Astronauts Confident in Boeing’s Starliner Despite Thruster Issues Extended Stay on the ISS NASA astronauts Sunita “Suni” Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore, the first crew to fly Boeing’s Starliner capsule, expressed confidence in the spacecraft’s ability to return them safely to Earth. Their mission, which began on June 5, has been extended indefinitely due to issues with the capsule’s propulsion system. Thruster Problems and Confidence in Return During a news conference from the International Space Station (ISS), Williams stated, “I have a real good feeling in my heart that this spacecraft will bring us home, no problem.” Wilmore echoed this…
Author: Arushi Pandey
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HD 189733b: A Deeper Look at an Extreme Exoplanet Discovery and Initial Observations Discovered in 2005, HD 189733b has been known for its extreme conditions. This gas giant, slightly larger than Jupiter, boasts a striking cobalt blue colour. Its atmosphere is notorious for fierce winds and sideways rain made of molten glass. However, recent findings have added another layer to its extremity. New Findings from James Webb Space Telescope Researchers have discovered trace amounts of hydrogen sulfide in HD 189733b’s atmosphere. This compound, known for its rotten egg smell, marks a significant discovery, being the first detection of hydrogen sulfide…
NASA Crew Completes Year-Long Simulated Mars Mission On July 6, a four-person crew emerged to applause at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston after spending nearly a year in a simulated Mars habitat. This mission, part of NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA), aims to study and experiment with living conditions on Mars. NASA Crew and Their Mission The team, comprising Kelly Haston, Anca Selariu, Ross Brockwell, and Nathan Jones, began their mission on June 25, 2023. They lived in a 3D-printed habitat designed to replicate Martian conditions. During their stay, the crew faced challenges such as resource…
Rising Costs of US Air Force Nuclear Missile Replacement Program The cost of the Air Force’s program to replace aging nuclear missiles has surged to about $160 billion from $95.8 billion. This sharp increase threatens to reduce funding for other essential modernisation plans. Sentinel ICBM Program by Northrop Grumman The program, now called the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) program, is managed by Northrop Grumman Corp. It aims to replace the outdated Minuteman III missiles. The latest price tag shows an increase of around $65 billion since the 2020 estimate. This may force the Pentagon to adjust the project’s scope…
NASA Chooses SpaceX to Deorbit ISS by 2030 in $843 Million Deal NASA has awarded SpaceX $843 million to develop a vehicle capable of deorbiting the International Space Station (ISS) for its planned destruction around 2030. This task was originally intended for Russia’s thrusters. New Deorbit Vehicle Under this new contract, SpaceX will build the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle, designed to safely guide the ISS into Earth’s atmosphere. NASA will own the craft and manage the deorbiting process to mitigate risks to populated areas. The ISS, primarily managed by the United States and Russia, has been continuously staffed by government astronauts…
Brussels’ Cartoon Industry Battles AI: Artists vs. Algorithms Home to animated heroes like Tintin and the Smurfs, Brussels proudly displays its cartoon heritage through mammoth murals that adorn the city’s streets. However, all is not well in the self-declared capital of comics. European cartoon artists are now facing a real-life adversary: artificial intelligence (AI). Legal Grey Area of AI-Generated Art AI-generated art currently operates in a legal grey area, leading to novel intellectual property disputes. Copyright laws in the European Union do not explicitly cover AI-generated art, causing uncertainty among artists about whether AI will help or hinder creativity. There…
NASA Delays Boeing Starliner’s Return to Earth NASA Extends Starliner’s ISS Stay Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, which carried its first astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), will now return to Earth on June 26, according to a NASA official. The spacecraft, carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, experienced several issues during its flight, prompting the delay. Flight Challenges and System Failures Starliner launched on June 5 and encountered four helium leaks and five thruster failures during its 24-hour journey to the ISS. Despite these challenges, the spacecraft successfully docked at the ISS. This mission marks a critical test…
Germany’s Solar Power Installations Surge by 35% in Early 2024 Germany’s solar power installations saw a 35% increase year-on-year in the first four months of 2024, driven by growing demand for industrial, commercial, and ground-mounted photovoltaics, according to the solar power association BSW. Legislative Push for Solar Expansion In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent decline in Russian fossil fuel exports, Berlin has enacted several laws to speed up solar power expansion. This effort is part of Germany’s strategy to cover 80% of its energy needs with renewables by 2030 and achieve climate neutrality by 2045. Significant…
Nigeria’s Multilingual AI Tool to Boost Digital Inclusion Introduction When the Nigerian government announced plans to develop a multilingual AI tool to enhance digital inclusion, 28-year-old computer science student Lwasinam Lenham Dilli was thrilled. Dilli had struggled to find datasets to build a large language model (LLM) in his native Hausa language for his final-year project at university. Challenges and Importance of Local Language LLMs Dilli faced difficulties finding clean data in Hausa and English online. He needed these texts to create an LLM for AI chatbots. He believes that creating local language LLMs ensures that local dialects and languages…
Voyager 1 Resumes Normal Science Operations After Technical Issue Technical Issue and Resolution NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft has resumed normal science operations for the first time since encountering a technical issue in November 2023. The team initially addressed the problem in April, allowing the spacecraft to start transmitting engineering data regarding its health and status. On May 19, the mission team sent a command for the spacecraft to return science data. Two of the four science instruments immediately resumed normal operations, and the remaining two required additional work. Now, all four instruments are successfully returning usable science data. Science Instruments…
