Category Archives: Mars Colony

Iman shared in a new interview that she will never remarry following the death of her husband David Bowie.

Speaking toPeople,the iconic supermodel recalled her daughter asking her if shed ever remarry saying, I said No, I will not. I still feel married. Someone a few years ago referred to David as my late husband and I said No, hes not my late husband. Hes my husband.'

She added, I definitely feel his presence, especially when I look out over the glorious sunsets at our home because David loves sunsets. So in that way he is ever present. Through my memory, my love livesThere are days that are harder than others but the memories are not all sad of why the person isnt here. The memories are now of great it was. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I had 26 years. So I have that to sustain me.

Iman has developed her first fragrance brand called Love Memoir that will be available exclusively through HSN that is a tribute to her loving relationship with Bowie.

Peoplenoted of Love Memoir, The idea came to her while living at their country house nestled in the mountains in upstate New YorkThere, in lockdown, she found a quiet solace amidst his favorite paintings, his ever-present books, and the fiery sunsets they both loved. She also found the inspiration for the fragrance which weaves together woodsy vetiver (Tom Fords Grey Vetiver was Bowies favorite) and bergamot from Tuscany, where they had married.

Erica Banas is a rock/classic rock news blogger who's well versed in etiquette and extraordinarily nice.

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Iman Says She'll Never Remarry Following David Bowie's Death - wmmr.com

On Earth, we depend on what weve put into space. And like all critical infrastructure, space infrastructure needs cybersecurity. Its a vital backbone for sensitive systems and tasks that support economies, communication and science. Increased technology in critical infrastructure means improved service, but it also means more ways for intruders to attack.

Cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure have been constant over the past 10 years. They aim to steal intellectual property, spy and sabotage. Space infrastructure like orbital stations, satellites and space-to-earth communications attracts the same unwanted attention.

We use satellites to communicate and monitor weather, but also to explore space. Increasing space missions also bring new ways to attack. And whenever a new technology emerges, it attracts hacktivists, organised state cybercriminals and cyber mercenaries. We must learn from past mistakes and put cybersecurity front and centre while expanding space operations.

Like typical critical infrastructure, space infrastructure has three main layers.

Typical critical infrastructure has a corporate network that hosts email, file servers, digital services and so on. In space infrastructure, its called the user segment, and its where administrators and systems operators process data from all segments.

Space probes, sensors, satellites and other things that collect data from the environment are the space segment. In traditional critical infrastructure, its the field layer. The space segment facilitates long-range communication and monitoring services to the ground segment.

We need a layer between connecting field devices with the corporate network for monitoring and processing data. Its called the supervisory segment in critical infrastructure or the ground segment in space. The ground segment receives space communications, and monitors and controls spacecraft like satellites, telescopes and probes.

Each segment hosts systems, networks and devices and provides a set of services to other segments. When a service or device is network-connected, its exposed to cyber threats.

Cyber-attacks can enter space infrastructure through corporate networks (the user segment,) satellites, satellite communication and any system that connects to the space network. As early as 2022, 4G towers on the moon could be another entry point.

We dont often hear about cyber-attacks on space infrastructure, but they happen, which is why some countries are expanding their space cyber defence. In 2019, the US government established the Space Force as its sixth armed force. The Space Force protects US interests in space, including cyber operations. In the same year, NASA found a rogue device, a Raspberry Pi, stealing sensitive information undetected for 10 months.

Cyber-attacks affect space agencies like all big organisations. Cybercriminals target their networks for many reasons. As well as targeting space networks user segment, threat actors target communication between ground stations and satellites, eavesdropping and spying.

We also see an arms race in space warfare. Global powers are establishing space units within armed forces, while others are taking it to the next level with kamikaze satellites.

So far, weve discussed human-generated threats. But there are also non-human and unintentional threats like space junk, solar flares and thunderstorms that affect space infrastructure and cause disruptions on Earth.

We dont know if other planets have cybercriminals, so we should probably keep an open mind. Cybercrimes history suggests most potential threats are a matter of when, not if.

More countries than ever are launching missions to space. In 2020 alone, China, the United Arab Emirates and the US launched missions to Mars while Chinas rover has been exploring the Martian surface. NASAs Artemis program aims to place the first woman and next man on the moon by 2024, to study and collect information for planning a base camp on its south pole for the next giant leap sending humans to Mars. Once, only governments were in space, but private companies are now taking over the space race.

Here are my predictions for the future of space exploration.

Were always looking for the fastest way to travel. On the ground, the proposed Hyperloop could reach speeds of 760 miles an hour 50 percent faster than commercial jets. Meanwhile, Elon Musk wants to fly people in rockets instead of airplanes, avoiding friction and air resistance to make speeds up to 17,000 miles per hour, or London to Dubai in under 30 minutes.

Space tourism is right around the corner. Well see hotels in orbit as our newest getaway on a whole new level. Gateway Foundation announced plans to open the first space hotel, Voyager Station, as early as 2027. As we learn how to survive in conditions different from Earth, well also see vacation destinations on the moon and Mars.

Artificial Intelligence is prominent in our lives today. Its just a matter of time before we have robots capable of doing anything humans can do, including becoming astronauts. We can design robots to withstand harsh conditions on different planets.

There are already semi-autonomous machines like Perseverance on Mars, but their computational intelligence is limited. As technology advances, well send robots powered by supercomputers to discover the unknown.

Humans will venture into space and start colonising solar system planets and moons. Were already planning bases on the moon and Mars, so its just a matter of time until we see sustainable colonies hosting thousands, if not millions, of people. Infrastructure will also progress to host hospitals, farms and schools.

To settle on a planet, well need to mine its raw materials. Water could be highly valuable on other planets because it can be broken down to hydrogen for rocket fuel and oxygen to breathe. Space mining will be one of the most crucial industries for humans going interplanetary.

This space future, or any other we imagine, will need IT infrastructure and communication, and like space infrastructure today, will have ways for cybercriminals alien or human to attack. We must remember space infrastructure is already crucial to life on Earth and protect it accordingly. Cybercriminals have already shown they can hide a Raspberry Pi from NASA, and theyll have many more tricks up their sleeves. Lets make sure we explore the solar system and the universe in the safest way we can.

Kaspersky, one enterprise cybersecurity partner for all your needs. Find out more: https://go.kaspersky.com/onepartner

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For security on Earth, we must protect space infrastructure from cyber-attacks - ITP.net

Alongside advances in space exploration, weve recently seen much time and money invested into technologies that could allow effective space resource utilisation. And at the forefront of these efforts has been a laser-sharp focus on finding the best way to produce oxygen on the Moon.

In October, the Australian Space Agency and NASA signed a deal to send an Australian-made rover to the Moon under the Artemis program, with a goal to collect lunar rocks that could ultimately provide breathable oxygen on the Moon.

Although the Moon does have an atmosphere, its very thin and composed mostly of hydrogen, neon and argon. Its not the sort of gaseous mixture that could sustain oxygen-dependent mammals such as humans.

That said, there is actually plenty of oxygen on the Moon. It just isnt in a gaseous form. Instead its trapped inside regolith the layer of rock and fine dust that covers the Moons surface. If we could extract oxygen from regolith, would it be enough to support human life on the Moon?

Oxygen can be found in many of the minerals in the ground around us. And the Moon is mostly made of the same rocks youll find on Earth (although with a slightly greater amount of material that came from meteors).

Minerals such as silica, aluminium, and iron and magnesium oxides dominate the Moons landscape. All of these minerals contain oxygen, but not in a form our lungs can access.

On the Moon these minerals exist in a few different forms including hard rock, dust, gravel and stones covering the surface. This material has resulted from the impacts of meteorites crashing into the lunar surface over countless millennia.

Some people call the Moons surface layer lunar soil, but as a soil scientist Im hesitant to use this term. Soil as we know it is pretty magical stuff that only occurs on Earth. It has been created by a vast array of organisms working on the soils parent material regolith, derived from hard rock over millions of years.

The result is a matrix of minerals which were not present in the original rocks. Earths soil is imbued with remarkable physical, chemical and biological characteristics. Meanwhile, the materials on the Moons surface is basically regolith in its original, untouched form.

The Moons regolith is made up of approximately 45% oxygen. But that oxygen is tightly bound into the minerals mentioned above. In order to break apart those strong bonds, we need to put in energy.

You might be familiar with this if you know about electrolysis. On Earth this process is commonly used in manufacturing, such as to produce aluminium. An electrical current is passed through a liquid form of aluminium oxide (commonly called alumina) via electrodes, to separate the aluminium from the oxygen.

In this case, the oxygen is produced as a byproduct. On the Moon, the oxygen would be the main product and the aluminium (or other metal) extracted would be a potentially useful byproduct.

Its a pretty straightforward process, but there is a catch: its very energy hungry. To be sustainable, it would need to be supported by solar energy or other energy sources available on the Moon.

Extracting oxygen from regolith would also require substantial industrial equipment. Wed need to first convert solid metal oxide into liquid form, either by applying heat, or heat combined with solvents or electrolytes. We have the technology to do this on Earth, but moving this apparatus to the Moon and generating enough energy to run it will be a mighty challenge.

Earlier this year, Belgium-based startup Space Applications Services announced it was building three experimental reactors to improve the process of making oxygen via electrolysis. They expect to send the technology to the Moon by 2025 as part of the European Space Agencys in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) mission.

That said, when we do manage to pull it off, how much oxygen might the Moon actually deliver? Well, quite a lot as it turns out.

If we ignore oxygen tied up in the Moons deeper hard rock material and just consider regolith which is easily accessible on the surface we can come up with some estimates.

Each cubic metre of lunar regolith contains 1.4 tonnes of minerals on average, including about 630 kilograms of oxygen. NASA says humans need to breathe about 800 grams of oxygen a day to survive. So 630kg oxygen would keep a person alive for about two years (or just over).

Now lets assume the average depth of regolith on the Moon is about ten metres, and that we can extract all of the oxygen from this. That means the top ten metres of the Moons surface would provide enough oxygen to support all eight billion people on Earth for somewhere around 100,000 years.

This would also depend on how effectively we managed to extract and use the oxygen. Regardless, this figure is pretty amazing!

Having said that, we do have it pretty good here on Earth. And we should do everything we can to protect the blue planet and its soil in particular which continues to support all terrestrial life without us even trying.

Excerpt from:

The Moon's top layer alone has enough oxygen to sustain 8 billion people for 100,000 years - The Conversation AU

Mike McKinney started buying single-family homes in Memphis, Tenn., in 1994, just a few years after the savings and loan crisis.

He with a friend began with about five homes that year and then gradually bought one here and there until around 1998 or 2000, he said.

McKinney, who has worked a full-time gig over the years while doubling as a private landlord and single-family rental (SFR) investor, mostly slowed down his buying until the subprime mortgage crisis hit and crashed the U.S. economy in 2007.

Starting that year, McKinney would go on to buy about 10 homes annually for the next five or six years as the global financial crisis of 2007-2009 unwound itself and lenders began dumping heaps of foreclosed homes off at auction at county courthouse steps.

I borrowed up to the hilt and bought everything I could buy while the market was down, McKinney told Commercial Observer. I had eight to 10 rentals at the time, and, down the block from a house I had [previously] paid $120,000 for, I was seeing them go for $80,000 and rents werent going any lower. I knew they were way below value, I just didnt know when itd come back.

McKinneys game plan, though, was just a drop in the bucket at that time. While he said he was making cash offers on the courthouse steps on foreclosed homes in Memphis, large investment firms such as Starwood Capital, Colony Capital and Blackstone Group were essentially doing the same thing, except they were armed with institutional money.

About two decades later, a heavy majority of the existing SFR market is still made up of owners and landlords like McKinney, many of whom are now sought after by institutional investors who are eager to get their hands on rental homes in a space that is soaring, rather than collapsing. How long the current state of the economy will allow the SFR market to keep humming remains to be seen, though.

Colony Capital was one firm doing courthouse crawls, buying in bulk, in the Sun Belt in the early 2010s. Blackstone was another; it helped create Invitation Homes in 2012 to be the feeder for the more than 30,000 homes it bought out of foreclosure for around $10 billion. Blackstone took Invitation Homes public just five years later, and the company quickly swallowed up SFR holding companies created by Colony, Starwood and Waypoint Real Estate Group, creating the SFR beast it is today. Invitation Homes is now the largest SFR landlord in the country, sporting more than 80,000 homes and a roughly $24.2 billion market cap.

Calabasas, Calif.-based real estate investment trust American Homes 4 Rent also ballooned into a SFR behemoth out of the financial crisis, with its buying campaign beginning in 2012, led by investment dollars from the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation; American Homes 4 Rent went public a year later and eight years on, it flaunts a $13 billion market cap. JPMorgan Asset Management formed a $625 million joint venture with American Homes 4 Rent in May 2020.

Blackstone cashed in on its Invitation Homes bet in 2019, selling its significant interest in the business for $1.7 billion, but now, the global, market-making investment manager has made moves to get back in the SFR game. About six months after the pandemic hit last year, Blackstone together with a syndicate of investors made a $300 million minority investment in Toronto-based SFR and multifamily investor Tricon Residential, and, early last month, it was reported that Blackstone was planning to up its stake to nearly 12 percent as part of Tricons U.S. initial public offering.

SFR growth was materializing pre-pandemic and only accelerated afterward. Like housing became a hot talking point around the turn of the last couple real estate cycles driven by distress and bargain-bin buying SFR homes have emerged again as a key topic of debate, but without being shrouded by a theme of distress.

Its an emerging asset class thats maturing by the month, said Berkadias Cody Kirkpatrick, who is a managing director within the firms joint venture equity and structured capital group. A handful of years ago there were a few [larger] players, and the yields were outsized, and now youre seeing a huge influx into this space. Nine out of 10 private equity calls with insurance companies or money managers have an interest or some allocation and are trying to break into this.

Plenty of eager investors are itching to get their place at the table, with their eyes on diversifying and expanding, despite rising home prices that have some believing the housing market could be at or near peak levels.

Ivy Zelman, the housing research analyst whos known for having pinpointed the peak of the housing market in 2005, just before the crash that followed about two years later, recently told Bloomberg in an interview that shes seeing yellow flags in the market. Zelman doesnt foresee a massive crash akin to the global financial crisis, but she pointed to a number of risk factors, including price distortion in many markets from investors bidding up houses to the extent theyre unreachable for primary buyers and home builders who are bidding up land values to unsustainable levels as they try to grow their construction pipelines.

Zelman said the real risk is that a large swath of investors will eventually get frightened and move to sell, overloading the market with supply, and once the pipeline of under construction rental homes comes to market, demand will have diminished.

If Im a homebuyer right now, I want to wait because I think weve gotten to a level thats not sustainable, Zelman told Bloomberg.

Lindsay Jarvis, the CEO of Estero Investments, a small- to medium-size rental home investor and developer with about 500 homes currently in production, told CO that he sees nothing but a clear runway for outperformance in the SFR and build-for-rent (BFR) spaces. Existing market dynamics and the current state of the economy currently back that up.

Historically low interest rates; soaring home prices; a lack of home supply coupled with heightened demand; migration patterns from businesses and people away from expensive and tax-heavy states and urban centers; labor shortages; more expensive materials costs; and supply chain issues, which have created significant construction delays are all factors that Jarvis said will only help buoy SFR growth.

Zelman, though, in her conversation with Bloomberg, said even a modest rise in 30-year mortgage rates could possibly bring demand to a halt.

It feels to me this is an asset category that is in fashion right now. Thats not to imply it will go out of fashion, but I think it will continue to be hotter than it will sustain, said Jeffrey Pyatt, the CEO of Broadmark Realty Capital, a direct lender to BFR homebuilders. Short term [investment from larger investment firms] will have an outsize impact. Theyre buying up inventory and buying up renters, in effect, because there are only so many people who want to rent a home. If they are buying it in large tranches, they will certainly get their fair share.

Earlier this year, the federally backed housing financier Freddie Mac released a report that says the country is undersupplied by around 4 million single-family homes, which, in a perfect world, means that it could take some of the nations most active homebuilders more than a decade to catch up, according to recent building estimates widely reported by housing trade publications. The supply gap has only widened over the last year or two as builders have struggled to keep up with accelerated demand, due to pandemic-caused supply chain issues, Jarvis said.

Jarvis and his Estero partner Kevin Burrell own two BFR companies that operate across the Sun Belt, from Tennessee to Florida and as far west as Phoenix, targeting markets by working backwards from population growth, Jarvis said. Burrell said that build times for small pools of SFR homes used to fall between 120 to 150 days, and now they can range from nine months to a year from the ground up, and he added that in some cases over the last several months, his group has backed out of land bids in some markets because other firms have pushed prices too high.

The flip side is the longer the delays are in the supply chain, the more valuable it is when its delivered, Jarvis said, alluding to demand-driven values in the market. Its taking longer and longer to get subdivision approvals, but, by the time its finished, its more valuable than what we anticipated.

The BFR arena is where existing and prospective institutional investors tend to want to play, of course, as its a much easier way to scale and take advantage of todays market, sources told CO. BFRs fill the supply gap in strained markets, benefit from strong new lease effective rent growth figures and are easier to manage, compared to buying and assembling portfolios of scattered sites of existing home stock.

Stephen ONeil, a senior vice president of investments at The Resmark Companies, which partners with owners and builders to invest in BFR communities, likened the hype around SFRs and BFRs to multifamily right after the 2007 global financial crisis. Resmark got into multifamily in the early-to-mid-2010s and benefited from strong performance that followed.

The millennials that drove the last multifamily cycle are a decade older and dont want to be living in shoeboxes, paying [high rents]; theyre progressing through their life cycle and they want more space and homeownership some can afford it, others cant, ONeil said. Those demographic trends are helping to push this new asset class in SFRs. Its new in the sense its become institutionalized in terms of the development of larger, 150-plus-unit communities.

Some of the nations largest homebuilders like Lennar and D.R. Horton have been bolstering build-for-rent practices. Earlier this year, Lennar partnered with Centerbridge Partners and Allianz Real Estate, among other institutional players, to launch a $4 billion BFR platform.

The ease of underwriting and the ease of disposition of assets are the two main things, Broadmarks Pyatt said about the appeal of lending on single-family rental construction. Were quicker in and out, and theyre less subject to the vagaries of a market; they are easy to replicate; they are easy to put a budget together for.

Todays existing stock is outdated and expensive, tied to its respective micro markets, and it can be hard to manage scattered sites. But investors are getting in anyway, partnering with or consolidating with smaller owners of around 100 homes or so, since many institutions dont have the capability in-house to asset manage scattered site homes.

Were working with a private REIT whos using a few channels to build their portfolio in the BFR space, but also bringing in scattered site portfolios, buying owners out. There will continue to be aggregation, but it will take time, Berkadias Kirkpatrick said about the sheer size of the SFR and BFR housing market. A lot of these institutions arent set up to do it in-house. Many [smaller] scattered-site SFR operators have channels for supply and broker relationships and in-house management, because it can be a management nightmare. Institutions want exposure to both scattered SFR and BFR, but the barriers to entry to scattered-site SFR are that much higher, because to get scale, its very organic and slow so to get in and recapitalize an SFR operator and give them capital to grow, while leveraging their expertise and the operations that theyve created over time, [is attractive].

Despite all the flashy activity from institutional-grade players, around 98 percent of the current single-family detached residential market more than 18 million homes are currently controlled by smaller investors that have one to 100 homes, according to a September report from John Burns Real Estate Consulting.

McKinney, the small SFR landlord and investor, who has amassed a personal arsenal of more than 70 homes around the Memphis area that he manages himself, falls within that grouping, and he isnt too keen on whats happened to the single-family housing market in his stomping grounds.

Ive quit buying all together right now, he said. Prices are too high and Im not fighting people to pay for a house my plate is so full as it is. Im not chasing it anymore. Ive got a good base of rental income. Im in a good place.

Median sales prices of existing single-family homes in the U.S. climbed 17 percent from January to September, jumping to roughly $359,700 from $308,000, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

McKinneys market is one of the more institutionally owned markets that exists today, and rents and home prices in Memphis have been climbing, as they have been in most larger Sun Belt cities, according to the September John Burns Real Estate Consulting report. The median home sales price in Memphis in August was $220,000, up from $185,000 a year ago, according to information from the Memphis Area Association of Realtors.

The Memphis-native said he doesnt think hell buy homes in the area again until theres another crash.

Other single-family investors and developers told CO that they believe supply gains from the increased interest in the BFR space will help tamp down rising home prices, and BFR players said they arent too concerned with ongoing supply chain concerns and volatile materials costs, believing they will stabilize.

Given current SFR and BFR market dynamics, as well as banks maintaining relatively strict lending parameters, its hard to envision a crash occurring any time soon.

Nows the time to be aggressive, putting capital to work in the development of these assets, because I genuinely believe there will be outperformance when this first wave of communities is built, leased up, stabilized and taken to market, Resmarks ONeil said. Were seeing it now, but in the next 36 months there will be big transactions, big numbers and thats going to continue to establish new benchmarks. Land prices and asset prices will continue to move up, but well eventually see an equilibrium.

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Single-Family Rentals May Be Reaching an Inflection Point - Commercial Observer

A date has been set for work to commence on the new St Kilda Pier with unveiled designs revealing community space, more toilets and a fresh viewing platform for penguin spotting.

On Wednesday, Minister for Ports and Freights Melissa Horne confirmed the much-anticipated work is scheduled to start in February of next year.

It is part of a $53 million redevelopment plan, with the new pier extended to 450m from the shore.

It will be completed by early 2024.

Designs have also been revealed for the new pier which will take the form of a curved walkway with tiered seating, extra toilets and a new community space near the kiosk.

There will also be better protection for the famous St Kilda penguin colony due to a new viewing platform.

While the new structure will start being built in early 2022, the existing pier will be accessible as long as possible before its eventual removal in 2024.

When construction starts, the penguin colony will be cared for by Parks Victoria and Earthcare to ensure there is no impact on them.

St Kilda Pier is an iconic part of Melbournes history and has played a key role in the city for many years. Thats why were investing in celebrating its past and ensuring this important facility continues to serve the community for many more years to come, Horne said.

The tender process attracted keen interest from high calibre marine and civil contractors, and we look forward to seeing this project takes shape.

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St Kilda pier: First look at the new design with construction to start in 2022 - 7NEWS.com.au

Mankinds quest to inhabit Mars is becoming less fictitious and nearing execution with the advent of technology each year. For this dream to materialise, scientists, researchers, and engineers have been striving relentlessly to build cutting edge tools required to visit the red planet in the near future. One such element crucial for this process is an airlock, which acts as a bridge between the atmosphere of our planet and Mars. Celestial Labs, a team from the University of Regina in Canada, have created the aforementioned Martian airlock prototypeadding one more piece to the puzzle. Hailing all the way from Palpa, Nepal, Anwit Adhikari is the division head of Celestial Labs. Adhikari exemplifies what Nepali engineers are capable of, when moulded by tenacity, the right resources, and a healthy support system.

In conversation with the Posts Pasang Dorjee, the Canada-based mechanical engineer/entrepreneur details his intense fervour for design and technologyand how his university team built the airlock prototype for the purpose of allowing humans to visit Mars in the future.

Could you define what an airlock is in laymans terms?

An airlock is a small room attached to the outside of an extraterrestrial habitat that prevents the human-friendly atmosphere inside from leaking out into the hostile environment of space or Mars. It acts as a bridge between the atmosphere on Mars and the Earth-like atmosphere needed in space for people to breathe. It allows astronauts on Mars to walk on one side of the structure, wait for the pressure to adjust, and then walk out the other side.

What led to the conception of this airlock?

The Martian airlock came out of a nationwide competition organised by the Mars Colony Team at the University of British Columbia back in 2018, whose goal was to see which Canadian university could design and build the best airlock system to be used on Mars. The competition was divided into two phases: the design phase in May 2019, and the prototype phase in August 2021. The airlock that our team had a role in designing bagged the first prize in both. The team at Celestial Labs was divided into multiple smaller, self-motivated teams that pursued their objectives in parallel. I was leading the team that designed the structural and ventilation systems for the airlock, while other teams handled radiation, insulation, and electronic systems, along with logistics and finances for manufacturing. Since no major aerospace firm has (at least publicly) worked on a Martian airlock, our team is hoping that some of our design solutions could be used in a real Martian airlock someday.

What have been some of the challenges faced by your team while building this airlock?

Given that Mars is a novel environment, everything had to be designed from scratch. Considering Mars temperature and radiation, using metal presented difficulties so we had to find a new polymer that could perform well under those circumstances. Making everything modular enough that it could be 3D printed on Mars was challenging. We had to be creative in creating a structure that could handle the stress loads but could also be folded neatly into a compact volume and transported to Mars. In the division that I led, there were almost 100 major design iterations over the course of the last two years alone.

It seems that you have been involved with start-ups since 17, which could mean that your passion for engineering is not something completely moulded by the limited options in the Nepali educational curriculum but rather out of personal interest? Would you say so?

I have been interested in technology since I was six. I could not see how the options provided by the Nepali education system could foster my interest in design, so I pursued it independently. I have also always been fascinated by the beauty in design, and aircraft and spacecraft represent the highest form of design and problem solving that there is for me. As a child, I would spend hours looking at aircraft, and I knew I wanted to be the person who designed them.

I tried my hand at multiple projects when I was a kid, including a compressed air-piston engine and a telescope. They all failed, but they reinforced my belief that I should pursue R&D as my career, and so I took a major leap when I was 17 and started working on my own research project. Growing up in Kathmandu, I remember visiting the British Council library to read materials related to physics and would scour through the shelves of Mandala Book Point to devour books that catered to my interests. After finishing Grade 10 from Triyog Higher Secondary School, I went on to complete my A levels from Rato Bangala School in 2010. In the subsequent years, I paused my education to further cultivate my interests and travelled to Silicon Valley to network with entrepreneurs and study the start-up culture. I eventually decided to pursue my undergraduate in Physics at the University of Regina in 2015 and completed it in 2020.

Who have been the strongest influences in your life?

That has always been my parents first and foremost, who, through our routine trips to my home village in Palpa, made me understand how fortunate I was in being able to have a middle-class upbringing in the capital. I understood that not every Nepali child had that privilege, and I was careful to not take it for granted.

I was always fascinated by Sergei Korolev, the Russian rocket engineer who pioneered many firsts in the space industry, ranging from Sputnik, the first satellite in space, to Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space. Sergei Korolevs rocket system, the Soyuz, is still in use today more than 60 years later. Ive also been inspired by Kelly Johnson, the American aerospace engineer who led the design of the SR-71 Blackbirdthe iconic 1962 spy plane that could travel faster than a bullet and was so fast it evaded every enemy missile that was shot at it in its 30 years of service.

How did you come across Celestial Labs? Tell us about your journey as the division head of the company.

Before coming to Celestial Labs, I was working on my research on the side, focusing on solar energy. I was introduced to the project head of Celestial Labs by a mutual friend who knew about my interest in start-ups and technology. I essentially picked the systems that no one else was working on at that time, and once the team lead had trust in my ability to follow through with these problems, I was made the team lead for my division.

In relation to your endeavour in engineering, do you see yourself doing something in Nepal?

I do believe Nepal has the potential to pursue world-class research and design in multiple advanced technical fields, and I would be happy to contribute to that in the future. As of now, I am focused on establishing my experience and credibility in my own field before I decide to return to my hometown.

What do you suggest could be done to foster an environment in our country that is conducive for future generations of aspiring engineers and physics enthusiasts?

Nepalis have a risk-averse mindset when it comes to pursuing entrepreneurship and technological innovation, and that cannot change unless we have a national dialogue on how crucial innovation is to our economy and national pride. We have to be comfortable with our youth engaging in projects they care about, even if they fail. I have witnessed world-class teams led by former NASA interns and nuclear physicists fail, and that is a part of the learning process, but this is a difficult concept to absorb in our culture that does not tolerate career failure.

What do you think your representation in the field of physics could mean for the larger Nepali community?

It means that it is possible for an average Nepali citizen to accomplish something they find meaningful, given the opportunity. Even the best teams at the design rooms of SpaceX and NASA are ultimately just a group of people who pursued what they found meaningful. Although it may seem daunting from the outside, I still see absolutely no reason why the Nepali community cannot replicate that.

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'Nepal has the potential to pursue world-class research and design' - The Kathmandu Post

Moro Hub (Data Hub Integrated Solutions LLC), subsidiary of Digital DEWA, the digital arm of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), signed a corporate agreement with the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) to work jointly on augmenting its digital capabilities. The signing ceremony between Moro Hub and MBRSC took place on the third day of GITEX Technology Week at the Dubai International Convention & Exhibition Centre, in the presence of HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), HE Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, Chairman of MBRSC and HEYousufHamad Al Shaibani, Director General ofMBRSC, along with Marwan Bin Haidar, Vice Chairman and Group CEO of Digital DEWA and Waleed Bin Salman, Board Member, Digital DEWA.

The corporate agreement was signed by Mohammad Bin Sulaiman, CEO of Moro Hub and Salem Al Marri, Deputy Director-General of MBRSC with a goal of cooperating on various digital activities and providing enhanced technology services to MBRSC, where, Moro Hub will provide MBRSC with enhanced cloud services, security solutions and professional and managed services.

HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, MD & CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), said, Moro Hub is inspired by the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai to position the UAE as a leader in digital solutions and Dubai as the digital capital of the world. This agreement provides a concrete basis for Moro Hub to continue its drive in implementing a digital transformation in the UAE. While this agreement will facilitate MBRSC and Moro Hub to work together efficiently under the shared objective of bolstering capacities in the digital sector, it will also serve as a benchmark for collaboration with government entities. We are proud of our cooperation with MBRSC that aims to make a positive impact on their digital transformation journey by providing technologies inspired from the fourth industrial revolution.

HEYousufHamad Al Shaibani, Director General ofMBRSC said, MBRSC is significantly enhancing its digital capabilities to rapidly design, develop and deploy space technologies. We are excited to partner with Moro Hub, as they have made a positive impact with state-of-the-art services and will further leverage digitisation of our operations. This partnership is an important step for us to unveil the next generation of space technologies and solutions, that will help us in accelerating our operations and technology transformation.

The Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre is home to the UAE National Space Programme. The Centre builds and operates earth observation satellites and has also launched the Emirates Mars Mission Hope Probe, the first Arab interplanetary mission, which is currently gathering key scientific data about Mars. Recently, the Centre announced the launch of the Emirates Lunar Mission, the first Emirati and Arab mission to explore the Moon and plans to develop MBZ-SAT, the most advanced commercial satellite in the region in the field of high-resolution satellite imagery. MBRSC is also responsible for the UAE Astronaut Programme as well as the development of the Mars 2117 Programme to build a human colony on Mars.

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Moro Hub Accelerates the Digital Transformation Adoption in MBRSC - Al-Bawaba

The wait is over: Tesla finally achieved one trillion-dollar market capitalization on Monday 25th October 2021 after signing the deal to sell one lakh vehicles to Hertz, the rental car company. It is estimated that this deal is worth four billion dollars approximately. Tesla is the fifth one to join the one trillion market club after Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, and Alphabet.

When it comes to naming some of the worlds renowned carmakers Tesla is surely one of them. After many years of hard work and determination when Tesla came under the supervision of Elon Musk last year, the company started to make huge profits, and this prompted the company shares to rise. While considering the above facts we can now start thinking about Tesla reaching three trillion dollars also if it keeps on excelling at a similar momentum.

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The investment of Elon Musk in Tesla is twenty-three percent which is equivalent to two hundred and thirty billion dollars. Though today the worth of Tesla is fifty-nine billion dollars Musk aims to expand it to six hundred and fifty billion dollars. Moreover, after the confirmation of the deal with Hertz the shares have risen by nearly thirteen percent.

Hertz will not only pay for the electric vehicles rather would establish the chain of charging stations too. The demand for electric vehicles is increasing rapidly globally which would be in favor of Tesla. In comparison with other trillion club companies, Tesla took the least time to enter one trillion market capitalization. It took twenty-three years for Amazon to hit this high but only eleven years by Tesla.

Tesla is the only car manufacturer that attained this rare level of success in the market. Its worth is equal to the nine largest car manufacturers market capitalization. With this excelling rate, Tesla would soon enter the three trillion-dollar club.

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The sales target has been set to grow by fifty percent. More than twenty million vehicles are expected to be sold annually. Apart from vehicular progress, the industries would also be revolutionized. It is predicted by Elon Musk that the automation which is coming due to robots and artificial intelligence (AI) would be capable of doing everything and may displace the need for the human workforce.

A dream which humans were trying to accomplish over the decades, of going and living on other planets like Mars is close to becoming a reality. Hence, according to Elon Musk interplanetary living would be possible and a colony would be built on Mars. SpaceX is claiming to send its first rocket to Mars in 2022. Later, in 2024 when Mars and Earths orbit would sync the crew would also go.

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Over time these crews will form colonies on Mars. Furthermore, Elon has recently proposed the idea of using rockets as airplanes to travel around the world. After the traveling experiments were conducted between the farthest countries around the globe, the results showed a travel time of thirty minutes. Therefore, a rocket flight would not be a bad option to travel anywhere you want to within just thirty minutes!

After knowing the future aims of Tesla, we can now start looking forward to its three trillion success news. It seems a difficult milestone to be aced but Elons confident statements and claims are the sign that its high time and now people should start thinking about Tesla at three trillion dollars. Tesla has proven to be the best in the past years and this time also it is expected to outstand and to enter the three trillion-dollar club soon.

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It's Time to Think About Tesla at $3 Trillion (Here is Why ? ) - The Lee Daily Register

Colony building game Surviving the Aftermath is finally leaving early access and launching in full on Xbox One next month.

Like its predecessor Surviving Mars, Surviving the Aftermath sees you build and manage a colony, this time set after a world-ending event on earth. You'll be able to construct over 130 buildings, and recruit eighty unique specialists, in order to survive in the harsh post-apocalyptic world.

You can then send your specialists outside of your colony into a procedurally generated world, where you can meet rival colony leaders, set up outposts, or gather materials. You'll have to make tough judgements along the way, and there are secrets to be found out in the world that might unravel the mystery of the apocalypse, so it doesn't happen again.

After 20 major content updates focused on expanding gameplay mechanics and addressing player feedback, Surviving the Aftermath has evolved greatly from the version of the game that launched into Early Access two years ago, said game director Lasse Liljedahl. I dont think Ive ever worked on a game where the community was as integral to development as it has been for Aftermath. Truly, every decision, change, and addition we made stemmed from our community feedback - if we could put them all in the credits we would! They had just as much a part in development as we have.

Surviving the Aftermath is coming to Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC on 16th November 2021.

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Surviving the Aftermath is Leaving Early Access and Launching Next Month | XboxAchievements.com - XboxAchievements

Israel's Helios has signed a memorandum of understanding for its oxygen and metal producing technologies to be included in three lunar missions by Germany's OHB SE space technology company, the firms announced this week.

Helios, backed by the Israel Space Agency (ISA), the Energy Ministry, and the Israel Innovation Authority, works to enable sustainable human life on Earth and beyond. The company is developing a reactor to produce oxygen from the lunar surface and reactors to produce iron and silicon on Earth with zero carbon emissions.

Its technology will fly on three Lunar Surface Access Service (LSAS) missions run by OHB SE, which aims to provide European and international customers with timely access to the moon.

"In the development of the lunar economic market, we intend to fill a gap with LSAS as the first European lunar shuttle service, since according to current plans, an institutional European moon lander will be available in 2029 at the earliest," said Dr. Lutz Bertling, member of the OHB SE Management Board. "When payloads for lunar missions are tendered in the near future, we want to be ready with our LSAS lunar landing service."

OHB is preparing the LSAS with its partner Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), with a goal of bringing scientific and commercial payloads to the lunar surface by 2025. Over 100 interested parties have already contacted OHB.

Helios' CEO Jonathan Geifman explained that "production of oxygen on the lunar surface is key to enabling the expansion of humanity beyond Earth and to dramatically reduce the cost of space exploration. Oxygen is going to be the most sought-after consumable in space as it makes up over 60% of the mass of any fully-loaded space vehicle designated for lunar missions and beyond."

Helios' lunar mission with OHB serves to mature its oxygen production technology under real lunar environment, and is a significant step to realize the upcoming cislunar industry," added Geifman.

Brig.-Gen. (Res.) Uri Oron, Director-General of the ISA, explained that establishing a permanent lunar base will require international cooperation and partnerships between space agencies and private companies.

Helios, an Israeli startup supported by the Israel Space Agency, is an example of a company that will become a key player in the efforts to return to the moon," said Oron. "The Israel Space Agency welcomes the cooperation between OHB SE, Helios and Israel Aerospace Industries. This cooperation demonstrates the strong, long-lasting relationship between Germany and Israel, and the contribution this partnership can yield to the space industry."

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Israeli Helios, German OHB working together to enable space colonies - The Jerusalem Post