Daily Archives: December 12, 2023

Space Station Astronauts Find Desiccated Tomato After Blaming Colleague for Its Theft – Futurism

Posted: December 12, 2023 at 12:45 am

"We can exonerate him. We found the tomato." Grand Theft Tomato

A scandal on board the International Space Station has finally been put to bed.

For months now, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio has been accused by his fellow crew members in jest, they say, mostly at least of eating a tiny tomato that was laboriously grown on board the space station.

But as it turns out, Rubio was innocent.

"Our good friend Frank Rubio, who headed home [already], has been blamed for quite a while for eating the tomato," NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli said during a live stream celebrating the station's 25th anniversary.

"But we can exonerate him," she added in the footage, spotted by Space.com. "We found the tomato."

Rubio flew to the space station on board a Soyuz spacecraft in September 2022 and made his return just over a year later due to delays caused by the same capsule starting to uncontrollably leak coolant. The unusual incident forced Russia's space program to send a replacement spacecraft, which ended up taking several months.

While he was on board the station, Rubio tended to an experiment dubbed Veg-05, which involved growing tiny Red Robin dwarf tomatoes.

In late March, astronauts were each given a share of the harvest tucked inside Ziploc bags. Rubio says his share, however, floated away before he could eat the fruits of his labor.

"I spent so many hours looking for that thing," Rubio said during a September livestream. "I'm sure the desiccated tomato will show up at some point and vindicate me, years in the future."

In October, two weeks after returning to the ground, Rubio told reporters that he spent "18 to 20 hours of my own time looking for" the errant tomato, as quoted by Space.com.

"The reality of the problem, you know the humidity up there is like 17 percent," he added. "It's probably desiccated to the point where you couldn't tell what it was, and somebody just threw away the bag."

Given Moghbeli's latest comments, he likely was spot on in his predictions.

More on the ISS: Space Station Turns 25, Just in Time to Die

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Space Station Astronauts Find Desiccated Tomato After Blaming Colleague for Its Theft - Futurism

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Public can tune in as NASA live streams space station’s 25th anniversary call to crew – UPI News

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Dec. 5 (UPI) -- NASA officials will mark the 25th anniversary of the International Space Station with a call to the crew Wednesday, and the public and tune in.

"During a space to Earth call at 12:25 EST Wednesday, Dec. 6, the Expedition 70 crew will speak with NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana and Joel Montalbano, space station program manager," NASA said in a press release Tuesday.

NASA will live stream the event on NASA TV, YouTube and via the NASA App.

The commemoration will mark 25 years since the Zarya and Unity modules were connected by the crew of shuttle Endevour on Dec. 6, 1998.

Current NASA Associate Administrator Bob Cabana was the commander of the STS-88 shuttle mission that assembled the two modules.

"More than 3,300 research and educational investigations have been conducted on station from 108 countries and areas," NASA said. "Many lay the groundwork for future commercial destinations in low-Earth orbit and exploration farther into the solar system."

According to NASA, the ISS has been continuously inhabited for 23 years and has hosted 273 occupants.

The ISS is a rare cooperative project between Russia and the United States at a time of elevated tension between the two global superpowers caused primarily by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

On Friday, a Russian Progress spacecraft took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with supplies for the ISS.

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Public can tune in as NASA live streams space station's 25th anniversary call to crew - UPI News

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Space Station Crew Proves Missing Tomato Wasn’t Eaten By Astronaut – Tasting Table

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After returning to Earth in September 2023, with the tomato assumably gone forever, the good-natured ribbing continued, and Frank Rubio stood forever accused of secretly eating a part of history. He explained the accidental loss in a NASA video released on October 13, about seven months after the incident, bemoaning the fact that "a proud moment of harvesting the first tomato in space became a self-inflicted wound of losing the first tomato in space."

With the ISS spanning the equivalent space of a six-bedroom home with a gym, living spaces, anda massive 360-degree view window, there areplenty of weightless spaces for a frisky round tomato to frolic, bounce, and hide. But miraculously, eight months after beginning its freedom fling, the tomato has resurfaced to exonerate Rubio.According to fellow astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli during a December 6 commemoration of the Space Station's 25th anniversary, the tomato has officially reappeared.

There's no word yet on whether it's shriveled or a squishy blob, or even where it finally showed itself. But it's a miracle nonetheless. The tomato and its fellow clan members, which were cultivated using soil-less hydroponic and aeroponic techniques, are part of the Veg-5 studyand mission establishing agricultural production in space, supplying fresh food to future space crews aboard the ISS. The agricultural component of NASA's International Space Station also includes a program known asTomatosphere through which students in thousands of earthly classrooms study the effects of space atmospheres on tomato seeds.

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Space Station Crew Proves Missing Tomato Wasn't Eaten By Astronaut - Tasting Table

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Gov. Beshear: Over $656 million wagered since launch of sports betting – LEX 18 News – Lexington, KY

Posted: at 12:43 am

FRANKFORT, Ky. (LEX 18) More than $656 million has been wagered in Kentucky since the launch of sports betting in September, according to Gov. Andy Beshear.

Beshear said that averages out to be about $65.2 million per week.

In-person betting at retail locations launched first, but the mobile apps are pulling in the majority of the cash. The governor said almost $27 million has been bet in person compared to more than $629 million bet on the apps.

"Before we legalized sports betting, this money was going to other states, or the betting was being done illegally," said Beshear. "Now, thanks to our efforts, these dollars are staying right here in Kentucky."

How much money is staying in Kentucky? According to the governor, Kentucky made about $8 million in taxes from sports wagers in the first months of the program.

"It is an incredible start and if it continues, we will significantly exceed the $23 million in projected revenue from sports wagering," Beshear said.

Monday Night Football, NFL Betting Picks & Props: New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers, Week 14 – RotoWire

Posted: at 12:43 am

This article is part of our NFL Picks series.

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The Giants come out of their bye week with a difficult matchup against the surging Packers on Monday Night Football. Let's dig into the game and highlight some wagers to consider.

Giants: Spread +6.5 (-110), +220 Moneyline Packers: Spread -6.5 (-110), -270 Moneyline Game Total: 36.5 points

Despite Tyrod Taylor (ribs) expected to be activated off IR, he will not start for the Giants. That job will remain with Tommy DeVito, who has led the team to consecutive victories.

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DeVito has looked much better since the Giants were demolished by the Cowboys in Week 10. In a great matchup against the Commanders in Week 11, he threw for 246 yards and three touchdowns. A much more difficult Patriots defense awaited him in Week 12, and he emerged with 191 passing yards and one touchdown.

The Packers have defended the pass well, allowing the 10th-fewest passing yards per game in the league. However, their offense has been performing better of late under the direction of Jordan Love, scoring a total of 56 points over the last two games. The Giants would likely love to run the ball a lot, but they might not be able to if they fall into an early hole. The potential for more pass attempts makes taking the over on DeVito's passing yards total appealing.

It's no secret that the Giants want to lean heavily on Saquon Barkley with DeVito under center. Against the Commanders, he received 14 carries and five targets. That helped him find his way into the end zone two times. In Week 12, he received 12 carries and three targets in a defensive struggle with the Patriots.

As good as the Packers have been defending the pass, they have given up the third-most rushing yards per game in the league. That has contributed to them allowing 10 touchdowns to opposing running backs. At plus odds, it's worth taking a chance on Barkley finding his way into the end zone.

As of Friday morning, it wasn't looking encouraging for Christian Watson (hamstring) to play in this game. He officially didn't practice Thursday and said he wasn't sure if he'd be ready in time for Monday. His potential absence would be significant, given that he has posted 12 receptions for 165 yards and three touchdowns over the last two games.

If Watson can't play, more targets would likely be coming the way of Romeo Doubs. He also had one of his best games of the season last week, catching four of five targets for 72 yards against the Chiefs. In terms of his receiving yards prop total, Doubs has produced at least 42 receiving yards in two of his last three games. If Watson is out, Doubs could sail past the over. Even if he plays, Doubs can still hit this over.

The Packers are only 2-4 on the road this season. Three of their road losses came against the Falcons, Raiders and Broncos, none of which are exactly juggernauts. The Giants come into this matchup well rested and having won two straight. It will be difficult for the Giants to win outright, but look for them to keep things close enough to cover the spread.

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Monday Night Football, NFL Betting Picks & Props: New York Giants vs. Green Bay Packers, Week 14 - RotoWire

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Seminoles expand casino, sports-betting options as litigation continues – Florida Phoenix

Posted: at 12:43 am

The Seminole Tribe of Florida has added craps and roulette to its existing menu of casino games while expanding access to a new online sports book that allow placement of bets from anywhere within Florida via computer or cellphone.

The tribe already offered blackjack, baccarat, other casino card games, and slot machines, at six Seminole Casinos in the state. The new games will be available at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, and Seminole Classic Casino in Hollywood, the tribe said Friday.

The news comes as the sporting world prepares for college football bowl season and the NBA playoffs. The tribe began rolling out access to its sports betting operation on Nov. 7, although legal challenges to them remain pending. You can also lay a bet at one of the Seminoles six casinos in Florida.

The News Service of Florida has reported that the tribe will pay the state at least $650 million over the next year as its share of gambling proceeds under the Seminole Gaming Compact that the Legislature approved in 2021 and Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law. The states take over five years could hit $2.5 billion.

There remain two legal challenges to the sports book filed by competitors West Flagler Associates Ltd. and Bonita-Fort Myers Corp., one before the Florida Supreme Court and another before the U.S. Supreme Court. Neither of those courts has accepted the companies request to block the sports book, but appeals on the merits of the tribes deal with the state remain pending.

Both cases challenge the hub and spoke arrangement for betting on sports outcomes, wherein bets placed from anywhere in the state are deemed to have transpired through computer servers located on tribal land. At issue is whether the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, or IGRA, which regulates tribal gambling, and Floridas Amendment 3, approved by the voters in 2018, which requires a public referendum to expand casino gambling in the state, allow the arrangement.

The tribe and DeSantis administration have argued that sports betting isnt subject to Amendment 3 because its not a traditional casino game as defined in the amendment and because the amendment exempted Indian gambling. Also that federal law has long allowed arrangements similar to hub-and-spoke.

The U.S. Supreme Court has given the competitors until Feb. 8 to file formal arguments asking the justices to take up their appeal on its merits.

The competitors noted that Justice Brett Kavanaugh expressed qualms about hub-and-spoke even while voting not to disturb a U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruling allowing the sports betting.

To the extent that a separate Florida statute (as distinct from the compact) authorizes the Seminole Tribe and only the Seminole Tribe to conduct certain off-reservation gaming operations in Florida, the state law raises serious equal protection issues, he wrote.

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