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Ancient knife proves longer astronomical history www.chinaview.cn 2005-03-12 09:51:05 XINING, March 12 (Xinhuanet) -- Archaeologists in northwest China's Qinghai province claimed that a 5,000-year-old stone knife with designs of constellations will extend China's history of astronomical observation by 1,000 years. The finely-polished stone knife, six centimeters long and threecentimeters wide, was unearthed at the Laomao Ruins, a New Stone Age site nine kilometers west of Lamao Village in Qinghai. Archaeologists also unearthed many other relics from the site including pottery pieces, stone and bone tools. Liu Baoshan, head of the Qinghai Provincial Cultural Relics andArchaeology Research Institute, said seven holes...

Probe to 'look inside' asteroids By Paul Rincon BBC News Online science staff in Paris, France Studies of asteroids would aid Earth-protection strategies A new space mission concept unveiled at a Paris conference aims to look inside asteroids to reveal how they are made. Deep Interior would use radar to probe the origin and evolution of two near-Earth objects less than 1km across. The mission, which could launch some time later this decade, would also give clues to how the planets evolved. The perceived threat of asteroids colliding with our planet has renewed interest in space missions to understand these...

---------------------------------------------------------------------- VANDENBERG AFB LAUNCH SCHEDULE As of 2003 April 9 This schedule is a composite of unclassified information from government, industry, and other reliable sources. The dates and times may not agree with those posted on the official Vandenberg AFB launch schedule (mocc.vandenberg.af.mil/launchsched.asp). Launch Time/Window Date (PST/PDT) Vehicle Pad/Silo -------- ----------- ---------- -------- JUN 1 ~12:00 Pegasus XL Offshore Payload is OrbView 3 commercial reconnaissance satellite. Pegasus will be air-launched from an L-1011 staged from Vandenberg AFB JUN Unannounced Minuteman III LF-04 ICBM test launch (non-orbital). Payload is at least one unarmed warhead. Impact area is near Kwajalein in the...