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☆ Richard Branson says Elon Musk made a surprise visit in the middle of the night with his 2-year-old son hours before his first space flight
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-08 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Richard Branson told The Sunday Times that Elon Musk made a surprise visit to his New Mexico home. A barefoot Musk wanted to wish Branson luck on the flight and brought his 2-year-old son along too. "I think it was about 2:30 a.m.," Branson told The Sunday Times, recalling the morning of July 11, 2022, ahead of his flight to space. "Elon had decided to surprise us" to wish his friend luck on his debut flight, Branson told the newspaper. The SpaceX CEO also went to the launch site to watch the flight and later told Branson: "Congratulations, beautiful flight."

☆ Walter Cunningham, last surviving Apollo 7 astronaut, dies at 90
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Walter Cunningham, the last surviving astronaut from the first successful crewed space mission in NASA’s Apollo program, died Tuesday in Houston. It was NASA’s first crewed space mission since the deaths of the three Apollo 1 astronauts in a launch pad fire Jan. 27, 1967. “We never even knew that there were astronauts when I was growing up,” Cunningham told The Spokesman-Review. After retiring from NASA in 1971, Cunningham worked in engineering, business and investing, and became a public speaker and radio host. Although Cunningham never crewed another space mission after Apollo 7, he remained a proponent of space exploration.

☆ On Pluto you could throw a baseball over the Great Pyramid of Giza, a scientist's animation reveals
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

An astronomer's animation reveals how far the average person could throw a ball on different worlds. On Pluto, your baseball could clear the Great Pyramid of Giza. Watch a ball throw on each planet in our solar system, plus Pluto and the moon, below. At just two-thirds the diameter of our moon, Pluto has such weak gravity that your baseball could clear the 455-foot-tall Great Pyramid of Giza — with room to spare. The video plays out in "real time," showing how long each ball throw would take, O'Donoghue said.

☆ The tragic story of the only 3 cosmonauts who died in space
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

This Soviet crew had spent 23 days in space, setting a new record for human space flight endurance, and were finally coming home. They gathered existing equipment and hastily put together a space station that was launched on April 19, 1971. A treadmill was installed on the Salyut 1 and the cosmonauts forwent their space suits in the space station and Soyuz. But a few missteps on the ship and by the Soviet space program led to the tragic deaths of the cosmonauts. According to Siddiqi, the death of the three cosmonauts had a lasting impact on the Soviet space program afterward.

☆ Virgin Orbit: The UK just took a step closer to space flight
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Anna Cooban | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

London CNN —The United Kingdom is one step closer to conducting its first ever satellite launch from its own shores. The UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), a regulatory body, said on Wednesday that it had granted the final licenses to Virgin Orbit to carry out the launch. The company has already conducted four successful satellite launch missions in this way from California. “Today we are one step closer to opening the UK’s galactic gateway, with Virgin Orbit receiving an historic first license to allow the UK’s first ever spaceflight launch,” UK transport secretary Mark Harper said in a statement on Wednesday. The CAA said it granted Virgin Orbit the final remaining licenses after it met all necessary safety, security and environmental tests.

☆ 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.

☆ Webb telescope spies clouds beneath haze of Saturn moon Titan
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-01 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The James Webb Space Telescope has spied clouds on one of the solar system’s most intriguing moons. Titan’s atmosphere is made of nitrogen and methane, which gives it a fuzzy, orange appearance. Astronomers compared Webb (left) and Keck images of Titan to see how clouds evolved. The data, which is still being analyzed, was able to see deeper into Titan’s atmosphere and surface than the Cassini spacecraft, which orbited Saturn and its moons for 13 years. The cloud observations were a long time coming.

☆ Chinese spaceship with 3 aboard docks with space station
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING — Three Chinese astronauts docked early Wednesday with their country’s space station, where they will overlap for several days with the three-member crew already onboard and expand the facility to its maximum size. Without the attached spacecraft, the Chinese station weighs about 66 tons — a fraction of the International Space Station, which launched its first module in 1998 and weighs around 465 tons. With a lifespan of 10 to 15 years, Tiangong could one day be the only space station still up and running if the International Space Station retires in the coming years as planned. The U.S. excluded China from the International Space Station because of its program’s military ties, although China has engaged in limited cooperation with other nations’ space agencies. While proceeding smoothly for the most part, China’s space program has also drawn controversy.

Summary Shenzhou-15 marks last of 11 missions since April 2021 in building of space stationShenzhou-15 crew to take over from Shenzhou-14 astronauts on space stationChinese space station to be second permanently inhabited outpost after NASA-led ISSBEIJING, Nov 30 (Reuters) - Three Chinese astronauts arrived on Wednesday at China's space station for the first in-orbit crew rotation in Chinese space history, launching operation of the second inhabited outpost in low-Earth orbit after the NASA-led International Space Station. Shenzhou-15 was the last of 11 missions, including three previous crewed missions, needed to assemble the "Celestial Palace", as the multi-module station is known in Chinese. The "Celestial Palace" was the culmination of nearly two decades of Chinese crewed missions to space. The astronauts will live and work on the T-shaped space outpost for six months. The next batch of "taikonauts", coined from the Chinese word for space, to board the station, in 2023, will be picked from the third generation of astronauts with scientific backgrounds.

Shenzhou-15 was the last of 11 missions, including three prior crewed missions, that began in April 2021 needed to assemble the "Celestial Palace", as the multi-module station is known in Chinese. The space outpost took on its current "T" shape in November with the arrival of the last of three cylindrical modules. The "Celestial Palace" was the culmination of nearly two decades of Chinese crewed missions to space. FUTURE 'TAIKONAUTS'Leading the Shenzhou-15 mission was Fei Junlong, 57, who hailed from China's first batch of astronaut trainees in the late 1990s. During the space station's operation over the next decade, China is expected to launch two crewed missions to the orbiting outpost each year.

CNN —Three astronauts lifted off to China’s nearly completed space station on Tuesday, marking the beginning of the country’s long-term presence in space. The Shenzhou-15 spacecraft is expected to dock with the Tiangong Space Station about 6.5 hours after launch. VCG/Getty ImagesSmaller than the ISSOnce construction is completed, the space station is expected to last for 15 years. Tiangong, which means heavenly palace, is smaller than the International Space Station but similar in its modular design. The new space station will typically house three rather than six astronauts.

☆ China rocket taking 3 to space station to blast off Tuesday
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

BEIJING — A rocket carrying three astronauts to finish building China’s space station will blast off Tuesday amid intensifying competition with the U.S., the government said Monday,The crew includes a veteran of a 2005 space mission and two first-time astronauts, according to the China Manned Space Agency. Previous missions to the space station have taken about 13 hours from liftoff to docking. The permanent Chinese station weighs about 66 tons — a fraction of the International Space Station, which launched its first module in 1998 and weighs around 465 tons. With a lifespan of 10 to 15 years, Tiangong could one day find itself the only space station still running if the International Space Station adheres to its 30-year operating plan. The U.S. excluded China from the International Space Station because of its program’s military ties.

☆ James Webb Space Telescope: No evidence linking namesake to firings of LGBTQ staff
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-18 | by ( Scottie Andrew | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Despite numerous calls from astronomers to rename its powerful new telescope, NASA officials stood by the naming of the James Webb Space Telescope before its launch. With the telescope nearly a year into its stint in space, the agency has released its chief historian’s investigation into the namesake of the telescope. Earlier this summer, Dr. Jane Rigby, the operations project scientist for the James Webb Space Telescope, tweeted that “a transformative telescope should have a name that stands for discovery and inclusion.”Officials at NASA have refused to rename it, though, citing an investigation into Webb’s career. The James Webb Space Telescope is the most powerful telescope ever built. NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterNo evidence links Webb to any action that followed those discussions, Odom said.

☆ Webb telescope finds two of the most distant galaxies ever observed
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —The James Webb Space Telescope has spied one of the earliest galaxies formed after the big bang, about 350 million years after the universe began. Webb’s capability to look deeper into the universe than other telescopes is revealing previously hidden aspects of the universe, including astonishingly distant galaxies such as these two finds. Two distant galaxies were observed by the James Webb Space Telescope. Just a few hundred million years after the big bang, there were already lots of galaxies. Detection of light invisible to the human eyeThe new findings about the two galaxies might mean there are other bright galaxies waiting to be found in the distant universe.

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves in the premarket: Hasbro, Oatly, Advanced Micro Devices and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Peter Schacknow | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) – The chip maker's stock rose 3.2% in the premarket after receiving upgrades at both Baird and UBS. Amazon.com (AMZN) – Amazon fell 1.7% in premarket trading after Bank of America removed the stock from its "US 1" list, although it maintained a "buy" rating. Teva Pharmaceutical (TEVA) – Teva was downgraded to "underweight" from "neutral" at J.P. Morgan Securities, which cited continuing growth challenges for the drugmaker. Teva fell 2.3% in premarket action. Lilly added 1.5% in premarket trading, while Biogen rallied 5.8%.

☆ Crypto whizkid Justin Sun says he's working with FTX to find a 'solution' after Binance dumped its rescue deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Zahra Tayeb | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Crypto whizkid Justin Sun said he and FTX are 'putting together a solution' after the Binance deal collapsed. FTX needs $8 billion and bankruptcy is likely without more capital, its CEO Sam Bankman-Fried said. Binance dumped its takeover deal for FTX saying the issues were beyond its ability to help. But he didn't say whether this would rescue FTX as a company or only provide support around the Tron-related tokens on the exchange. Bankman-Fried told FTX employees he was exploring all options for the company after the Binance deal collapsed, Reuters reported Wednesday.

☆ How Time magazine made more than $100 million with docuseries for Netflix, Amazon, and more by mining its 100-year-old archive
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Time Studios has become Time's biggest driver, generating more than $100 million, or 25% of its revenue. It's sold dozens of projects to the likes of Netflix, Amazon, and HBO, including "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy." Time Studios has been developing some projects you might not expect from a 100-year-old legendary magazine brand. And of course there's "jeen-yuhs: A Kanye Trilogy," the doc series about now-disgraced Ye that sold to Netflix for a reported $30 million in 2021 after a robust bidding war. The Benioffs' support has allowed Time Studios to deficit-finance, or self-fund, about half its doc projects, enabling it to move at startup speed.

☆ South Africa's new ground station to help NASA track space flights
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Wendell Roelf | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

MATJIESFONTEIN, South Africa Nov 8 (Reuters) - A new deep-space ground station being built in South Africa's semi-desert Karoo region will come online by 2025 to help track history-making NASA missions to the moon and beyond, space agency officials said Tuesday. The South African National Space Agency (SANSA) will establish, operate and maintain the station. South Africa has committed an initial 70 million rand ($3.93 million) to build the infrastructure and communications needed to ready the site, part of the government's investment in building its space infrastructure and research base. "NASA would not come to South Africa if they didn't feel that we have capacities to do the work in partnership with them," said Phil Mjwara, director general at South Africa's department of science and innovation. ($1 = 17.8206 rand)Reporting by Wendell Roelf; Editing by Olivia Kumwenda-Mtambo and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Astronauts' stunning photos from the International Space Station show Earth's triumphs and tragedies in 2022
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-05 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

"At the beginning of the war, the whole country went dark at night," German astronaut Matthias Maurer said in May, adding, "People actually only recognized Kyiv." Kyiv, Ukraine, as seen by satellite in January 2022, left, and March 2022, right. NASA Earth Observatory/Joshua Stevens/Black Marble data courtesy of Ranjay Shrestha/NASA Goddard Space Flight CenterThat's what he told German broadcaster ARD's "Morgenmagazin" program, according to a translation in Newsweek. "Then you could also see the impacts in the first days of the war. In Kyiv, you could see lightning at night," as well as the "rockets that hit," he added, according to Newsweek.

☆ A lunar eclipse will bring a blood red moon on Election Day — the last one for 3 years
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-04 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

That paints the full moon red, raising a blood moon into the skies on Election Day morning. The next total lunar eclipse won't happen until 2025. It's a total lunar eclipse, often called a "blood moon," and there won't be another one until 2025. The blue light from the sun scatters away, and longer-wavelength red, orange, and yellow light pass through, turning our moon red. Then wait until March 14, 2025, for the next total lunar eclipse.

☆ Fact Check-The Earth is not covered by a dome or ‘firmament’
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-31 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +7 min

Users on social media are saying people on Earth are living under a dome, also called a “firmament,” without providing evidence to support the claim. But the video’s examples offer no proof of humans living under a dome or firmament, while there is ample evidence that no dome exists. “Rocket hitting the flat earth dome”, reads the title of one of the YouTube clips. SIXTY YEARS OF SPACEFLIGHTExperts pointed out that if there were a dome that covered the Earth, astronauts would have encountered it by now. A video provides no evidence that the Earth is under a dome or “firmament”.

☆ William Shatner was right, say 2 Blue Origin astronauts: space flights do trigger emotions of grief and sadness
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-30 | by ( Kate Duffy | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Blue Origin astronauts agreed with William Shatner's feelings of grief after flying into space. The Star Trek actor said his Blue Origin spaceflight felt like a funeral and all he saw was sadness. Sharon and Marc Hagle at Blue Origin facility in Texas. Everybody has their own takeaway and emotional experiences based on their lives on Earth, Marc added: "Even now, we're tearing up." Three days after launching with Blue Origin, the couple went to watch a rocket launch together.

☆ Time Studios made $100 million selling documentaries to Netflix and more. Now it's planning to mine the magazine's 100-year-old archives for fictional storytelling.
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-25 | by ( Lucia Moses | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Time Studios has become Time's biggest driver, generating more than $100 million, or 25% of its revenue. In its most ambitious move yet, Time Studios is also making a push into fictional storytelling. Ian Orefice, president and COO, Time and Time Studios TimeIan Orefice, president and COO of Time and Time Studios, sees scripted as a "massive opportunity. The Benioffs' support has allowed Time Studios to deficit-finance, or self-fund, about half its doc projects, enabling it to move at startup speed. Time Studios also has a huge promotional advantage in Time's existing audience of some 100 million readers and followers on social media.

☆ Xi's call to win tech race points to new wave of Chinese state-led spending
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Josh Horwitz | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The term "technology" was referred to 40 times, up from 17 times in the report from the 2017 congress. Iris Pang, chief economist for Greater China at ING, said Xi's remarks addressed "the urgent need for talent and promoting self-sufficiency in technological advancement". "As such research spending on semiconductor technology should increase. On Monday, shares in Chinese information technology companies (.CSIINT) rose more than 1%, while semiconductor stocks (.CSIH30184) rose 0.7%. Venture capital (VC) has been allowed to invest in Chinese chip companies, with such firms receiving over $30 billion in VC cash between 2020-2021, according to Chinese investment research firm CVInfo.

☆ Here's what William Shatner would have seen on his trip to space aboard Blue Origin as his new book says it 'felt like a funeral'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Taylor Rains | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

William Shatner became the oldest person to journey to space when he flew on Blue Origin in October 2021. The 11-minute flight reached 66 miles above Earth, where Shatner may have seen deserts, mountains, and water. The Star Trek actor described space as dreadful "ominous blackness," but was wowed by Earth's beauty. ReutersBefore the journey, Shatner expressed excitement about finally seeing space with his own eyes, describing the opportunity as "a miracle." Bettmann/Getty ImagesIn the film, Gagarin said he could see forests, and described Earth as "visible and distinct," but many areas were "covered with cumulus clouds."

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