Category Archives: Boca Chica Texas

This picture is a crude photoshop to provide visual analog but is in no way created by or associated with Elon Musk, Starbase, Tesla, etc.

A couple weeks ago, I saw in the news that Elon Musk said he wanted to create a city called Starbase in Texas. It was reported that SpaceX has approached Boca Chica county officials with the idea of incorporating the city.

Starbase does sound kinda cool and its certainly doable for someone with as much money and influence as Musk has. Although, he is a polarizing figure a lightning rod of veneration and criticism. His companies have made contributions to our society but have also been found to violate labor laws. Musk has made all sorts of pronouncements with varying levels of follow-through, so his Starbase idea zipped through the news cycle with moderate coverage.

But something about this idea stuck with me. It made me think about how the reason many of us in society laud Musk is because we have accepted a kind of innovationism the idea that all of societys most pressing problems can be innovated out of. Technology is the all-purpose hammer in a world full of nails.

Some of our problems certainly do and will call for technological solutions, but we shouldnt be so quick to presuppose that solutions are better because they come from the market. However, I do think mainstream society has tacitly accepted a key part of innovationismyou move fast, you break things, and in the process, you learn how to build better.

But this system of ideas ironically accepts the status quo as immutable, while it (to re-appropriate Adrian Daub in What Tech Calls Thinking) sublimates the concept of revolution. Innovationism is often a simultaneously rejection of social status quo and a rigid defense of market status quo. It presupposes that the market and those with power will only help society if their investments are protected instead of, for example, tech billionaires paying their fair share of taxes to public goods, services and institutions can be properly funded.

With things like automation and AI, innovation is often taken as a value in and of itself. But to what extent is it merely a more charismatic version of neoliberal optimization and efficiency thinking figuring out ways to make more money with less workers, and to privatize profits and socialize risk? If Im not mistaken, Musks move to Texas was largely to avoid Californias coronavirus restrictions and avoid taxes. Starbase seems connected to Musks worldview and the logical conclusion of innovationism instead of improving cities through public policy, you just create a new one.

Daub wrote that disruption plays to our impatience with structures and situations that seem to coast on habit and inertia and has become a way to lean in the direction of more capitalism, of cast-off fetters and a more untrammeled expression of market forces. I like to think of disruption as the expensive electric car that innovationism drives. To put another way, if you want freedom, you dont share, you just pick up your ball and go play somewhere else. And maybe even more than that, you pick up your ball and go build your own playground.

In some ways, Musk is the quintessence of how we think innovation works the singular genius within a larger progress narrative that proves the power of the individual and the market. Behind this guile is often billions and billions in government subsidies. Innovationism makes us forget that we fund the development of all the cool thingamajigs that goes into our iPhones but then we have to go buy the iPhone, ostensibly paying for it twice. In similar ways, we hear how cool Starbase sounds without questioning how the techno-libertarian impulse would clash with the concept of the public that cities rest upon and that keeps them running.

If Starbase is to truly a city and not just the grounds for his factory, Musk will face various logistical realities and challenges of cities the creation and upkeep of infrastructure, garbage collection and sanitation, unions, public investments, hearing the concerns of the residents (who are stakeholders in how the city functions, and therefore, unofficial shareholders in SpaceX), how local governance affects business, how born-raised-locals and gentrifying forces have different concerns and incentives, etc.

Is he ready for this, or does he just want a city?

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On Elon Musk, Starbase, and Innovationism | by Joshua Adams | Mar, 2021 | Medium - Medium

The crashing of the waves on the beach. Seagulls flying with glee. The sand between your toes. The sun on your sunblock covered face. Kids at a distance cheering with glee. A fruity beverage in hand. The many sights, sounds, smells and feels of summer on the beach. Austin Rocks except for lacking the beach scene. That's what a road trip is for to the Texas Gulf Coast.

DO512 created a Texas beach guide that's a perfect way to find the view for you. See which one fits you best. Worst thing that happens is you might have to visit another if it wasn't quite right. Research with a fruity drink that can be handled.

When planning a beach getaway, be sure to plan for social distance from other parties and follow all the COVID-19 health guidelines in the area. Mask Up around others!

Texas Beach - Drive from AustinBoca Chica Beach 6 hoursCrystal Beach 4 1/2 hoursGalveston Island Beaches 3 1/2 hoursRockport Beach 3 1/2 hoursMagnolia Beach 3 hoursMustang Island 4 1/2 hoursNorth Beach / Corpus Christi 3 1/2 hoursPadre Island National Seashore 4 hoursPort Aransas 3 3/4 hoursSecret Beach Best kept in ATXSouth Padre Island 6 hoursSurfside Beach 3 1/2 hours

Dotting the coast of the Gulf of Mexico are some of the most beautiful beaches around. Make plans to head south! https://t.co/kqNemM3A70

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Which Texas Beach is calling you?Research is part of the fun - RADIO.COM

Posted: Feb 24, 2021 / 08:50 PM CST / Updated: Feb 24, 2021 / 09:12 PM CST

Dead fish in the marina on Port Isabel Tuesday. (KVEO)

PORT ISABEL, Texas (KVEO) The effects of last weeks winter storm continue to show up along the Texas coast, as thousands of dead fish arescatteredaroundbeaches and marinas.

Sea turtles were in the spotlight last week as thousands washed ashore cold-stunned, but fish were in the mix too.

Fish that were in shallow waters at the time of the freeze are now floating belly up and washed ashore everywhere from Boca Chica Beach up to Port Mansfield.

Thenumberof dead fish is astonishing, but nothing we havenot seen before.

Capitan Charlie Guillen is a fisherman and runsthe Facebook page Boca Chica Beach Legends. Herecently posted aphotograph of his vehicle amongst a pile of fish that died after thefreezein 2004; the first year it snowed in the Rio Grande Valley in 110 years.

We saw massive fish kill, said Guillen.We have some photos of huge piles of mullet, snook, Atlantic spadefish, just a lot of species of fish that we saw washing up in certain areas.

Many fishermen took advantage of the larger fish seeking warmer waters after the cold snap.

But with masses of smaller baitfish dead along the shores and larger game fish being fished out of the waters, some like Guillen are concerned for the ecosystem.

I decided Im going to sit back a little bit and kind of watch the way things are going, said Guillen.

After seeing numerous videos of fish kills filmed by his followers, he said he willconserve whats leftby only taking what will be eaten,and that practicingcatchand release may be beneficial to the fisheries.

Jason Ferguson withTexas Parks and WildlifeCoastal Fisheries Divisiontold KVEOin a statementthat they are still working on assessingthe situation.

We currently are in the process of assessing the fish kill that has occurred as a result of the freeze event last week. Our department has had staff out on the water all week to systematically assess all parts of the Texas coast, including the lower Laguna Madre. Once we have had a chance to examine all the areas of the bay, we will be able to analyze the data to come up with an estimate of total fish mortality. Then we will have an idea of how this fish kill compares to previous ones from past freeze events.

Some fishermencannottake a break from fishing so easily.

Capitan George Straderowns GeorgesFishing Charter Servicesand earns his living by taking people out to fish.

Strader said his clients have had no problem catching fish in the past week, but theperceptionthat there are none left has people canceling.

We understand what happened and what is happening.So,we are going to promote releasing some of the fish and if they want to release them all, that would be great. But at the same time if they want to keep some and stay within the state limitsthat are set out there, its going to be okay as well, said Strader.

Until TPWreleases their report, it will be difficult for fisheries to tellthe how big impact will be.

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Thousands of fish dead after freeze, fishermen concerned about economic impact - KGBT-TV

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Close your eyes and imagine a perfect place somewhere filled with mountains, ideal tanning weather and celebrities. If the place you had in mind was anywhere near California, then you might be living in 2018. Its 2021 now, Texas is the new California and Austin is the new Hollywood.

Scratch that, Hollywood is dead yet another victim of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its been replaced by the Netflix empire and a slew of forgettable podcasts. The Golden States declining appeal is indicative of a changing modern landscape, signaling the birthplace of a new potential media and industrial empire. At least thats what some of the worlds leading innovators, podcasters and comedians are thinking.

The truth is, however, Texas has been going through a lot lately from debilitating winter storms that would be only a mild inconvenience in most states to the invasion of California celebrities and tech billionaires looking to save on taxes. Texas is hardly the same sunny and independent state that it once was.

Theyre not the only ones, though; according to the Texas Realtors Associations 2020 report, over 86,000 Californians relocated to Texas, with the same report indicating a 78% increase in out-of-state residents. A decision some would come to regret in the great Texas ice storm of February 2021.

Theres no doubt that Texas has always had a certain allure for people with diverse backgrounds and motivations, but theres been a recent surge of interest in the state among celebrities like Joe Rogan and Elon Musk.

The pair have appeared together on Rogans popular podcast multiple times, making for fascinating conversations where Rogan asks a question about space aliens while Musk calculates how his reaction will affect the stock market before answering.

Their latest podcast together hit on all the fan favorite topics, like commercializing spaceflight and colonizing the galaxy. As relevant as these things are, it would be interesting to hear about the implications of the worlds most popular podcaster and richest man moving to Texas. What does it mean for Texas, and what does the exodus say about Californias current conditions?

For Rogan, the shutdown of his beloved The Comedy Store in LA, combined with overpopulation, largely prompted the move to Austin, Texas. He explained,I want to go somewhere in the center of the country, somewhere easier to travel to both places and somewhere you have a little bit more freedom, also I think Los Angeles is overcrowded.

The move will also help him keep more of his $100 million Spotify deal, which will save him over $13 million in taxes. So whats in it for Texans? Well, hopefully some of that $13 million will come in handy for the new comedy club Rogan has talked about opening in Austin.

In a recent podcast with fellow Texan and comedian Ron White, Rogan mentioned his desire to open a club and help foster a thriving Austin comedy scene. Rogan said,I want to help them, the way Ive helped comics in LA, get them on the podcast, promote them, the idea is to let people know theres a real scene here.

Indeed, if Rogan makes good on his promise, Austin could become the countrys new mecca of comedy.

On the other hand, Musks migration has much to do with overseeing the construction of new projects for his companies, SpaceX and Tesla. SpaceX is currently building and testing rockets in Boca Chica, a remote piece of land in South Texas. Meanwhile, construction is currently underway on Teslas gigafactory, a massive manufacturing center where the companys new Cybertruck, Semi and Model Y vehicles will be produced before the end of 2021.

Of course, it goes without saying that Musk will also enjoy a much-needed tax break from his Texas residency, but hes been characteristically cryptic in his comments regarding moving on from California. He said,If a team has been winning for too long they do tend to get a little complacent, a little entitled and then they dont win the championship anymore. Musk has certainly been critical of the states COVID-19 shutdowns in the past, comments that havent aged well in hindsight.

Nevertheless, the tech billionaires opinion of living in California is best summarized in the following sentence, preferablyread aloud in his voice: It wasnt necessarily a great use of my time here.

Following the migration of these two behemoths comes others who are hoping to establish themselves in a bustling new environment ripe for the taking.

Enter comedian Tim Dillon, host of The Tim Dillon Show and current Texas resident. After appearing on Rogans podcast, Dillon exploded in popularity due in part to his wildly offensive but hilarious rants on anything from conspiracy theories to corporate steakhouses.

His dark humor has propelled his podcast into the mainstream, and with his recent move to the Texas Hill Country, hes become one of the first comedians to follow Rogans California departure.

Why? In his words, Pick a reason, theres 25, cost a lot of money to live in the state, tax burden is high, theres less to do. Being in a career that I have makes me want to go down and live simpler in a less expensive state, do live shows and podcasts.Or, as he more succinctly put it in another podcast, New York and LA its been done, who cares? Its been done.

Aside from the banality of Americas two most iconic cities, it seems that a lower cost of living is a common factor in moving to Texas for these tax-evading nomads. Californias income tax is certainly high, ranking as the highest in the country according to Business Insider.

However, if other wealthy elites follow suit, what could the loss of tax revenue mean for California a state that is already suffering from a massive homeless problem? According to NPR, the homeless population in Los Angeles alone is now over 66,000, a nearly 13% increase from 2019. With economic conditions worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, its no wonder individuals with the means to move are seeking other places to lay their hats.

Ultimately, the change ushered in by 2020 has brought a new landscape of opportunities. Whether or not Austin turns into Los Angelesis entirely up in the air until COVID-19 becomes a long page in the history books. Until then, more and more Californians are embracing the words spoken by Texan icon Joe Rogan:Im outta here, Im gonna go to Texas.

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The California Exodus: How Texas Is Becoming the New Hollywood - Study Breaks

For the first time in history, we have an audio recording from the surface of another planet.

NASA's Perseverance rover landed on Mars Thursday, using a jetpack to maneuver to a safe spot in the 28-mile-wide Jezero Crater. On Saturday, microphones attached to the rover captured an unprecedented audio recording.

"Just imagine yourself sitting on the surface of Mars and listening to the surroundings," Dave Gruel, NASA's lead engineer for Perseverance's camera and microphone systems, said during a Monday press conference. "Here 10 seconds in was an actual wind gust on the surface of Mars, picked up by the microphone and sent back to us here on Earth."

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The experience of listening to it, he said, was "overwhelming, if you will."

The other mic was designed to listen to sounds from the rover, specifically its SuperCam laser instrument, which zaps Mars rocks and soil. Putting a microphone on the SuperCam gives the rover and the scientists analyzing its data another "sense" with which to probe Martian rock. The laser should make a staccato pop when it vaporizes Martian rock.

According to Gruel, both microphones will continue collecting audio during the rest of Perseverance's mission. The rover is poised to spend the next two years scouring the river delta of Jezero Crater for signs of ancient alien life, and should collect its first rock samples this summer if all goes according to plan.

Perseverance is NASA's fifth and most sophisticated Mars rover. The agency equipped two Martian spacecraft with microphones in the past, but one of those - the Mars Polar Lander - failed, and the other - the Phoenix lander - never turned on its microphone.

NASA's InSight lander, which touched down on Mars in 2018, enabled scientists to listen to the Martian wind in a different way. The lander was equipped with a seismometer to study Mars quakes, but the tool also sensed the vibrations that wind caused as it gusted across InSight's solar panels. The low-pitch sounds of these vibrations were audible to the human ear.

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For the first time, we have an audio recording from the surface of Mars - take a listen - Business Insider India

In November 2020, Apple unveiled a slate of new computers that were powered by the company's first-ever in-house silicon: The Apple M1 chip.

By early 2021, it looks like Apple's line of new computers has already been breached by a malicious set of software nicknamed "Silver Sparrow." Just shy of 30,000 of Apple's new computers have already been infected, according to the security firm Red Canary, primarily in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Germany.

"Though we haven't observed Silver Sparrow delivering additional malicious payloads yet," Tony Lambert, an analyst at Red Canary intelligence, wrote in a blog post. "Its forward-looking M1 chip compatibility, global reach, relatively high infection rate, and operational maturity suggest Silver Sparrow is a reasonably serious threat, uniquely positioned to deliver a potentially impactful payload at a moment's notice."

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Got a tip? Contact Insider senior correspondent Ben Gilbert via email (bgilbert@insider.com), or Twitter DM (@realbengilbert). We can keep sources anonymous. Use a non-work device to reach out. PR pitches by email only, please.

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Apple's latest computers are being targeted by a new type of malware - and 30,000 machines are already infecte - Business Insider India

Area on the Rio Grande River Delta

Boca Chica is a beach on the eastern portion of a subdelta peninsula of Cameron County, at the far south of the US State of Texas along the Gulf Coast. It is bordered by the Brownsville Ship Channel to the north, the Rio Grande River and Mexico to the south, and the Gulf of Mexico to the east. The area extends approximately 25 miles (40km) east of the city of Brownsville. The peninsula is served by Texas State Highway 4also known as the Boca Chica Highway, or Boca Chica Boulevard within Brownsville city limitswhich runs east-west, terminating at the Gulf and Boca Chica Beach.

The Boca Chica area has historically consisted of Mexican land grants, Mexican and American ranches, a battlefield of the American Civil War (Battle of Palmito Ranch), a state park (Boca Chica State Park,[1] opened 1994), a small village (Boca Chica Village, c. 19602020), and, after the mid-2010s, an evolving private space launch facility (Boca Chica spaceport) which includes a large SpaceX development and manufacturing facility for space vehicles and launch vehicles, and a launch complex that has been used for ground-based and flight testing since 2019 and is intended for subsequent orbital launches; both are included in the term: SpaceX South Texas launch site.[2]

Boca Chica means "little mouth" in Spanish, as the Rio Grande River's flow is modest, and in droughts the mouth of the river may disappear altogether.[3]

Transportation across Boca Chica has been an important part of the history of the area. A land transportation route existed across Boca Chica in the 19th century, starting at the Mexican port of Brazos Santiago, north of Boca Chica, and heading inland to the Rio Grande Valley area that would later become Brownsville. The shallow water sail port at Brazos Santiago was used by sailing ships that used Brazos Santiago Pass to enter the South Bay of Laguna Madrea shallow, hypersaline natural bayfrom the Gulf to transit goods to the mainland north of the Rio Grande.[4]:ch. 3 Historical artifacts of human usage from those eras remained as of 2013[update] illustrating road use during the MexicanAmerican War (circa 1846) and railroad use during the American Civil War. Two historical artifacts. Cypress pilings from a circa 1846 floating bridge and the "Palmetto Pilings" from a circa-1865 railroad bridge were both yet extant in 2013. Both are located within 0.5mi (0.80km) of the beach near the eastern terminus of Texas State Highway 4.[4]:338

In the late 19th century, much of the arable land was used for ranching. Historical ranches include Tulosa Ranch, Palmito Ranch, Whites Ranch, and Cobbs Ranch.[4]:339 No historical Native American usage is known, and consultation with a number of tribes in 2013 identified no verbal record of native use of the area.[4]:339

In 1904, the St. Louis, Brownsville and Mexico Railway was completed to Brownsville which "opened the area to northern farmers who began to come to the area at the turn of the twentieth century. They cleared the land, built irrigation systems and roads, and introduced large-scale truck farming and citrus farming. The new farming endeavors began a new period of prosperity around Brownsville."[4]

The availability of cheap land in the area created a strong interest in land speculation. Special trains were dispatched to bring land speculators to the area and by the early 1920s as many as 200 people a day were coming to see the land.

One of the more notable land speculation ventures was the construction of the Del Mar Resort on Boca Chica Beach. Advertised as being on the same latitude as Miami, the resort was built in the 1920s by Colonel Sam Robinson, who moved to the Rio Grande Valley in 1917. The resort had 20 day-cabins available for rent, a bathhouse, and a ballroom. It was quite successful resort until 1933, when a hurricane destroyed most of the buildings. The remaining buildings were turned into a base for the US Coast Guard during World War II. As a result of the Great Depression and the hurricane damage, the owners of the property were not able to reopen the resort after the end of the war.

The 1933 hurricane spurred the Works Progress Administration to take part in the dredging and construction of the port of Brownsville, a venture that the city had been trying to complete since 1928. The port was officially opened in 1936.[4]

The completion of the port and the dredging of the Brownsville Ship Channel created the human-made northern boundary of the Boca Chica peninsula. It cut the peninsula off from any land transport routes except from Brownsville to the east, which also was the transportation railhead for Boca Chica to the rest of the country,[4]

The Battle of Palmito Ranch is considered by some as the final battle of the conclusion of the American Civil War. It was fought 1213 May 1865, on the banks of the Rio Grande east of current Brownsville, Texas and a few miles from the seaport of Los Brazos de Santiago.

Union and Confederate forces in southern Texas had been observing an unofficial truce since the beginning of 1865. But Union Colonel Theodore H. Barrett, newly assigned to command an all-black unit, and never having been in combat, ordered an attack on a Confederate camp near Fort Brown for unknown reasons. The Union attackers captured a few prisoners, but the following day the attack was repulsed near Palmito Ranch by Colonel John Salmon Ford, and the battle resulted in a Union defeat. Union forces were surprised by artillery, said to have been supplied by the French Army occupying the nearby Mexican town of Matamoros.[5]

Boca Chica Beach is part of the 10,680-acre (43.2km2) Boca Chica tract of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The tract is a former Texas state park located in the Boca Chica Subdelta separated from Mexico by the Rio Grande. The park was acquired by the state of Texas and opened in May 1994. The state park land is now managed by the US Federal government as part of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge.[1]

Boca Chica Village is the current name of a small unincorporated community in located on Texas State Highway 4, about 22mi (35km) east of Brownsville. It was formed in 1967 under another name as a land development project, and a community of about 30 ranch-style houses were built before the settlement was devastated by Hurricane Beulah later that same year, which greatly affected the trajectory of the would-be town.

In 2014, the village was chosen by SpaceX as the location for the construction of an orbital launch facility.[6][7]

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Boca Chica (Texas) - Wikipedia

This site is open for day use only.

An entrance fee or donation may be required.

Continue south on FM 511. Cross TX 4 and continue to the merger of FM 511 and FM 3068 (FM 511 will veer to the right), continue south on FM 3068 to FM 1419. Turn west (right) on FM 1419 and go 0.6 mile to the entrance to the Sabal Palm Sanctuary, turn left, and proceed a quarter of a mile to the entrance which is marked by an opening in the Border Wall. Continue to the parking area and headquarters, just past the Rabb Plantation House. The lower extent of the Rio Grande was once bordered by 40,000 acres of Texas Sabal Palm forest. Now reduced to less than 100 acres, this sanctuary represents the largest remaining Texas Sabal Palm fragment in Texas. In addition to its magnificent palms, many species of plants found only rarely in the Valley thrive in this small preserve. Most of the Valley's avian specialties are present, including "Brownsville" Common Yellowthroat and "Lomita" Carolina Wren, two localized subspecies. Sabal Palm is traditionally the valley stronghold for nesting Yellow-green Vireo May to July. Additionally, a number of vagrants including Masked Duck, Dusky-capped Flycatcher, Gray-crowned Yellowthroat and Golden-crowned Warbler have been found within the property. Neotropical migrants that normally winter in Mexico may remain in the sanctuary throughout the winter months. Buff-bellied Hummingbird is almost assured to be seen at the feeders near the sanctuary headquarters.

A butterfly garden has been developed behind the Visitors Center, and many Valley butterfly rarities have been seen here. Zebras are commonly seen within the sanctuary; Boisduval's Yellow, Blue Metalmark, Tulcis Crescent, and Guava Skipper are among the rare butterflies that have occurred here. The sanctuary has a series of walking trails, including one that borders a resaca with observation blinds. When favorable water levels and bird movements coincide, Least Grebes as well as many species of ducks and shorebirds may be viewed at close range. Simply put, no trip to the Valley should exclude a visit to this remarkable sanctuary.

(956) 541-8034http://sabalpalmsanctuary.org

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Boca Chica Loop Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

SpaceXs newest Starship prototype, SN10, could take to the sky for another high-altitude test flight as soon as this week. Elon Musks space company is now proceeding with final pre-launch tests in Boca Chica, Texas and the Federal Aviation Administration has closed its investigations of previous Starship tests.

Boca Chica is closing local roads and beach near SpaceXs test site on Monday in preparation for whats believed to be a static fire test of SN10, the last step to ensure that the rocket is in good shape to lift off.

Theres a good chance of flying this week! Musk tweeted Sunday.

The SN10 test will be SpaceXs third attempt at high-altitude flight and landing with a Starship prototype. The company has completed two successful test flights with SN8 in December and SN9 earlier this month. But both prototypes failed to land due to last-second engine failure and crashed into pieces.

Following the SN8 crash, the FAA launched an investigation into possible violations of SpaceXs flight license, which caused delays in approving the SN9 test. The federal agency had also been looking into the SN9 crash to assess its damage to public safety. The FAA has settled the SN9 investigation recently and concluded that the prototype failed within the bounds of the FAA safety analysis and that its unsuccessful landing and explosion did not endanger the public or property, an agency spokesperson confirmed to CNN last week.

With these safety probes out of the way, SpaceX could expect the FAAs SN10 launch license as soon as the rocket is ready.

SN10 is identical to SN8 and SN9. However, learning from the previous two explosions, Musk said SN10 has a better chance of landing in one piece this time. Last week, he tweeted that theres a 60 percent chance of a successful landing.

SpaceX fans on Twitter are even more optimistic. A poll launched by the space YouTuber Marcus House on February 13 found that 64 percent of Twitter users believe that SN10 will stick the landing. Less than 20 percent think it will be another Rapid Unplanned Disassembly, or explosion.

Originally posted here:

SpaceXs Starship SN10 Ready For Liftoff With FAA Probes Out of the Way - Observer

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (KVEO) A local cafe is extending its hours to provide customers an escape from the cold, as many remain without power in the RGV.

Angelitas Casa de Caf, in Brownsville, has been fortunate to maintain its power throughout the winter weather outages, but understand that hasnt been the case for many.

The restaurant is approaching its three-year anniversary.

Co-Owner MartinLealsaid making it through the pandemic has been rough, but the communitys support has helped them get by.

Not okay with just watching his community suffer, he kept their doors open into the late hours of the night to help those without a warm shelter and electricity.

This is where we live, he said. These are our neighbors; these are our friends; these are the people we see at the grocery store and say hi toThese are the people we interact and went to school with. So, as long as we can provide a service for them, were here. Were not going to turn anyone away.

Leal says they can safely fit 30 people, but if they do begin to exceedcapacity,they will send those dropping by off with a hot drink to help them warm up.

SinceMonday, customers have been flocking to the shop to stay warm, have a meal and charge their devices.

As one of a handful of businesses that have not lost power, people are coming from South Padre Island,Olmitoand other neighboring areas.

Because of the power outage that hit Boca Chica, there were no restaurants open, he said. Also, the thing is the lines were outrageous where they were. But they were able to come in and they got some rest, got some heated up, they charged their devices so it was good. Thats the story they kept hearing over and over again. People were looking for a place to warm up.

Leal added they will keep the extended hours for as long as necessary as their way to give back for all the support theyve received from the community to weather the pandemic.

Though a temporary outage affected some of their food supply, he says they are working fast to replenish stock but still have plenty of coffee to go around.

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Brownsville cafe extends hours to provide warmth, electricity for those in need - KGBT-TV