AP Top Science News at 8:18 p.m. EDT
Boeing's first astronaut launch is off until late next week to replace a bad rocket valve
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Engadget'Extreme' geomagnetic storm may bless us with more aurora displays tonight and tomorrow
Tonight may offer another chance to catch the aurora if you have clear skies, according to the NOAA, and Sunday could bring yet more displays reaching as far as Alabama. The agency says the 'extreme' geomagnetic storm will continue through tomorrow.
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NASA wants to build a floating railway on the moon
NASA wants to build a floating railway on the surface of the moon. Called FLOAT, the technology relies on autonomous robots to move equipment.
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Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft may finally take its first crewed flight next week
Boeing's Starliner crew capsule is scheduled to launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex-41 in Florida on Monday, May 6. The launch window opens at 10:34PM ET. Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will be on board.
- TechCrunch
Boeing, NASA indefinitely delay crewed Starliner launch
If you've been looking forward to seeing Boeing’s Starliner capsule carry two astronauts to the International Space Station for the first time, you'll have to wait a bit longer. The mission, which has already been beset by issues with both the rocket and helium tanks, is now delayed indefinitely, NASA said in a statement late Tuesday. There is little else to go on at the moment other than that statement, so it’s unclear whether the helium leak issue in the spacecraft’s propulsion system — which was identified a few days before the CST-100 Starliner was due to launch on May 17 — is the sole cause for the ongoing delay.
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How to watch NASA's first Boeing Starliner crewed flight launch today (scrubbed)
The Boeing Starliner should finally conduct a crewed flight to the ISS today after years of delays.
- TechCrunch
Boeing Starliner's first crewed mission scrubbed
Boeing's Starliner launch tonight has been postponed "out of an abundance of caution" scarcely two hours before the historic liftoff. After years of delays and over $1 billion in cost overruns, the mission is set to be Boeing's first attempt to transport astronauts to the International Space Station. Once the issue is resolved with the upper stage, the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V will carry the CST-100 Starliner capsule to orbit along with the two onboard astronauts — Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams — from Florida’s Cape Canaveral at 10:34 p.m. local time Monday evening.
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Blue Origin successfully sends tourists to the edge of space again after a long hiatus
Jeff Bezos’ spaceflight company successfully flew six paying customers to the edge of space and back this morning, breaking its nearly two-year-long hiatus from crewed missions. This was Blue Origin’s seventh trip with humans on board.
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Blue Origin to resume crewed New Shepard launches on May 19
Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket will take a crew to suborbital space for the first time in nearly two years later this month, the company announced on Tuesday. The NS-25 mission will launch from Blue’s launch site in West Texas on May 19. The launch window opens at 8:30 a.m. The six-person crew includes Ed Dwight, the first Black astronaut candidate (but for whom this would be the first visit to space), along with investor Mason Angel, who founded the space- and defense-focused Industrious Ventures.
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What Boeing's delayed rocket launch means for the company, according to Intuitive Machines CEO
The delay of Boeing's Starliner launch, which was supposed to take two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station, marked the latest setback for a company already grappling with quality control and safety issues in its aviation business.
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ESA prepares for the post-ISS era, selects The Exploration Company, Thales Alenia to develop cargo spacecraft
The European Space Agency selected two companies on Wednesday to advance designs of a cargo spacecraft that could establish the continent’s first sovereign access to space. The two awardees, major aerospace prime Thales Alenia Space and French startup The Exploration Company, will receive €25 million ($27 million) each to advance concepts for vehicles that can transport cargo to and from stations in low Earth orbit. The aim is to have at least one capsule conducting a demonstration flight to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2028 and to have a cargo transportation service online by the end of the decade.
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LatAm startups: Apply to Startup Battlefield 200
Startup Battlefield 200 (SB 200) is the leading global startup competition showcasing 200 of the most promising, impactful early-stage startups. TechCrunch vets all applicants and handpicks the participants.
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Astronauts fall over. Robotic limbs can help them back up.
Astronauts are no exception. You need to be in peak physical condition for space travel, but bulky space suits and lower gravity levels can be a recipe for disaster, causing them to trip over themselves. Engineers at MIT have developed an exoskeleton designed to help give astronauts more support and help right themselves after stumbling in the moon’s low gravity.
- TechCrunch
TechCrunch Space: Star(side)liner
For those who haven't heard, the first crewed launch of Boeing's Starliner capsule has been pushed back yet again to no earlier than May 25. From NASA: "The additional time allows teams to further assess a small helium leak in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft’s service module traced to a flange on a single reaction control system thruster." Scheduling note: TechCrunch Space will be off on May 27 in observance of Memorial Day.
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Starliner’s first crew mission will now launch on June 1... maybe
NASA announced last night that the Starliner team is now targeting a June 1 launch as engineers continue to assess the vehicle in the wake of discovering a helium leak from the propulsion system earlier this month.
- Yahoo Life
Are milk and ground beef safe from bird flu? What the latest testing tells us.
U.S. scientists have tested everything from milk to sour cream and ground beef for bird flu amid an outbreak among dairy cattle.
- TechCrunch
Women in AI: Arati Prabhakar thinks it's crucial to get AI 'right'
To give AI-focused women academics and others their well-deserved — and overdue — time in the spotlight, TechCrunch has been publishing a series of interviews focused on remarkable women who’ve contributed to the AI revolution. Arati Prabhakar is director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the science adviser to President Joe Biden. Previously, she served as director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) — the first woman to hold the position — and director of DARPA, the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
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Hubble Network makes Bluetooth connection with a satellite for the first time
Hubble Network has become the first company in history to establish a Bluetooth connection directly to a satellite — a critical technology validation for the company, potentially opening the door to connecting millions more devices anywhere in the world. The Seattle-based startup launched its first two satellites to orbit on SpaceX’s Transporter-10 rideshare mission in March; since that time, the company confirmed that it has received signals from the onboard 3.5mm Bluetooth chips from over 600 kilometers away. Haro said the low-hanging fruit is those industries that are desperate for network coverage even once per day, like remote asset monitoring for the oil and gas industry.
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Umpire Ángel Hernández, after long and controversial run in Major League Baseball, set to retire
Ángel Hernández, by both fans and players alike, has long been considered one of the most hated umpires in Major League Baseball.
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Stan Van Gundy reveals wife died by suicide in August: 'I just don't think I'll ever get over it'
Kim Van Gundy's obituary only said she died 'unexpectedly.'
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Aces waive rookie Dyaisha Fair 1 day after her WNBA debut
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