Video: Asteroid-sampling spacecraft ready for launch

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will be boosted into orbit aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. OSIRIS-REx stands for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer. The U.S.'s first mission to sample an asteroid, OSIRIS-REx will travel to the near-Earth asteroid Bennu. Learn how this pioneering spacecraft and the Atlas V were readied for flight.

Video: Cassini image shows dunes on Saturn's moon Titan

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has radar vision that allows it to peer through the haze that surrounds Saturn's largest moon Titan. This video focuses on Shangri-la, a large, dark area on Titan filled with dunes. The long, linear dunes are thought to be comprised of grains derived from hydrocarbons that have settled out of Titan's atmosphere. Cassini has shown that dunes of this sort encircle most of Titan's equator. Scientists can use the dunes to learn about winds, the sands they're composed of, and highs and lows in the landscape.

The radar image was obtained by the Cassini Synthetic Aperture radar on July 25, during the mission's 122nd targeted Titan encounter.

Air Canada non-stop flights from Vancouver to Dallas-Fort Worth

Air Canada announced Wednesday the introduction of new daily year-round non-stop service between Vancouver and Dallas-Fort Worth beginning Feb. 5, 2017.

"Air Canada is pleased to link Vancouver and Dallas-Fort Worth with non-stop flights, complementing our existing service from Toronto. We continue to strategically expand our Vancouver hub, and our newest transborder flights to the fourth most populous metropolitan area in the USA offer local business travelers non-stop service, as well as improved access for customers in British Columbia and Alberta via convenient connections in Vancouver," said Benjamin Smith, president, Passenger Airlines at Air Canada. "Travelers from the U.S. will also enjoy seamless connections to Beijing, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo (Narita) and Hong Kong."

Air Canada's Vancouver-Dallas-Fort Worth flights will be operated by Jazz Aviation LP under the Air Canada Express brand with 75-seat, wi-fi equipped CRJ-705 aircraft, offering both Business and Economy cabins of service as well as in-flight entertainment at every seat.

This year from Vancouver, Air Canada has launched new international services to Brisbane and to Dublin, with new flights launching to Delhi in October. Air Canada has also launched new U.S. transborder flights from Vancouver this year to Chicago, San Jose, and San Diego.

Dassault's growing presence in Southeast Asia aviation market

Indonesia is currently the fastest growing business aviation market in Southeast Asia, with a double-digit growth rate, and the second largest fleet in the region after Singapore.

There are already a large number of small to medium sized business aircraft serving the Indonesian market, but operators are more and more eager to move up to large cabin and longer range jets.

Dassault Aviation's Falcon jets are tailor made for the demanding operating conditions of the region, in particular their great versatility, their airport performance and their unique long/short haul capability, which allows them to make a quick hop to a nearby destination with a full load of fuel before continuing on to a far off destination in Europe, Africa or the Americas.

This is particularly true of Indonesia, a collection of over 17,000 islands spanning a distance greater than the continental U.S. for which aviation is the only feasible means of travel. Although commercial aviation is quite developed, many destinations are under served and hard to get to except by private jet.

Dassault is a leading aerospace company with a presence in over 90 countries across five continents. The company employs a workforce of over 11,000 and has assembly and production plants in both France and the United States and service facilities around the globe. Since the rollout of the first Falcon 20 in 1963, over 2,400 Falcon jets have been delivered. Dassault offers a range of six business jets.

More than 100 Falcon jets are currently in service in Southeast Asia and the Asia/Pacific region from the very long range Falcon 7X to the Falcon 2000LXS/S widebody twins and the long range 900LX.

Falcon 8X

These aircraft will be joined soon by the Falcon 8X ultra long range trijet, which was awarded U.S. and European Aviation Safety Agency certification last June and will enter service in the coming weeks. The 6,450 nautical mile (11,945 kilometer) Falcon 8X will feature the same advanced technologies and exceptional short-field performance, operating economy and quietness as the revolutionary Falcon 7X from which it is derived. It will also offer the longest cabin of any Falcon and the largest selection of standard cabin configurations on any large business jet, including an optional shower capability.

The 8X will connect regional capitals like Jakarta and Singapore to most destinations in Europe non stop. Moreover, the aircraft's three engine design will permit it to fly more direct routes over water, meaning even greater time savings for business travelers.

Falcon 7X

In addition to its advanced systems, largely derived from military aircraft, the 5,950 nm (11,000 km) Falcon 7X features an ultra-comfortable, roomy interior that allows passengers to disembark fresh and relaxed after a 13 hour flight.

Falcon 2000LXS

The Falcon 2000LXS and S are Dassault's new short field champions. The 4,000 nm (7,410 km) LXS can access more airports than any other aircraft in its category, while the 3,350 nm (6,205 km) Falcon 2000S affords large cabin comfort and economics that were previously unheard of in the super mid-size segment.

Falcon 900LX

The 4,750 nm (8,800 km) Falcon 900LX trijet combines long range and low-speed landing capability with exceptional hot-and-high performance. It is the most efficient airplane in its class, with a fuel burn up to 40 percent lower than any comparable aircraft.

Dassault will highlight the expanding popularity of its Falcon Jet business aircraft line among Southeast Asian operators this week at the Indonesian Business & Charter Aviation Summit.

Computer hacker changes account balances on ClixSense

A computer hacker was able to change the names and balances for some member accounts on the popular online advertising website ClixSense, company officials announced Tuesday.

In a message posted on the ClixSense website company officials said, “I apologize for taking the site offline without warning but it seems this hacker was able to find an exploit and was able to remotely change the names and balances on some accounts. Some of you will need to reenter your names. None of your personal account information was exposed. We were able to restore many account names but we did not want to restore this information from our backup because it would mean much longer time offline so we made the decision to have some of you re-enter your first and last name.

“We understand this is a major inconvenience to all of you as this person is causing us much grief. But, on a side note, we've opened an investigation with the FBI and they are now investigating to try and find this person.

“Again I am very sorry for all of this and please be patient with us. We are doing the best we can to restore things back to where they should be.”

ClixSense members get paid for viewing ads, answering surveys, or viewing websites and videos posted by advertisers.

Related story: ClixSense hacked, redirected to a porn site

Over 11000 speeding citations issued in Pennsylvania during Labor Day weekend

Eleven people were killed and 223 others were injured in the 704 crashes investigated by the Pennsylvania State Police during the three-day Labor Day holiday weekend driving period.

The official holiday driving period was Sept. 2 through Sept. 5. During that time, troopers cited 769 individuals for not wearing seat belts and issued citations to 198 motorists for not securing children in safety seats.

Troopers also issued 11,341 speeding citations and arrested 590 operators for driving under the influence. Of the 704 crashes investigated by State Police, 61 of those crashes, including four of the fatal crashes, were alcohol related.

During last year's four-day Labor Day holiday driving period, nine people died and 230 others were injured in 664 crashes to which state troopers responded.

The statistics cover only those crashes investigated by state police and do not include statistics on incidents to which other law enforcement agencies in Pennsylvania responded.

ClixSense hacked, redirected to a porn site

The popular online advertising website ClixSense was hacked recently and set to redirect to a porn site, company officials announced Monday.

“Members, as I am sure you have heard a hacker took over our DNS and set ClixSense to redirect to a porn site,” ClixSense owner Jim Grapp said in a notice on the website. “This hacker has been giving us trouble for over a month now first with the program CSAdViewer (we think), then with viruses in ads and now the DNS hack.

“Please note that none of your information is at risk or has been exposed. This person did not gain access to our servers or database. We've heard that other sites have also been hacked and we will follow up with the authorities on Tuesday and give them as much information as possible about what this person has done to ClixSense.

“We are truly sorry that this has effected your ability to participate here at ClixSense and also please know that extra security measures are being put in place to make sure this sort of thing does not happen again.

We appreciate your support during this terrible time and thank you for being a member of ClixSense.”

ClixSense members get paid for viewing ads, answering surveys, or viewing websites and videos posted by advertisers.

First Oceania route for Tianjin Airlines

Tianjin Airlines will launch the first Chinese flights from Auckland to Chongqing and Tianjin, China, in December. The flights will operate between Tianjin, Chongqing and Auckland three times a week using an A330 aircraft.

It will be the first Oceania route for the airline. In May, Tianjin imported its first A330 aircraft, since then nine international routes have been in operation, including Tianjin-Moscow and Tianjin-Chongqing-London.

The launch will involve direct flights from China's fourth largest city, Tianjin to Chongqing, one of the world's largest urban centers and a major manufacturing and transportation hub in southwest China, and then fly to Auckland three times per week all year-round.

Chongqing is a major economic center of the Yangtze basin and has a population of more than 30 million. Chongqing has invested heavily in infrastructure and is well connected to the rest of China. These infrastructure improvements have led to the arrival of numerous foreign direct investors in industries including car manufacture, finance and retailing.

With a population of more than 15 million, Tianjin is the largest coastal city in northern China and the major gateway port serving the capital Beijing. It is also home to a Special Economic Zone where key experimental economic reforms are taking place, and has become a hub of advanced industries and financial activities with 285 of Fortune 500 companies now having presence there.

The A330 selected by Tianjin is designed to carry 260 passengers with 18 business class seats and 242 economy class seats. Auckland Airport estimates that Tianjin Airlines' new service will add 83,000 seats for Auckland route every year and will provide a $102 million boost to the New Zealand tourism industry.

Tianjin Airlines Company Limited was founded in June 2009, as an aviation enterprise co-established by Tianjin government and the HNA Group. It opened its first international route in 2010 and now operates more than 20 international routes, connecting China to Japan, South Korea, Russia, Southeast Asia and other international destinations. Within the next five years, the airline plans to add more than 10 A330 wide-body aircraft, and more international routes to Europe, Oceania and America, connecting to major cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Melbourne and more.