Out in the desert in New Mexico, in the dusty terrain bordering a commercial spaceport, I got the chance to take a wild ride in a "lunar rover."

Why is "lunar rover" in quotation marks, you might ask? Well, the all-terrain vehicle that I rode through the desert never left tracks on the moon's surface and, in fact, wasn't even built by NASA or any other space agency to be used by astronauts on the moon. Instead, it is a stock Polaris RZR, which is a dune buggy made for tough terrain. It was also used as a mock lunar rover in the hit space thriller "Ad Astra."

In the film (mild spoilers ahead), astronaut Roy McBride, played by Brad Pitt, has to travel across the lunar surface to a remote launch site. En route to the launch site on a rover, McBride is accosted by moon pirates, who are riding in slightly different rovers. (The vehicle that I rode appeared to be one of these "pirate rovers.")

Watch:See a Sneak Peek of 'Ad Astra' Moon Action!

This scene was shot in Death Valley in the northern Mojave Desert in California and later edited to look like the surface of the moon. But, out in the New Mexico desert near Virgin Galactic's commercial spaceport, Spaceport America, I got a taste of what the desert chase was really like.

At a media event supporting the Blu-ray and DVD release of the film, which was hosted at Spaceport America, I had the opportunity to ride in one of the vehicles that was used as a lunar rover in the film. The vehicle was driven by Eric Underwood, who worked as a stunt driver in the movie and a mechanic for the vehicles. He drove me around the desert and I got a chance to feel the thrill of "driving on the moon."

The ride was exhilarating, and I felt like Apollo astronaut Charlie Duke, who co-piloted a real lunar rover on the moon's surface decades ago. And, while the vehicle didn't have tires made of zinc-coated piano wire and titanium threads woven into a chevron-pattern mesh (like the real lunar rovers did, to prevent the wheels from sinking into the soil), it gave me a tiny look into what such a ride might be like.

Apparently, during the filming of the movie, the cast loved riding around in the rovers as much as I did. "Everybody was super excited," Underwood told me during the ride, referring to the cast.

I attended the 'Ad Astra' media event for Space.com on a trip paid for by 20th Century Fox.

Follow Chelsea Gohd on Twitter @chelsea_gohd. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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I rode the 'Lunar Rover' from 'Ad Astra' and it was awesome (video) - Space.com

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Next year, India is to launch Indians into space. Critics in the science policy community may argue that six decades after Yuri Gagarin first orbited Earth, the scientific and technical objectives of such a mission are questionable. Nevertheless, even if they are right, it is entirely appropriate to launch a mission just to test ones capabilities. It is also appropriate to use that test to prove that capability to the world. Space travel makes for good propaganda. Better cutting edge science than gigantic statues standing on environmentally devastating reservoirs, mocking those whose homes it submerged.

But we must ensure that we get the maximum propaganda bang for the Big Science buck. Cynics will tell you that the easiest way to do this today is to be seen to be doing something about two issues, one of which is the environment. But the odd solar panel notwithstanding, space travels significant but still uncertain impact on the environment will not be easy to mitigate.

Token action on the question of gender may make for an easier win. If the first Indian to travel in an Indian spacecraft were to be a woman, Gaganyaan would assume global historical significance. For the briefest of moments, we could forget the appallingly low female representation in parliament, legislative assemblies, cabinets and corporate boards, and bask in woke glory. So the fact that no woman has been selected to be the first vyomanaut, as ISRO chairman K. Sivan recently reiterated, is disappointing.

Perhaps no female candidate was deemed fit to withstand the physical demands of space travel. The authors got a sense of just how physically gruelling space travel could be at the Cosmonauts exhibition at the Science Museum in London, where the cramped seat of the Vostok 6, in which Valentina Tereshkova had spent long hours during her maiden voyage in 1963, was on display.

In the popular imagination, the Soviets were particularly good at propaganda. This is why Tereshkova was not only a woman but also a mere textile worker. Orphaned by war of a working-class father, she had been raised by her mother who worked in a factory. But Soviet women in all sections of the workforce made real gains, especially in science and technology.

In contrast, the Americans, who replicated every single Soviet achievement within months during the early space race, only sent Sally Ride into space in 1983. Astonishingly, this was barely a year before Rakesh Sharma became the first Indian in space, with his voyage on a Soyuz T-11, undertaken while a woman was Indias prime minister. Victory in the space race was clearly not important enough for the Americans to make a one-off exception in the postwar reimposition of motherhood and domesticity on its women, who lost the meagre gains they had made by entering the workforce in large numbers during the Second World War. As Sophie Pinkham wrote in The New York Times, with the large number of women and members of disadvantaged racial groups it had sent into space, the Soviets won the space race for equality.

Despite promises of induction of women into combat, the number of trained female pilots in the Indian Air Force are still low. In 2015, when it allowed women to become fighter pilots, the force had 94 female pilots. In response to a parliamentary question, the government revealed that the force had 1,905 female officers of which only eight were fighter pilots, in July 2019. But only military test pilots were to be chosen for the mission, as a senior ISRO official said in August, and there were no women in such roles.

Thus, one reason women werent selected for Gaganyaan was the low population of qualified applicants in the pool due to systematic discrimination at the lower levels, which is a problem in many sectors. This is undoubtedly where policy intervention must focus most strongly.

However, we must also ask whether the Department of Space could have undertaken more efforts to accommodate women in the first Gaganyaan flight. According to the ISRO official, they decided to open the pool only to test pilots because most maiden missions undertaken by different countries in the past had test pilots.

ISRO has been known as the worlds leader in frugal engineering and for building space applications suited for developing countries, and has always blazed its own path. So in the wake of the national need for a symbolic victory in the battle for gender equality, ISRO should arguably have strayed from the well-trodden path to yet again test the limits of its technological development capabilities and achieve a world first.

Just how easy it may be to attain this flight of fancy emerges if we look at Tereshkovas qualifications for the role. In 1959, at the age of 22, she made her first amateur skydive at the local aeroclub. She became a member of the Communist Party in 1962, and was selected that year along with four other women to be trained as cosmonauts. After less than a year of pilot training, she was deemed fit to fly. Tereshkovas achievement was astounding. On her voyage, she spent three days in space compared to Gagarins 108 minutes and logged more flight time in that single flight than all the American astronauts before her combined.

But of course, only the people at the very top of the national political leadership, rather than those at ISRO or the air force, could ever decide to tailor a crewed mission around the skills of the best qualified women. This is unlikely to happen given how the establishment even some parts of the science establishment has tacitly, and sometimes explicitly, condoned the recent brutal assaults on young women studying science and other disciplines at our finest universities. It is not merely that this government is blind to the gender question that its otherwise aggressive PR machinery has failed to seize the possibilities of a female astronaut. Its policy failings may well be deliberate. For this is Ram Rajya 2.0, and Ram always goes first.

The morale of female astronauts as well as of the millions of little girls who dream of voyaging to the stars is at a low point. NASA finally got on the wokeness bandwagon and announced the first all-female spacewalk only to call it off in May 2019 for want of an appropriately sized space suit. And by selecting an all-male crew, India has lost a crucial opportunity to boost the spirits of female science and technology workers all over the world.

Indian women privileged enough to have the choice are often forced to make the decision to move abroad to even be able to pursue their passions. It is sad that the India of 2022 seemingly only justifies Kalpana Chawlas 1984 decision to move to the US.

Virjana Dwarkan is a radical feminist. She tweets at @BahutFeminist. Kapil Subramanian is a historian of science.

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Why It Shouldn't Be so Difficult for a Woman to Fly Gaganyaan First But Is - The Wire

Sputnik

10:59 AM | January 18, 2020

Musks SpaceX is now developing a next-generation spacecraft called Starship that the company said would land on the Moon in 2022 with manned flights to Earths natural satellite planned shortly after. Musk and SpaceX also plan to use Starship to send people to Mars.

Tech visionary Elon Musk has saidSpaceX could send one million people to Mars by 2050 during a conversation with social media users on Twitter. On 17 January, Musk posted a tweet saying: Megatons per year to orbit are needed for life to become multiplanetary. Users then asked how many flights a day his company SpaceX plans to make. To that the engineer maverick replied:

His posts caused even more questions with one user suggesting that with an average rate of 3 flights per day SpaceX could send one million people to the Red Planet by 2050. To which Musk eloquently replied: Yes.

The 48-year-old outlined his plans about the colonisation of the Red Planet in a Mars Base Alpha initiative in 2018. Photos posted on his Twitter account show landing sites for the Falcon Heavy rocket and large dome-like structures, which appear to be powered by a solar farm. The domes will be used to house humans, protecting them from low temperatures and UV radiation.

SpaceX plans to landhumans on the Moonshortly after 2022 and said the first manned mission to Mars could follow as early as 2024. Musk said the most important factor in simplifying space travel is to make a reusable rocket, which will drastically decrease the cost of sending humans into space. The tech maverick once claimed that an individual ticket could one day cost less than $100,000 dollars.

Musk also noted that once SpaceX finishes developing the Starship spacecraft it could be used to travel anywhere on Earth with passengers able to get to any part of our planet in under an hour.

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Elon Musk says SpaceX could send one million people to Mars by 2050 - The Nation

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 13: (L-R) Director Bert, Johanna Colon, Bella Higginbotham, and ... [+] Allison Janney pose for a portrait at the premiere of Amazon Studios' "Troop Zero" on January 13, 2020 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)

Troop Zero is a film about finding your tribe and your truth according to actress McKenna Grace. The story of a misfit group of Birdie Scouts growing up in 1970s Georgia and their dream of landing on NASAs Golden Record is at the heart of Amazons Troop Zero, but it also opens up discussions about our disconnected interest in space in a world of privatization as well as the age old question of what it means to be the perfect woman. Grace, actor Jim Gaffigan, Troop Zeros screenwriter Lucy Alibar, and directing duo Bert & Bertie sat down to discuss tackling these issues with a film that, at the core, is about having a fun adventure.

The overall tone when talking to Troop Zeros cast and crew is that of warmth. When directors Bert and Bertie read Alibars script they saw themselves. We were weird as brownie scouts. We were outsiders; we were different, Bertie says. For years they felt they had to fall in line with the popular crowd, a story they believe nearly everyone can relate to, and in reading Alibars tale of a little girl named Christmas Flint (Grace) and her dream of being on the Golden Record they found a deeper message behind the fun, according to Bert. They made a pitch that showed our creative hearts to the producers in the room and the rest was history.

For Alibar, best known as the scribe behind Beasts of the Southern Wild, she knew she wanted to make a movie about children and her hometown in Florida, but she also found herself pulled into the world of the Golden Record, a phonograph record sent into space as part of the Voyager mission containing a time capsule of life on Earth meant to teach any alien life about us. I just couldnt get this idea of the Golden Record out of my head and this imagination of what I would have done if I were nine years old, Alibar says. How would that have changed my life to know that this opportunity was out there. The rapid changes that have come to the South have been, in part, because of the rise of the internet, which Alibar says she wanted to go back and revisit.

Though the story isnt autobiographical, per se, Alibar utilized elements of her life for the story, including making Christmas dad, Ramsay, played by Jim Gaffigan, a criminal defense attorney who works out of the house like Alibars own father did. Gaffigan, for his part, wasnt just drawn to the feature because he got to work with Viola Davis but how his character was written by Alibar. He considers Ramsay a flawed yet well-intentioned father...who would do anything for his kids. He wouldnt be caught up in the gender discussions of the 1970s, right down to volunteering to help Christmas and the Birdie Scouts by being their troop leader. Its just one element that showcases the wacky yet inclusive world Troop Zero wants to focus on. McKenna Grace explains that much of what makes the movie so positive for viewers is how it espouses the idea that its okay to be yourself. In a world where she says her interaction with social media is limited due to cyber bullying, Troop Zero emphasizes that if people in society cant accept you, its up to you to go out into the world and find people who do.

For Bert and Bertie, as well as Alibar, much of this is bound up in how women, specifically, are forced into a societal ideal. Christmas is a girl who loves stories, according to Alibar, but that imagination is at odds with the aesthetics of the Birdie ethos as espoused by Allison Janneys character, Miss Massey. The notion of what makes a proper little girl is something I dont think weve grown out of, says Alibar. Beauty isnt owed to anyone and yet there is still a reliance on physical appearance as a means of perpetuating goodness. Furthermore, weve been told culturally that girls can be mean to each other, Bertie says, But weve also not been told that we can find our girls and work together, and that were stronger together.

And its hard to deny the desire to showcase Christmas interest in space. In a day where space travel is now open to tourists with deep pockets and NASA doesnt send rockets into regular exploration, Troop Zero reminds us of a time where scientific wonderment was encouraged. Space represents not just that were part of the huge, expansive universe according to Bert, but also Christmas desire to connect with her deceased mother. Taking the large and transitioning into the niche, in terms of making Christmas quest connect with her individually, was an element that came late to the directors but presents a unifying theme. Gaffigan agrees with its necessity, calling Christmas the scientific dreamer, illustrating how science can be a medium for creativity.

Everything about Troop Zero is meant to charge your heart. McKenna Grace enthusiastically mentions that the child cast keeps in touch and, if anything, the filming of Troop Zero has turned a group of actors into lifelong friends. Theres plenty to wonder in the universe, but Troop Zero reminds us that were less alone together.

Troop Zero is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video

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Learning To Fly With The Birdies Behind Troop Zero - Forbes

Canadiens' Jesperi Kotkaniemi lands a punch during his fight with Flyers defenceman Robert Hagg Thursday night in Philadelphia.Eric Hartline / USA TODAY Sports

Good morning and welcome to the TGIF edition of While You Were Sleeping. Baby its cold outside (ahead of a snowy weekend) so not only should you bundle up, but dont be in such a rush on the roads, says Quebec 511. You know how we worry. Onward.

The Habs won and so did Jesperi Kotkaniemi: In his post-win story, Pat Hickey wrote: There was no shortage of heroes in the Canadiens 4-1 victory over the Flyers Thursday night. Ilya Kovalchuk did what he does best, scoring two goals. The teams leading scorer, Tomas Tatar, had a three-point night with a goal and two assists. And Carey Price continued his run of outstanding performances, making 40 saves. But when it came time for the players to select the player of the game, the honour went to 19-year-old Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who spent most of the third period sitting in the penalty box after dropping his gloves and traded punches with Robert Hagg. Read on right here.

Man arrested in connection with death of mother of six in Mascouche: A man in his 30s has been arrested in connection with the suspicious death of the mother of six children in Mascouche on Thursday. The children were present when local police entered the des Anglais Rd. home at 4 a.m. Thursday to find the woman and a man injured. The victim, 33-year-old Jal Cantin, is believed to have been assaulted overnight Wednesday. Her death was confirmed in hospital. The Sret du Qubecs major crimes division was assigned to the case and the provincial force announced the arrest of a suspect late Thursday, saying he could not be identified because he had yet to be charged.

Friends of victims of Flight 752 are trying to sort out what to do with their belongings: Officials say 138 people travelling to Canada from Iran were killed when a Ukraine International Airlines flight carrying 176 passengers was shot down by the Iranian military. The dead included Razgar Rahimi, his wife and young son. Friends say they lived north of Toronto and had no other relatives in Canada. Shaho Shahbazpanahi was close friends with the family and says hes now trying to help their surviving relatives sort out what to do with their house and vehicles. He says for first-generation immigrants, friends become like family and he feels its his responsibility to do everything he can. Vancouver lawyer Samin Mortazavi says someone with assets in both Iran and Canada could find themselves dealing with Canadian and Iranian law. He says its hard to obtain a temporary resident visa because of Canadas relationship to Iran, but Ottawa says it can assist family members who need visas urgently.

The Canadian military is looking for help taking out the trash in space: Over the last two years, the militarys Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security program has awarded nearly $5 million in contracts to Canadian companies and university researchers to find ways to identify some of the millions of pieces of junk orbiting the Earth. Now it is preparing to award more contracts hoping to find a way to get rid of the junk once it has been identified. The European Space Agency estimates more than 129 million pieces of space junk are circling our planet, most of them smaller than a raisin. The junk, often remnants of space vehicles and other debris from human- or remote-controlled trips into space, travel at speeds of up to 28,000 kilometres per hour and pose significant risks to working space craft and satellites. The Canadian military says current removal systems are ineffective and nobody has yet found a way to keep track of the smallest pieces of space debris.

New rules for climbers: Parks Canada has implemented new rules for climbers on the countrys highest peak after having to rescue eight people in seven years. The rules, which are posted on the agencys website, include a moratorium on solo climbing on the 5,959-metre Mount Logan, in Yukon. Climbers are also required to have insurance to cover any search-and-rescue costs for all expeditions in the Icefield Ranges of Kluane National Park before they are issued a permit. Ed Jager, director of visitor experience with Parks Canada, says they want to improve safety for people visiting the park as well as their rescue teams. He says they are also hoping to reduce the burden on taxpayers who end up picking up the cost of the rescues. Jager says there have been eight rescue missions in Kluane in the last seven years, each costing between $60,000 and $100,000.

Source: Canadian Press

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WYWS: Habs and Kotkaniemi both win, man arrested after Mascouche death - Montreal Gazette

Nowthe 2010s have come to end, here are Screen Rant's best movies of the decade. It's been a roller coaster ten years for cinema of all descriptions. The blockbuster landscape has seen the rise to dominance of Disney, indie cinema has an increasingly diverse outlook promoted by upstarts such as A24, the Oscars have had an overhaul that rewards a more interesting set (mostly), andstreaming giants havetaken an increasing share of top directors and audience attention

But it is, ultimately, all about the films themselves. And across the 2010s, audiences have been spoilt for choice no matter what they're looking for at the theater: from superhero to horror, thriller to historical, there's been a perfect mix of the boundary-pushing, the masterfully-executed the sheer exhilarating.And that is what wants celebrating.

Related: Best TV Shows Of The Decade

Screen Rant editors and writers voted with their ranked top 20 films of the past ten years, which were then attributed points based on preference and thecumulative winner calculated. Ties were broken based on how high the movies placed in individual rankings.

Christopher Nolan's galaxy-traversing sci-fi epic about mortality and love has had a peculiar life, lauded for its meticulous (and scientifically accurate) space travel effects but divisive for its conclusion that"love is the one thing we're capable of perceiving that transcends dimensions of time and space."But while some of the entry points may be blunt (the closest thing to a villain is "best of us" Dr. Mann), Interstellar isan incredibly purposeful and measured movie that has aged impeccably since its 2014 box office smash. Come for the 2001-evoking special effects, stay to tear up when Matthew McConaughey uses a black hole to reconnect with his daughter.

Related:Interstellar Ending & Space Travel Explained

In lesser hands, Silver Linings Playbook could have been manipulative, messy, or worse, offensive. But director David O. Russell found the right approach, telling an engaging and relatable human story that was equal parts heartfelt and entertaining. Walking that fine line required a great amount of skill from Russell, but he was also helped immensely by his talented cast. Bradley Cooper surprised in a dynamic role that showcased his acting range, Jennifer Lawrence announced herself as Hollywood's newest megastar with a commanding turn that demanded audiences' attention, and Robert De Niro was back in vintage, Oscar-worthy form. One doesn't have to be an Eagles fan to find something to love in this film.

[Written by Chris Agar]

The Fox-era of X-Men movies officiallyends with The New Mutants, but the perfect finale releasedthree years earlier in the form of Logan. A sci-fi western where Hugh Jackman Shanes his way through protecting an aging Professor X and his young clone,it was more internalized and meditative than superhero audiences were accustomed to - and excelled as a result. There's a purposefulness and reflection that few other franchise movies can match, and a weight to character that even in-depth studies rarely reach.

Related: Why Logan's Ending Is Perfect

A Turing test of a movie, Ex Machina pits Domnhall Gleeson, Oscar Isaac and Alicia Vikander in a three-way game to define what makes us human. It's a tight, economical thriller - set in a single location and keeping the cast small - yet Alex Garland's ideas (and some Oscar-winning visual effects) take Ex Machina so much further. While it's got multiple breakouts (Gemma Chan also stars), Vikander is particularly beguiling as Ava, a calculating creation or product of a flawed genius, a question that you'll be debating long after the movie has finished.

There's a very good argument to be made that Whiplash has thebest movie ending of the decade. An energized showdown between Miles Teller's angsty drumming student andJ.K. Simmons' manipulatively bullish teacher, it's a tightly edited battleof wits driven by off-the-cuff drumming. But it only works so breathlessly thanks to the careDamien Chazelle putsinto everything leading up to Carnegie Hall. Simmons' turn as Fletcher is rightly lauded for intensity that would shake J. Jonah Jameson, but the ruthlessness of Teller'sAndrew is what makes the rough victory so earned.

It took 12 years to make, but Boyhood is far more than just a gimmick movie. Telling the Texan childhood of Mason from 6 to 18, taking in divorce, first loves and Pottermania, Richard Linklater's real-time encapsulation tells a sprawling-yet-intimate account that's incredibly personable yet immediately relatable. While the writer-director's deft eye for emotional truth gets the project off the ground, it's the performances he evolves that complete the vision - Patricia Arquette and Ethan Hawke as the split parents make Boyhood so much more than a nostalgic throwback to youth.

David Heyman may have made billions for Warner Bros. with Harry Potter, but his true producing masterwork may just be the Paddington movies. Directed by Paul King, the films capture the very essence of Michael Bond's marmalade-loving Peruvian bear while updating to a divided Britain that deepens everything he represents. It's the sequel,Paddington 2,that truly steps into greatness, with an overbearing niceness the default, a prison interlude challenging Wes Anderson's work in The Grand Budapest Hotel, and a defining villain turn from Hugh Grant.

Luca Guadagnino's Call Me By Your Name is a simmering romance and coming-of-age story, set against the serene backdrop of a rural Italian town and villa. Leads Timothe Chalamet and Armie Hammer have magnetic chemistry as Elio, the 17-year-old son of a college professor, and Oliver, a graduate student who comes to stay with the family. With a dreamy soundtrack from Sufjan Stevens, Call Me By Your Name perfectly captures the excitement and heartbreak of young love.

[Written by Hannah Shaw-Williams]

The biggest film of all time, the conclusion to a narrative threaded through 21 previous movies, and yet it ends with a couple in the 1950s dancing in their front room. Avengers: Endgame is the Marvel Cinematic Universe in microcosm, which means big action, plenty of Easter eggs, but above all: character.At the core of Endgame are the final stages of Iron Man and Captain America's arcs, withRobert Downey, Jr. and Chris Evans get ample time to telltheir respective stories without detracting from the other.

Her debut inBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicemay have divided audiences, but Diana Prince came out swinging in her solo outing. Wonder Woman was the first female-fronted superhero movie in over a decade, but defined itself by not resting on such gender limitations. Mythology meets wartime period action meets Superman: The Movie-style wistfullness, Patty Jenkins' film shows how superhero movies can distill a myriad of sources to tell a story that is fundamentally about the now. An overly CGI-d finale may wear off some sheen, but with Gal Gadot emerging fully-formed, it's no surprise that Wonder Woman is leading the DCEU forward into the 2020s.

Related:EveryUpcoming & In-Development DCMovie

Lady Bird, the astonishingly assured directorial debut from Greta Gerwig, stands as one of the best entries into the coming-of-age genre in recent memory - and just one of the best movies, period. Led by a stunning performance from Saoirse Ronan (complemented by great supporting turns from Laurie Metcalf, Beanie Feldstein, and Timothe Chalamet, among others), Gerwigs script is wholly relatable and authentic, perfectly capturing the triumphs and traumas of teenage years. Lady Bird herself is a wonder too, a fresh protagonist for the modern era, who never falls into cliches. Its hella tight.

[Written by James Hunt]

From one half of Key & Peele comes the decade's most invigorating horror movie, a tense, slightly madcap thriller with an unflinching message at its heart. Get Out begins as a pretty expected look at (what appears to be) repressed white middle-class racism, playing on all the expected fears and Obama voting clichs. But the truth is something more developed, more sickening, as Daniel Kaluuya's Chris uncovers a warped plot built on physical adoration and mental superiority. What really brings it all together is Jordan Peele's careful use of humor, including eschewing the expected grim ending for something with a lick of positivity.

A Scorsese-inspired dive into the Joker's origin starring Joaquin Phoenix from the director of The Hangover is a suitably gonzo idea that, if it worked, could change superhero cinema.Whether it did or not remains to be seen, but Joker proved to be a lightning rod for discussion, its release drowned out in a flurry of controversy about fears of violence, suitability of message in 2019, and a dozen other unnecessary talking points. What it is, purely, is a twisted character exploration that dispensed with the source material to tell a story filled with dread, homages, twists and, yes, a few jokes, all grounded by a highlight performance from Phoenix.

When action is far too often defined by quick edits and what CG artists can cook up after production has wrapped, giving a pair of stuntmen their ownmovie -Chad Stahelski got the credit, but David Leitch was on-hand - was always going to be exciting. And with Keanu Reeves brimming with rage over the death of his dog,a newicon was born. The John Wick series is up to three movies now, with a fourth coming in 2021, and while each entry has upped the ante and visual style, there's something uniquely delirious about the original, which boasts the cleanest gun-fu and most exhilarating teases of the underworld centering on the Continental.

Warner Bros. decision to giveDenis Villeneuve $185 million to create a sequel to a notorious 1982 box office bomb that took a decade to gain cult status may not be astute from a business perspective, butthey enabled one of the most audacious tentpoles of the decade. Using the original as a jumping-off point rather than a constant reference point, Blade Runner 2049 goes bigger in scale and scope, yet keeps the fundamental thematic area - that of our relationship with technology and, more abstract, what it means to be human, at the fore. Holograms are the mots relatable characters and blank Ryan Gosling ciphers are the point. Best of all, it refuses to answer the Deckard-Replicant question, and brings everything around to be about a simple love story.

Related:Blade Runner 2049's Ending Explained

No film from the 2010s has aged quite as finely as The Social Network. In 2020, it stands as a far more chilling look at how drunken rejection and teenage jealousy led to a total shift inhow our world works, from personal relationships to global politics.Whenever you watch it, though,David Fincher and Aaron Sorkin's masterful teamupremainsa fascinating parable of misplaced power, manipulation, birthright and the American dream. The truthfulness behind Jesse Eisenberg's Mark Zuckerberg or Armie Hammer's Winklevi almost ceases to matter when the message behind it is so pure.

What if all the horror movie tropes that define the genre aren't easy writing short-cuts but all part of a grand ritual to keep the world safe? It's a delightfully meta concept that The Cabin in the Woods slowly ekes out over its first half, starting as a celebration of cliches before twisting into an all-out monster action that namechecks everything from The Evil Dead to Hellraiser. When every genre film narrative seems so keen to canonize their self-awareness (post-post-Scream), it's easy to forget just how exciting The Cabin in the Woods was when Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard unleashed it in the other world of 2012.

Related:How Cabin in the Woods Connects Every Horror Movie Ever Made

Rian Johnson's Star Wars: The Last Jedi did to Star Wars what the original trilogy did to Flash Gordon: distilled the hero's journey down and asked serious questions about the monomyth ideal (once again filtered throughgroundbreaking tech and heavy cultural influences).Picking up from The Force Awakens, albeit with the decision to explore in a more tangential direction, Episode VIII was a meditation on the pragmatics of the franchise, what it is to be a hero, how failure defines us but we have ultimate control, and finding hope from within that.Itlacks the clear-cutapproach of its predecessor, but that allowed The Last Jedi to go deeper, delivering thematic closure to the sequels and providing the ultimate stamp on legacy.

It remains incredibly fitting that La La Land had the Best Picture Oscar snatched from it after the infamous Warren Beatty mix-up: nothing quite sums up Damien Chazelle'sheartbreakingly-true look at lost relationships and the sacrifices necessary for success than such a public near-miss. The film manages to be so much from an industry perspective - a throwback to the Hollywood musicals of old, a satire of the modern moviemaking landscape and, albeit with some questionable perspectives, love letter to jazz - but what so connected with a global audience outside of L.A. is the fraught, regretful love of Mia and Seb, played to millennial perfection by Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling.

Amy Adams had an amazing decade, but her absolutely best turn (one criminally overlooked during the awards season) was in Denis Villeneuve's mind-altering Arrival. A simple first-contact premise filtered through a realism lens and taken through to completion, Arrival is the pinnacle of the 2010's cerebral sci-fi wave. It's fantastical in so much as it isn't real, but all of the language learning and time-perception twists are rooted in our own science. Villeneuve and Bradford Young add to the big ideas story with an incredibly grounded shooting style, one that feels rougher than the moviereally is.

Related: Arrival's Ending Explained

The 2010s were a rocky decade for Pixar, witha mix of troubled productions and Disney-mandated sequels rocking their status a little. Fortunately, Peter Docter managed to maintain his title as the studio's deftest filmmaker with a metaphysically literal look at the ethos behind the Emeryville Titans. The key to real Joy is Sadness may be a lesson most adult viewers have learned in their real lives, but Inside Out so effectively placed them in pre-teen Riley's head that the discovery comes as with the weight of a thousand childhoods. And few moments of loss are quite so destructive as Bing Bong's memory fading away.

Tom Holland may have given new life to the character in the MCU and the PS4 game made players feel like the web-slinger, but it'sInto the Spider-Verse that truly captured what it is to beSpider-Man. Taking its cues from 2010s evolutions of the character - Brian Michael Bendis' Miles Morales is the lead and the plot is driven by the multiverse concept from Dan Slott's Spider-Verse run - and using never-before-seen animation techniques, Into the Spider-Verse feels incredibly modern even as it endeavors to drill down to the core of what makes Peter Parker and all his derivations work decades after Stan Lee and Steve Ditko first committed him to the page.

Marvel Studios released 21 movies in the 2010s (only two of the MCU came in the previous decade), and while there's been a litany of hits by every metric, there's little debate over Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The Russo brothers were gifted some fortunate depth by the Edward Snowden NSA leaks coming mid-production, yet this is still a bitingly modern superhero film that uses its man-out-of-time protagonist to not only reflect on the current state of the world, but divorce his ideals from that of the country that gives him his name. The directors would go onto bigger projects, but this is the most complete, and rightfully places the core relationships front-and-center.

Related:Every Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie, Ranked Worst To Best

The 2010s was the decade where blockbusters embraced the brainy. They'd flirted with it after The Matrix, but the prime lesson taken from the Wachowskis was more aesthetic. What changed was Inception. Christopher Nolan's dreamscape, realistic yet impossible, trumpeted the worth of practical effects, of realism to the fantastical, of IMAX cameras. But it also highlighted the need for cohesion, care in building a world and rules - exposition-heavy it may be, but Inception is meticulous in giving you all the clues - and ensuring there's an emotional core at its heart. It isadefining blockbuster, one that

Mad Max: Fury Road feels like the movie George Miller would have made with The Road Warrior had the budget allowed. The same energy of the rebellious Australian filmmaker is present in theaction extravaganzawhich gestated for decades and was constructed primarilyin storyboards. The result is one of the clearest action films ever made,matching exhilarating vehicular mayhem with desolate dystopia and an undercurrent of hope. Miller understands that the best stories don't have to belabor the point, so while this is a strong feminist tale, that's powered by the action, not impeded.

While these 25 are the highest voted by Screen Rant writers and editors, there were several other 2010s movies that got a lot of love and deserve a mention. In no specific order, they include:

Next:The Best Movies of 2019

How I Met Your Mother: The Actress Who Almost Played Robin

Screen Rant's Managing Editor, Alex Leadbeater has been covering film online since 2012 and been a permanent fixture of SR since 2016. Based in London, he oversees a global news & features team based in NY, LA and beyond. You may have also seen/heard him on the Total Geekall podcast, unaffiliated YouTube channels, BBC Radio and CBC News.Growing up in the English countryside on a mixture of Star Wars, The Simpsons and Aardman, Alex is a lifelong movie obsessive. Despite a brief jaunt in Mathematics at Durham University, film writing was always his calling. He's covered a wide range of movies and TV shows - from digging out obscure MCU Easter eggs to diving deep into deeper meanings of arthouse fare - and has covered a litany of set visits, junkets and film festivals. He once asked Tom Cruise about his supposedly fake-butt in Valkyrie (he swore it was all real).

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Best Movies of the 2010s Decade | Screen Rant - Screen Rant

In The News is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to kickstart your day. Here is whats on the radar of our editors for the morning of Jan. 17

What we are watching in Canada

OTTAWA The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers says it is pleased, but not surprised, by the Supreme Court ruling that shut down British Columbias attempt to regulate what can flow through an expanded Trans Mountain pipeline.

Tim McMillan, CEO and president of Canadas largest oil and gas industry association, says the project has undergone historic levels of consultation, reviews and court challenges.

He says it has been found to be in the best interests of Canadians.

The B.C. government wanted to require provincial permits before heavy oil could be shipped to the province through pipelines from Alberta.

The Supreme Court decision upholds a B.C. Court of Appeal ruling that said such permits would violate Ottawas authority under the Constitution to approve and regulate pipelines that cross provincial boundaries.

The high courts ruling Thursday removes one of the remaining obstacles for the project that aims to twin an existing pipeline that runs between the Edmonton area and Burnaby, B.C.

B.C. Premier John Horgan expressed the provinces disappointment, saying his government will do what it can to protect the B.C. coast and environment.

Also this

Some friends of victims of the downed plane in Tehran are trying to sort out what to do with their belongings.

Officials say 138 people travelling to Canada from Iran were killed when a Ukraine International Airlines flight carrying 176 passengers was shot down by the Iranian military.

The dead included Razgar Rahimi, his wife and young son.

Friends say they lived north of Toronto and had no other relatives in Canada. Shaho Shahbazpanahi was close friends with the family and says hes now trying to help their surviving relatives sort out what to do with their house and vehicles.

He says for first-generation immigrants, friends become like family and he feels its his responsibility to do everything he can.

Vancouver lawyer Samin Mortazavi says someone with assets in both Iran and Canada could find themselves dealing with Canadian and Iranian law.

He says its hard to obtain a temporary resident visa because of Canadas relationship to Iran, but Ottawa says it can assist family members who need visas urgently.

What we are watching in the U.S.

WASHINGTON The U.S. Senate overwhelmingly approved a new North American trade agreement Thursday that rewrites the rules of trade with Canada and Mexico and gives President Donald Trump a major policy win before senators turn their full attention to his impeachment trial.

The vote was 89-10. The measure goes to Trump for his signature. It would replace the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement, known as NAFTA, which tore down most trade barriers and triggered a surge in trade.

But Trump and other critics blamed that pact for encouraging U.S. companies to move their manufacturing plants south of the border to take advantage of low-wage Mexican labourers.

Passage of the trade bill, which has come to be called USMCA, came one day after Trump signed a new trade agreement with China, easing trade tensions between the economic powers.

Quite a week of substantive accomplishments for the nation, for the president and for our international trade, said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell shortly before the vote.

The final vote occurred just moments before Congress opened an impeachment trial, with House Democrats reading the formal charges from the well of the Senate. With the trial and an election year, Congress is not expected to pass many major bills. The trade bill gives lawmakers from both parties the chance to cite progress on an important economic issue before the November vote.

What we are watching in the rest of the world

TEHRAN Irans supreme leader says Western countries are too weak to bring Iranians to their knees.

Addressing prayers today for the first time since 2012, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Iran was willing to negotiate, but not with the U.S.

He called President Donald Trump a clown who only pretends to support the Iranian people.

Khamenei says Trump will push a poisonous dagger into the nations back. He said the outpouring of grief at the funeral for Irans top general, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike earlier this month, shows that Iranians support the Islamic Republic.

He says America had cowardly killed the most effective commander in the fight against the Islamic State group when it killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad.

In response, Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles targeting U.S. troops in Iraq, without causing serious injuries. As Irans Revolutionary Guard braced for an American counterattack that never came, it mistakenly shot down a Ukrainian jetliner shortly after it took off from Tehrans international airport, killing all 176 passengers on board, mostly Iranians.

Khamenei called the shootdown of the plane a bitter accident that saddened Iran as much as it made its enemies happy.

ICYMI (In case you missed it)

Parks Canada has implemented new rules for climbers on the countrys highest peak after having to rescue eight people in seven years.

The rules, which are posted on the agencys website, include a moratorium on solo climbing on the 5,959-metre Mount Logan, in Yukon.

Climbers are also required to have insurance to cover any search-and-rescue costs for all expeditions in the Icefield Ranges of Kluane National Park before they are issued a permit.

Ed Jager, director of visitor experience with Parks Canada, says they want to improve safety for people visiting the park as well as their rescue teams.

He says they are also hoping to reduce the burden on taxpayers who end up picking up the cost of the rescues.

Jager says there have been eight rescue missions in Kluane in the last seven years, each costing between $60,000 and $100,000.

Weird and wild

OTTAWA The Canadian military is looking for help taking out the trash in space.

Over the last two years, the militarys Innovation for Defence Excellence and Security program has awarded nearly $5 million in contracts to Canadian companies and university researchers to find ways to identify some of the millions of pieces of junk orbiting the Earth.

Now it is preparing to award more contracts hoping to find a way to get rid of the junk once it has been identified.

The European Space Agency estimates more than 129 million pieces of space junk are circling our planet, most of them smaller than a raisin.

The junk, often remnants of space vehicles and other debris from human- or remotely-controlled trips into space, travel at speeds of up to 28,000 kilometres per hour and pose significant risks to working space craft and satellites.

The Canadian military says current removal systems are ineffective and nobody has yet found a way to keep track of the smallest pieces of space debris.

Know your news

A funeral was held for prominent Progressive Conservative John Crosbie in St. Johns, N.L., Thursday. Crosbie held his first cabinet position provincially under what Newfoundland premier?

(Keep scrolling for the answer)

On this day in 1972

Canadian air traffic controllers went on strike, grounding most commercial flights. The walkout lasted 10 days.

Your health

Canadas chief public health officer says more children are being hospitalized this flu season because of an early spike in a strain of influenza B, which hits young people hard.

Doctor Theresa Tam says that strain is circulating across the country, while a strain of influenza A, which typically targets the elderly, is also making the rounds.

She says influenza B does not usually peak until February or later and the double dose of both strains has not been seen in Canada since 2015.

Tam says she does not yet know if either strain is linked to the deaths of two young people in Manitoba.

She says the best defence is getting the flu shot, but only about 43 per cent of people under the age of 65 got it last year.

Entertainment news

TORONTO Like the fearless protagonist on Anne with an E, fans of the cancelled show arent giving up.

The CBC/Netflix drama series was not renewed for a fourth season in late November, and creator Moira Walley-Beckett has said there is no way to revive it.

But earlier this week, a viewer-created group that calls itself AWAE Fan Projects spent $1,000 on five digital Save Anne with an E billboards in Torontos downtown Yonge-Dundas Square.

The campaign ran four days and featured fan-created artwork depicting the heroine from Lucy Maud Montgomerys classic novel Anne of Green Gables, which inspired the series.

Now, theyre hoping to get similar digital displays in New Yorks Times Square.

A lot of us are willing to wait it out and see if anything happens, says Lisa Elksnitis, a senior financial administrator in Toronto who is part of the fan group and helped get the billboards. We understand its not something that would happen overnight. Most people are going to keep trying for several months at least.

The third and final season of Anne with an E finished airing on the CBC in late November and hit Netflix on Jan. 3.

Know your news answer

Joey Smallwood. Smallwood was a Liberal. Crosbie crossed the floor to join the Opposition Progressive Conservatives after a dispute with Smallwood over leadership in 1969.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2020.

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Industry applauds TMX ruling and Trump called a clown; In The News for Jan. 17 - National Post

Conformed from the famous 1960s science fantasy TV series (which was itself a unfastened revision of the famous 1812 book The Swiss Family Robinson), Lost in Space leads Toby Stephens, Molly Parker, including Parker Posey.

The first season was issued on Netflix in April 2018, and the series was immediately restored for a second run. With its soph outing being published on Christmas Eve, 2019, several are questioning whether the quirky tale of space travel and people will be taken back again.

Not yet. Netflix typically waits until about a period following a season winds to approve whether or negative a show is replaced, so it sways be a short while till we discover out.

Maureen Robinson, the household ancestor, is performed by Molly Parker, the actor best understood for her acclaimed shows in Deadwood and House of Cards.

Her spouse John is performed by Toby Stephens, best identified as the Bond knave in 2002s Die Another Day.

The darling of the 1990s indie picture Parker Posey (Youve Got Mail), presents a disastrous change as the wicked June Harris, and the three kids are performed by Maxwell Jenkins (Sense8), Taylor Russell (Waves; Escape Room) also Mina Sundwall (Freeheld; Maggies Plan).

Lost in Space converges on the experiences of the Robinson family Maureen, John and their three kids as they cross outer space. While an alien humanoid negotiates their spaceship, nonetheless, they fall into a wormhole and the Robinsons must leave.

Meantime, they must also battle with June Harris, a wicked psychopath who acts as the helpful Dr Smith in a position to destroy their purpose.

Season two surveys the family addressed to an unexplored universe by aliens technology, to a spot that the Robinsons had earlier been suggested was very risky. The series sets twisty sci-fi survivalism with the soothing vibes of a family tragedy

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Lost in Space season 3 on Netflix | Release date, episodes and cast. Everything you all need to know about it. - Next Alerts

Blubber Busters is an odd take on the story of Pinocchio and Monstro, but a welcome tail, regardless.

Dive into a sick space whale the futures premiere means of space travel in order to clear out what ails them and get paid for the cleaning! Rudy, a janitor at one of the last Space Veterinary Centers in the galaxy, finds himself tasked with hopping within these weary whales and burning out the infections within with the help of his trusty flamethrower. Enemies, obstacles and platforming puzzles galore litter the innards of these creatures, but in order to prevail, itll take the help of others in your crew to heal each one.

In each level, you play as two different surgeons, each with their own abilities, but the two in the demo I played were Rudy and an additional character, Eva the intern. While Rudys flamethrower allows him to spin it around and throw a fiery blast in all directions, Evas surgical suit provides her more mobility she can double-jump and dash and her syringe claws allow her to break through hard barriers and break down enemy armor. You can switch back and forth between your two surgeons in order to solve platforming and combat puzzles throughout the environment and the whole experience is really smooth and makes regular traversal more entertaining.

The CPU, who is the AI in the facility, helps lead you through the story and provide tasks and information about each whale. Each whale has its own challenges, from full-blown infections that end in an epic boss fight to needing to restart their goo-riddled hearts by restarting pump actuators; each of these challenges determines what youll be tackling once youre inside. Additionally, you have other members onboard the Center, who can upgrade your gear and provide you with additional power-ups for Rudys flamethrower and Evas syringe claws, including new special abilities. Cash that you gain from completed levels allows you to get a little something special for yourself.

Blubber Busters has an interesting visual style that pulls a bit from other styles here and there and makes it as unique as its action-packed, character-swapping gameplay. Every enemy, character and each set piece has a vibrant display of color that makes it pop from the intricate details of the parallax backgrounds in each level. Foreground details set closer to the camera give further depth, helping create the illusion of peering into this alien world. The stylized mix of 2D and 3D used together makes for a beautiful world without requiring the hand-drawn animation of rotations and such, but thats not to say there is a lack of artistic expression: everything is hand-painted with a stroke that feels like traditional cartoon animation.

All in all, Blubber Busters provides a brand new experience, pulling from inspiration such as Metroid and Mega Man and offering its neat multiple-character system which offers additional nuances to the typical platforming monotony. The characters moves are fluid and responsive and their weapons feel powerful and unique to each surgeon. The music in Blubber Busters is a space rock ensemble provided by Chris Christodoulou, which may be my favorite part of the game. Each track is perfectly fitting to the gameplay and perfectly exemplifies what a space whale adventure should; lots of synths and epic guitar work that almost sound like an electric version of chiptunes, if that makes sense. Blubber Busters may have you saving these whales from within, but the fun-filled quick action and unique sci-fi premise is something your life shouldnt be without.

Blubber Busters is currently raising money on Indiegogo. It is estimated to be released in early 2021.

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Blubber Busters asks you to Save the Space Whales - Big Boss Battle

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.

Read more here:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Read the original here:

Exclusive: Q&A with the VP - Politico

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