World's oldest car sells for $4.6 million at auction

The world's oldest running car has sold at auction for a staggering $4.62 million.
The odd looking 1884 De Dion 'Steam Runabout' was sold to an unknown buyer in front of a packed Pennsylvania auction auction house.The 127-year-old water powered tricycle quickly rose above its $500,000 starting bid.

The odd looking 1884 De Dion 'Steam Runabout' was sold in front of packed Pennsylvania auction auction house on Friday.

The final price of $4.2 million was boosted by the 10 per cent buyers fee.The steam driven Runabout had been in the same family for 81 years before Friday's sale.The car is one of only six still known to be in existence and only 20 of the cars were ever made.The De Dion that sold was also the only car to enter the world's first the world's first auto race.

Ford Mustang 1969 made entirely from paper

This life-sized replica car made completely from paper has hit the road, but it's not going anywhere fast.Brooklyn artist Jonathan Brand has constructed every single part of a 1969 Mustang coupe using nothing but paper.

The 31-year-old made a digital blueprint of the car and then printed it on a large-format inkjet printer.

The entire 1969 Mustang coupe has been made from paper, including the spark plugs, nuts and bolts, and radiator.

The whole car has been replicated in great detail. It was inspired by a vintage Mustang that Mr Brand rebuilt.

The final work will not be assembled into an entire vehicle, but remain as separate pieces of art.The vehicle is on display in an exhibition entitled 'One Piece at a Time' at the Hosfelt Gallery in New York City until October 29.

Brooklyn artist Jonathan Brand has rebuilt three real vintage cars, including a Ford Mustang.

Mr Brand's grandfather worked on a car assembly line in Detroit and his uncle and cousins are mechanics.

The engine of the Mustange coupe has been meticulously reproduced using nothing but paper.

The replica car pieces are being exhibited at the Hosfelt Gallery in New York until October 29.

The car will not be fully assembled so that the individual parts can be properly appreciated.

The car will not be driving anywhere because it is made completely from paper.

Mr Brand owned a 1969 Ford Mustang until he sold it to pay for a diamond engagement ring.

The car has special importance for the artist who spent five years restoring a real 1969 Mustang, which he sold to buy a diamond engagement ring.Mr Brand's grandfather worked on a car assembly line in Detroit and his uncle and cousins are mechanics.

International space station captures time lapse pictures and video

Around the world in 60 seconds :- Incredible time-lapse video from the International Space Station.

1.  Science teacher created video using 600 free pictures.
2.  Over a million pictures of space stored on website.

It took Phileas Fogg 80 days to circumnavigate the world but, thanks to the wonders of technology, it is now possible to do it in just a minute.This whirlwind video tour of the planet is a compilation of time-lapse images shot from the International Space Station (ISS).
                             James Drake spliced together the images from the ISS, which travels at about 220 miles above the surface, to create the one-minute footage which he posted online - and it has become an internet sensation.Science teacher Mr Drake used some 600 free-to-access images on the website The Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth, and knitted them together so everyone can enjoy the amazing view of North and South America.

The Earth is shown at night - and the yellow flashes here show the ionosphere - a part of the upper atmosphere, comprising portions of the mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere.

The science teacher, James Drake, stitched together over 600 images to create the amazing video.
The film, which was uploaded on September 15 and has attracted almost 50,000 hits on YouTube, starts over the Pacific Ocean and then moves over North and South America before entering daylight near Antarctica.

The sun is shown rising in the incredible pictures taken from the ISS, which takes 91 minutes to orbit the Earth.

Some 600 images were used to make the one-minute video.

The ISS has been manned for almost 11 years, and images of the Earth are regularly beamed back by their astronauts.

The ISS is currently on Expedition 29, and the astronauts will be on the space station until mid-November, when they will be replaced by another crew.

Flashes of lightening can be shown over the Pacific Ocean.

The South American coast can be seen from the space station which travels at about 220 miles from the Earth's surface.

The International Space year celebrated a decade of human occupation.

By Oliver Pickup

London Olympic Games 2012 venues

Olympic Stadium
An aerial view of the Olympic Stadium. During the 2012 Games in London, the stadium – which seats 80,000 spectators – will host athletic events.

Tennis

An aerial view of Wimbledon, which will host the tennis events during the 2012 Olympic Games.

Manmade whitewater

An aerial view of the Lee Valley White Water Centre, which will host the canoe slalom events during the London Olympics.

Football

An aerial view of Wembley Stadium, which will host soccer events during the 2012 Games.

Lords Cricket Ground

 An aerial view of Cricket Ground, which will host archery events during the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Courtside seats

An interior view of the Handball Arena at London’s Olympic Park. The Handball Arena became the third venue at the Olympic Park to be completed.

Basketball Arena

An interior view of the London 2012 Basketball Arena. Construction on the 12,000-seat basketball arena for 2012 Olympics in London has been completed, just 15 months after building began. The stadium became the fourth venue at Olympic Park to be finished, on budget and in time for the first test event to be held at the site in August.

The Dome

An aerial view of the North Greenwich Arena, also known as The Dome, which will host artistic gymnastics, trampoline, basketball and wheelchair basketball events during the 2012 Olympics in London.

Bentley Mulsanne comes with twin iPads for back-seat passengers

The Bentley Mulsanne is already one of the world’s most luxurious cars – but it’s now one of the most hi-tech, thanks to a new interior that includes twin Apple iPads for those relaxing in the back.Unveiled at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Mulsanne Executive Interior Concept takes the craftsmen and women at its Crewe factory 170 hours to complete.
              The iPad workstations have full internet access and are integrated into retractable picnic tables, while TV shows and movies can be watched on a large, drop-down hi-definition LED screen that folds down from the roof at the touch of a button.

The Bentley Mulsanne now comes with twin iPads, an Apple Mini Mac and various other swish 21st-century features.

The iPads come equipped with keyboards.

And of course, they fold away snugly into the seat.

Passengers can play video files and music, and access email and the internet through the iPads, while an iPod that sits in-between the seats acts as a remote control for the car’s audio system.An Apple Mini Mac is stored in boot compartment - giving extra storage space for films and music. Naturally the iPads are equipped with Bluetooth keyboards, too.
                If you wish to go old-school and send a hand-written note to someone, perhaps boasting of your car’s luxury, there’s a Tibaldi fountain pen stowed in the centre armrest.Though in reality it’s more likely to be used for signing multi-million-pound contracts by the car’s super-wealthy occupants.

The executive interior comes with a fold-down high-def TV.

The iPod in the back seat controls the audio system, among other things.

The Apple Mini Mac is stowed away out of sight.

The Bentley Mulsanne packs a 505bhp V8 under the bonnet.

The Mulsanne is aimed at those who want to do high-level business on the go.

Nasa warns fall of junk satellites from space

A six tonne Nasa satellite is set to fall uncontrolled out of orbit, potentially raining debris over swathes of the planet including Britain, the US space agency has admitted.

The $750 million (£468 million) Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS) satellite, launched 20 years ago to study climate change, is set to breach the atmosphere within weeks.

In a new alert issued this week, officials warned pieces could land in densely populated areas on six continents including parts of Britain, Europe, North and South America and Asia.

Nasa claimed the risk to public safety from the “dead” satellite – which is orbiting just over 155 miles above the earth with an inclination of 57 degrees – was “extremely small”.

But senior space agency officials admitted they were “concerned” about the risk to billions of people when it starts falling uncontrolled out of orbit at any stage from later this month.

Nasa admitted more than half a tonne of metal from the satellite, which ran out of fuel in 2005, will survive as the majority it will burn up after entering Earth's atmosphere.

 

Scientists estimate the debris footprint will be about 500 miles long with a 1-in-3,200 chance a part a satellite part could hit someone.
While Nasa did not know the exact areas it will fall, the projected danger zone has been narrowed to areas between 57 degrees north and 57 degrees south of the Equator.
These areas cover six continents and billions of people and three oceans.
"Things have been re-entering ever since the dawn of the space age; to date nobody has been injured by anything that's re-entered," said Gene Stansbery, Nasa’s orbital debris chief.
"That doesn't mean we're not concerned."

According to the US Space Surveillance Network, which monitors space junk, there are more than 22,000 objects measuring 10cm or more currently above the earth. The International Space Station has to move out of the way of debris occasionally.
Last year, a Pentagon report warned that space was so littered with debris that a collision between satellites could set off an “uncontrolled chain reaction” capable of destroying the communications network on Earth.
The volume of abandoned rockets, shattered satellites and missile shrapnel in the Earth’s orbit is reaching a “tipping point” and is now threatening the $250 billion (£174bn) space services industry, according to the US Defense Department's interim Space Posture Review.
Meanwhile in a report earlier this month, the National Academy of Sciences admitted that scientists had “lost control” of the space environment.

The world's longest Bridges

The world's longest cross-sea bridge, spanning 36.48 kilometers across the mouth of the Jiaozhou Bay in China's eastern Shandong province, opened to traffic four years after construction started. Here's a peek into some of the world's longest bridges.

Lake Pontchartrain Causeway

Located in Louisiana, United States, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, consists of two parallel bridges that run parallel to each other. The bridges are supported by 9,500 concrete pilings and spans over 38.35 kilometres.

Donghai Bridge

Completed on December 10, 2005, the Donghai Bridge has a total length of 32.5 kilometres and connects Shanghai to the Yangshan port in China. The 'Donghai Bridge' is popularly known as 'The stone'.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is a four lane bridge that connects the Delmarva Peninsula's Eastern Shore of Virginia with Virginia Beach and the metropolitan area of Hampton Roads, Virginia. The bridge has a total length of 37 kilometres.
Vasco da Gama Bridge

The Vasco da Gama Bridge is a cable bridge with a total length of 17.2 kilometres. The bridge was opened to traffic on 29 March, 1998. The bridge spans across the Tagus River near Lisbon, Portugal.

Penang Bridge

The Penang Bridge opened to traffic on September 14, 1985 and connects Gelugor in Penang island and Seberang Prai to mainland Malaysia. The total length of the bridge is 13.5 kilometres.

Rio-Niteroi Bridge

The Rio-Niteroi Bridge is a box girder bridge that connects the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Niteroi. The bridge opened on March 4, 1974 and the total length of the bridge is 13 kilometres.

Confederation Bridge

The 12.9 kilometre long bridge opened on 31 May 1997, connecting the Prince Edward Island with New Brunswick, Canada. The Confederation bridge is a two-lane highway toll bridge.

San Mateo-Hayward Bridge

Commonly known as the San Mateo Bridge, the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge connects San Francisco Peninsula with the East Bay. The total length of the bridge is 11.265408 kilometres.

Seven Mile Bridge

The Seven Mile Bridge is is located between the Gulf of Mexico and the Florida Strait. Finished in 1982 at a cost of $45 million, the Seven Mile Bridge connects city of Marathon in the Middle Keys of Florida to Little Duck Key in the Lower Keys of Florida.