Category Archives: Space Exploration

As Thanksgiving approaches, many people will have the opportunity to relax, unwind, and log the kind of gaming hours only possible during an extended holiday weekend. Halo Infinites multiplayer will likely be a highly popular choice, almost guaranteeing servers will be crammed with players the way Los Angeles 405 freeway is crammed with travelers every Thanksgiving season. So, in the event you just cant connect to a game of capture the flag, or if you have no interest in the multiplayer at all, here are the best non-Halo Infinite games were playing to make it through the holiday. Ash Parrish

Andrew Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier

It turns out the thing that finally pulled me away from Fortnite was a game thats a lot like it, only set in the world of Final Fantasy VII. The First Soldier is the most unexpected of prequels. Its set a few decades before the events of FF7, exploring the SOLDIER program thats so integral to the storyline. But instead of a single-player adventure like you might expect, its a battle royale crossed with an RPG. Think of it like Fortnite without the building, set in Midgar, and with magic spells to wield and monsters to battle. You get the same last player standing thrilled, but with deeper character progression and familiar locations to battle it out in. The gunplay is a little floaty, and the map could use some more points of interest, but theres something really fun about perching on top of Seventh Heaven with a sniper rifle. Just be sure to avoid those Tonberries.

Sean Genshin Impact

Almost every evening, my five- and two-year-old daughters ask me for Adventure Game by which they mean firing up Genshin Impact so they can watch an array of sword and magic-wielding waifus explore a radiant Breath of the Wild-style landscape. Im going to admit I initially sat on this game, turned off by the pay-to-avoid-grinding mechanics and the idea it was a Zelda clone. But so far, its surprisingly deep. The initial European castle / church vibe, with fights against goblins and automatons, soon gives way to an idyllic ancient Chinese landscape, including a gorgeous harbor town filled with agents of intrigue. (Apparently, many spots are inspired by real-world Chinese locations.) My daughters only get to watch a little bit before bedtime, though, so thats as far as weve gone. This holiday, Im going to try to get us to Genshin Impacts growing Inazuma region so we can visit Japan as well. BTW, its a great showcase game for new hardware: it runs amazingly on PS5 and surprisingly well on the latest iPhones.

Makena Stardew Valley

Over the next few weeks, Ill be spending hours on a train, in a car, and in the air trying to visit me and my partners families before the holiday season is over. Ive never been a big gamer when traveling its hard to focus on a game when Im constantly worried about losing my tickets or missing my boarding time. But Stardews simple gameplay lets me drop in and out of fishing or tending to my cows in between the stressful moments in the airport or train station. My partner and I share a farm in the game, and were able to chat about our plans for the upcoming season or designate chores. The games collaborative nature gives me an opportunity to connect with my partner while traveling rather than stuffing my nose in a book while he sleeps. Its a pleasant and less stressful way to pass time!

Adi Deaths Door

I cant personally vouch for Deaths Door yet because Ive been waiting to play it on Nintendo Switch, and it finally came out on Tuesday: a land of pure, untapped potentiality. Its an action-exploration game about a crow who collects peoples souls, which sounds cool? I hear its a little like Hollow Knight, a game Id played for about 70 hours last I checked? Ive been reading great things about it on PC for months? Either way, Ive got my Polygon beginners guide up and the start screen ready.

Alice Forza Horizon 5, Age of Empires 4

Few open-world games have dug their claws into me quite like the latest installment of Forza Horizon. Most open-world titles cause my eyes to glaze over once I see how big the map actually is, filled with tons of tiny markers that Ill never pick up and activities Ill never complete. However, cruising around Mexico in everything from modern supercars to an antique Volkswagen is strangely meditative, even with the throttle pinned at 180MPH. I know the map is absolutely littered with stuff to do, but Forza doesnt have the same FOMO as its contemporaries. There is a level of appreciation for the extensive library of cars that I will never truly understand, but there will always be a strange, primeval part of me that loves something that goes VROOM, even as someone who has never owned a car.

And for something entirely different, Ill likely also be spending a decent amount of hours with Age of Empires 4. I managed to bulldoze my way through the single-player campaigns (on easy), but Ive been working through the various masteries of the different civs (Franks FTW) and working up the nerve to fight the intermediate AI. I know Im not the only one with a special place in my heart for the Age of Empires franchise, but its been too long since weve had an honest real-time strategy to celebrate. Indeed, I fully intend to spend some quality time with AOE4.

Cameron Inscryption, RE4 VR, Shin Megami Tensei V

Ash asked us to not say Halo Infinite, which is good because thats what I was going to say (my friends and I play it, and its just good fun; sorry, Ash). Currently, Im hopping between Inscryption, the VR port of Resident Evil 4 for Quest 2, and Shin Megami Tensei V. To be perfectly honest, I was content with the idea of skipping Inscryption, but the industrys collective praise of it was coercive (and loud) enough to push me to buy it. Im not much of a card game person, but theres definitely enough intrigue and unique elements at play to keep me going. So, here I am, encouraging you to give it a try, too, if you have a PC.

Atlus Shin Megami Tensei V for the Switch was another game I was able to resist at first. I was reluctant to jump in willingly because earlier in 2021, I finally played through Persona 5 to the end. That was fun but also kind of exhausting. While SMT V is a very different beast, I knew the battles would feel similar, to the point that I had to stop and think if I really wanted to embark on whats likely to be an 80+ hour experience. Anyway, I bought it, so Ill let you know how it is in a year when I finish it.

RE4 for the Quest 2 is incredible. Armature Studio, the team that developed the VR port, touched the right amount of things to make the game feel fresh, yet in most ways, just as I remembered playing it on Gamecube. Im trying to force myself to take my time. Its too special to gobble up like a Turkey Day meal.

Gloria Animal Crossing: New Horizons 2.0 Update, Just Dance 2022

Ill confess: its been months since I last hung out with my villagers on my Animal Crossing island, and even then, I was playing in time travel mode to check out the special events Id missed (like Mario Day). Knowing how extensive the November 2021 update is, Ive been avoiding my Switch until I have time to go all in. With Black Friday and Buying Guides now out of the way, I cant wait to escape to my virtual island.

Im looking forward to sipping a latte at Brewsters, getting Kappn to serenade me on the way to exotic islands, buying a sick gaming setup for my house, and even growing veggies and learning to cook in the game. So far, Ive only managed to buy one pack of the Animal Crossing Series 5 Amiibo cards, so Ill try to bring those new villagers to my island (even though I dont like my cards). I hope I can get into ACNH 2.0 without needing to weed too much first. I cant even wrap my mind around the Happy Home Paradise expansion pack yet maybe remind me in December.

The other game Im excited to try is Just Dance 2022 for the Xbox Kinect (yes, I bought a used Kinect just for this series). Ill need to work off my Thanksgiving dinner somehow!

Antonio Metroid Dread, Dark Souls Remastered

I have barely touched Metroid Dread and my SWOLED since I got them, so Im hoping if I have any time during the holiday to play games not named Halo Infinite when Im not with family or working on our Black Friday deals coverage Ill finally make some solid progress. I loved Metroid Dread from the first moment, though I had a false start early on when I got lost and thought I might have missed something important. A fresh restart from the beginning has solved that, so now I just need to play frequently enough that I dont forget everything again. Games really could use a you havent played in two weeks, heres what you were up to type of recap.

I also just got Dark Souls Remastered on PC as a birthday gift, so I guess Im looking forward to feeling some pain during the holiday that isnt related to food comas and overeating.

Mitchell Kentucky Route Zero

Ive slowly been working my way through a Kentucky Route Zero replay (which I plan on finishing during a few flights), and its episodic nature feels perfect for those holiday nights where youre looking to wind down after everyones turned in for the night. KRZ is almost all vibes with little gameplay, but Ive loved re-experiencing the twists and turns of its Americana-fueled story, which is as weird and mythic as it is deeply sad. It may not be the game to play right before a cheerful Thanksgiving dinner, but if youre looking for something to turn over and over in your mind (or just dont want to wait until Stray comes out next year to play as a cat) over the holidays, Kentucky Route Zero is well worth your time.

Ash Exo One, Ace Attorney Chronicles 2

I am both in love with and terrified by space. Exo One marries the wonder of a simple exploration game with the sheer, unfathomable terror of space, and its therefore extremely my shit. You pilot a weird, orb-like spacecraft through empty but painfully beautiful alien worlds, picking up power-ups that make it roll faster and glide longer as you learn the story of a doomed expedition to Jupiter. Visually, Exo One is stunning. I am in awe of my surroundings as I bounce off sand dunes and skip over rolling waves, trying to hit the right piece of land in just the right way thatll make my craft zoom into the cloud-strewn atmosphere. Its wonderful. Exo One feels like the best bits of Interstellar and Sunshine pure space exploration without all the messy human stuff.

During my holiday break, Im taking care of a family member recovering from major surgery. Ace Attorney Chronicles 2 is my goodnight game. Since Im away from home, Ive had trouble sleeping, especially after a long day of keeping track of medicine, appointments, and meal plans. To unwind, Ive been slowly making my way through Ace Attorney Chronicles 2 letting my mind drift off (making my thumb accidentally hit the skip dialogue button) as I work to defend the innocent and solve murders most foul. I adore the new characters and the slow, methodical untangling of plot points introduced an entire game previous. Even if some of the puzzles require fantastical stretches of logic, Ace Attorney Chronicles 2 is the perfect nighttime calming agent to a stressed-out brain.

Barbara Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins

I havent been much of a gamer lately except for a few ongoing Scrabble games that Ive been playing with friends for about three years now. However, I just got myself a brand new Pixel 6, and so Im going to be investigating a bunch of Android games on that slightly-too-big screen. While several of the games mentioned here are on my list including Genshin Impact and Stardew Valley Im going to start with Doctor Who: The Lonely Assassins. What can I say? Ive been a Doctor Who fan for many years, and an adventure game that allows me to interact and solve puzzles with a Timelord is the perfect way for me to get back into gameplay.

Richard Apex Legends, Forza Horizon 5

Sure, I might turn the clock back and get into some Big Team Battle this weekend. But mostly, Ill stick to the game that the Xbox Museum says is my most played for 2019, 2020, and 2021, with a strong chance of repeating for 2022. The new map in Apex Legends did its job for me by changing the gameplay just enough to keep things fresh without breaking what it does well. Opening up large spaces for action but separating most of them with high walls has lowered (but not eliminated) the endless chain of third parties that you get on the games other maps as long as you know how to navigate the area without jumping into the abyss.

When I need to switch things up, Im plugging in my wheel and taking on Forza Horizon 5. No, they havent addressed the Horizon series flaw of having way too many options for what you can do next... or the rubberband AI. Simply existing as the first Forza game with good lighting is what Ive been waiting for in this series.

Victoria Pokmon Snap, Pokmon Shining Pearl

In real life, my camera roll is just thousands of photos of my cat and dog so Pokmon Snap makes perfect sense. Its so soothing. Theres no battles. Its just dozens of cute pokmon going about their business in scenic locales, and its my job to be their paparazzo. An Alolan Raichu surfing the sand dunes? Yes, please. A derpy Mantine leaping out of the sea? Hell yeah. Plenty of Bidoof butts to go around.

When I need a break from Professor Mirrors arbitrary photo grading the man has no appreciation for the rule of thirds Im living my best life running around the Sinnoh region with my Piplup. Im not big into the endless gym battle grind, so the contests (aka pokmon beauty pageants) are a nice change of pace. You really cant find a better distraction from family drama than hundreds of cute pokmon.

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The best games to play this Thanksgiving weekend - The Verge

As per NASA, both the orbital debris and spacecraft travel at speeds of about 15,700 mph in low Earth orbit. (Modeling image: IRAS/TU Braunschweig via ESA)

Space Junk: If you are at all interested in the activities happening outside the Earth, you would have heard that recently, that a defunct Chinese satellite nearly collided with the International Space Station, and it was only averted when the ISS manoeuvred out of the way. While the event was enough to bring up the debate of space junk all over again, what has added to it is the fact that a new study has found that very soon, the Earth could also have Saturn-like rings but of space junk! And if that is not troublesome, I dont know what is.

Heres some context for you. According to US space agency NASA, the US Department of Defenses global Space Surveillance Network (SSN) sensors are tracking over 27,000 pieces of space junk, or as they are technically called orbital debris. Now I know what you are thinking 27,000 pieces in the vast space? Thats not so bad. But it is, because these are pieces in the near-Earth space environment. And there are many more pieces that are present close to Earth but are not large enough to be tracked. They are, however, large enough to cause trouble for human spaceflight and robotic missions.

Also read | Is it Earth or is it Saturn? Soon, space junk will form rings around our planet and its very troubling

As per NASA, both the orbital debris and spacecraft travel at speeds of about 15,700 mph in low Earth orbit, and therefore, even a tiny piece of space junk can cause major damage if it were to collide with a spacecraft. The rising population of space debris increases the potential danger to all space vehicles, including to the International Space Station and other spacecraft with humans aboard, such as SpaceXs Crew Dragon, NASA says.

Orbital debris is any human-made object in orbit about the Earth that no longer serves a useful function. Such debris includes nonfunctional spacecraft, abandoned launch vehicle stages, mission-related debris, and fragmentation debris, NASA explains.

With space junk travelling at very high speeds, not only do ISS and rockets need swift manoeuvres, but scientists would have to ensure that new satellites have a swift automated response to detect and prevent collision with the orbital debris, or investments worth millions of dollars would vanish into thin air, quite literally.

The concerns around space junk have been increasing ever since an inactive Russian satellite collided with an active US one back in 2009 while they were travelling at speeds of about 22,300 mph and turned into thousands of pieces of tiny debris.

Space junk not only pollutes space (which should, frankly, be left free from the ill-effects of human life), but it also causes a vicious cycle to emerge. Orbital debris can collide with other human made objects and in turn create more pieces of debris which would each prove to be hazardous while whizzing about in space. Not only that, but if the debris is also likely to collide with other celestial objects that might cross the orbit of the Earth and cause some damage to them.

However, recognising this problem, more and more space agencies and organisations are trying to come up with a solution.

Japan had a few years ago sent an experimental space junk collector that would grab onto pieces of space junk and bring them to the Earths atmosphere to be incinerated. This experiment, however, had failed when the spacecrafts tether failed to be deployed.

Not being discouraged by this, however, Japans Astroscale earlier this year launched a demonstration satellite that would locate and retrieve used satellites and other pieces of space junk. Apart from this, the European Space Agency has also finalised a contract for a 2025 mission to capture and dispose of a piece of space junk with the help of a four-armed claw.

One thing that is bothering, though, is that while some private companies are concerned about space and cosmic pollution, the focus of NASA with regard to space junk ends at its impact on satellites and spacecraft. Though that is a fair concern and an important issue considering the increasing space exploration missions that are being carried out, it is not the only one, nor should it be the main one.

The main issue is that just like the Earth, too much junk or debris can cause a cosmic imbalance at least around the Earth, Moon and Mars, where most of the exploration missions are headed at the moment. It is estimated that an average of 400 pieces of space junk (very small pieces) fall on Earth every year, but now, larger pieces of debris are also floating about. Such pieces of junk, while relatively harmless now, can create major problems in how the solar system functions if they accumulate in large numbers. Right now, air pollution on Earth blocks our view of the sky, but exaggerated as this may seem, who knows one day we might just see a whole lot of space junk in the sky! It could also alter the balance between Earth and space due to such close proximity to our planet, and such an imbalance might lead to the end of all life on the planet. We already know that conditions required for sustaining life are rare and any change can cause the scale to tip. We really need to ask ourselves is space junk really the hill we want to die on?

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Chinas satellite almost crashed into International Space Station! Now scientists are sweating over space junk - Financial Express

Selbyville, Delaware, Nov. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

The space robotics market size is anticipated to record a valuation of USD 4 billion by 2027, according to the most recent study by Global Market Insights Inc. The shifting government focus toward space robotics projects will drive the market growth during the forecast timeframe. Government organizations are investing in the global space agency to join large-scale projects.

The temporary closure of industrial plants in several countries to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 negatively impacted the space robotics market expansion in 2020. Manufacturers witnessed delays in production and new product launch schedules due to the pandemic in 2020. The resumption of industrial activities following the relaxations in lockdowns will help the economies to regain stability in 2021.

Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/3219

The availability of established private space agencies, such as Lockheed Martin Corporation, SpaceX Corporation, Boeing, Sierra Nevada Space Systems, and Blue Origin, is fostering the commercial segment in the market. These companies are focusing on partnering with government space agencies for high revenue generation.

The Europe space robotics market is expected to observe a high growth rate during the forecast period. The growing focus of space agencies on launching new space missions will fuel the industry growth. For instance, in November 2021, Europe Space Agency launched two Galileo satellites to strengthen advanced navigational capabilities. The satellites comprise advanced precise satellite navigation systems, serving more than two billion users across the globe.

Request for customization of this research report @

https://www.gminsights.com/roc/3219

Prominent players operating in the market include MAXAR Technologies, Inc., Space Applications Services, Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies, Altius Space Machines, Inc., GITAI, Inc., Motiv Space Systems, Astrobotic Technology, Inc., SpaceX, Oceaneering International, Northrop Grumman, and Honeybee Robotics Ltd. Market leaders are emphasizing on developing robotic rovers for lunar exploration programs.

Some key findings in the space robotics market report include:

Table of Contents (ToC) of the report:

Chapter 3Space Robotics Market Insights

3.1 Industry segmentation

3.2 Impact of COVID-19 on industry landscape

3.2.1 Global outlook

3.2.2 Regional impact

3.2.3 Industry value chain

3.2.4 Competitive landscape

3.3 Industry ecosystem analysis

3.3.1 Suppliers

3.3.2 Manufacturers

3.3.3 Software & technology providers

3.3.4 Service providers

3.3.5 Distribution channel analysis

3.3.6 End-use landscape

3.3.7 Vendor matrix

3.4 Technology & innovation landscape

3.4.1 AI-based space robotics

3.4.2 Impact of IoT and Industry 4.0

3.4.3 Cloud robotics

3.5 Regulatory landscape

3.6 Industry impact forces

3.6.1 Growth drivers

3.6.2 Industry pitfalls & challenges

3.7 Growth potential analysis

3.8 Porter's analysis

3.9 PESTEL analysis

Browse Complete Table of Contents (ToC) @

https://www.gminsights.com/toc/detail/space-robotics-market

About Global Market Insights Inc.

Global Market Insights Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider, offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy, and biotechnology.

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Space Robotics Market revenue to cross USD 4 Bn by 2027: Global Market Insights Inc. - GlobeNewswire

The holidays still happen in space, they just look a little bit different. But the sentiments are the same.

"I'm going to do whatever I can to show how thankful I am for my crewmates," said NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei in a NASA video shared from the International Space Station Monday. "It's wonderful having all of these folks up here. We haven't been up here together that long, but wow it sure has been wonderful already."

The space station will host seven crew members throughout the holiday season.

The international crew includes Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov, NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, Kayla Barron and Vande Hei, and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer.

"We'll be working but looking forward to an awesome meal together," Barron said. "We'll invite our cosmonaut colleagues to join us, so it's a very international Thanksgiving."

The astronauts shared traditions they usually share with their families. Chari said he and his family typically go around the table and have each person say what they are thankful for, so he's going to call in "and do that remotely" this year.

The astronauts usually call home to talk with friends, family and loved ones on holidays spent far from home.

Chari also said while Thanksgiving-themed runs like Turkey Trots happen on Earth, he brought special colored headbands for him and the crew to wear as they run off their holiday meal on the space station's treadmill.

This year, the astronaut Thanksgiving menu includes crab bisque, roast turkey, potatoes au gratin, candied yams and cherry blueberry cobbler.

"I just want my family to know how much I appreciate their love and support. Even though I'm going to be really far away and moving really fast, my heart is definitely with them," Vande Hei said.

Astronauts have marked the tradition of celebrating holidays in space since the days of the Apollo mission, when the Apollo 8 crew famously shared their Christmas Eve message in a live television broadcast in 1968 by taking turns reading from the Book of Genesis in the Bible.

The first Thanksgiving in space was celebrated on November 22, 1973, when Skylab 4 astronauts Gerald P. Carr, Edward G. Gibson and William R. Pogue each ate two meals at dinnertime, although nothing special was on the menu for the occasion. The three worked on and supported a spacewalk lasting six hours and 33 minutes earlier in the day and missed lunch.

The next one didn't occur until November 28, 1985, when the seven members of the STS-61B crew of Brewster H. Shaw, Bryan D. O'Connor, Jerry L. Ross, Mary L. Cleave, Sherwood C. "Woody" Spring, Charles D. Walker, and Rodolfo Neri Vela enjoyed a special meal on the space shuttle Atlantis.

In addition to shrimp cocktail, irradiated turkey and cranberry sauce, Neri Vela famously brought tortillas to space. Unlike bread, which crumbles easily, tortillas are a perfect addition to the space menu, and they are an astronaut favorite to this day. Recently, tortillas were the perfect vehicle for space tacos made using the first chile peppers grown in space.

The first Thanksgiving on the space station took place on November 23, 2000, just three weeks after the trio of NASA astronaut William M. Shepherd and Russian cosmonauts Yuri P. Gidzenko and Sergei K. Krikalev arrived. The festive meal kicked off a celebration that has taken place on the station every November since.

The space station hosted the largest and most diverse Thanksgiving celebration yet in 2009. A six-astronaut crew, including Jeffrey N. Williams, Maksim V. Suraev, Nicole P. Stott, Roman Y. Romanenko, Frank L. DeWinne and Robert B. Thirsk, were already on board. Then, they welcomed six members of the STS-129 space shuttle crew, which brought Charles O. Hobaugh, Barry E. Wilmore, Michael J. Foreman, Robert L. Satcher, Randolph J. Bresnik and Leland D. Melvin aboard.

The 12 crew members represented the United States, Russia, Belgium and Canada, and they celebrated together two days early since the shuttle departed the space station on Thanksgiving itself.

How these holidays are marked and celebrated is up to each individual crew, and space veterans tend to share suggestions and ideas with rookies before they go up, NASA astronaut Dr. Andrew Morgan told CNN in 2020.

Morgan spent the entirety of the holiday season on the space station in 2019 alongside crewmates Jessica Meir, Christina Koch, Alexander Skvortsov, Oleg Skripochka and Luca Parmitano.

It was a busy time on the space station with multiple spacewalks and experiments on the schedule, but the astronauts were able to come together for a special meal that weekend with their international crew members and talk about what Thanksgiving meant to them.

Turkey, stuffing, and mashed potatoes are on the standard menu for NASA astronauts in space, but they also saved special treats like smoked salmon and cranberry sauce to share with each other. In space, the cranberry sauce perfectly retains the shape of the can it came in. Meir and Koch also made hand turkeys for their table decor.

In 2020, the menu included cornbread dressing, smoked turkey, green beans and mashed potatoes. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Soichi Noguchi brought some Japanese "party food" to share, including curry rice, red bean rice and some special seafood that a Japanese high school student on Earth prepared for the crew.

For NASA astronaut Mike Hopkins, it was his second Thanksgiving in space after spending the holiday on the station in 2013.

"For me, Thanksgiving is all about family," Hopkins said. "This year, I'm spending it with my international family. We all feel very blessed to be up here and we're very grateful for everything we have."

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This is how astronauts celebrate Thanksgiving in space - WXOW.com

November 21, 2021

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Image source,Getty Images

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Schematic diagram of the earth, asteroids and moon

In the past few years, scientists have been exploring a question: where did the asteroid oscillating star (Kamooalewa) come from.

This asteroid was discovered in 2016, and so far astronomers only know that it is an asteroid that is in common orbit with the Earth, but nothing else.

However, new research seems to have found more clues to explore its mysterious origin: the asteroid is likely to be a fragment of the moon.

Benjamin Sharkey is an astronomer at the University of Arizona and one of the main authors of a new research report recently published in the journal Nature. He said: If it is really a normal asteroid, then it looks very different from the normal asteroid we expected.

Juan Sanchez, an astrophysicist at the University of Arizona, also participated in this research work. He told the BBC: The oscillating star may be the debris bounced off the moon after being hit by a meteorite.

To find out the essential attributes of the Oscillating Star, the only way is through sampling and testing. This may be possible in the next ten years, but scientists believe that the theory that it came from the moon should be established for several reasons.

So, what exactly is the oscillating star?

Image source,Getty Images

Image with text,

The super telescope at the Lowell Observatory in Arizona is a tool for scientists to observe oscillating stars.

The oscillating celestial star originally numbered 2016 HO3 was discovered by a telescope in Hawaii in the 2016 Pan-STARRS 1 survey of celestial bodies.

Scientists gave it a name in Hawaiian, which literally means Oscillating Celestial Fragment (Kamooalewa).

It is about 40 meters long and is strictly classified as a satellite rather than a satellite in strict technical terms.

Image source,NASA/JPL-Caltech

Image with text,

The orbit of the asteroid Oscillating Star numbered 2016HO3 is contrasted with that of the Earth. Sometimes it is in front of the earth and closer to the sun, and sometimes it is behind and further away from the sun.

Sanchez explained: As the planet Earth, the satellite is a celestial body that is in the same orbit as the earth. Therefore, although the celestial body also orbits the sun, it is still close to our earth.

The difference from the moon orbiting the earth is that the oscillating star does not orbit the earth, but orbits parallel to the sun. Therefore, even if our planet disappears, this celestial body will continue to move in its current orbit.

So far, scientists have detected five satellites of the earth, but the only one that has been actually studied is the oscillating star.

Sanchez said: It is easier to observe than other known satellites. Every April, this celestial body becomes bright enough to observe it from the earth with a large telescope.

Several other satellites are less obvious and cannot be analyzed.

When observing this asteroid, astronomers found that it was unusually bright red, indicating that it contained metallic minerals.

Sanchez told the BBC: Simply put, we are basically studying how the surface of this celestial body reflects sunlight, trying to determine its composition. What we found is that it is composed of silicate minerals.

Image source,Tony873004

Image with text,

Schematic diagram of the earths another stellar satellite 2020 CD3 orbiting the earth like the oscillating star

What has caught our attention is that compared with other near-Earth asteroids that have been studied, the appearance of oscillating stars is closer to our lunar surface.

Another basis for the scientists to infer is that the only known specimen of similar rocks is the lunar sample brought back by the American Apollo lunar exploration project in the 1970s.

Sanchez explained: This caught our attention because this is the first time we have attempted such a study. We have observed an azure satellite, and this azure satellite is very close to the earth and orbits the sun. This makes us doubt this celestial body. Probably from the surface of the moon.

Other theories suggest that the oscillating star may be part of the so-called near-Earth object, the Trojan asteroid, which has no necessary connection with the earth or the moon.

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Audio annotated text,

The formation of planets: what we learned before is actually wrong?

However, the experts participating in this new research believe that the data in their research provides a very favorable support for the theory of Moon Fragment.

Sanchez said: We are not 100% sure, nor can we rule out that the celestial body is only one of the discovered near-Earth asteroids. The only way to be fully confirmed is to get a sample of the celestial body.

This method may not be so difficult to get to the sky.

In April 2021, at the China Space Conference Forum, Ye Peijian, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated that the small celestial body exploration mission designed by China will be implemented in three phases in 10 years. Comet 311 will be detected.

If Chinas plan is implemented, within ten years China will launch probes to visit Oscillating Star and Comet 311, and bring back samples.

At that time, the mystery of whether the oscillating star came from the moon will find a clear answer.

Read more:

Space Exploration-Oscillating Stars: The Mysterious Life Experience of Earths Common Orbiting Asteroids-... - The Times Hub

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Soaring Inflation and Supply Chain Challenges Will Make This Thanksgiving the Most Expensive in History

Rising Costs Are Affecting Producers in KansasOn Wednesday, I joined several of my Senate colleagues to discuss inflation reaching a 30-year high and the rising cost of food items that are set to make this Thanksgiving the most expensive in history for American families.

Record-high prices are also affecting our farmers and ranchers those who produce our food. A Kansas farmer in McCune, Kansas, told me, the total fertilizer cost to raise corn, wheat and soybeans could increase by $350,000 for our family farm. Another farmer, this one in Holcomb, Kansas, told me, with the increased cost of inputs like fertilizer, fuel and chemical, we will have to adjust our farming practices if we want to survive. Inflation is hurting everyone from those at the checkout counter to farmers and ranchers producing our food. Clickhereor below to listen to my remarks.

Speaking in Opposition to President Bidens Nominee for Comptroller of the Currency

On Thursday, I spoke on the Senate floorin oppositionto President Bidens nominee for Comptroller of the Currency, Dr. Saule Omarova, following her nomination hearing in the Senate Banking Committee.

Although Dr. Omarova claims to support community banks, her plan would relegate them to mere franchises of the larger Federal Reserve have alarmed many community bankers. They have grave concerns about her policies that would, as she said, "end banking as we know it." We must continuously work to improve our financial sector for everyone, but forcing consumers to bank with the government would do much more harm than good. Kansans want less government in their lives, not more.

Unfortunately, Dr. Omarovas confirmation hearing only deepened my concerns. While she is entitled to her views, they have no place in the role as the nations top bank regulator. By nominating Dr. Omarova, President Biden looks to fundamentally reshape banking from a market-driven industry to a one-size-fits-all government takeover. Watch my remarks by clickinghereor below.

Vaccine Mandates

Vaccine Mandate on Private Businesses is a Federal OverreachThis week, I joined 49 of my Senate Republican colleagues in introducing a resolution of disapproval under theCongressional Review Act, which seeks to nullify the Biden administrations Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) vaccine mandate for private businesses. I am vaccinated and continue to urge others to get vaccinated. That was my decision, but it should be left to each individual in consultation with doctors they trust, not the federal government. President Bidens federal vaccine mandates are incredibly divisive, and his mandate on private businesses in particular is an overreach of executive authority that threatens to worsen the labor shortages faced by employers in Kansas and across the country. This is why I joined all of my Senate Republican colleagues in formally introducing this resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act to overturn the federal vaccine mandate.

Late last week, the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld its stay to enjoin the Presidents OSHA vaccine mandate for private businesses with 100 or more employees and barred OSHA from taking steps to implement or enforce the mandate while the stay is in effect. After multiple lawsuits were filed against the OSHA mandate in several appeals courts, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation lottery this week drew the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals to hear the consolidated legal challenges. The 6th Circuit will be tasked with hearing the legal challenges to the OSHA mandate and determine whether or not to lift the stay issued by the 5th Circuit.

Preventing Staffing Health Care Staffing ShortagesI alsourgedCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure to rescind, or in the absence of rescission, significantly modify the COVID-19 Healthcare Staff Vaccination interim rule to prevent staffing shortages for health care providers across the country.

According to the interim rule issued on November 4, 2021, staff at Medicare and Medicaid certified providers and suppliers are required to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. I called on Administrator Brooks-LaSure and the Biden administration to rescind the rule; however, if the rule is to stand, it is essential to make it more workable for Kansas health care providers. Specifically, CMS should allow for regular testing in place of the vaccine and additional flexibility to rural health care providers who already operate on a small amount of staff. The CMS vaccine mandate will exacerbate a profession already battling staffing shortage and burnout, threatens Americans access to care by causing staff resignations and increases the risk of health care facility closures, especially in rural communities and Health Professional Shortage Areas. Vaccinations are important in getting our country back to normal, and according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, more than 65% of the U.S. population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. Implementing a strict federal mandate on health care professionals will only generate a set of new complications that will hinder an already short-staffed health care workforce. Read the full letter by clickinghere.

Supporting Our Veterans

Legislation to Benefit the Families of Fallen Servicemembers Heads to Presidents Desk for SignatureMy legislation, theColonel John M. McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act,passedthe U.S. House of Representatives this week and is now headed to the Presidents desk to be signed into law.

If signed, this bill will increase in-state tuition eligibility for the families of veterans who die from service-connected disabilities. The bill is named to honor the memory of U.S. Army Colonel John McHugh, who was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 2010, while he and his family were stationed at Fort Leavenworth. His daughter, Kelly, was attending Kansas State University at the time of his death. TheColonel John M. McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Actwill require public colleges and universities that receive GI Bill benefits to provide in-state tuition rates for students using the Survivors and Dependents Education Assistance (DEA) program. This will lower out-of-pocket costs for these students to pursue an education and receive the benefits their loved ones earned for them through their service. Military service is family service, and I am humbled his memory and sacrifice will both positively impact the families of fallen servicemembers and be remembered for years to come.

Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors Congressional AwardOn Tuesday, I received the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) Congressional Award. TAPS is an organization that is tireless in its advocacy for our military, veterans and the surviving families of our fallen servicemembers. I am also thankful for their work in helping advance my bill, theColonel John M. McHugh Tuition Fairness for Survivors Act.

Whether someone is a surviving spouse, child, parent, sibling, brother or sister in arms, TAPS provides a place of refuge, community and hope, and I want to thank them for all they do to advocate for and support our military, our veteran community and most importantly, our survivors.

Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Hearing

On Wednesday, the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee held a hearing to examine pending legislation that would impact the VAs Office of Inspector General, the Veterans Benefits Administration and the NationalCemetery Administration. Included were three bills that I sponsored to provide GI Bill parity for National Guard and Reservists, make certain homeless veterans and at-risk-for-homelessness veterans living in every state and territory have access to specialized employment and training services, and enhances rural veterans access to disability exams and benefits. I heard from expert witnesses in support of the legislation I sponsored about how it would improve the lives of Kansas veterans, their communities and veterans across America. The Senate VA Committee continues to be an example of how we can put the needs of those we are here to serve first our veterans, those still serving, their families who have served alongside them and our fallen heroes.

Thank You to Kansas Family Businesses

Thank you to the Kansas Family Business Forum for the work you do to support family businesses and to Kansas business owners for being the backbone of our communities.

Questioning FCC Acting Chairwoman

My Legislation Continues to Bolster Aviation Manufacturers CapabilitiesThis week, I questioned Acting Chairwomen Jessica Rosenworcel during her nomination hearing at the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. During the hearing, I was pleased to talk to Acting Chairwoman Rosenworcel about local broadcasters and journalism, which provide valuable services to our communities. I also questioned Rosenworcel on how the FCC plans to address supply chain shortages. Americas bottlenecked supply chain system threatens to delay the buildout of broadband in a timely fashion, and any delay to expanding this vital service for rural Kansans is unacceptable and cannot be ignored by the FCC. I appreciate Acting Chairwomen Rosenworcels expressed commitment to stay on schedule and work with her team at the FCC to address supply chain shortfalls. If she is confirmed, I will continue to work with the FCC to ensure the agencys critical work is being completed effectively and efficiently for Kansans.

Raising Concerns Over New Container Shipping Fees at Ports

On Friday, I led 14 of my Senate colleagues in urging the Federal Maritime Commission to reevaluate the new fees imposed for shipping container carriers at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach that will be imposed starting today. I expressed concerns that this increased shipping costs will eventually be passed on to American consumers.

These fees, just like tariffs, ultimately will be passed onto the American consumer in the form of higher prices for goods at a time when the prices are already at record highs. Without question, ports across the United States are experiencing unprecedented congestion and record container volumes. We are sympathetic to the strain placed on all facets of the global supply chain, but it is misguided to levy an exorbitant fee under these unprecedented circumstances. Certainly, the delays and congestion at these ports is a multi-faceted problem, but these hyper-demurrage fees are not the solution. If left in place, they will have significant consequences for importers and American consumers. Read the full letterhere.

Announcing USDA Grant for Quinter

This week, Iannounceda USDA Rural Development grant awarded to the city of Quinter to complete improvements to the citys water supply system.

Improving Quinters water system is important to make certain residents have reliable access to water. Im pleased this federal investment will help Quinter thrive for years to come, and as a member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee with jurisdiction over USDA, I will continue to advocate for programs that are important to improve the quality of life in our rural communities.

Ad Astra!

Meeting NASA Crew-1 AstronautsThis week, I had the privilege of meeting astronauts who were the first to fly to the International Space Station by a U.S. commercial spacecraft. Joining the group was United States Space Force colonel and NASA astronaut Michael Hopkins. He was the first astronaut to transfer to the U.S. Space Force and participated in the transfer ceremony while aboard the International Space Station. As Ranking Member of the Senate committee that provides resources for NASA, I am pleased to continue supporting NASA and its missions in low Earth orbit and deep space exploration.

Thank you astronauts Michael Hopkins, Victor Glover, Shannon Walker and Soichi Noguchi for your commitment to science and exploration.

Discussing the Future of Space with the Space Force Caucus

This week, I visited with Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and General John Raymond, Chief of Space Operations, at the Senate Space Force Caucus Breakfast. As Russias reckless and dangerous antisatellite test proved this week, we need a firm presence and decisive technological advantage in space to make certain that space remains secure. Though the Space Force is a fledgling organization, it has the talent and vision among its leadership to achieve that edge. As the Senate Space Force Caucus Co-chair, I am grateful to the partners in academia and industry leaders who contribute to Americas leadership in space, especially the many organizations we have in Kansas. I will continue to work to leverage our nations best talent and resources to help the Space Force remain the best in the world.

Discussing Energy with David Campbell of Evergy

On Thursday, I met with David Campbell of Evergy, who started his tenure as Evergys President and CEO in January. During our meeting, we discussed Evergys efforts to embrace alternative energy sources like wind and nuclear power while also focusing on affordability and reliability for customers. I look forward to working with David to advance our shared priority of ensuring Evergys 1.6 million customers across Kansas and Missouri have access to affordable, reliable energy.

Watch: Hosting United Launch Alliance in Wichita

Last week, I hosted United Launch Alliance (ULA) CEO Tory Bruno and his team in Wichita to showcase the capabilities of our aerospace manufacturers and demonstrate Wichita as the Air Capital of the World.

Aerospace manufacturers in Kansas are and will be vital contributors in the new era of space whether that is space exploration or defending our nation. Watch a quick recap of ULAs visit by clickinghereor below.

Discussing Israeli Security with AIPAC

I visited with members from AIPAC on Wednesday to discuss the latest developments relating to Israels security. After Israel depleted its Iron Dome defense against Hamas rocket attacks in May, American support is essential to replenish those munitions before Hamas strikes again. I fully support this funding so that Israel can defend itself against terrorists. We also talked about the implementation of the Abraham Accords, in which Arab states agreed last year to normalize relations with Israel. This progress must not be undermined, and I sponsored legislation that directs the State Department to strengthen and expand these historic agreements. We concluded with a review of Irans non-compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal and how to reverse Irans expanding nuclear program. I reaffirmed that Iran must not be allowed to have a nuclear weapon. The United States has no greater partner in the Middle East than Israel, and I am committed to ensuring Israel can enjoy peace and prosperity.

Meeting with KCKCC Leadership in Kansas City

On Monday morning before heading to Washington, D.C., I had the opportunity to tour Kansas City Kansas Community College (KCKCC) Technical Education Center where I visited with KCKCCs leadership as well as HVAC and Construction instructors and students. I met with KCKCCs leadership in our nations capital earlier this fall, and I was pleased to see them in Kansas City.

The Technical Education Center offers vocational training to students around the metro Kansas City area. These well-paying jobs are in high demand and often allow students who pursue these vocations to be self-employed. I was also able to hear KCKCC present its proposal for their community education center in downtown KCK to the states SPARKS committee. I would like to thank VP of Strategic Initiatives and Outreach Dr. Tami Bartunek for the invitation, Director of Technical Programs Rich Piper for the tour and President Greg Mosier for joining us.

Meeting with Rep. Mike Dodson

On Saturday, I met with State Representative Mike Dodson to discuss Service Member Agricultural Vocational Education (SAVE) Farm and state issues, including the current workforce shortage that continues to affect businesses and sectors across the state, as well as veteran housing, education and child care.

SAVE Farm provides occupational agricultural training to veterans and transitioning service-members located on a farm near Riley, Kansas. I appreciated the ability to speak with Rep. Dodson about SAVE Farm and its initiatives that engage in outreach and training for veterans transitioning from military service to careers in agriculture.

National Rural Health Day

Rural Kansans face unique challenges accessing the care they need and deserve. Thursday - National Rural Health Day - we celebrated the power of rural, and we recognized the efforts of our rural health care providers for their dedicated service to their communities.

Honored to Serve You in WashingtonIt is an honor to serve you in Washington, D.C. Thank you to the many Kansans who have been calling and writing in to share their thoughts and opinions on the issues our state and country face. I appreciate the words of Kansans, whether in the form of a form of letter, a Facebook comment or a phone call, who wish to make their voice heard.

Please let me know how I can be of assistance. You can contact me by email byclicking here. You can alsoclick hereto contact me through one of my Kansas offices or my Washington, D.C. office.

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Soaring Inflation and Supply Chain Challenges = Most Expensive Thanksgiving in History - Senator Jerry Moran

Space exploration is an increasingly profitable sector and billionaires are cashing in. Since Elon Musks success with SpaceX, other entrepreneurs have hopped on the train Richard Branson founded Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos started Blue Origin.

Many are upset billionaires are investing in space while climate change remains a growing concern. Though the ultra-rich investing in space travel is a blatant display of wealth, its actually one of the better ways they are using their money.

Commercialization of the space industry is good. The fact that billionaires are leading this change has larger implications of labor exploitation and a poor tax system. Our government is the guilty party, for allowing the wealth divide in America to become so dramatic and polarized.

Many argue that billionaires should be spending their money on saving our planet before investing in space exploration. I agree with this general sentiment, but billionaires spending their excessive wealth on unnecessary things isnt a billionaire problem. Its a government problem.

We need to tax the rich to prevent excessive wealth accumulation. We cant rely on billionaires to solve the worlds problems because they wont. Billionaires profit from the working classs struggle. The top 1% increased their profits during the 2008 recession and flourished similarly during the COVID-19 pandemic. While 40 million Americans filed for unemployment during the pandemic, billionaires net worth increased by half a trillion dollars. This is due to disproportionate financial aid and tax evasion through loopholes. Why would you work to fix inequality when you are actively profiting from it?

Dependence on billionaires to solve problems like climate change will only increase opportunities for exploitation. Billionaires like Bezos, Bill Gates and Musk are investing in and donating to renewable energy because it is profitable and good for PR. If we rely on them to fix the climate crisis, they could change their minds as soon as something more lucrative comes up. The purpose of government is to act in the interest of the public. CEOs act in the interest of their wallet.

Billionaires make money. Its what they do. Bezos is investing in space travel because its profitable. We cant expect the rich to give that up out of the goodness of their hearts because to become a billionaire, you likely dont have much good in your heart. We must pressure the government to fix problems that matter.

Compared to other things tech billionaires could be doing with their money, space travel is worth the investment. Paul Sir, an educator at Clark Planetarium, suggested that the privatization of the industry will have positive effects on the progression of technology, even if it stems from corporate greed. He said the moon landing was more politics than anything, but we did get a lot of good things out of it.

The private sector will progress space technology faster and more sustainably than the government. NASA spent nearly $20 billion on the Space Launch System, a rocket that has been in the works since 2011. The private sector should fund space projects, instead of our taxes being funneled into expensive, unnecessary projects. Musk estimates that his rocket will cost only $2 million per mission. Additionally, his rocket will be reusable, which is more sustainable than any current NASA rocket.

The space industry is progressing fast. It is a lucrative field, so our tax dollars are better spent on things that need government funding to advance like sustainable agriculture or renewable energy.

Space exploration could offer answers to questions weve been asking for centuries. Space travel led to discoveries that improved technology on Earth, like smartphones GPS capabilities, weather tracking services and climate change research.

Yes, our government should prioritize legislation to mitigate climate change and they should absolutely address the wealth divide. But until those changes happen, we cant expect private corporations to stop innovating. That said, our government should take its role as regulators seriously and should create legislation for the space industry.

Feeling upset at people with excessive wealth for spending it on unnecessary things is completely good and natural. We should be upset. But we should direct those emotions towards the people who affect change.

One way to solve the problem of excessive wealth is to increase taxes for the wealthy. Democrats are currently working on a proposal to increase taxes for the rich. The plan calls for top corporate and individual tax rates of 26.5% and 39.6%, respectively. Ideally, this money would be allocated towards pressing issues like climate change, poverty and hunger.

It is likely that the privatized space industry wont have the same concern for environmental damage that NASA has. Increased space travel means increased debris, which could pose a problem if not regulated. We should pressure the government to enforce regulations on space travel corporations to mitigate debris and possible environmental damage.

We should be excited about the prospect of increased space exploration that will take place during our lifetime. Expansion and exploration are a part of the human experience. It is also important that we prioritize protecting our Earth and the people living on it. Billionaires will always prioritize their own profits, so it is our governments responsibility to create a tax system more representative of income inequality and allocate those taxes towards things that matter.

Joyrides through space are now accessible to the extremely wealthy. Naturally, the 1% are the first to enjoy the benefits of space technology. But it is worth considering that this may just be an annoying consequence of the greater good of exploring space.

[emailprotected]

@maggie_bring

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Bringhurst: Let Billionaires Foot the Bill for Space Travel - Daily Utah Chronicle

Ever since the 1960s, when we took the initial steps to free ourselves from the gravity well of Earth, we have been hearing phrases such as, Mars is our horizon destination, Why the hurry to Mars? and Twenty years from now, humans may be walking on Mars!

But twenty years from now has come and gone several times and we dont seem any closer to the horizon destination. When will we finally set foot on Mars?

There used to be some basis and justification for such vague statements, given that launch and crew support systems were still years away from becoming operational.

But that is no longer true. Today we are in a far better position to send humans to Mars than ever before. Within a few months, NASAs Artemis 1 mission is scheduled to launch the Space Launch System (SLS) with its Orion crew vehicle (without crew on this test mission) to orbit the Moon and perform all key mission aspects to return humans to the lunar vicinity, and SpaceXs Starship will attempt its first orbital flight soon.

Meanwhile, private suborbital flights (Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin) and private orbital flights (such as the Inspiration4 mission) are accelerating at an impressive pace.

Mars is also no longer the exclusive domain of superpowers and major industrial companies. Many emerging nations, and small, medium and large companies (and organizations) around the world are investing their own efforts and funds to participate in this incredible venture, and to help solve the innumerable challenges and innovations needed not only to enable long-term Mars/space exploration but also to benefit life on Earth and create potential new markets.

There is reason for optimism within the political sphere as well. Human missions to the Moon and Mars have enjoyed consistent and strong bipartisan support throughout multiple administrations and changes in control of Congress. Despite this alignment of political support and technological advancement, our path going forward to Mars still seems vague and insufficiently defined.

The Biden administration, Congress, NASA and commercial and international partners should take advantage of this historic alignment of technology and support by reaffirming and further delineating the path that will return us to the Moon in the mid-2020s and send humans to the surface of Mars by the mid-2030s.

After over 18 months of worldwide upheaval and social isolation resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, people crave optimistic, ambitious, affordable and achievable programs that can help us overcome the negativity and division that hinders us. A clearly defined humans to Mars program that accomplishes these goals can stimulate national morale and international cooperation in significant and incalculable ways.

Despite popular misconceptions, such a program can be achieved affordably, costing only a small percentage of the costs of social programs, the military or the proposed infrastructure bill. Indeed, NASAs entire annual budget accounts for less than half of 1 percent of the overall federal budget. A relatively modest increase in NASAs budget would enable us to move out into the solar system by developing the few additional technologies that remain unproven such as large payload landing systems and Mars transfer habitats.

Some pundits will counter that we should not set firm timelines for landing humans on Mars. After all, the argument goes, if we set a specific target date, we may very well miss that self-imposed deadline. Not meeting such a deadline may very well occur, but this is not a valid reason for failing to establish ambitious goals. Even if we ultimately are not able to land crew members on the surface of Mars by the mid-2030s, we will almost certainly be far more advanced in reaching that goal than we would otherwise have been.

Timelines and deadlines exist for a reason. They help to motivate and maintain momentum and productivity, as occurs every day in the commercial sector and succeeded brilliantly during the Apollo Program of the 1960s.

There are few topics of public discourse with such broad-based support, and with the potential to heal many of the social and political divisions we have experienced over the past several years, as our space program and the efforts of all humanity to reach the Red Planet.

Chris Carberry is CEO of Explore Mars, Inc. and author of the book Alcohol in Space: Past, Present, Future. Rick Zucker is vice president, policy for Explore Mars, Inc.

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When will we finally set foot on Mars? | TheHill - The Hill

Everybody in the world needs to do this. Everybody in the world needs to see this. These were the first words of 90-year-old William Shatner as he emerged, shaking with emotion, from a brief ride into space where the former Star Trek actor had spent barely four minutes aboard a Blue Origin rocket on October 13 2021.

This air that is keeping us alive, he said:

Its thinner than your skin We think, Oh, thats blue sky, and then suddenly you shoot through it all, as though you whip a sheet off you when youre asleep, and youre looking into blackness its so thin, and youre through it in an instant!

As space travellers like Shatner have witnessed, our planets atmosphere seems as thin as the skin of an apple relative to the Earth. Although from our perspective it might appear limitless, we can alter its composition with emissions as easily as we can pollute vast lakes and oceans.

Yet many news reports covering Shatners journey neglected to mention his comments on the fragility of the Earths atmosphere: comments that could easily have been intended for delegates arriving at the UN climate change conference COP26 taking place in Glasgow.

Shatners voyage was made possible by Jeff Bezos space exploration company Blue Origin, founded in 2000, and has understandably been subject to criticism. Bezos, the billionaire founder of e-commerce giant Amazon, arguably achieved his astronomical success by hollowing out the cultural and commercial infrastructure of local areas across the globe: and has been condemned for spending billions expanding into the space tourism industry rather than improving the environment down on Earth.

The manned space programme of the 1960s and 1970s, run competitively by the US and Russia, was also criticised as a waste of money. But it yielded one huge and unexpected bonus: the first view of Earth from space, in all its majestic isolation.

At Christmas 1968, the crew of Apollo 8 became the first people to see and photograph the whole planet as they flew around the moon. From a quarter of a million miles away, the Earths unique beauty and vulnerability became apparent like never before.

During the voyage, astronaut Bill Anders took an unscheduled photo of the Earth partly in shadow, with the moon in the foreground. The moons bone-dead colours contrasted directly with the vibrantly-coloured, fertile Earth.

The photo, known colloquially as Earthrise, was later described by photographer Galen Rowell as the most influential environmental photograph ever taken. Years later, Anders reflected on his experience: We came all this way to the moon, and yet the most significant thing were seeing is our own home planet.

No sooner did the Earth become wholly visible than it sparked the rapid growth of the environmental movement, marked by the formation of the environmental charity Friends of the Earth in 1969 and the first UN Earth Summit in Stockholm in 1972. Commentator John Caffrey wrote in 1970 that the greatest lasting benefit of the Apollo missions may be this sudden rush of inspiration to try to save this fragile environment if we still can.

In December 1972, the final Apollo mission (Apollo 17) captured possibly an even more famous image of the Earth, lit by the Sun at a distance of 28,000 miles: known as the Blue Marble photo.

Unlike Earthrises depiction of a half-shaded planet taken from the north, this photo showed the whole Earth from the south, including the first view of Antarctica. This view of a watery globe, centred on Madagascar rather than on a Western country, appeared as a photographic manifesto for global equality. With a human eye behind the lens, humankind found itself face to face with Mother Earth in an image that has become one of the most reproduced pictures of all time.

Actually travelling to space to see this transformative sight in person is, of course, impossible for the vast majority of the population. Since 1972, no human has left Earths orbit or seen the whole Earth, and very few ever will.

As a result, groups such as the Overview Institute and the Center for Planetary Identity have since come up with imaginative schemes to spread the environmental consciousness created by viewing the Earth from a distance to the wider population, including the use of virtual reality. As a historian and an environmentalist, I have a more modest proposal.

Next year, 50 years will have passed since the Blue Marble photo: I think its time to take another. In December 2022, the Earth will be in a similar position relative to the sun as it was in December 1972. This will give a probe the opportunity to capture a photo of the full Earth from the same distance and angle as before, revisiting perhaps the most environmentally valuable achievement of the space age.

Although impressive images have since been captured of the whole planet by satellites, none offer the same perspective as the original image and most are composites patched together from multiple frames to show an idealised globe in perfect weather.

Although this image will still be beautiful, the planet it captures wont be the same. Deserts like the Sahara will have expanded. Cloud systems will have altered. Antarctic ice will have retreated, and less green will be visible. Seen side by side, these two Blue Marbles, taken half a century apart, would bring home the consequences of climate change wordlessly, instantly and globally.

So, space billionaires: if you truly care about protecting our planet, lets have the ultimate Earthshot.

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Fifty years ago, humans took the first full photo of Earth from space the climate crisis means it's time for another - The Conversation UK

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ARKX - Market Data & News

ARK ETF Trust - ARK Space Exploration & Innovation ETF (CBOE: ARKX) shares gained 0.73%, or $0.15 per share, to close Thursday at $20.84. After opening the day at $20.79, shares of ARK ETF - ARK Space Exploration & Innovation ETF fluctuated between $20.92 and $20.71. 330,062 shares traded hands an increase from their 30 day average of 254,504. Thursday's activity brought ARK ETF - ARK Space Exploration & Innovation ETFs market cap to $564,764,000.

Visit ARK ETF Trust - ARK Space Exploration & Innovation ETFs profile for more information.

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Amazon Now Owns 20% of Electric Truck Maker Rivian

Amazon.com Inc (AMZN), an early backer of Rivian Automotive Inc, now owns about a fifth of the electric truck startup, the e-commerce giant disclosed in a quarterly filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

As of Sept. 30, Amazon held equity investments representing a 20% ownership interest that had a carrying value of $3.8 billion, up from $2.7 billion at the end of 2020, according to the company's latest Form 10-Q.

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The Great Labor Dilemma How It Began and Where We Are Now

In September, the US economy added 194,000 jobs, far below consensus analyst expectations of 500,000 jobs. The unemployment rate moved lower to 4.8% from 5.2% in August. Ironically, there are plenty of jobs available for workers, but companies across all sectors report challenging conditions for attracting workers.

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Workers at Companies With at Least 100 People Must Be Vaccinated By January 4 or Get Weekly Tests

Tens of millions of Americans who work at companies with 100 or more employees will need to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 or get tested for the virus weekly under government rules issued Thursday.

The new requirements are the Biden administrations boldest move yet to persuade reluctant Americans to finally get a vaccine that has been widely available for months -- or face financial consequences. If successful, administration officials believe it will go a long way toward ending a pandemic that has killed more than 750,000 Americans.

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CBOE operates the largest options exchange and the third largest stock exchange in the U.S. CBOE runs a total of four separate stock exchanges that it acquired through the acquisition of Bats Global Markets in 2017. Collectively, these exchanges account for about 17% of total US equities volume.

To get more information on ARK ETF Trust - ARK Space Exploration & Innovation ETF and to follow the companys latest updates, you can visit the companys profile page here: ARK ETF Trust - ARK Space Exploration & Innovation ETFs Profile. For more news on the financial markets be sure to visit Equities News. Also, dont forget to sign-up for the Daily Fix to receive the best stories to your inbox 5 days a week.

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ARK ETF - ARK Space Exploration & Innovation ETF (ARKX) gains 0.73% in Active Trading on November 4 - Equities.com