Litecoin, Stellars Lumen, and Trons TRX Daily Analysis 16/12/19 – Yahoo Finance

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Litecoin

Litecoin rose by 0.39% on Sunday. Partially reversing a 2.68% slide from Saturday, Litecoin ended the week down by 4.80% to $43.41.

A bearish start to the day saw Litecoin slide to an early morning intraday low $42.88 before finding support.

Steering clear of the first major support level at $42.75, Litecoin bounced back to a mid-afternoon intraday high $44.04.

Falling short of the first major resistance level at $44.19, Litecoin fell back to $43.2 levels before finding late support to end the day in the green.

At the time of writing, Litecoin was down by 1.34% to $42.83. A bearish start to the day saw Litecoin slide from an early morning high $43.51 to a low $42.73.

Steering clear of the major resistance levels, Litecoin fell through the first major support level at $42.85.

A move through the first major support level at $42.85 to $43.45 levels would support another day in the green.

Litecoin would need the support of the broader market, however, to take a run at the first major resistance level at $44.01.

Barring a broad-based crypto rally, the first major resistance level and Sundays high $44.04 would likely limit any upside.

Failure to move through to $43.45 levels could see Litecoin slide deeper into the red.

A fall back through the morning low $42.73 would bring the second major support level at $42.28 into play.

Barring an extended sell-off, however, Litecoin should steer clear of the third major support level at $41.12.

Major Support Level: $42.85

Major Resistance Level: $44.01

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $67

38.2% FIB Retracement Level: $82

62% FIB Retracement Level: $107

Stellars Lumen rose 0.38% on Sunday. Partially reversing a 3.46% slide from Saturday, Stellars Lumen ended the week down 9.03% to $0.05110.

A bearish start to the day saw Stellars Lumen fall to a mid-morning intraday low $0.050654 before finding support.

Steering clear of the first major support level at $0.05042, Stellars Lumen recovered to an early afternoon intraday high $0.051624.

Falling short of the first major resistance level at $0.05234, Stellars Lumen eased back to $0.051 levels to limit the upside on the day.

At the time of writing, Stellars Lumen was down by 0.8% to $0.050687. A mixed start to the day saw Stellars Lumen rose to an early morning high $0.051101 before falling to a low $0.050687.

Steering clear of the major resistance levels, Stellars Lumen came within range of the first major support level at $0.05066.

Story continues

Stellars Lumen would need to move back through to $0.051 levels to support a run at the first major resistance level at $0.05158.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Stellars Lumen to break out from the morning high $0.051101.

Barring a broad-based crypto rally, the first major resistance level and Sundays high $0.051624 would likely limit any upside.

Failure to move through to $0.051 levels could see Stellars Lumen struggle throughout the day.

A fall through the first major support level at $0.05066 would bring the second major support level at $0.05022 into play.

Barring a crypto meltdown, however, Stellars Lumen should steer clear of sub-$0.050 levels.

Major Support Level: $0.0507

Major Resistance Level: $0.0516

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $0.1114

38% FIB Retracement Level: $0.1484

62% FIB Retracement Level: $0.2082

Trons TRX rose by 0.86% on Saturday. Partially reversing a 1.80% slide from Saturday, Trons TRX ended the week down by 5.14% to $0.01400.

A choppy start to the day saw Trons TRX fall to an early morning intraday low $0.0138 before finding support.

Steering clear of the first major support level at $0.01353, Trons TRX recovered to a mid-morning intraday high $0.014083.

Falling short of the first major resistance level at $0.01451, Trons TRX fell back to sub-$0.0140 levels before finding late support to end the day in the green.

At the time of writing, Trons TRX was down by 0.71% to $0.01390. A bearish start to the day saw Trons TRX fall from an early morning high $0.0140 to a low $0.013899.

Trons TRX left the major support and resistance levels untested early on.

Trons TRX would need to move back through to $0.0140 levels to support a run at the first major resistance level at $0.01412.

Support from the broader market would be needed, however, for Trons TRX to break out from the morning high $0.0140.

Barring a broad-based crypto rebound, the first major resistance level and Sundays high $0.014083 would likely cap any upside.

Failure to move back through to $0.0140 levels could see Trons TRX slide deeper into the red.

A fall back through the morning low $0.013899 would bring the first major support level at $0.01384 into play.

Barring an extended sell-off, however, Trons TRX should steer clear of sub-$0.01380 levels.

Major Support Level: $0.01410

Major Resistance Level: $0.01450

23.6% FIB Retracement Level: $0.0663

38.2% FIB Retracement Level: $0.0452

62% FIB Retracement Level: $0.0322

Please let us know what you think in the comments below

Thanks, Bob

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

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Litecoin, Stellars Lumen, and Trons TRX Daily Analysis 16/12/19 - Yahoo Finance

Litecoin (LTC) Price Analysis: LTC/USD on a trip to the South; the next stop is $40.00 – FXStreet

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Litecoin (LTC), the sixth-largest digital asset with the current market capitalization of $2.8 billion, has been losing ground gradually. LTC/USD has lost about 1.5% of its value in recent 24 hours to trade at $43.40 at the time of writing.

In the absence of the relevant fundamental news, LTC/USD is moving sync with the market, vulnerable to bearish sentiments ahead of the holiday season. As the liquidity is decreasing, the coin may demonstrate sharp movements in either direction.

On a daily chart, LTC/USD is sliding down inside a narrowing range, with the initial support located at psychological $43.00. This barrier stopped the sell-off during early Asian hours. If it is broken, the lower line of the daily Bollinger Band at $42.70 and the lowest level of the previous month $42.16 will come into focus. Once it is broken, the sell-off may be extended towards the psychological $40.00. This support is likely to slowdowns the bears and initiate an upside correction. Otherwise, the bearish trend will tricker more sell orders and exacerbate the decline.

On the upside, the initial upside barrier is created by the middle line of the daily Bollinger Band currently at $45.80. It is followed by $48.50 ( the upper edge of the daily Bollinger Band) and psychologic $50.00. If the price moves above this barrier, the upside momentum will increase and allow for a recovery to the pivotal resistance created by SMA50 (Simple Moving Average) daily at $53.35. LTC/USD has been trading below this line since November 18. Another strong resistance awaits us on approach to $58.00 (SMA100 daily) and $59.50 (SMA50 weekly).

The daily RSI (Relative Strength Index) is flat, close to the oversold territory, which implies that the coin is likely to continue range-bound trading with bearish bias.

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Litecoin (LTC) Price Analysis: LTC/USD on a trip to the South; the next stop is $40.00 - FXStreet

There’s Voter Suppression Happening in Georgia, Wisconsin, and Ohio – Free Speech TV

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Sonali Kolhatkar speaks with Cliff Albright, the Co-founder of Black Voters Matter. He's also a Radio Host, Writer, Consultant, Social Justice Activist.

A federal judge has just signed off on the purging of hundreds of thousands of registered voters in Georgia, the same state where massive voter suppression efforts just a year ago helped propel a Republican Governor into power. Many of the registered voters are being removed from the rolls simply because they have not voted in years. Others have out-of-date addresses. Stacey Abrams, the charismatic gubernatorial candidate who lost narrowly last year is challenging the voter purges.

The news from Georgia comes days after Wisconsin was shedding voters that could impact the Democratic Party and an Associated Press review of Ohios absentee ballots found widespread application denials.

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The Truth About Right-Wing "Landslide" in UK – Free Speech TV

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The truth about the recent right-wing landslide in the United Kingdom that saw a massive Tory majority and the election of Boris Johnson to Prime Minister over Labour's Jeremy Corbyn.

The David Pakman Show is a news and political talk program known for its astute analysis.

Visit The David Pakman Show page for the latest clips.

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House Votes on Impeachment and Charging Trump with Abuse of Power – Free Speech TV

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President Donald Trump is on the cusp of being impeached by the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives.

With a historic vote set today on whether to formally accuse him of abusing his power in dealing with Ukraine to help himself politically and then obstructing Congress by blocking their investigation.

Trump lashed out directly at the vote on Tuesday, calling the proceedings to remove him from office an attempted coup.

Should the House approve either of the articles of impeachment, the Republican-controlled Senate will hold a trial with all 100 senators acting as jurors, with a two-thirds supermajority 67 votes required to convict.

Meanwhile, thousands of protesters in favor of impeaching Trump took to the streets Tuesday in cities across the country.

On what many are calling Impeachment Day, we speak with: Rep. Al Green of Texas, who was the first congress member to call for President Trumps impeachment from the floor of the House of Representatives in 2017;

Dahlia Lithwick, senior legal correspondent and Supreme Court reporter for Slate, host of the Amicus podcast; and Mark Green, co-author of Fake President: Decoding Trumps Gaslighting, Corruption, and General Bullsh*t.

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House Votes on Impeachment and Charging Trump with Abuse of Power - Free Speech TV

When the News Gets in the Way – Jewish Journal

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Since this is our last issue of 2019, I had written a light-hearted, end-of-year column that was all set to go to the printer until, that is, an accumulation of hot news items got in the way.

The column was a breezy reflection on the value of dreams. Now all I can dream about is that well have a week quiet enough to publish it. For now, we must deal with the business at hand an avalanche of news, mostly bad, some historic.

Im writing this column early in the morning in the lobby of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem (with a little white cat swirling beneath my chair), having just participated in a four-day Strategic Dialogue between Israeli leaders and officials from Australia and the U.K.

Guess what people were asking me about at the closing gala? Yup, a certain synagogue incident in Beverly Hills. A potential future prime minister, Gideon Saar, had just delivered a candid address, and people couldnt stop talking about the ransacking of a sanctuary in Beverly Hills. Maybe it was the ZIP code.

A few days earlier, we were abuzz about the midnight deadline that had just passed in Israel triggering an unprecedented third election in 12 months. The next day, we were consumed with the election results in the U.K., which are paving the way for Great Britains historic divorce from the European Union.

In the meantime, other news items were intruding, like the articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump in the House of Representatives, for only the third time in U.S. history.

Maybe instinctively, thats why I stuck with the free speech cover because Eisgrubers ideal discourse is needed now more than ever.

And did I mention the latest deadly attack against Jews, this one in Jersey City, and the presidents controversial executive order to combat BDS and anti-Semitism? Oh, and I almost forgot: The festival of Hanukkah is coming up!

In the middle of this news tornado, I was still working on a cover story I had planned for several weeks on one of my favorite topics: The state of free speech in America.

So, I had a decision to make: Should I bump the free speech cover for one on the killings in Jersey City? Or the presidential impeachment? Or Brexit and the fall of the anti-Semitic Jeremy Corbyn? Or Trumps controversial executive order? Or the impossible stalemate in Israel? Or the attack at Nessah Synagogue?

While the free speech issue is timeless, the others are timely. Which should go first?

Maybe its because of my intense jet lag, but, as you can see, I decided to stick with the cover story on free speech and deal with the hot issues inside the paper.

For one thing, free speech is the foundation of a free society, not to mention the foundation of my profession, journalism.

But theres something else: Free speech has become timely. Thats because it has come under assault, especially on college campuses, from activists who focus on its microaggression side effects rather than its fundamental value.

In these chaotic times, we need the freedom to rise up against the forces of hate, the wisdom to engage with dignity those with whom we disagree, and the curiosity and humility to constantly search for the truth.

These sentiments should not be casually dismissed by free speech junkies like yours truly. As I write in the story: Our world is changing. As an evolving society, we are becoming more inclusive and sensitive to peoples feelings of alienation. Inclusivity is giving free speech a run for its money.

The thrust of the story is on the innovative thinking of one man in the eye of the storm Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber.

Eisgruber is a man of deep thought, empathy and cautious optimism. He argues that a vigorous free speech can coexist with a noble value like inclusivity. He threads the needle by reframing the free speech debate around truth-seeking, and seeing universities as truth-seeking institutions.

Under this unifying ideal, Eisgruber marries two seemingly opposite values. Indeed, as I write: If the ideal revolves around the search for truth, the greater the inclusion of different voices, the deeper and broader that search will be.

I encourage you to read the entire story. It is based on a remarkable keynote address Eisgruber delivered recently at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, titled Contested Civility: Free Speech and Inclusivity on Campus.

I call the address remarkable because it aspires to a higher level of discourse that honors intellectual rigor and human dignity in equal measure.

Maybe instinctively, thats why I stuck with the free speech cover because Eisgrubers ideal discourse is needed now more than ever.

In these chaotic times, we need the freedom to rise up against the forces of hate, the wisdom to engage with dignity those with whom we disagree, and the curiosity and humility to constantly search for the truth.

If one considers that ideal a ray of light, well, maybe this was a Hanukkah cover story after all.

Happy Hanukkah.

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When the News Gets in the Way - Jewish Journal

University of Pennsylvania is misrepresenting its speech code rating from advocacy group – The College Fix

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A mark of internal inconsistency at best and hypocrisy at worst

The University of Pennsylvania lost its coveted green light rating from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education this fall, after the civil liberties group noticed a pair of policies that undermine free speech on campus.

But its still publicly portraying itself as a green-light school and FIRE isnt happy about it.

In a blog post Friday, FIRE rebuked the Ivy League university for its response to a letter from the American Council of Trustees and Alumni.

Last month ACTA warned the university that its downgrading by FIRE should be an alarm bell that causes the campus to commit to a better culture of free speech and inquiry. Penn was already on the ropes with both ACTA and FIRE for its sanctions against law professor Amy Wax, an outspoken conservative.

As is increasingly common for universities called out for infringements of academic freedom and free speech, Penn responded in a perfunctory one-page letter. The university is aware of the yellow light rating, wrote Associate Vice President Lizann Boyle Rode, but it is not related to Penns Open Expression policies or practices, which continue to receive a green light rating from FIRE.

The yellow-light rating, however, applies to Penn as a whole, as well as to the two policies on sexual harassment that formed the basis of FIREs downgrade. It applies to schools with at least one ambiguous policy that too easily encourages administrative abuse and arbitrary application.

FIRE warned Penn in January that its 13-year green-light rating was at risk because of those two policies, which use a subjective standard to determine sexual harassment: whether verbal speech has the effect of creating an offensive environment. The university never responded, according to FIRE. (Useful to know: Penn is on the same street as FIRE in Philadelphia.)

Civil liberties group asks by The College Fix on Scribd

Penns response [to ACTA] misrepresents, in two critical ways, what the universitys yellow light rating means, Samantha Harris, vice president for procedural advocacy at FIRE, wrote Friday. Given that Penn may be responding along these lines to anyone who expresses concern over FIREs decision to revoke its green light rating, we felt it was important to set the record straight.

Maintaining policies that threaten speech while proclaiming a stated commitment to free expression is not a badge of honor, Harris wrote, but a mark of internal inconsistency at best and hypocrisy at worst:

If Penn had wanted to continue to ensure its policies protected academic freedom, it would have responded to FIREs concerns and revised its speech codes. As it stands, Penn maintains sexual harassment policies that pose a direct threat to academic freedom just witness the number of faculty around the country who are disciplinedfor germane classroom speechunder overly broad sexual harassment policieslike Penns.

Penns Boyle Rode also falsely characterizes FIREs speech code ratings as encompassing practices, when in fact they only evaluate written policies, Harris continued.

The university cannot avoid scrutiny of its speech codes and its practices by hiding behind its open expression policies, which only serve as a reminder of how far Penn has fallen.

Read the blog post, ACTAs letter and Penns response.

MORE: Penn throws away stellar free speech rating its maintained for 13 years

IMAGE: Voyagerix/Shutterstock

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University of Pennsylvania is misrepresenting its speech code rating from advocacy group - The College Fix

What Could The US Afford If Billionaires Are Taxed? – Free Speech TV

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Thom Hartmann did the math on what America could afford if we started taxing billionaires.

What would you do if we started taxing billionaires? Would you be able to access healthcare or go to school should colleges be funded?

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The Thom Hartmann Program is the leading progressive political talk radio show for political news and comments about Government politics. Whether Liberal or Conservative, Thom speaks with special guests and callers from all over the globe about the topics that matter.

Full episodes of The TH Program air on Free Speech TV every weekday

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How to Go to Space: The Real Science Behind ‘Ad Astra’s Commercial Space Travel – Collider.com

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Remember when the thought of taking a commercial trip to space was a pipe dream, or maybe just a super cool thing that could only happen in a sci-fi movie? Well, those days are numbered now because Spaceport America will offer paying customers just that in the near future via Virgin Galactic.InJames GraysAd Astra, Major Roy McBride (Brad Pitt) sets out on a dangerous mission across the solar system to figure out what happened to his long lost father (Tommy Lee Jones) and his doomed mission, but it all starts with some casual space travel that could wind up being a reality fairly soon. McBride kicks off his trip with acommercial flight to the moon, ultimately arriving on a moon-based facility that looks a whole lot like a traditional airport, fast food and all.

In celebration ofAd Astras December 3rd digital release and its December 17th 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD release, Collider got the opportunity to visit Spaceport America in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Not only did we get to explore the budding facility, but they also had one of the screen-used moon rovers fromAd Astra on hand to take a spin in. And, speaking of spinning, we also got the chance to give the facilitys G-Shock Machine a go and see how we fared while experiencing increased gravitational forces. The visit also included an extended interview with NASA engineer andAd Astratechnical consultantRobert Yowell, as well as a press conference that also included the CEO of Spaceport America,Daniel Hicks, as well as former astronaut Leland Melvin, andEllen Ochoa who was the first hispanic woman to go to space.

It was quite the experience to watchAd Astra tap into the possibilities of commercial space travel in thenot too distant future and then to actually get a taste of the reality of it at Spaceport America. If you want to catch a glimpse of whats brewing over atVirgin Galactic, check out the video of our visit to the facility in the player at the top of this article. And if youre looking for more information on the additional content available on theAd Astra Blu-ray and 4K, weve got a full list of special features for you right here.

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How to Go to Space: The Real Science Behind 'Ad Astra's Commercial Space Travel - Collider.com

Future Returns: How to Invest in Space Travel and Technologies – Barron’s

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New developments in space travel and related technologies are linking together a diverse array of firms, creating a new economy around the activity in their industry. According to a report from Morgan Stanley published earlier this year, the global space industry could generate more than $1 trillion by 2040, up from about $350 billion today.

Its just starting, says Adam Jonas, managing director of Global Auto & Shared Mobility Research at Morgan Stanley, adding that just a few years ago, investing in space would have been on the average investors mind as much as autonomous cars were a decade ago, or electric cars were before Tesla went public.

Id say it went from a zero out of 10 in terms of on peoples minds, to approaching a one out of 10 today, he says. But make no mistake, the space industry is emerging due to the improved unit economics of putting things in orbit and improvements in technology. The capability of what you can put 300 miles above the earth is very different than it was in the 1990s, he says.

The main catalyst behind the space industry, Jonas says, is human missions, but there are multiple end markets and related adjacent industries within the space economy.

He sees three main areas for growth: media communications, transportation (space travel for earth, moving people and things), and earth observation. Jonas describes the latter as turning the upper atmosphere and orbital planes into an area for data collection with innumerable uses, from predicting weather to improving supply chain efficiencyeven stopping illegal fishing.

Jonas says these developments are important for the earth, because we need the perspective.

Its happening at a time when I think there may be some elevated consciousness in business and certainly amongst our clients, as to the earth and the changes of the earth, [and] how we view the change of earths resources and the environment.

Furthermore, the U.S. governments plans for a Space Command could help the industry take off like never before.

That combination of capitalism and national security could herald a more rapid development of this domain than people realize today, he says.

Heres what Jonas says is important to keep in mind when considering space industry investments.

Acknowledge the Sectors Difficulties

Historically, investing in space has been home to cautionary tales, Jonas says. Space is hard, capital intensive, and an unproven market.

In many cases, theres unproven technology, unproven physics, and certainly unproven business models, he says.

Despite a positive outlook for the sector, Jonas says its no less difficult today.

Investing is speculative by natureinvesting in space is a different level of speculation, he says.

The developments of travel and [communications] might take decades to play out. So be patient.

Part of the issue is that there are a lot of binary outcomes for the technologies, for example, getting approval for a certain band of communications, or not, without any in-between.

I suspect that there will be many companies that would fail, he says.

Investing in the marketplace isnt going to be all rocket launchers and space missions. As Jonas points out, there arent a lot of pure play space companies to invest in at the moment. The Morgan Stanley Space 20, for instance, includes companies like GoDaddy and Shopify among those best exposed to growth from the space industry.

You might have to be willing to own an investment that may not be a 100% pure play space.

Become an Expert

Many of these [space] companies are private, Jonas says, meaning the most exciting things that are going on are in the private domain.

Some unicorns, like SpaceX, have an outsized impact on the rest of the space industry, but most companies are too small to move the needle.

But that doesn't mean you shouldnt pay attention to smaller firms, because they might become public in the future. And there are still opportunities to invest in their orbit by investing in companies they partner with or in their supply chain.

Jonas says that even if companies arent accessible to invest in, they are worth keeping an eye on.

They might still be worth following because they might one day be public potentially, or they may be working on a topic that is at a bleeding edge of something that can affect the public markets, Jonas says.

Focus On a Long-Time Horizon

Jonas says space isnt the place to make a quick buck. At least the developments of travel and [communications] might take decades to play out, Jonas says. So be patient.

Virgin Galactic, for example, which styles itself as the worlds first commercial space line was founded in 2004 and has continually pushed back the date for commercial space flights, which it currently anticipates for 2020.

Jonas says the investment phase for some firms in the space industry might last a decade or more before any revenue.

In this case you might need your DCF (discounted cash flow) to go out 30 years, 40 years, Jonas says. He uses the example of space mining and says that might require a 50-year DCF. Not every investor would be comfortable doing that.

But for those who are willing, the potential for long--term returns might make it worth investing in the final frontier.

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Future Returns: How to Invest in Space Travel and Technologies - Barron's

Space Nation Asgardia Is Recruiting Vermonters to Leave Earth Behind – Seven Days

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A former member of British Parliament wants Vermonters to join him in space.

Lembit pik is recruiting new followers and residents for Asgardia, a self-proclaimed space nation that's got its sights set on leaving Earth behind. The group has already launched a small satellite to mark its territory. And it boasts a million followers from around the world including roughly 1,000 in Vermont and "residents" who pay an annual fee for the honor.

Asgardians in Vermont are clustered around Essex, Stowe and Burlington, according to the group.

Dr. Igor Ashurbeyli founded Asgardia in 2016 and has funded the venture with millions of his personal fortune. The Russian scientist "was dissatisfied with the way Earth affairs are run by humanity," according to pik.

"He was in Canada when he came up with the idea that we could do the whole human community thing better if we started again, and took the best of what we do and leave the worst behind," pik said in a phone interview from London. "And do it in space."

pik said the group is aiming for permanent space habitation by 2043. And he thinks Vermonters are inclined to join up. In a press release issued earlier this month, the Asgardians stated that Vermont is ranks third per capita among all U.S. states in sightings of unidentified flying objects. And they wrote that 13,000 people work in the state's aerospace industry, which the group valued at $2 billion. It's unclear where those figures come from.

With a rapidly changing climate and a divisive political climate at home, who among us wouldn't yearn for space travel?

"Eventually, we have to carry on reaching out as species," pik said. "Otherwise, we end up trapped on Earth."

pik said Asgardians will eventually push for recognition from the United Nations.

"Aside from the Northern Ireland peace process, which I was involved in, this is probably the most important thing I've ever done," pik said.

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Space Nation Asgardia Is Recruiting Vermonters to Leave Earth Behind - Seven Days

Not-Elon Musk Welcomes Us to Avenue 5, the Future of Space Travel – Gizmodo

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Come with me and youll be in a world of space imagination.Image: HBO (YouTube)

Imagine a world where a billionaire yearned to create the field of space tourism, but hadnt really figured out the details of how to actually do it. So weird and implausible, right?

In this latest look at HBOs Avenue 5, Judd Galaxys founder, Herman Judd (Josh Gad), wants to bring us into the future with stock footage and totally not an impending disaster. Maybe.

HBO has released a couple new teasers for Avenue 5, which stars Hugh Laurie as Ryan Clark, the captain of a space cruise ship called the Avenue 5 that encounters some trouble while carousing about in the solar system. The first one, which you can watch above, is a promo video hosted by billionaire Herman Judd (Gad)channeling some serious Douglas Reynholm Spaceology vibespromising the future of space tourism. At least, itll happen at some point: Hes not super specific on the details. Thats what other people are for.

Theres also a more traditional teaser that shows the Doctor Who Voyage of the Damned-style space cruiser as it travels the cosmos with its latest batch of tacky tourists and entitled millionaires.

Of course, something is bound to go wrong on a trip like this, putting Captain Clark in the difficult position of protecting his ship, crew, and passengers...even though most of the folks on board are pretty much intolerable.

Avenue 5 debuts on HBO January 19.

For more, make sure youre following us on our Instagram @io9dotcom.

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Not-Elon Musk Welcomes Us to Avenue 5, the Future of Space Travel - Gizmodo

Watch Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin rocket go to space and land back on Earth – Business Insider

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Following is a transcript of the video.

Reporter: And a smooth, controlled hover back home, and touchdown.

Abby Tang: This is Blue Origin's New Shepard Passenger Rocket.

It's designed to take up to six space tourists for short antigravity experiences at the Krmn line.

That's the boundary between Earth's atmosphere and outer space. This is the company's 12th test flight, and it's 11th successful landing. This is the third version of the vehicle.

But other New Shepard Rockets have been launched into space and back. This particular rocket now holds the record for the New Shepard rocket with the most trips to space, six. But all those test flights have been without passengers, as Blue Origin is still making sure the vehicle is ready for them.

The company originally said it would be ready to carry its first crew in 2019, but has slowed those plans as tests continue. The fourth version of the rocket, the one that's meant to hold people, hasn't flown since May as the company has been completing more safety tests. Most recent tests have included a crash test dummy nicknamed Mannequin Skywalker. It's equipped with sensors that measure how future customers could be affected by the flight.

Blue Origin was founded in 2000 by Billionaire Jeff Bezos. With the mission of lowering the costs of and increasing access to space travel. It plans to accomplish this by leaning into reusability. Traditional rockets are a one time only kinda deal. But New Shepard was designed with a vertical takeoff, vertical landing system that allows the company to reuse parts of the rocket with minimal refurbishment. Here's how it works. New Shepard is made up of two main components: the rocket and the capsule. The rocket propels the vehicle, and the capsule holds the crew. When it takes off, it reaches a height of 62 miles or a 100 kilometers. At this point, the capsule separates from the rocket. Both pieces will return to Earth. The rocket using its engines to propel itself back down, and the capsule using parachutes.

Even though New Shepard hasn't carried any people yet, the vehicle has been used to carry various payloads for companies, universities, and NASA. This launch includes a NASA space garbage recycling experiment playfully named Oscar, a Columbia University student's experiment studying the effects of weightlessness on cells, and even the winning entries of an Art in Space contest hosted by the band Okay Go for middle and high school students. With a likely 2020 date for the first manned launch, Blue Origin has yet to start selling tickets to the public or announce a price point. For now, the company's focus is on making sure New Shepard is safe and ready for humankind's next giant leap.

Reporter: And touchdown, just beautiful.

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Watch Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket go to space and land back on Earth - Business Insider

Will weed mutate in outer space? Thanks to Elon Musk we’re about to find out – Happy Mag

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Humans have always been fascinated by space, its endless possibilities and mysteries. As soon as humans were finally able to go there, much of the space research focused on the impact of gravity on plants, animals and humans. Last year, NASA even sent semen samples from bulls and men on a SpaceX cargo flight to the International Space Station (ISS). Now, its time for weed.

Next spring, a collaboration among Front Range Biosciences, Space Cells USA, and BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado plans to be the first to send plant cultures of coffee and hemp in a SpaceX Dragon capsule perched atop a Falcon 9 rocket to the ISS. Hemp is potentially the worlds most versatile crop in the history of agriculture. Its cheap, healthy, easy to grow, and carbon negative.

This is the first time anyone is researching the effects of microgravity and spaceflight on hemp and coffee cell cultures, Jonathan Vaught, co-founder and CEO of Front Range Biosciences, said in a statement.

There is science to support the theory that plants in space experience mutations. This is an opportunity to see whether those mutations hold up once brought back to earth and if there are new commercial applications.

After a month in space, the 480 plant cell cultures will be returned to earth so Front Range Biosciences can analyse the DNA and evaluate the effects of radiation and microgravity on the plants.

We are excited to learn more about both hemp and coffee gene expression in microgravity and how that will inform our breeding programs, Reggie Gaudino, VP of research and development at Front Range, said in a statement.

Ultimately, the results of the research could help growers and scientists identify new varieties or chemical expressions in the plant. This will also allow scientists to better understand how plants manage the stress of space travel and set the stage for a whole new area of research for the industry.

It could also be a good news for the environment. Cannabis is a pretty eco-friendly plant, all things considered, and it can help make dry, damaged land lush again not to mention absorb carbon from the atmosphere. This research may help design more resilient crops able to survive in places hit hard by climate change.

These are big ideas were pursuing and theres a massive opportunity to bring to market new chemotypes, as well as plants that can better adapt to drought and cold conditions, Peter McCullagh, the CEO of space research firm SpaceCells,said in a press release. We expect to prove through these and other missions that we can adapt the food supply to climate change.

Front Range Biosciences plans to run more experiments like this. In the future, we plan for the crew to harvest and preserve the plants at different points in their grow-cycle, so we can analyse which metabolic pathways are turned on and turned off, Louis Stodieck, director of BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado, Boulder, said in a statement. This is a fascinating area of study that has considerable potential.

Its not the first time cannabis has been sent off-planet. Earlier this year, Space Tango, a Kentucky-based space research company,sent hemp seedsto the ISS via a SpaceX rocket, returned them to earth and started growing them. Were still waiting for the results.

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Will weed mutate in outer space? Thanks to Elon Musk we're about to find out - Happy Mag

Exclusive: Q&A with the VP – Politico

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By JACQUELINE FELDSCHER

12/13/2019 07:00 AM EST

Updated 12/13/2019 12:24 PM EST

Vice President Mike Pence talks with POLITICO about the Space Force, the 2024 moon mission and what the National Space Council is focusing on in 2020

The White House wants to update the National Space Policy.

Story Continued Below

The Space Force is closer to becoming a reality, but some worry it will make space more dangerous.

WELCOME TO POLITICO SPACE, our must-read briefing on the policies and personalities shaping the new space age in Washington and beyond. Email us at jklimas@politico.com, bbender@politico.com or dbrown@politico.com with tips, pitches and feedback, and find us on Twitter at @jacqklimas, @bryandbender and @dave_brown24. And dont forget to check out POLITICO's astropolitics page here for articles, Q&As, opinion and more.

HOW TO GET CONGRESS TO PAY FOR THE MOON MISSION? Thats a question we posed to Vice President Mike Pence earlier this week during a call. And in his answer, he didnt talk about about negotiating with Democrats or lobbying lawmakers. Pence, who also serves as chair of the National Space Council, believes that once the commercial crew program begins launching American astronauts from Kennedy Space Center in Florida early next year -- something that hasnt happened since the shuttle program ended in 2011 -- the excitement to explore farther will simply be too much to contain.

Honestly, I think that returning American astronauts to space on American rockets as we'll do early next year is going to fire the imagination of the American people again, Pence said, adding that the boom of entrepreneurial space startups is also driving a tremendous amount of excitement. We know that as we build that momentum, as we deliver those results, we're very confident that we're going to be able to enlist the support of Congress in the years ahead.

Is this overly optimistic? NASA will need between $20 and $30 billion over the next four years to get to the moon. But some key lawmakers, including the top House appropriator for NASA, have come out against accelerating the next crewed moon mission by four years, which they call a political stunt. And the American public so far has not been focused on space travel. Instead, a 2018 Pew Research poll found that 63 percent of people believe monitoring Earths climate should be NASAs top priority, compared to just 13 percent who said sending astronauts to the moon should be NASAs prime concern.

HAPPENING NEXT WEEK: Starliner test launch to ISS. The uncrewed launch of the Boeing capsule to the International Space Station planned for Friday, Dec. 20, marks a major step towards ending Americas reliance on Russia to get to space. The Starliner already conducted its pad abort test on Nov. 4, which showed that the spacecraft can power away from the rocket to keep astronauts safe in case of an accident. The uncrewed flight has multiple back updates in December in case something delays it, a NASA official told reporters Thursday in a conference call, including Dec. 21, 23 and 25.

SpaceX, which is designing the Crew Dragon capsule under the same commercial crew program in partnership with NASA, already flew its uncrewed test flight to the ISS on March 2. Its expected to conduct its in-flight abort test no earlier than Jan. 4.

A NEW NATIONAL SPACE STRATEGY? Adding the civil, commercial and national security changes the administration has made into the National Space Policy, which was last updated by the Obama administration in 2010, is one of the National Space Councils top priorities ahead of the 2020 election, a senior White House official told us.

Presidential policy is presidential policy until the president changes it, the official said. A lot of the 2010 document is perfectly fine, but weve made a lot of changes with the Space Force and commercial deregulation. . Its been 10 years, lets update the space policy. Thats probably the biggest left to do for this coming year before the election.

Updating the policy would also codify the goal to land humans on the moon in 2024. The 2010 version sets the goal of sending humans to an asteroid by 2025 and sending humans to orbit Mars by the mid-2030s.

SPACE FORCE GETS READY FOR LIFTOFF. The Senate next week will vote on the National Defense Authorization Act, which has already overwhelmingly passed the House and would establish a sixth branch of the military within the Air Force that has a singular focus on space. The White House celebrated Congress action but not everyone is convinced the Space Force is the best way to protect the nations satellites. In fact, it might make the problem worse, according to Laura Grego, a senior scientist at the Union of Concerned Scientists global security program.

My big concern is that creating a bureaucracy whose focus is space will essentially create bureaucratic incentives to hype the threats and build new weapons to counter them, she told us. I think its set up so the incentives are for a much more militaristic approach.

Instead, Grego called for diplomacy to eliminate threats before the Pentagon is forced to respond -- an area where she sees the State Department exerting very little energy. She suggested a space code of conduct that contains rules and limits, like a prohibition of destroying satellites in orbit, as a good place to start. A similar draft document was considered during the Obama administration, but failed to win approval. In general, the U.S. has been in a reactive posture, she said. Someone proposes something and the U.S. is like, No, probably not, rather than saying, This is whats in our interest. Lets build consensus and advocate.

Asteroid Bennu | NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona/Lockheed Martin

LOCATION SELECTED FOR ASTEROID RETURN MISSION. NASA on Thursday announced that it has picked out a crater on the asteroid Bennu where the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security Regolith Explorer, or OSIRIS-REx, mission can collect a sample to bring back to Earth. The crater in the asteroids northern hemisphere, nicknamed Nightingale, was the best choice of four sites considered. The smooth surface of the crater is well-maintained and could offer a pristine sample for scientists to study on Earth when the spacecraft returns in 2023, according to a NASA release.

But there are risks associated with the site, including a small area for the spacecraft to safely collect a sample and a large boulder that could threaten the spacecraft when it moves away. The spacecraft can make multiple sample attempts, but the site could become unusable for subsequent sample missions if the spacecraft has to abort on its first attempt, since the spacecrafts thrusters carrying it away from the surface would disturb the collection site, NASA said. OSIRIS-REx, which reached the asteroid Bennu on Dec. 31, 2018, will make its first attempt at collecting a sample in August.

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Congratulations to Peter Klupar, the director of engineering for The Breakthrough Initiatives, for being the first to correctly answer that Gemini 7 orbited Earth for 13 days, 18 hours, 35 minutes.

This weeks question: The United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space was established 50 years ago on Dec. 12, 1959 with 24 members. How many members are on the committee today? First person to email the answer to jklimas@politico.com gets bragging rights and a shoutout in next weeks newsletter!

NASA found water ice just below the surface of Mars.

The Mars 2020 rover will hunt for alien life on the Red Planet.

NASA optimistic commercial crew program will fly humans in 2020.

House panel is getting ready to introduce a NASA reauthorization bill.

Robert Pearce tapped to lead NASAs aeronautics directorate.

NASA blows hole in the side of the SLS when testing fuel tank to failure.

How much will trips to the moon cost the taxpayer?

Boeing and NASA clash over SLS second stage.

What is the cost of the space tourism industry?

Blue Origin launches successful 12th test flight.

SpaceX cargo capsule delivered cannabis to the International Space Station.

A Swiss startup is development a robot to clear space debris.

The Air Forces Space Fence is almost ready for action.

The first Latina to go to space talks about getting more women interested in STEM.

NASA astronauts are testing Adidas shoes in space.

TODAY: The American Geophysical Unions annual meeting concludes in San Francisco.

FRIDAY: Boeings Starliner capsule is expected to launch to the International Space Station.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of POLITICO Space misstated the kind of test SpaceX would conduct with its Crew Dragon capsule early next year. It is an in-flight abort test.

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Exclusive: Q&A with the VP - Politico

SpaceX 2020 Mission: Send Cannabis and Coffee to ISS – Science Times

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Often times, human curiosity leads to bizarre experimentations and that is the case with American agricultural tech companyFront Range Biosciences-- in partnership with the University of Colorado, Boulder -- by creating a new experiment of sending cannabis and coffee plants to the International Space Station next year as a part of a zero-gravity experiment.

Tissue cultures of cannabis and coffee plants will be transported to the ISS along with the resupply mission aboard SpaceX by 2020.

READ ALSO:DEA Wants More Marijuana and Less Opioids

(Photo : Roberto Valdivia / Unsplash)SpaceX mission in 2020 is to send cannabis and coffee to space.

CAN CANNABIS AND COFFEE PLANTS SURVIVE IN SPACE?

(Photo : Jakub Kapusnak / Unsplash)

Since space does not provide a good condition for life to thrive, it is not yet known how plants will germinate. For this experiment, however, environmental conditions for the cannabis and coffee plants will be strictly observed. 480 plant cells will be placed in an incubator for 30 days, which will regulate the temperature. The incubator will also enable the astronauts to observe how the plant cells will undergo genetic mutations in a zero-gravity environment.

Researchers particularly chose the hemp variety of cannabis due to its low levels oftetrahydrocannabinol and together with theJava varietyof the coffee plant, they will be sent to the International Space Station and will be remotely observed by researchers at the BioServe Space Technologies at the University of Colorado, Boulder.

After 30 days, the plant cells will be returned to Earth, where the researchers at Front Range Biosciences will examine the plants to see how microgravity and radiation from space affected the plant tissues and how that environment altered their genetic composition.In a statement released by Front Range Biosciences, Chief Executive Office Jonathan Vaught explained that this is one of the pioneering experiments in researching the effects of microgravity and spaceflight on hemp and coffee cell cultures. "There is science to support the theory that plants in space experience mutations. This is an opportunity to see whether those mutations hold up once brought back to Earth and if there are new commercial applications to it."

ARE THERE PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS TO THIS EXPERIMENT?

Even the researchers are not yet sure. It is uncertain what the results may be, but the researches behind this experiment are optimistic that whatever these results tell, it could be a big help to farmers and to scientists so that they will be able to identify new varieties or maybe observe new chemical expressions in the seeds. The results can also provide insights into how a plant mange the stress of space travel, especially since astronomers are designing plans to terraform Mars.

Experiments like this create a path to understanding how plants will adapt to extreme environments like the zero-gravity setting of the International Space Station and enable agribusinesses like Front Range Biosciences to breed crops that can withstand harsh environments and can adapt to climate change. Louis Stodieck, chief scientist of Bioserve Space Technologies at the University of Colorado, Boulder, said, "We envision this to be the first of many experiments together. In the future, we plan for the crew to harvest and preserve the plants at different points in their growth cycle so we can analyze which metabolic pathways are turned on and off." He also explains that the whole sending plants to space are a fascinating area of study and has considerable potential in discovering new ways of how life finds a way.

READ ALSO:Marijuana Chewing Gum is Said to Relieve Fibromyalgia Pain

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SpaceX 2020 Mission: Send Cannabis and Coffee to ISS - Science Times

About that trip to Mars – Physician’s Weekly

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Astronomer and co-recipient of this years Nobel Prize in physics Didier Queloz doesnt think we can escape the effects of climate change by moving to another planet. Habitable planetsif they even existwould be very far away. He added, We are a species that has evolved and developed for this planet. We are not built to survive on any other planet than this one.

Even if a suitable planet was found, getting there would be quite a challenge. A couple of recent articles about medical issues in astronauts merely orbiting the earth are concerning. Astronaut Scott Kelly spent 340 days on the International Space Station. During that mission, he collected blood and urine samples and did mental and reaction tests. His twin brother Mark, also an astronaut, stayed on the ground and served as a control.

Scott experienced DNA mutations and immune system and microbiome changes, some of which have not disappeared since his return to earth. He also had lower cognitive test scores which have not returned to baseline. Its not clear whether the continued intellectual problems are related to his experience in space or due to pain and sleep disturbances after landing.

The DNA mutations may have been cells repairing radiation injury. He was exposed to 48 times more radiation in space than the average person on earth during the same period.

A recent paper found that 6 of 11 ISS astronauts had in-flight ultrasonography showing stagnant or retrograde blood flow in their internal jugular veins. Two of them developed internal jugular vein clots, one occlusive and one partial. Lower body negative pressure counteracted the flow reversal in over half of the subjects.

Those are just a few of the medical issues associated with space travel. In response to a 2014 story about NASAs attempt to develop robots that could perform surgery inside the human body, I blogged about the challenges of performing surgery in space. Five years later, we are not any closer to conquering the many obstacles which include personnel, equipment, anesthesia, recovery, blood contaminating the air in the spacecraft, spacecraft air contaminating the operative field, and more. The time lag for data transmission to or from Mars is about 20 minutes which would preclude having a surgeon on earth robotically performing an operation on a patient 140 million miles away.

More medical difficulties remain unsolved.

Zero or low gravity environments cause kidney stones and decreased bone density which might lead to untreatable fractures in space or on Mars.

In order to grow enough food to sustain human life, the number of plants that would have to be cultivated will produce more oxygen than humans can safely live in. However, decreasing the amount of plant food grown to keep the atmospheric oxygen level similar to that of earth will result in starvation of the Mars colonists.

Psychological issues related to confinement in a small space with only a few companions may occur.

In early 2015, CNET.com reported that the private nonprofit project Mars One had chosen 100 finalists from over 200,000 applicants to crew its planned one-way trip to Mars. However, the Mars One website has not issued a press release since February 2019 when one of its companies was placed in administration [bankruptcy protection] by a Swiss court.

Dont pack your bags just yet.

Other sources:

Listverse, NASA, EarthSky.

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About that trip to Mars - Physician's Weekly

Private Jet Guru Takes Us Inside the True World of Luxury in the Clouds – PaperCity Magazine

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For many, owning a jet has become the Holy Grail. Forget follower numbers. Its tail number that counts.

For more than 50 years, Jetcraft has offered unique services in business aviation, providing aircraft sales, marketing, and ownership strategies for their customers and support for clients all over the world. We chatted with Chris Hollingsworth, sales director of Jetcrafts leadership group in Dallas, whose territory includes Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma, Louisiana and of course Texas.

Heres a glimpse into Hollingsworths jet-setting luxury world:

A brief history of Jetcraft.

Jetcraft is the global leader in business aircraft sales and acquisitions. The company was founded in 1962, making it one of the oldest aircraft transaction specialists in the world. Weve facilitated hundreds of aircraft transactions during our existence, and more than 650 in the last 10 years alone.

Since 2008, Jetcraft has grown from a primarily U.S.-based organization to an expanding international corporation, with offices in more than 20 countries. I first heard about Jetcraft when I was in college and had already started my career in aviation working at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. I joined the company about 10 years ago, and in that time have lived and worked in Raleigh, North Carolina, Zurich and London before moving to Dallas.

A typical day.

I know its a clich, but there really is no such thing as a typical day in the private-jet business. The only thing thats typical is that I have a lot of interaction with my clients, whether over the phone, via email, or in person. Its incredibly important for us to truly understand our customers needs, so we can advise them on the aircraft that best suits them, as well as supporting them throughout their ownership journey.

This also means I do a lot of traveling. An aircraft theyre interested in buying could be based anywhere in the world.

The most challenging aspect of your profession.

With the advent of the Internet, private jet buyers can find a plethora of information about our industry online, ranging from aircraft values to performance statistics. However, as an aircrafts previous usage, interior design and even maintenance history can affect its performance and price, every aircraft is unique which means the information they find can be incorrect or misleading.

Jetcrafts decades of experience, combined with our global footprint, means we can access up-to-the-minute insight into markets and aircraft across the world, ensuring our clients are always properly informed.

If you could choose any plane, to fly anywhere in the world, what would you choose?

I think the next frontier in this century is going to be private space travel, so Id love to hitch a ride on whatever aircraft is heading into outer space! I cant think of anything more exciting than seeing Earth from that perspective.

The perfect Saturday.

Any Saturday that involves spending time outdoors is perfect in my eyes. It doesnt matter whether its playing soccer or fly fishing getting some fresh air is always the best way to relax after a busy week. Alongside that, I always like to spend time with family, cooking up a special meal for us to enjoy together at home. Theres nothing better than reconnecting over the dinner table and taking life a little slower on the weekends.

Charities and community outreach.

This year, Im involved with the Crystal Charity Ball. The childrens charities that the Crystal Charity Ball Committee supports every year are all dedicated to giving children hope for a healthier, more productive future, and Im proud to be part of such a considerate community.

New aircraft amenities changing the aviation game.

Theres a new auto-land feature by Garmin, which allows aircraft to land by themselves. It self-activates when there has been a prolonged period of no pilot activity, helping to make general aviation even safer. Im also extremely impressed by the ever-increasing range capabilities of business aircraft today. Customers in Dallas can fly nonstop to Hong Kong, Singapore and Dubai.

Whats inspiring you right now.

My two sons: One who is two years old and the other two months old. Becoming a father gives you a whole new perspective on life. And, of course, my wife is a constant source of inspiration she does so much for our family.

Favorite aviation movie.

I have to say Top Gun. While there are some aviation inaccuracies in the movie that make me laugh out loud, I never forget the exhilarating feeling it gave me as a kid. I still get excited during those first iconic five minutes.

If you werent in your current profession

Id probably spend all day outdoors as a fly-fishing guide in the mountains of North Carolina.

Dallas restaurants you cant live without.

When we moved to Dallas, Nick & Sams was the first steak restaurant we went to, and to this day we have not found a steak that beats theirs but Bobs Steak & Chop House is certainly giving them a run for their money. Nobu for sushi and Asian cuisine is hard to beat.

Theres a restaurant up the street from our house by the name of Feedstore BBQ, and while their brisket is good, their ribs are hands down the best I have found thus far in Texas. Were still searching for an Indian restaurant that comes close to what we were accustomed to in London suggestions are welcome.

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Private Jet Guru Takes Us Inside the True World of Luxury in the Clouds - PaperCity Magazine

How Travel Has Changed in the Past 10 Years – SmarterTravel.com

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As we head into a new decade, lets take some time to acknowledge the incredible events and momentous changes in the travel world since 2010.

Mobile boarding passes became the norm in 2010 when United Airlines starting implementing them.

Joni Hanebutt/Shutterstock

In October 2011, the TSA launched its PreCheck program; there are now more than 200 participating airports and 8.54 million members.

Sergio Ruiz/Flickr

Over the summer of 2012, Lyft quietly launched as a part of the company Zimride, a long-distance intercity carpooling company. A year later, its founders sold Zimride to focus on developing Lyft and competing with Uber.

Norwegian Air

In May 2013 Norwegian Air Shuttle launched transatlantic flights with routes from Oslo and Stockholm to New York JFK. The airline expanded rapidly and now offers flights to Europe from Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, San Francisco, and more.

dog97209/Flickr

In spring 2014, the National September 11 Museum opened, followed later in the year by One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the U.S. and the Western Hemisphere. The following spring, One World Observatory opened and now the area is a popular tourist attraction for NYC visitors.

pisaphotography/Shutterstock

One year after a portion of the Pont des Arts bridge in Paris collapsed, the infamous love locks were removed in June of 2015. The weight of the locks, which were added by tourists over the years, caused the collapse and brought attention to the impact of tourists on cities infrastructure.

Business Wire

The 2016 JetBlue Flight 387 was the first regularly scheduled commercial flight to land between Cuba and the U.S. in 55 years and was a significant milestone in the evolving relationship between Cuba and the U.S.

NASA/Aubrey Gemignani

It was estimated that more than 154 million people, or 70 percent of the American population, ventured outside to view the solar eclipse. With 12 million living in the path of totality, advanced estimates predicted that between 1.8 and 7.4 million people would travel. Regardless of the exact statistics, many hotels and tourism destinations reported a spike in visitors and revenue during the eclipse.

amanderson2/Flickr

According to the UNWTO, international tourist arrivals reached a record of 1.4 billion international tourist arrivals, a rise of six percent over 2017. This is well above the UNWTOs long-term forecast of 3.8 percent growth per year for the period from

2010 to 2020.

AlesiaKan/Shutterstock

In the past decade, the global sharing economy has had its challenges both financially and legally for companies like Uber, Lyft, and Airbnb. This year, Airbnb faced what might be its biggest scandal to date with the uncovering of hundreds of fake listings.

Virgin Voyages

The much-anticipated Virgin Voyages will make its maiden voyage in March of 2020. The adults-only cruise line promises a unique experience, and cruisers everywhere are anxious to see what the Richard Branson version of cruising will entail.

NASA

In June of this year, NASA announced that it is opening the International Space Station to new commercial opportunities and private astronauts.

Check back in January for a full list of our predicted travel trends for the new year.

Noemi de la Torre contributed to this story.

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How Travel Has Changed in the Past 10 Years - SmarterTravel.com

Can plants help explain the effects of space travel on humans? – International Business Times, Singapore Edition

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Watch NASA Astronauts On A Spacewalk Outside The ISS

A couple of researchers are looking to understand how space travel can affect the biological processes of plants. According to the researchers, the findings of this study could also shed light on the effects of long-term spaceflights on humans due to their biological similarities with the leafy living organisms

For the study, researchers from the University of Florida launched their plants to suborbital space through Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket. The plants were launched as part of a payload under NASA's Flight Opportunities program.

Studying Plants In Space

Since the New Shepard is currently on a suborbital trip in space, the planets have been taken beyond low-Earth orbit. According to the researchers, this will expose the plants to microgravity conditions as well as gravitational transitions. They speculated that these conditions will have an effect on calcium signaling, which is a natural response to external stimuli that occurs on a cellular level.

"Our very first spaceflight experiment indicated that being in space changes some aspects of calcium signaling," researcher Robert Ferl said in a statement. "And calcium signaling in particular is very similar between plants and animals, so we want to better understand that role in response to transitions in gravity."

Similarities Between Plants And Humans

The researchers are hoping that they'll be able to analyze the biological changes that plants will go through after a trip to suborbital space. They noted that a study regarding these changes can also be applied to humans and how they will be affected missions to outer space. According to the researchers, since humans and plants share many genetic traits, a study regarding the effects of space travel on flora could provide valuable insight as to how suborbital flights would biologically affect astronauts.

"About half of the genes in our bodies encode the exact same proteins in plants," researcher Anna-Lisa Paul explained. "And that's very exciting because it means that as we look at how plants behave in the absence of gravity, we can translate many of those basic biological processes to humans."

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Can plants help explain the effects of space travel on humans? - International Business Times, Singapore Edition