Latest news with #SpaceShuttle
Spectator
2 days ago
- Business
- Spectator
The politics of ‘rocket boosters'
Sir Keir Starmer said the other day that he wanted to put rocket boosters under AI. It's not the only thing he wants to put rocket boosters under. In September he said that 'new planning passports will put rocket boosters under housebuilding'. He wasn't the only one. When it was his turn to be prime minister, Rishi Sunak promised to 'put rocket boosters' under construction in areas that were already built up. Usually rocket boosters are put under things, but Sir Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London, was more anatomical in his thoughts, praising a youth mobility scheme that would 'put rocket boosters up businesses in London'. Even so, in 2023 he thought his Ultra-Low Emissions Zone scheme would put rocket boosters under electric car demand. My husband points out that if you put rocket boosters under things that aren't rockets it will destroy them. Boris Johnson was similarly literal in carrying through the metaphor. In his valedictory speech outside No. 10, he likened himself to a 'booster rocket that has fulfilled its function'. He certainly fell away, but perhaps he would want to think that, like the Space Shuttle rocket boosters, he can be recovered and used again. His successor Liz Truss believed it was 'the moment to put rocket boosters on the economy and get growth going'. However, it was she who blew up. I find rocket boosters marginally preferable to turbo charging. Someone writing in the Telegraph before the last election was looking for 'the rocket boosters needed to jump-start the economy into growth'. Others rely on the old-fashioned kick-start. Rocket boosters have been around since the 1940s. But rockets figured in political language long before they found their way into space. In 1782 Tom Paine said of Edmund Burke that, 'as he rose like a rocket, he would fall like the stick'. Rockets are dangerous things. In West Side Story Riff's advice is: 'Get cool, boy./ Got a rocket/ In your pocket,/ Keep coolly cool, boy.' But then, it's Riff who gets killed.
Boston Globe
2 days ago
- Science
- Boston Globe
Sally Ride became the first American woman in space 42 years ago today. Here's how weather played a role then and now.
For the launch to be successful, the weather had to be near perfect, and the east coast of Central Florida was basking in amazing conditions that morning. Liftoff commenced without delay with temperatures in the low 70s and near-still wind. This NASA file photo dated June 1983 shows America's first woman astronaut Sally Ride, as she communicates with ground controllers from the flight deck during the six-day space mission of the Challenger. Ride, the first US woman to fly in space, died on July 23, 2012 after a 17-month battle with pancreatic cancer. She was 61. - But bad weather in Florida upon return to Earth June 24, 1983, forced Challenger to land three time zones away at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., in the Mojave desert, where still conditions were certain, especially for a powerless glider that depended on a stable atmosphere to land comfortably. The base also provided very wide runways for a smooth Challenger landing. Sally Ride and STS-7 returns safely in California after bad weather in Florida changed the landing location. NASA Advertisement NASA has strict parameters in place when it comes to weather to 'greenlight' a launch — most of which are obvious. Wind speed and direction need to be light and steady. High winds of 30 miles per hour or more will usually scrap flight plans for the day, and any sudden changes in wind direction may cause issues as the rocket moves vertically through the atmosphere. (Back when Sally Ride was breaking barriers in the Space Shuttle program, launches were delayed or canceled when wind speeds were as low as 22 miles per hour.) Advertisement High visibility with little to no cloud cover is also necessary. Any instability in the atmosphere, albeit minor, can cause lightning when a rocket burning copious amounts of fuel at extreme temperatures blasts through. Apollo 12 was struck by lightning twice during liftoff on Nov. 14, 1969, because of its heat production. Essentially, the rocket's exhaust system acted as a lightning rod and sparked lightning with already-lifting air from a nearby cold front. Temperatures and humidity both play critical roles in NASA rocket launches, as everything from the structural integrity and rocket performance can be impacted by weather conditions. Fuel, insulation, wiring, and other components can expand, contract, or break down if weather conditions aren't ideal. Many will remember the Challenger's last trip on Jan. 28, 1986, when air temperatures were 36 degrees, approximately 15 degrees colder than any other shuttle launch, causing the O-ring seal to become brittle and ultimately fail, leading to a catastrophic explosion. All Weather continues to play a critical role in NASA's strict 'launch commit criteria,' and if anything is near or outside the safe range, the launch is delayed or scrubbed for another day. Here's a look at an example weather checklist when considering safe conditions to launch. An example of the weather checklist utilized to proceed or delay a rocket launch at Cape Canaveral. NASA Ken Mahan can be reached at
Los Angeles Times
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The week's bestselling books, June 22
1. The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (Penguin Press: $30) An unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond. 2. Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V. E. Schwab (Tor Books: $30) A vampiric tale follows three women across the centuries. 3. Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Ballantine Books: $30) A story of friendship, love and adversity during the 1980s Space Shuttle program. 4. Nightshade by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown & Co.: $30) The bestselling crime writer returns with a new cop on a mission, this time on Catalina Island. 5. My Friends by Fredrik Backman (Atria Books: $30) The bond between a group of teens 25 years earlier has a powerful effect on a budding artist. 6. Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (Berkley: $29) Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of an heiress. 7. James by Percival Everett (Doubleday: $28) An action-packed reimagining of 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.' 8. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Riverhead Books: $30) Worlds collide when a teenager vanishes from her Adirondacks summer camp. 9. The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb (S&S/Marysue Rucci Books: $30) A young father grapples with tragedy and the search for redemption. 10. King of Ashes by S. A. Cosby (Flatiron Books: Pine & Cedar: $29) A man returns to his roots to save his family in this Southern crime epic. … 1. Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster: $30) A call to renew a politics of plenty and abandon the chosen scarcities that have deformed American life. 2. Steve Martin Writes the Written Word by Steve Martin (Grand Central Publishing: $30) A collection of greatest hits from the beloved actor and comedian. 3. The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (Penguin: $32) The music producer on how to be a creative person. 4. How to Lose Your Mother by Molly Jong-Fast (Viking: $28) The author's memoir on her intense relationship with her famed mother, writer Erica Jong. 5. Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane (W. W. Norton & Co.: $32) The naturalist explores rivers as living beings whose fate is tied with our own. 6. The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad (Random House: $30) A guide to the art of journaling, with contributions from Jon Batiste, Salman Rushdie, Gloria Steinem and others. 7. The #1 Dad Book by James Patterson (Little, Brown & Co.: $25) The bestselling author's tips on being a better father. 8. Mark Twain by Ron Chernow (Penguin Press: $45) The Pulitzer-winning biographer explores the life of the celebrated American writer. 9. The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer and John Burgoyne (illustrator) (Scribner: $20) The 'Braiding Sweetgrass' author on gratitude, reciprocity and community, and the lessons to take from the natural world. 10. The Haves and Have-Yachts by Evan Osnos (Scribner: $30) A collection of essays exploring American oligarchy and the culture of excess. … 1. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (Vintage: $18) 2. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (Ecco: $20) 3. All Fours by Miranda July (Riverhead Books: $19) 4. One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune (Berkley: $19) 5. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho (HarperOne: $18) 6. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster: $19) 7. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Vintage: $19) 8. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (Transit Books: $17) 9. Problematic Summer Romance by Ali Hazelwood (Berkley: $20) 10. Orbital by Samantha Harvey (Grove Press: $17) … 1. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron (TarcherPerigee: $20) 2. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder (Crown: $12) 3. The Wager by David Grann (Vintage: $21) 4. The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (Vintage: $18) 5. Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch (Tarcher: $20) 6. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Milkweed Editions: $22) 7. The Light Eaters by Zoë Schlanger (Harper Perennial: $20) 8. Waiting for Britney Spears by Jeff Weiss (MCD: $19) 9. Historic Los Angeles Roadsides by Mimi Slawoff (Reedy Press: $27) 10. Sociopath by Patric Gagne (Simon & Schuster: $20)
DW
3 days ago
- Automotive
- DW
Honda pulls off surprise reusable rocket test launch – DW – 06/18/2025
Honda says that growing expectations of a "data system in outer space" are going to increase the demand for satellite launch rockets. So it quietly built one and tested it successfully. Japan's second-largest carmaker, Honda, has successfully tested an experimental reusable space rocket on the nothern Japanese island of Hokkaido, the company said in a surprise announcement. "The test was completed successfully, the first time Honda landed a rocket after reaching an altitude of nearly 300 meters," the company said in a statement on Tuesday. The carmarker aims to achieve suborbital space flight in 2029. In 2021, Honda said it was studying space technologies such as reusable rockets but made no announcements prior to Tuesday's test. "Honda has chosen to take on the technological challenge of developing reusable rockets by utilising Honda technologies amassed in the development of various products and automated driving systems," it said. The company said it has made no decisions regarding commercialization of this technology but that it has "the potential to contribute more to people's daily lives by launching satellites with its own rockets, that could lead to various services that are also compatible with other Honda business." It added that growing expectations for a "data system in outer space" will likely increase the demand for satellite launch rockets in coming years. Starlink satellite system shaping modern warfare To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The space race returns NASA was the first to successfully test a reusable spacecraft with the Space Shuttle beginning in the 1980s. The booster rockets could be salvaged from the ocean and refurbished, while the Shuttle itself was designed to land like an aeroplane. More recently, Elon Musk's SpaceX which is known for commercializing reusable rockets that land safely back on Earth. This has been used to establish the global satellite internet network Starlink. Japan's space agency JAXA is also on a mission to become a major player in satellite launches. Japan's government has set up a multibillion-dollar space venture fund to subsidize private rockets, encouraging several Japanese startups to work on the reusable technology. Meanwhile Honda's rival Toyota, which is the world's biggest automaker by sales, announced its investment in Japan's rocket maker Interstellar technologies, earlier this year. Edited by: Zac Crellin
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
'Jellyfish cloud' soars over California during SpaceX launch
A massive cloud filled the sky over Southern California on Monday evening, taking the shape of a jellyfish with a long tail before slowly dissipating in the night. People across Los Angeles, San Diego and surrounding areas captured dramatic images of the unusual cloud, which was caused by a SpaceX rocket that blasted off from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base moments earlier. For rocket-created clouds to appear, conditions must be just right. A launch needs to occur shortly before daybreak or soon after nightfall, when it is dark on the ground. As the rocket ascends into space, it is eventually illuminated by sunlight, resulting in bright clouds that almost appear to glow. SpaceX rockets are not the only ones that can create the odd-shaped clouds. Similar clouds have been documented by other rockets, including the Space Shuttle, when conditions have been ideal. Monday evening's SpaceX launch lofted 26 Starlink satellites into orbit around the Earth.
