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Every being is suffused with love. It is only for our convenience, for our pleasure, and our own selfish purposes that we develop certain worldly relationships. Give up selfishness and strive for self-realisation. You must enquire into yourself, “Who am I? Body, mind, intellect, chittha(memories) or ahamkara (ego)?” You are none of these. You are yourself – “I am I.” Recognise this truth. One must render selfless service. The fruit of all actions must then be sacrificed. Only a person, who denounces the fruits of all actions, deserves to be called a Yogi (renunciant). A Yogi is not one who merely sits under a tree, closes one’s eyes and meditates. Real sacrifice involves giving up your desires. Do not be narrow-minded. If you are inflicted with narrow-mindedness your whole life will become narrow. Develop broad-mindedness and cultivate selfless love.
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leadership
World”s Longest Flight On Biggest Plane ….
QANTAS is making aviation history today as the world’s largest passenger aircraft, the superjumbo A380, starts flying the world’s longest route — a non-stop trip lasting nearly 16 hours.
Well, it’s 14 hours 50 minutes to get from Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth, but a longer 15 hours 30 minutes to return.
Passengers travelling on the route are now privy to the glam and size of the increasingly popular A380 with Qantas operating six direct return services per week.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce says the move reflect the airline’s history of endurance, setting records and connecting Australians to the world.
“Today, Qantas is leading the way again with the introduction of the world’s largest passenger aircraft on the world’s longest route, Sydney to Dallas/Fort Worth, with a flying time of almost 16 hours,” Mr Joyce said this morning at a media conference at Sydney Airport.
So what’s the attraction of arriving in the boot/scooting cowboy-laden city?
“Since starting on the route in 2011 the feedback from our corporate customers, especially those in the resources, technology and agricultural sectors, tells us they like flying into the Dallas hub because it gets them closer to their final destination in the US and offers great onward connections.
“The Dallas/Fort Worth service offers direct access right into the heart of the US with over 50 connections to all US major cities all within four hours, including Orlando, Boston and Houston.”
Qantas recently announced increased services to the US, and will now offer 41 services per week to North America. About half of these services are operated by A380 aircraft and the other half by B747s with A380-style interiors.
Alan Joyce at the meeting event today. Source: NewsComAu
Mr Joyce said introducing A380 services between Sydney and Dallas/Fort Worth, which is the only direct flight from Australia to inland United States, would provide enhance the customer experience and boost capacity.
“We know our customers will value the comfort of the A380 on this route,” he said. “It’s also a vote of confidence in Qantas’s business going forward.
“Not only will the A380 increase seats on the route by more than 10 per cent each week, it will also provide us with greater fuel efficiency and the range to operate the return service direct back to Sydney.
Dallas, here we come. Source: News Limited
“Our customers also now have the choice of four cabins to both Los Angeles and Dallas/Fort Worth as we introduce our Marc Newson designed First Class Suites on the Dallas/Fort Worth route for the first time.”
The new A380 service will also create further opportunities for both tourism and TRADE
between Australia and the US.
“Dallas/Fort Worth is home to our partner American Airlines, and it’s the perfect hub for both business and leisure travellers heading in either direction across the Pacific.”
Mr Joyce said the fall in the Australian dollar actually has a positive impact on its international business.
“Sure there is always an impact in fuel prices but luckily we have seen a decrease in fuel prices of late regardless.”
The world’s longest flights in distance include The Sydney — Dallas/Fort Worth leg at 13,804km followed by Delta’s Johannesburg to Atlanta at 13,582km and Emirates Dubai — Los Angeles at 13,420km.
In 1989, Qantas operated the world’s longest non-stop delivery flight, when it flew a Boeing B747-400 from London to Sydney in 21 hours. Meanwhile Qantas holds the record for the longest regular commercial flight time-wise, set in 1944 from Perth to Sri Lanka.
The new flight replaces the current Boeing 747-400ER aircraft used on the route. The A380 will step up to a daily service over the 2014-2015 summer holiday season, from December 9 2014 to January 20 2015.
DFW airport is upgrading one terminal with three extra aerobridges to load passengers on the double-decker jet, while Qantas’ partner Emirates is set to begin A380 flights between DFW and Dubai from October 1.
Qantas’ existing flights between Melbourne, Dubai and London will be retimed to make room for these extra A380 services.
“This schedule change unlocks more A380 flying time that we can use on the Dallas route, and now offers four times the number of onward connections to Europe because of the new arrival time of the Melbourne flight into Dubai,” adds Qantas CEO Alan Joyce.
Qantas says the current mix of Boeing 747 and Airbus A380 flights from Sydney to Hong Kong will also face “adjustments”, although the airline hasn’t yet revealed whether the A380 will disappear from Asia entirely.
Fun flying facts:
• The Qantas A380 carries 323,000 litres of fuel, equivalent to eight backyard swimming pools.
• The Qantas A380 is fitted with a First, Business, Premium Economy and Economy cabin offering 484 seats, (14 First, 64 Business, 35 Premium Economy and 371 Economy).
• Qantas is the larger purchaser of Australian wines.
• The A380 delivers up to 10 per cent improvement in fuel efficiency and carbon emissions per revenue tonne kilometre, than most of today’s largest passenger jets.
• Qantas began flying to Dallas Fort Worth in May 2011 and is the only carrier to operate direct services from Australia to Dallas/Fort Worth.
The writer is flying as a guest of Qantas.Follow Melissa’s (mis)adventures to Texas on Instagram and Twitter @melissahoyer.
Source:::: MELISSA HOYER in news.com.au
Natarajan
Image of the Day…Curiosity Rover Drilling Mars Mountain…
Curiosity rover drill pulls first taste from Mars mountain
The mission’s emphasis has changed from drive, drive, drive to systematic layer-by-layer investigation. “Curiosity flew hundreds of millions of miles to do this.”
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has collected its first taste of the layered mountain whose scientific allure drew the mission to choose this part of Mars as a landing site.
Late Wednesday, September 24, the rover’s hammering drill chewed about 2.6 inches (6.7 centimeters) deep into a basal-layer outcrop on Mount Sharp and collected a powdered-rock sample. Data and images received early Thursday at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, confirmed success of this operation. The powder collected by the drilling is temporarily held within the sample-handling mechanism on the rover’s arm.
After landing on Mars in August 2012 but before beginning the drive toward Mount Sharp, Curiosity spent much of the mission’s first year productively studying in the Yellowknife Bay area, an area much closer to the landing site, but in the opposite direction.
From Yellowknife Bay to the base of Mount Sharp, Curiosity drove more than 5 miles (8 kilometers) in about 15 months, with pauses at a few science waypoints. The emphasis in mission operations has now changed from drive, drive, drive to systematic layer-by-layer investigation.
Jennifer Trosper of JPL is Curiosity Deputy Project Manager. She saud:
We’re putting on the brakes to study this amazing mountain.Curiosity flew hundreds of millions of miles to do this.
By investigating the shapes and chemical ingredients in the rock features, the team hopes to gain information about the possible composition of fluids at this Martian location long ago. Ashwin Vasavada of JPL is Curiosity Deputy Project Scientist. Vasavada said:
This drilling target is at the lowest part of the base layer of the mountain, and from here we plan to examine the higher, younger layers exposed in the nearby hills. This first look at rocks we believe to underlie Mount Sharp is exciting because it will begin to form a picture of the environment at the time the mountain formed, and what led to its growth.
SOURCE::::Earth sky news
Natarajan
The Most Entertaining Airports In The World …
Here are seven international airports that go beyond free Wi-Fi and luggage carts to offer truly entertaining amenities.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands
Amsterdam Schiphol Airport highlights: “Holland Boulevard,” a library, Dutch Kitchen restaurant, a museum, and Holland CASINO.
Changi International Airport, Changi, Singapore
Changi International Airport highlights: Nature trails, gardens, a four-story slide, a rooftop pool, and a movie theater (free admission).
Munich Airport, Munich, Germany
Munich Airport highlights: Airbrau brewery and restaurant, free surfing lessons in the outdoor wave pool (summer only), volleyball tournaments, and a Christmas MARKET.
Incheon International Airport, Incheon, South Korea
Incheon International Airport highlights: “Spa on Air” sauna, Thai massage, the Ice Forest skating rink, a movie theater, gardens, and traditional musical performances.
Hong Kong International Airport, Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong
Hong Kong International Airport
Hong Kong International Airport highlights: A nine-hole golf course, the Aviation Discovery Center, the Dream Come True Education Park, and an IMAX theater.
Vancouver International Airport, Richmond, British Columbia
Vancouver International Airport highlights: A 114,000-liter aquarium and a jellyfish exhibit.
Zurich Airport, Zurich, Switzerland
Zurich Airport highlights: Observation decks and a miniature airport for children.
This article originally appeared at SmarterTravel.
SOURCE::: Business insider.com
Natarajan
Message For the Day…”Train Your Sense Organs Only to Perceive Sacred Things…”
In the drama of life, some act on the basis that nothing belongs to them and that, whatever words one utters or whatever action one does, all belong to God and nothing is their own. They play their role in this spirit, ascribing nothing to oneself. The other category are those that are like the actors who are conscious of the role they are playing and do not forget their individuality in their actions. They do not consider themselves as merely acting a part but as the doer. The difference between the two is that while the former realises the temporary nature of the part being played and is not attached to the things connected with the role, the other develops attachment to the role and does not wish to part with things connected with the role. Presently, most people suffer from the possessive attitude. The reason is the failure to use the senses properly and enslavement to the desires prompted by them. Train your sense organs only to perceive sacred things and abstain from indiscriminate enjoyment.
Image of the Day…Pic. That Spoke 1000 Words !!!
India’s Mars mission: Picture that spoke 1,000 words
When the crowded command control room of India’s Mars mission exploded into applause after it successfully put a satellite into orbit around the Red Planet, photographer Manjunath Kiran of the AFP news agency clicked this remarkable image of scientists congratulating each other.
Wednesday’s picture arrived with a rather anodyne caption saying “staff from the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) celebrate after the Mars Orbiter Spacecraft (Mom) successfully entered the Mars orbit”.
But in reality, the picture was about much more than that – a bunch of smiling Indian women resplendent in gorgeous saris greeting each other as their male colleagues look on admiringly at mission control in Bangalore.
“The women were leading the applause when the good news arrived. They were celebrating more than men. Who said men are from Mars and women are from Venus?” says senior science journalist Pallava Bagla, who was present in the control room.
The picture – which brightened up my manic morning writing up the Mars mission story – went viral and became the event’s image of the day.
People in their thousands tweeted that they loved it. One said “when was the last time you saw women scientists celebrate a space mission?”; another that the women showed “we don’t need to wear labcoats”. Others said the scientists in saris had “redefined mission control” and called them “true role models”.
The chatter even veered into the contentious Indian debate about tradition and modernity.
Look at our rocket scientists, said one tweet, when women working in call centres think that wearing jeans “makes them modern and scientific”. Somebody wondered why “no matter how much women succeed/achieve, the focus ultimately is on what they are wearing?” That, another respondent tweeted, is “because we have newspapers telling us that smart career women don’t wear saris only western business suits!”.
Although we do not know for sure whether all the women in this picture are engineers or scientists, they all probably work with India’s space agency. Some 20% of Isro’s 14,246 employees are women and their numbers are growing.
Nandini Harinath, 44, a physicist and a mother of two, was the deputy operations director of the Mars mission – in other words, she was the person “operating” the spacecraft between Earth and Mars. “It’s easier to bring up children than to control the Mars orbiter,” she told the NDTV news channel. Minal Sampath and her team built three instruments for the spacecraft and she wants to become “the first woman director of a space centre”.
A woman leads one of the agency’s main strategic programmes. Another female engineer was in charge of wheeling out the 15-storey-high 320,000kg (320 tonne) Satellite Launch Vehicle (SLV) from the vehicle assembly building to the launch pad. Tessy Thomas, a scientist from India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), is thought to be one of the very few women working on strategic nuclear ballistic missiles in the world. Three women led a team which launched a communication satellite three years ago.
What next? Will a woman head India’s space agency one day? (All seven chairmen of Isro so far have been men.) And, as Pallava Bagla writes, Isro reckons that the first astronaut from India “could well be a woman”. When that happens, Indian women will be over the moon.
SOURCE:::: Soutik BiswasDelhi correspondent IN BBC.COM
Natarajan
” ஒரு தேசத்தின் பெரும் பாய்ச்சல்…” !!!
நிலவில் கால்வைத்தவுடன் நீல் ஆம்ஸ்ட்ராங் சொன்ன வாசகங்கள் இவை: ‘‘ஒரு மனிதனைப் பொறுத்தவரை சிறிய காலடிதான் இது. ஆனால், மனித குலத்தைப் பொறுத்தவரை பெரும் பாய்ச்சல்.” இந்தியாவின் மங்கள்யான் செவ்வாயை எட்டிப்பிடித்திருக்கும் தருணத்திலும் ஆம்ஸ்ட்ராங்கின் வாசகங்கள் மிகவும் பொருத்தமாக இருக்கின்றன. ஆம், நம் தேசத்தைப் பொறுத்தவரை பெரும் பாய்ச்சல்தான் இது.
இந்தியாவிலேயே தயாரான கருவிகள், பொருட்கள் போன்றவற்றைக் கொண்டு உருவாக்கப்பட்ட தொழில்நுட்பத்தின் சாதனை இது. மிக முக்கியமாக, இந்திய அறிவால் உருவான தொழில்நுட்பத்தின் பெரும் சாதனை என்றுதான் சொல்ல வேண்டும். இரண்டாம் உலகப் போருக்குப் பிறகு, சோவியத் ஒன்றியமும் அமெரிக்காவும் விண்வெளிப் போட்டியில் தீவிரமாக ஈடுபட்டதன் விளைவாக, நவீன வானியல் யுகம் அதிநவீன வானியல் யுகத்துக்கு வித்திட்டது. இந்தியாவுக்கோ, சுதந்திரம் அடைந்த பின் எல்லாவற்றையும் முதலிலிருந்து ஆரம்பிக்க வேண்டிய சூழல். எனவே, வளர்ந்த நாடுகள் ஏற்கெனவே ஓடிக்கொண்டிருந்த இந்த ஓட்டப் பந்தயத்தில் இந்தியா சற்றுத் தாமதமாகக் கலந்துகொண்டது.
எனினும், இன்று மங்கள்யான் வெற்றியின் மூலம் இந்தியா வானியல் பந்தயத்தின் முதல் இடங்களில் வந்துகொண்டிருப்பதைப் பார்க்கும்போது, அசாதாரணமான சாதனை இது என்றே சொல்லத் தோன்றுகிறது. உலகின் எந்த நாடும் முதல் முயற்சியிலேயே இதைச் சாதித்ததில்லை என்பது இந்தச் சாதனையை மேலும் உயர்த்தியிருக்கிறது. இதைச் சாத்தியமாக்கியிருக்கும் இஸ்ரோ விஞ்ஞானிகளுக்கும் அவர்களின் முன்னோடிகளுக்கும், மங்கள்யான் திட்டத்துக்கு ஒத்துழைப்பு நல்கிய ஆட்சியாளர்கள், அதிகாரிகள் அனைவருக்கும் வாழ்த்துக்களையும் நன்றியையும் இந்தத் தருணத்தில் நாம் உரித்தாக்குகிறோம்!
எந்த தேசத்துக்கும் இளைத்ததல்ல இந்தியா என்ற உண்மையை உரக்கச் சொல்லியிருக்கும் மங்கள்யான் வெற்றியை அனைவரும் கொண்டாடுவோம்!
புகைப்படங்கள் – தி இந்து ஆவணக் காப்பகம்
MARS MAVEN OF NASA….
Mars MAVEN spacecraft’s first observations
MAVEN is the first spacecraft dedicated to exploring the tenuous upper atmosphere of Mars. It entered orbit around Mars on September 21, 2014.
NASA said yesterday (September 24, 2014) that MAVEN – aka the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft – has now obtained its first observations of the extended upper atmosphere surrounding our neighboring planet Mars.
MAVEN is the first spacecraft dedicated to exploring the tenuous upper atmosphere of Mars. Its Imaging Ultraviolet Spectrograph (IUVS) instrument obtained these false-color images eight hours after the successful completion of Mars orbit insertion by the spacecraft at 10:24 p.m. EDT Sunday, September 21, after a 10-month journey.
The image shows the planet from an altitude of 36,500 km in three ultraviolet wavelength bands. Blue shows the ultraviolet light from the sun scattered from atomic hydrogen gas in an extended cloud that goes to thousands of kilometers above the planet’s surface. Green shows a different wavelength of ultraviolet light that is primarily sunlight reflected off of atomic oxygen, showing the smaller oxygen cloud. Red shows ultraviolet sunlight reflected from the planet’s surface; the bright spot in the lower right is light reflected either from polar ice or clouds.
The oxygen gas is held close to the planet by Mars’ gravity, while lighter hydrogen gas is present to higher altitudes and extends past the edges of the image. These gases derive from the breakdown of water and carbon dioxide in Mars’ atmosphere. Over the course of its one-Earth-year primary science mission, MAVEN observations like these will be used to determine the loss rate of hydrogen and oxygen from the Martian atmosphere. These observations will allow us to determine the amount of water that has escaped from the planet over time.
Bottom line: First observations from the Mars MAVEN spacecraft, which is dedicated to exploring Mars’ tenuous upper atmosphere.
SOURCE:::: earth sky news
Natarajan
மங்கள்யான் அனுப்பிய முதல் புகைப்படம்… !!!
செவ்வாய் கிரகத்தை ஆராய அனுப்பப்பட்ட மங்கள்யான் விண்கலம் எடுத்த முதல் புகைப்படத்தை இஸ்ரோ வெளியிட்டுள்ளது.
இஸ்ரோவின் செவ்வாய் கிரக ஆராய்ச்சி மிஷனின் அதிகாரப்பூர்வ ஃபேஸ்புக் பக்கத்தில் ( ISRO’s Mars Orbiter Mission) முதல் புகைப்படம் வெளியிடப்பட்டுள்ளது.
மங்கள்யான் விண்கலம், அதில் பொருத்தப்பட்ட வண்ணப் புகைப்பட கேமராவை பயன்படுத்தி எடுக்கப்பட்ட 10 புகைப்படங்களை வியாழக்கிழமை காலை அனுப்பியுள்ளது. செவ்வாய்கிரகத்தின் மேற்பரப்பை படம் எடுத்துள்ளது.
இந்தப் புகைப்படங்கள் முதலில் பிரதமர் பார்வைக்கு அனுப்பிவைக்கப்பட்டன. அதனைத் தொடர்ந்து இஸ்ரோவின் மார்ஸ் மிஷன் ஃபேஸ்புக் பக்கத்தில் பகிர்ந்து கொள்ளப்பட்டுள்ளது.
புதன்கிழமை காலை மங்கள்யான் விண்கலம் செவ்வாய் சுற்றுவட்டப் பாதையில் வெற்றிகரமாக நிலைநிறுத்தப்பட்டது. விண்கலம், சுற்றுவட்டப் பாதையில் நிலைநிறுத்தப்பட்ட சில மணி நேரங்களில் விண்கலத்தில் இருந்தவற்றில் 5 உபகரணங்கள் இயக்கப்பட்டன.
அதில் ஒன்று வண்ணப் புகைப்பட கேமராவாகும். அந்த கேமரா செயல்படத் தொடங்கி, 10 புகைப்படங்களை அனுப்பியுள்ளது. மற்ற இயந்திரங்களும், ஒன்றன்பின் ஒன்றாக செயல்படத் துவங்கும் என இஸ்ரோ விஞ்ஞானிகள் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர்.
Source::::the hindu..tamil
Natarajan
5 Surprising Things That Cost More Than India’s Historic Mission To Mars !!!
India just became Asia’s first interplanetary power. The country’s Mangalyaan satellite successfully made it into orbit around Mars on Wednesday after a roughly 10-month journey. The mission comes at an astonishingly low cost of $74 million, or nearly one-tenth of the price of NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft that entered the red planet’s orbit Sunday night.
Indian Space Research Organization chief K. Radhakrishnan even called the Mars Orbiter Mission “the cheapest interplanetary mission ever to be undertaken by the world.”
Just how cheap? This graph shows a handful of surprising things that cost more than India’s Mars mission.
Business Insider
- The most expensive apartment ever sold in London had a price tag of $237 million. You could get three of India’s satellites for that cost, and with a better view.
- The new F-35 fighter jet costs a jaw-dropping $160 million a pop.
- “Gravity” starring George Clooney and Sandra Bullock cost about $100 million. That’s about one-third more than the cost of the successful Mars mission.
- The Airbus A380 would set you back more than $400 million. You could get more than five Mangalyaan satellites for that price.
SOURCE:::: Mike Bird in Business Insider India.com
NATARAJAN
Take off with Natarajan 