CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) – Why’s Guy Dave Leake came on The Morning Show to discuss the path of this year’s solar eclipse, and the best places to view it.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WCIA.com.
On Sunday, the rare devil comet will reach its closest point to the sun, creating an illuminating sky show. Here is how skygazers can watch it.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory demonstrates 100-kW wireless charging with a 'polyphase' coil system, unlocking a potential 350 miles per hour of charging.
Varda Space Industries has closed a massive tranche of funding just weeks after its first drug manufacturing capsule returned from orbit. The company’s $90 million Series B round marks an inflection point for the company, which is now gearing up to scale from the initial demonstration mission to a regular set of missions carrying customer payloads, Varda founder Delian Asparouhov told TechCrunch. El Segundo-based Varda was founded in 2021 by Asparouhov, who is also a partner at Founders Fund, and Will Bruey, a spacecraft engineer who cut his teeth at SpaceX.
Boeing’s Starliner is a go for launch. Leaders from NASA and Boeing told reporters that the first crewed Starliner mission, which will see the capsule carry two astronauts to the International Space Station, is moving ahead toward its historic May 6 launch date. NASA and Boeing concluded that the capsule is ready for launch after completing a critical flight test review on Thursday.
NASA has given three space companies the chance to design the next-generation moon buggy — but only one design will go to space. Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab are developing rugged vehicles intended for astronauts to drive around on the lunar surface, from which NASA may choose as early as next year. The three teams will now enter into a 12-month “feasibility phase” that will culminate in a preliminary design review.
NASA administrator Bill Nelson has pronounced the agency's $11 billion, 15-year mission to collect and return samples from Mars insufficient. "The bottom line is, an $11 billion budget is too expensive, and a 2040 return date is too far away," Nelson said at a press conference. In other words, clear the decks and start over — with commercial providers on board from the get-go.
Watch livestream video of the solar eclipse.
Three companies are competing to produce, and eventually operate, the next-generation lunar rover for the Artemis program.
Peter Higgs, the famous physicist who predicted the Higgs boson particle, has passed away at the age of 94. He won the Nobel Prize in 2013 for his research.
Microsoft and Quantinuum say they've developed the most error-free quantum computing system yet.
Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai took the stage on Wednesday at a Stanford event held by the university's business school, offering some small insights into what he thinks about running one of the world's most valuable tech companies. It was a notable appearance because Pichai's been having a bit of a rough go lately. Google is widely perceived to have gotten a late start on generative AI, trailing behind Microsoft-funded OpenAI.
A growing effort to attract more women and people of color into the space industry has shared some of its first results and a new occasion to rally around: National Space Day, May 3, when thousands of students will learn that not only can they do space stuff, but they really should start now. Space Workforce 2030 is a joint effort by the Space Foundation and Aerospace Corporation, amounting to basically a promise that they — and all their 29 company partners as of now — will transparently report the demographics of their workplaces, hiring and recruitment, and work together to identify ways to bring a more diverse crowd to the notoriously homogeneous space industry. The effort also now has an executive director in Melanie Stricklan, formerly of Slingshot Space (and the Air Force), who is now leading the organization full time.
The Space Force has contracted out its next "responsive space" mission, and this one is a doozy. The two awardees, Rocket Lab and startup True Anomaly, will each build and launch spacecraft that will conduct rendezvous and proximity operations on orbit. In the Space Force's words: "The vendors will exercise a realistic threat response scenario in an on-orbit space domain awareness demonstration called Victus Haze."
Venture capitalists' appetite for fusion startups has been up and down in the last few years. For instance, the Fusion Industry Association found that while nuclear fusion companies had attracted over $6 billion in investment in 2023, $1.4 billion more than in 2022, the 27% growth proved slower than in 2022, as investors battled external fears such as inflation. The field reached a significant milestone in 2022 when the Department of Energy’s National Ignition Facility managed to bring about a fusion reaction that produced more power than was required to spark a fuel pellet.
Sierra Space, one of the space industry’s most valuable private companies, plans to go public within the next 18 months, according to its CEO.
Not everyone was thrilled with their team's draft on Thursday night.
The NFL will allow players to wear protective Guardian Caps during games beginning with the 2024 season. The caps were previously mandated for practices.
Atlanta Falcons first-round draft pick Michael Penix Jr. said quarterback Kirk Cousins called him after he was picked No. 8 overall in one of the 2024 NFL Draft's more puzzling selections.
Tyrese Haliburton hit a floater with 1.1 seconds left in overtime to give the Indiana Pacers a 121–118 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. The Pacers lead their first-round playoff series two games to one.
“Please Let The Coach & GM Pick This Year" read a sign out front.