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☆ Israeli startup makes inroads with personal flying vehicle
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] An employee of Israeli startup AIR, sits in a prototype of AIR ONE, an electric vehicle designed to fly commuters on short trips far above streets overcrowded with cars in Beersheba, Israel December 18, 2022. The test-phase voyage may not look out of the ordinary at first given the huge progress made in drone technology. But this one, being developed by Israeli startup AIR, will be able to carry two people - an operator and passenger - as far as 100 miles on a single charge, the company says. Average day-to-day speed will be about 100 mph (160 kph) at an altitude of 1,200 feet (366 m), Plaut said. Reporting by Amir Cohen, Eli Berlizon, Hannah Confino and Ilan Rosenberg; Editing by David EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

ROME/PARIS, Dec 21 (Reuters) - Italy's Vega rockets have been grounded and an investigation is under way after the latest model failed on its second mission, destroying two Earth-imaging satellites and further complicating Europe's access to space on top of the war in Ukraine. A spokesperson for Arianespace said both the Vega C and its Vega predecessor had been grounded pending the findings of an investigative commission co-chaired by technical officials from the European Space Agency and Arianespace itself. Italy's Vega C rocket is due to play an increasingly crucial role in Europe's access to space after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine forced Arianespace to stop using Russian Soyuz vehicles. But Arianespace has been forced to scrap plans to announce a Vega C launch schedule for 2023 in coming weeks. Analysts said only a few operational alternatives to Vega C exist, such as potential rideshares aboard U.S.-based SpaceX's bigger Falcon 9 or Firefly Aerospace's new Alpha launcher, which can loft roughly half the payload weight of Vega C.Other options, though somewhat larger than Vega C, include rockets from Japan and India.

She said “the double standard was obvious” with the way that Catherine, Princess of Wales, had been treated by sections of the British media compared to Meghan, particularly during their pregnancies. “British media is disproportionately white, and that shapes the way stories are framed,” he said. In the third episode, footage shows Meghan and Harry attending a memorial service for Stephen Lawrence, a Black teenager killed in an attack by white youths in London in 1993. Instead, Harry refers to “unconscious bias” within the royal family, which Meghan helped to educate him on. Princess Michael of Kent attends a Christmas lunch for the extended royal family at Buckingham Palace on Dec. 20, 2017, wearing a "blackamoor" brooch.

Meanwhile, sea temperatures were around 11-12 degrees Celsius (52-54 degrees Fahrenheit) near Kent overnight, according to CNN Weather. The English Channel, a waterway just over 20 miles (32 km) at its narrowest between Britain and France, is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. “It is just over a year since 32 lives were lost in a similar incident,” Solomon said in a statement sent to CNN. Last November, 27 people drowned in bitterly cold waters off the coast of France after an inflatable boat carrying migrants bound for Britain capsized, in one of the deadliest incidents in the English Channel in recent years. Braverman has previously referred to illegal crossings of the English Channel as “an invasion.”“Crossing the Channel in unseaworthy vessels is a lethally dangerous endeavor,” Braverman told parliament Wednesday.

☆ NASA’s Artemis I Moon Mission Concludes With Orion Splashdown in the Pacific
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Micah Maidenberg | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Orion spacecraft returned to Earth after a nearly monthlong voyage that took it to orbit the moon, concluding a test flight that the agency deemed a success and helping to reinvigorate its ambitions for deep-space exploration. After facing intense heat when it hurtled through the atmosphere, the Orion crew module—a gumdrop-shaped vehicle that astronauts are expected to travel in during future missions—landed in the Pacific Ocean under parachutes at 12:40 p.m. ET on Sunday, the agency said. The splashdown was west of Baja California in Mexico.

[1/4] NASA's next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion crew capsule, lifts off from launch complex 39-B on the unmanned Artemis 1 mission to the moon, seen from Sebastian, Florida, U.S. November 16, 2022. REUTERS/Joe Rimkus Jr.Dec 11 (Reuters) - NASA's uncrewed Orion capsule hurtled through space on Sunday on the final return leg of its voyage around the moon and back, winding up the inaugural mission of the Artemis lunar program 50 years to the day after Apollo's final moon landing. The gumdrop-shaped Orion capsule, carrying a simulated crew of three mannequins wired with sensors, was due to parachute into the Pacific at 9:39 a.m. PST (1739 GMT) near Guadalupe Island, off Mexico's Baja California peninsula. They were the last of 12 NASA astronauts to walk on the moon during a total of six Apollo missions starting in 1969. "It is our priority-one objective," NASA's Artemis I mission manager Mike Sarafin said at a briefing last week.

☆ As TikToks about Antarctic tourism go viral, some worry about the environmental costs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Morgan Sung | Morgan Sung Is A Trends Reporter For Nbc News Digital. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

The Drake Passage is the body of water between the southernmost tip of Chile and Antarctica's northern peninsula. Travel company Oceanwide Expeditions describes the Drake Passage as a "lively little waterway" and the "gateway to the Antarctic." Many TikTok users expressed fascination with the Antarctic travel content, but were also perplexed with the sudden influx of videos about visiting the largely barren continent. In wake of the influx of travel content about Antarctica, some on TikTok have raised concerns over the environmental impact of Antarctic tourism. In a post responding to Ramos' video about the Drake Passage, TikTok creator jijis.m0m showed screenshots of articles about pollution in Antarctica.

☆ T.O.P, DJ Steve Aoki among crew for Japanese billionaire’s SpaceX trip to moon
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Kriti Gandhi | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa on Friday named South Korean rapper T.O.P and DJ Steve Aoki among the eight artists and entertainers who will join him on a private SpaceX trip around the moon as early as next year. It follows Maezawa’s 12-day trip to the International Space Station on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft last year. It still hasn’t even sunk in yet — and I’ve known for quite awhile,” Dodd said in a video posted after the announcement. U.S. Olympic snowboarder Kaitlyn Farrington and Japanese dancer Miyu will be backup crew members for the trip, which has been years in the making. The eight-day mission aboard SpaceX’s Starship vehicle includes three days circling the moon, coming within about 125 miles of the surface.

☆ Japanese billionaire Maezawa picks K-pop star TOP, DJ Steve Aoki to join SpaceX moon trip
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/4] Japanese entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa reacts as he speaks with his family after donning space suits shortly before the launch to the International Space Station (ISS) at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, December 8, 2021. REUTERS/Shamil ZhumatovTOKYO, Dec 9 (Reuters) - Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa on Friday revealed that K-pop star TOP and DJ Steve Aoki will be among the eight crew members he plans to take on a trip around the moon next year, hitching a ride on one of Elon Musk's SpaceX rockets. The picks were announced by Maezawa on Twitter and at a website for what he dubbed the #dearMoon Project. Maezawa used the micro-blogging site to recruit eight crew members from around the world to join him on the moon trip, saying 1 million people had applied. U.S. Olympic snowboarder Kaitlyn Farrington and Japanese dancer Miyu were named as backup crew members.

☆ Factbox: Why are oil tankers stuck in Turkish waters?
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Jonathan Saul | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

LONDON, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Turkey's maritime authority said on Thursday it would continue to block the passage of oil tankers that don't carry appropriate insurance letters, adding that insurance checks on ships in its waters were a "routine procedure". The logjam is creating growing unease in oil and tanker markets and comes as the G7 and European Union introduce a price cap on Russian oil. Millions of barrels of oil per day move south from Russian ports through Turkey's Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits into the Mediterranean. Ships typically have protection & indemnity (P&I) insurance, which covers third party liability claims including environmental damage and injury. Turkish authorities introduced new requirements, which came into effect at the beginning of December, in which every ship must have P&I insurance cover in place for all circumstances when sailing through Turkish waters or when calling at ports.

☆ Fact Check-Lengthier Artemis I trajectory toward Moon compared to Apollo 11 is not proof that space travel is a hoax
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Artemis I mission took a different, less direct route toward the Moon compared to the 1969 Apollo 11 mission. The Artemis I lengthier trajectory is not proof of inferior technology, nor is it proof that space travel is a hoax, despite claims made online. Social media users shared a meme claiming to show the number of days it took for the Apollo 11 spacecraft to reach the Moon compared to the November 2022 Artemis I mission. A graphic released by NASA showing the Apollo 11 flight trajectory can be viewed (here), with the Artemis I trajectory viewable (here). “The Apollo 11 mission had a very direct path to a low lunar orbit to deliver the crew to the lunar surface.

☆ A ‘White Lotus’ Mystery: Constant Hotel Dining
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Jason Gay | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

One of the great delights on television at the moment is “The White Lotus,” HBO’s comedy-drama about terrible people vacationing in luxurious places. Set in its first season at a Hawaiian resort, and currently at a cliff-side Sicilian hotel (both part of the fictional White Lotus hotel chain), creator Mike White ’s series is a voyage into the empty lives and damaged psyches of the privileged class. Mr. White’s characters, for the most part, are rich maddening narcissists, incapable of joy. I love them all very much.

☆ Urals oil discount widens as freight rates for Russian oil jump - traders, Reuters calculations
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MOSCOW, Dec 2 (Reuters) - Russian Urals oil's discount to dated Brent have widened significantly, under pressure from record high freight rates for tankers carrying Russian oil and sending sellers' revenues well below an agreed EU price cap, two traders said on Friday and Reuters calculations showed. EU governments on Friday agreed to a price cap of $60 per barrel for the Russian crude. Therefore, freight cost for this voyages went up to some $20 per barrel for India and $25 per barrel for China, according to Reuters calculations. Fearing to disrupt a yet-to-be-established mechanism, many shipowners have refrained from handling Russian oil, reducing tanker availability and driving up shipping costs on key Urals export routes. Freight rates for 80,000 Aframax class tankers on routes from Black Sea's Novorossiysk to Augusta were at the highest level since March - 475 Worldscale points.

☆ African migrants on rudder of a ship rescued by Spanish coast guard after an 11-day voyage
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Mirna-Alsharif-Byline-Jm.Jpg | Mirna Alsharif | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Three African migrants who were balancing on a ship's rudder were rescued by the Spanish coast guard on Monday after an 11-day voyage, according to officials. In a tweet published Monday, the coast guard said it rescued the migrants from the rudder of Alithini II, a ship that traveled from Nigeria to the Canary Islands. They can be seen sitting on the ship’s rudder with their backs bent, apparently due to lack of space, in a picture shared by the agency. The Alithini II, an oil and chemical tanker, arrived at the Canary Islands on Monday following an 11-day journey from Lagos, Nigeria, according to Marinetraffic.com. The Canary Islands, a Spanish archipelago off the coast of northwestern Africa, "are a popular gateway for African migrants attempting to reach Europe," with Spanish data showing migration to the archipelago increased to 51% the first five months of 2022 compared to last year, Reuters reported.

☆ Stowaways on tanker from Nigeria set for deportation from Spain
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LAS PALMAS, Nov 29 (Reuters) - Two of three stowaways who were rescued in Spain's Canary Islands after enduring 11 days on the rudder of a fuel tanker from Nigeria have been returned to the ship with the aim of deporting them. In a photograph on Twitter by the Spanish coast guard on Monday, the three stowaways are shown hunkered on the rudder under the hull, just above the waterline of the Alithini II. The ship's captain confirmed to the Red Cross that it had sailed from Nigeria 11 days earlier. The stowaways were treated for moderate dehydration and hypothermia, the Canary Islands emergency services and the Red Cross said. The Spanish-owned Canary Islands are a popular but dangerous gateway for African migrants attempting to reach Europe.

☆ The Spanish coast guard rescued 3 stowaways who spent 11 days balancing on a ship's rudder as it traveled from Nigeria to the Canary Islands
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Rebecca Cohen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The Spanish coast guard rescued three men who traveled from Nigeria to the Canary Islands on a ship's rudder. They survived the 11-day journey that left from the port of Lagos in Nigeria on November 17. The men were sitting on the upper part of the rudder blade on the outside of the hull, under the stern, the agency reported. The Maltese-flagged oil tanker "Alithini II" had left Nigeria on November 17 and arrived Monday afternoon, according to MarineTraffic.com. The stowaways may be able to stay in Spain if they can claim asylum, the director of migrant rights organization Walking Borders told Reuters.

☆ Three migrants survived an 11-day voyage sat on ship's rudder
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Reuters Nimi Princewill | Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

The Spanish coast guard has rescued three people who were stowed on top of the rudder of a ship that arrived in the Canary Islands from Nigeria. In a photograph distributed by the coastguard on Monday, the migrants are shown perched on the rudder of the oil and chemical tanker Althini II. The Althini II arrived in Las Palmas in Gran Canaria on Monday after an 11-day voyage from Lagos in Nigeria, according to Marine Traffic, a ship-tracking website. The Spanish-owned Canary Islands are a popular gateway for African migrants attempting to reach Europe. Last year, more than 20,000 migrants crossed from the West African coastline to the Canary Islands, according to the Red Cross.

☆ Tom Stoppard Fears the Virus of Antisemitism Has Been Reactivated
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

I don’t think that it’s an equal participant in some kind of debate. I don’t think so. If you’re sitting there enjoying the structure, then I don’t think that’s entirely good news for the writer. I don’t know that I would actually pursue the subject as a playwright. You know, I’m told there is such a thing as the long view.

☆ Spanish coastguard rescues three African migrants stowed away on ship's rudder
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

MADRID, Nov 28 (Reuters) - The Spanish coastguard said it rescued three migrants stowed away on the rudder of a ship that arrived in the Canary Islands from Nigeria. In a photograph distributed on Twitter by the coastguard on Monday, the three stowaways are shown perched on the rudder of the oil and chemical tanker Althini II. The migrants were taken into the port and attended to by health services, the coastguard said on Twitter. The Spanish-owned Canary Islands are a popular gateway for African migrants attempting to reach Europe. Spanish data shows migration by sea to the archipelago jumped 51% in the first five months of the year compared to a year earlier.

In the early 2010s, Mr. Mellow set out for still more distant shores, traveling to many famous surf breaks in the South Pacific. Mr. Abdul-Rashed and Mr. Danian traveled to Hawaii to connect with Mr. Mellow, their spiritual guide and Pacific expedition leader. Mr. Mellow posted an ad on Facebook and Craigslist offering $10,000 for passage to the South Pacific. Mr. Schmidt was in sync with the young seekers when it came to fear of Big Brother and vaccines, but dreading port officials brandishing nasal swabs struck even Mr. Schmidt as a little unhinged. When asked if he was at all responsible for what had happened to Mr. Danian and Mr. Abdul-Rashed, Mr. Mellow looked genuinely confused.

☆ At least one dead after Cuban migrant vessel capsizes off Florida coast, Coast Guard says
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Nov 20 (Reuters) - The U.S. Coast Guard on Sunday said it has recovered the body of one person after a vessel carrying Cuban migrants capsized off Florida's Little Torch Key, adding it rescued nine people and was searching for five others. Survivors told rescuers a total of 19 people were originally on the homemade vessel and that four people drowned immediately after it capsized, Coast Guard spokesperson Nicole Groll said. Some migrants attempt to reach Florida on rickety vessels, though most fly to Central America or Mexico and reach the U.S. border by land. The vast majority were allowed into the United States to pursue immigration cases. Earlier this month, a senior Cuban diplomat said Cuba and the United States were making progress in talks aimed at curbing the migration crisis.

☆ NASA's Artemis I moon rocket is flying through space for the first time. Meet the mannequins, Snoopy, and 'Shaun the Sheep' dolls along for the ride.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Mannequins and mementos are hitching a ride aboard NASA's Orion capsule — without people. Fitted with more than 5600 sensors, Zohar and Helga will measure the amount of radiation astronauts could be exposed to in future missions. "When it comes to biological effects, different organs have different susceptibility to space radiation. Shaun, of British TV show "Shaun the Sheep" fame, is flying aboard the Artemis I mission in plush doll form. Snoopy will ride in the Orion capsule and serve as a zero gravity indicator.

☆ A massive new cruise ship is set to function as a floating hotel for the Qatar World Cup, and rooms start at $220 a night. Take a look inside.
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Marielle Descalsota | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

MSC Cruises just launched a new cruise liner called the MSC World Europa. The luxury cruise is currently moored in Doha, Qatar, and is expected to host thousands of fans during the World Cup in November. MSC World Europa cruise ship in Qatar. hasan zaidi/Getty ImagesChantiers de l'Atlantique, one of the world's biggest shipyards, started construction on MSC World Europa in 2019. MSC World Europa is slated to be used as a hotel for fans at the Qatar World Cup from November 19 to December 19.

☆ Photos show how NASA built a $50 billion mega-rocket and spaceship to return astronauts to the moon
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Paola Rosa-Aquino | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

NASA's Space Launch System rocket lifted off early Wednesday, launching the Orion capsule on its first moon mission. The SLS rocket and Orion have undergone critical tests to ensure they're ready for flight. The mission, called Artemis I, aims to send an Orion spaceship around the moon and back. Eventually, NASA plans to use the new rocket, called the Space Launch System (SLS), to set up a permanent base on the moon. "This is now the Artemis generation," Bill Nelson, NASA's administrator, said at a press briefing on August 3.

About 90 minutes later, the rocket's upper stage propelled the Orion capsule out of Earth orbit and on its trajectory to the moon, NASA said. And it was quite a sight," Artemis mission manager Mike Sarafin told a post-launch NASA briefing, using words from biblical scripture. LAUNCH PAD HEROICSWednesday's launch was not without its own drama. [1/2] NASA's next-generation moon rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion crew capsule, lifts off from launch complex 39-B on the unmanned Artemis 1 mission to the moon, seen from Sebastian, Florida, U.S. November 16, 2022. It was so bright, so loud, you could feel it," said NASA astronaut Jessica Meir, an Artemis crew candidate.

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