Physicist Gregory H. Olsen, co-founder and chairman of Sensors Unlimited Inc. (SUI), will be on board the Soyuz TMA-7 orbital spaceflight mission, scheduled for Sept. 30 at 11:54 p.m. (EST). A Russian government Soyuz rocket will launch the manned spacecraft on NASA's twelfth expedition to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch was delayed from Sept. 27. Olsen will accompany NASA astronaut Bill McArthur, commander of ISS Expedition 12, and Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev, flight engineer. Olsen, who reportedly paid Arlington, Va.-based space tourism firm Space Adventures $20 million for his participation in the spaceflight, plans to conduct remote sensing and astronomy research projects incorporating SUI's shortwave infrared (SWIR) imaging technology. The capsule will remain at the station for about six months, providing an escape pod for the crew. NASA TV will cover the launch and landing, and SUI will offer a live webcast from the space station beginning Oct. 3. For more information, visit: www.sensorsinc.com    . . .    Semiconductor and electronics manufacturer Dalsa Corp. of Waterloo, Ontario, has received a contract valued at $1.4 million from an Asian scientific research facility to design a custom CCD image sensor chip and deliver production units throughout 2006.    . . .    To celebrate its 10th birthday in October, Photonic Products Ltd. of Hertfordshire, England, has invested in a Citizen M32 CNC sliding head lathe from NC Engineering of Watford, England. The company says the purchase will help it meet demands for its custom-designed electro-optical subassemblies, optoelectronic components and laser diode modules.    . . . Ewing, N.J.-based Universal Display Corp., a developer of OLED (organic light-emitting diode) technology for displays, lighting and other optoelectronics, has been awarded a two-year, $750,000 Small Business Innovation Research Phase II contract by the US Department of Energy to develop a white OLED light source featuring the company's TOLED (transparent OLED) technology. During Phase I, the company improved light extraction from an OLED by 20 percent by using TOLED integrated with an external reflector. During Phase II, it plans to improve the performance of the design in white lighting applications. White OLEDs have the potential to generate light more energy-efficiently than traditional light sources.

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