TOKYO (Reuters) – Shares in Japan (EUREX: FMJP.EX – news) ‘s disgraced Olympus Corp jumped on Wednesday on speculation that it can escape delisting over an accounting scandal and that the brunt of any punishment will be borne by a few executives rather than the firm itself.

Olympus (Xetra: 856840 – news) ‘ share price, which had lost as much as 80 percent of its value after the scandal broke last month, rose 12.7 percent to 720 yen, topping the main board as the heaviest-traded issue by turnover. it was untraded with a glut of buy orders on Tuesday after rising its daily limit the day before.

“As long as market participants think that Olympus will not be delisted, the stock will continue to rise. the market is buying back what they sold last week,” said Mitsushige Akino, chief fund manager at Ichiyoshi Investment Management.

Japan’s securities watchdog, police and prosecutors are probing the 92-year-old camera and endoscope maker in a rare joint effort after Olympus admitted last week that it had hid investment losses for decades using funds from M&A deals.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.K. Serious Fraud Office are also looking into the case.

In a sign regulators are getting serious after a slow start, Japan’s Securities Exchange and Surveillance Commission (SESC) is considering recommending criminal charges against those involved in wrongdoing at Olympus, a source familiar with the matter has told Reuters.

The source said the SESC might also urge that Olympus be fined for false financial reports, a move that could allow the company to stay listed although that outcome is not assured.

Olympus executives are likely to face questioning on a voluntary basis by Tokyo prosecutors as early as this week, the Nikkei (Osaka: ^N225 – news) business daily reported on Wednesday.

Olympus President Shuichi Takayama has blamed his predecessor, Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, who quit on October 26, along with former vice-president Hisashi Mori and internal auditor Hideo Yamada for the cover-up, and has said he would consider criminal complaints against them. Mori has been fired and Yamada has offered to resign.

OLYMPUS EXECUTIVE TRIO

The Nikkei said Kikukawa, Mori and Yamada had chosen the financial advisory firm for its controversial 2008 acquisition of U.K. medical devices maker Gyrus, a decision normally taken by the entire board of directors.

The trio also made the decision to increase payments to the advisory firm — payments that were used to conceal huge losses on securities investments by Olympus, the daily said, citing persons familiar with the company.

The scandal burst into the open after Olympus fired British CEO Michael Woodford on October 14 and Woodford went public with his doubts about some questionable M&A deals carried out over the past five years by the maker of cameras and endoscopes.

After weeks of denial, Olympus admitted last week it had found that funds related to its $2.2 billion purchase of British medical equipment maker Gyrus in 2008, which involved a huge advisory fee of $687 million, as well as payments totalling $773 million for three tiny domestic firms, were used to hide losses on securities investments stretching back to 1990.

Whether Olympus, which has been placed on a watch list by the Tokyo Stock Exchange, can avoid delisting is unclear but market players said its shares would keep rising for now.

Olympus’ lenders were to meet company executives later on Wednesday but were not expected to demand changes in loan terms or take any abrupt steps that could hurt their own interests, banking sources have told Reuters.

Lenders are expecting an apology at the meeting, the sources said, but details may be in scarce supply given that a report by an independent investigative committee is not due until early December.

(Additional reporting by Ashutosh Pandey in Bangalore and Taiga Uranaka in Tokyo; Writing by Linda Sieg; Editing by mark Bendeich)

Article from here:Olympus shares rise; ex-CEO may be questioned

Today, shares of Canon (NYSE:CAJ) have fallen below their 10-day MA of $44.40 on a volume of 235K shares. This may provide swing traders with an opportunity for a short position, as such a crossover often suggests lower prices in the near term.

In the past 52 weeks, Canon share prices have been bracketed by a low of $42.15 and a high of $52.30 and are now at $44.07, 5% above that low price. in the last five trading sessions, the 50-day moving average (MA) has fallen 0.6% while the 200-day MA has slid 0.3%.

CANON INC. is a professional and consumer imaging solutions company and patent-holder of digital imaging technologies. The Company’s products include networked multifunction devices, digital and analog copiers, computer peripherals, facsimile machines, image filing systems, camcorders, cameras and lenses, semiconductor, and broadcast and medical equipment.

There is potential upside of 13.6% for shares of Canon based on a current price of $44.07 and an average consensus analyst price target of $50.08. The stock should find initial resistance at its 50-day moving average (MA) of $45.01 and further resistance at its 200-day MA of $46.04.

Article from here:Bearish Moving Average Cross by Canon (CAJ)

AUSTRALIAN shoppers spending up on overseas sites are bringing down the price of goods in Australia.

High mark-ups on brands have long been the bugbear of shoppers who travel overseas to find products far cheaper than they are available here, the Courier-Mail reported.

But with spending by Australians on overseas sites increasing, some international brands are now dropping their Australian prices to protect domestic sales.

Cosmetics giant L’Oreal recently reduced the entire range of its Kiehl’s brand by up to 50 per cent, Canon dropped prices by up to 20 per cent across its range, Apple is gradually reducing prices and accessories retailer Fossil has slowly brought Australian watch prices closer to parity with US prices.

Paypal Australia spokesman Adrian Christie said: "Now the consumer has access to the global shopping mall, retailers have to consider the options that customers now have at their disposal".

A Canon spokeswoman said the price drops were likely to continue. "The Australian market is highly competitive and in response we’ve seen popular products such as the EOS 550D Super Kit drop $500 in August and a further $200 in October," she said.

Brisbane online retailer Tim Neilsen kept a keen eye on international prices when he started up in January this year.

Stocking a range of swimwear to rival UK-based online sportswear giant Wiggle, mr Neilsen’s Swimwearshack also opened a store at Woolloongabba last Saturday.

"We’re trying to be as internationally competitive by keeping prices as low as possible and we’ve been working with brands that can support us in doing that," he said.

"We’ve been working with brands like Speedo in securing discontinued lines and then discounting them heavily, which is what Wiggle does."

Mr Christie said international experience showed that an online-only presence was no longer enough.

He said consumers wanted a range of options, such as buying in store and returning online, and vice versa.

Australian retailers, in particular fashion stores such as Country Road, Witchery and Saba, are starting to keep up with overseas trends, with the launch of fashion brands online accounting for a recorded growth of 20 per cent for online sales this year.

Retailers such as JB HiFi, Big W and Toys R us were highly competitive online and with Westfield’s online site now also performing well, big retailers such as Myer and David Jones will soon start to capitalise on the online opportunities. 

Article from here:Australian retail mark-ups drop as markets broaden with internet shopping

An anonymous tipster revealed some of Costco’s hottest upcoming Black Friday sales to Gizmocrunch this week.

The holiday sale deals include specials on electronics such as HD televisions, cameras, laptops, and discounted Dell computers. one of the most enticing deals listed for Costco’s Black Friday sale is the Nikon Coolpix S6100 digital camera, a device that will be discounted by 80 percent, according to the leak.

Costco will also trim prices on computer products including an 8GB SanDisk Ultra SDHC 2 Pack, which will be discounted by $17; the 4GB version getting a $13.50 price slash; and the 16GB Ultra MicroSD with an adapter discounted by $10.

Flash drive discounts will also spark interest, with offerings such as a 16GB USB Cruzer receiving a $11 discount and an 8GB version getting a $15 price cut.

For customers looking to stay on course as they navigate confusing roadways, the TomTom VIA 1530TM Portable GPS will receive a $55 discount and the Magellan Roadmate 2120T-LM Portable GPS will be available at $30 off.

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Finally, the $219.99 Garmin Forerunner 410 GPS Enabled Heart Rate Monitor Watch will be available on Black Friday for $60 off the sticker price.

Video by: Scott Liu

Article from here:Black Friday 2011: Laptops, Digital Cameras, Other Great Deals on Sale This Year (VIDEO)

What’s an 8-foot-tall Lego man doing on the beaches of Siesta Key Village, Florida? We don’t have the answer, but it’s the third one that’s washed ashore in the last three years–similar occurances were reported three years ago in Brighton, England, and Zandvoort, Holland; each bearing the same cryptic messaging: “NO REAL THAN YOU ARE.”

Yahoo News did the dirty work and inquired about the phenomenon to Lego’s assistant brand relations manager, who vehemently denied, on record, any affiliation with the stunt, eliminating the possibility of it being a viral stunt. Who knows, maybe it was printed on a 3D imaging device by the folks at MakerBot!

Motherboard replica city of Helsinki, Finland

(Credit:Maximum PC)

OK, OK, back to tech headlines. The news of the day concerns the Nokia Lumia 800 and 710 smartphones, the company’s last shot at the smartphone market. The new handsets drop Nokia’s own software in favor of the Microsoft Windows Phone OS, and the devices feature a sexy curved 3.7-inch touch screen reminiscent of the oldApple iPod Nano encased in a polycarbonate housing.

Hold onto your platters, because the great Hard Drive Shortage of 2011 is coming. Hothardware.com reports on the high likelihood of a hard-drive price hike in Q4 due to the catastrophic floods hitting Thailand, the second-largest manufacturer of hard drives, behind Samsung.

The industry faced similar fears earlier this year in the face of the Japanese earthquake that forced many PC manufacturers, including Toshiba, Canon, and Fujitsu, to shut down their factories.

And now for some bad news on the homefront–New York is about to get a lot stinkier, if you even believe that’s possible. The city’s sanitation department is leading a two-month campaign to remove trash cans from select underground subway station, with the ultimate goal that citizens will remember to throw their garbage away prior to entering the tunnel.

Here’s the jaw-dropper, though: their messed-up psychology is actually working! Initial surveys are returning mostly positive, and even some “very positive” responses to the new clean routine, but what about the rats? What will they eat? will someone please think of the rats?

There’s much too much to cover in today’s episode of The 404 Podcast, including this awesome Nikon D3 DSLR Halloween costume that actually works, a startup called NextDoor.com that encourages you to break out and meet your neighbors, and the first step toward the Singularity: smartphone dock prosthesis!

Enjoy the show, Internet.

Ep. 933: where it’s the nightmare before Nokia

Listen now:Download today’s podcast Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video  

Article from here:The 404 933: Where it’s the nightmare before Nokia (podcast)

The arms trade, and the UK's role within it, relies on business-speak and foggy language, writes Will self.

One of my favourite cartoons was published by the new Yorker magazine way back in the early 1980s.

It shows some soignee types consorting – their diaphanous gowns suggest that they're divine, their cocktail glasses that they're merely sophisticated. The location for this party is one of those chimerical realms that only the sparse pen-and-wash of a first-class cartoonist can summon up – it could be Mount Olympus, but it could just as easily be the Upper West Side of Manhattan.

Anyway, a svelte, gowned female is introducing another more robust, gowned male to a third partygoer, while announcing, "I believe you know Mars, god of defence."

Euphemism – along with its kissing cousin, jargon – is integral to modern warfare – indeed, it's difficult to imagine a conflict in recent years that hasn't spawned its own little lexicon of obfuscation designed to sanitise the miserable and sickening business of uniformed young men eviscerating one another with high explosive, while drawing a veil over the so-called "collateral damage" wreaked upon civilians.

Recent wars have been prosecuted by means of "surges", "operations", and "tactical strikes" – terms that imply the life-saving activities of doctors rather than the life-discarding ones of warriors.

It's probably no coincidence that our own War Office was renamed the Ministry of Defence in 1964, the year when the Tonkin "incident" led to the "escalation" of the "conflict" in Vietnam. True, the British government took no direct part in the "winning of hearts and minds" or the "deployment of Agent Orange", but we did our bit by carpet-bombing our own sensibilities with such highly-toxic euphemisms.

Almost a half-century later we're still at it, and while the vanguard is formed by that bewildering phenomenon, "humanitarian intervention", it is in the vital area of "logistical support" that we Britons have proved ourselves most linguistically adept.

Consider this, a few weeks ago DSEi was held at the ExCel Exhibition Centre in London's Docklands. it sounds innocuous enough, doesn't it, just another tedious trade fair full of men and women in suits with plasticised passes dangling from the lanyards around their necks.

Even when you tease those initials out to read Defence and Security Equipment International it remains ineffably dull, but perhaps a little more urgency accrues when you consider that this enormous bazaar of bombs, guns and assorted other lethality is organised in association with your own government, a government that, the preceding week, sent speakers to an event entitled – with commendable directness – "The Middle East: a vast market for UK Defence and Security Companies."

So, even as Gaddafi's forces were being destroyed in bizarre battles that pitted British weapons against other British weapons, plans were afoot to sell still more of the same to authoritarian regimes in the Middle East – such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain – with documented histories of human rights abuses.

Throughout the first two quarters of this year, even as tensions in the region reached boiling point, arms sales were approved by the British government to Algeria, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

It has become a commonplace of political discourse since the banking crisis of 2008 to compare the national finances to those of an individual or a family. You cannot – or so we are admonished by our current rulers – continue to run up more debts, when your credit cards are already maxed-out.

The arms trade is worth 1-2% of UK total exports

But why shouldn't we apply the same domestic analogy to the conduct of states themselves? if we consider a government that attacks its own citizenry to be on a par with a homicidal maniac who stabs his wife, then what does that make the government/person who supplies the knife other than an accessory to uxoricide?

Put like this, the reported remark by Gerald Howarth, the junior defence minister, on the "debt" that Iraq and Libya owe to Britain comes into the tight focus of literalism: "We liberated the Iraqis from a tyrant, we liberated Libya from a tyrant, frankly I want to see UK business benefit from the liberation we've given to their people." In other words, having sold plenty of knives to this bloodthirsty family, we expect gratitude to take the form of the Libyans buying more.

The elision of business-speak with the foggy verbiage of warfare is perhaps the most deranging aspect of the contemporary arms trade.

The existence of a government unit devoted to promoting arms exports is not that surprising given successive prime ministers have also acted as de facto salesmen for British weapons manufacturers – that this unit should be called the UK Trade and Investment Defence and Security Organisation – usually abbreviated to a string of inert initials: UKTI DSO – cloaks it with the spuriously prosaic legitimacy of flogging widgets. Time and again we are told that the arms industry – and by extension, arms exports – is an essential component of our economy and vital for that most vital of things – jobs.

Yet while we can quibble about the precise figures, the government's own statistics suggest that arms in fact only comprise 1%-to-2% of our total exports. moreover, it's difficult to think of widget exporters who are promoted – in the way that arms ones have been – by extensive government support.

But anyway, even if large numbers of British jobs were utterly dependent on selling arms to the Sri Lankans so they could pulverise Tamils, or to that delightful euphemism the Israeli Defence Force, so that they could – employing an apt Biblical figure of speech – smite the Gaza Strip, can that really dignify such labour? Personally, I'd rather flip burgers or sign on for Jobseeker's allowance than forge death-metal in Vulcan's furnace.

Would I, I hear you ask, actually prefer it if arms exporters and their political sales force dropped all the indirection and cut straight to the chase by admitting freely that weaponry is nothing more or less than the extension of diplomacy by potentially violent means?

Absolutely, let's call a spade a spade, a gun a gun, missile a missile, a cluster bomb a child-killer and a Tactica armoured car a means of brutal civilian repression when it's deployed by the Saudis to support the undemocratic government in Bahrain. Manufactured by BAE Systems, a British business and one of the biggest arms companies in the world, the Tactica shouldn't be allowed to go quietly about its strategically lethal and profitable business.

But then BAE Systems are the past-masters of periphrasis when it comes to their deals with the Saudi regime. In 2007 BAE signed a contract to sell them 72 Eurofighter Typhoons in a £4.4bn deal called the Salaam Project – salaam, is of course the Arabic for "peace".

This being just the latest instalment of the far larger Al Yamamah – or "the Dove" – deal brokered by Jonathan Aitken, among others, under the Thatcher regime. The wing-beats of the Dove – said to be the biggest sale of weapons to anyone, by anyone, ever – have been troubling successive British governments for years now but sadly I don't have the time to guide you around all the giddy twists and turns of its circumlocution.

Let a few plain-spoken facts suffice: the widely-alleged existence of a vast BAE slush fund with which to bribe Saudi government officials was under investigation by the serious Fraud Office until they were called off following pressure from Tony Blair in 2006 on the grounds of the Mother of All Euphemisms, national security.

Because the truth is there was a lot of national insecurity bound up in this, what with the alleged involvement in Al Yamamah of such luminaries as mark Thatcher. another world-class epigone, Prince Andrew, was heard at a dinner in Kyrgyzstan to decry the "idiocy" of the SFO, but then he was a special representative of UK Trade & Investment at the time – so that's wholly understandable.

No, I fear that Mars moves in very murky and mysterious ways indeed, and we mere mortals are unlikely to be able to shine a searchlight upon them – at least, not until Apollo stops being the god of 40 watt light bulbs.

Use the form below to submit entries for consideration for The Response, a series highlighting a small selection of reactions to viewpoint pieces. it is not for comments for publication on this story.

Article from here:A Point of View: Why euphemism is integral to modern warfare

Pentax has never been a company to do things in a typical way. It marketed some very fine SLR lenses in oddball 31mm, 43mm, and 77mm focal lengths, and released its K-x D-SLR ($599.95, 4 stars) in a rainbow of colors. its first mirrorless compact camera, the 12-megapixel Pentax Q ($799.95 direct with 8.5mm lens) is not an exception. The company refers to the Q as a “hybrid camera,” which is perhaps the best way to describe an interchangeable lens camera with a point-and-shoot sized image sensor, the same size found in the tiny Canon PowerShot S95 ($399.99, 4 stars). in that regard it’s the opposite of our Editors’ Choice for compact interchangeable lens cameras, the Sony Alpha NEX-C3 ($649.99, 4.5 stars), which packs an image sensor equal in size to those found in D-SLR cameras.

There are pros and cons to Pentax’s approach—the smaller sensor makes it possible to design compact optics, but it also limits your ability to create a shallow depth of field by blurring the background of an image. The Q has a few tricks up its sleeve that help compensate for its small image sensor, but slow performance and a general lack of fine detail in its images prevent the camera from being all that it can be.

Design and FeaturesAt 2.3 by 3.9 by 1.2 inches, the Q is currently the smallest interchangeable lens camera you can buy. The 7.1-ounce camera is smaller and lighter than its closest competitor, the 2.4 by 4.2 by 1.2-inch, 8.3-ounce Nikon J1 ($649.95, 3.5 stars). The standard J1 kit ships with a zoom lens, which is a bit larger than the 8.5mm f/1.9 (47mm equivalent) prime lens that is bundled with the Q. if you want to add a zoom lens to the Q, you’ll have to purchase the 5-15mm (27.5-83mm equivalent) Pentax 02 Standard Zoom Lens ($299.95 list). Enthusiasts may be comfortable with the fixed focal length prime lens—before zooms were popular, almost every 35mm SLR was bundled with a 50mm prime—consumers who want to upgrade a point-and-shoot camera will undoubtedly be befuddled by the camera’s inability to change focal length.

Despite its small size, the Q feels sturdy. its exterior is constructed from magnesium alloy, and the hand grip and front of the camera features an artificial leather covering. The Q is available in white and black, and all available lenses feature a chrome finish. there are three control wheels on its compact body—one on the front and two on the top. The front wheel can be reprogrammed to control different functions, including color modes, in-camera effects, image aspect ratio, and digital filters. you can select which of these options the wheel, which has four settings and in addition to an off position, controls from the menu. this is beneficial if you’re interested in emulating different color spaces, or if you want to make your images appear as if they were shot with a toy camera, but if you don’t generally use art filters, you won’t find this control to be of much use.

The top right of the camera houses the two other wheels, one located at the front and the other at the back. The front is the Mode dial, which lets you change between the standard shooting modes you expect to find on an advanced camera—Auto, Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, Manual, Scene, and Movie. there is also a notch marked BC, for Blur Control. this setting lets you simulate shallow depth of field, with three levels of background blur. The results are quite pleasing, but the execution is not. It takes a full three seconds for the camera to complete the processing, which seems like an eternity when you’re trying to take the next picture.

The camera features all of the standard controls necessary for adjust the shooting settings. you can adjust the flash output, ISO, self timer, exposure compensation, and white balance via dedicated buttons and the rear control wheel. The Q has a built-in flash that pops up via a physical switch, but can also fire when it is collapsed. having flash built into the body allows you to use the hot shoe for the external Viewfinder O-VF1 47mm optical viewfinder ($249.95 list) or other accessory, unlike the Olympus PEN E-PM1 ($499.99, 4 stars) which requires you to choose between an external flash or other accessory.

The 3-inch 460k dot LCD is quite sharp and bright, although it doesn’t tilt like the one found on the Sony Alpha NEX-5N ($699.99, 4.5 stars) or the Olympus PEN E-PL3 ($699.99, 3.5 stars). The camera uses a sensor-shift stabilization system, which adds shake reduction to any lens which you attach. this isn’t as effective as in-lens technology, but allows for smaller lenses. As there are currently no high-quality telephoto lenses available for the Q—the 18mm 05 Toy Lens Telephoto ($79.95 list) delivers a 100mm-equivalent field of view and f/8 fixed aperture, only slightly longer than the 5-15mm f/2.8-4.5 zoom lens. Pentax has chosen to round out the Q lens lineup with a few of these toy lenses, designed to mimic look of Holga film cameras, rather than an array of high-quality optics. The other lenses available are the 04 Toy Lens Wide ($79.95 list) and 03 Toy Lens Fish-Eye ($129.95 list). while this makes adding a lens to the Q a rather inexpensive prospect, it makes the the Q a tough sell if you’re concerned about telephoto shooting.

Article from here:Pentax Q Review & Rating

So, if you’re shopping with a set price in mind, we’re here to help with three top choices to suit any budget.

If you need to spend less than this, check out the end-of-line cameras at your local retailer, where even this tight a budget should swing you a choice of 12-14-megapixel devices from the leading names’ spring 2011 collections. The 14-megapixel Samsung ES75 is a great choice. It’s knocking on for a year old so you can pick one up for £75.

If you can bust the £100 budget by £20, though, check out the ultra-compact Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W570. It’s approaching the limits of comfortable miniaturisation, but that makes it all the better for slipping in a pocket or beach bag. It earns bonus points for being light — at 100g it’s not going to spoil the cut of your suit.

Despite its small size, it packs a 16-megapixel sensor and 5x optical zoom; it has an impressive maximum aperture of f/2.8 for bright, sharp images and shallow depths of field. It has a great sweep-panorama mode that stitches together a scene as you pan the lens across it. There’s also an optional waterproof housing on offer for braver, more creative photographers — or anyone off to Center Parcs.

Canon’s IXUS 230HS is our favourite mid-range compact of the last few months. It may sport just 12.1 megapixels, but every one of them is a winner. The underlying HS — ‘high sensitivity’ — processor packed into this compact body makes great use of low light for punchy, well-balanced colours and plenty of grain-free detail.

It ships in a choice of six colours, with an 8x zoom around the front and a 3-inch screen covering almost the whole of the back. In a smart bit of tidying up, Canon has shifted the menu and mode buttons around the corner and lined them up on one end of the case to help slim down the body.

The IXUS 230HS has a sharp lens, proper high-definition video recording at 24 frames per second, 1080p resolution and bags of options for creative shooting. we think it’s close to a bargain as recent reductions have brought it down to less than £200 online.

With dSLR looks and performance, minus the price, Sony’s £440 Alpha SLT-A35 is technically a mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses — precisely the format that’s set to dominate the year ahead.

Behind the bundled 18-55mm kit lens there’s a 16.5-megapixel sensor. This feeds its output to an impressively fine digital viewfinder in addition to the regular rear-mounted LCD. It feels great in your hand, with a fat manual focus ring at the front of the lens and a well-balanced body behind.

Sensitivity tops out at ISO 12,800 for effective low-light performance. The results are useable but a little grainy at this level, so the multi-shot combo option is a welcome addition. This shoots 10 frames in quick succession and combines them for optimum, cleaner results.

Well built, carefully designed and consistently dependable, it’s an impressive package all round at a very tempting price.

Article from here:Which camera should I buy?

All ISS systems continue to function nominally, except those noted previously or below. Underway: Week 9 of Increment 29 (three/six-persons crew) . Soyuz TMA-22/28S launched last evening on time at 11:14pm EST in driving snow, with Anton Shkaplerov (Russia, Soyuz 28S CDR, ISS-29/30 Flight Engineer), Anatoly Ivanishin (Russia, ISS-29/30 FE), and Dan Burbank (USA, ISS-30 CDR). [See pictures, below]. Docking at the MRM2 Poisk module will be on Wednesday, 11/16, at ~12:33am EST, for a stay of 122 days. This is the 117th mission to the ISS. with the first launch of the FGB “Zarya” module on a Proton-K (1A/R) on 11/20/1998, there have been a total of 36 US missions, 77 Russian missions (+ 1 failed), 2 European missions (ATV-1, ATV-2) and 2 Japanese missions (HTV1, HTV2). It is also the first post-Shuttle manned launch. . Sleep Cycle Shift: To accommodate the post-midnight arrival of Soyuz 28S on Wednesday morning, ISS crew wake/sleep cycle will be adjusted as follows (times EST): 11/15 (tomorrow): Wake – 1:00am; Sleep – 11:00am; Wake – 8:00pm; 11/16 (Wednesday): Docking – 12:33am; Sleep – 11:00am; 11/17 (Thursday): Wake – 1:00am; Sleep 4:30pm (i.e., back to normal). after wakeup, FE-4 Volkov performed the routine inspection of the SM (Service Module) PSS Caution & Warning panel as part of regular Daily Morning Inspection. first thing in post-sleep prior to eating, drinking & brushing teeth, CDR Fossum & FE-5 Furukawa performed their first liquid saliva collection of the INTEGRATED IMMUNE protocol (Day 1). the collections are made every other day for six days. [INTEGRATED IMMUNE (Validating Procedures for Monitoring Crew member Immune Function) samples & analyzes participant's blood, urine, and saliva before, during and after flight for changes related to functions like bone metabolism, oxidative damage and immune function to develop and validate an immune monitoring strategy consistent with operational flight requirements and constraints. the strategy uses both long and short duration crewmembers as study subjects. the saliva is collected in two forms, dry and liquid. the dry samples are collected at intervals during the collection day using a specialized book that contains filter paper. the liquid saliva collections require that the crewmembers soak a piece of cotton inside their mouths and place it in a salivette bag; there are four of the liquid collections during docked operations. the on-orbit blood samples are collected right before undocking and returned to the ground so that analysis can occur with 48 hours of the sampling. This allows assays that quantify the function of different types of white blood cells and other active components of the immune system. Samples are secured in the MELFI (Minus-Eighty Laboratory Freezer for ISS). Also included are entries in a fluid/medications intact log, and a stress-test questionnaire to be filled out by the subject at begin and end. Urine is collected during a 24-hour period, conventionally divided into two twelve-hour phases: morning-evening and evening-morning.] Also early in Postsleep, Furukawa & Fossum undertook their 22nd weekly U.S. “Bisphosphonates” biomedical countermeasures session, ingesting an Alendronate pill before breakfast. the required ~10h fast period started for them last night. This is usually done on Mondays. [The Bisphosphonates study should determine whether antiresorptive agents (that help reduce bone loss) in conjunction with the routine in-flight exercise program will protect ISS crewmembers from the regional decreases in bone mineral density documented on previous ISS missions. Two dosing regimens are being tested: (1) an oral dose of 70 mg of Alendronate taken weekly starting 3 weeks prior to flight and then throughout the flight and (2) an intravenous (IV) dose of 4 mg Zoledronic Acid, administered just once approximately 45 days before flight. the rationale for including both Alendronate and Zoledronic Acid is that two dosing options will maximize crew participation, increase the countermeasure options available to flight surgeons, increase scientific opportunities, and minimize the effects of operational and logistical constraints. the primary measurement objective is to obtain preflight and postflight QCT (Quantitative Computed Tomography) scans of the hip. the QCT scans will provide volumetric bone density information of both cortical and trabecular (spongy) bone regions of the hip.] Mike Fossum checked the running BCAT-6 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test-6)-Phase Separation experiment for camera & flashlight battery charge. the Nikon D2Xs camera with EarthKAM software running with the Intervalometer on SSC-18 (Station Support Computer 18) is taking automated flash photography of Sample 3. [After starting on 11/10, the camera is running for a total of 7 days, taking one photo each hour. Camera battery change and Intervalometer restart is done three times a day. Objective of BCAT-6 Phase Separation: to gain unique insights into how gas and liquid phases separate and come together in microgravity. these fundamental studies on the underlying physics of fluids could provide the understanding needed to enable the development of less expensive, longer shelf-life household products, foods, and medicines.] with the protective shutters of the Kibo JPM (JEM Pressurized Module), Lab and Cupola windows closed, Volkov & Furukawa prepared for Soyuz 27S undocking & deorbit on 11/21 by spending an hour in the TMA-02M/27S Descent Module (SA) on MRM1 nadir, supporting a ground-commanded thruster test and checkout of the Soyuz MCS (Motion Control system SUD, Mode 2/”Docked”) which included pressurization of the KDU (Combined Propulsion System) Section 2 and Tank 2, a test of the pilot’s rotational & translational hand controllers (RUD & RUO), and a hot firing of the DPO braking thrusters (2:57am-3:20am EST). DPO retrograde thrusters were not fired. [For the RST (rasstjkovkoy / undocking) test, station attitude was handed over to Russian thruster control at 2:50am. the one-minute firing started on Daily Orbit 3 during an RGS (Russian Groundsite) pass. Attitude control was returned to the USOS (U.S. Segment) at 3:50am.] Later, the three-member crew spent 30 min on the regular fit check of their Kentavr anti-G suits for their return to Earth on 27S, followed by a 10 min teleconference with Kentavr specialists. [The "Centaur" garment (not to be confused with the Russian "Pinguin" suit for spring-loaded body compression, or the "Chibis" lower body negative pressure suit) is a protective anti-G suit ensemble to facilitate the return of a long-duration crewmember into the Earth gravity. Consisting of shorts, gaiters, underpants, jersey and socks, it acts as countermeasure for circulatory disturbance, prevents crewmember from overloading during descent and increases orthostatic tolerance during post-flight adaptation. Russian crewmembers are also advised to ingest fluid-electrolyte additives, viz., three sodium chloride tablets during breakfast and after the midday meal, each time with 300 ml of fluid, and two pills during the meal aboard Soyuz before deorbit.] In the SM, Volkov deactivated the Russian KPT-14 SHADOW-BEACON (Tenj-Mayak) experiment which had been running with the Kenwood TM D700″Sputnik” amateur radio station in Repeater Mode with ground stations. [Objective of the experiment is the automatic retranslation (repeating) of time tag (pre-planned executable) packets from ground stations. SHADOW (or ECLIPSE), sponsored by Roskosmos and its leading Moscow research organization TSNIIMASH (Central Research Institute of Machine Building), employs VHF amateur radio (ham) operators around the globe (via ARISS/Amateur Radio on ISS) to help in observing refraction/scattering effects in artificial plasmas using the method of RF (radio frequency) sounding in space experiments under different geophysical conditions. This experiment has been run by Dmitri Kondratyev, Oleg Skripochka, Fyodor Yurchikhin, Yuri Malenchenko and Mikhail Tyurin (first time in November 2006.] In the Kibo JPM, Mike powered up the SDRM (SpaceDRUMS/Space Dynamically Responding Ultrasonic Matrix) payload on ER-5 (EXPRESS Rack 5) and turned it off again about 5 hrs later after a checkout by POIC (Payload Operations & Integration Center) to verify that the previously installed shims are working correctly. [SpaceDRUMS suspends a baseball-sized solid or liquid sample using 20 acoustic beam emitters during combustion or heat-based synthesis. Materials can be produced in microgravity with an unparalleled quality of shape and composition. SpaceDRUMS will support scientific understanding of processes like combustion synthesis and self-propagating high temperature synthesis and also provide direct commercial benefits from materials processing. Advanced ceramics, polymer, and colloids can be processed in SpaceDRUMS.] Sergey collected the regular air samples for return on 27S, using a Russian AK-1M absorber in the SM for air, plus IPD-CO Draeger tubes, on a cartridge belt with a pump, to check the SM cabin air for CO (Carbon Monoxide) and subsequently also for NH3 (Ammonia). In COL (Columbus Orbital Laboratory), Fossum powered on the USND-2 (Ultrasound 2) and VPC (Video Power Converter) hardware, connected VPC to HRF-1 (Human Research Facility 1), and performed his periodic SPRINT leg muscle self scan with remote guidance from the ground team. [Afterwards, Mike powered off the hardware, decabled the VPC from HRF Rack-1, and stowed the hardware. Fossum is currently following a special experimental "SPRINT" protocol which diverts from the regular 2.5hrs per day regime and introduces special daily sessions, followed by the USND scan. No exercise is being timelined for Fridays. if any day is not completed, Mike picks up where he left off, i.e., he would be finishing out the week with his last day of exercise on his off day.] Working in the Lab on reconfiguring the ROBoT laptop setup to nominal, Mike relocated the SSC-11 (Station Support Computer 11) back to CQ4 (Crew Quarters 4) and then performed a checkout of the SSC and CSL (Crew Support LAN) Client laptops at CQ1 and CQ4, verifying their power & data availability and functionality. Satoshi worked in the JAXA JPM and JLP (JEM Pressurized Logistics Segment) modules, finishing up the decrewing preparations executed over several days, while Mike performed these close-out activities in the COL. [Verifying GLA (General Luminaire Assembly) settings, stowage configuration, taking photo-documentation of CGSE (Common Gas Supply Equipment) Argon pressure and module configuration, etc.] Sergey conducted periodic service of the RS (Russian Segment) radiation payload suite “Matryoshka-R” (RBO-3-2), collecting eight Bubble dosimeters (A21, A22, A27, A28, A33, A34, A35, A36) to read their recorded radiation traces in a special Reader; afterwards, the dosimeters were initialized for new measurements and redeployed. [The complex Matryoshka payload suite is designed for sophisticated radiation studies. Note: Matryoshka is the name for the traditional Russian set of nested dolls.] FE-4 also collected & downloaded the periodic sensor readings of the Russian “Pille-MKS” (MKS = ISS) radiation dosimetry experiment which has 11 sensors placed at various locations in the RS (DC1, SM starboard & port cabin windows, ASU toilet facility, control panel, MRM2, MRM1, etc.) and four in CQs. the memory/flash card was then replaced Today’s readings were taken manually from all 11 deployed dosimeters and logged on a data sheet. Automatic mode was then reactivated and the dosimeters returned to their original locations. [The dosimeters take their readings automatically every 90 minutes.] Preparatory to the arrival of Soyuz 27S, Sergey & Satoshi set up the Ku-band video “scheme” for a communications test of converting (encoding) the RS video signal from the SONY HVR-Z7E camera and external Klest Kl-154 “+X” camera to U.S. NTSC format and Ku-band from SM, to downlink “streaming video” packets via U.S. OpsLAN and Ku-band. [This activity tested MPEG2 (Moving Pictures Expert Group 2) encoding capability using a JSL connected T61p SSC (Station Support Computer) in the RS. This test used the TVS Klest signal from the Orbit Module of the docked Soyuz 27S and the SSC located at the CP (Command Post), for encoding and decoding (viewing) SSC during the test (it can perform both operations simultaneously with NASA MPEG2 VIEWER and ESA MPEG2 ENCODER). for the test the crew used two procedures, a Russian radiogram that acted as main driver of the activity, and a Photo/TV procedure containing all of the steps to perform encoding & decoding on the SSCs.] Furukawa performed the periodic (approx. weekly) WRS (Water Recovery System) sampling in Node-3 using the TOCA (Total Organic Carbon Analyzer), after first initializing the software and priming (filling) the TOCA water sample hose, followed by the periodic changeout of the TOCA WWB (Waste Water Bag). [After the approximately 2 hr TOCA analysis, results were transferred to the SSC-5 (Station Support Computer 5) laptop via USB drive for downlink, and the data were also logged.] Volkov completed the daily routine servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support system, ECLSS) in the SM. [Regular daily SOZh maintenance consists, among else, of checking the ASU toilet facilities, replacement of the KTO & KBO solid waste containers, replacement of EDV-SV waste water and EDV-U urine containers and filling EDV-SV, KOV (for Elektron), EDV-ZV & EDV on RP flow regulator.] the Russian FE also continued preparations for the 11/21 Soyuz undocking from the MRM1, packing and loading return cargo with the help of an uplinked extensive of items list and stowage schematic for the Descent Module (SA). [Soyuz Loading Status was to be reported down later during the DPC (Daily Planning Conference) at ~2:10pm.] the crewmembers again had an hour set aside each for personal crew departure preparations which are standard pre-return procedures for crewmembers. the crew had their standard weekly PMCs (Private Medical Conferences) via S- & Ku-band audio/video, Sergey at ~10:25am, Mike at ~10:55am, Satoshi at ~1:20pm EST. at ~10:35am, the CDR powered up the SM’s amateur radio equipment (Kenwood VHF transceiver with manual frequency selection, headset, & power supply) and at 10:40am conducted a ham radio session with students at a.S.J. Memorial High School, Thetford Mines, Quebec, Canada. Before Presleep, FE-5 will turn on the MPC (Multi Protocol Converter) and start the Ku-band data flow of video recorded during the day to the ground, with POIC (Payload Operations & Integration Center) routing the onboard HRDL (High-Rate Data Link). after about an hour, Satoshi will turn MPC routing off again. [This is a routine operation which regularly transmits HD onboard video (live or tape playback) to the ground on a daily basis before sleeptime.] the crew worked out with their regular 2-hr physical exercise protocol on the CEVIS cycle ergometer with vibration isolation (CDR, FE-5), TVIS treadmill with vibration isolation & stabilization (FE-4), and ARED advanced resistive exercise device (CDR, FE-4, FE-5). Tasks listed for Sergey Volkov on the Russian discretionary “time permitting” job for today were – * The weekly documentary photography of the running Russian BIO-5 Rasteniya-2 (“Plants-2″) payload with its LADA-01 greenhouse; [Rasteniya-2 researches growth and development of plants (currently wheat) under spaceflight conditions in the LADA greenhouse from IBMP (Institute of Bio -Medical Problems, Russian: IMBP), and * Taking care of the daily IMS maintenance, updating/editing its standard "delta file" including stowage locations, for the regular weekly automated export/import to its three databases on the ground (Houston, Moscow, Baikonur), No CEO targets uplinked for today. ISS Orbit (as of this morning, 7:37am EST [= epoch]) * Mean altitude – 387.2 km * Apogee height – 402.0 km * Perigee height – 372.4 km * Period — 92.30 min. * Inclination (to Equator) — 51.64 deg * Eccentricity — 0.0021874 * Solar Beta Angle — -67.7 deg (magnitude decreasing) * Orbits per 24-hr. day — 15.60 * Mean altitude loss in the last 24 hours – 153 m * Revolutions since FGB/Zarya launch (Nov. 98) — 74,438 * Time in orbit (station) – 4742 days * Time in orbit (crews, cum.) — 4029 days Significant Events Ahead (all dates Eastern Time and subject to change): ————–Three-crew operations (Increment 29)————- 11/16/11 — Soyuz TMA-22/28S docking (MRM2 “Poisk”) (~12:33am) ————–Six-crew operations————- 11/21/11 — Soyuz TMA-02M/27S undock/landing (End of Increment 29) (~5:57pm/9:25pm) ————–Three-crew operations————- 12/xx/11 — SpaceX Falcon 9/Dragon — (Under Review) 12/21/11 — Soyuz TMA-03M/29S launch – O.Kononenko (CDR-31)/A.Kuipers/D.Pettit — (Target Date) 12/23/11 — Soyuz TMA-03M/29S docking (MRM1) — (Target Date) ————–Six-crew operations—————- TBD — Progress M-13M/45P undock TBD — Progress M-14M/46P launch TBD — Progress M-14M/46P docking (DC-1) 02/29/12 — ATV3 launch readiness TBD — Soyuz TMA-22/28S undock/landing (End of Increment 30) ————–Three-crew operations————- 03/xx/12 — Soyuz TMA-04M/30S launch – G.Padalka (CDR-32)/J.Acaba/K.Volkov — (Target Date) 04/xx/12 — Soyuz TMA-04M/30S docking (MRM2) — (Target Date) ————–Six-crew operations—————- 05/05/12 — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) w/ERA – launch on Proton (under review) 05/06/12 — Progress M-14M/46P undock 05/07/12 — 3R Multipurpose Laboratory Module (MLM) – docking (under review) 05/xx/12 — Soyuz TMA-03M/29S undock/landing (End of Increment 31) ————–Three-crew operations————- 05/xx/12 – Soyuz TMA-05M/31S launch – S.Williams (CDR-33)/Y.Malenchenko/A.Hoshide 05/xx/12 – Soyuz TMA-05M/31S docking ————–Six-crew operations—————- 09/xx/12 — Soyuz TMA-04M/30S undock/landing (End of Increment 32) ————–Three-crew operations————- 10/xx/12 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S launch – K.Ford (CDR-34)/O.Novitskiy/E.Tarelkin 10/xx/12 – Soyuz TMA-06M/32S docking ————–Six-crew operations————- 11/xx/12 — Soyuz TMA-05M/31S undock/landing (End of Increment 33) ————–Three-crew operations————- 11/xx/12 — Soyuz TMA-07M/33S launch – C.Hadfield (CDR-35)/T.Mashburn/R.Romanenko 12/xx/12 – Soyuz TMA-07M/33S docking ————–Six-crew operations————- 03/xx/13 — Soyuz TMA-06M/32S undock/landing (End of Increment 34) ————–Three-crew operations————- 03/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-08M/34S launch – P.Vinogradov (CDR-36)/C.Cassidy/A.Misurkin 03/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-08M/34S docking ————–Six-crew operations————- 05/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-07M/33S undock/landing (End of Increment 35) ————–Three-crew operations————- 05/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-09M/35S launch – M.Suraev (CDR-37)/K.Nyberg/L.Parmitano 05/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-09M/35S docking ————–Six-crew operations————- 09/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-08M/34S undock/landing (End of Increment 36) ————–Three-crew operations————- 09/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-10M/36S launch – M.Hopkins/TBD (CDR-38)/TBD 09/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-10M/36S docking ————–Six-crew operations————- 11/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-09M/35S undock/landing (End of Increment 37) ————–Three-crew operations————- 11/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-11M/37S launch – K.Wakata (CDR-39)/R.Mastracchio/TBD 11/xx/13 – Soyuz TMA-11M/37S docking ————–Six-crew operations————- 03/xx/14 – Soyuz TMA-10M/36S undock/landing (End of Increment 38) ————–Three-crew operations————-

Article from here:NASA ISS On-Orbit Status 14 November 2011

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