Qatar Airways joins oneworld

• World's premier alliance adds one of the world's most admired and fastest growing airlines • Only one of the major Gulf carriers to join a global airline alliance • Positions oneworld as leading alliance in one of world's fastest growing regions for air travel  • Qatar Airways 777 in oneworld livery is first aircraft to 'land' at Doha's new Hamad Airport • Qatar's Prime Minister joins VIPs from around the world at joining ceremony at new hub • Double miles promotion for frequent flyers to celebrate • oneworld Visit Middle East pass launched to promote travel throughout region • Latest landmark in oneworld's biggest yet membership expansion drive Qatar Airways becomes part of oneworld® at midnight Doha time tonight, adding one of the world's fastest growing and most highly rated airlines to the world's fastest growing and most highly rated global airline alliance.   From its first flights tomorrow morning – QR633 which leaves Dhaka for Doha at 03.15 local (00.15 Doha time) and the QR1166 from Doha for Riyadh, leaving five minutes later at 00.20 Doha time – Qatar Airways will be offering oneworld's full range of services and benefits.   It joins oneworld just one year after receiving its invitation to join, which makes its induction into oneworld one of the fastest in the alliance's history.  A more typical timeline for an airline to comply with the many membership requirements of oneworld is 18-24 months. For Qatar Airways, joining oneworld marks the latest achievement in its 16-year history.  One of just seven carriers worldwide rated five-star by the Skytrax airline quality agency and the organisation's Airline of the Year 2011 and 2012 and runner-up 2013, Qatar Airways is the only one of the major Gulf carriers to join any of the global airline alliances.   Becoming part of oneworld, which holds more "best alliance" awards than any of its competitors, will strengthen Qatar Airways' competitiveness, enabling it to offer customers an unrivalled alliance global network served by partners that include leading airlines from every region. Qatar Airways, which serves more than 130 destinations in 70 countries across the Middle East, Europe, Africa, North and South America, Asia and Australasia, is oneworld's second member airline based in the Middle East.  It makes oneworld the leading alliance in one of the world's fastest growing regions for air travel demand. More than 20 of its destinations and five countries – Ethiopia, Iran, Rwanda, Serbia and Tanzania – will be new to the oneworld map. More significantly, Qatar Airways will substantially strengthen the alliance's customer offering by providing superior routing alternatives across many hundreds of city pairs.  For example, passengers flying between Asia and Southern Europe or between Asia and Africa will now have convenient one-stop connections not previously available within the oneworld network. Worldwide, with the other airlines lining up to join, oneworld will:  • Serve almost a thousand airports in more than 150 countries, with 14,000 daily departures. • Carry 475 million passengers a year on a combined fleet of some 3,300 aircraft. • Generate US$ 140 billion annual revenues. Qatar Airways 777 in oneworld livery is first aircraft to 'land' at Hamad International Airport At a ceremony to mark its entry into oneworld, held at Hamad International Airport, which will open soon as Qatar Airways' new home base, Qatar Airways spectacularly "unveiled" the first aircraft in its fleet to be decorated in a special oneworld livery – with the Boeing 777-300 becoming the first aircraft to "land" at the new airport. The state-of-the-art US$ 15.5 billion Hamad International Airport is designed to strengthen Doha's role as a premium global hub.  The new airport has an eventual capacity for 50 million passengers a year. Under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Qatar His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the ceremony was hosted by Qatar Airways' Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker and attended by the CEOs and senior executives from all other oneworld member airlines, including: • Chief Executive of IAG, the parent company of oneworld's British Airways and Iberia and also of Vueling, which is not part of the alliance, Willie Walsh. • oneworld CEO Bruce Ashby. • Finnair's President and Chief Executive Pekka Vauramo. • Japan Airlines' Chairman Masaru Onishi. • Malaysia Airlines' Group CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya. • Member elect SriLankan Airlines Chairman Nishantha Wickramasinghe and Chief Executive Kapila Chandrasena. • airberlin's  Senior Vice-President Alliances and Cooperation Stephan Nagel. • American Airlines' Vice-President Strategic Alliance Kurt Stache. • British Airways' Director of Strategy and Business Units Lynne Embleton. • Cathay Pacific Airways' Director of Sales and Marketing Rupert Hogg. • Iberia's Director of Alliances Antonio Pimentel. • LATAM Airlines Group's Vice-President Strategic Alliances Soledad Berrios. • Qantas' Chief Executive Loyalty Lesley Grant. • Royal Jordanian's Chief Commercial Officer Basma Majali. • S7 Deputy Chief Executive for Strategy Vadim Besperstov. As they assembled, the 777-300 in its oneworld livery flew overhead before landing and becoming the first aircraft to taxi onto a stand in front of Hamad International Airport's terminal building.   Its distinctive design features "oneworld" in blue letters some 6 ft (2 metre) high along a white fuselage and the airline's standard tailfin, serving as a huge flying billboard highlighting that Qatar Airways is now offering the full range of oneworld services and benefits.  The airline will decorate three other aircraft in its fleet in this special livery – another 777 and two Airbus A320s. They will spearhead a massive marketing drive to promote the airline's addition to the alliance.  Starting tonight, oneworld logos will be applied by the side passenger entrance doors on Qatar Airway's entire fleet of 130 aircraft as part of a massive rebranding programme that will also see the alliance logo added virtually wherever the Qatar Airways name is displayed – at airport check-in desks and signage, on its website, tickets, boarding passes and all items of stationery. Qatar Airways' addition to oneworld tonight will be promoted with of one of the biggest marketing campaigns in the airline's history, too, with an extensive advertising campaign to highlight the new alliance services and benefits available to its customers. All cardholders in its Privilege Club frequent flyer programme are being sent new membership cards, bearing the oneworld logo and "gemstone" tier indicator, to ensure they receive their alliance benefits from tomorrow when travelling throughout the entire oneworld global network. Qatar Airways' entry into oneworld completes what has been one of the biggest projects in the airline's history, with working groups covering some 20 streams of activity, bringing its various internal processes and procedures into line with the alliance's requirements, and running extensive employee training and communications programmes.  British Airways has been supporting Qatar Airways through its alliance implementation project, as its oneworld sponsor airline, with backing from the central oneworld team. Since accepting its invitation to join the alliance a year ago, Qatar Airways has expanded its code-sharing relationships to two established oneworld partners – American Airlines and Malaysia Airlines  'Double miles' offer to frequent flyer members to celebrate The 3 million members of Qatar Airways' Privilege Club loyalty programme will from midnight tonight enjoy the full range of oneworld frequent flyer benefits when travelling with any oneworld member airline worldwide – airberlin, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LAN Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines and their 30 affiliated airlines. Privilege members will be able to earn and redeem Qmiles on any oneworld flight. In celebration of the airline's addition to the alliance, they will receive double Qmiles award miles when flying on Qatar Airways' oneworld partners between 15 November and 31 January (except between 20 December and 5 January).  Privilege Club members will also receive Qpoints for tier status when flying with all these airlines. Privilege Club Platinum cardholders will have Emerald status in the oneworld programme.  Privilege Club Gold will be equivalent to oneworld Sapphire and Privilege Club Silver will be oneworld Ruby. From midnight tonight, Privilege Club Platinum and Gold members will be able to access more than 550 airport lounges worldwide offered by oneworld member airlines when they fly with one of the alliance's carriers – five times more than they can use up until now. Qatar Airways' First and Business Class passengers will also be able to use oneworld partner airline lounges.   As oneworld Emeralds, Privilege Club Platinum cardholders will be able to use First Class lounges, where available – and receive an additional baggage allowance and access fast tracks through departure security at select airports. Also from midnight tonight, the 140 million members of the established oneworld airlines' frequent flyer programmes will be able to earn and redeem awards and tier status points and receive all other oneworld benefits when flying on Qatar Airways.  To celebrate the addition of the new recruit to oneworld, members of established member airlines' loyalty programmes will receive double the normal mileage awards when flying on Qatar Airways between 15 November and 31 January (except between 20 December and 5 January).   New oneworld Visit Middle East pass to encourage tourism throughout the country To encourage travellers to visit Qatar Airways' home region, the alliance today launched its new oneworld Visit Middle East pass, offering attractive flexible fares on flights within the region bought in conjunction with a flight on a oneworld carrier to the region.   Besides flights on Qatar Airways it includes all other oneworld schedules within the region, including sectors on Royal Jordanian, British Airways and Cathay Pacific.    These new fares will be available for sale from Friday (1 November) – when Qatar Airways' global network will be covered by oneworld's full, market-leading range of alliance fares and sales products.     Latest landmark in oneworld's biggest yet membership expansion drive The addition of Qatar Airways represents the latest landmark in oneworld's biggest membership expansion yet.  Other elements elsewhere in the world include: • The addition of Malaysia Airlines, one of this industry's most frequent award winners, eight months ago, further strengthening oneworld's position in South East Asia, one of the fastest growing regions for air travel demand. • The induction on 1 October 2013 of LAN Colombia, the second largest airline in South America's second biggest economy. • The transition to oneworld on 31 March 2014 by TAM, the leading airline in Latin America's leading economy, Brazil, with its Paraguayan affiliate to be added soon afterwards.   This will complete the consolidation in oneworld of all the passenger carriers in LATAM Airlines Group, the region's leading airline company, building on oneworld's position as the leading global airline alliance serving Latin America. • The introduction early next year of SriLankan Airlines, as the first airline from the Indian subcontinent to join any global alliance, which, with Qatar Airways, will make oneworld the leading alliance in the region. • The proposed switch by US Airways from Star to oneworld as part of its planned merger with American Airlines, subject to necessary approvals. What the CEOs said Qatar Airways' Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said: "Alliances are playing an increasingly important role in the airline industry today – and that will continue long into the future.  Becoming a member of oneworld is one of the most significant landmarks in Qatar Airways' history.  It will strengthen our competitive offering and give our customers what they fully deserve – more choice across a truly global network served together with airline partners who include some of the best and biggest in the world.   "In Qatar Airways' relatively short history, we have quickly established a reputation for innovation, quality and excellence in everything we do.  We are pleased to build on that by becoming the only major airline from the Gulf to join any of the global airline alliances – and we are proud to become part of what is clearly the world's top quality airline alliance, oneworld." IAG Chief Executive Willie Walsh added: "In Qatar Airways, oneworld is pleased to welcome another great airline that enhances the alliance's network and product offerings in one of the world's fastest growing regions for air travel demand.  Qatar Airways' excellent reputation for customer service mirrors oneworld's own focus.  British Airways is delighted to have supported Qatar Airways throughout its oneworld joining process and we wish it, its customers and employees a warm welcome on board." oneworld Chief Executive Bruce Ashby stated:  "oneworld aims to be the first choice alliance for the world's frequent international travellers – with an unrivalled collection of quality carriers, delivering unmatched benefits to customers and to member airlines alike.  Qatar Airways' addition as our second member airline in the Middle East makes oneworld the leading alliance in what is one of the world's fastest growing regions for air travel demand. "oneworld is delighted to be the only global alliance to welcome on board one of the major Gulf carriers, enabling us to be the only global alliance to offer consumers the services and benefits offered by both a global alliance and a Gulf carrier. Our own analysis clearly demonstrated that Qatar Airways is the best fit for oneworld's network, requirements, philosophy and strategy."   Notes oneworld Emerald, Sapphire and Ruby cardholders departing from Doha on other oneworld member airlines or flying Economy Class on Qatar Airways will be able to receive the privileges and benefits to which they are entitled - access to premium check-in facilities, lounges, etc., as appropriate - at Doha's main passenger terminal.  Facilities at Qatar Airways' Premium Passenger Terminal at its Doha hub will continue to be accessible only by customers holding First Class or Business Class tickets on Qatar Airways.   About Qatar Airways Qatar Airways was launched in 1997 and quickly established itself as one of the world's fastest growing and highest quality airlines.   It was named Skytrax's Airline of the Year for 2011 and 2012 and runner-up for 2013.  It is also the organisation's Best Middle East Airline for the seventh year running and has retained Skytrax's five-star  ranking since 2004.   Qatar Airways, which uses the two-letter code QR, boarded 17 million passengers in 2012.  Its 130-aircraft fleet is one of the world's youngest, with an average age of four years, including the world's newest passenger jet, the Boeing 787.  It has orders and options for more than 250 new aircraft for delivery over the next few years, including 13 Airbus A380-800s, 80 Airbus A350s, 52 more Boeing 787s and 80 Airbus A320neos. Among the 130 plus destinations worldwide it serves are oneworld hubs:  Amman, Berlin Tegel, Buenos Aires Ezeiza, Chicago O'Hare, Hong Kong, London Heathrow, Kuala Lumpur, Madrid, Melbourne, Miami, Domodedovo, New York JFK, Osaka Kansai, Tokyo Narita, the Sao Paulo base of member elect TAM and the Colombo home of oneworld member elect Sri Lankan Airlines

 

GOODBYE EINSTEIN

NASA VIDEO

The Expedition 37 crew onboard the station closed the hatch and said goodbye to ATV-4 'Albert Einstein' cargo ship on Oct 28. The ATV-4 resupply vehicle arrived at the station in mid-June, delivering more that 7 tons of food, fuel and supplies for the space station crew and It will undock from the complex on Oct 28 and will be deorbited Nov. 2 for a destructive entry back into the Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.

AIRBERLIN APUESTA POR EL DESARROLLO

 

En el marco de su programa de ecoeficiencia, AIRBERLIN ha desarrollado una nueva herramienta para optimizar el flujo de la corriente de aire, un software que permite detectar pequeñas irregularidades, zonas de pintura rugosa o un hueco de un milímetro entre las trampillas del tren de aterrizaje; cualquier pequeña irregularidad en el fuselaje del avión afecta a su aerodinámica y provoca una mayor resistencia del aire, lo que se traduce a su vez en un mayor consumo de combustible.

 

Esta nueva herramienta dirige a los mecánicos aeronáuticos a través de una inspección estandarizada de todo el fuselaje del avión y les ayuda a la hora de medir y clasificar los desperfectos de la superficie. El software calcula el consumo adicional de combustible que se produce a causa de la mayor resistencia del aire. Genera también una lista de prioridades para los programas de mantenimiento de los distintos aviones de manera que se puedan arreglar los defectos dentro de los siguientes turnos de mantenimiento.

El Director General de la ESA resalta en Sevilla el valor del espacio como motor económico

El Director General de la ESA resalta en Sevilla el valor del espacio como motor económico

<><>El Director General de la Agencia Espacial Europea (ESA), Jean Jacques Dordain, ha subrayado la gran presencia de la tecnología relacionada con el espacio en nuestra vida cotidiana, y la importancia del sector espacial como motor de desarrollo, durante su intervención en el encuentro internacional 'El Espacio: Un Activo de la Humanidad' que tiene lugar estos días en Sevilla. 

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Caltech Names Thomas F. Rosenbaum as Its Ninth President

Caltech Names Thomas F. Rosenbaum as Its Ninth President Thomas F. Rosenbaum, currently the provost and John T. Wilson Distinguished Service Professor of Physics at the University of Chicago, has been appointed as the ninth president of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). A distinguished physicist and expert on condensed matter physics, Rosenbaum, 58, will succeed Jean-Lou Chameau, who served the Institute from 2006 to 2013 and will take over the helm from interim president and provost Edward Stolper on July 1, 2014. "The combination of deep management experience and visionary leadership Tom brings will serve Caltech extremely well in the coming years," says David Lee, chair, Caltech Board of Trustees. "The Board is excited about collaborating closely with Tom to propel the Institute to new levels of scientific leadership." Rosenbaum received his bachelor's degree in physics from Harvard University in 1977 and both an MA and PhD in physics from Princeton University in 1979 and 1982, respectively. Joining the Caltech faculty will be Rosenbaum's spouse, Katherine T. Faber, the Walter P. Murphy Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University.

 

Great Observatories Begin Deepest-Ever Probe of the Universe

NASA's Great Observatories Begin Deepest-Ever Probe of the Universe NASA's Hubble, Spitzer and Chandra space telescopes are teaming up to look deeper into the universe than ever before. With a boost from natural "zoom lenses" found in space, they should be able to uncover galaxies that are as much as 100 times fainter than what these three great observatories typically can see. In an ambitious collaborative program called The Frontier Fields, astronomers will make observations during the next three years peering at six massive clusters of galaxies, exploiting a natural phenomenon known as gravitational lensing, to learn not only what is inside the clusters but also what is beyond them. The clusters are among the most massive assemblages of matter known, and their gravitational fields can be used to brighten and magnify more distant galaxies so they can be observed. "The Frontier Fields program is exactly what NASA's Great Observatories were designed to do; working together to unravel the mysteries of the universe" said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "Each observatory collects images using different wavelengths of light with the result that we get a much deeper understanding of the underlying physics of these celestial objects." The first object they will view is Abell 2744, commonly known as Pandora's Cluster. The giant galaxy cluster appears to be the result of a simultaneous pile-up of at least four separate, smaller galaxy clusters that took place over a span of 350 million years. Astronomers anticipate these observations will reveal populations of galaxies that existed when the universe was only a few hundred million years old, but have not been seen before. "The idea is to use nature's natural telescopes in combination with the great observatories to look much deeper than before and find the most distant and faint galaxies we can possibly see," said Jennifer Lotz, a principal investigator with the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md. Data from the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes will be combined to measure the galaxies' distances and masses more accurately than either observatory could measure alone, demonstrating their synergy for such studies. "We want to understand when and how the first stars and galaxies formed in the universe, and each great observatory gives us a different piece of the puzzle," said Peter Capak, the Spitzer principal investigator for the Frontier Fields program at NASA's Spitzer Science Center at the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. "Hubble tells you which galaxies to look at and how many stars are being born in those systems. Spitzer tells you how old the galaxy is and how many stars have formed." The Chandra X-ray Observatory also will peer deep into the star fields. It will image the clusters at X-ray wavelengths to help determine their mass and measure their gravitational lensing power, and identify background galaxies hosting supermassive black holes. High-resolution Hubble data from Frontier Fields will be used to trace the distribution of dark matter within the six massive foreground clusters. Accounting for the bulk of the universe's mass, dark matter is the underlying invisible scaffolding attached to galaxies. Hubble and Spitzer have studied other deep fields with great success. The Frontier Fields researchers anticipate a challenge because the distortion and magnification caused by the gravitational lensing phenomenon will make it difficult for them to understand the true properties of the background galaxies.

  

United Airlines Named a Top Company for LGBT Equality

United Airlines Named a Top Company for LGBT Equality

United Airlines was named one of the "Top Companies for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Equality" for 2013 by Work Life Matters magazine at an awards gala in New York City on Thursday evening. The annual award is presented to U.S. companies that lead their industries in developing programs and policies that support LGBT employees and promote workplace equality.

"At United, we are committed to supporting the rich diversity of ideas and experiences that reflect all of our customers and co-workers, and we are proud to receive this great recognition," said Mike Bonds, the airline's executive vice president for human resources and labor relations. "The unique backgrounds, lifestyles and perspectives of our diverse workforce help us improve the experience for our customers and create innovative solutions to our global business needs."

United has long supported programs that promote LGBT awareness and inclusion. Earlier this year, the company received the Business Leadership Award from Equality Illinois, the state's oldest and largest LGBT advocacy group. United has also been named a "Best Place to Work" by the Human Rights Campaign five years in a row, and scored a 100 percent rating on the organization's Corporate Equality Index.

While several companies were recognized by Work Life Matters for their LGBT-friendly policies and initiatives, United received the magazine's top honor for the travel category. "We are pleased to honor each of these leading firms for serving as corporate pioneers by supporting the advancement of LGBT equality within their own organizations, as well as to the community-at-large," said Lori Sokol, Ph.D., founder and publisher of Work Life Matters.

About United

United Airlines and United Express operate an average of more than 5,300 flights a day to more than 360 airports across six continents. In 2012, United and United Express carried more passenger traffic than any other airline in the world and operated nearly two million flights carrying 140 million customers. United is investing in upgrading its onboard products and now offers more flat-bed seats in its premium cabins and more extra-legroom economy-class seating than any airline in North America. In 2013, United became the first U.S.-based international carrier to offer satellite-based Wi-Fi on long-haul overseas routes. The airline also features DIRECTV® on more than 200 aircraft, offering customers more live television access than any other airline in the world. United operates nearly 700 mainline aircraft and has made large-scale investments in its fleet. In 2013, United continues to modernize its fleet by taking delivery of more than two dozen new Boeing aircraft. The company will have launched 14 new international and 19 new domestic routes, including the addition of seven new cities to its network, by the end of 2013.  Business Traveler magazine awarded United Best Airline for North American Travel for 2012, and readers of Global Traveler magazine have voted United's MileagePlus program the best frequent flyer program for nine consecutive years. According to the 4^th annual Switchfly Reward Seat Availability Survey published by IdeaWorksCompany in May 2013, United has the most saver-style award-seat availability among the largest U.S. global airlines. Air Transport World named United as the Eco-Aviation Airline of the Year Gold Winner in 2013. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 195 countries via 28 member airlines. More than 85,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. 

AVISO A TODOS LOS LECTORES

AVIACIÓN 24 NO ESTARÁ OPERATIVO DESDE EL DÍA

30 DE OCTUBRE HASTA EL 15 DE NOVIEMBRE

EL RECORDADO CONCORDE

El 24 de octubre de 2003, por última vez tomó tierra en el Aeropuerto de Heathrow, Londres, el Concorde, marcando el final de 27 años de vuelos supersónicos.

Esta pieza de la ingeniería hizo su debut comercial en enero de 1976 y durante sus años de servicio fue utilizado por Air France y British Airways, siendo sus principales destinos New York y Washington, y con menos frecuencia los de Ciudad de México, Bogotá y Buenos Aires.

Aunque el Concorde tenía la reputación de ser el avión comercial más seguro, el 25 de julio de 2000, un Concorde de Air France se estrelló minutos después de despegar del aeropuerto de París.

Tras este accidente, el Concorde permaneció en tierra un año. El reinicio de operaciones se vio empañado por los atentados terroristas del 11 de septiembre del 2001.

MUJERES DE IBERIA

8 MUJERES DE IBERIA

Vídeo : Cortesía de IBERIA

Pilotos Iberia

PILOTOS DE IBERIA

Vídeo : Cortesía de IBERIA

El legado de la misión Planck de la ESA

El legado de la misión Planck de la ESA

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El telescopio espacial Planck nos ha ayudado a comprender mejor la historia del Universo, desde una fracción de segundo después del Big Bang a la evolución de las estrellas y de las galaxias a lo largo de estos 13.800 millones de años. Aunque la fase de observaciones científicas ya haya terminado, el legado de esta misión sigue vivo.

Pathfinding Operations for Orion Spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center

Pathfinding Operations for Orion Spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Orion ground test vehicle has been lifted high  in the air by crane in the transfer aisle of the Vehicle Assembly Building. The ground test vehicle  is being used for pathfinding operations, including simulated manufacturing, assembly and stacking procedures. Orion is the exploration spacecraft designed to carry astronauts to  destinations not yet explored by humans, including an asteroid and Mars. It will have  emergency abort capability, sustain the crew during space travel and provide safe  re-entry from deep space return velocities. The first unpiloted test flight of Orion,  Exploration Flight Test (EFT)-1 is scheduled to launch in 2014. EFT-1 will be  Orion's first mission, which will send an uncrewed spacecraft 3,600 miles into  Earth's orbit. As part of the test flight, Orion will return to Earth at a speed of  approximately 20,000 mph for a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

Last command sent to ESAs Planck space telescope

Last command sent to ESA's Planck space telescope

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ESA's Planck space telescope has been turned off after nearly 4.5 years soaking up the relic radiation from the Big Bang and studying the evolution of stars and galaxies throughout the Universe's history.

Aplazado el lanzamiento de Gaia

Aplazado el lanzamiento de Gaia

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La Agencia Espacial Europea, ESA, ha decidido realizar unas verificaciones adicionales en el satélite Gaia, lo que ha causado un aplazamiento en su lanzamiento, que estaba previsto para el 20 de Noviembre de 2013.

United Airlines Launches Double-Miles Promotion

United Airlines today announced a month-long special offer giving members of the airline's MileagePlus loyalty program the opportunity to earn unlimited double-award miles on United and United Express flight segments.

Members may earn double miles for certain fare classes when they book between Oct. 21 and Nov. 21, 2013, for travel within the U.S. – excluding Alaska and Hawaii. The offer includes domestic segments within international itineraries. To earn double miles, MileagePlus members must also register for the promotion and complete their travel between Oct. 21 and Nov. 21.

"This member-friendly promotion gives us another opportunity to reward our MileagePlus members for their commitment to flying with us," said Praveen Sharma, United's vice president of loyalty. "It's a great opportunity for MileagePlus members to earn twice the miles during the busy fall travel season."

MileagePlus
MileagePlus is United's award-winning loyalty program. Members earn award miles by flying United, United Express, Star Alliance airlines or other airline partners, and by purchasing products or services from a wide variety of partners worldwide. Members may then use those award miles toward travel, hotel stays, car rentals and merchandise. United also offers MileagePlus Headliners, a unique program that lets members use their award miles to purchase theater and sporting event tickets and bid on a variety of amazing experiences. In addition, customers can visit the MileagePlus Digital Media Store. A first of its kind in the airline industry, the Digital Media Store gives MileagePlus members the opportunity to use miles for songs, albums, television shows and movies.

About United
United Airlines and United Express operate an average of 5,341 flights a day to more than 360 airports across six continents. In 2012, United and United Express carried more passenger traffic than any other airline in the world and operated nearly two million flights carrying 140 million customers. United is investing in upgrading its onboard products and now offers more flat-bed seats in its premium cabins and more extra-legroom economy-class seating than any airline in North America. In 2013, United became the first U.S.-based international carrier to offer satellite-based Wi-Fi on long-haul overseas routes. The airline also features DIRECTV® on 200 aircraft, offering customers more live television access than any other airline in the world. United operates nearly 700 mainline aircraft and has made large-scale investments in its fleet. In 2013, United will continue to modernize its fleet by taking delivery of more than two dozen new Boeing aircraft. The company expanded its industry-leading global route network in 2012, launching nine new international and 18 new domestic routes. Business Traveler magazine awarded United Best Airline for North American Travel for 2012, and readers of Global Traveler magazine have voted United's MileagePlus program the best frequent flyer program for nine consecutive years. According to the 4^th annual Switchfly Reward Seat Availability Survey published by IdeaWorksCompany in May 2013, United has the most saver-style award-seat availability among the largest U.S. global airlines. United is a founding member of Star Alliance, which provides service to 195 countries via 28 member airlines. More than 85,000 United employees reside in every U.S. state and in countries around the world. 

Cygnus Releases from International Space Station

Cygnus Releases from International Space Station Expedition 37 crew members aboard the International Space Station released Orbital Sciences' Cygnus spacecraft from the station's robotic arm at 7:31 a.m. EDT on Oct. 22. Orbital Sciences engineers now will conduct a series of planned burns and maneuvers to move Cygnus toward a destructive re-entry in Earth's atmosphere Wednesday, Oct. 23. Cygnus had been attached to the space station's Harmony module for 23 days. The spacecraft delivered about 1,300 pounds (589 kilograms) of cargo, including food, clothing and student experiments, on a demonstration cargo resupply mission to the station. Cygnus was launched on Orbital's Antares rocket on Sept. 18 from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad-0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Image Credit: NASA/Karen Nyberg

NASA DAILY

NASA Administrator Remembers Mercury Astronaut Scott Carpenter "As one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts, he was in the first vanguard of our space program -- the pioneers who set the tone for our nation's pioneering efforts beyond Earth and accomplished so much for our nation." Northern Lights Viewed From the International Space Station Astronaut Mike Hopkins, aboard the International Space Station, shared this picture of the northern lights on Oct. 9, 2013, saying "The pic doesn't do the northern lights justice. Covered the whole sky. Truly amazing!" The northern lights are caused by collisions between fast-moving particles (electrons) from space and the oxygen and nitrogen gas in our atmosphere. These electrons originate in the magnetosphere, the region of space controlled by Earth’s magnetic field. As they rain into the atmosphere, the electrons impart energy to oxygen and nitrogen molecules, making them excited. When the molecules return to their normal state, they release photons, small bursts of energy in the form of light. Astronauts have used hand-held cameras to photograph the Earth for more than 40 years. Beginning with the Mercury missions in the early 1960s, astronauts have taken more than 700,000 photographs of the Earth. Today, the space station continues the NASA tradition of Earth observation from human-tended spacecraft. High Above Saturn This portrait looking down on Saturn and its rings was created from images obtained by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on Oct. 10, 2013. It was made by amateur image processor and Cassini fan Gordan Ugarkovic. This image has not been geometrically corrected for shifts in the spacecraft perspective and still has some camera artifacts.The mosaic was created from 12 image footprints with red, blue and green filters from Cassini's imaging science subsystem. Ugarkovic used full color sets for 11 of the footprints and red and blue images for one footprint. The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. The Cassini orbiter and its two onboard cameras were designed, developed and assembled at JPL. The imaging operations center is based at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colo.