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CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. — Twin spacecraft blasted off Wednesday night on a mission to study huge eruptions from the sun that can damage satellites, disrupt electrical and communications systems on Earth and endanger spacewalking astronauts.

The two spacecraft, known as STEREO, for Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory, lifted off, stacked one on top of the other, aboard a single Delta II rocket.

The lift off was delayed by several minutes after launch managers became concerned late in the countdown that winds could blow toxic material over nearby Port Canaveral should there be an accidental explosion. However, the area was cleared of people, mainly government workers, permitting the rocket to soar off the launch pad with a roar.

Flight controllers cheered, applauded and gave each other handshakes after the spacecraft separated from the rocket less than a half hour after launch.

Scientists hope the $550 million, two-year mission will help them understand why these eruptions occur, how they form and what path they take.

The eruptions — called solar flares — typically blow a billion tons of the sun’s atmosphere into space at a speed of 1 million mph. The phenomenon is responsible for the Northern Lights, or aurora borealis, the luminous display of lights seen in the upper latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere.

"Of the bazillion stars that we have in our night sky, the sun is the only one that counts," said NASA scientist Madhulika Guhathakurta. "Any understanding or breakthrough we can make in understanding the sun and the sun’s environment is of direct relevance to every human being on this planet."

The two observatories will provide scientists with the first-ever three-dimensional view of the sun by working in tandem, like a set of eyes, in different orbits.

NASA hopes information about the solar flares helps the astronauts who fly to moon and eventually Mars in the coming decades. Astronauts exposed to the eruptions can receive a year’s worth of radiation.

The spacecraft’s launch was delayed several times this year because of technical problems.

Scientists plan to release to the public movies and other images created by the STEREO spacecraft, though viewers may need to use the type of 3-D glasses worn for movies like "Creature From the Black Lagoon."

© 2006 The Associated Press.

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via Egotastic.

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA — A senior Muslim cleric touched off outrage in Australia on Thursday for likening women who dress immodestly to meat that is left out for prey — a comment critics said excused rape.

Prime Minister John Howard called the remarks "appalling and reprehensible."

"The idea that women are to blame for rapes is preposterous," he told reporters.

A spokesman for Sheik Taj Aldin al Hilali said the cleric’s comments in a sermon last month had been taken out of context in a report in The Australian newspaper. But the spokesman, Keysar Trad, didn’t challenge the accuracy of the translation.

"If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden, or in the park, or in the backyard without cover, and the cats come to eat it … whose fault is it, the cats’ or the uncovered meat’s," The Australian quoted Hilali as saying.

"The uncovered meat is the problem," he was quoted as saying. "If she was in her room, in her home, in her hijab, no problem would have occurred," he said, referring to the head covering worn by some Muslim women.

Sex Discrimination Commissioner Pru Goward said Hilali, a high-profile cleric who has advised the government on Muslim issues, should now be rejected by the country’s Islamic community.

© 2006 The Associated Press.

HONG KONG — Mariah Carey’s weekend concert was canceled Thursday because of poor ticket sales and what promoters said were the pop star’s "unreasonable demands."

Carey was to perform Saturday at an outdoor space near Hong Kong’s Central financial district. Promoter Concerts Asia said it had only sold 4,000 tickets, despite a "substantial" advertising campaign.

"We have decided to cancel the event effective immediately due to both the poor response of public ticket sales and also due to specific last-minute demands which we find wholly unreasonable and not with the best interests of Hong Kong, us and also the fans," said a statement posted Thursday on the promoter’s Web site.

Concerts Asia declined further comment, and contact information for Carey wasn’t immediately available.

Hits by the 36-year-old Grammy-winning singer include "We Belong Together."

© 2006 The Associated Press.

FIFA have revealed that more than half of the players treated on the pitch during this summer’s World Cup were not actually injured. 

  
The world body’s chief medical officer, Professor Jiri Dvorak, presented his findings to the FIFA referees committee today and they showed a cheating culture at the highest level of the game.

According to Professor Dvorak, there were too many players feigning injury in Germany, with tactical reasons presented as the most likely cause of their action.

Where injuries were confirmed, the number per match was down to 2.3 per match, from 2.7 at the 2002 World Cup.

That amounted to a total of 145 injuries in 64 matches at the 2006 tournament, among them the cruciate knee injury which may mean Newcastle and England striker Michael Owen does not play again until next season.

‘Fifty-eight per cent of the players who were treated on the pitch during the 2006 World Cup eventually turned out not to be injured,’ confirmed FIFA in a statement.

Referees were praised for keeping the number of injuries down, by protecting players and ensuring elbowing offences were properly punished.

The meeting was chaired by Spanish FA chief Angel Marma Villar Llona, a vice-president of the FIFA executive committee.

He said: ‘The referees and assistant referees fulfilled the high expectations placed on them and complied with the instructions to protect players and thus the game better. The preparation period of almost four years for the World Cup in Germany paid off.’

FIFA president Sepp Blatter added: ‘I am very satisfied with the referees’ performances at the 2006 World Cup. They achieved more than their counterparts in Korea/Japan in 2002.’

via ESPN.