When people talk about “guns in the wrong hands,” they usually mean the risks that come up when firearms are accessed or used by people who are likely to cause harm—intentionally or accidentally. Here’s a clear, high-level way to look at it: Why it’s a problem Increased violence: Guns make conflicts far more deadly when used in crimes or impulsive situations. Accidents: Unsecured firearms can lead to accidental injuries, especially involving kids or teens. Suicide risk: Easy access to guns raises the danger during moments of crisis. Theft and trafficking: Poor storage can allow guns to be stolen and end up in criminal circulation. Common ways guns end up in the “wrong hands” Unsafe storage (unlocked, loaded, or accessible at home) Illegal sales or straw purchasing (someone buying a gun for another person) Theft from homes or cars Lack of training or oversight What helps reduce the risk Safe storage: Locked, unloaded, with ammunition stored separately. Education: Teaching ...
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
ExoMars: Life-detecting robot to be sent to Oxia Planum
Get link
Facebook
X
Pinterest
Email
Other Apps
-
ExoMars: Life-detecting robot to be sent to Oxia Planum
Image copyrightAIRBUSImage captionExoMars: A copy of the rover undergoing testing
The robot rover that Europe and Russia will send to Mars in 2020 will be targeted at a near-equatorial site on the Red Planet known as Oxia Planum.
The area was recommended by an expert panel meeting at Leicester University.
Oxia is rich in clays and other minerals that have resulted from prolonged rock interactions with water.
The ExoMars vehicle will carry a drill and sophisticated instruments to this ancient terrain to look for signs of past or even present life.
Technically, Oxia remains just a recommendation at this stage; it still needs to be signed off by the heads of the European and Russian space agencies.
Image copyrightIRSPS/TAS; NASA/JPL-CALTECH/ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSIImage captionOxia Planum: The landing possibilities have been studied for more than four years
The two-day gathering in Leicester was informed by specialists in Mars geology, and engineers whose chief concern was identifying a location that minimised the risks of landing.
Getting down safely to the surface of the Red Planet is notoriously difficult. More than half of all missions that have tried have failed.
The most recent European effort in 2016, for example, crashed into the ground at over 300km/h.
The LSSWG had been discussing landing options for more than four years, pulling in comments from the wider community.
But this week's meeting came down to a straight fight between Oxia and a place just to the north called Mawrth Vallis.
Both "finalists" hold promise for finding the traces of long-ago microbial activity. However, after hearing all the submissions - the working group has decided Oxia represents the best combination of compelling science and engineering caution.
Image copyrightESAImage captionArtwork: The ExoMars rover will search for signs of life
Oxia lies about 18 degrees north of the equator, ensuring ExoMars' solar panels will get good exposure to sunlight all year round.
But it is the potential of what could lie under the rover's six wheels that most excites researchers.
Observations from orbit suggest the surface materials at this location contain abundant clays - the type of sediments that will result from rock-weathering processes involving water.
Investigations by the American robot Curiosity at another site halfway around the planet have already found fine-grained, clay-bearing mudstones that were laid down in a lake setting.
Researchers see evidence for lakes at Oxia, too - and rivers and deltas. And with ExoMars' specific life-detecting technologies, it might just be possible to find the traces of biological activity in the sediments.
Image copyrightNASA/JPL/UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONAImage captionOxia Planum viewed from orbit: The absolute imperative is getting down safely
Prof John Bridges from Leicester University is a member of the working group. He commented: "With an enormous catchment area the sediments will have captured organics from a wide variety of environments over a long period of time, including areas where life may have existed. The fine sediments should also be ideal for the ExoMars drill - it aims to get to 2m depth."
The rover is set to blast off from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan between 25 July and 13 August 2020. Arrival would occur on 19 March, 2021.
The entry, descent and landing strategy will incorporate a capsule, a parachute system and a landing platform fitted with retro-rockets.
One key advantage Oxia Planum had over Mawrth Vallis in the selection process was elevation. This is considerably lower at the former - by about 1,000m. This extra altitude affords more time for a parachute to bite the atmosphere and slow the approach to the ground.
The European-led rover is being assembled by Airbus at its UK manufacturing centre in Stevenage.
USINESS REPORT COMPANIES MultiChoice’s black economic empowerment scheme is looking for about 22 000 shareholders who owned shares and did not receive dividends of R207 million between 2006 and 2020. Picture: Karen Sandison/African News Agency(ANA) MultiChoice’s BEE scheme trying to find 22 000 shareholders who are missing out on millions By Edward West Feb 16, 2021 CAPE TOWN - PHUTUMA Nathi, the MultiChoice black economic empowerment scheme of more than 80 000 shareholders, is looking for about 22 000 shareholders who owned shares and did not receive dividends of R207 million between 2006 and 2020. “This money belongs to our shareholders. We’re calling on them to contact us to get their money. In these tough economic times we want to do everything in our power to give them what is rightfully theirs,” Phuthuma Nathi chairperson Mandla Langa said in a statement yesterday. Phuthuma Nathi has been paying dividends every year since the start of the scheme in 2006. Am...
Here's the story: We sat down with a man who had a harrowing journey with addiction. He began by telling us about his early days in tertiary education, where he would occasionally smoke dagga with friends. However, his focus remained on his studies, and he worked hard to graduate and secure a qualification. After landing a job, he started building a life for himself. He got married, bought a property, and even splurged on a car. Life was good, and he felt like he was on top of the world. But one fateful night, while out with friends, he was introduced to heavier narcotics. At first, the experience was exhilarating. He described it as an elevation from the mild high of dagga to a level 5 high, where he felt invincible and euphoric. The effects would last for days, allowing him to party from Friday to Sunday without sleep. The problem, however, began to manifest on Mondays and Tuesdays every week, when the withdrawal symptoms would kick in, and he'd struggle to function at work....
Home > News > Renderings It's easy to understand why a muscle car or a Ferrari is cool - the big engine and cool body. But car culture is also influenced by television, rarity, or simply a generation growing up with a particular vehicle. The Volkswagen Bus is a perfect example of this because it's slow, not sporty-looking, yet it can cost a lot of money. 16 photos The Bus is perhaps one of the least understood collectibles, right up there with bubble cars. You see them grabbing huge money at auctions, making it difficult to visualize why somebody wouldn't rather have a Ferrari or some 1960s Mustang. Comedian Gabriel Iglesias is known as the VW Bus King, as his collection of Vdubs is reportedly worth in excess of $3 million. The Hoonigan crew recently did a feature video, but we still had trouble picturing the value of these vehicles. Fortunately, there's a set of renderings that takes the visuals of the Microbus to the level where everybody...
Comments
Post a Comment