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☆ Opinion: NASA was America’s crown jewel. After the Columbia disaster it was never quite the same
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-06 | by ( Opinion Douglas Brinkley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +15 min

Space Shuttle Columbia launches from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 16, 2003. Space Shuttle Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:39 a.m. The environmentally controlled chamber was mated to Space Shuttle Columbia for access into the orbiter. NASA Space Shuttle Columbia lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 16, 2003. Students and staff of the Shoshone-Bannock High School had an experiment on board Space Shuttle Columbia.

Persons: Douglas Brinkley, Katherine Tsanoff, John F, Kennedy, ”, Douglas Brinkley Moore Huffman, Nancy Currie, Gregg, Scott Andrews, NASA's, Michael P, Anderson, William C, McCool, Rick D, David M, Brown, Laurel, Ilan Ramon, Kalpana Chawla, Joe Skipper, Karl Ronstrom, Ramon, NASA Chawla, Clark, Chawla, Robert Giroux, Kathryn O'Neill, Zachary, Brett Coomer, Florida Sen, Bill Nelson, Matt Stroshane, Tommy Peltier, Eric Gay, Smiley, Gene Theriot, Sean O'Keefe, George W, Bush, Ron Dittemore, Joe Cavaretta, O'Keefe, Mannie Garcia, NASA Sandy Anderson, Carlos Noriega, Michael L, Coats, Evelyn Husband, Thomas, John Raoux, Glenn Benson, Kim Shiflett, Sean O’Keefe, Jeff Bezos, Lockheed Martin, Sir Richard Branson, “ Organizations: Rice University, CNN, Shuttle Columbia, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, Russian Space Agency, Russia, United Arab, Challenger, Columbia, Space, Space Shuttle Columbia, Kennedy Space Center, Reuters Space Shuttle Columbia, Scott Andrews People, Control Center, Getty, NASA Space, Israeli Air Force, Space Shuttle, Red Team, Blue Team, Johnson Space Center, Former, Houston, Houston Chronicle, People, US Navy Corps, Columbia Reconstruction, NASA Workers, Astronauts Memorial Foundation, Reuters, Bannock, Bannock Junior, Senior, Bannock High School, Johnson Space, Shuttle, Investigation, Elon, SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Boeing, Lockheed, Virgin Galactic, JFK Locations: China, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Columbia, Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Houston, Israel, SPACEHAB, New York, Laguna Hills , California, San Augustine , Texas, Washington ,, Shoshone, Fort Hall , Idaho, American

☆ Video captures rare drone-on-drone combat as exploding Ukrainian quadcopters blow up Russian grenade-launching robots
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Two quadcopter drones can be seen on video blowing up Russia's unmanned ground vehicles, or UGVs. AdvertisementNewly released footage shows Ukrainian quadcopter drones blowing up Russian grenade-launching robots, offering a rare glimpse of unmanned systems fighting each other on the battlefield. A video of the Ukrainian drones incapacitating Russian combat UGVs in yesterday's battle in the Avdiiv direction. Saturday's engagement also underscores the emerging role of unmanned ground vehicles, or UGVs, in the war. He said it's unclear if the Russian UGVs in the video were sent into battle instead of soldiers or in tandem with them.

Persons: —, 2Orep1fTPk, H4QFlsEQBm — Samuel Bendett, Samuel Bendett, Bendett Organizations: Service, Mechanized Brigade, Center for Naval Analyses Locations: Ukraine, Russian, Soviet, Avdiivka, Moscow

☆ I steered ships like the Dali for 13 years. Entering and leaving a port is extremely challenging — here's what should have been done in Baltimore.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Claire Turrell | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Sachin Saxena is a former ship captain who spent 13 years navigating the globe on large ships. AdvertisementThis as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sachin Saxena, a 45-year-old former ship captain from Singapore. I captained ships transporting liquid petroleum gas from Asia to the United States for 13 years, from 1997 to 2010. Entering or leaving a port is one of the most challenging parts of any voyage. This will start about 45 seconds after the ship's power has failed.

Persons: Sachin Saxena, —, Dali, Francis Scott Key, aren't, I'd Organizations: Service, Baltimore Locations: Dali, Singapore, Asia, United States, Baltimore

Hong Kong CNN —China’s coast guard used water cannon against Philippine boats in a contested area of the South China Sea on Saturday, the latest in a string of maritime clashes between the two countries. The AFP also accused the Chinese coast guard of performing a “dangerous maneuver” by crossing the bow of the resupply vessel before using the water cannon. It said China subsequently installed floating barriers to “prevent further entry of any vessels.”A Philippine Coast Guard vessel had been “impeded and encircled” by a Chinese coast guard ship and two Chinese “maritime militia” vessels, the agency said, cutting it off from the resupply boat. The ship is now mostly a rusted wreckage and is manned by Philippine marines stationed on rotation. The latest run-in came just four days after Secretary of State Blinken told a news conference in Manila that the United States had an “ironclad commitment” to defending the Philippines in the South China Sea.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Jay Tarriela, Thomas, “, Thomas Shoal, Blinken Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Armed Forces, AFP, Philippine Coast Guard, Convention, BRP Sierra Madre, Philippine, Sierra Madre, Weibo Locations: Hong Kong, South, Philippine, China, Philippines, AFP, ”, Beijing, Manila, Palawan, BRP Sierra, Madre, Sierra, China’s, United States, South China, People’s Republic of China, Washington

☆ Swarms of drones are a rising threat to the US homeland, and law enforcement isn't ready
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

RAND focused on various ways that terrorists inside the US could wreak havoc with drone swarms. Current technology allows unmanned aircraft to be employed in what RAND terms "surrogate swarm technology," in which formations are only loosely coordinated. James Newsome/US ArmyNations such as America and China are busy developing military drone swarms. Such technology is becoming available to the public: the FAA has already allowed limited use of drone swarms to spray crops. Thus the question isn't if intelligent drone swarms become a domestic security threat, but when.

Persons: —, What's, Alfred Hitchcock's, James Newsome, Daniel Gerstein, Gerstein, isn't, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, RAND Corp, Business, RAND's Homeland, Analysis, Department of Homeland Security, RAND, Kremlin, 11th Armored Cavalry Regiment, Threat Systems Management Office, US Army Nations, FAA, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Afghanistan, Ukraine, Russia, America, China, North Carolina, Forbes

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Niger's junta said Saturday the U.S. military presence in the country is no longer justified, making the announcement on state television after holding high-level talks with U.S. diplomatic and military officials this week. He said Niger was suspending military cooperation with Washington and added that U.S. flights over the country’s territory in recent weeks were illegal. The U.S. has also invested years and hundreds of millions of dollars in training Niger's military. Photos You Should See View All 60 ImagesThe Niger junta spokesman said the U.S. tone was condescending and threatened Niger's sovereignty. The U.S. military had some 650 personnel working in Niger in December, according to a White House report to Congress.

Persons: — Niger's, Maj, Amadou Abdramane, Niger's, Mohammed Bazoum, Molly Phee, Michael Langley, Phee, Jessica Donati Organizations: U.S, Washington, European Union, military's, Command, Niger, Associated Press Locations: NIAMEY, Niger, U.S, Africa's Sahel, Agadez, Niamey, Washington, Africa, France, Dakar, Senegal

☆ Indonesia Investigates How Two Pilots Dozed Off During a Flight
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-10 | by ( Muktita Suhartono | Yan Zhuang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Indonesia’s aviation authority said it would review how the country’s airlines operate night flights after both pilots on a Batik Air flight carrying 153 passengers fell asleep, causing the plane to briefly veer off course. The plane took off from Kendari at about 8 a.m., and after reaching cruising altitude, the captain took a nap while the co-pilot manned the flight, according to a preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Committee. After about an hour, the co-pilot accidentally fell asleep, and several frantic calls from the air traffic control center and other aircraft went unanswered. About 28 minutes later, the pilot woke up, realized the plane had veered off course and woke up the co-pilot. They course-corrected, and the plane landed safely in Jakarta.

Persons: — Organizations: National Transportation Safety Locations: Kendari, Jakarta

☆ The incredible story of how POWs played golf at the ‘Great Escape’ prison camp
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

In comparison to other POW camps under German control, captives at Stalag Luft III received “excellent” treatment for the majority of the war, according to a 1944 US Military Intelligence Service (MIS) report. The rubber from such items would wrap around the core and then be cased within leather stripped from shoes — a process eerily reminiscent of “featheries,” some of the earliest post-wooden golf balls ever made. Immortalized in a book and then a film of the same name, what became known as the “The Great Escape” wasn’t even the first breakout at Stalag Luft III. When three prisoners made a successful escape, suspicious German eyes homed in on the golf course and its sprawling mounds and greens. In 1979, he donated two balls he made while in Stalag Luft III to the USGA Golf Museum, artifacts that headline its exhibit on golf during the Second World War.

Persons: — “, Stalag Luft, —, “, ”, John Strege, Pat Ward, Thomas, Victoria Nenno, ” Nenno, Tee, Sydney Smith, Smith, Ward, John Mummert, Thomas ’, Sagan, Stalag, Roger Bushell’s, Tom, ” “ Dick, Harry ” —, Adolf Hitler Organizations: CNN, Luftwaffe, British Royal Air Force, RAF, United States Army Air Force, Military Intelligence Service, Geneva Convention, USGA Golf, PGA, Stalag Luft, USGA Museum, Ward, Thomas, USGA, RAF Squadron, Guardian, USGA Golf Museum Locations: Nazi Germany, Berlin, Zagan, Poland, Norway, New Zealand, Geneva, Netherlands, New Jersey, Ward, Germany, —, England

☆ A traditional Russian ally snubbed Moscow's latest fighter jets for competitors from Pakistan and Turkey
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Azerbaijan's biggest arms supplier has been Russia but it will likely acquire jets from elsewhere. AdvertisementThe small, oil-rich South Caucasus country of Azerbaijan has big plans to upgrade its modest fleet of fighter jets over the next decade. However, rather than turn to Russia, its traditional arms supplier for decades, Baku will likely acquire modern fighters from Pakistan and Turkey. "Neither Russia nor Western democracies are ideal suppliers, even though Russia has historically sold arms to Azerbaijan," Roblin told Insider. Turkey provided training and arms that enabled Azerbaijan to defeat Armenia's armed forces in the 2020 war over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

Persons: —, Frederico Borsari, Borsari, Sebastien Roblin, Roblin, Armenia's, Sukhoi Su, Tatyana Makeyeva Azerbaijan's, China's, Armenian Su Organizations: Service, Thunder, Turkey's TF, Center for, Business, Azerbaijan, Russian, Pakistan Aeronautical, Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, REUTERS, Armenia, Azerbaijan's MiG Locations: Russia, Moscow, Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Baku, Pakistan, Turkey, Pakistani, Ukraine, China, Armenia, Ankara, Nagorno, Karabakh, Zhukovsky, Soviet

☆ Russia is building momentum off its Avdiivka win and pushing deeper before Ukraine can get new defenses up
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewRussian forces are slowly advancing deeper into parts of eastern Ukraine, building off their momentum after capturing the war-torn city of Avdiivka nearly two weeks ago. AdvertisementUkrainian soldiers of 47th Mechanized Brigade drives on M2 Bradley infantry fighting vehicle on Avdiivka direction on Feb. 23, 2024 in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. Photo by Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images"These tactical gains serve primarily to consolidate Russian positions around Avdiivka," the latest update said. Ukrainian soldiers of Brigade 71 fire an artillery in the direction of Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on Feb. 18, 2024.

Persons: —, Vitalii Nosach, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Vladimir Putin's, Avdiivka, John Kirby, Biden, Kirby, aren't Organizations: Service, Business, Avdiivka, Kyiv, 47th Mechanized Brigade, Bradley, Getty, Institute for, Brigade, Bakhmut, Moscow, Directorate of Intelligence, Ministry of Defense, White, National Security, Republican Locations: Ukraine, Avdiivka, Moscow, Ukrainian, Russia, Lastochkyne, Donetsk Oblast, Anadolu, Russian, Ukraine's, Donetsk

☆ China moon spacecraft named ‘Dream Vessel’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —China’s space agency has revealed the names of the spacecraft that it hopes will take Chinese astronauts to the moon by the end of the decade. In a news release over the weekend, the China Manned Space Agency said development was “progressing well” on the spaceship Mengzhou, or Dream Vessel, the lander, Lanyue, or Embracing the Moon, and a super-heavy-lift carrier rocket named Long March 10. The name Mengzhou is linked to the “Chinese nation’s dream of landing on the moon,” it added. The United States is ramping up its lunar program, with NASA last month announcing its plan to land astronauts on the moon in 2026, a year behind its original schedule. Last week, the commercial Odysseus lunar lander developed by Intuitive Machines became the first US-made spacecraft to touch down on the moon in 50 years.

Persons: “ Lanyue ”, Mao Zedong, Xi Jinping’s, Japan’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China Manned Space Agency, NASA, Machines Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, United States, Japan, India

☆ Luxury space-tourism company shows off its capsule designed to float to the edge of space with a massive balloon
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Camilo Fonseca | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An aerospace startup has unveiled the test capsule for its luxury space tourism experience. It's the latest commercial spacecraft for suborbital flight, after Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin. Space Perspective, a Florida-based startup, recently unveiled a test capsule for its new Neptune spacecraft. The company touts the pressurized Neptune capsule as "the largest human spacecraft in operation" aside from space stations like the ISS. Space Perspective"The space capsule is like nothing the world has ever seen," cofounder Taber MacCallum said in a statement.

Persons: —, Neptune, Shepard, Dezeen, Taber MacCallum, Jane Poynter, Space.com Organizations: Virgin Galactic, Service, Virgin, US Air Force Locations: Florida

☆ Spending in Shenzhen: Chinese used to escape to this former British colony. Now Hongkongers are heading in the opposite direction
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-24 | by ( Chris Lau | Veronica Lin | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

Hong Kong CNN —With Hong Kong’s sky-high cost of living, residents like Andy Tsui have been looking for alternative ways to have more fun and spend less. Rather than spending his cash in his hometown of Hong Kong, he’s been crossing the border into mainland China to splurge instead. Such trips are noteworthy because, for much of Hong Kong’s modern history, the traffic has been largely — conspicuously, even — in the other direction. Hong Kong used to be the place where Chinese would escape to, not from. In 2023, just 26 million mainlanders — about half of the 2018 crowd — visited Hong Kong.

Persons: Andy Tsui, he’s, boba, ” Tsui, Justin Robertson, Noemi Cassanelli, CNN Hong Kong’s, Hong Kong —, misbehaving, —, ”, Steve Tsang, Hong, Shenzhen’s, Hongkongers, Gilles Sabrie, Hongkonger Eddy Lam, Lam, Cherrie Leung, Qilai Shen, Hugo Sin, “, Gary Ng, John Lee, Tsang Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, CNN, Shoppers, Yuen, Britain, Newspapers, Hong, Hong Kong Immigration Department, China Institute, SOAS University, Huawei, Tencent, Bloomberg, Getty, Sam’s Club, Costco, Sam’s, Walmart, Hong Kong, Shenzhen hasn’t, Xinhua, RTHK, SOAS University of London Locations: Hong Kong, China, splurge, Peking, Shenzhen, East, Hong, People’s Republic of China, British, Beijing, London, Bay Area, San Francisco , New York, Tokyo, Kowloon, Coco, Shanghai, “, Inner Mongolia, Taiwan, Japan, Mainland China, Hong Kong’s, Britain, Canada, Australia, Bay, ”

☆ Ukraine's military is shifting to a defensive strategy that failed Nazi Germany in WWII
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-17 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Ukraine's military has chosen a defensive strategy that echoes the German approach from WWII. AdvertisementAnswering that question first requires defining “active defense,” one of those broad military terms that mean different things to different people. Active defense is meant to be waged by large units, while Ukraine appears to conducting small-unit operations. “Active defense was understood to be generally applicable to divisions, corps and field armies,” Nash said. Even a limited ‘active defense’ needs all of these elements, too.”Last summer, Ukraine’s frontal assault with vehicles hit mines and were menaced by missiles fired from Russian helicopters.

Persons: today’s, Douglas Nash, ” Nash, “, –, Erich von Manstein, von Manstein, von Manstein’s, “ Von Manstein, Ukraine —, Russia —, Diego Herrera Carcedo, Erich Von Manstein, it’s, Von Manstein, Hitler, inflexibly, von Organizations: Third Reich, Red Army, US, US Army, Western Allies, Wehrmacht, Keystone, Getty, German, Reuters, AK, Russo, NATO, West, NATO —, Soviets Locations: Nazi Germany, Ukraine, Russia, today’s Ukraine, Berlin, Stalingrad, Germany, Italy, France, Kharkov, Ukrainian, Donetsk Oblast, Avdiivka, Ukraine’s, It’s, Russian, Warsaw, Western Europe, West Germany

The young women and men moved from booth to booth, asking questions about the political hopefuls’ track records and visions for the country. A few steps away, first-time voters practiced casting their ballots in pretend voting booths. And onstage, talk show guests discussed how to make an informed choice in backing a candidate. This gathering of more than a thousand people one recent Sunday in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, was a prelude to a celebration that is widely known here as “Pesta Demokrasi,” or Democracy Party. After voting for presidential, parliamentary and local legislative candidates, people camp out near their polling places with food as they wait for early counts to trickle in.

Organizations: Democracy Party Locations: Jakarta, Indonesia

ISTANBUL (AP) — Turkey’s first astronaut returned home to a hero’s welcome Monday, portrayed as a symbol of the country’s advances in technology and aerospace. Alper Gezeravci was greeted by bouquet-laden children at Ankara’s Esenboga Airport as he returned from a private three-week mission to the International Space Station. His space flight, for which Turkey paid roughly $55 million, was the third such journey organized by Houston-based Axiom Space with NASA and SpaceX. A new page has been opened in space science and technologies for Turkey.”Turkey established its own space agency in 2018, and said it will land on the moon by 2026. They enjoyed a few extra days at the space station, waiting for the weather to improve in the splashdown zone.

Persons: — Turkey’s, Gezeravci, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, “, Mehmet Fatih Kacir, Walter Villadei, Sweden’s Marcus Wandt, Michael Lopez, Alegria Organizations: Ankara’s, International Space, Turkey, NASA, SpaceX, ” Industry, Technology Locations: ISTANBUL, Turkish, Turkey, ”, Florida, Houston, ” Turkey

BEIRUT (AP) — The U.S. military has launched strikes on dozens of sites manned by Iran-backed fighters in western Iraq and eastern Syria in retaliation for a drone strike in Jordan in late January that killed three U.S. service members and wounded dozens. A deadly strike on the desert outpost known as Tower 22 in Jordan near the Syrian border further increased tensions. The Euphrates River cuts through Syria into Iraq, with U.S. troops and American-backed Kurdish-led fighters on the east bank and Iran-backed fighters and Syrian government forces to the west. He said the strikes also hit an area inside the town of Mayadeen known as “the security quarter.”Iraqi government spokesperson Bassim al-Awadi said the border strikes killed 16 people and caused “significant damage” to homes and private properties. There have been no new attacks by the Houthis since the U.S. strikes in Iraq and Syria.

Persons: Guard’s, Ali, Ein Ali, Deir, Rami Abdurrahman, Omar Abu Layla, Bassim, Awadi, PMF Organizations: Hamas, U.S, Guard’s Quds Force, Human Rights, Popular Mobilization Force, Houthis Locations: BEIRUT, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Israel, U.S, Tehran, Deir el, Hassakeh, American, Kurdish, Syrian, Iranian, Guard’s Quds, Boukamal, Quriya, Mayadeen, Britain, Europe, IRAN, Washington, Gaza, Iraqi, Irbil, Yemen

The U.S. on Friday began its widely anticipated response to a drone attack that killed three American service members over the weekend with military strikes on sites used by Iran-backed militants in Iraq and Syria. Strikes were carried out on dozens of targets across Iraq and Syria and involved manned and unmanned aircraft, according to the Associated Press. The Biden administration promised a response to the drone strike over the weekend that also injured dozens of American personnel in Jordan. The U.S. attributed the deadly drone strike to the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed militias. Iran this week threatened to “decisively respond” to any U.S. attack on the Islamic Republic, the state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, ” Amir Saeid Iravani, John Kirby, ” Kirby, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin, al Thani Organizations: Associated Press, Army Reserve, U.S, Islamic, United Nations, White House, Qatari Locations: Iran, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, The U.S, Israel, Islamic Republic, Republic, Qatar

☆ Ukraine’s army chief: The design of war has changed
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Opinion Valerii Zaluzhnyi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Editor’s Note: Valerii Zaluzhnyi has been Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2021. It is well known by now that a central driver of this war is the development of unmanned weapons systems. The challenge for our armed forces cannot be underestimated. Join us on Twitter and FacebookCreating a system to provide our armed forces with high-tech assets. And mastering new combat capabilities as soon as possible.

Persons: Zaluzhnyi, Read, Valerii Zaluzhnyi Organizations: Armed Forces of, CNN, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Armed Forces of Ukraine, Ukraine, Russia

☆ The moon is shrinking, and it could be a problem for astronauts
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Jacopo Prisco | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

On the lunar surface, however, it’s a different story. “We also knew that the largest of the shallow moonquakes detected by the Apollo seismometers was located near the south pole. As part of the mission, two astronauts will spend about a week living and working on the lunar surface. They can be an opportunity to better study the moon as we do on the Earth with earthquakes,” Husker said. Studying moonquakes at the south pole will tell us more about the Moon’s interior structure as well as its present-day activity.”

Persons: India’s, Russia’s Luna, Artemis, ”, Thomas R, Watters, ” Watters, LRO, “, Renee Weber, ” Weber, Weber, Yosio Nakamura, Nakamura, Allen Husker, Husker, Jeffrey Andrews, Hanna Organizations: CNN, NASA, National Air, Space Museum’s, for, Planetary Studies, Lunar, Science, Apollo, University of Texas, California Institute of Technology, University of Arizona Locations: China, Austin

☆ China ousts top rocket scientist from key political body in widening military purge
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Hong Kong CNN —China has expelled a leading rocket scientist from its top political advisory body, the latest sign of a widening purge in the Chinese military’s missile force and aerospace contractors. Wang, 54, until recently led the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT), a prestigious state-run institute known as the birthplace of China’s aerospace industry. Wang spent his nearly three-decades-long career designing rockets at the CALT, a subsidiary of the main contractor of the Chinese space program, the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. In December, three aerospace executives, including the chairman of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation – were stripped of their roles in the CPPCC. In July, the Rocket Force abruptly replaced its two leaders, the commander and the political commissar, with no explanation.

Persons: Wang Xiaojun, Wang, Xi Jinping, Xi, ” Wang, Qian Xuesen Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Political Consultative, Xinhua, China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, China Aerospace Science, Technology Corporation, People’s Liberation Army, Rocket Force, Communist Locations: Hong Kong, China, Beijing, “, Hunan

☆ Elon Musk's optimism about Optimus might be misplaced
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-25 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Elon Musk has been bigging up Tesla as a robotics powerhouse, highlighting its humanoid bot, Optimus, as a gleaming example of its sophisticated technology. It's possible, however, that Musk is being a tad over-optimistic in his humanoid robot ambitions, particularly regarding its delivery timeline. In true Musk fashion, he made some grand claims about Optimus in the investors' call. It's the most sophisticated humanoid robot that's been developed anywhere in the world." He said, "It should be impossible for any centralized control to upload malware to a humanoid robot."

Persons: Elon Musk, Tesla, there's, Optimus, Walter Isaacson, Musk, Tesla's, Brett Adcock Organizations: Service, Business, SpaceX, Optimus, German, BMW, Robotics, Amazon, Tesla Locations: Mars

☆ I visited a 'bin store' that sells Amazon returns for as little as 25 cents. It made me rethink my shopping habits.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Gloria Dawson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

After two trips to my local Where Ya Bin store, I've seen enough returned Amazon items to last a lifetime. (Amazon would not answer specific questions about its relationship with bin stores and why certain products end up there. Gloria Dawson / Business Insider"People generally love it or hate it," Jason Carrick, the owner of Where Ya Bin, told me. What to expect when bin shoppingHours and prices at Where Ya Bin Gloria Dawson / Business InsiderI visited a Where Ya Bin store in Columbus, Ohio, on a Saturday and Wednesday in December. Despite my hesitations, I bought a few items and can see the benefits of bin store shopping.

Persons: —, Gloria Dawson, I've, I'm, Jason Carrick, It's, Carrick, Bin Gloria Dawson, Kamala Harris, Hightower, Gloria Organizations: Service, Business, National Retail Federation, Bed, Amazon Locations: Local, Ohio , Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Columbus , Ohio, Bed Bath

☆ U.S. and U.K. launch new strikes against Houthi sites in Yemen
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

An RAF FGR4 Typhoon takes off from Royal Air Force (RAF) Akrotiri military airbase in Greek Cypriot to conduct its mission against the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen on January 12, 2024. The U.S. and British militaries launched a fresh round of strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen Monday, defense officials said. The attacks, which were carried out by manned aircraft and ships, marked the second time the two militaries launched strikes against Houthi sites in Yemen. Since then, the U.S. has struck several Houthi targets on its own. The group says the strikes are in retaliation to Israel's bombing of Gaza following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel.

Persons: Biden Organizations: RAF, Royal Air Force, NBC News, U.S Locations: Greek Cypriot, Yemen, U.S, Iranian, Red, Gaza, Israel

Here’s a look at high-profile recent and upcoming attempts, and what they might mean, ahead of Japan’s moon landing. Just this week, however, a U.S. company, Astrobotic Technology, said its lunar lander will soon burn up in Earth’s atmosphere after a failed moonshot. Another U.S. company, Intuitive Machines, plans to launch its own lunar lander next month. ___CHINAChina landed on the moon in 2013 and last year launched a three-person crew for its orbiting space station. China built its own space station after it was excluded from the International Space Station, in part because of U.S. objections over the Chinese space program’s intimate ties to the military.

Persons: Japan’s, Peregrine, Astrobotic, Narendra Modi’s, China’s, Russia’s Luna Organizations: TOKYO, UNITED STATES NASA, Astrobotic, NASA, Private, SpaceX, International Space Station, International, Soviets, Elon Locations: Japan, United States, Soviet Union, India, China, U.S, ___ INDIA India, United States . New Delhi, CHINA China, USSR, Asia, RUSSIA, Russia

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