Project management: How NASA overcame the odds to build the biggest telescope ever history
It was a big-science project plagued with so many problems that it seemed destined to fail. For years, the James Webb Space Telescope – an ambitious observatory planned and funded by NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency – was the target of astronomy’s most scathing jokes....
Webb telescope arrives near gravitationally special Langrange Two spot for premier view of Universe
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has just reached its final destination — around a gravitationally special spot in space known as the second Lagrange point, or L2. The $10-billion observatory could spend 20 or more years there, gathering unprecedented insights about the Universe as it stares into deep space. Webb,...
Uganda’s newly commissioned helicopter maintenance facility to serve eastern Africa, UN
Uganda President Yoweri Museveni has commissioned a helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facility, which is refurbishing Uganda People’s Defence Force (UPDF) Mi-24 helicopters. The facility was formally opened by Museveni at Nakosongola Air Base on January 22. It is a joint venture by the UPDF’s commercial arm, the National...
Ousted Burkina Faso President Kabore detained, blamed for Islamist insurgency and economic slide
Burkina Faso’s army said on Monday it had ousted President Roch Kabore, suspended the constitution, dissolved the government and the national assembly, and closed the country’s borders. The announcement cited the deterioration of the security situation and what the army described as Kabore’s inability to unite the West African nation...
Angry Angolan citizens attack, term journalists in state owned media as ‘sell-outs’ for ‘hiding’ truth
Angry Angolan citizens are venting their frustrations on journalists working for state-controlled media, accusation them of being sell-outs being used by the government to hide the ills perpetrated by the ruling elite. This was the case on January 10 when six journalists from Angola’s state media were attacked by rioters...
Kenya police can’t explain mystery of dozens killed and dumped in river that flows into Lake Victoria
Kenyan police now say that incidences of decomposing bodies being recovered from a river in the western part of the country have been going on for two years. The authorities were not forthcoming with answers to why the deaths and manner of disposal of the bodies has not been investigated...
Britain dumps work-from-home schedule as coronavirus incidence declines
Work from home guidance has been scrapped by Prime Minister Boris Johnson amidst a raft of announcements as England’s Covid Plan B is thrown out. The most recent round of guidance, asking Brits to work from home came into force on December 13, 2021. It was introduced before Christmas to...
Court in Kigali rules appeal in ‘Hotel Rwanda’ film hero’s case can proceed without him
A Rwandan court has ruled that an appeal by prosecutors in a case involving Paul Rusesabagina, who was portrayed in the movie ‘Hotel Rwanda’ sheltering hundreds of people during the 1994 genocide, could proceed in his absence. Rusesabagina, 67, was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being found guilty...
Tanzania puts military might on show with Gilboa DBR Snake assault rifles to mark Zanzibar Revolution Day
The Tanzania People’s Defence Force (TPDF) has taken into service an unusual weapon in the form of the Israeli Gilboa DBR Snake double-barrel assault rifle. This was seen during a parade on January 12 to mark the anniversary of the 1964 Zanzibar Revolution. Janes reports that the TPDF is the...
