Daily Archives: November 2, 2020

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It's official, I'm on my way to Mars! This morning at approximately 8:30 a.m. PST, I touched down in San Francisco, halfway to the Big Island of Hawaii where the HI-SEAS habitat is located on the slopes of Mauna Loa.

A few of my Mars crewmembers will join me for the flight and, in just a few short hours we will arrive at Kona and quickly begin the drive to the habitat. We will be traveling directly from the airport to "Mars" to eliminate any excess risk of contamination from the novel coronavirus -- it is certainly strange leaving Earth for Mars during a pandemic, the day before a major Presidential election.

It's finally happening, I'm going to Mars! Well, not really, but I will joining a simulated Mars mission at the HI-SEAS habitat in Hawaii in November alongside astrobiologist and crew commander Michaela Musilova (who is also director of HI-SEAS), Air Force airman and chief engineering officer Amanda Knutson, veterinarian and chief medical officer Brandy Nunez, science writer and crew science communication officer Beth Mund and artist and crew vice commander Richelle Gribble.

The mission will be part of the Sensoria program, which aims to support underrepresented groups within the space sector.

"All of our missions will be female-led and female-majority. We, of course, will welcome with open arms our male colleagues, but we believe that women need to be placed at the center of our shared vision for space exploration, that women need to be given a platform for professional development, opportunities for research and training," bioengineer and Sensoria co-founder J.J. Hastings, who serves as the CEO of Analogs LLC, a company that backs the Sensoria program, told Space.com in January.

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A mission to 'Mars' at the HI-SEAS habitat: Live updates - Space.com

A few months ago, amidst Covid, newspapers in West Bengal carried reports about a man who bought an acre of land on Mars. When he brandished the title deed, the media asked whether he planned to spend his honeymoon (he was about to get married) on the red planet. Those who buy a bottle of Laphroaig also get a title deed, with a lease on one square feet of land in Islay. But Islay is terrestrial, Mars is not.

There is indeed a company (perhaps there is more than one) that sells you an acre of land on Mars with a deed registered with the International Association of Human Planetary Exploration (IAOHPE). I havent found anything suggesting this is an authentic organisation. But if there are people gullible enough to pay for this doubtful package (there are standard, deluxe and premium rates) and like the resultant ego trip, why not? It seems to be no different from the idea of purchasing honorary doctorate degrees from places with dubious academic merit.

Anyone who has bought land in India knows that registration of a sale deed does not guarantee ownership or title. But this is an inappropriate analogy. For registering a sale deed, the seller is presumed to possess title. For Mars, or the moon for that matter, there can be no such presumption.While Mars is relatively new, land on the moon has been around for some time, again with deeds registered by IAOHPE, or without it. Sushant Singh Rajput was only one example. There was the German who claimed Frederick the Great gave his ancestor the moon. Interplanetary Development Corporation and Lunar Embassy Commission hawked lunar real estate.

Every science fiction connoisseur will remember Robert Heinleins 1949 novella, The Man who Sold the Moon. That man was a businessman named Delos David Harriman. At the time, at least in fiction, Heinlein invoked a legal maxim that has gone through extremely interesting evolution in jurisprudence. This fancy sounding Latin (law always becomes more impressive when Latin is used) maxim is, Cuius est solum, eius est usque ad coelum et ad inferos, abbreviated more simply as the ad coelum doctrine.

In plain English, a person who owns a plot of land not only has rights to the land, but also to the air above and subsurface below the land. In the novella, using this principle, Harriman persuades the United Nations to grant his company rights to the moon. With air travel (the change started with balloon flights) and now space travel, ad coelum has become circumscribed. No infinitely above and infinitely below. There are limits.

On specifics of rights on the moon, Mars and asteroids, there is an Outer Space Treaty (OST, 1967) and this covers the moon and other celestial bodies. Most countries have signed this, though some have signed, but have not yet ratified it. Article II of this Treaty seems clear enough, at least in intent. Outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means. All law (and legislation) is overtaken by events, just as the ad coelum doctrine eventually had to be modified.

The world in 2020 is different from that in 1967. Other than in the realm of science fiction, who would have imagined in 1967 that private companies would venture into space, or that chicken nuggets would float around in space? The likes of IAOHPE can argue that Article II applies only to sovereign states, not individual parties. If there is such a legal case, I suspect Article VI of the OST is sufficient to settle matters. States Parties to the Treaty shall bear international responsibility for national activities in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, whether such activities are carried on by governmental agencies or by non-governmental entities, and for assuring that national activities are carried out in conformity with the provisions set forth in the present Treaty.

The activities of non-governmental entities in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, shall require authorisation and continuing supervision by the appropriate State Party to the Treaty. The problem with the Treaty is elsewhere. Reflecting the vintage, the OST is primarily about peaceful space exploration and limiting the Cold War in space. It didnt anticipate property rights in space. As with land, property rights are a bundle of rights.

Ownership is only one element. Delinking from ownership, what about mining extra-terrestrial resources? There have been add-ons to the OST, such as on return of objects from space (astronauts included), international registration and liability for objects launched and limitations on what governments can do on celestial bodies. India is a party to these. But these dont address the core issue of exploitation of resources, not always by governments, but also private companies. UN treaties are often honoured in the breach.

In any event, such a new treaty under the UN umbrella is unlikely. If the US can enact national legislation in 2015 (Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act, one should read what this says about space resource exploration and utilisation), why shouldnt India? We have a space programme and private entry has recently been allowed into these. However, Indian National Space Promotion andAuthorisation Centre (In-Space), New Space India Ltd (NSIL) and Antrix Corporation require legislative backing on commercial exploitation of resources too, even if this conflicts with prior positions India adopted.

Bibek debroyChairman, Economic Advisory Council to the PM (Tweets @bibekdebroy)

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Who can own property on the moon and mars? - The New Indian Express

Mars could have had water more than four billion years ago, suggests a new study.

Scientists say that a meteor that landed on Earth from the Red Planet shows water may have formed naturally on Mars.

Several years ago, a pair of dark meteorites - worth more than gold if the rare rocks were sold - were discovered in the Sahara Desert.

Analysis showed these meteorites are new types of Martian meteorites and are mixtures of different rock fragments, researchers said.

The earliest fragments formed on Mars 4.4 billion years ago, making them the oldest known Martian meteorites and rocks like this are rare and can fetch up to $10,000 per gram.

Researchers have often thought water on planets and satellites came from either asteroids and comets that landed post-formation or was one of many substances that occurred naturally during the formation of planets.

New analysis of this ancient Martian meteorite supports the second hypothesis, scientists said.

The two meteorites were dubbed NWA 7034 and NWA 7533, where NWA stands for North West Africa and the number is the order in which meteorites are officially approved by the Meteoritical Society, an international planetary science organisation.

Recently 50 grams of NWA 7533 was acquired for analysis by the international team in which Professor Takashi Mikouchi at the University of Tokyo participated.

Prof Mikouchi said: "I study minerals in Martian meteorites to understand how Mars formed and its crust and mantle evolved.

"This is the first time I have investigated this particular meteorite, nicknamed Black Beauty for its dark colour.

"Our samples of NWA 7533 were subjected to four different kinds of spectroscopic analysis, ways of detecting chemical fingerprints. The results led our team to draw some exciting conclusions."

It's well known to planetary scientists that there has been water on Mars for at least 3.7 billion years.

But from the mineral composition of the meteorite, Mikouchi and his team deduced it's likely there was water present much earlier, at around 4.4 billion years ago.

Prof Mikouchi added: "Igneous clasts, or fragmented rock, in the meteorite are formed from magma and are commonly caused by impacts and oxidation.

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"This oxidation could have occurred if there was water present on or in the Martian crust 4.4 billion years ago during an impact that melted part of the crust.

"Our analysis also suggests such an impact would have released a lot of hydrogen, which would have contributed to planetary warming at a time when Mars already had a thick insulating atmosphere of carbon dioxide."

If there was water on Mars earlier than thought, that suggests water is possibly a natural by-product of some process early on in planet formation.

This finding could help researchers answer the question of where water comes from, which in turn could impact theories on the origins of life and the exploration of life beyond Earth.

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Scientists discover evidence of water on Mars 4.4 billion years ago - Mirror Online

Scientists have discovered a lonely orphaned planet wandering through the Milky Way with no parent star to guide it a "rogue" planet, stuck in endless darkness with no days, nights, or gravitational siblings to keep it company.

It's possible our galaxy is filled to the brim with these rogue planets, but this one is particularly unusual for one special reason: it is the smallest found to date even smaller than Earth with a mass similar to Mars.

Scientists have found over 4,000 "extrasolar" planets, also known as exoplanets, which are planets that orbits a star other than the sun. Many exoplanets for example, one where it rains liquid iron bear no resemblance to planets in our solar system, but they all have one shared trait: they all orbit a star.

But just a few years ago, astronomers in Poland found evidence of free-floating planets, unattached gravitationally to a star, in the Milky Way galaxy. In a new study, the same astronomers have now found the smallest such planet to date.

Exoplanets are difficult to spot, typically found only by observing the light from their host stars. Because free-floating planets have no parent star and emit almost no radiation, astronomers have to take a different approach to find them.

Rogue planets are spotted using gravitational microlensing, a result of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. In this case, the gravity of the planet (lens) acts as a sort of magnifying glass, able to bend the light of a bright star (source) behind it so that an observer on Earth can detect its presence.

"The observer will measure a short brightening of the source star," lead author Dr. Przemek Mroz, a postdoctoral scholar at the California Institute of Technology, said in anews releaseThursday. "Chances of observing microlensing are extremely slim because three objectssource, lens, and observermust be nearly perfectly aligned. If we observed only one source star, we would have to wait almost a million year to see the source being microlensed."

Researchers on the lookout for these events are monitoring hundreds of millions of stars in the center of the galaxy, which provides the highest chances of microlensing.

The Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment survey, led by Warsaw University astronomers, is one of the largest and longest sky surveys, operating for over 28 years. Currently using a telescope at Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, the astronomers look to the galaxy's center on clear nights, in search of changes in the brightness of stars.

Because this technique relies only on the brightness of the source and not the lens, it allows astronomers to spot faint or dark objects like rogue planets.

Measuring the duration of such an event, in addition to the shape of its light curve, can provide an estimation for the mass of the object astronomers are searching for. While most observed events, caused by stars, last several days, small planets only provide a window of a few hours.

In this case, OGLE-2016-BLG-1928, the shortest microlensing event ever recorded, lasted just 42 minutes. Based on the event, astronomers estimated the planet to have a Mars-like mass and found it to be rogue.

"When we first spotted this event, it was clear that it must have been caused by an extremely tiny object," said co-author Dr. Radoslaw Poleski from the Astronomical Observatory of the University of Warsaw. "If the lens were orbiting a star, we would detect its presence in the light curve of the event. We can rule out the planet having a star within about 8 astronomical units (the astronomical unit is the distance between the Earth and the sun)."

It's not totally clear why these rogue planets have no parent stars, but scientists don't think the planets had any say in the matter. Rather, they may have originally formed as "ordinary" planets only to be kicked out of their parent systems after gravitational interactions with other planets.

NASA is currently constructing the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, scheduled to start operations in the mid-2020s. Studying these free-floating planets can help astronomers better understand the unstable histories of young planetary systems including our own solar system.

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Scientists discover Mars-sized rogue planet aimlessly zooming through the Milky Way - CBS News

The fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System is a mysterious, dynamic world once flooded with liquid water, and today frozen into a desert of spectacular dunes, large valleys and extremely tall volcanoes. This, and much more, is Mars, the Red Planet.

Named after the Roman god of war, Mars is also referred to as the Red Planet due to the large presence of iron oxide (rust) in its surface, which gives the planet that flaming reddish appearance that makes it so distinctive among the astronomical bodies visible in our night sky.

Mars is approximately half the Earth size but its rotational period as well as the tilt of the rotational axis relative to the orbit are comparable to those of our home planet, meaning that a Martian day or sol (short for solar day) is only roughly 40 minutes longer than an Earth day. A Martian year on the other hand lasts the equivalent of 687 Earth days.

Other similarities with our planet include the presence of distinct seasons, polar ice caps, vast canyons as well as very high volcanoes. One of these, Olympus Mons, is the largest volcano and highest known mountain in the Solar System: it is 25 km tall, around three times taller than our Mount Everest.

In 1877, during a close approach of Mars and Earth, two relatively small and irregularly shaped natural moons were discovered orbiting the Red Planet: Deimos (12.6 km in diameter) and Phobos (22.2km). The latter is of particular significance as it is on a collision course with its host planet, getting 1.8 metres closer each century: it is estimated that the two will meet closely in around 50 million years.

Scientific evidence proves that millions of years ago Mars had lakes and rivers of liquid water flooding its surface. The lack of a magnetic field, however, caused the majority of the Martian atmosphere to be destroyed and dispersed into space by the strong solar wind, according to NASA, turning the Red Planet into a frozen world with average surface temperature of -62C, with peaks as low as -143C.

Nevertheless, water on Mars can still be found today in the form of ice and in such quantities that, if melted, it would be sufficient to cover the planetary surface to a depth of 11 metres. This is a fundamental notion as NASA as well as other space organisations plan to establish a permanent human colony on Mars in next decades. We can expect some really exciting times ahead!

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Astronomy: The Red Planet: Mars - RTL Today

Arashi, one of Japans longest-running and most popular supergroups, had zero public online footprint until last November: no Twitter, no Spotify, no YouTube, no Instagram, and certainly no TikTok. Online photos were not even allowed; their agency kept a tight grip on all content and required fans to sign up for an official subscription-based Japanese-language fan site to get band updates.

Now, after a 21-year-long career, two huge changes are happening: the five-man boy band is making big moves to break out further in the U.S. and global markets, and then theyre taking a break.

Arashi has bolstered its global social media presence by creating their first accounts, released the behind-the-scenes doc TV series Arashis Diary Voyage on Netflix and put out their first three English-language singles. The most recent, Party Starters, produced by Sam Hollander (Panic at the Disco, Fitz and the Tantrums), dropped last week and follows the ballad Whenever You Call, a collaboration with Bruno Mars.

This all comes just months before theyre set to indefinitely pause activities at the end of 2020 because band leader Satoshi Ohno, 39, wants to take a break from the entertainment world he entered at age 13.

Unlike the export-minded Korean pop industry that has produced digitally savvy supergroups like BTS and Blackpink, Japans industry has historically focused more exclusively on the local market. And its worked: Jun and the other members of Arashi Sho Sakurai, Satoshi Ohno, Masaki Aiba and Kazunari Ninomiya have become household names in their native Japan. Since the groups 1999 debut, theyve recorded 400 songs, sold over 41 million records and performed for 14 million people, making them one of the most successful groups to emerge from their late former manager Johnny Kitagawas powerhouse agency Johnny & Associates, which has dominated the Japanese entertainment world since the 1960s. Their compilation of hit singles 520 All the Best!! 1999-2019 was the worlds top selling album last year, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, outranking even Taylor Swifts Lover and BTS Map of the Soul: Persona, at 3.3 million copies.

The decision to actually really make a push to bridge the gap between Japan and the rest of the world actually happened completely independently of our decision to go on hiatus, Jun explained to Variety over Zoom through a translator. The deadline of the impending hiatus was what really pushed us to keep focused on doing new things, and held our feet to the fire, so to speak, with regards to the challenges we can still undertake.

He framed the push outward as a way of giving back to the legacy of our agencys founder, Johnny Kitagawa, who died last summer at the age of 87.

In the wake of Johnnys passing, our desire as leaders not just of the Japanese entertainment industry but also as leaders within the Johnnys family was to ask how Arashi could carry his torch forward and be a bridge just as he was between Japan and the U.S, he says rather emotionally, adding that a lot had changed in how the agency is run since Kitagawas death. We wanted to do something that wed never done before in our 21 years of existence, and also to inspire the next generation of Johnnys youths the other groups in the roster to carry on and continue to challenge themselves to do more.

Los Angeles-born Kitagawa brought the American concept of boy bands to Japan at a time when men dancing was not a cultural norm in the country. His agency, with its rigorous training system, went on to launch some of the biggest names in Japanese pop, like SMAP and KAT-TUN, landing 232 number one singles between 1974 and 2010.

But he was also plagued with accounts of harassment and sexual abuse of numerous young recruits. Critics say that the allegations have been ignored by Japanese media due to the powerful influence of his agency in Japan.

When asked what he thought Kitagawas legacy really should be, Jun spoke only of the hit-making system the manager had brought to Asia.

Johnny created so many boy bands in his 60 years of working and left an indelible mark not just on the entertainment industry of Japan, by bringing it up to a global standard, but also on Asian pop culture overall, even outside of Japan, [visible in] the rise of the Asian pop generation, he says. What youre currently seeing now with non-Japanese groups as well all really found its roots in the foundational work that Johnny did back in the 1960s.

Even though K-pop is exploding globally, Jun says he harbors no hard feelings.

I feel no sense of the kind of tribalism that some people might imagine, but rather a sense of pride that the architecture that Johnny laid the foundations for decades ago is now finally starting to cross borders. Even if its not being done by Johnny, per se, the legacy still continues and is alive and well. You can see the flowers taking root in other cultures and countries, he says. Laughing, he admitted, Ive definitely heard Dynamite quite a few times, referring to the K-pop group BTS first entirely English-language single that made them the first Korean group to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. While Whenever You Call, the groups collaboration with Bruno Mars, did not reach those chart peaks, its received a warm reception from international fans who appreciate their idols new accessibility on YouTube and social channels.

The Arashi members had long been fans of Mars, Jun says, and felt that he is an international figure who would help bolster the reach of [their] music and translate it for new audiences. Initial plans to physically record together were dashed by the coronavirus, but they proceeded remotely.

To be honest, when we first heard the song after Bruno first sent us the demo track, we were a little surprised, Jun admitted. The band had expected something a little more upbeat, a little faster, rather than a mid-tempo ballad kind of song with an easy listening element, which they found a little shocking at first.

They warmed up to the track because of its lyrics about loyalty and connection, and have come to feel that the message was prescient and perfect for both long-term fans sad about their upcoming hiatus and people around the world separated during the pandemic. (Ill come running whenever you call, goes the chorus.)

None of the band members are fluent in English. Jun says that though mastering the lyrics was a struggle, the texture of the foreign tongue gave them a sense of freedom.

Unlike in Japanese, where every individual sound has to be articulated in order to make sense just as a language, English allows for a lot more flexibility in terms of the way that different words can be extended or shortened in order to fit a particular rhythm, or the way sounds can [blur] from one word into another, says Jun.

While some are delighted by Arashis new online presence, local Japanese fans used to the traditional model of subscription fan sites and exclusive, paid access are not always thrilled.

Jun described the extent of his worries about potential backlash earlier this year when they decided to make previously DVD-only concert footage available to stream for free online for the first time. When [our live tour] Untitled was going to be posted on our YouTube channel, I was sure there would be complaints, he said in an Instagram story. He was moved to tears when core fans accepted the choice. From 11 a.m., I was at home alone watching the comments. I couldnt stop crying for three or four hours.

He explainsthat a constant challenge for the band has been to strike a balance between traditional fans used to a certain way of getting close to us and foreign fans who have a completely different set of expectations, he says.

We really didnt want all the people who have supported us through thick and thin for 21 years and who really want and need, in a sense, the value that more physical goods and the traditional exclusivity provide to feel left out or disrespected, he concludes, especially after all the love and support theyve offered for so long.

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J-Pop Titans Arashi on Going Global, Working With Bruno Mars, and Upcoming Hiatus - Variety

DUBAI, 2nd November, 2020 (WAM) -- The UAE Space Agency and Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre has announced the kick-off of 'Generation Hope' initiative under the Emirates Mars Mission, EMM, - Hope Probe, the first interplanetary mission undertaken by an Arab nation, that comes as part of its education and outreach efforts. Held between November 2020 until January 2021, it provides an avenue for qualified youth and interested individuals to develop an interest in space science field.

Since its inception six years ago, the EMM aims inspire the youth through the Mars mission journey, motivate youth to develop an interest in STEM studies, and to build capabilities in space science research, specifically Mars science, within UAE students and science community by providing the opportunity through different outreach and education programs. In line with the missions goal, Generation Hope seeks to also promote space science education and research, and engage with the public from all age groups in the mission.

Generation Hope will also host Hopes Science Journey webinars series throughout November. It will provide a scientific overview of the mission, introduction to a Mars visualization tools, information on EMM science data access, and more.

The first introduction session was held on 1st November and the second will take place on 4th November. The in-depth session, will be held the following week. Registrations for both sessions of the Hopes Science Journey webinar are now open.

Also, bi-weekly webinars in English and Arabic will be held with the Emirates Mars Mission team to highlight different concepts in space systems and science and showcase the team members roles in the mission.

Generation Hope will be running two camps in December and January. The first is a five-day Generation Hope Camp in December that will focus on hosting workshops for middle and high school students aged 12 to 18 years old about Mars and related science topics, and the latest updates on the EMM.

The second is a two-day a specialised and intensive camp titled A Journey to Mars, that will be held for distinguished undergraduates in STEM fields, where the EMM Science Team will share their experience and expertise on their journey of development through the mission and insights about important scientific topics related to the mission and Mars research.

Generation Hopes series of interactive activities also include the annual Teacher Ambassador Programme, TAP, now in its fifth year, which is designed to fully equip STEM educators from different schools in the UAE to serve as ambassador teachers at EMM educational initiatives. EMM will provide the teachers with the knowledge and material required to educate and train a new generation of space scientists and engineers.

The programme will also launch a competition in December 2020, titled Newton STEM Challenge, which aims to utilise teachers creativity in process of activities development. In this first version, the teachers will need to design a game, experiment or activity to explain Newtons laws of motion based on their current curriculum learning objectives.

Omran Sharaf, Project Director of the Emirates Mars Mission, said, "Generation Hopes initiatives are in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to inspire a new generation of scientists and engineers in UAE. Reaching Mars is not the final goal, but its the means for us to build a culture built on research, exploration, and innovation. At the same time, these outreach programs provide the mission team with an opportunity to share its knowledge and experience with the next generation. We are pleased to see the growing interest in the space sector and look forward to continue hosting students in activities and events related to space exploration, and hopefully encourage them to consider careers in STEM."

Noora Al Rafi, Deputy Project Manager - Strategic Planning of Emirates Mars Mission, said, "Inspiring youth and increasing their interest in the space sector is one of the most important strategic objectives of the Emirates Mars Mission. It comes as part of the efforts to contribute to the national diversified economy one that is built on knowledge and innovation. As a result, we put a strong focus on the Generation Hope initiative and the qualitative programs that fall under its umbrella. We appreciate the efforts of the Generation Hope partners and their close cooperation to achieve the specific objectives."

Also held under the Generation Hope Initiative is the Research Experience for Undergraduates, REU, Programme; a unique programme designed to offer Emirati students specialising in science and engineering an opportunity to gain practical and research-based experience at distinguished space science facilities in the UAE and abroad. Students will be mentored by EMMs science team, as well as local and international scientists in the field of space science. Scheduled for next summer, registration for the seventh edition of the REU will open soon.

Hessa Al Matrooshi, Science Deputy Project Manager, said, "Developing scientific capabilities in the UAE is an important pillar for the UAE governments vision as encourage an environment that motivates innovation and scientific research and fosters a new generation of Emirati scientists, researchers and academics. The Generation Hope initiatives provide youth and students with opportunities to interact and benefit from the expertise of many space experts from leading centers around the world through the REU, the educational outreach program hosted by the Emirates Mars Mission, in cooperation with the Mohammed bin Rashid Space Center. We look forward to welcoming another batch of students in the upcoming seventh edition of the program next summer."

Moza Alsharif, Emirates Mars Mission Science Initiatives Coordinator, said, "Since the beginning of the REU programme in 2015, the number of students applying has continuously increased, and more than ever, weve noticed a larger number of students specialised in sciences who have shared an interest. Overall, the program has impacted dozens of students, and some changed their career path to pursue space science research as a career. We look forward to more success stories as a result of this programme."

Since the announcement of the project six years ago, there has been an increase in interest for STEM studies. Today, more than 100,000 students and teachers have engaged in these community outreach programmes, most notably the Generation Hope initiative.

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Emirates Mars Mission kicks off 'Hope Generation' initiative to inspire a new generation of engineers - WAM EN

SpaceX will not recognise international law on Mars, according to the Terms of Service of its Starlink internet project.

Elon Musks space company will instead reportedly adhere to a set of self-governing principles" that will be defined at the time of Martian settlement.

Any future colony created by SpaceX would likely use constellations of Starlink satellites orbiting the planet to provide internet connection to people and machines on the surface.

More than 800 of the internet satellites have already been launched into orbit around Earth, with tens of thousands more planned in the coming years.

A Starlink app launched in certain regions this week, following a successful beta test of the networks capabilities in parts of the US and Canada.

Users noted that the terms of service within the app state that Starlink services provided to Earth or Moon will be governed in accordance with the laws of the State of California.

Beyond our planet and its satellite, however, the laws and regulations by which it will abide are less clear.

For services provided on Mars, or in transit to Mars via Starship or other colonisation spacecraft, the parties recognise Mars as a free planet and that no Earth-based government has authority or sovereignty over Martian activities, the governing law section states.

Accordingly, disputes will be settled through self-governing principles, established in good faith, at the time of Martian settlement.

Space systems engineer Erwan Beauvois said SpaceXs position was reminiscent of a declaration put forward by the Earthlight Foundation, a non-profit organisation committed to preparing for the expansion of humanity beyond Earth.

The Independent has contacted SpaceX.

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Elon Musks SpaceX will make its own laws on Mars - The Independent

A variety of polling, sophisticatedmarket research techniques, modeling and expert political forecasting in the final weeks of the 2020 campaign season points to Joe Biden winning the presidential election, at least by a narrow margin,and possibly more. Some of the research also suggests the biggest loser of the election wont be the incumbent President, but the American public. But not for the reasons you think.

A revealing insight from Ipsos tracking suggests a significant percentage of Americans wont accept the outcome of the election -- no matter what the outcome -- and thatits not because of simple political partisanship, but because they actually come from another planet that has an alternate view of reality.

That planet is calledFox News Channel, but according to Ipsos top political expert Chris Jackson, it might as well be called Mars.

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This is really important to understand, Jacksonsaid during the last in a series of Ipsos political briefings leading up to this years election, noting were not even necessarily talking about the same reality. In a lot of ways,some of us are talking about Mars and others are talking about Venus.

Citing studies Ipsos conducted with Reuters and Axios, Jackson noted that regardless of their politicalaffiliation, Americans who get their news from Fox have a different sense of reality.

The studies, which asked voters of all parties whether they agreed or disagreed with two facts-- the official U.S. COVID-19 death toll and whether they approve of the Presidents handling of it -- found alternate views of those realities even within the same party, depending on whetherthey depended on Fox as their source for news.

We see a huge difference between Fox News Republicans and non-Fox News Republicans, Jackson said while presenting thedata shown in the chart above. He also noted the same thing was true among Independent voters, depending on whether they got their news from Fox or not.

Theres a strongdivergence about what we understand to be ground truths and ground facts, Jackson bemoaned, adding that this disparity could create problems next week based on how various mediaoutlets report on the elections results, especially if it is a close election.

How partisans interpret that reporting is really going to impact how we all handlethat post-election period, Jackson forewarned.

While Jackson didnt explicitly editorialize on the culpability of any media outlets, this is an opinion-based politicalblog, so I think its fair for me to say his findings illustrate just how dangerous Fox News Channel has been to American democracy. Istead of unifying us around common ground, it has focused onspreading alternate views of truth that have contributed to what Jackson described as the most chaotic political season ever. And based on his caution, it likely will be the most chaoticpost-election period, too.

I understand that, at some level, offering a different political point of view is healthy for democracy, but offering different facts is not. Thatsnormally the role of hostile foreign agents -- especially Russians -- who use disinformation as part of their hybrid warfare to destabilize Western democracies. It shouldnt be the role of ahomegrown American media enterprise.

Worst of all, it has proven to be a successful business strategy, driving Fox News ratings and revenues. According to a Pew ResearchCenter analysis, Fox News ad revenues actually surged 41% during the pandemic. And Im guessing that wasnt all from the My Pillow Guy. Im guessing a lot of it came frommainstream consumer brand marketers who actually care about the negative impact Fox News disinformation -- er, I mean alternate facts -- are having on Americandemocracy.

So I just have to ask -- at a time when you all seem so consumed by brand safety -- youre not applying the same standards to Americassafety?

Continued here:

This Just In From The Mars News Channel... 10/30/2020 - MediaPost Communications

US-based Mars Wrigley has released its 2020 Cocoa for Generations report, updating progress on its $1 billion investment over a decade on its drive to ensure 100% sustainability for its cocoa sourcing in key markets of Ghana and Ivory Coast, reports Neill Barston

The business, which is behind brands including Dove, M&Ms, Maltesers and Snickers, has set itself a target of 2025 for its goal of improving lives of farming communities in West Africa that form a major part of its supply chains.

Among the key areas of progress confirmed in its latest report, titled Reshaping the future of cocoa, child protection features heavily, with 51% percent of the total volumes of cocoa it sourced from at-risk areas in Ivory Coast and Ghana came from farmer groups with Child Labour Monitoring and Remediation Systems in place. This no represents an increase in households monitored by 79% year-on-year, reaching an estimated total of 34,000 homes.

However, despite notable progress being made on the issue, it comes in the wake of the major US study from NORC at the University of Chicago, which last month revealed that there remained a total of 1.56 million children found to be in child labour within the two West African nations, as the issue remains bound to wider issues of poverty and urgent need for roll-out of human rights due diligence which campaigners have continued to press for.

Other areas of covered by the new Mars study include a focus on preserving forests, which has seen the company build on its commitment to cocoa supply chain transparency, with the business releasing its Tier 1 supplier disclosure followed by its Tier 2 farmer group disclosure accompanied by an interactive map.

Significantly, the report also hones in on its other key area of improving farmer income. As Confectionery Production has previously reported, Mars was among the first chocolate company to publicly support the Living Income Differential (LID) presently being delivered by the governments of Ghana and Ivory Coast. The company said it encouraged other businesses to do the same, adding that it continues to work on solutions to bring about further improve farmers finances.

Andrew Clarke, Mars Wrigley Global President said: Today we recognise the progress weve made on our goals of increasing cocoa farmer income, protecting children, supporting womens social and economic empowerment, and tackling deforestation. While some in the industry are accelerating with us, collectively we must go further and faster to reshape the cocoa sector. Were calling for robust public-private collaborations so that human rights are respected, and the environment is protected, as we create a modern, inclusive and sustainable cocoa supply for the next generations to thrive.

Furthermore, as the company noted, its report details significant achievements to date, which include its Covid-19 response, the launch of its Protecting Children Action Plan detailing its approach to protecting children in cocoa-growing communities, the release of its Tier 2 cocoa farmer group disclosure and interactive map, and its efforts to halt deforestation in Cte dIvoire and Ghana as part of the Cocoa & Forests Initiative.

Launched in 2018 and backed by past learnings and a US$1 billion investment, Cocoa for Generations has two pillars: Responsible Cocoa Today which focuses on cocoa being responsibly sourced and traceable by 2025, and Sustainable Cocoa Tomorrow which focuses on long-term scaling up of programs and collaborations shown to help improve productivity, diversify incomes and empower women and communities. Both are essential to Mars Wrigleys treating and snacking business and the iconic and beloved chocolate brands that bring better moments and smiles across the world.

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Mars reveals progress on its Cocoa For Generations billion-dollar cocoa sustainability plans - Confectionery Production