EPA is developing requirements to ensure that E15 is properly labeled at the gas pump. The label will help prevent the use of E15 in vehicles that aren't currently approved.
E15 is a blend of 85% gasoline and 15% ethanol whose primary source is corn, but other grains or biomass sources such as corncobs, cornstalks, and switchgrass can be used. The Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 mandated an increase in the overall volume of renewable fuels in the marketplace, reaching 36 billion gallons in 2022. See the EPA press release and the EPA E15 Web site.
Delayed NASA Solar Sail Satellite Finally Orbits
In an unexpected twist for what was thought to be a failed space mission, NASA engineers confirmed on January 21 that the NanoSail-D "nanosatellite" had deployed its 100-square-foot polymer solar sail in low-Earth orbit and is operating-more than a month later than originally planned.
The sail actually unfurled on January 20, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, reported, marking the first time the US has achieved low-Earth solar sail flight. The device will stay in a low orbit for 70-120 days, depending on atmospheric conditions.
The saga of the satellite began on November 19 when NanoSail-D launched from Kodiak Island, Alaska, aboard the Fast, Affordable, Science and Technology Satellite (FASTSAT), itself a compact microsatellite. The original schedule called for a mini-satellite, about the size of a loaf of bread, to eject on December 6. After initially reporting the NanoSail had left FASTSAT, the launch team reconsidered after finding no evidence the tiny package was in orbit. Because the separation was unexpectedly delayed, the mission appeared in jeopardy.
But recently, the nanosatellite did "spontaneously" emerge, which engineers confirmed on January 19. Once that free flight occurred about 400 miles above the Earth's surface, a timer within NanoSail-D began a three-day countdown, and when it reached zero, four booms were programmed to quickly deploy, allowing NanoSail-D to unfold the polymer sail in five seconds.
The sail, about the size of a tent, is linked to 8 lithium-ion batteries as a power source. The mission is designed to test an emerging technology that will decrease the time a satellite needs to de-orbit without using the propellants that most traditional satellites use.
The first attempt to launch and deploy NanoSail-D was in August 2008. The Falcon 1 rocket experienced problems that resulted in the loss of the launch vehicle and payloads, including the first NanoSail-D. However, NASA engineers had constructed two NanoSail-D flight units, in case one failed or another launch opportunity became available. Now, NASA has formed a partnership with Spaceweather.com to encourage the amateur astronomy community to submit the best photographic images of the orbiting NanoSail-D, with prizes for the best pictures. See NASA press releases on deployment and first signals, as well as a NanoSail-D fact sheet , and the Spaceweather.com photo contest.
EIA: Oil Prices to Average $99 per Barrel by Late 2012
Crude oil prices are projected to steadily increase over the next two years and will average $99 per barrel in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to DOE's Energy Information Administration (EIA).
