«Breaking News» Commuters return to work to find train tickets have soared by £2,000 in a decade

It was an unhappy New Year for commuters as they found the cost of season tickets had soared by as much as £2,000 in a decade – while punctuality has plunged to the lowest level in 13 years.

New Year's Eve celebrations for many travellers across the South of England were marred by yet another rail strike yesterday.

And millions returning to work tomorrow will be hit by a fresh round of inflation-busting fare hikes.

Commuters found the cost of season tickets had soared by as much as £2,000 in a decade. (Stock image of London Euston Station)

The latest increase of up to 3.2 per cent – described as a 'kick in the teeth' for workers – will add more than £100 to the price of many annual tickets.

But an audit by the Daily Mail has laid bare the crippling rise in the price of rail travel over the longer term, placing huge pressure on household budgets.

Of 44 season ticket fares published by the independent consumer group Transport Focus, 18 have risen in price by more than £1,000 since 2009.

Commuters travelling the 78-mile journey between Swindon and London will see the cost of their season ticket rise by £276 to £9,016 from tomorrow.

This means their annual fare is £2,168 more expensive than in 2009. The average commuter has seen the cost of their annual rail travel rise by almost £800 over the past decade. 

The cost is eating further into disposable incomes. While the price of season tickets has jumped by 37 per cent over this period, wages have grown by just 22 per cent.

Fare rises have also comfortably outpaced the official CPI rate of inflation, which has gone up by 26.7 per cent.

The latest hike comes after a year plagued by timetable chaos, strike action, engineering works and the worst punctuality since 2005, when Tony Blair was still in power – with one in seven services delayed.

Yesterday, 730 out of 1,568 South Western Railway services were cancelled after the militant RMT union deliberately targeted New Year's Eve revellers.

Members staged a 24-hour walkout – the 30th day of strike action over the year.

The long-running protest is over the introduction of a fleet of Class 701 Bombardier trains which will enable drivers – rather than guards – to open and close train doors if the guard is sick or does not turn up for work.

A South Western Railway spokesman said: 'The RMT continues to play politics with their ongoing strike action, causing misery at a time when people want to be with friends and family to celebrate the New Year.

'If the union really cares about passengers it should call off these strikes and start helping to build a better railway.'

Many of those hit by the biggest fare rises are those affected by the strikes.

Darren Shirley, chief executive of Campaign for Better Transport, said: 'Rail passengers suffered atrocious service in 2018 and this latest fare rise will only add to their misery.

'The Government's decision to press ahead, despite a year of delays, cancellations and overcrowding, shows a total disregard for passengers and may leave many wondering what they are paying for.' 

Wes Streeting, a Labour MP and member of the Treasury committee, added: 'Passengers will be forced to pay more for what has been a miserable service. It is a real kick in the teeth.'

Blood on the tracks: A year of chaos for miserable commuters 

Snow during the Beast from the East and Storm Emma saw hundreds of cancellations last February and March.

Botched new timetable in May saw up to 310 cancellations a day on Northern and 470 on Govia Thameslink. An independent report concluded that 'nobody took charge'.

RMT organised 30 days of strikes on South Western and 42 days on Northern.

Overhead power cables collapse twice in two weeks in October.

The rail watchdog launched action against Network Rail in November for failing to deliver a 'punctual and reliable' service. The same day, former boss Mark Carne collected a CBE.

Crossrail line between the East and West of London delayed indefinitely and given £1.4billion emergency bailout.

Damning report into HS2 high speed line found the estimated cost of buying land had tripled in six years to £3billion.

The hike, set by the Government, is significantly above the official CPI measure of inflation, which was 2.5 per cent in July.

The Office of Rail and Road watchdog recently launched enforcement action against Network Rail for failing to deliver a 'punctual and reliable' service.

Robert Nisbet, of the Rail Delivery Group, which represents the rail industry, said: 'We understand that nobody wants to pay more for their journey to work, but money from fares is underpinning record investment to build the better railway customers want and the country's economy needs.'

Passengers who hoped to see the back of the 'cattle truck' Pacer trains have been told they must wait a little longer.

Operator Northern promised to start phasing out its 100-strong diesel fleet, which hark back to the days of British Rail, before the New Year. 

But it has not been able to scrap the Pacers because of delays to infrastructure upgrades, such as the electrification of the Manchester to Bolton route.

 

Link hienalouca.com Interesting to note Looking for an investor or sponsor for a project to grow dinosaurs and relict plants. Requires the sum of investments from 400000$ to 900000$. The exact amount can not say because there are many nuances. It will be necessary to build a small laboratory with certain parameters. To all interested persons please write on an email angocman@gmail.com . It is the scientific project and I do not know whether it is possible to earn on it. The probability of success of the project is approximately 60%. That will be very interesting.

https://hienalouca.com/2019/01/01/commuters-return-to-work-to-find-train-tickets-have-soared-by-2000-in-a-decade/
Main photo article It was an unhappy New Year for commuters as they found the cost of season tickets had soared by as much as £2,000 in a decade – while punctuality has plunged to the lowest level in 13 years.
New Year’s Eve celebrations for many travellers across the South of England were marred by yet ano...

It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.

Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.

Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca





https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/12/31/23/8000530-6543467-image-a-15_1546298543611.jpg

«Breaking News» Woman killed by falling tree at Great Smoky Mountains park

Texas mother-of-three Laila Jiwani, 42, was killed on Thursday by a fallen tree as she was hiking with her family in the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee 

A Texas mother-of-three was tragically killed as she was hiking with her family when a tree suddenly fell in their path and she tried to shield her six-year-old son from getting hit. 

Plano woman Laila Jiwani, 42, died on Thursday immediately after she was hit by the falling tree as she was hiking on Porter Creek Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee.

The tree suddenly fell in the direction of her son and she tried to protect him from getting hit and suffered the blow herself. 

The tree was knocked down due to intense winds at the park. 

Her husband Taufiq Jiwani said in a since-deleted Facebook post that she died 'immediately upon the severity of the impact'. 

Their son Jibran was also injured and airlifted to University of Tennessee Medical Center. His father said that his left was broken in two places and he suffered 'superficial head injuries'. 

She was struck and killed as she was trying to shield her six-year-old son from getting hit. Jiwani pictured above with her husband Taufiq and their children 

He's undergone surgery and was discharged on Saturday.  

He noted the hike was supposed to be 'simple/safe' and that the part of the tree 'fell from the sky'. 

Jiwani, a doctor at Cook Children’s Northside Neighborhood Clinic in Fort Worth, was said to have taken 'the brunt of the impact' to protect her child, doctors said. 

Funeral services for Jiwani will take place on Wednesday in Dallas. She and Taufiq shared threes sons together. 

She and husband Taufiq Jiwani were hiking with their three sons along the Porter Creek Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park when she was hit and killed. She died immediately upon impact

'As the boys and I figure what to do next, please keep us in your prayers and allow us patience to respond. We appreciate the kind thoughts and generosity, we are still processing what all just happened,' Taufiq wrote in the post. 

She graduated from New York University's School of Medicine before joining the hospital in 2007.

'We are greatly saddened by the death of Dr. Laila Jiwani,' Britt Nelson said to the Star-Telegram. 

'She was beloved by her patients, families as well as her coworkers. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family,' Nelson added.  

Link hienalouca.com Interesting to note Looking for an investor or sponsor for a project to grow dinosaurs and relict plants. Requires the sum of investments from 400000$ to 900000$. The exact amount can not say because there are many nuances. It will be necessary to build a small laboratory with certain parameters. To all interested persons please write on an email angocman@gmail.com . It is the scientific project and I do not know whether it is possible to earn on it. The probability of success of the project is approximately 60%. That will be very interesting.

https://hienalouca.com/2019/01/01/woman-killed-by-falling-tree-at-great-smoky-mountains-park/
Main photo article




Texas mother-of-three Laila Jiwani, 42, was killed on Thursday by a fallen tree as she was hiking with her family in the Great Smoky Mountains in Tennessee 

A Texas mother-of-three was tragically killed as she was hiking with her family when a tree suddenly fell in their path and she tried ...

It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.

Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.

Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca





https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/01/01/06/8008112-6539041-image-a-28_1546322491684.jpg

«Breaking News» Car slams into crowded New Year's celebrations in Tokyo, injuring nine

Nine people have been injured, one seriously, after a man deliberately ploughed his car into crowds celebrating New Year's Eve along a famous Tokyo street.

A man identified as 21-year-old Kazuhiro Kusakabe drove a small vehicle into Takeshita Street in Tokyo's fashion district of Harajuku just after midnight.

Police say he acted with an 'intent to murder'. Local media said the suspect had initially described the incident as an 'act of terror' but later said the attack was in retaliation for capital punishment without giving more precise details. 

A car has slammed into pedestrians on a street where people had gathered for New Year's Eve festivities in downtown Tokyo

Footage showed a small box vehicle with a smashed front and paramedics carrying people on stretchers into ambulances.

Local media said a container with kerosine inside was found in the rental car, where the attack occurred. The attacker reportedly drove the vehicle from the western region of Osaka.

One witness told NHK it was a 'ghastly scene.'

'I saw some guys collapsed on the street. As I walked closer toward the scene, many more people had fallen on the ground. By the time I reached the exact place, paramedics were already there helping people,' he said.

Another witness who runs a clothing shop in the area said: 'I am shocked that something like this happened on Takeshita Street.'

Police immediately cordoned off the street, which during the day is usually packed with tourists trying to get a taste of Japan's extravagant youth and food culture.

Eight people are understood to be injured, with police saying a man in his 20s was driving the car 'with intention to kill'

One college student suffered serious injuries during the attack and was undergoing surgery, the police spokesman told AFP. Local media reports said the student was in a coma.

Kusakabe was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder, police said. 

According to local media, Kusakabe hit a total of eight people and assaulted another on the street, which was closed to car traffic at the time before visitors would pack the area to celebrate New Year.

The vehicle hit its first victim about 30 metres into the narrow street before knocking down seven more over the next 100 metres, according to the Sankei Shimbun newspaper.

There is no information so far to suggest foreign tourists were among the injured, the police spokesman said.

TV Asahi said officers were investigating whether the suspect is fit for trial.

Takeshita Street is packed with small shops and is considered the centre of youth culture and fashion in Japan, attracting tens of thousands of international tourists every day.

Unlike in other major cities, New Year in Tokyo is a relatively muted affair.

There is no major fireworks display and no central point where drunken revellers gather to see in the New Year.

Instead, Japanese people tend to see in the New Year with families and quietly go to the shrine to pray for good fortune in the year to come.

By midday Tuesday, hundreds of thousands of tourists had returned to the street filled with bright pink ornaments, although blue tarps covering the scene of the case remained.  

Link hienalouca.com Interesting to note Looking for an investor or sponsor for a project to grow dinosaurs and relict plants. Requires the sum of investments from 400000$ to 900000$. The exact amount can not say because there are many nuances. It will be necessary to build a small laboratory with certain parameters. To all interested persons please write on an email angocman@gmail.com . It is the scientific project and I do not know whether it is possible to earn on it. The probability of success of the project is approximately 60%. That will be very interesting.

https://hienalouca.com/2019/01/01/car-slams-into-crowded-new-years-celebrations-in-tokyo-injuring-nine/
Main photo article Nine people have been injured, one seriously, after a man deliberately ploughed his car into crowds celebrating New Year’s Eve along a famous Tokyo street.
A man identified as 21-year-old Kazuhiro Kusakabe drove a small vehicle into Takeshita Street in Tokyo’s fashion district of...

It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.

Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.

Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca





https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/01/01/02/8004198-0-image-a-2_1546309921685.jpg

«Breaking News» Prince Philip grows prized black truffles at Sandringham

There was, of course, no chance that Prince Philip would take things easy. Putting his feet up after retirement was never likely to be his style.

It is why, most Mondays in the run-up to Christmas, he could be seen, reins in hand, carriage-driving in the grounds of Windsor Castle or, on other days, motoring around the estate to deliver festive greetings to staff.

Even so there cannot be many men in the land taking on a new enterprise well into their 98th year. 

But this week it emerged that after 12 fruitless years trying to coax black truffles from the soil at Sandringham, Philip has become the first person in Britain to cultivate a successful crop. This has been more than a labour of love.

Ever since he was introduced to the eccentric pursuit of truffle-hunting by his uncle Earl Mountbatten of Burma on a trip to Italy, Philip has been fascinated by the idea of growing the delicacies himself.

Duke of Edinburgh has finally succeeded in growing a crop of black truffles after 12 years of trying

He began the exercise in 2006 when he planted more than 300 saplings of hazel and oak impregnated with truffle spores at £15 apiece. 

He knew that the royal estate in Norfolk was well suited for the fungi because of its abundance of alkaline soil.

His attempts to create a truffiere in the Royal Fruit Farm, which yields apples and gooseberries as well as having a 100-acre blackcurrant plot — much of whose crop is destined for Ribena — had become something of an in-house joke, as year after year truffle-sniffing dogs failed to root out a thing.

Four years into his experiment, Philip drafted in Italian experts, who warned that the first crop might not be harvested until 2021, the year of Philip's 100th birthday.

A basket of Perigord black truffles pictured at a French market. Prince Philip now has his own crop of the delicacies

Their pessimism was misplaced. And the plantation, tucked away in the Organic Zone on the Sandringham Estate, is proving the doubters wrong.

The black truffles it is suddenly producing are so prized by gourmands that they are nicknamed 'black diamonds' and are valued at very nearly £1,000 per kilogram. They also have a reputation as an aphrodisiac.

Adrian Cole, a director of Truffle UK, which supplied the Duke of Edinburgh's trees, said he believed Sandringham was the first place to harvest black truffles in the UK.

The truffles, known as 'black diamonds' can change hands for as much as £200 for 3.5oz

'The majority have been Tuber melanosporum: the French Perigord black truffle — as good as you can get,' he said.

The plan had been to sell the crop to raise money for the running of the Estate, which has been managed by the Duke since her accession to the throne in 1952.

But Mr Cole said he understood the early crop had been consumed within the Royal Family. 'From what I gather, none have been sold. They have gone to the house or members of the family.'

Philip has become the first person in Britain to cultivate a successful crop

Truffles are an important component of some haute cuisine dishes in French and Italian cuisine

However, a peek at the Sandringham cafe menu suggests otherwise. For £7.95, visitors can sample a Sandringham game and Norfolk truffle terrine, served with pickled vegetables.

So what fired Philip's passion for a pastime which requires more than the usual store of patience and perseverance? And why should a man not known as an epicure want to grow such a pungent delicacy anyway?

The answer, it seems, was because he could not resist a challenge.

Since the early Sixties when he and Mountbatten visited Italy, where truffles are considered as luxurious as the finest caviar, Philip has been intrigued.

On some of these expeditions they are understood to have had a youthful companion, Sacha Phillips, later to become the Duchess of Abercorn and who died three weeks ago. 

Many years later, the Earl's former aide John Barrett claimed in a memoir that Mountbatten was much taken by the glamorous Sacha. '[Mountbatten] told me that if he ever married again, it would have to be Sacha or someone very like her,' he wrote.

Sorellina, considered one of the finest restaurants in Boston, USA, makes the fungi look rather more appetising in this halibut, potato gnocchetti, leek brodo, and black winter truffle dish

Of her relationship with Philip, the Duchess later described it as 'a passionate friendship, but the passion was in the ideas'. It is easy to imagine their enthusiasm for the pursuit of the fungi.

At Buckingham Palace, there was, for years, a haughty disdain for the truffle. Too ostentatious by far, was the royal refrain.

'We were never allowed to buy fresh truffles at the palace. Always deemed too expensive a luxury,' recalls former Palace chef Darren McGrady. 'We'd get them in a can for occasions such as state banquets and diplomatic receptions — but never fresh.

'The only time we saw fresh black truffles was at Christmas. They would be included in the 'gift' hampers supplied by Harrods.

'We used them grated over scrambled egg. Prince Philip loved them. The Queen would eat them but the only truffles she really liked were chocolate ones from Charbonnel et Walker!'

They were certainly on the menu on royal visits to Italy. During an official tour to Rome in 1980, the Queen and Philip were served crepes with truffles and cheese, and their hosts reported nothing was left on their plates.

How fortunate, then, that Sandringham is said to be an ideal growing area for truffles. Their aromatic, earthy smell is most attractive to female pigs, once used to snort them out.

Nowadays, truffle hunters use dogs, favouring the rare Italian Lagotto Romagnolo breed. It was two of these hounds that Philip arranged to have a sniff in his orchard.

The royal fruit farm at Sandringham (pictured) also produces apples, gooseberries, and blackcurrants - including some used in the manufacture of Ribena

Truffles' eye-watering price tag doesn't come because they are endangered. They're just hard to find — and they have a very short shelf life. The annual worldwide demand is 50 times higher than the amount produced.

The best are the black ones from France, the variety that Philip has cultivated, and the Italian white. The French novelist Balzac described them as having the ability to 'make one's loins smoulder like those of randy lions . . .'

Philip is unlikely to have been carried away by such flights of fancy. Just how abundant his Sandringham crop is, no one is saying. 'You will never get that information out of a truffle plantation owner,' says Mr Cole.

He did, however, reveal that the Italian embassy in London had offered to help Philip several years ago after reading reports that his £5,000 investment had not yet yielded any truffles.

Experts from Italy visited the plantation and found areas devoid of vegetation, known as brules, caused by an enzyme associated with truffles, which indicated that a crop would soon come.

The Duke was not downhearted. Innovative and restless, he has a reputation for trying out new things on the royal estates.

Indeed, he installed some of Britain's first solar panels and drove an electric van years before they became fashionable. He opened the Royal Family's first farm shop at Windsor and set up one of the earliest desktop computers at the Palace.

The list of firsts goes on and on. During a life just three years short of a century, there has seldom been a moment when Philip has not been thinking about what to do next.

He is blessed with the virtue of patience so a matter of truffles not developing as quickly as hoped was hardly going to be troubling.

This, remember, was the man who played a central role in the creation of the World Wildlife Fund, paving the way for organisations such as Greenpeace and helping to kick-start an entire environmental movement.

But perhaps his greatest quality is his optimism. 'He takes a similar approach to people who plant trees knowing they won't see them grow,' says a friend of the Duke. 'He will have taken that view over his truffle plantation. After all, he was in his mid-80s when he started it and knew it might take ten years to come to fruition.'

In years to come, his orchard may become so bountiful that Philip will have enough to be able to sell the truffles to the Hind's Head in Bray, Berkshire, now owned by Heston Blumenthal. In 1947, the prince held his stag night there. On the menu, at £35, is braised ox cheek, black truffle and parsnips.

Link hienalouca.com Interesting to note Looking for an investor or sponsor for a project to grow dinosaurs and relict plants. Requires the sum of investments from 400000$ to 900000$. The exact amount can not say because there are many nuances. It will be necessary to build a small laboratory with certain parameters. To all interested persons please write on an email angocman@gmail.com . It is the scientific project and I do not know whether it is possible to earn on it. The probability of success of the project is approximately 60%. That will be very interesting.

https://hienalouca.com/2019/01/01/prince-philip-grows-prized-black-truffles-at-sandringham/
Main photo article There was, of course, no chance that Prince Philip would take things easy. Putting his feet up after retirement was never likely to be his style.
It is why, most Mondays in the run-up to Christmas, he could be seen, reins in hand, carriage-driving in the grounds of Windsor Castle or, on other...

It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.

Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.

Dianne Reeves Online news HienaLouca





https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/01/01/00/8001816-6543505-image-a-13_1546301580570.jpg

«Breaking News» NASA rings in the new year with a historic flyby of Ultima Thule

The NASA spacecraft that yielded the first close-up views of Pluto opened the new year at an even more distant world, a billion miles beyond.

Flight controllers said everything looked good for New Horizons' flyby of the tiny, icy object at 12:33 a.m. Tuesday. Confirmation was not expected for hours, though, given the vast distance.

The mysterious, ancient target nicknamed Ultima Thule is 4 billion miles (6.4 billion kilometers) from Earth.

Scientists wanted New Horizons observing Ultima Thule during the encounter, not phoning home. So they had to wait until late morning before learning whether the spacecraft survived.

With New Horizons on autopilot, Mission Control was empty at Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland. Instead, hundreds of team members and their guests gathered nearby on campus for back-to-back countdowns.

The crowd ushered in 2019 at midnight, then cheered, blew party horns and jubilantly waved small U.S. flags again 33 minutes later, the appointed time for New Horizons' closest approach to Ultima Thule.

Scroll down for video 

New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern (C) of the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), Boulder, CO, celebrating with school children at the exact moment that the New Horizons spacecraft made the closest approach of Kuiper Belt object Ultima Thule on Tuesday, January 1

The crowd ushered in 2019 at midnight, then cheered, blew party horns and jubilantly waved small U.S. flags again 33 minutes later, the appointed time for New Horizons' closest approach to Ultima Thule

Stern called it an auspicious beginning to 2019, which will mark the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's footsteps on the moon in July 1969. People celebrate above

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft flew past the mysterious object at 12:33 a.m. Tuesday. The latest images of the object reveal an elongated shape

Nasa tweeted after the flyby that confirmation of the signal from the spacecraft will be made public at 9.45am

A few black-and-white pictures of Ultima Thule might be available following Tuesday's official confirmation, but the highly anticipated close-ups won't be ready until Wednesday or Thursday, in color, it is hoped.

'We set a record. Never before has a spacecraft explored anything so far away,' said the project's lead scientist who led the countdown to the close encounter, Alan Stern of Southwest Research Institute. 'Think of it. We're a billion miles farther than Pluto.'

Stern called it an auspicious beginning to 2019, which will mark the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's footsteps on the moon in July 1969.

'Ultima Thule is 17,000 times as far away as the 'giant leap' of Apollo's lunar missions,' Stern noted in an opinion piece in The New York Times. 

A handout photo made available by NASA shows New Horizons principal investigator Alan Stern (4-R), New Horizons project manager Helene Winters (3-R), Fred Pelletier (2-R), lead of the project navigation team and New Horizons co-investigator John Spencer (R) attending a press conference prior to the flyby of Ultima Thule by the New Horizons spacecraft, in Laurel, Maryland

New Horizons, which is the size of a baby grand piano and part of an $800 million mission, was expected to hurtle to within 2,200 miles (3,500 kilometers) of Ultima Thule, considerably closer than the Pluto encounter of 2015.

Its seven science instruments were to continue collecting data for four hours after the flyby. Then the spacecraft was to turn briefly toward Earth to transmit word of its success. It takes over six hours for radio signals to reach Earth from that far away.

Scientists believe there should be no rings or moons around Ultima Thule that might endanger New Horizons. Traveling at 31,500 mph (50,700 kph), the spacecraft could easily be knocked out by a rice-size particle. It's a tougher encounter than at Pluto because of the distance and the considerable unknowns, and because the spacecraft is older now.

The flyby was fast, at a speed of nine miles (14 kilometers) per second. Seven instruments on board recorded high-resolution images and gather data about its size and composition

'I can't promise you success. We are straining the capabilities of this spacecraft,' Stern said at a news conference Monday. 'By tomorrow, we'll know how we did. So stay tuned. There are no second chances for New Horizons.'

The risk added to the excitement.

A guitar anthem recorded by legendary Queen guitarist Brian May - who also holds an advanced degree in astrophysics - will be released just after midnight to accompany a video simulation of the flyby. Pictured, May at Mission Control.

Queen guitarist Brian May, who also happens to be an astrophysicist, joined the team at Johns Hopkins for a midnight premiere of the rock 'n' roll song he wrote for the big event.

'We will never forget this moment,' said May who led the New Year's countdown. 'This is completely unknown territory.'

Despite the government shutdown, several NASA scientists and other employees showed up at Johns Hopkins as private citizens, unwilling to miss history in the making.

Ultima Thule was unknown until 2014, eight years after New Horizons departed Earth. It was discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope and added to New Horizons' itinerary.

Deep inside the so-called Kuiper Belt, a frigid expanse beyond Neptune that is also known as the Twilight Zone, Ultima Thule is believed to date back 4.5 billion years to the formation of our solar system. As such, it is 'probably the best time capsule we've ever had for understanding the birth of our solar system and the planets in it,' Stern said.

In classic and medieval literature, Thule was the most distant, northernmost place beyond the known world.

New Horizons has spent more than a decade hurtling through the solar system since it launched on Jan 19, 2006 and passed Pluto in 2015. Its messages take to reach us, despite them traveling at the speed of light

NASA's New Horizons spacecraft spotted its next flyby target earlier this year from more than 100 million miles away. In the image, Ultima is enveloped in countless stars, appearing as just a tiny speck amidst the bright spots. The yellow box shows its predicted location

Scientists suspect Ultima Thule is a single object no more than 20 miles (32 kilometers) long, though there's a chance it could prove to be two smaller bodies orbiting each other or connected by a slender neck. It is thought to be potato-shaped and dark-colored  with a touch of red, possibly from being zapped by cosmic rays for eons.

The exact shape and composition won't be known until Ultima Thule starts sending back data in a process expected to last almost two years.

'Who knows what we might find? ... Anything's possible out there in this very unknown region,' said John Spencer, a deputy project scientist from Southwest Research Institute. 'We'll find out soon enough.'

WHAT IS ULTIMA THULE? 

The Kuiper Belt object was discovered by the Hubble Space Telescope in 2014. Officially known as 2014 MU69, it got the nickname Ultima Thule in an online vote.

In classic and medieval literature, Thule was the most distant, northernmost place beyond the known world.

Ultima Thule might not be a single object. Scientists say it's possible it's two or many objects. An artist's impression is pictured 

When New Horizons first glimpsed the rocky iceball in August it was just a dot. Good close-up pictures should be available the day after the flyby.

New Horizons will make its closest approach in the wee hours of Jan. 1 - 12:33 a.m. EST.

Scientists speculate Ultima Thule could be two objects closely orbiting one another. If a solo act, it's likely 20 miles (32 kilometers) long at most.

Envision a baked potato. 'Cucumber, whatever. Pick your favorite vegetable,' said astronomer Carey Lisse of Johns Hopkins.

It could even be two bodies connected by a neck. If twins, each could be 9 miles to 12 miles (15 kilometers to 20 kilometers) in diameter.

Scientists will map Ultima Thule every possible way. They anticipate impact craters, possibly also pits and sinkholes, but its surface also could prove to be smooth.

-Associated Press  

 

 

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https://hienalouca.com/2019/01/01/nasa-rings-in-the-new-year-with-a-historic-flyby-of-ultima-thule/
Main photo article The NASA spacecraft that yielded the first close-up views of Pluto opened the new year at an even more distant world, a billion miles beyond.
Flight controllers said everything looked good for New Horizons’ flyby of the tiny, icy object at 12:33 a.m. Tuesday. Confirmation was not expected...

It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.

Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.

Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca





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