WebProNews

Tag: probe

  • Moon Mission Launch: NASA’s LADEE, A Success

    Moon Mission Launch: NASA’s LADEE, A Success

    Yesterday, NASA launched a new moon probe, which has the technical name of Lunar Atmospheric Environment Explorer (LADEE). It was launched late on Friday night, September 6, and lived up to all of the hype and then more. The probe was launched from the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia. It is always quite a sight to see something being launched into space, but objects like this one continue to be more impressive and advanced, each time they are built.

    This new probe is scheduled to observe the atmosphere of Earth’s natural satellite for around 160 days, according to International Business Times. While the launch was viewed as a success, the space agency did note a technical issue after the spacecraft had separated from the launch vehicle.

    Just hours after the launch, officials announced that the spacecraft’s reaction wheels had unexpectedly shut down, says NBC News. The reaction wheels are used to position and stabilize LADEE, and were turned on as it was spinnig too fast after separating from the Minotaur V Rocket. The team behind LADEE’s production will analyze the spacecraft as part of a routine checkout and NASA could spend more time in order to figure out what caused the incident to happen.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtB0tl5vYrY

    LADEE, which is only the size of a small car, is expected to reach the moon on October 6. A couple of the main goal’s of LADEE’s are to finally learn the composition of the Moon’s delicate atmosphere, and how it might change over time. Another unsolved puzzle is whether dust actually levitates from the Moon’s surface. A thorough understanding of these characteristics will address long-standing unknowns, allowing scientists to understand other planetary bodies as well, according to NASA. The mission is divided into missions phases, which include Launch, Ascent, Activation and Checkout, Phasing Orbits, Lunar Orbit Insertion, Commissioning, Science, and Decommissioning.

    The spacecraft is supposed to take 30 days to reach the Moon and will perform its lunar atmosphere and dust mission for approximately 100 days. It will also test a new laser communications system that NASA has described as being like a new type of interplanetary internet.

    Image via Facebook

  • More Backlash From Google’s New Privacy Policy

    More concern over Google’s announcement of new privacy policies, this time from prominent lawmaker Edward Markey. He’s demanding a probe into Google’s management of consumer data.

    This comes after yesterday’s issuance of a letter to Google from a group of lawmaker’s demanding clarification about consumer’s rights under the new policies.

    Markey Google+%289to5+Google+-+Beyond+Good+and+Evil%29″>demands that the Federal Communications Commission investigate further what options users will have in regard to how their personal information can be managed:

    “…All consumers should have the right to say no to sharing of their personal information, particularly when young people are involved. Google’s new privacy policy should enable consumers to opt-out if they don’t want their use of YouTube to morph into YouTrack.”

    “Consumers – not corporations – should have control over their own personal information, especially for children and teens. I plan to ask the Federal Trade Commission whether Google’s planned changes to its privacy policy violate Google’s recent settlement with the agency.”

    A blog post from Google Policy Manager Betsy Masiello addressed just that issue on Thursday:

    “We’re not collecting more data about you. Our new policy simply makes it clear that we use data to refine and improve your experience on Google.”

    So we will have to wait to see what the response will be from Google on whether user’s can opt-out of these policies or if there is control over what is done with our personal information. Google has already responded to related inquires about changes to Government and enterprise services offered at Google and if they would be affected by the new policies.

  • DOJ To Probe Apple’s Music Dominance

    DOJ To Probe Apple’s Music Dominance

    The U.S. Department of Justice is in the early stages of an investigation into how Apple runs its digital music business, according to several reports. While the probe is broad in scope, reportedly of particular interest to the Feds are alleged heavy handed tactics used against labels that participated in Amazon’s Daily Deal promotion, which Hypebot reported in early March.

    In 2009, Amazon began asking labels to give it a 1 day exclusive and digital marketing support as part of the Daily Deal package. "When that happened iTunes said, enough of that shit," and began threatening to bury releases that had been featured on it competitor.

    Once a beloved and scrappy upstart, the DOJ investigation is further confirmation that Apple’s image is shifting to that of corporate behemoth. According to NPD Group data, Apple is the dominant retailer of music downloads in the U.S. with 69% of the market and Amazon is second with just 8%. When physical product is factored in, Apples is still #1 with 26.7% of sales.

    “Certainly if the Justice Department is getting involved, it raises the possibility of potential serious problems down the road for Apple,” Daniel L. Brown, an antitrust lawyer at Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton told the New York Times.

    Inside Amazon’s Daily Deal

    image from www.hypebot.com The Daily Deal has been, for all practical purposes, a free promotion subsidized by Amazon. If accepted into the  program, artists and labels are asked for a one day exclusive. During that 24 hours Amazon aggressively discounts the title to between $1.99 and $3.99. In part, to keep each sale eligible to be counted on the major charts, Amazon actually reimburses the labels at the normal wholesale price. In effect, subsidizing about $3 of each purchase.  Amazon MP3 also features the title on its web pages and to the 1.4 million that follow the Daily Deal on Twitter.

    Unlike the old price and positioning charges at brick and mortar retail, Amazon and most other online retailers do not charge labels for these promotions.  In the case of the Daily Deal, artists and labels are only asked to promote the release via their web sites, email lists and social networks.

    Some label executives worried that deep discounts cannibalized early sales that would have happened at full price. But one major label group recently told its labels that its own studies had shown that as much as 95% of all Daily Deal sales were incremental and would never have happened without the discount.

    Apple Fought Back

    Steve Jobs has often attempted to position himself as a champion of music and Apple as music’s savior. But not this time.

    Starting early last year, Jobs & Co. reportedly made it clear to almost every major and indie record label that participation in Amazon’s Daily Deal would cost then dearly at iTunes. Afraid of Apple’s power, most labels capitulated.

    Comments