Category Archives: Mars Colony

The Starfield factions are the only element of Bethesda's spacefaring RPG that we have a clear picture of. Even with the Starfield release date set for November 11, 2022, on PC and Xbox Series X, we still know very little about the game although Bethesda is beginning to gradually pull back the curtain. We know that Starfield is set in the year 2330, and that it'll be an adventure across the frontiers of the Settled Systems. As we build a character, set our unique traits and backgrounds, we'll be left to freely navigate fractured alliances in the aftermath of a bloody Colony War that has forever stained this pocket of the Milky Way.

Bethesda has teased the major Starfield factions that we'll meet along the way, and the ways in which our interactions with the various groups will shape our story. Lead quest designer Will Shen says that a key goal for Bethesda is that you come away from Starfield feeling as if "you've had an impact on the world; you really feel like you're there." That's going to really shine through in your interactions with the various Starfield factions.

Factions are a familiar feature for any of you that have played a Bethesda game in the past. They are typically presented as organizations that exist within the world, each of which has a distinct mission objective or goal, not to mention its own unique questlines, perks, and rewards. The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim has the Dark Brotherhood, the Thieves Guild, the Blades, and 12 other joinable factions. Fallout 4 has four key factions Brotherhood of Steel, The Railroad, The Institute, and Commonwealth Minutemen and your alignment with one of them would ultimately shape the direction of your story and the type of quests you could engage in.

From what we've learned so far, it sounds like Starfield is approaching factions as a mixture of the two. Bethesda wants its sci-fi RPG to be more open-ended than anything it has built before. Design director Emil Pagliarulo presents one example, speaking to how you could interact with a pirate faction in Starfield ostensibly bad guys, but you can decide how you want to play off your interactions with the Crimson Fleet.

"What if you're a good person and you want to be a good player, and you don't want to play as a bad guy? You can side with the pirates or you can report back to your superiors and be this space cop," says Pagliarulo. "So [Starfield will] let you be a good person and still play with the bad guys."

"It's a level of immersion that we really focus on. You're not just playing a game, but you're living in this world, in this universe," adds lead artist Istvan Pely.

You'll begin Starfield as the newest member of the Constellation faction. This group is committed to uncovering the mysteries of the galaxy, known in the game as 'the last group of space explorers'. Constellation is an organization that is perhaps best compared to NASA; its mission objective is to search for answers in the far-reaches of space although the adventure you undertake at the beginning of Starfield is just "the beginning of humanity's final journey."

Given Pagliarulo's comment above, about being able to role-play a space cop who snitches on the Crimson Fleet to their superiors, it sounds as if Constellation membership might be a constant much like you were always a Dragonborn in Skyrim. After all, it's the Constellation faction who help you get into space to begin with, so the group will probably have an ongoing interest in what's going down on the Settled Systems.

The United Colonies is one of the major Starfield factions. This group has been described in a variety of ways by Bethesda; lead quest designer Will Shen says that the U.C. "represents the future of space republic idealized", while design director Emil Pagliarulo is on record saying that it's "the most powerful, established military and political faction in the game."

The United Colonies is based out of the capital city of New Atlantis, a sprawling mecca which Bethesda describes as being "a true reflection of the future of our world." Given the militaristic descriptions attributed to the U.C., it sounds as if this faction has similarities to the way the Brotherhood of Steel has been presented in past-Fallout games albeit working on a much larger scope now. The United Colonies is vying for control over the Settled Systems against the Freestar Collective, with each faction attempting to imprint its way of life on the other after the Colony War some 30 years prior.

The Freestar Collective is another one of the major factions in Starfield. It's a loose confederation of three distinct star systems, with its headquarters based out of Akila City. Bethesda describes The Freestar Collective as being "people that are out there on the frontier", with lead quest designer Will Shen going on to tease that aligning yourself with this faction will let you play out a "space western fantasy".

Interestingly, Akila City is walled-off from the planet that surrounds it, indicating that it might have less military might than the United Colonies or the various pirate factions that are working around the Settled Systems. There's also a non-human threat that The Freestar Collective have to contend with, with those walls also working to protect its citizens from the Ashta "alien predators that are a cross between a wolf and a velociraptor."

While it sounds as if the United Colonies and The Freestar Collective have pretty distinct morals and ethical codes (both can be seen as good, depending on your perspective), the Pirates of the Crimson Fleet are a more overly villainous presence in Starfield. Bethesda has confirmed that you'll be able to join up with the bad guys if you want to "they're not just this foe," teases lead quest designer Will Shen. "Let the player join them, what does that mean?"

The Crimson Fleet isn't a single organized entity, but rather a loose confederation of individual captains coming together under the same banner. While that probably makes plundering the Settled Systems a little easier for the pirates, it has put a target on their back any ships seen flying the 'Jolly Roger' symbol can be "terminated at will" by U.C. forces, so aligning yourself with this faction will cause problems.

The Xenofresh Corporation honestly sounds like a wild time. This faction exists in the 'pleasure city' of Neon, which could well be Starfield's take on Mos Eisley were I to make the obligatory Star Wars reference. The Xenofresh Corporation started life as a fishing company which set up shop on an otherwise quiet aquatic world. However, once the corp started its work it soon discovered that the fish on the planet could produce a chemical called Aurora which can be used as a psychoactive drug. And so the Xenofresh Corporation began selling Aurora to the public for profit, building the city of Neon atop the fishing platform and becoming a party zone that will no doubt be wrought with chaotic questlines.

Little is known about Ryujin Industries, although lead quest designer Will Shen believes it has "one of the best starts out of any of the factions." Additionally, design director Emil Pagliarulo says of that opening: you'll need to pass an entrance exam to do business with the faction that sounds like it would have been comfortable in Cyberpunk 2077's Night City. "It's a megacorp and you get hired, right? Apply for a job and see if you cut the mustard."

These are the major Starfield factions that we have details of so far, although they won't be the only joinable and non-joinable factions in the game. Starfield is all about scope and about choice, or as game director Todd Howard puts it: "You have to ask: What makes the world feel whole? What are the groups that will make it feel whole and believable? Then ask: How will the player interact with them?"

That's what we'll find out when we interact with factions like the United Colonies and the Freestar Collective, and begin to tangle with some of the more secretive Starfield factions listed below, when the game releases later this year.

Starfield is one of the most anticipated upcoming Xbox Series X games, but when will we see it in action? There's always a chance Microsoft will give it a big reveal in June, although it is yet to officially book out any time in the E3 2022 schedule.

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How the Starfield factions will shape your adventure in Bethesda's upcoming RPG - Gamesradar

A garden wall torn down without planning permission in Edinburgh's historic Colonies must be rebuilt piece-by-piece, after councillors unanimously rejected plans submitted after work was completed.

The resident of Ashville Terrace in the Lochend Colonies dismantled part of the protected sandstone wall last year as part of work to form a driveway outside her top floor flat off the narrow residential street where parking is notoriously difficult.

The job was finished by last summer, complete with a dropped kerb and adjusted pavement. Furious neighbours were quick to hit back at the development, calling it "shameful" and warning it could "ruin" the close community.

READ MORE: Edinburgh's new 50million 'eco-friendly secondary school' approved by council

The resident behind the creation of the parking space, who asked not to be named, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service she approached planning officers prior to making the changes and was told no consent was needed, further stating that the go-ahead was given for alterations to the pavement claims since denied by Edinburgh City Council.

Following a visit from council officials, she was told to submit a retrospective planning application for the driveway, which finally went before the Development Management Sub-Committee on Wednesday (March 16).

It prompted 42 objections from neighbouring residents living in the Colony houses near Leith Links, with one writing: "I was astonished to see the original boundary wall demolished", and another: "There are only five areas in Edinburgh and Scotland with these houses! Shameful of the owner.

The number of objections were apparently outweighed by 57 letters of support, most of which were left blank and not attributed to anyone. Furthermore, a report to the committee noted that "multiple representations were submitted by individuals". In one the new parking space was dubbed "an ecological beautiful driveway.

At the meeting, councillors heard that no permit for the dropped kerb had been granted, and that planning permission would have had to be in place for this to be obtained.

The council's senior transport officer Matthew Simpson said: "If work has been carried out on the footway without that permit being in place then that's potentially committing an offence, which could be enforced by the roads authority.

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"It would be rather odd to have a dropped kerb with no off-street parking area, it would be a rather daft thing to have and it can potentially cause other issues."

Members followed the recommendation by city planners to refuse permission and enforce the wall's reinstatement, which they unanimously voted in favour of.

Planning convenor Councillor Neil Gardiner said: "The colonies are an important part of Edinburgh and they are a conservation area for that reason, that the unique living with very tight spaces with amenity spaces provided and so on. It's important to keep them as cohesive as we can."

The decision means the applicant will be told to rebuild the wall exactly how it was, although she had earlier vowed to lodge an appeal and to take legal action against Edinburgh City Council over its handling of the case.

Her partner, who does not live at the address permanently, added that the response to the driveway being built has amounted to "a witch hunt conducted by local residents".

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Edinburgh Colonies wall removed for parking space must be rebuilt, council rules - Edinburgh Live

Toronto, Ontario; Atlanta, Georgia; Paris, France, March 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TORONTO, PARIS, ATLANTA Creative Destruction Labs Space stream is going global, adding two new sites in Atlanta and Paris to create a worldwide network of space innovators and investors that reaches around the world. This global program will broaden the horizon of opportunity for ventures starting out in this limitless field.

Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) delivers an objectives-based, nine-month mentorship program for massively-scalable science- and tech-based startups. After the Space streams four successful years operating at the University of Torontos Rotman School of Management in Toronto, Canada, the global Space stream will expand to two additional CDL sites: Georgia Techs Scheller College of Business in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.A., and HEC Paris in Paris, France.

Atlanta offers one of the United States strongest networks of space professionals and scientists. Georgia Tech has one of the countrys top-ranked aerospace programs and attracts some of the most talented minds working in space technology. Its location in the U.S. is particularly crucial the U.S. is home to more than 50 per cent of the companies that make up the worlds space industry, and the American government spends more on space than all other countries combined.

Paris offers its status as an international hub with one of the best business schools HEC Paris in the world. Like the U.S., the European Union is making exciting investments in the regions space industry. The EU announced a 1-billion space investment fund earlier this year, which will attract more venture capital groups investing in small- and medium-sized businesses that are working on space technology and digital services using space data.

Toronto offers its existing community of CDL mentors and investors, like astronaut Colonel Chris Hadfield, who have extensive experience coaching and funding space-based ventures. After orbiting Earth 2,650 times, helping found the Space stream, and mentoring well over a hundred new space companies, I am very excited to now be part of CDL-Space going worldwide.

The global Space stream will create a bridge between two continents North America and Europe that have different landscapes in space exploration and commercialization. This means twice the potential, and twice the possibilities for participating ventures.

This is pivotal new capacity for a field that has applications in areas like telecommunications, climate and disaster management but that sees relatively few companies get off the ground each year.

My long-term dream has always been space colonization, said JP James, the chairman and lead investor at Hive Financial Systems and a CDL-Atlanta mentor. But the path from here to there requires a combination of expertise, entrepreneurship, capital, and government support. CDL connects all of these components in a transformative way.

"We're talking about a global marketplace and a global set of players, said Christine Tovee, a CDL-Paris mentor whos been involved in a spectrum of space projects, including the training of astronauts for NASAs Neurolab Space Shuttle mission. Space is a relatively small sector, with some really particular skills that are needed. If you don't have a global perspective from the start in the space sector, you're limiting your horizons.

On top of their business experience, mentors in all three cities will bring knowledge of their countries space industries, venture capital ecosystems and regulatory environments.

Dr. Mark Costello, chair of the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering at Georgia Tech, said that this is an incredibly exciting time for space technology entrepreneurs like those that will be supported by CDLs new global stream. The coalescence of affordable access to space and emerging technologies has set the stage for many new business opportunities."

Ventures developing upstream and downstream space technologies are invited to apply. Possible areas of innovation include:

What wont change with this announcement is CDLs proven methodology. Companies that participate in CDLs new global Space stream will be put through the rigorous, objectives-based program that has already assisted in launching companies like Wyvern.

Wyvern builds and deploys small satellites to collect high-quality hyperspectral images of Earth for commercial applications. When the company entered CDLs inaugural Space program in Toronto in 2018, the co-founders were working on the venture part time. By the end of the nine-month program, Wyvern had full-time founders, an employee, an advisory board and expressions of interest from a dozen customers, including one worth tens of millions of dollars.

"Space is not a typical industry", Wyvern CEO Chris Robson said.

You can't just make a product in your garage or on your computer, and send it up on a rocket. Youve got to be innovative about what you do to prove the value of your product to customers and to get customer traction. CDL helped us think about that.

We grew a lot as a company at CDL, Robson added. We really focused on the customers we were selling to, what their needs were and also on our long-term roadmap.

He said CDLs Space stream will be even more useful to ventures now that theyll get access to diverse pools of investors and customers across Canada, the U.S. and Europe: It will be really valuable.

Are you interested in transforming the space industry? Please reach out Rachel Harris, Director of Engagement at Creative Destruction Lab, for potential partnership opportunities.

About Creative Destruction Lab

Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) is a nonprofit organization that delivers an objectives-based program for massively scalable, seed-stage, science- and technology-based companies. Its nine-month program allows founders to learn from experienced entrepreneurs, increasing their likelihood of success. Founded in 2012 by Professor Ajay Agrawal at the University of Torontos Rotman School of Management, the program has expanded to 10 sites across four countries. Participating ventures have created $18 billion (CAD) in equity value.

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Launch of global CDL Space stream will unlock new worlds of - GlobeNewswire

"Galaxy Quest" is a hilarious spoof of both science fiction franchises and their fans. The film focuses on the cast of the titular sci-fi series (think: "Star Trek"), which has struggled since the show's cancellation and now must make their living by attending fan conventions. The show's leading man, Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen), irritates his cast mates Gwen DeMarco (Sigourney Weaver), Alexander Dane (Alan Rickman), Fred Kwan (Tony Schalhoub), and Tommy Webber (Daryl Mitchell) with his egocentric behavior.

As Jason grows disillusioned with the decline of his career, he's contacted by the real alien race the Thermians. The Thermians' leader, Mathesar (Enrico Colantoni), asks for Jason's help defeating the vicious alien warlord Roth'h'ar Sarris (Robin Sachs), who is searching for a secret weapon called the "Omega 13." The Thermians have watched all of "Galaxy Quest," but mistakenly believe the show is a real, historical document. Jason and his cast mates must become the heroes that they once played on television to ultimately defeat Sarris.

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The 15 Best Space Opera Movies, Ranked - /Film

IT IS no longer a case of if but more likely when we will answer the question: "Are we alone?".

Even in our own cosmic backyard our solar system there are numerous potential candidates for life.

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From the red planet Mars which scientists understand was likely much warmer and wetter in life, and may have had the conditions for simple microbial life.

To Europa and Enceladus icy moons of the gas giants Jupiter and Saturn, which have probable liquid oceans beneath their frozen surfaces.

Even the planet Venus previously deemed an inhospitable world has been subject to scrutiny about the possibility of simple life in its clouds.

But when it comes to intelligent life, to the likes dreamed up by science fiction, or perhaps something even beyond the imagination, we just dont know.

For pretty much every star you can see when you look up, there is at least one planet orbiting around it.

On the face of it the universe is full of candidate places for life to exist.

Whether we make contact with any intelligent life beyond is yet to be seen.

This could happen tomorrow, or it could happen 1,000 years from now. It could have already happened.

We just dont know and we are yet to have the evidence.

Say an intelligent alien race one likely far more advanced than ourselves given the fact that it would have developed capabilities to travel across the universe made contact with us.

Then what would happen?

Experts such as the late Professor Stephen Hawking have suggested that an intelligent alien life reaching Earth would be bad news for us.

Meeting an advanced alien civilisation could be like Native Americans encountering Columbus. That didnt turn out so well.

But this is not a view shared by everyone, myself included.

Especially given the fact that if a civilisation has already developed the enormous capabilities required for intergalactic travel, than they are likely already aware of our existence, given the radio signals we have been emitting for over a century.

But say a signal was found. And contact was made by an alien race with Earth? Then what?

While we are divided so much on Earth race, politics, archaeology. In the vastness of space we all call the same planet home.

Perhaps though aliens are aware of our exitance and they have just passed us by. Much in the same way that you wouldnt stop to talk to a colony of ants in the street, aliens might see us as no different.

To an alien civilisation any communication we made would have to represent one planet, not one nation.

There have already been recent sightings which have caused concern.

Such as the now infamous 2004 Nimitz incident where video showed pilots tracking a strange Tic Tac like object in the night sky.

Pentagon officials later admitted the videos are real and they cannot explain them.

And earlier this year Washington got back into the "UFO Business", with the establishment of a new office - signed into law to study "Unidentified Aerial Phenomena".

Perhaps the biggest hurdle though would be that if contact was made, we wouldnt likely agree on how to respond.

While there is a UN Department for Outer Space Affairs, there is no protocol on how we would respond as one planet. We would have to agree on what to do internationally.

In all likelihood though, we would have some time.

While the movies depict aliens visiting us, it is perhaps far more probable that we would detect a signal from them far in the universe.

Then the process of communicating with an alien civilisation would be comparable not to Star Wars, and other movies, but to archaeology.

Given the mind boggling vastness of the cosmos by the time a signal from an alien civilisation has reached us, and we have figured out a way to reply, the timeframe from when it was sent could be tens perhaps hundreds of years.

Our way of learning about a far of civilisations, could almost be thought of as how we learned about the Romans.

Perhaps though aliens are aware of our exitance and they have just passed us by.

Much in the same way that you wouldnt stop to talk to a colony of ants in the street, aliens might see us as no different. We just dont know.

Intelligent life may even be a fluke and our existence a mere cosmic coincidence, which presents the most terrifying possibility of all WE are the most intelligent beings in the universe.

I really hope this is not true.

Sarah Cruddas can be seen on Craig Charles: UFO Conspiracies which is available on catch up services on Sky HISTORY.

For more UFO based programming head over to Blaze TV for UFO Week featuring new UK and Free TV premieres every single night from MondayMarch 28 to Sunday April 3.

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Aliens may have already visited Earth and they could see us as like a colony of ANTS compared to their c... - The Sun

With the successful deployment of NASAs long-awaited James Webb Space Telescope into its orbit around L2, 2022 is already proving itself to be a doozy of a year.

And were just ramping up on all the space missions.

NASA is plotting its return to Europa, has plans to slam into an asteroid this year, and may finally dock Boeings Starliner to the International Space Station. Several international missionsamong them, Indias return to the lunar surface, Roscosmos/ESAs next Mars rover, and South Korea's lunar orbiterare gearing up to launch. Commercial spaceflight is bustling, too, with the upcoming launch of Axiom's first private mission to the space station, orbital tests of SpaceX's Starship spacecraft and Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, and the debut of United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket.

Heres a (living) list of all the space missions to add to your calendar in 2022. Check back throughout the year as we continue to update launch dates.

Loren ElliottGetty Images

SpaceX is targeting early March for the first orbital launch of its Starship rocket from the companys Brownsville, Texas, spaceport. The stainless steel spacecraft has been selected to ferry the first woman and next man to the lunar surface later this decade. The companys CEO, Elon Musk, also has plans to ride Starship to Mars and seed the planets first human colony.

But first, Starship must safely make it to orbit. (The company is currently waiting on FAA approval.) On February 3, Musk announced plans to provide updates at a live event scheduled for 9 p.m. ET on February 10.

United Launch Alliance, based in Colorado, plans to send its Vulcan Centaur rocket to orbit this year. Multiple delays, according to ArsTechnica, have pushed back the debut of the next generation rocket, which is powered by two of Blue Origins BE-4 engines, as opposed to the Russian-made engines which powered the companys Atlas V rockets.

This year, Jeff Bezos-led rocket company Blue Origin will finally test its orbital rocket, New Glenn. Last year, the company announced it would conduct the first test of its 322-foot-tall rocket no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2022 from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The rockets reusable first stage is powered by seven BE-4 engines. (These same engines will power ULAs Vulcan Centaur rocket.) Its second stage is powered by two of the companys BE-3U reignitable engines. New Glenn will generate a total of 18,200 kilonewtons of thrust and will be able to carry roughly 45 metric tons to low-Earth orbit.

Billionaire Jared Isaacman, who helmed last year's Inspiration4 mission, is at it again. This time, he's pledged to fund and lead three crewed space missions, the first of which, dubbed Polaris Dawn, launches in the fourth quarter of this year. The Polaris Program's first two missions will launch using SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule, while the last will mark the first crewed launch of SpaceX's next-generation Starship rocket. Also on the docket? The first ever spacewalk from a crew of private astronauts.

Sierra Nevada Corp.

The Houston-based space firm Axiom plans to send a crew of private astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) on February 28. The crew of Axiom Mission 1 (AX-1), which will conduct a slew of experiments during their ten-day stay aboard the space station, includes Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, Eytan Stibbe, and former NASA astronaut Michael Lpez-Alegra.

Boeing is planning to launch its second uncrewed test flight of the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft, known as Orbital Flight Test 2 (OFT 2), no earlier than May this year. Starliner, which was built for NASAs Commercial Cargo and Crew program along with SpaceXs Crew Dragon, has been plagued by a series of costly delays. (This time, Boeing decided to swap service modules.)

The company first tested Starliner in December 2019, but the mission was cut short after the spacecraft suffered a software anomaly preventing it from reaching the proper altitude to dock with the ISS. In August, Boeing scrubbed a second OFT 2 attempt after it discovered an issue with the propulsion system.

If all goes according to plan (hopefully it does this time), the service module will launch atop ULAs Atlas 5 rocket and dock with the ISS, spending a total of five days in space. Later this year, the spacecraft will carry a crew of NASA astronauts to the ISS.

The private spaceplane Dream Chaser, built by Colorado-based firm Sierra Space, is scheduled to make its long-awaited orbital debut this year. Last year, the company announced that the smaller space shuttle would begin ferrying supplies to the ISS as soon as this spring. Itll catch a ride to space (sans crew) aboard ULAs Vulcan Centaur rocket and stay docked to the ISS for eighty-four days before returning to Earth. And like the space shuttle, Dream Chaser can land horizontally on any runway.

The spaceplane, which can fit seven, may someday fly a crew of astronauts to space. In November, Sierra Space won a $1.4 billion investment that could help the company transport humans to and from orbit by 2025, according to The Washington Post.

AOES medialab M.Thiebaut

ESAs Mini Cooper-sized rover, Rosalind Franklin (named for the famed DNA researcher), will launch this fall from Kazakhstans Baikonur spaceport and begin the nine-month journey to the Red Planet. Once it lands safely at the Oxia Planum site, the rover will drill into the Martian soil, searching for signs of ancient life.

Roscosmos/ESAs Trace Gas Orbiter (also part of the ExoMars mission) landed on Mars in 2016 and serves a relay for Perseverance and Chinas Zurong rover in addition to its duties analyzing the Martian atmosphere.

This fall, NASAs Juno spacecraft will make its closest pass of Jupiters moon Europa yet, coming within just 221 miles of the moons surface. The Juno mission launched in 2011 and has since delivered stunning images of the gas giant and its diverse array of moons. Last year, NASA announced that the spacecraft had completed its primary mission and would begin its extended missionan additional forty-two orbits of the planetwhich will wrap up in 2025.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

On August 1, NASAs Psyche mission is scheduled to begin its journey to the metal-rich asteroid Psyche, an ancient planetary core which orbits the sun between Mars and Jupiter. Researchers hope the mission, which arrives at the asteroid in 2026, will shed light on the formation of such asteroids, believed to be the building blocks of our solar system.

A smaller set of probes on board, part of the Janus mission, will peel off the spacecraft and study a pair of binary asteroid systems called 1996 FG3 and 1991 VH. Both missions will launch together from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Its time to HULK SMASH an asteroid. NASAs Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)mission, which launched on November 24 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, will attempt to slam into the near-Earth asteroid Dimorphos later this year. The mission will demonstrate how we could potentially divert an asteroid hurtling toward Earth.

Thankfully, Dimorphos, which is part of a binary asteroid system with its larger counterpart, Didymos, isn't a threat.

NASA/Frank Michaux

It turns out a rocket part destined to slam into the lunar surface later this year isn't a Falcon 9 second stage after all. Updated trajectory estimates suggest the piece of space junk may actually be part of the Long March 3C rocket which launched China's Chang'e 5-T1 mission. The fragment is expected to slam into Hertzsprung crater on the Moon's far side at 7:26 a.m. ET on March 4.

One of the most anticipated missions this year will be NASAs return to the lunar surface. More than sixty years after Apollo missions touched down on the lunar surface, NASA is determined to return to the moon. Before the agency sends astronauts back to retrace Neil, Buzz, and the rest of the Apollo astronauts steps, they plan to conduct a series of critical flight tests. Artemis-1 is the first of these flight tests.

Pending any last minute delays, NASA will debut the worlds most powerful rocket, its $20 billion Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion crew capsule, launching them from Launch Complex 39B at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida. (The European Space Agencys European Service Module will tag along for the ride.) The spacecraft will travel along a loop-like orbit for twenty-six days before returning to Earth.

This year, NASA will team up with Pittsburgh-based space firm Astrobotic Technology to launch the Peregrine 1 mission. Perched atop a Vulcan Centaur rocket, the company's lunar lander will ferry scientific instrumentsa total of 14 payloadsto the lunar surface.

Correction: We've updated this article to clarify the origins of a rocket fragment that will slam into the lunar surface on March 4. Updated estimates suggest it is part of a Chinese Long March 3C rocket, not a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

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2022 Space Missions - All the Space Milestones to Look Forward to This Year - Popular Mechanics

The 17th edition of the International Sand Sculpture Festival will be held in Turkeys Mediterranean resort city of Antalya with the theme of "space."

As preparations are in full swing for the festival in Antalya, which attracts many local and foreign visitors, festival Director Cem Karaca told Anadolu Agency (AA) that this year it will focus on space-human interactions and sand sculptures will reflect humanitys effort to reach outer space.

Through the sand sculptures, replicas and activities, our guests will have the opportunity to see and even partially experience humanitys journey from the ages when we first set foot on the moon to the present day where plans are being made to colonize space, he said.

He added that sculptures of prominent figures such as Ottoman aviator Lagari Hasan elebi, who conducted the first manned rocket test; Hazerfen Ahmed elebi, who crossed the Bosporus with bird-like wings attached to his body by jumping from Galata Tower; and the U.S. Wright brothers, who in 1903 did the world's first successful motor-operated flight, will be displayed.

At the festival, 25 master sand sculptors will use 10,000 tons of sand for sculptures of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, Apollo 11 and the first man on the moon, Neil Armstrong, the Hubble Space Telescope and Mars colonies.

As part of the event, which will feature replicas of well-known rockets such as Sputnik and Apollo, there will also be workshops for children on space observation, art and science.

Visitors will also have the chance to see sculptures inspired by space-themed movies and TV shows such Star Trek and Star Wars.

Visitors can do space and sun observations with a telescope and experience a gravity-free environment with a gyroscope, Karaca said.

"With this year's change of theme, our festival will go beyond being a sand sculpture event," he added.

"With sand sculptures, rocket replicas, special lighting and many events, it will become a large-scale museum that deals with humanitys adventure in space."

Karaca said they would preserve the Cheops Pyramid sculpture, which they have kept intact for seven years despite the theme change.

Their application to the Guinness Book of World Records two years ago for the sculpture made using 1,000 tons of sand is still under evaluation.

He said: "Based on the myths and legends that aliens were involved in the construction of the pyramids, we will also use it for this year's theme."

"We hope that it will eventually be included in the Guinness Book of World Records and help promote both Antalya and Turkey," he added.

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Antalya's sand sculpture fest to reveal mysterious world of space | Daily Sabah - Daily Sabah

Aliens have been found aboard the International Space Station.

Scientists have discovered three new genetic variants of bacteria inside the manned spacecraft which orbits the Earth 15 times-a-day 250 miles high.

The microorganisms were found at separate locations including a special plant growth chamber where researchers have been attempting to cultivate crops in zero gravity conditions.

The three strains of Methylobacteriaceae - which are "rod-shaped and capable of movement" - were "previously undiscovered", according to a NASA study published in science journal Frontiers In Microbiology.

Researchers think they could help with the eventual colonisation of Mars as their characteristics include helping vegetation grow.

The discovery has been deemed so important that boffins now want to expand the station to include a new biology lab to collect, process and analyse microbes in space without having to ship them back to Earth.

Scientists have been surveying the craft - launched in 1998, run by five international space agencies and manned by inter-changing crews of seven astronauts - for the presence of microorganisms for at least six years.

NASA scientists Dr Nitin Kumar Singh and Dr Kasthuri Venkateswaran said the newly-found strains might be a game-changer for the future of space crops.

They said it was essential to find new bacteria that assist in plant growth under stressful conditions in extreme places with scarce resources.

The discoveries make a case to expand the space station to `mitigate the lengthy process of continuously sending samples back to Earth, according to science news website Universal-Sci.com.

"Rather than returning samples back to Earth for examinations an integrated microbial monitoring system that collects, processes, and analyses samples on location, in space, using molecular technologies would vastly expedite the process, the website states.

"Researchers think these three newly discovered strains might be useful in helping vegetation grow on Mars because Methylobacterium species are known to promote plant growth," it continues.

"It will be a challenge to nurture and grow plants when we finally start a colony on the Red Planet."

The discovery of the new bacteria "might make things a little easier", it concludes.

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Mankind finally discovers aliens and they're onboard the International Space Station - Daily Star

LEXINGTON, Mass., Feb. 17, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Partner Therapeutics, Inc. (PTx)today announced a milestone-based Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) to fund development and regulatory activities to support an sBLA of Leukine (sargramostim, rhu-Granulocyte Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor, "GM-CSF") for the treatment of sulfur mustard gas (HD) exposure under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) "Animal Rule" (21 CFR 314.600-650). The funding includes a base agreement of $5 million, with optional periods that may be exercised to support research and regulatory initiatives. Funding is provided through the DoD's Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND). There are currently no medical countermeasures (MCMs) approved by the FDA to treat myelosuppressive effects of HD exposure.

"We are grateful to the DoD's JPEO-CBRND for supporting advanced development of Leukine in HD exposure," said John McManus, Chief Business Officer of Partner Therapeutics, Inc. "Data from Leukine's use in approved indications and data generated to support Leukine's approval for acute radiation syndrome support the hypothesis that administering Leukine after HD exposure could lead to accelerated recovery of immune function and improved outcomes. We look forward to working with the JPEO-CBRND and continuing to expand the utility of Leukine as an MCM in areas of interest to the United States Government."

This collaboration represents PTx's second partnership with the JPEO-CBRND to expand the utility of Leukine as an MCM beyond its current approved use to treat myelosuppressive effects of acute radiation exposure. The JPEO-CBRND previously awarded $39.5 million to support development of Leukine as a therapeutic to enhance immune response in high-risk non-hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and to improve oxygenation and lung function in hospitalized COVID-19 patients receiving oxygen support. Leukine achieved the primary endpoint (improvement in oxygenation) in the hospitalized patient study (iLeukPulm) and results from a 600-patient placebo-controlled study in high-risk non-hospitalized patients (SCOPE) are expected in the next quarter.

"Working with PTx will help advance our fight against HD exposure," said Col. Ryan Eckmeier, the JPEO-CBRND's Joint Project Manager for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Medical. "Investing in repurposing the broad-spectrum immune modulator Leukine will support our core mission of protecting our nation's warfighters from CBRN threats."

Leukine is FDA-approved for the treatment of acute radiation syndrome (ARS) and is held by the U.S. Government for national preparedness. Leukine is not approved for treatment of sulfur mustard exposure.

About Sulfur Mustard Gas Exposure

Victims of HD exposure experience bone marrow suppression leading to myelosuppression and pancytopenia.1-5 HD acts at different sites in the body as a radio-mimetic with symptoms including headache, nausea, vomiting, anorexia, epigastric pain, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and anemia.4-11 Mortality in victims of HD exposure in World War I, World War II and the Iran-Iraq conflict were associated with lymphopenia, leukopenia and septicemia, pointing to the need for an HD MCM that can accelerate recovery of lymphocytes, other white blood cell lineages and platelets, restore immune homeostasis and barrier integrity, and effectively modulate and improve leukocyte function and antimicrobial immunity of the systemic immune system.4-14

ABOUT LEUKINELEUKINE(sargramostim) is a yeast-derived recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (rhuGM-CSF).

Leukine is indicated:

Important Safety Information for Leukine (sargramostim)

Contraindications

Warnings and Precautions

Adverse Reactions

Adverse events occurring in greater than 10 percent of patients receiving LEUKINE in controlled clinical trials and reported in a higher frequency than placebo are:

ABOUT PARTNER THERAPEUTICSPTx, an integrated biotechnology company, focuses on development and commercialization of late-stage therapeutics to improve health outcomes in treatment of cancer and other serious diseases. The company believes in delivering products and supporting medical teams with the purpose of achieving superior outcomes for patients and their families. Visit http://www.partnertx.com

References

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/partner-therapeutics-announces-contract-with-us-department-of-defense-for-advanced-development-of-leukine-to-treat-sulfur-mustard-gas-hd-exposure-301484206.html

SOURCE Partner Therapeutics, Inc.

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Partner Therapeutics Announces Contract with US Department of Defense for Advanced Development of Leukine to Treat Sulfur Mustard Gas (HD) Exposure -...

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ChiliDog Interactive revealed this week they will be releasing Space Robinson onto another console as the game drops onto the PS4. The game has actually been out for a minute on PC when it was released by developer Luxorix Games and then publisher Alawar Premium for Steam in 2019, and again on the Nintendo Switch back in 2020 through Crytivo. Now PS4 players will be getting what is essentially a complete version of the PC title, with a little bit of a clean-up and some enhancements. You can check out the trailer down below to see how it will play on the PS4 as we wait to see when it will be released.

Space Robinson is a new game in a fan-favorite genre, loved by millions of fans roguelike. You'll get all your favorite things in one package: daring battles on a harsh monster-infested mysterious planet, large variety of weapons, procedurally generated locations, character progression, secret missions and even boss levels! Our protagonist is a casual repairman who was sent on a distant planet with one task to fix the equipment in some local colony.

You are an ordinary engineer sent to Colony 21 located on a distant planet to perform maintenance works. You end up surviving a spaceship crash and make it to the abandoned Colony Base. While you are trying to find the answers, you understand that this place is not as friendly as it seems. You are just like a Robinson, trying to survive on a hostile planet lost in outer space. When he arrived at the colony, he was unable to find any living soul, but instead the planet crawled with hungry monsters willing to take a bite of our hapless hero. Now it's your turn to find out what has happened with the local population, and to get that info you will have to fight your way to it.

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Space Robinson Will Be Getting Released On The PS4 - Bleeding Cool News