A satellite radio that carries signals and commands to the Mars Phoenix lander restarted last night, ending a one-day delay in the robotic explorer’s deployment on the Martian surface. The UHF radio on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter satellite shut down on Tuesday, blocking communications between mission controllers and the newly arrived spacecraft. In a statement posted to the Web site of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration late on Tuesday, the balky orbiter “successfully received information from the Phoenix lander and relayed the information to Earth. The relayed transmission included images and other data collected by Phoenix during the mission’s second day after landing on Mars.”

Posted by Zoov on 29 May 2008
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D6, the sixth annual All Things Digital conference, kicked off yesterday with a session starring Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer. Discussion spanned topics ranging from the failed Yahoo acquisition to the lukewarm reception Windows Vista has had to the impact that Gates’ imminent departure will have on the company. It was for another reason, however, that this session was so keenly anticipated: it was to contain the first public look at Windows 7. Recent revelations from Microsoft have suggested that Windows 7 will be far more evolutionary than its radical predecessor; this was confirmed by last night’s demonstration.
Gates: Windows 7 will “take less memory, be more efficient”

Posted by Zoov on 29 May 2008
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