First humans to orbit directly over the North and South poles share details of trip
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
3 hours ago
- Business Insider
NASA veterans say political pressure and slashed funding are destroying mankind's ability to go on future missions
A group of 287 current and former NASA employees said federal funding cuts will have dire consequences for NASA and the country as a whole. In a Monday letter titled the "Voyager Declaration," addressed to NASA's interim administrator and US transportation secretary Sean Duffy, the group slammed the Trump administration's recent actions against the space agency. "The last six months have seen rapid and wasteful changes which have undermined our mission and caused catastrophic impacts on NASA's workforce," the letter said. The group said recent policies proposed by the administration threaten to waste public resources, compromise human safety, and weaken national security. The letter to Duffy comes after the Trump administration axed three NASA departments as part of larger cuts carried out by the Department of Government Efficiency. Several NASA employees were also fired as a result of the DOGE cuts. "Interim Administrator Duffy, we urge you not to implement the harmful cuts proposed by this administration, as they are not in the best interest of NASA," the letter read. The group said that the funding cuts could compromise safety for future missions, which was "a dangerous turn away from the lessons learned following the Columbia disaster." In 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated as it reentered Earth's atmosphere, killing all seven astronauts on board. The declaration added that cutting funding for missions and shutting them down was not reversible. "Once operational spacecraft are decommissioned, they cannot be turned back on. Additionally, cancelling missions in development threatens to end the next generation of crucial observations," the group said in the document. A total of 287 current and former NASA employees who signed the declaration, per its website. In response to the letter, NASA's press secretary, Bethany Stevens, said to CNN that the agency would never compromise on safety. "Any reduction — including our current voluntary reduction — will be designed to protect safety-critical roles," she said to CNN. Employees of the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency released similar declarations slamming DOGE cuts. The cuts resulted in more than 200,000 workers across all federal agencies losing their jobs in March.
CBS News
3 hours ago
- CBS News
SpaceX launch could create sonic boom in Southern California, officials advise
A SpaceX launch scheduled on Tuesday morning could create a large sonic boom heard across Southern California, officials advise. The Falcon 9 launch of NASA's TRACERS mission, which will take place at Vandenberg Space Force Base's Space Launch Complex 4 East, is scheduled at 11:13 a.m. with an 57-minute long launch window. "About eight minutes after liftoff, Falcon 9's first stage will land on SpaceX's Landing Zone 4 ... at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California," said a release from SpaceX. "There is the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the landing, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions." If necessary, a backup launch date is scheduled for Wednesday at the same time. TRACERS, or Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites, is a program that aims to "help understand magnetic reconnection and its effects in Earth's atmosphere," according to NASA's website. Scientists will evaluate how weather in space affects the weather on Earth. In May, a sonic boom shook most of Southern California as SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft reentered Earth's atmosphere after a launch nearly a day earlier.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
SpaceX aborts SES O3b mPOWER satellites launch
The Brief SpaceX postponed Monday's planned launch of the SES O3b mPOWER mission from Cape Canaveral, with a backup window set for Tuesday evening. The mission will deploy two upgraded satellites for SES's global broadband network, designed to deliver high-speed, low-latency internet to remote and mobile users. Built by Boeing, the O3b mPOWER system operates in medium Earth orbit and supports sectors like maritime, aviation, and government. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - SpaceX was set to light up the Florida skies Monday evening with the launch of SES's O3b mPOWER mission from Cape Canaveral. However, the rocket did not take flight. When is the launch? What we know The Falcon 9 rocket was scheduled to lift off during a two-hour window that opened at 5:12 p.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station Monday evening. However, the mission was aborted. A backup launch window is scheduled on Tuesday, July 22, during the same timeframe. This mission will mark the sixth flight for this particular first-stage booster. Following stage separation, the booster will attempt a landing on the "Just Read the Instructions" droneship, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. What is SES's O3b mPOWER mission? Big picture view SES, a major global satellite operator based in Luxembourg, created the O3b mPOWER satellite system to deliver high-speed, low-latency broadband internet across the globe, with a focus on underserved and mobile markets. Built by Boeing and operating in medium Earth orbit, the O3b mPOWER constellation features powerful satellites capable of providing flexible Ka-band coverage with data speeds ranging from 50 megabits to 10 gigabits per second. The system is designed to support customers in remote locations, including maritime, aviation, government, and enterprise sectors. SES began launching the satellites in late 2022, with commercial service beginning in April 2024. With the latest pair of upgraded satellites—O3b mPOWER 9 and 10—scheduled to launch Tuesday after being scrubbed Monday. SES plans to continue expanding the constellation through 2026 to meet growing global demand for reliable, high-throughput connectivity. The Source The information in this article comes from SpaceX and SES, the major global satellite operator based in Luxembourg. Solve the daily Crossword
