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☆ Chris Birch: ‘I absolutely would love to explore off this planet,’ says track cyclist turned NASA astronaut
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( George Ramsay | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

“I love realistic space movies … I’m definitely a nerd,” reads Chris Birch’s answer on her profile page. That response proved prescient: shortly after stepping away from her professional cycling career, the Arizona native was selected from more than 12,000 applicants to join NASA’s astronaut class of 2021. The further she progressed with her application to join NASA, the more convinced she became that she had a future in spaceflight. “I really just had a blast,” Birch tells CNN Sport. “I absolutely would love to explore off this planet,” says Birch.

Persons: Christopher Nolan’s, “, Chris Birch’s, sidesteps, Birch, ” It’s, keener, Artemis, Luis Acosta, ”, I’m, ” Birch, that’s, she’s, There’s, “ I’m, I’ll Organizations: CNN, USA Cycling, NASA, CNN Sport, Space, Soyuz, Houston’s, Space Center, Getty, Tokyo, Games, Colorado –, Houston Marathon Locations: Arizona, madison, Peru, AFP, Leadville, Colorado, Montana, California

☆ I've saved thousands and traveled to dozens of countries using a home-swapping website
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

The website helps facilitate accommodation exchanges between 150,000 users in 145 countries. Then HomeExchange sent me an offer, and I said to my husband, "Shall we give it a go?" The way it works is you subscribe to the website, make a profile, and list your home. We've stayed in places in Australia that are totally off the grid in conservation areas that don't have electricity. I think we've saved well over £100,000 using HomeExchange.

Persons: Julie Williams, HomeExchange, We've, That's, we've, John, I've, Martin, Mia, Monkey Mia, I'm Organizations: Service, NASA Locations: Devon, England, HomeExchange, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Caribbean, St, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, Tasmania, Singapore, Nevis, Cook, Bali, Hong Kong, Ireland, France, Germany, Switzerland, Denmark, Belgium, Holland, Western Australia

☆ I worked at SpaceX where Elon Musk was a cubicle away. At Elon's companies, it's add value or leave.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Jamie Killin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Vincent Peters worked in military compliance when he was poached to work at SpaceX. So I graduated on medical leave, couldn't be deployed, and continued on medical leave for another six months before being discharged. I was introduced to people on the SpaceX Mission team, and ultimately, they asked me to interview with them for a job at SpaceX. AdvertisementThat mentality is how I started working on Starlink. In 2020, I asked to help and was allowed to work on their projects in addition to my work at SpaceX.

Persons: Vincent Peters, —, couldn't, Freddie Mac, I'd, Gwynne Shotwell, I've, it's, It's, We're Organizations: SpaceX, Service, Federal Aviation Administration, US Government, SpaceX Mission, International, NASA, Department of Defense, SpaceX SpaceX, Elon Locations: West, cubicles, Elon

☆ Elon Musk says there are too many non-technical managers at Boeing
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Tesla CEO Elon Musk suggested Boeing has "too many" non-technical managers. AdvertisementElon Musk is chiding Boeing on social media for employing "too many" non-technical managers amid a wave of ongoing layoffs at his own company, Tesla. Too many non-technical managers at Boeing. Advertisement"Too many non-technical managers at Boeing," Musk tweeted. Musk has opined about non-technical managers in the past, writing in a May 2020 tweet that he "strongly" believes "all managers in a technical area much be technically excellent."

Persons: Elon Musk, Boeing's Starliner, Tesla, —, Elon, Musk, bTXWAfxfrh — Elon, Musk's Organizations: Boeing, Service, Tesla, Business, NASA, SpaceX, International Space

☆ Latest Updates: NASA Astronauts Prepare for First Launch on Boeing Starliner
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Kenneth Chang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore are the NASA astronauts set for Boeing’s flight test of the Starliner spacecraft. She was a test pilot in the U.S. Navy and has more than 3,000 hours flying 30 different aircraft. Mr. Wilmore, a native of Tennessee, was also a Navy test pilot, and he flew combat missions over Iraq and Bosnia in the 1990s. After a glitch-filled test flight in December 2019 with no crew aboard, delays shuffled the astronaut assignments. Indeed, none of the astronauts that NASA named in 2018 to fly on the test flight are on the upcoming test flight.

Persons: Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins, Ms, Williams, Wilmore, Mr, ” Organizations: NASA, Boeing, U.S . Navy, Navy, Station Locations: Ohio, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Iraq, Bosnia

☆ In a high-stakes test, Boeing will launch NASA astronauts to space for the first time
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

After years of delays, Boeing is finally set to launch two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station on its Starliner spacecraft. ET, atop an Atlas V rocket at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita Williams will pilot the Starliner on its inaugural crewed flight — a crucial final test before NASA can authorize Boeing to conduct routine flights to and from the space station for the agency. If successful, the flight will enable Boeing to challenge the dominance held by Elon Musk's SpaceX, which has been ferrying NASA astronauts to and from the orbiting outpost since 2020. At a preflight briefing last week, Wilmore said safety is paramount and that previous Starliner launch attempts — both uncrewed and crewed — were delayed because the capsule simply was not ready until now.

Persons: Astronauts Barry, Butch, Wilmore, Sunita Williams, Elon Musk's Organizations: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NASA, United, Alliance, Boeing's, NASA's Boeing, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Boeing, International, Atlas, Canaveral Space Force, Astronauts, Elon, Elon Musk's SpaceX Locations: Florida

☆ China's hype video for its lunar base showed what looked like a NASA Space Shuttle lifting off, which it then realized and tried to fix
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China's new teaser for its lunar base appeared to show a NASA Space Shuttle taking off. The Space Shuttle was later blurred out in a state media version of the CGI video. AdvertisementA new concept video showcasing China's planned lunar base appeared to feature a NASA Space Shuttle lifting off from the facility — a detail that was then omitted in a later broadcast of the clip. Related storiesIt's unclear if showing a Space Shuttle was intended by China's space administration, but the spacecraft using a Chinese base in 2045 would be nearly impossible. Beijing says it plans for its international lunar base to be built jointly by other countries as a collaborative effort.

Persons: —, CNSA, It's, Artemis Organizations: NASA Space Shuttle, Shuttle, Service, China National Space Administration, Research, American, NASA, Space, Orbiter, Getty, Orion Spacecraft, Elon, SpaceX, International Space, Space Shuttle, Business Insider Locations: China, Beijing

☆ Elon Musk calls out Boeing's historic first crewed spaceflight, saying SpaceX beat them to the punch years ago
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

SpaceX beat Boeing to the punch, flying NASA astronauts to the space station four years ago for cheaper. NASA astronauts Suni Williams (left) and Butch Wilmore (right) conduct suited operations in a Boeing Starliner simulator. AdvertisementThe SpaceX Crew Dragon spaceship that accomplished the feat came from the same NASA initiative that's flying Starliner on Monday. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken (left) and Doug Hurley (right) were the first people to fly aboard a private spaceship, SpaceX's Crew Dragon. SpaceXWith each flight, SpaceX has earned money, while Boeing has been sinking more and more funds into Starliner.

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Boeing's, Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, Robert Markowitz, Bob Behnken, Doug Hurley, bTXWAfxfrh — Elon, Musk, Eric Berger, Cory Huston, Starliner's, Berger, George Nield, Nield, Scrappy SpaceX Organizations: Boeing, SpaceX, NASA, Service, Twitter, International Space Station, ISS, Atlas, Reuters, Department of Defense, Space Transportation Locations: Starliner

☆ Boeing Starliner launch set to kick off long-awaited mission with NASA crew
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Two NASA astronauts have reached the final hours before a long-awaited launch attempt aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule, marking the first crewed mission of the brand-new spacecraft. This mission, dubbed the Crew Flight Test, could be the final major milestone before NASA deems Boeing’s spacecraft ready for routine operations as part of the federal agency’s Commercial Crew Program. NASA astronauts Suni Williams (left) Butch Wilmore pose after they arrived at the Kennedy Space Center on April 25, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, ahead of the Boeing Starliner Crew Flight Test. The two will then return home aboard the same Starliner capsule, which is expected to parachute to a landing at one of several designated locations across the southwestern United States. SpaceX ultimately beat Boeing to the launchpad, carrying out its crewed flight test of the Crew Dragon capsule in May 2020.

Persons: SpaceX’s, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Terry Renna, Bill Nelson, “, Butch, Suni, Williams, Starliner, ”, Mark Nappi, ” Nappi Organizations: CNN, NASA, Cape Canaveral Space Force, International Space, Russian Soyuz, Kennedy Space Center, Boeing, Atlas, SpaceX, International Locations: Florida, United States, Russian, Cape Canaveral , Florida, Starliner

☆ An 'artificial sun' achieved a record-breaking fusion experiment, bringing us closer to clean, limitless energy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A fusion reactor in southern France achieved a significant milestone toward clean, limitless energy. The fusion reactor, WEST, created a super-hot plasma and sustained it for a record-breaking 6 minutes. AdvertisementA fusion reactor in southern France, called WEST, just achieved an important milestone that brings us one step closer to clean, sustainable, nearly limitless energy. Fusion energy is more powerful than any form of energy we have today. Commercial fusion energy is still likely decades away, but Delgado-Aparicio thinks they're making steps toward "this big goal of giving energy to humankind."

Persons: —, Luis Delgado, Aparicio, PPPL's, they're, Roux, it's, Delgado, PPPL, Julian Stratenschulte, Tullio Barbui, Novimir Pablant, Delgadot, KSTAR Organizations: WEST, Service, New, Princeton Plasma Physics, NASA Solar Dynamics, CEA, Roux WEST, Getty, Atomic Energy Commission, ITER, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, SPARC Locations: France, Princeton, French

☆ ‘China’s Cape Canaveral’ is booming, fueled by moon mission and space program
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Lilit Marcus | Marc Stewart | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The city of Wenchang is home to a rocket launch center – and a tourist industry that caters to a growing interest in space-related tourism. China has made no secret of its desire to develop tourism here, drawing inspiration from Florida’s Cape Canaveral – the launchpad for many famous NASA space missions. From celestial scenes in the corridors to a rocket on the breakfast buffet, the sprawling property is inspired by the nearby Wenchang Launch Center. The growth of China’s space program has fueled more interest in all things aeronautic. “Although it’s my 24th time, maybe, to see the rocket launch, I’m still excited about this,” he told CNN.

Persons: Hilton, Justin Robertson, That’s, Yan Zehua, I’m, ”, Liu Guoxing Organizations: CNN, NASA, Hilton, Getty Locations: Hainan, Hanoi, Beijing, Hawaii, China, Wenchang, Florida’s Cape Canaveral, Hainan’s, United States, Canada, France, New Zealand, Malaysia, Japan

☆ New mission could reveal secrets of the moon’s ‘hidden side’
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

In one lunar region, Japan’s “Moon Sniper” mission has beaten the odds and survived three long, frigid lunar nights since its sideways landing on January 19. The Tianwen-2 mission will visit the space rock later this decade. But first, China has set its sights on returning to the moon’s “hidden side.”An illustration depicts the far side of the moon, with Earth behind it. Since the Chang’e 4 mission in 2019, China remains the only country to have landed on the moon’s far side, sometimes called the “dark side” of the moon. Scientists hope that returning samples from the far side could solve some of the biggest remaining lunar mysteries, including the moon’s true origin.

Persons: Graziano Ranocchia, Ranocchia, Plato, Emma Pomeroy, “ She’s, ”, Pomeroy, Armas Rakus, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Kevin Bacon, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Engineers, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA, Apollo, Platonic Academy of Athens, University of Pisa, Netflix, University of Cambridge, Norton Disney, Archaeology Group, Roman, International Space, CNN Space, Science Locations: China, Kurdistan, Gunung Leuser, South Aceh, Indonesia, Morocco

☆ While Boeing's passenger planes glitch, NASA is entrusting the company's spaceship with 2 astronauts' lives
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Boeing is about to fly NASA astronauts to the International Space Station for the first time. Still, the FAA, NASA, and other aerospace experts have questioned Boeing's overall safety culture. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams conduct suited operations in the Boeing Starliner simulator at NASA's Johnson Space Center. This Crew Flight Test mission is over a decade in the making. He added that those calculations are for a full 210-day mission, while Whilmore's and Williams's test flight lasts just one week.

Persons: —, NASA's Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams, Butch Wilmore, Robert Markowitz They're, jetliner, AeroSystems, Bill Nelson, Kim Shiflett, George Nield, Bjorn Fehrm, Fehrm, KPIs, Doug Loverro, Baz Ratner, Bill Ingalls, Steve Stich, Nield, We've, Wilmore, Starliner, Whitmore, Williams Organizations: Boeing, NASA, International Space Station, FAA, Service, Defense, Boeing's, International Space, Space Center, ISS, Max, NTSB, AP, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Justice, Atlas, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Space Transportation, New York Times, Leeham, Business, Ethiopian, Ethiopian Airlines, Aerospace, Committee, White, Bill Ingalls NASA, US, Spaceflight Locations: Portland, Florida, It's, New Mexico

☆ Eta Aquariid meteor shower: How and when to watch
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —May kicks off with the Eta Aquariid meteor shower, and experts are anticipating a better show than in recent years, according to the American Meteor Society. The Eta Aquariid shower is often considered the best meteor shower of the year for the Southern Hemisphere, where sky-watchers could see between 20 and 40 meteors each hour, or perhaps even more, according to EarthSky. The source of the Eta Aquariid meteor shower is Halley’s comet. It happens again in October, resulting in the Orionid meteor shower. The American Meteor Society is inviting spectators to share their observations of the shower, which will help astronomers determine whether there were more meteors than expected.

Persons: CNN —, EarthSky, Capricornids, Buck Organizations: CNN, American Meteor Society, Southern, Hemisphere, NASA, ” Astronomers, Eta, Meteor, Taurids, Farmers Locations: South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, North America

☆ What’s on the far side of the moon? Here’s why scientists want to find out
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“The far side of the moon is very different from the near side,” said Li Chunlai, China National Space Administration deputy chief designer. The Yutu-2 lunar rover took an image of the Chang'e-4 lunar probe on the far side of the moon on January 11, 2019. Far side mysteriesDespite years of orbital data and samples collected during six of the Apollo missions, scientists are still trying to answer key questions about the moon. Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty ImagesChang’e-6 is just one mission heading to the moon’s far side as NASA has plans to send robotic missions there as well. Cracking the lunar codeOne of the most fundamental questions that scientists have tried to answer is how the moon formed.

Persons: Von, hasn’t, ”, Li Chunlai, David Trone, Bill Nelson, ” Nelson, “ We’re, Pink Floyd, Renu Malhotra, Louise Foucar, we’ve, Noah Petro, Artemis III, “, ” Petro, Artemis, Malhotra, Brett Denevi, ” Denevi, Hector Retamal, Denevi, Aitken, “ it’s, CNN’s Wayne Chang Organizations: CNN, China National Space Administration, NASA, Louise Foucar Marshall Science Research, Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona, Apollo, Reconnaissance, Artemis, Soviet Union, Johns Hopkins, Getty Locations: China, Tucson, AFP, Hainan Province

☆ What Happens When NASA Loses Eyes on Earth? We’re About to Find Out.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Raymond Zhong | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Sometime in the next few years — no one knows exactly when — three NASA satellites, each one as heavy as an elephant, will go dark. Already they are drifting, losing height bit by bit. But age is catching up to them, and soon they will send their last transmissions and begin their slow, final fall to Earth. With some of the data these satellites gather, the situation is even worse: No other instruments will keep collecting it. In a few short years, the fine features they reveal about our world will become much fuzzier.

Organizations: NASA

☆ China launched a probe to the far side of the moon, stepping up its space race with the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Mikhaila Friel | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

China launched the Chang'e-6 probe to collect samples from the far side of the moon. AdvertisementChina on Friday launched a probe to collect samples from the far side of the moon, as it stepped up its space race against the US. The Chang'e-6 probe successfully lifted off from China's Wenchang Space Launch Center at 5.37 a.m. It will collect around two kilograms of lunar samples from the far side of the moon for analysis. "People want to know why this happened," Yi Xu, a professor at the Space Science Institute of Macau University of Science and Technology and a member of the Chang'e-6 science team told The New York Times.

Persons: —, maria, Yi Xu Organizations: Service, US, NASA, Space Science Institute of Macau University of Science, Technology, New York Times Locations: China

☆ China’s Chang’e-6 moon probe stands by for launch as space race with US heats up
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | Marc Stewart | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

China’s planned 53-day mission would see the Chang’e-6 lander touch down in a gaping crater on the moon’s far side, which never faces Earth. China became the first and only country to land on the moon’s far side during its 2019 Chang’e-4 mission. Ambitious missionThe Chang’e-6 probe will be a key test for China’s space capabilities in its effort to realize leader Xi Jinping’s “eternal dream” of building the country into a space power. This time, to communicate with Earth from the moon’s far side, Chang’e-6 must rely on the Queqiao-2 satellite, launched into lunar orbit in March. This time, China has said the Chang’e-6 mission will carry scientific instruments or payloads from France, Italy, Pakistan and the European Space Agency.

Persons: China’s, “, Ge Ping, Xi Jinping’s, James Head, Luo Yunfei, Bill Nelson, –, ” Nelson Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, China, Space Administration’s, of Lunar Exploration, Space Engineering, Brown University, China News Service, Luna, NASA, European Space Agency Locations: China, Hong Kong, Hainan, United States, Russia, Chang’e, India, Japan, Texas, France, Italy, Pakistan

☆ Japan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ returns images after third long, lunar night
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Temperatures during the lunar night can plunge to minus 208 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 133 degrees Celsius), according to NASA. And Moon Sniper wasn’t expected to withstand even one lunar night, which is a period of darkness on the moon lasting about two weeks. Riding out the lunar nightThe mission team communicated with Moon Sniper on April 23 after the lander rode out its third lunar night. From JAXAIn addition to surviving the extreme cold of the lunar night, Moon Sniper has also endured the searing temperatures of the lunar day, which can reach 250 degrees Fahrenheit (121 degrees Celsius), according to NASA. On February 29, after seven days of operating, Odie went to sleep because it wasn’t intended to survive the lunar night.

Persons: CNN —, Smart, SLIM, ’, Moon, ”, Odysseus, Odie ”, Odie, “ Odie, Jack Fischer, Fischer, ” Fischer, “, I’m, Vikram, Artemis, Noah Petro, Artemis III, ” Petro Organizations: CNN, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA, JAXA, Reconnaissance, Artemis, Apollo Locations: Japan, Houston, India, China

☆ Crater offers new clue near-Earth asteroid is really a piece of the moon, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The space rock, known as 2016 HO3, is a rare quasi-satellite — a type of near-Earth asteroid that orbits the sun but sticks close to our planet. Astronomers first discovered it in 2016 using the Pan-STARRS telescope, or Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System, in Hawaii. Scientists call the asteroid Kamo’oalewa, a name derived from a Hawaiian creation chant that alludes to an offspring traveling on its own. Kamo’oalewa specimen: A connecting puzzle pieceStudying crater impacts on the moon can also help scientists better understand the consequences of asteroid impacts should a space rock pose a threat to Earth in the future. There’s no other place, no other planet in our solar system with a moon like our moon.

Persons: they’ve, Giordano Bruno, Yifei Jiao, ”, Erik Asphaug, Kamo’oalewa, “ You’d, Asphaug, ” Jiao, ” Asphaug, Renu Malhotra, China’s, Patrick Michel, Noah Petro, Artemis III, Petro, “, ” Petro, “ It’s Organizations: CNN, Survey Telescope, University of Arizona’s, Laboratory, Tsinghua University, University of, London, NASA, Arizona State University, University of Arizona, National Centre for Scientific Research, Reconnaissance, Artemis Locations: Hawaii, Beijing, “, France

☆ China's plan to be the dominant power in space is moving at breathtaking speed. The US needs to wake up, officials say.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-30 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Read previewAfter a meeting with Japanese and South Korean officials in Tokyo on Friday, US Space Force commander Gen. Stephen Whiting warned about a growing threat. China, he said, is "moving at breathtaking speed in space," and is developing a range of weapons that threaten America's space supremacy, reported Stars and Stripes. "For the first time in decades, US leadership in space and space technology is being challenged," Meink added. Chance Saltzman, Chief of Space Operations at United States Space Force, last year warned against taking US space supremacy for granted. Air Force Lieutenant General Gregory Guillot (L) and US Space Force Lieutenant General Stephen Whiting (R) on July 26, 2023.

Persons: —, Stephen Whiting, They're, Troy Meink, Space.com, Meink, Chance Saltzman, I'm, Saltzman, Whiting, Dominic Chiu, Gregory Guillot, BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, Donald Trump, Chiu, Artemis, Frank Lucas, Anthony Mastalir, Graeme Thompson, Thompson, Tory Bruno, Arthur Herman, John F, Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, we've Organizations: Service, Korean, Space Force, Business, National Reconnaissance Office, Space Operations, United States Space Force, Eurasia Group, Air Force, US Space Force, House Science, Technology Committee, Brig, US Space Forces, Pentagon, United Launch Alliance, NBC News, Hudson Institute Locations: Tokyo, China, Colorado, Australia, Russia

☆ Chinese scientists want to use lasers to power ultrafast, stealthy submarines. A laser expert says there's a major flaw in their plan.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Chinese researchers say they have made a breakthrough in laser propulsion technology that could one day be used on submarines and missiles. A laser propulsion expert at McGill University told Business Insider they see flaws in the claims. Rather than relying on nuclear or battery power, the scientists say they have found a way to use lasers to propel submarines — known as underwater laser propulsion. This technology has already been used in Russian Shkval torpedoes since the 1970s, using rocket exhaust rather than laser power. "The average overall thrust is low and the jet power cannot exceed the power supply of the laser."

Persons: —, Yang Ge, Xulong Yang, Ge Yang, Andrew Higgins, Higgins Organizations: McGill University, Business, Service, Submarines, China's Harbin University, China Morning Post, NASA, Harbin University, China Defense Locations: China, Sinica, torpedos

☆ 10 Years, 100 Stories: The Work That Defines the Upshot
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( The Upshot Staff | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +20 min

Ten years ago this week, The New York Times introduced the Upshot, a section devoted to explaining “politics, policy and everyday life.” That’s a wide scope, by design. As a result, more than 5,000 articles later, the Upshot has been many things to many readers. To mark our 10th birthday, we’ve collected 100 stories that embody the Upshot. WordleBot Eden Weingart/The New York Times When Wordle first became popular, several people on the internet claimed, plausibly, that they had come up with the “best” opening word. Force of Ship Impact Was on the Scale of a Rocket Launch Erin Schaff/The New York Times We think of the Upshot as a place where back-of-the-envelope calculations can be both helpful and welcome.

Persons: ”, Nate Cohn’s, we’ve, Kevin Quealy, John Branch, John, Patrick Thomas, tut, Trump, pollsters, Obamacare, Leif Parsons, We’re, Jason Henry, Tony Luong, Jordan, ‘, Ruth Fremson, Laurel, ’ Rodrigo Corral, Alex Welsh, Paul Romer, Tim Enthoven, Barack Obama, epidemiologists, It’s, you’re, WordleBot Eden, Wordle, Lila Barth, McCabe, Tom Brady, ChatGPT, —, Erin Schaff Organizations: New York Times, Facebook, Yankees, Red, State Newspaper, ESPN, The Athletic, The Times, You’re, Voters, Trump, Mr, Times, Siena College, Walmart, The New York Times, Jordan Siemens, Health, New, Nike, Democratic, Twitter, America, Iowa, Iowa Democratic, Cancer, Hit, Biden, Insurance, Roe America, Disorders, Republican, Republican Party of, U.S, Budget, NASA, National, Traffic, Administration, Yorkers, Force Locations: It’s, Red Sox, State, America, Dakota, Ireland, Chipotle, Japan, U.S, United States, Siena, New Pennsylvania, District, Iowa, Covid, York City, New York, Pennsylvania, Roe, Tonga, Arizona, York, Holland

☆ Julian Assange’s mission was to change the world - but at what cost?
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Lauren Said-Moorhouse | Claudia Rebaza | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

Julian Assange leaves a Melbourne court after facing charges of computer hacking in 1995. WikiLeaks/ReutersUnder a global spotlightAs WikiLeaks continued its disclosures, Assange found himself the latest cause célèbre – his every movement intensely scrutinized. … He liked the fuss that (the disclosures) caused but he was oddly incurious actually about the documents.”Others offer alternative explanations for Assange’s eccentricities. There were mounting calls for Assange to leave WikiLeaks and, when he didn’t, many cut ties with it. Outside the confines of his diplomatic shelter, the world questioned whether Assange was trying to circumvent justice.

Persons: London CNN — Julian Assange, ”, He’s, Chelsea Manning, Joe Biden, Assange’s, Anthony Albanese, Assange, “, ” –, Julian Assange, Ian Kenins, Sarah Palin’s, Atika Shubert, Shubert, ” Shubert, célèbre, Fidel Narvaez, “ Assange, ” Narvaez, James Ball, Joe Raedle, ” Ball, Ball, …, Narvaez, Hans Crescent, Lenin Moreno, Moreno, Abu Hamza al, Masri, Stella Assange, Daniel Leal, Stella, “ I’m, Nick Vamos, It’s, Alice Jill Edwards, Agnès Callamard, El País, Der Spiegel, Jameel Jaffer, Xiaofei Xu, Alex Stambaugh Organizations: London CNN, WikiLeaks, Court, Ecuadorian, Army, Australian, Pentagon, NASA, University of Melbourne, Fairfax Media, of Scientology, Republican, CNN, Chelsea, Apache, Reuters, Guardian, Ellingham, Hans, London’s Metropolitan Police, US Justice Department, of Justice, Britain's, Getty, Peters & Peters, Prosecution Service, Human Rights, UN, Amnesty, The New York Times, Columbia University Locations: United States, Australian, London’s, Australia, Townsville, Queensland, cybercrime, Melbourne, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Iraq, London, Afghanistan, ”, Sweden, Ecuador, UK’s, Belmarsh

☆ Ancient DNA pulls back curtain on mysterious empire
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-27 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Analysis of ancient DNA recovered from human remains has illuminated the traits and ancestry of historic individuals — be it a mummified iceman, Chinese emperor or legendary composer. The origins of the empire and its people remained obscure until a landmark April 2022 study found they hailed from the Mongolian steppe. Carolyn Kaster/APNaturalists have spotted the first arrivals in this spring’s historic cicada dual emergence. Sign up here to receive in your inbox the next edition of Wonder Theory, brought to you by CNN Space and Science writers Ashley Strickland and Katie Hunt.

Persons: It’s, Loki, Gerald Eichstädt, Thomas Thomopoulos, ”, Scott Bolton, Bolton, George Mallory, Andrew Irvine, Mallory, Ruth, Carolyn Kaster, haven’t, you’re, —, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, of Archaeological Sciences, Eötvös Loránd University, Múzeum, NASA, Voyager, JPL, Caltech, Southwest Research Institute, Magdalene College , Cambridge, AP Naturalists, — Boeing, — Surgeons, Hubble, CNN Space, Science Locations: Rákóczifalva, Hungary, Central, Eastern Europe, Mount, United Kingdom, Macon , Georgia, South, Midwest

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