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The department's Office for Civil Rights opened the probe following a complaint filed earlier this month by three civil rights groups, who argued that Harvard's preference for "legacy" undergraduate applicants overwhelmingly benefits white students, in violation of a federal civil rights law. Those statistics were calculated from Harvard admissions data that became public as a result of the case that the Supreme Court decided in June. The Education Department through a spokesperson confirmed it had an open investigation under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which bars race discrimination for programs receiving federal funds. "Simply put, Harvard is on the wrong side of history," said Oren Sellstrom, the litigation director of Lawyers for Civil Rights, the Boston-based group representing the civil rights groups who prompted the Education Department investigation. Sellstrom spoke at a Tuesday press conference regarding the federal probe, along with representatives for two of the Boston-area civil rights groups represented in the complaint.

Persons: Nicole Rura, Oren Sellstrom, Sellstrom, Zaida Ismatul Oliva, Edward Blum, Julia Harte, Nick Macfie, Daniel Wallis Organizations: U.S . Department of Education, Harvard, Civil Rights, Harvard College, University of North, Harvard University, Supreme, Education Department, Ivy League, Department, Civil, Wesleyan University, University of Minnesota's, University of Minnesota's Twin Cities, Fair Admissions, NAACP, Mexican American Legal Defense, Thomson Locations: University of North Carolina, Cambridge , Massachusetts, University of Minnesota's Twin, Boston

☆ Education Dept. Opens Civil Rights Inquiry Into Harvard’s Legacy Admissions
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-25 | by ( Michael D. Shear | More About Michael D. Shear | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Education Department has opened a civil rights investigation into Harvard University’s preferences for the relatives of alumni and donors when making admissions decisions, according to lawyers for several groups that claim the practices are discriminatory. “The U.S. Department of Education has notified Lawyers for Civil Rights that it has formally launched the federal civil rights investigation requested,” the legal group said in a statement. The inquiry comes after a formal complaint that three groups filed after the Supreme Court’s decision last month on the use of affirmative action by colleges and universities that severely limit race-conscious admissions. Lawyers for the groups — Chica Project, ACEDONE and the Greater Boston Latino Network — argued that Harvard’s practice of extending preferences to so-called legacy admissions illegally discriminated against Black, Hispanic and Asian applicants in favor of wealthy students who were less qualified.

Persons: Network — Organizations: Department, Harvard, U.S . Department of Education, Civil Rights, Greater Boston, Network

☆ Elon Musk's SpaceX nears $150 billion valuation after secondary share sale
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

watch nowThe valuation of Elon Musk's SpaceX hit near $150 billion following a share sale by existing investors announced this week, CNBC has learned. The company did not announce a raise of new capital at this time, with the purchase offer representing a secondary sale of existing shares. Musk in April said that the company does "not anticipate needing to raise funding" to further bolster the programs for Starship, Starlink and other initiatives. SpaceX typically performs these secondary rounds about twice a year, to give employees and other company shareholders a chance to sell stock. A Starship prototype stands on the company's launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas on March 16, 2022.

Persons: Bret Johnsen Organizations: Elon, SpaceX, CNBC Locations: Boca Chica , Texas

☆ Ancient regal tomb in Spain belonged to a revered female leader, archaeologists reveal
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-08 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

While analysis of DNA is one factor, archaeologists have relied on other clues to gain insight, such as grave goods. European archaeologists made a “spectacular” find in 2008 of a tomb near Seville, Spain, that belonged to an ancient individual of great importance. The Ivory Lady, who possibly held a leadership role, was likely revered by her society for generations after she died. Defying gravityThe Perseverance rover snapped a new image of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars on April 16. As Ingenuity and the Perseverance rover begin to explore more challenging terrain, obstacles can block communications between the two — and Perseverance is the only one that can “call” Earth.

Persons: CNN — Piecing, Ivory Lady, ”, Graves, Leonardo García Sanjuán, Tom Booth, James Webb, — Doodles, Henry VIII, Ashley Strickland, Katie Hunt Organizations: CNN, Research, University of Sevilla, University of Seville, SpaceX, Boca, NASA, JPL, Caltech, ASU, Mars, James Webb Space Telescope, CNN Space, Science Locations: Seville, Spain, Boca Chica, Texas, Wild, Hong Kong, Indonesia

☆ Harvard's legacy admission standards are facing a renewed challenge in the wake of SCOTUS gutting affirmative action
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-03 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Activists are taking aim at Harvard's preference for legacy applicants in the wake of a landmark Supreme Court ruling. A federal civil rights complaint alleges Harvard is breaking the law with its current preferences. Internal university data illustrates that white applicants overwhelmingly benefit from the current standards. While "legacy applicants were nearly 6 times more likely to be admitted compared to nonlegacy applicants." The civil rights complaint comes after Education Secretary Miguel Cardona urged colleges to take a hard look at legacy preferences they might offer.

Persons: —, John Roberts, Rakesh Khurana, Khurana, Miguel Cardona, Cardona Organizations: Supreme, Harvard, Service, Department of Education's, Civil Rights, Ivy League, Community Economic, Greater Boston Latino Network, Civil, Harvard College, University of North, Education, Associated Press Locations: Universities, England, University of North Carolina

☆ How riding rockets going 4,000 mph into suborbital space could slash international flight times from 22 hours to 2
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-16 | by ( Kelly Burch | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

This idea of point-to-point rocket travel, however, could be uncomfortable and inconvenient. Space companies that are exploring the technologyWhile no one is going from Down Under to Big Ben in less than 24 hours these days, some space companies are already testing the technology needed for point-to-point rocket travel. No company has announced projected ticket prices for point-to-point rocket trips, but if other space travel is any indication they'll likely be super expensive. Currently, you can book a two-hour space flight with Virgin Galactic for $450,000. But he's not planning any future point-to-point rocket flights because it's not worth the hassle.

Persons: —, David Doughty, Admiral Jet, Doughty, Big Ben, Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Joe Cassady, there's, Thompson, Cassady, It's, he's Organizations: SpaceX, Service, Qantas, Rockets, Passengers, Virgin Galactic, Rocket, astronautics, US Air Force, NASA, Astronauts, Travelers Locations: London, Sydney, New York, Boca Chica , Texas, Mexico

☆ How 3 Women Broke Through as Filmmakers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-03 | by ( Ray Mark Rinaldi | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Gabriella A. Moses, whose first directing feature is “Boca Chica,” credits the film industry itself, and her participation in fellowships designed to give women and other newcomers a leg up, for getting noticed by the “right people” who offered the chance to helm the project. Maggie Contreras, the director of “Maestra,” said that she got her break from male colleagues who had already found success in the movie business and decided to give a woman they trusted a chance. Now she is making it a no-excuses priority to bring other female filmmakers along. No matter how women are getting the chance to direct these days, the sentiment that they need to lead a new generation of female filmmakers seems to prevail. All three directors, whose films are showing at the Tribeca Festival, gave key jobs — as producers, writers, designers and editors — to other women.

Persons: Olivia West Lloyd, Gabriella A, Moses, Boca, ”, Maggie Contreras, “ Organizations: Tribeca

☆ A Navy pilot had to be rescued off the coast of Key West after ejecting from an F-5 aircraft
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-01 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A Navy pilot had to be rescued from Florida waters after ejecting from an F-5 aircraft. Naval officials said Wednesday the pilot was part of the Fighter Squadron Composite VFC-111. Naval officials confirmed that a pilot assigned to Naval Air Station Key West was picked up in the waters off Key West on Wednesday morning. —NAS Key West (@NASKeyWest) May 31, 2023The aircraft, which was an F-5N plane, originally launched from Naval Air Station Key West. The Navy had to rescue the pilot from the water using an MH-60S search and rescue helicopter, the station said.

Persons: —, Sun Organizations: Navy, Naval, Wednesday, Fighter, Service, US Navy, Naval Air Station, West, NAS, Naval Air Station Key, Boca Chica, Local, Coast Guard Locations: Florida

Starship is SpaceX's next-generation rocket crucial for the company's commercial launch business and Musk's aim to start human colonies on Mars. The U.S. offers few such options and export controls would make building a foreign launch site difficult. SpaceX has eyed another Kennedy Space Center launch site for future Starship launches, LC-49, a few miles from LC-39A. But that location is in the midst of a lengthy environmental review that could take years. Plans for that orbital launch site, Spaceport Camden, were nixed by a local referendum after a lawsuit raised concerns about its environmental impact.

☆ Environmental groups sue U.S. over SpaceX launch license for Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Steve Gorman | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

May 1, (Reuters) - Conservation groups sued the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday, challenging its approval of expanded rocket launch operations by Elon Musk's SpaceX next to a national wildlife refuge in South Texas without requiring greater environmental study. SpaceX had vigorously opposed subjecting its Starbase to an EIS review, a process that typically takes years, even decades. The FAA granted its license following a far less thorough environmental assessment and a finding that SpaceX activities at Boca Chica pose "no significant impact" on the environment. The lawsuit challenges that finding as a violation of the National Environmental Policy Act. The lawsuit highlights a history of tension between environmentalists, who have sought to limit development at Boca Chica, and Musk, a hard-charging entrepreneur known for risk taking.

☆ FAA sued over SpaceX Starship launch program following April explosion
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The SpaceX Starship explodes after launch for a flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on April 20, 2023. The groups argue that the FAA should have conducted an in-depth environmental report, known as an environmental impact statement (EIS), before ever allowing SpaceX to move ahead with its Starship Super Heavy plans in Boca Chica. Later, "based on SpaceX's preference," the lawyers wrote, the federal agency settled on using "a considerably less thorough analysis," which enabled SpaceX to launch sooner. The exact impacts of the launch on the people, habitat and wildlife are still being evaluated by federal and state agencies, and other environmental researchers, alongside and independently from SpaceX. Boca Chica land and wildlife there, namely ocelots, are also sacred to the Carrizo-Comecrudo tribe of Texas.

☆ Environmental groups are suing the FAA over SpaceX's failed Starship rocket launch over Texas
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-01 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Environmental groups are suing the FAA over SpaceX's giant rocket launch in April. Debris from the Starship explosion was hurled thousands of feet from the launch pad, officials said. SpaceX's Starship rocket exploded over the Gulf of Mexico on April 20 after soaring 24 miles (39 kilometers) into the sky. The launch pad is on a remote site on the southernmost tip of Texas, just below South Padre Island, and about 20 miles from Brownsville. It was the first launch of a full-size Starship, with the sci-fi-looking spacecraft on top the huge booster rocket.

CNN —Environmental groups are suing the Federal Aviation Administration in federal court over SpaceX’s launch of its massive Starship rocket last month. ‘All kinds of environmental harm’Ahead of the launch on April 20, the FAA issued a finding that the launch would have no significant impact on its surrounding environment. Margolis told CNN that the SpaceX explosion proves the groups’ legal argument that the FAA erred in its decision-making. The FAA’s roleThe FAA licenses commercial rocket launches and gave the green light for the SpaceX launch attempt after more than a year of back-and-forth. When asked about potential legal backlash from environmental groups on Saturday, Musk was defiant.

In the test mission, SpaceX’s Starship launched toward space atop a Super Heavy rocket booster. That could be the determining factor in how long it takes the company to get a new Starship on the launch pad. Such investigations are routine and have taken place after previous — but smaller-scale — Starship test launches in South Texas. Joe Skipper/ReutersSpaceX is not permitted to make another launch attempt of a Starship vehicle until that review is complete. NASAThe US space agency was not directly involved in the Starship flight test, but it has a major stake in Starship’s overall success.

☆ SpaceX to spend about $2 billion on Starship this year, as Elon Musk pushes to reach orbit
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The SpaceX Starship lifts off from the launchpad during a flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on April 20, 2023. Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty ImagesElon Musk expects SpaceX to spend about $2 billion on its Starship rocket development this year, as the company pushes to build on its first launch earlier this month. "To my knowledge, we do not need to raise incremental funding for SpaceX," Musk said. As for the dramatic first fully stacked Starship rocket launch on April 20," the SpaceX CEO said, "The outcome was roughly in what I expected, and maybe slightly exceeding my expectations." He put the probability of reaching orbit with a Starship flight this year at "probably" 80%, but espoused that he thinks there is a "100% chance of reaching orbit within 12 months."

☆ What’s next for SpaceX’s Starship after a dramatic first launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-29 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +8 min

Starship launches for the first time on its Super Heavy booster from Texas on April 20, 2023. Soon after the launch, SpaceX began the process of cleaning up the launchpad and assessing the damage to its infrastructure. Fish and Wildlife Service disclosed this week that the Starship launch started a 3.5-acre fire on land owned by Texas' Boca Chica State Park. A SpaceX Starship prototype stands in a bay at the SpaceX Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas on April 18, 2023. As with any rocket-development program, and especially the largest ever assembled, SpaceX's timeline for the next Starship flight is likely to evolve and change.

☆ Photos show just how big the SpaceX Starship mega-rocket is
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Crystal Raypole | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

SpaceX's Starship rocket is the tallest rocket ever built, but just how tall is that? The Starship rocket consists of a first and second stage. Even close up, humans look tiny compared to Starship and Super Heavy:Stacking Starship on the Super Heavy booster. Making up the remaining six engines are Starship's powerhouse, which consist of three Raptor engines and three even larger Raptor Vacuum engines. SpaceX via TwitterThe Starship mega-rocket recently attempted its first flight toward space but exploded a few minutes after launch.

Fish and Wildlife Service. Damage to the launch pad, the floor of which was largely demolished during liftoff, was visible in photos of the aftermath. SpaceX did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Fish and Wildlife Service findings. The April 20 launch was days after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted SpaceX a license to launch the Starship via its Super Heavy rocket booster. REUTERS/Joe Skipper 1 2 3The report by the Fish and Wildlife Service, part of the U.S.

☆ SpaceX Starship explosion ignited 3.5-acre fire and sent debris thousands of feet, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Debris litters the ground on April 22, 2023, after the SpaceX Starship liftedoff on April 20 for a flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas. Fish and Wildlife Service disclosed new details on Wednesday about the aftermath of last week's SpaceX Starship Super Heavy launch and mid-air explosion, including that a "3.5-acre fire started south of the pad site on Boca Chica State Park land," following the test flight. In the agency's e-mailed statement, a spokesperson for the Fish and Wildlife Service said that following the launch and mid-air explosion, "Cameron County closed Boca Chica Beach and State Highway 4 for 48 hours due to launch pad safety concerns." The road closures prevented FWS staff from "accessing refuge-owned and managed land" until mid-morning on April 22, the agency confirmed. Elon Musk's defense contractor designed its Starship Super Heavy with the ambition of taking people and supplies on a Mars mission one day.

☆ Photos show SpaceX's Starship rocket blew a crater into its launchpad and flung concrete chunks hundreds of feet during liftoff
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-26 | by ( Kelly Mclaughlin | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

SpaceX's Starship blew a huge hole in its launchpad during takeoff last week and scattered debris. Members of the public walk through a debris field around the Starship launchpad at SpaceX's facilities near Boca Chica, Texas. It was also missing a water-deluge system, which helps further reduce energy blast around the launch site during liftoff. Rocks and other debris fly around remote cameras as SpaceX’s Starship lifts off atop its Super Heavy booster for the first time. Last week's flight was the first time SpaceX launched a Starship rocket on top of it its Super Heavy booster.

☆ SpaceX Starship explosion spread particulate matter for miles
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-24 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +7 min

Of primary concern is the large amount of sand- and ash-like particulate matter and heavier debris kicked up by the launch. Images captured during the test flight show that the SpaceX launch pad also exploded, with concrete chunks from it flying in multiple directions leaving behind a giant crater underneath. That would translate to a one-square-mile debris field, with debris emanating about three-quarters of a mile away from the site, he said, referencing SpaceX environmental site assessment documents that are public record. Health concernsThe impacts of particulate emissions from the SpaceX launch won't be understood until samples are evaluated and the debris field measured comprehensively. Margolis and Cortez both noted that roads had been damaged, with gates and cordons closed immediately following the SpaceX Starship test flight.

☆ SpaceX Starship’s explosion is not the failure it appears to be, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-22 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Rocket launches are like opening a box of chocolates, only riskier — you never know what you’re going to get. When a rocket is set to leap off the launchpad, there’s a good chance of seeing a stunning liftoff or a spectacular failure. The lead-up to this week’s launch of SpaceX’s Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, was a dramatic roller coaster. The rocket blasted off from the launchpad in South Texas and roared 24.2 miles (39 kilometers) over the Gulf of Mexico. Now, researchers have a new theory about why the Vikings abruptly departed in the mid-15th century: rising sea levels.

☆ Elon Musk had a rough week across his empire — Tesla, Twitter and SpaceX
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The investors are particularly concerned with Musk and Tesla's handling of human rights and workers' rights. Their letter recounts many lawsuits in which Tesla has been sued over: racial discrimination, union-busting, wage theft, sexual harassment and unsafe working conditions. "Instead of working to address problems with regulators, CEO Musk has made derogatory tweets and comments, fueling tensions," they wrote. The open letter to Tesla's board comes after Tesla shares have declined more than 15% over the past month. Musk-led Twitter also removed "government-funded" and "China state-affiliated" labels from Twitter accounts of a myriad of global media organizations.

☆ SpaceX’s Starship Kicked Up a Dust Cloud, Leaving Texans With a Mess
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Livia Albeck-Ripka | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

As the most powerful rocket ever built blasted from its launchpad in Boca Chica, Texas, on Thursday, the liftoff rocked the earth and kicked up a billowing cloud of dust and debris, shaking homes and raining down brown grime for miles. In Port Isabel, a city about six miles northwest where at least one window shattered, residents were alarmed. “It was truly terrifying,” said Sharon Almaguer, who, at the time of the launch, was at home with her 80-year-old mother. During previous launches, Ms. Almaguer said she had experienced some shaking inside the brick house, but “this was on a completely different level.”Meanwhile, SpaceX’s Starship exploded minutes after liftoff and before reaching orbit. Near the launch site, the residents of Port Isabel, known for its towering lighthouse and less than 10 miles from the border with Mexico, were left to deal with the mess.

REUTERS/Joe SkipperLOS ANGELES, April 20 (Reuters) - The spectacular explosion of SpaceX's new Starship rocket minutes after it soared off its launch pad on a first flight test is the latest vivid illustration of a "successful failure" business formula that serves Elon Musk's company well, experts said on Thursday. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECTAt least two experts in aerospace engineering and planetary science who spoke with Reuters agreed that the test flight delivered benefits. "This is a classical SpaceX successful failure," said Garrett Reisman, an astronautical engineering professor at the University of Southern California who is a former NASA astronaut and is also a senior adviser to SpaceX. Reisman called the Starship test flight a hallmark of a SpaceX strategy that sets Musk's company apart from traditional aerospace companies and even NASA by "this embracing of failure when the consequences of failure are low." She said the risks of a single flight test were small in comparison to the ambitious gains at stake.

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