology to create what looks to be the most realistic depiction yet of a humanised ape.

By using motion-capture technology - which records and analyses information from markers stuck onto the actor's body, and infrared lights which illuminate him - the special effects team is able to track motion and force.

This 'MoCap' technique has been used in many recent blockbusters, including the Lord Of The Rings trilogy for translating Serkis' movements into Gollum.


Calm before the storm: WETA Digital, an Oscar-winning visual effects company who worked on Avatar, is responsible for the new film's effects


Even the CGI effects in Tim Burton's 2001 remake Planet Of The Apes look dated when placed alongside the new effect.

Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes stars James Franco, Freida Pinto, John Lithgow and Brian Cox and is scheduled for an August release in the U.S.


Rising star: The film also features Freida Pinto (pictured) and veteran acrtors John Lithgow and Brian Cox


Apes escape: What looks to be the start of a simian rampage begins


Too close for comfort? An ape watches over Pinto and Franco asleep in bed


Summer blockbuster? The new film is scheduled for an August release in the U.S.


Big budget: Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes promises to be an action-packed, special effects-driven extravaganza


Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) - Trailer (HD)



source: dailymail

By GRAHAM SMITH


Air show: Virgin America's A320 Airbus (left) flies in tandem with White KnightTwo, carrying SpaceShipTwo, over San Francisco Bay yesterday


San Francisco International Airport's Terminal 2 will be home to both Virgin America and Virgin Galactic


Even by Virgin's standards it was a markedly grand opening ceremony.

The new Virgin America A320 Airbus yesterday flew over San Francisco in tandem with WhiteKnightTwo, a carrier aircraft holding SpaceShipTwo, the world's first commercial passenger spaceship.

The planes were en route to land at San Francisco International Airport to become the first aircraft to arrive at the redeveloped £238million ($388million) Terminal 2, which officially opens on April 14.

Guests onboard the A320 - aptly named My Other Ride Is A Spaceship - included Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson and legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin.


City by the bay: The planes were en route to land at San Francisco International Airport to become the first aircraft to arrive at its redeveloped Terminal 2, which officially opens on April 14


Virgin America will occupy seven gates at the new terminal. American Airlines will occupy six gates and there will be one common-use gate.

David Cush, Virgin America spokesman, said: 'We’re proud to unveil a new home that similarly reinvents the travel experience for the modern flyer - and that also reflects the innovative, forward-looking spirit of our San Francisco home.'


Star-studded: Guests onboard the A320 (left) included Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson and legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin


Terminal 2 will also be the home of Virgin Galactic, the world's first commercial spaceline.

Carrier craft WhiteKnightTwo represents a giant leap forward in aerospace design and will enable access to space for private individuals and academic researchers.

The world’s largest all carbon composite aviation vehicle and the most fuel efficient aircraft of its size, WhiteKnightTwo possesses the high-altitude heavy-lift capability to air-release the world’s first commercial manned spaceship – SpaceShipTwo – on its journey into sub-orbital space.

SpaceShipTwo is a rocket-powered space plane, which is intended to air-launch via a ground-breaking feather re-entry system.


WhiteKnightTwo (top) carries SpaceShipTwo, a rocket-powered space plane intended to air-launch via a ground-breaking feather re-entry system


Virgin Galactic spokesman George Whitesides said: 'Virgin America has the most advanced and carbon-efficient commercial fleet in the U.S. and when it touches down today at its new home it will share the runway with the future of commercial aerospace – SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo.

'We’re proud that two Virgin-branded companies can link the cutting-edge present to the future of commercial aviation. It is also fitting that yesterday’s flights are helping to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and aviators.'

Virgin Galactic's flight test program is set to run throughout this year before passenger travel is scheduled to begin in 2012.

SpaceShipTwo will be carried to an altitude of about 50,000ft and then released by the mothership.

Powered by a single rocket motor, the spaceship will be flown by a crew of two and carry six passengers on a Mach 3 thrill ride through the edge of the atmosphere for a brief zero-gravity experience and views of the Earth far below before gliding to a landing.


Looking to the future: Virgin Galactic's flight test program is set to run throughout this year before passenger travel is scheduled to begin in 2012

Such suborbital flights are similar to the 1961 flights of Mercury astronauts Alan Shepard and Virgil Grissom - up into space and then back down without circling Earth.
But by launching SpaceShipTwo from a high-flying carrier aircraft, there's no need for the massive rockets that propelled the Mercury capsules.

Motherships have been used for decades by Nasa and the military for 'captive-carry' tests and launches of such craft as the X-15 rocket planes.

The novel part of its design is its 'carefree re-entry' system.

SpaceShipTwo has tailbooms extending rearward from its wings. In space, the booms pivot upward to a 65-degree angle. The position causes drag and slows the descent in the upper atmosphere before the booms pivot back to horizontal.



Guided tour: Sir Richard Branson is shown around San Francisco International Airport's Terminal 2 by its architect Arthur Gensler (left)


Virgin Galactic over San Francisco Bay



source: dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Online hit: Twins Sam and Ren McEntee, aged just 17 months, enjoy a lively exchange in which they laugh, raise their hands emphatically and nod their heads


A home video of two babies engaged in an animated conversation in a kitchen has become an Internet phenomenon.

The two-minute clip shows twin brothers Sam and Ren McEntee, aged just 17 months and barely able to stand, enjoying a lively exchange in which they laugh, raise their hands emphatically and nod their heads.

So far the footage has attracted a staggering 9.4million views on YouTube.

This is probably because the boys' conversation is so adult in its mannerisms and they appear to genuinely understand what each other is saying.

Transfixed viewers even made suggestions as to what the brothers might be talking about - before comments on the video were disabled.

Suggestions had included one brother telling the other 'That diaper is so 2010', before receiving a response of 'If you're so smart, where is your other sock, Einstein?'

The babies' mother Abby has a blog, twinmamarama.com, on which she writes about her experiences as a twin sister raising twin boys.


Good times: The home video has been watched almost ten million times


Mrs McEntee wrote on Wednesday: 'We've had a fascinating time seeing language blooming around here. Now the experts weigh in on this kind of twin language.

'I remember my own folks talking about my sister and I sending out verbal signals (essentially squeaks and shouts) in an attempt to pinpoint the location of our twin sister around the house!'

Child development specialists have even chimed in to say how natural and healthy it is for babies to develop language skills as they mature.


An early 15 minutes? The brothers arrive to make in Times Square, New York, to make an appearance on Good Morning America this week


Professor Karen Thorpe, of the Queensland University of Technology’s School of Psychology and Counselling, told ABC News: 'Babies are wired for communication from the start and we see here a fine example of how sophisticated and beautiful communication in even young children can be.'

The broadcaster also reported that 40 per cent of twins develop what appears to be their own language.

However, they are mimicking sounds and mannerisms that they have heard or seen, rather than actually understanding what each other is saying.


twin baby boys have a conversation - OFFICIAL VIDEO



source: dailymail

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Miniature replicas of a Jaguar E-Type and a Porsche Speedster, with top speeds of 46 miles per hour. The tiny cars, which are half the size of the original, took over 450 hours to make and come with a 110cc petrol engine or an electric motor


These £10,000 miniature replicas of a Jaguar E-Type and a Porsche Speedster are perfect for squeezing into the tightest of parking spaces - and can still reach pretty impressive top speeds of 46 miles per hour.

The tiny cars, which are half the size of the original, took over 450 hours to make and come with a 110cc petrol engine or an electric motor.

Engineering firm Pocket Classics also makes 'tribute' versions of the Mercedes 300SL, Willys Jeep and Bugatti Type-35.

A full size Bugatti would cost up to £1.5 million and the others could set you back £200,000 each but these handmade miniatures are priced between £6,995 and £9,995.

Their makers claim they are designed to be the 'best toy in the world' and, at 7ft 6ins long and 3ft wide, they are just big enough for an adult to drive.

The replicas are fully serviceable and most come with working lights, horn, indicators, adjustable seats and disc brakes.


The handmade miniature cars by engineering firm Pocket Classics - some of which can be driven by children as young as four - are priced between £6,995 pounds and £9,995


The petrol models deliver a staggering 250 miles per gallon and have a semi-automatic gear box with three gears, plus reverse.

The electric motors, which have a top speed of 14mph, will do up to two hours on a single one-hour charge.

They all have eight- or ten-inch tyres and weigh up to 200kg.
Some can be driven by children as young as four and others by children as young as six.


The car makers claim their vehicles are designed to be the 'best toy in the world' and, at 7ft 6ins long and 3ft wide, they are just big enough for an adult to drive


Ben Hedley, of Pocket Classics, said: 'Our cars offer luxury motoring at a fraction of the price and size of the original models.

'We like to think of them as the best toy in the world for grown-ups - they are designed to be big enough for an adult to drive.

'When you get an adult behind the wheel they immediately revert to being a big kid - their eyes light up, they have a huge smile on their face and you can see they are having a lot of fun.

'The vehicles handle very well and are great to race

'We are not associated with any of the original manufacturers so can't say they are exact replicas but if you put them side by side they are a very good match.
'They are a tribute to the original.

'Many of our customers already own the real thing and want a smaller version for their children to drive or to put on display in their home.

'They often add their own manufacturer's badge too.'

The models are not road legal but can be driven on private property.
Cars can be built to a buyer's exact specification with any combination of interior and exterior colour.

source: dailymail