Monthly Archives: September 2021

Raised by Wolves season 2: Everything we know about the HBO Max sci-fi series – Android Authority

Posted: September 24, 2021 at 11:05 am

One of the first original series from Warner Medias HBO Max streaming service, Raised By Wolves got generally solid reviews when it debuted its first season in September 2020. HBO Max quickly ordered a second season, but not much has been revealed about the sophomore entry. So when is Raised by Wolves Season 2 coming, and what will it be all about? Heres a quick look at everything we know.

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At the moment, theres no clear word on when the second season will drop on HBO Max. We do know from a Twitter message from cast member Abubakar Salim that filming for the second season began in early March 2021. Its likely that we will have to wait until sometime in 2022 for Raised By Wolves Season 2 to finally premiere.

The first season of Raised By Wolves established the setting of the show. In a future timeline where Earth has been destroyed by war between religious and atheist humans, a pair of androids head into space with a small group of embryos. The androids, named Mother (Amanda Collin) and Father (Salim), raise the one human that came from those embryos on an alien world for several years. However, the group later learns that other humans have managed to escape Earth, including some other young children.

Later in the first season, Mother learns she has somehow become pregnant. In the final episode of season 1, she gives birth, but to a flying snake-like alien rather than a human. Season 2 will likely see the two androids, as well as the other remnants of humanity, try to survive on this alien world, while also dealing with this snake creature.

Deadline reports that several new cast members have signed up for season 2. Perhaps the most interesting new role is Grandmother, an ancient android played by actor Selina Jones. Grandmother was built thousands of years ago by the civilization that used to live on the planet where the few human survivors now reside. How she will get along with Mother and Father, and the human refugees, remains to be seen.

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Josh Mandel is campaigning for U.S. Senate in churches. Will that win over Ohio’s evangelical voters? – The Columbus Dispatch

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ORRVILLE, Ohio - As "God Bless the USA" echoed through his rural church, Pastor Jerry O'Brien geared up for a sermon of sorts about politics in America.

Today's church is too disengaged, said O'Brien, who leads Faith Harvest Fellowship in Orrville. He said Christians don't know enough about elections or the politicians who seek to represent them.

"We need to inform our people, or the spirit of fear is going to continue to wreak havoc throughout our churches," O'Brien said.

Enter Josh Mandel.

The former Ohio treasurer visited Faith Harvest Fellowship recentlyto make his pitch for U.S. Senate, the latestin a series of campaign stops at churches across the state. Mandel uses these events to preach his own gospel, one that's anti-abortion, pro-gun and gives oxygen to debunked claims about the 2020 election.

At the heart of it all, he says, are Judeo-Christian values that will guide his decisions in Washington if he's elected.

"I believe the only place in which were going to win back the hearts and minds of our kids and save the country is in churches, and thats why Im running my campaign through churches," Mandel, who is Jewish, said in an interview.

Although he's made it a hallmark of his campaign, Mandel isn't the only U.S. Senate candidate using religion to connect with Republican voters.And Ohio's evangelical base, which helped send former President Donald Trump to the White House,is now looking for a new warrior in Washington.

"God help our country," said Jean Wood, of Wooster. "Democrats are just leading us down a bad hole. It's so sad."

Evangelicals are one of the most prominent religious groups in Ohio, especially among political conservatives.

According to the Pew Research Center, 29% of all Ohioans and 39% of Republicans consider themselves evangelicalProtestants. They're dispersed throughout the state, which gives them a strongvoice in elections and significant influence in Republican politics, saidKimberly Conger, a professor at the University of Cincinnati.

Meanwhile, 19% of Democrats in Ohio identify as evangelical Protestants and 64% are Christians.

Conger said evangelicals began to make their mark on the GOP decades ago, and they went into George W. Bush's presidency satisfied with his values and plans for the country. But 9/11 disrupted Bush's domestic agenda and left that base itching for morea discontent Trump seized upon.

As a result, a whopping 77% of white evangelical voters nationwidewent for Trumpin 2016, a survey from Pew found. Exit polls from the 2020 election analyzed by the New York Timesestimated that 82% of white evangelicals or born-again Christians in Ohio cast ballots for Trump.

Research also shows that some white Americans who backed the former president began identifying as evangelical between the 2016 and 2020 elections.

"When you have a Biblical world view, your spiritual truths that anchor you are the most important thing," saidPastor JC Church, who leadsVictory in Truth Ministries in Bucyrus."Its not the political as much as its the personal convictions and values."

White evangelicals were attracted to Trump's message that he would fight for the average person, Conger said. Theyfeel embattled by a society with increasingly progressive views about abortion andsame-sex marriage, and seeissues like critical race theory as an attack on being American.

"They feel like a traditional understanding of the world is under attack, so they need these kinds of champions to fight back for them," Conger said.

Mandel hears that message and presents himself as a fighter who will go to Washington armed with a Bible and the U.S. Constitution. At the same time, critics have called him racist for his comments on critical race theory and refugees and attacked him for comparing President Joe Biden's vaccine order to edicts in Nazi Germany.

"Some of my opponents are racking up a ton of endorsements from politicians," he said. "I can tell you I dont care about endorsements from state reps and state senators and congressmen at all."

Instead, Mandel has garnered support from Church and other pastors, as well as groups likeOhio Value Voters andRight to Life Action Coalition of Ohio.

"I believe we are way past the time to have leaders who lead with a deep conviction, who stand with courage," Church said.

Other Republican Senate candidates say they're betterequipped to fight for the needs of thisbase. Former Ohio GOP chair Jane Timken recently blasted her alma mater, Harvard University, for electing a president of chaplains who identifies as an atheist. As part of her crusade against abortion, she visited pregnancy centers thataim to dissuade people from getting the procedure.

Timken, a Catholic, said Ohio's evangelical voters have become increasingly outspoken in the political sphere because ofprogressive policies.

"Theyre very concerned about these issues eroding their constitutional liberties, and theyre very concerned about the eradication of God out of our country thats been pushed by the left," she said.

"Hillbilly Elegy" author and venture capitalist J.D. Vancecriticized the politicization of the churchin a 2016 New York Times column and said it "encourages us to point a finger at faceless elites in Washington." He has since converted to Catholicism and nowtouts views on bread-and-butter evangelical issues like opposing abortion and promoting a "patriotic" education for children.

Vance also secured an endorsement from anti-abortion activist Penny Nance, who leads Concerned Women for America.

"JDs pro-life, pro-family message resonates not only with evangelical Christians, but with the majority of all Ohioans," spokeswoman Taylor Van Kirk said."Ohio voters are finding out that he actually believes what he says, and isnt just another politician."

What sets Mandel apart, though, is years of listening to these voters as a statewide elected official and speaking their language, said a GOP consultantwho is unaffiliated with any campaigns and requested anonymity to speakcandidly. Mandel has long been popular with social conservatives, the consultant said, and stumping in churches allows him to connect with a more receptive audience.

"Social conservatives are the base," the consultant said."Theyre not separate from the party structure. Theyre part of the party structure."

Haley BeMilleris a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

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Are Joe Collie and Riley Flynn Dead or Alive in Midnight Mass? – The Cinemaholic

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One of the major themes of Mike Flanagans (The Haunting of Bly Manor) Midnight Mass is sobriety, and it connects Joe Collie (Robert Longstreet) and Riley Flynn (Zach Gilford) in a fundamental level. Both of these characters have caused misery and pain to others because of their drinking, and that, in turn, has devastated them and left them with almost nothing. After Father Paul arrives on Crockett Island, he sets up an AA chapter there. Initially, its just Riley who attends the meeting, but Joe soon joins them. The meetings seem to have positive effects on them both, but neither gets the chance to pursue their sobriety to completion. If you are wondering whether Joe Collie and Riley Flynn live or die in Midnight Mass. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Yes, Joe is dead in Midnight Mass. After having a challenging day, Joe comes to speak to Father Paul as the latter told him earlier that his doors were always open. What he doesnt know is that Father Paul is having a difficult time of his own. His metamorphosis into a vampiric creature has begun, and Joe ends up being his first victim. He recognizes the eerie similarities between Father Paul and their previous priest, Monsignor Pruitt. Although Joe survives the initial fall after a scuffle with Father Paul, he dies when the latter sucks his blood dry.

Joe always had issues with his drinking. One day, while being under the influence of alcohol, he accidentally shot Leeza, the daughter of the settlements mayor. She subsequently had to use a wheelchair. After Joes death, Father Paul and the close circle of people who know the truth about him begin justifying his actions.

Yes, Riley Flynn is also dead in Midnight Mass. After realizing that Father Paul lied about Joes late sister, Riley goes back to the community center and encounters the creature, which is there to give more of its blood. The creature attacks him and seemingly kills him in the final moments of episode 4. However, in episode 5, Father Paul brings him back to life by rearranging his neck. The two of them subsequently spend considerable time locked inside the community center, and Father Paul explains to Riley his current situation. Riley realizes that Father Paul is Monsignor Pruitt, a man under whom he had served several years as an altar boy.

Unlike Father Paul, Riley doesnt see his current circumstances through the tinted glass of religion. Four years ago, he killed a young girl while driving completely intoxicated. He returns home after being out from prison on parole. Everyone in the settlement except Erin sees him as a social pariah. Even his father doesnt want him at his home. He keeps having these visions, in which the dead girl appears before him, with light pouring out from each of her wounds. His time in prison has also made him an atheist.

In episode 5, Riley takes Erin on a boat ride and reveals what has happened to him. Although Erin has a hard time believing him, she still questions why he has brought her to the middle of the ocean. When the dawn breaks, his reasons become clear. Riley has brought himself and Erin there so that he wouldnt have a way to escape. Furthermore, he wanted to prove to Erin that he was telling the truth. As flames engulf his body and Erin begins screaming in horror, Riley has one last vision of the girl before his death. But this time, she doesnt have any injuries on her. She reaches out, and Riley takes her hand.

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NASA’s NIAC Program Gives a Sneak Peek at the Future of Space Travel – WIRED

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From Star Treklike medical scanners to concepts for off-planet agriculture like in The Expanse, science fiction has often inspired actual research at NASA and other space agencies. This week, researchers are meeting at a virtual conference for the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program to brainstorm and investigate sci-fi-like ideas, some of which may very well shape the missions of the next 20 years.

A drone helicopter hopping about a Martian crater or a lunar rover that maps moon ice might have seemed far-fetched a decade ago, but the copter actually flew earlier this year, and the rover is in the planning stages. Now the conference organizers have solicited proposals for more exploratory projects, a few of which the agency might eventually fund. We invest in long-term, far-out technologies, and most of them probably wont work. The ones that do might change everything. Its high risk, high payoff, almost like a venture capital investment portfolio, says Jason Derleth, the NIAC program executive.

The program isnt focused on incremental developments but instead seeks game-changing technologies, ones that are 10 times better than the state of the art, Derleth says. He likens it to the Pentagons Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which also explores extremely speculative concepts but developed the precursor to the modern internet, among other innovations.

The annual conference, which continues through Thursday, September 23, is publicly viewable on NIACs livestream. Some of the proposals discussed so farsuch as for new ways to launch foldable space stations or astronaut habitats, or to extract resources from other worldsrevolve around the understanding that, for lengthy space voyages, you have to make the most of every rocket launch.

The next generation of space travelers will need resources for survival, for protective structures, and to fuel the journey further or return home. This leaves us with two options: Take everything with us, like if you were going on a hiking trip in the desert. Or find new and creative ways to use whatever is already there, says Amelia Greig, an aerospace engineer at University of Texas at El Paso, who presented at the conference on Tuesday.

To aid creative reuse of lunar resources, Greig and her colleagues propose a technology called ablative arc mining, which would slurp up water ice and the kinds of metals that could be used as building materials. Its like using controlled lightning bolts to mine the moon, she said during her presentation. Her concept describes a van-sized moon crawlernamed after the Jawa sandcrawlers of Star Warsthat picks a spot, and then places a ringed device that it carries on its front end parallel to the ground. Electric arcs zap across the ring, which can be made as large as a meter in diameter, ripping particles from the moons surface. Those particles, now charged, can then be moved and sorted by the machines electromagnetic fields. That way, rather than scoping just one resource, a single piece of equipment could fill one container with water, another with oxygen attached to other elements, and others with silicon, aluminum, or other metal particles.

An artistic representation of the ablative arc mining system deployed into a crater near the lunar south pole.

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Space Exploration is Going Private ShareCafe – ShareCafe

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Neil Armstrong landed on the moon in 1969 and delivered his pre-prepared line that became famous: Thats one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. Except he misspoke. What Armstrong said was nonsense. He meant to say a man rather than just man.

Whatever. Armstrongs statement rang true. From the start of the space age in 1957 when the Soviet Unions Sputnik satellite orbited the Earth, six-plus decades of mainly US government-funded, -designed and -staffed space exploration has brought many rewards. Apart from stirring national pride and showcasing bravery, space exploration has boosted knowledge of the universe and led to much innovation related to satellites, global positioning and weather forecasting.

Even if Armstrong blew his line, he was more profound than Jeff Bezos on his return to Earth on July 20 after being blasted into the atmosphere just past the Karman line that, 100 kilometres (62 miles) from Earth, generally marks outer space. Best day ever, was Bezoss verdict on flying for 10 minutes in a pilotless rocket built by Blue Origin, a company he founded in 2000.

Perhaps Bezos should have said something more Armstrong-like as did Richard Branson when, nine days before Bezos, he zoomed to an altitude of 80 kilometres in a piloted space plane built by Virgin Galactic, which Branson set up in 2004. We are at the vanguard of a new space age, Branson said.

Whats new is that an entrepreneur-led drive into space is underway. Bezos and Branson joined soon perhaps by other private companies are vying with Boeing and Elon Musks Space Exploration Technologies Corp. to commercialise space.

SpaceX, as Musks creation of 2002 is known, is ahead. The companys most notable feat is that in 2015 it pioneered reusable rockets, which is regarded as the single transformative technology shift driving todays space race because it has slashed launch costs.

Many benefits are likely to flow from the commercialisation of space that already amounts to a US$350 billion industry. Space tourism is likely to grow, after commencing on September 15 when SpaceX launched its first privately funded three-day spaceflight of just tourists. The standard offering (at US$450,000 a pop with Virgin Galactic) will be orbiting the Earth to experience weightlessness and gain an astronauts view of the world. Another prospect is vacations on commercial space stations. A later step could be tourist trips to the moon.

A second, and bigger, commercial motivator is adding to the more than 5,000 satellites already orbiting the Earth. SpaceX, for instance, plans to add another 11,000 satellites via its Starlink mega-constellation and has filed for US permission for another 30,000.

Private enterprise heading into the cosmos is rekindling and aiding government space efforts. Nasa, as well as employing SpaceX to return to the moon under its Artemis Program, plans more voyages to Mars and intends to search Jupiters moon Europa for life. China in May landed a vehicle on Mars for the first time, two years after the country became the first to land a craft on the far side of the moon. Beijing and Moscow in June announced plans for a permanent base on the moon.

Commercial space efforts are bound to advance scientific knowledge. The hope is that microgravity will allow for unique research that could lead to discoveries previously kept hidden by gravity. Another motive is to enable people to live beyond Earth. Bezos sees a future where millions of people are living and working in space. Musk talks of terraforming Mars, by which he means nuking Mars to make the planet habitable for humans.

The commercialisation of space comes with risks and disadvantages that could limit such exploration (ignoring complaints about the cost). The biggest risk is that space travel is dangerous. Much can go wrong with rockets, and fatal events could derail space exploration, as they have in the past.

Another problem is space exploration is likely to intensify global political tensions. Whoever rules space controls an avenue to deliver thermonuclear weapons via ballistic missiles and much else. Chinas moves into space look likely to intensify Chinese-US rivalry. The US in 2019 created a Space Command as its sixth military sphere to thwart China in space. A third drawback is the space race will come with environmental damage, especially with respect to climate change from fossil-fuelled rockets.

Whatever the doubts or drawbacks about the question, the better economics of space exploration are overriding them. A privately led space adventure has begun that has already notched achievements and, amid controversy and setbacks, is likely to post many more.

To be pedantic, private companies have long helped Nasa while the commercialisation of space could be dated to the turn of the century, so its not new, just intensifying. The role of Nasa and other government agencies in this private quest shouldnt be underestimated. These private companies will need to be willing to lose much money. A techno-utopian element bordering on the unbelievable pervades the private space quest. Some, perhaps much, disappointment lies ahead.

No doubt. But the entrepreneurs pioneering todays drive into space are wealthy visionaries who wont be deterred easily. Get set for a space race pursued by people who think they are on a philanthropic mission.

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Star Trek Legend George Takei On AI, Space Travel, And TV Inventions – Forbes

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Leonard Nimoy as Spock playing 3-d chess game on the set of Star Trek: The Original Series. One of ... [+] the many inventions to later be powered by AI in the iconic series.

Humanity is finally going where no one has gone before more than a half century after Star Trek first entered the pop culture psyche.

The successful splash down of SpaceX over the weekend with four tourists who orbited Earth for three days has spurred a surge in interest in space travel. SpaceX told reporters it can fly five to six private missions a year and will increase that number as demand dictates. At the same time, NASA is gearing up to build habitats on the moon by 2024 and Mars by 2030. Suddenly, planetary joyrides are a reality and no longer limited to the science fiction that inspired them.

After decades of stagnation, the commercialization of space is accelerating at a rapid pace, thanks to billionaires Elon Musk of SpaceX, Richard Branson of Virgin Galactic, and Jeff Bezos of Blue Origin all sci fi fans.

So when I was offered an interview with George Takei, who played Sulu in Star Trek: The Original Series, I jumped at it. His mobile game, Star Trek Fleet Command, has just gone cross-platform, taking us one step closer to the metaverse.

A social justice activist, Takei shared with me his thoughts on the promise and perils of AI, space tourism, and the biggest challenges facing humanity as we begin to venture off planet.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

PARIS: Science fiction is often credited by technologists for inspiring the innovation powering our future. SoundHound cofounder Keyvan Mohajer is a Trekkie with a voice AI startup valued at more than a billion dollars. In an interview with me, he said that when he was ideating his company, he took inspiration from Star Trek and considered developing the holodeck, replicator and transporter.

Which technology from the show would you most like to see made into a product?

TAKEI: The transporter. As an avid traveler Ive come to hate the way airports are mismanaged losing luggage, switching gates, canceling flights. Anything that gets me there sooner without the hassle would be great, including stepping on a pad, sparkling for a brief moment, then bopping out at my destination. I'm sure Luddites like Dr. McCoy would object to having their molecules messed with, but I welcome it.

Starship Enterprise Transporter Room exhibit from Star Trek The Adventure | Photo by Scott ... [+] Barbour/Getty Images

One of the most memorable AI characters in the original series is a transporter called The Guardian of Forever which takes Captain Kirk and Spock back in time. Kirk falls in love and must chose between his own personal happiness and the consequences of messing with the timeline.

Throughout the generations, sinister AIs appear as supercomputers that attempt to wrestle control of the ship and androids that try to seduce the crew. Do you think Gene Roddenberry, the shows creator, had concerns about AI becoming an existential threat?

Science fiction aside, I personally believe that AI can never be the enemy. Its merely a tool for which human judgment determines the outcome.

The Guardian of Forever exhibit from Star Trek The Tour | Photo by Axel Koester/Corbis via Getty ... [+] Images

Theres a great New York Times article about AI writing its own code and poetry, but its doing so based on information given to it by humans.AI should not be seen as a creative thinking being, rather its a valuable aid that can help us explore the complexities of the universe.

Weve now entered the age of space tourism. Do you have any interest in going up?

SpaceX Tesla roadster launched from the Falcon Heavy rocket with a dummy driver named "Starman" ... [+] heading towards Mars | Photo by SpaceX via Getty Images

In some respects, I feel like Ive already gone. Genes son Ray Roddenberry took me and my husband Brad to the Zero-G experience in Las Vegas. After an unbearable crushing feeling where some people actually lost their breakfast, there was this incredible sensation of feeling lighter than air as we floated around. I can imagine how that must feel in space.

Star Trek was ahead of its time in so many ways, but most people dont realize it was produced by the comedian Lucille Ball, best known for her role in the sitcom, I Love Lucy. Whats the backstory?

Lucille Ball was a smart businesswoman who, along with her husband and co-star Desi Arnaz, negotiated the rights to their show and parlayed the profits into Desilu Productions. After their divorce, she took over the studio and named Hollywood screenwriter Herb Solow head of production who brought her the Star Trek pitch from Gene. When the network rejected the first pilot, she agreed to a second, which was unusual, but it was that one that got picked up by the network and I was in it.

An interesting side story is that Genes girlfriend (and later wife) appeared in the first pilot as the second in command, but the network wanted that role recast as a man, so Gene gave her a blonde wig and made her a nurse to keep her in the series. Other than that, the show had a lot of diversity for the era. Gene felt television was being wasted on mindless quiz shows and wanted to address the civil rights and anti war movements. Thankfully, Lucille Ball made it possible.

How do you feel about being a playable character in the game Star Trek Fleet Command?

I love that Sulu, a swashbuckling fencer and number one graduate of Starfleet Academy, got to achieve his ambition of becoming the captain of his own starship. I hope players enjoy the journey.

What do you see as the biggest threats to humanity as we set out on voyages to explore the unknown?

Well, wherever we go, we need to stay vigilant of the fallibility of humans as we have the potential to become our own worst enemy.

When I was five years old, soldiers came to the front door of our house and at gunpoint forced us out of our home under orders from the U.S. president in reaction to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Ill never forget the terror of that morning and being crammed onto that truck with my mother, my little brother, my baby sister, and father, with only the belongings we could carry with us.

We were American citizens, but for no other reason than our race, we were labeled enemies of the state. The government froze our bank account, took our house, and sent us far from Los Angeles where had been living a comfortable life. We were sent to the swamplands of Arkansas and held captive behind a barbed wire fence for four long years.

When we were finally released, we were given $25 each and a bus ticket to Skid Row to live in abject poverty. We struggled for years, but my father worked hard as a dishwasher and was able to move us into the barrio where he started a business that ultimately got us back to the area where we once lived.

This is the story of the 120,000 innocent Japanese Americans who had their lives taken from them in an instant. We must never forget that the order came from Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the very president who said we have nothing to fear but fear itself, yet he himself so easily succumbed to mass hysteria over an imagined alien threat and with a stroke of his pen abandoned the rule of law meant to protect us all.

What would you like your legacy to be?

Despite the treachery I lived through as a child, at 84 years I feel Ive had an amazing life. Star Trek has given me a platform to tell this tale and remind people that democracy is fragile. I have made it my mission to make America a true peoples democracy with equal rights for everyone, and that is what I want my legacy to be.

Star Trek fan Jimmy Chi with George Takei signing his book, They Called Us Enemy

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Space Age Changes in the Oakland Hills | Travel + Places | diablomag.com – Diablo Magazine

Posted: at 11:04 am

Chabot Space and Science Center is preparing to reopen its telescope and campusin November.

Longtime fans of Oaklands Chabot Space and Science Center will experience a much different museum and educational facility when it reopens next month. Thanks to a close relationship with NASAs Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, the NASA Experience at Chabot Space and Science Center will be a major attraction for students and families.

Everyone who visits will have an ever-changing experience, says Liz Austerman, vice president of museum experience at Chabot. They can come several times a year and have entirely new experiences on each visit.

Initial exhibitions at Chabot will focus on the rovers and robotics that NASA uses in space exploration. Visitors will also recognize adjustments to Chabots layout. Designers have updated the center with modular installations, which can be moved and altered quickly to accommodate various interactive activities.

NASAs brainpower will be a constant element at the new Chabot as well, with speaking engagements and panel discussions featuring top researchers and scientists.

Austerman says that the NASA Experience and its STEAM environment will interact with students and community members at schools and other locations throughout the East Bay. She hopes this outreach will recruit young students to pursue careers in science and space exploration.

Our intention is to demystify the ivory tower of being a researcher at NASA and show kids that they can do it as well, says Austerman. I recently heard a researcher say, I dont do math at my job, and I thought, A 12-year-old might be interested to hear that, and realize, Maybe I can do this, too! chabotspace.org.

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The Nail-Biting Journey of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Is About to Begin – Scientific American

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Earlier this month NASA announced that on December 18, after years of delays, the James Webb Space Telescope will finally leave Earth on a mission to revolutionize astrophysics and cosmology.

But before this $10-billion observatory can begin its work, it must survive a daunting commute that includes a voyage at sea, a rocket launch and a 1.5-million-kilometer flight to its destination: Lagrange Point 2, or L2. Far beyond the orbit of the moon (and out of reach of any near-term rescue mission), L2 is a region where the gravitational tugs of Earth and the sun balance out to create a perfect long-term parking place for telescopes. As Webb leaves our planet and moon behind, it must also deploy key components that were folded up to fit inside its rocket. This high-tension process involves some 178 release mechanisms, each of which must operate flawlessly for the telescope to complete its 40 or so major deployments.

This is the most complex scientific mission that we've done, says Nancy Levenson, deputy director of the Space Telescope Science Institute (STSci). Theres a lot that has to go right.

Webb is without question the most advanced space telescope ever built. The spacecrafts infrared gaze will penetrate cosmic clouds of dust to reveal the hidden details of stellar nurseries and embryonic protoplanets midway through formation. It will also gather the faint photons effused by the first stars and galaxies to form after the big bangwhich were initially emitted as visible light but have since been stretched, or redshifted, by the expansion of the cosmos.

Its going to help us unlock some of the mysteries of our universe, says Greg Robinson, Webbs program director at NASA. I want to say its going to rewrite the physics books.

But that assumes all goes according to plan.

Webbs journey will begin in Redondo Beach, Calif., at the Northrop Grumman facility where its construction and final tests were completed. There the spacecraft, which is currently folded up, will be placed into a specialized shipping container called the Super Space Telescope Transporter for Air, Road and Sea, or Super STTARS. The custom travel pod will protect Webb from humidity, vibrations and fluctuating temperatures.

Later this month, while housed within its high-tech cocoon, Webb will be transported to the citys harbor and placed on a boat. The exact date of departure has been kept under wraps to stifle piracy, says Massimo Stiavelli, head of Webbs mission office at STScI.

Details about the security accompanying the telescope have not been made public. Even so, Stiavelli says that he is unconcerned about pirates stealing the precious cargo, thanks to numerous undisclosed but very real security measures put in place for the maritime trip. In the event of a high-seas heist attempt, he says, I would worry about [the safety of] the pirates themselves.

After departing from shore, the telescope, still contained in Super STTARS, will voyage south along the coast and through the Panama Canal. Webb will likely enter the Caribbean sometime in early Octoberthat is, during hurricane season.

Safe harbors have been identified all along the spacecrafts shipping route. And weather conditions will be monitored closely to ensure that it does not unexpectedly find itself caught vulnerable in a storm, Stiavelli says.

After about two weeks at sea, the telescope will arrive at the port and European Space Agency (ESA) launch site of Kourou, French Guiana. There Webb will undergo launch preparations, which include fueling it, performing final electronics checks and, of course, mounting the spacecraft on its celestial steed: ESAs Ariane 5 rocket.

Still folded, the 6,500-kilogram telescope will be secured inside the top of the rocket, within a chamber called the fairing. Once positioned, Webb will be ready to take to the skies.

Presuming no further delays in its path to the launchpad, early in the morning of December 18, Webb will blast off with a slight eastward trajectory over the Atlantic Ocean. Its Ariane 5 rocket is considered a reliable workhorse, and the telescope itself has passed tests meant to mimic the stresses of a launch, so confidence is high that the journey to orbit will go smoothly, Robinson says.

Still, one of the largest sighs of relief will be a successful launch, says Heidi Hammel, a vice president at the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy. As we say in the business, this is rocket science. Were putting this incredibly precious resource on top of a rocket and setting the fuse, so to speak.

Once it is about 10,400 kilometers into its trip, Webb will detach from the Ariane 5s second stage, signifying the end of the launch. Nevertheless, the most nerve-racking part of Webbs journey will have only just begun: a 1.5-million-kilometer cruise to L2, during which the folded telescope will slowly begin to unfurl.

That's when the nail biting starts, Hammel says. We arent there. We cant make adjustments, so things must work well.

Just moments after separating from its rocket, Webbs solar-power array will unfold to begin supplying electricity to the spacecraft. Although the solar-array deployment is a relatively simple procedure, its success is critical to power all following operations, Stiavelli says.

About 12 hours after launch, the crafts thrusters will fire for the first time to correct its trajectory. Course corrections must be efficient to preserve the telescopes fuel and maximize its life span, Stiavelli says. Confirmation of a successful course correction will not arrive until well after the fact, although subsequent tweaks to Webbs flight trajectory can be made if needed.

As the telescope nears its third day in space, Webb will begin to deploy one of its most intricate and prominent instruments: the sunshield. If unspooled without a hitch, a stack of five enormous kite-shaped sheets of polyimide film will block sunlight and heat from reaching the telescopes infrared sensors, which must remain at extremely low cryogenic temperatures to function properly.

The sunshield is crucial for keeping the telescope sufficiently cold so that it can sense the infrared glow of cosmic dawn, Hammel says. The deployment has got to go well, she adds.

But to open the sunshield, around 150 release mechanisms must fire correctly over the course of three days. The complicated deployment involves around 7,000 parts, including 400 pulleys, eight motors and 140 release actuators. The sunshields deployment is key to achieving scientists wildest dreams for the observatory. But for aerospace engineers, the procedures complexity and high number of single-point failures are the stuff of nightmares.

Its a big task: getting these five extremely thin layers that are each the size of a tennis court all stretched out and separated from each other, Hammel says. And the anxiety will not fade with a nominal sunshield deployment. Six days into the flight, the telescopes secondary mirror, positioned at the end of three long arms, will lower into place. Despite its name, the secondary mirror is a critical component for Webbs success, Hammel says. If other deployments do not work out perfectly, there may be work-arounds. But if the secondary mirror doesnt deploy successfully, we have no telescope, she says. We got nothing.

On the seventh day Webbs 6.5-meter primary mirror, a collection of 18 beryllium-hewn, gold-plated hexagonal segments, will begin to unfurl. First, two wings will swing out and lock into place like pieces of a folding table. Then tiny actuators will push or pull each of the mirror segments into a micron-precise alignment, producing the primary mirrors singular focus. Deploying and aligning the primary mirror will involve 132 actuators and motors, each of which must function properly.

Finally, a month after launch, Webb should reach L2, concluding one of the most audacious spaceflights ever attempted and allowing the worlds astronomers to collectively exhale.

Weve been practicing for this for years, Hammel says. This is like an orchestra concert with hundreds of people all playing different instruments. Everybody has to have practiced their part and all the instruments have to be ready. And then we play the music.

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The Nail-Biting Journey of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Is About to Begin - Scientific American

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‘Gaia’ art exhibit brings out-of-this-world views of Earth to Charlotte – WCNC.com

Posted: at 11:04 am

British artist Luke Jerram takes viewers to space like the NASA Apollo astronauts as part of the new "Gaia" exhibit at Founders Hall in Uptown Charlotte.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. Space travel hasn't been around all that long compared to the number of years people have dreamed about touching the stars, but everyone can marvel at the blue marble hanging in outer space at a new art exhibit in Charlotte.

The new exhibit insider Founders Hall is called Gaia, after the Greek goddess of Earth.

"For tens of thousands of years, mankind has been able to look up," artist Luke Jerram said. "But it was only 58 years ago that man could see the earth from outer space. And now everyone has that chance."

Jerram said he was inspired by something called the "overview effect," which is what astronauts experience when they first go into space and look down at Earth. He's had exhibitions around the world in 117 countries.

His latest features images taken from Apollo 8 in 1968, when it was circling the moon. Gaia provides an amazing experience as if you were looking down on Earth from space.

"They realize that the planet is this really fragile beautiful ecosystem," Jerram said. "We've only got one planet, and we have to look after it and the reason I made this artwork is to try to give the public the sense of what it might be like to float in space and look down on the Earth."

From British artist Luke Jerram, experience the world in a whole new way, this is Gaia. Gaia will be presented by Blumenthal Performing Arts until Oct. 1.

Contact Larry Sprinkle atlsprinkle@wcnc.comand follow him onFacebook,TwitterandInstagram.

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'Gaia' art exhibit brings out-of-this-world views of Earth to Charlotte - WCNC.com

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Mila Kunis talked Ashton Kutcher out of being one of- Daily Research Plot – Daily Research Plot

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Mila Kunis Updates: Ashton Kutcher was scheduled to take Richard Bransons next space flight. When we were kids we were told that going into space takes a lot of time in school and really hard preparation.

Richard Branson had the chance last week to test his own Virgin Galactic starship in interesting ways, even though it didnt actually go into space (it was just high in the sky and close enough to space to show off). discovered that another wealthy person would go into space with Branson: Ashton Kutcher.

In a meeting with the Cheddar News, Ashton Kutcher announced that he would have been important for the next space flight, but Mila Kunis was too concerned to even think about releasing him.

When I got married and had kids, my partner essentially supported the fact that going into space with young children was anything but a smart family decision, so I sold my ticket back to Virgin Galactic, he said. says Cheddar. He adds, I should be on the next flight, but I wont be on the next flight. However, Kutcher says that eventually it will actually make room.

As announced by CNN, Virgin Galactic spent nearly twenty years wrecking a spaceship that would make it conceivable to go to the edge of space. Just 6 people took their first test trip last week: Branson, Virgin Galactic leader Sirisha Bandla, astronaut instructor Virgin Galactic Chief and Interior Program Manager Beth Moses, Virgin Galactic lead operations engineer Colin Bennett, and pilots Dave Mackay and Michael Masucci.

However, Virgin Galactic has plans for these somewhat standard space excursions and a few rich folks. figured out how to save anywhere from $ 200,000 to $ 250,000 on tickets for a chance to fly off earth. And considering that may sound expensive, CNN says the organization will soon be selling more tickets at a much higher price.

Since this is the new diversion between very rich and exhausted people, Jeff Bezos is also supposed to fly into space on Tuesday with a spaceship of his organization Blue Origin. Bezos aviation organization downloaded a $ 28 million pass to join the trip. Undeniably more than it costs to go to Virgin Galactic.

These rich people, who have ample freedom not to pay reviews by leaving Earth whenever they want, are really screwed up, yet we trust them to take part in your space travel. that we no longer have to deal with the fact that they are destroying our planet.

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Mila Kunis talked Ashton Kutcher out of being one of- Daily Research Plot - Daily Research Plot

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