Monthly Archives: May 2022

NASA is set to join the league of major sectors that are harnessing the potential of the metaverse. The space agency is looking for virtual reality simulations of Mars exploration, Gamerant reported.

The interest in colonizing Mars has been heating up for the past few years. Not only is SpaceX getting more and more confident about landing people on Mars, but NASA has also been working to get astronauts more acclimatized to staying on the Red Planet. Last year, we reported how NASA wants people to stay in Martian habitats created on Earth to learn about the impact of extended stays in these alien environments. Since all simulations cannot be practically done in real-life, the space agency is turning to the next best thing, the metaverse.

According to the Gamerant's report, NASA has created five categories of Martian simulations, namely,"Set Up Camp," "Scientific Research," "Maintenance," "Exploration," and "Blow Our Minds" for these environments. As the name suggests, the last one gives free rein to creativity and can be used to spring up the most bizarre or incredibly imaginative scenarios.

Submissions need to be made within 80 days, and there are up to four prizes for each category. Yes, this challenge is indeed open to all, and you could be a company or an individual and still take part in it. That's exactly why HeroX, a crowd-sourcing platform, tweeted it out.

In case you are wondering if there is so much to do in such little time, you actually do not have to do everything from scratch. Using the Unreal Engine 5, developers will aim to build their experiences to be used inside NASA's MarsXR Operations Support System. This environment already has a world with Martian terrain, realistic weather, day/night cycles, Martian gravity, and other assets like spacesuits and rovers.

So, your unique experience can be built on top of this existing platform, which allows you to focus on the experience and not worry about the nitty-gritty of it. Gamerant has reported that over 150 teams from around the world have already entered this challenge.

This could be your shot to fame and contribution to the next step in human space exploration, colonizing Mars if you are keen too.

Read more from the original source:
NASA will use the metaverse to build VR scenarios for Mars missions - Interesting Engineering

Design by Yoora Kim

Much like the many tricky-to-navigate facets of being young, the teen movie genre is one of the most intricate ones to get right. Over the years, studios have spawned some of the most iconic teen movies of all time like Mean Girls, LOL (did Miley Cyrus shape anyone else's formative years?), and Booksmart, but flicks that cater to the Gen Z experience are hard to come by. Thankfully, 2022 has provided us with a more accurate representation of teens today I mean, we finally have some of the best new teen movies dropping that cover a range of topics from grief to navigating first relationships (and queer ones, at that). While it's a small step toward seeing our real lives reflected on-screen, it's still progress.

We don't know about you, but this is by far our favorite movie genre, and lucky for us, we can expect to see a lot of them this year. So whether you are looking to find a new rom-com couple to stan or just looking for an easy way to escape, we've rounded up the 10 best new teen movies of 2022 (well, so far, anyway).

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Release date: January 14, 2022

Where to watch: Hulu

When overachiever Avery's long-distance boyfriend hints at wanting to take their relationship to the next level, she creates a study to get in touch with her sexuality. She enlists the help of her oldest friend, Larson, as a test subject. It results in more than sex education Avery learns that theres more to sex and love than mechanics.

Release date: February 11, 2022

Where to watch: Apple TV+

Seventeen-year-old musical prodigy Lennie Walker struggles with overwhelming grief after her older sister, Bailey, suddenly passes. When Joe Fontaine, the charismatic new guy at school, enters Lennie's life, she's instantly drawn to him. Lennie's vivid imagination helps her navigate her first love and first loss to create a song of her own.

Release date: February 11, 2022

Where to watch: Netflix

Tall Girl is back and better than ever. This time around, Jodi is popular, confident, and landed the lead role in her school's musical. Did we mention she also has a boyfriend now? Her new status brings on a ton of pressure and insecurities, and she's having trouble getting adjusted to all the changes. Jodi also forms new relationships while old ones are tested, and she realizes that standing tall comes with a whole new world.

Release date: February 23, 2022

Where to watch: Paramount+

In this coming-of-age comedy, Troye Sivan plays a punk gay teenager from Miami who's exposed to HIV the weekend of his high school graduation. As he waits the three-month period to get tested, he builds a bond with someone from his support group and makes some discoveries about himself along the way.

Release date: March 15, 2022

Where to watch: Disney+

Thirteen-year-old Nate has big Broadway dreams, but he faces an issue when he isn't cast in the school play. So, he and his best friend Libby embark on an adventure to New York City where he unexpectedly reunites with his long-lost Aunt Heidi. Together, they must prove that life's greatest adventures are only as big as your dreams.

Release date: March 31, 2022

Where to watch: HBO Max

Lana Condor and Cole Sprouse's romantic comedy is set in the future, where the best of the best humans reside and colonize on Mars. They play two very different college students, Sophie and Walt, who join forces for an unlikely adventure so they can meet their significant others on Mars. The duo forms an unexpected friendship (and maybe something more) along the way.

Release date: April 8, 2022

Where to watch: Netflix

In this comedy, two metal-loving friends Hunter and Kevin start a band but can't find a bassist. They end up enlisting the one girl in their high school who plays the cello so they can win the Battle of the Bands. Their friendship and musical skills are tested along the way, but it's all worth it in the end if they get to be worshipped like some of their favorite rockstars.

Release date: April 29, 2022

Where to watch: Hulu

Rowan Blanchard stars as Paige, an aspiring artist who's forced to join her high school track team as punishment for painting punny murals across her high school campus. The only problem is she isn't the one who did it. She uses her new stint on the track team to track down the culprit and also pursue the girl shes been crushing on since elementary school. She soon finds herself falling for an unexpected teammate and discovers what real love feels like.

Release date: May 13, 2022

Where to watch: Netflix

In this comedy, Rebel Wilson stars as a high-school cheerleader who falls into a coma right before the biggest night of her senior year: prom. Twenty years later, she wakes up from her coma and decides to finish her high school education to reclaim her popularity and be crowned prom queen.

Release date: June 3, 2022

Where to watch: Disney+

Grace VanderWaal will be reprising her role as Stargirl Caraway for the movie's sequel where the beloved character heads to Hollywood. She's set to perform original music for the new movie, which follows Stargirl as she meets aspiring filmmakers and stars in their movie musical.

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10 Best New Teen Movies of 2022 Most Anticipated Teen Movies 2022 - Seventeen

After six months, three U.S. astronautsdeparted the International Space Station on Thursday and splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico early Friday. The SpaceX capsule carried the Americans and one German from theEuropean Space Agency.

Is this mission special? The partnership between NASA and SpaceX gives American astronauts another route home after research assignments aboard the space station. Since NASA ended its shuttle program in 2011, U.S. astronauts have hitched rides on Russian spacecraft, often landing in Kazakhstan. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent degrading of the relationship between Washington and the Kremlin, there was some concern that the Russian space agency, Roscosmos,would leave Americans stranded in space. Roscosmos did ferry Mark Vande Hei back to Earth in March as planned.

Dig deeper: Listen to Bonnie Pritchetts report on The World and Everything in Itpodcast about how the war in Ukraine is threatening long-standing international partnerships in space.

See the original post here:
SpaceX mission returns to Earth | WORLD - WORLD News Group

(The Conversation is an independent and nonprofit source of news, analysis and commentary from academic experts.)

(THE CONVERSATION) Satellites help run the internet and television and are central to the Global Positioning System. They enable modern weather forecasting, help scientists track environmental degradation and play a huge role in modern military technology.

Nations that dont have their own satellites providing these services rely on other countries. For those that want to develop their own satellite infrastructure, options are running out as space fills up.

I am a research fellow at Arizona State University, studying the wider benefits of space and ways to make it more accessible to developing countries.

Inequity is already playing out in access to satellites. In the not-so-distant future, the ability to extract resources from the Moon and asteroids could become a major point of difference between the space haves and have-nots. As policies emerge, there is the risk that these inequities become permanent.

Where to park a satellite

Thanks to the rapid commercialization, miniaturization and plummeting costs of satellite technology in recent years, more countries are able to reap the benefits of space.

CubeSats are small, cheap, customizable satellites that are simple enough to be built by high school students. Companies such as SpaceX can launch one of these satellites into orbit for relatively cheap from $1,300 per pound. However, there are only so many places to park a satellite in orbit around Earth, and these are quickly filling up.

The best parking is in geostationary orbit, around 22,250 miles (35,800 kilometers) above the equator. A satellite in geostationary orbit rotates at the same rate as Earth, remaining directly above a single location on Earths surface which can be very useful for telecommunications, broadcasting and weather satellites.

There are only 1,800 geostationary orbital slots, and as of February 2022, 541 of them were occupied by active satellites. Countries and private companies have already claimed most of the unoccupied slots that offer access to major markets, and the satellites to fill them are currently being assembled or awaiting launch. If, for example, a new spacefaring nation wants to put a weather satellite over a specific spot in the Atlantic Ocean that is already claimed, they would either have to choose a less optimal location for the satellite or buy services from the country occupying the spot they wanted.

Orbital slots are allocated by an agency of the United Nations called the International Telecommunication Union. Slots are free, but they go to countries on a first-come, first-served basis. When a satellite reaches the end of its 15- to 20-year lifespan, a country can simply replace it and renew its hold on the slot. This effectively allows countries to keep these positions indefinitely. Countries that already have the technology to utilize geostationary orbit have a major advantage over those that do not.

While geostationary orbital slots are the most useful and limited, there are many other orbits around Earth. These, too, are filling up adding to the growing problem of space debris.

Low Earth orbit is around 1,000 miles (1,600 km) above the surface. Satellites in low Earth orbit are moving fast in a highly congested environment. While this may be a good place for Earth imaging satellites, it is not ideal for single communication satellites like those used to broadcast television, radio and the internet.

Low Earth orbit can be used for communications if multiple satellites work together to form a constellation. Companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin are working on projects to put thousands of satellites into low Earth orbit over the next few years to provide internet across the globe. The first generation of SpaceXs Starlink consists of 1,926 satellites, and the second generation will add another 30,000 to orbit.

At the current rate, the major space players are rapidly occupying geostationary and low Earth orbits, potentially monopolizing access to important satellite capabilities and adding to space junk.

Access to resources in space

Orbital slots are an area where inequity exists today. The future of space could be a gold rush for resources and not everyone will benefit.

Asteroids hold astounding amounts of valuable minerals and metals. Later this year, NASA is launching a probe to explore an asteroid named 16 Psyche, which scientists estimate contains over US$10 quintillion worth of iron. Tapping huge resource deposits like this and transporting them to Earth could provide massive boosts to the economies of spacefaring nations while disrupting the economies of countries that currently depend on exporting minerals and metals.

Another highly valuable resource in space is helium-3, a rare version of helium that scientists think could be used in nuclear fusion reactions without producing radioactive waste. While there are considerable technological obstacles to overcome before helium-3 is a feasible energy source, if it works, there are enough deposits on the Moon and elsewhere in the solar system to satisfy Earths energy requirements for several centuries. If powerful spacefaring countries develop the technology to use and mine helium-3 and choose not to share the benefits with other nations it could result in lasting inequities.

Existing international space laws are not well suited to handle the complicated web of private companies and nations competing for resources in space. Countries are organizing into groups or space blocs that are uniting on goals and rules for future space missions. Two notable space blocs are planning missions to set up bases and potential mining operations on the Moon: the Artemis Accords, led by the U.S., as well as joint Chinese and Russian plans.

Right now, the major players in space are establishing the norms for exploiting resources. There is a risk that instead of focusing on what is best for everyone on Earth, competition will drive these decisions, damaging the space environment and causing conflict. History shows that it is hard to challenge international norms once they are established.

Moving forward

Access to space is critical for the functioning of a modern nation. Space access will only become more important as humanity rapidly advances toward a future of space hotels and colonies on Mars.

The 1967 Outer Space Treaty, the founding document of space law, says that space should be used for the benefit and in the interests of all countries. The policies taking shape today will dictate whether this is the case in the future.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: https://theconversation.com/wealthy-nations-are-carving-up-space-and-its-riches-and-leaving-other-countries-behind-182820.

Read more:
Wealthy nations are carving up space and its riches and leaving other countries behind - Jacksonville Journal-Courier

THERE is perhaps no individual more closely associated with humanity's mission to explore space than Elon Musk.

As the founder and CEO of SpaceX, Musk has overseen the development of hundreds of launches - some more successful than others.

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Last month, Elon Musk bought Twitter in an attention-grabbing hostile takeover - but his other businesses are still redefining the future.

SpaceX is the second highest-valued private company in the world with an estimated worth of over $100billion dollars.

They are producing, launching and reusing rockets and charging $55million dollars for a commercial ticket.

Here is a catalogue of the best models and most disastrous failures from all 160 SpaceX launches.

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The Falcon family of rockets was named after Luke Skywalker's Millennium Falcon.

The Falcon 1 design was used for five launches, two were successful and three failed.

On the third launch, the rocket malfunctioned after it separated from the first booster and it did not reach orbit.

The Falcon 1 made history on September 28, 2008 when it became the first privately-developed rocket in orbit.

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No one said going to space and using the same rocket to do it would be easy.

SpaceX has had a string of wins lately, with successful launches and government contracts, but when you're working with rocket fuel, explosions happen.

The Falcon 9v1.1 never successfully landed.

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The Grasshopper is a now-retired SpaceX prototype that provided key insights for landing a rocket.

During tests, the Grasshopper climbed up to 2,441 feet in the air and came to a safe landing, proving that rockets could be reused.

Musk used the Grasshopper to correct a statement rival billionaire Jeff Bezos made on Twitter.

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The Falcon 9 is the first reusable rocket of its kind - it made history as the first orbital rocket to be landed and re-launched in 2017.

In the years since, the Falcon 9 has pioneered sustainability in the spaceflight industry - one iteration of the spaceship, model B1051, made headlines for its dusty look after 10 space trips and few cleanings.

As for recent work, a Falcon 9 rocket just brought a shipment of 53 Starlink satellites to lower Earth orbit.

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The Falcon Heavy is the most powerful rocket developed to date.

The SpaceX site boasts the rocket "can lift more than twice the payload of the next closest operational vehicle" and generates more than five million pounds of thrust to propel the mighty ship to Earth-exiting speeds.

The Falcon Heavy had its first test launch in 2018 and later in the flight it ejected the Tesla vehicle it carried on board - Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster is set to orbit the cosmos for centuries with the phrase "Made on Earth by humans" etched into the dash.

The Falcon Heavy's specs - three cores and 27 engines - means the rocket is capable of bringing almost 40,000 pounds in payload all the way to Mars.

The Falcon Heavy has blasted off three times and will bring the first components for Gateway space station to the Moon in 2024.

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The Starship spacecraft is designed to fly SpaceX's most ambitious interplanetary missions.

In the Starship user guide, the company writes "the Starship crewconfiguration can transport up to 100 people from Earthinto [low Earth orbit] and on to the Moon and Mars."

Musk has been candid about his aspirations to colonize the Moon and Mars - in 2019, he tweeted "One day Starship will land on the rusty sands of Mars."

The Starship is slated to bring Japanese mogul Yusaku Maezawa and a space tourism crew on a flyby of the Moon during a week-long journey in 2023.

Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 with capital he earned from taking PayPal public.

The company celebrated their 20th anniversary on May 6th by launching their 17th rocket this year, leaving a "space jellyfish" in the sky.

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All Elon Musk's SpaceX rockets revealed with disasters that turned into blazes - The US Sun