Category Archives: Space Travel

A SpaceX Dragon rocket is due to take off this week with some unusual cargo on board: an EEG headset.

The device will fly to the International Space Station (ISS) for a first-of-its-kind experiment.

The mission? Analyzing the neurological activity of astronauts to understand how microgravity affects the brain.

There is still little known about the effects of space travel on the brain. While astronauts are typically measured for various physiological changes, from heart rate to muscle mass, there is currently no high-quality longitudinal data about neural changes during space missions.

This information could be crucial in understanding how the brain adapts to long-term space travel.

In future missions, the journeys will last much longer, and the effects of microgravity on the condition of astronauts will have a major impact, said Yair Levy, the CEO of brain.space, the company behind the device.

Then we will have a tool that can measure the impact on cognition and we can invent tools that can regain cognitive capacity during the mission.

The first step towards this goal is testing the headset on the astronauts of Axiom-1 (AX-1), the worlds first all-private mission to the ISS.

The brain.space system uses electroencephalography (EEG) to pick up tiny electrical signals produced when neurons in the brain communicate with each other. AI then denoises the signals and interprets the data.

Previous neural studies in space used low-resolution gel-based EEG systems, but these were complex to set up and only measured basic brain signals.

Brain.space replaced the gel with a dry system comprised of around 500 sensors that look like tiny brushes. The company says this makes the headset easier to use and more effective.

The device has already taken baseline measurements of the astronauts cognition on Earth. Upon arrival at the ISS, the systems software will be set up on a laptop at the space station.

Each of the three crew members will then wear the device for three 20-minute periods spread across the eight-day mission. Data collected in orbit will be transferred to brain.space and Ben-Gurion University researchers after each session for analysis.

After the astronauts return to Earth, the same experiments will be performed to assess the after-effects of microgravity.

Brain.space was initially founded to analyze neurological activity during treatment for brain injuries.

Ultimately, the company wants to develop a big data platform that researchers, developers, and medical practitioners can use to integrate brain activity into their products and services.

The company hopes the ISS experiment will join the list of space projects that have improved life on Earth. But for now, its focused on preparing our brains for long-term space travel and off-world living.

Excerpt from:

New EEG headset to analyze impact of space travel on astronauts' brains - The Next Web

The mad team of geeky stargazers populating Netflix's hilarious sci-fi parody "Space Force" returned with a second season last month with all-new bureaucratic hijinks, bird-eating astronauts, and massive budget cuts.

The "Space Force" TV series (not to be confused with the real-life U.S. Space Force) first launched on Netflix back in May 2020, and chronicled the misadventures of Mark R. Naird (Steve Carell), a four-star general who's assigned command of a polarizing division of America's military aimed to bolster the nations dominance in space and getting boots back on the moon.

Now for "Space Force" Season 2, General Naird is dealing with a new administration in the White House that's skeptical about this freshly-formed unit of the armed forces. With mounting scrutiny regarding the bumbling organization, Naird and his offbeat crew of scientists and space voyagers are given five months to prove their worth before the President cancels his position.

Series regulars Jimmy O. Yang, John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Tawny Newsome, Diana Silvers, Lisa Kudrow, Patton Oswalt, and Don Lake are all on board for Season 2. Some behind the camera changes have been made this time around with Canadian screenwriter Norm Hiscock ("Parks & Recreation," "Brooklyn Nine-Nine") uniting with series co-creator Greg Daniels as co-showrunner.

Ken Kwapis, the award-winning director of such Hollywood feature films as "He Said, She Said," "A Walk in the Woods" and "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," has signed on to helm all seven episodes. In contrast, the premiere season of "Space Force" was shot by a variety of directors. Here, Kwapis delivers a master class on deftly orchestrating an ensemble cast thats operating at maximum comedic thrust.

Besides working with Carell and Daniels directing the pilot episode of "The Office," the Hollywood veterans impressive resume includes directorial gigs for "The Office," "Malcolm in the Middle," "Freaks and Geeks" and "The Larry Sanders Show."

Space.com spoke with Kwapis about the synthesis of his talented actors, what's new for the second season, balancing jokes with grounded drama, creating chemistry and improvisation on set, and if Netflix might approve a "Space Force" Season 3.

Space.com: How did you score the 'Space Force" gig and why were you the best person for the job?

Ken Kwapis: Well, Season 2 of "Space Force" was an important reunion for me. It was the first time I'd working with Steve and Greg since The Office. I didn't work on the first season but I did enjoy it. Steve and Greg told me that they tried to create a show that was as visually different as possible from "The Office." They encouraged the directors to put on their Stanley Kubrick hats and create things that were visually bold and they did. The first season is very striking in that way.

For Season 2 they wanted to focus less on the look of the show and more on the characters and the ensemble feeling and that's why they enlisted me. They wanted to get to each character's emotional arc and the arc of the Space Force team.

Related: The best sci-fi movies and TV shows to stream on Netflix

Space.com: What changes can fans expects in "Space Force" Season 2?

Kwapis: One of the great things about the scripts in the new season is that the stakes are high. In the first episode we learn that Space Force is on probation and Steve Carrels character has a few months to prove himself or hell be replaced. Its an underdog story and my job as a director is how to get the audience involved. And every character is very well drawn this season.

Malkovich's character Dr. Mallory is fighting to maintain his integrity as a scientist as the budget is slashed.And Diana Silvers playing Erin Naird, Steve's characters daughter, is struggling to figure out what direction her life should go in. Tawny Newsomes character battles with PTSD after the near-calamity on the Moon. And Jimmy O. Yangs character pining after Tawny and worried that hes in a go-nowhere relationship with her.

They all have a distinct journey and for me, the job is how to balance the character comedy and the emotional content. The best kinds of scenes are ones that start in one direction, then surprise you and go in another. What appears to be a comic moment turns on a dime and suddenly it's an emotional moment.

All credit to the writers and to Greg, Steve and Norm for overseeing the stories. They gave me such rich material to work with.One of the things I hear from viewers who love the second season is that it does have strong emotional content.

There are a lot of laughs but there's also a lot of heart. Being able to deliver that is in my skill set. Sometimes I feel like my superpower as a director is that I know how to take a comedic scene and ground it in reality, and conversely, I know how to take a dramatic scene and find the humor hiding in it. Its also a first for me in that Ive never directed an entire season of anything.

Space.com: What sort of improvisation occurred while filming and did you encourage it?

Kwapis: Oh, I definitely encouraged it and there were some major league improvisers in the cast. Don Lake for example. He's so brilliant at improvisation. He can take any line of dialogue and spin twenty-five different variations of it without breaking a sweat. And Tawny Newsome, like Steve Carell, a Second City alum. Just a marvelous improviser. Ben Schwartz is able to pull things out of a hat that surprised me take after take. Everybody in the core ensemble had strong improv skills.

The goal for me was to get all these different actors to see they were part of the same family. As a director I tried to shoot scenes where the characters are in the frame together so I often favored two-shots, three-shots, four-shots, just to reinforce the idea of chemistry. Its not about my joke versus your joke, it's about the energy between people. Thats the secret weapon of Season 2 as far as Im concerned.

Space.com: The practical joke montage is the series is a fan favorite. Were there a lot of goofy pranks going on with the actors between takes?

Kwapis: There weren't as many as there might have been if we'd shot this in the pre-pandemic era. Because of COVID protocols it was a little more restricted. Someone should right a book about famous pranks done on sets over the years.

Space.com: What was your gateway into space travel and sci-fi. growing up and how did they serve you on "Space Force" Season 2?

Kwapis: I was definitely a fan of science fiction movies as a kid, but not so much sci-fi novels. I was always captivated by films about space travel and in addition to famous movies like 2001, I was also a super fan of "Silent Running." I remember when I first saw the film in 1972 I was so taken by Joan Baezs theme song in it. I was a big "Lost in Space" fan too.

"Space Force" Season 2 is pretty Earth-bound compared to Season 1. What I really drew upon was my experience directing a number of wonderful workplace comedies, certainly "The Office," but also a show I helped developed for NBC, "Outsourced." The only broadcast network show ever set in India.

Going back to the early '90s, I helped launch "The Larry Sanders Show" for HBO. And I love films about a group of people having to work together to solve a problem, like "The Flight of the Phoenix" and "Only Angels Have Wings."

Space.com: Patton Oswalt has an extraordinary cameo in Season 2 as Mars mission astronaut Capt. Lancaster.How did that performance play out?

Kwapis: That's a great example of a scene that seems at first to be simply a comic scene. Patton enlists Diana Silvers to go find different types of food so he can enjoy some human food vicariously while he's en route to Mars.Over the course of the sequence its revealed that he also misses a lot about being on Earth and that hes actually quite depressed being isolated in this capsule. All of that is something that Dianas character is unprepared to deal with to the point where she wonders if Pattons character is suicidal. All credit to the writers for taking us down a comedic road then taking a terrific left turn into something thats more poignant. Patton did the heavy lifting on that. I reminded him that it's ultimately a scene about being lonely and isolated. It's like that David Bowie song, "Space Oddity."

Space.com: A lot of fans are excited to see how the Space Force team is going to deal with the season finale cliffhanger! Will there be a "Space Force" Season 3 and will you be a part of it?

Kwapis: I can't say too much except that we've received such a lot of positive feedback from Season 2 that it would be a shame if we couldn't continue.

Netflix is now streaming all seven episodes of "Space Force" Season 2.

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Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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Director Ken Kwapis talks 'Space Force' Season 2 and wrangling a crazy comedic crew - Space.com

French cuisine got a galactic boost recently when some of the countrys top chefs, Thierry Marx and Alain Ducasse, concocted some special dishes for French astronaut Thomas Pesquet during his missions aboard the International Space Station. So while the famous dish of boeuf bourguignon was in the spotlight for that mission, during the next SpaceX trip, which will be the very first private flight to the ISS, an iconic Spanish dish, paella, will be the featured dish for astronauts to nosh on. But not just any paella, paella con during the next SpaceX trip, which will be the very first private flight to the ISS, an iconic Spanish dish, paella, will be the featured dish for astronauts to nosh on. But not just any paella, paella concocted by star chef Jos Andrs.cocted by star chef Jos Andrs.

The history of privatized space travel is about to reach a new milestone. While last Septembers first-ever orbital mission with no professionals on board was a success, a private flight to the International Space Station is now scheduled for April 3. A collaboration between Axiom Space, SpaceX and NASA, the trip will be shared by four individuals, including Spanish-born former NASA commander Michael Lopez-Alegria. The mission will last ten days in total, and the group will spend eight days on the International Space Station.

When its time to sit down to dinner, passengers will have a chance to taste the creations of legendary Spanish-American chef, Jos Andrs. While Andrs is famous around the world for his humanitarian work he is currently organizing a food distribution on the Polish border with Ukraine through his association World Central Kitchen the star chef based in Washington DC is also known for his involvement in issues concerning the food of tomorrow. Jos Andrs has long been working with the education and philanthropy branch of his ThinkFood Group to implement solutions. And meals in space is one of the topics they reflect upon.

During this private mission aboard the ISS, the passengers will share a meal composed of paella, made with chicken and mushrooms, a key recipe in Jos Andrs repertoire. Of course, the presentation has been adapted so that this iconic dish of Spanish cuisine can be packaged in soft pouches suited for space travel. But, the chefs goal is to encourage guests to share the paella, in the same way that Spaniards traditionally place the large pan in the middle of the table.

The menu will also include a dish called Secreto de Cerdo with Pisto," made with Iberian pork, tomatoes, onions, eggplant and peppers. In the passengers luggage, there will be Bellota Iberian jamn, but also a salchichon, a traditional sausage from the Iberian Peninsula, as well as Marcona almonds, considered one of the top varieties in the world, provided by companies of Fermn and that of another great Spanish chef, Albert Adri.

On board the International Space Station, astronauts are now pampered by top chefs who work on tasty meal ideas for many months before departure. Last year, Thomas Pesquet ate some gourmet dishes created by Franois Adamski, during a collaboration with Servair, the subsidiary of the Air France/KLM group dedicated to catering. The French astronaut also tasted Alain Ducasses recipes, since his Ducasse Conseil team has been working with CNES (Frances National Centre for Space Studies) since 2004. Thierry Marx, the Michelin-starred chef from the Mandarin Oriental, was also a partner of Thomas Pesquet during his first mission.

Read all the Latest News , Breaking News and IPL 2022 Live Updates here.

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Here is What the Passengers of First Private Mission Aboard ISS Will Be Devouring - News18

The project is being run by the Gateway Foundation, who have said that the hotel will feature a range of low-gravity activities which are not possible while on Earth

Image: Instagram)

The first ever space hotel is due to open its doors to guests in just five years time, it has been announced.

Plans for the luxury cruise ship style station include a rotating structure which will simulate gravity around its edges.

The accommodation will float above Earth's atmosphere, providing guests with low-gravity activities which are not possible on Earth's surface, the Daily Star reports.

Its structure would be made up of 24 modules which will be connected together via elevator shafts.

The whole station, set to open in 2022, would resemble a wheel, that would rotate in order to simulate gravity.

Image:

Company Gateway Foundation is part of the project, which began in 2019 when the project was called the Von Braun Station.

Since then the futuristic hotel has been named Voyager Station and is being built by Orbital Assembly Corporation.

The construction company, which focuses on gravity-enabled structures, plans on unveiling the hotel in the next few years.

Senior design architect at the Gateway Foundation Tim Alatorre told CNN : "The station rotates, pushing the contents of the station out to the perimeter of the station, much in the way that you can spin a bucket of water.

"The water pushes out into the bucket and stays in place."

Mr Alatorre also said the company was hoping to bring a slice of Earth to outer space.

He added: "We're going to have a number of different recreation activities and games that'll highlight the fact that you're able to do things that you can't do on Earth.

"Because of the weightlessness and the reduced gravity, you'll be able to jump higher, be able to lift things, be able to run in ways that you can't on Earth."

The company's former pilot John Blincow told the publication that right now is a significant time for space travel.

He concluded: "We're trying to make the public realise that this golden age of space travel is just around the corner. It's coming. It's coming fast."

It's unclear how much the accommodation will be, but it definitely won't be cheap.

The Gateway Foundation said they eventually want to make the hotel similar to a "trip to Disneyland".

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First space hotel due to open its doors to guests in just five years - The Mirror

Your wish to fly around the moon may not be possible anytime soon, but chances are that your name can be flashed on the most awaited moon mission. Instead of people on board, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has invited names of people for the Artemis I mission.

How do you enroll? Its a simple process. Click on the NASA website link (https://www.nasa.gov/send-your-name-with-artemis/), enter your name and a custom pin to generate a boarding pass. The pass is important for access in the future as it is your ticket to ride with information such as launch site (which is the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida), launch vehicle type (Space Launch System or SLS), rocket type (Orion) and destination (Lunar Orbit).

The Artemis I will be the first uncrewed flight test of an SLS rocket and the names will be launched on an Orion capsule that will travel around the moon. The journey dates are yet to be confirmed but NASA is eyeing end of May or starting June for a possible launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

However, this is not the first time when NASA has opted for flashing names on a mission. For its Mars rover mission, over 11 million names along with the Perseverance rover had taken off inside Jezero Crater, on February 18, 2021. The Send Your Name to Mars campaign invited people around the globe to submit their names, which were etched on three fingernail-sized chips on board the Perseverance rover.

How did it work? NASAs Laboratory used an electron beam machine which could etch features as less than 1 micron.The launch of the Artemis I will be a historic moment for NASA and the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to build a long-term human presence at the moon for decades to come. Additionally, theres incredible excitement for the Artemis programme that will land the first person of colour on the moon and the first woman and the next man on the lunar South Pole by 2024.

Previous space missions have also seen a diverse next-generation of explorers in gender and ethnicity. There was a time when the only people who touched the moons surface in 1972 were white men. Gradually, this changed over the years.Guion Bluford became NASAs first African-American astronaut to fly in space on the STS-8 mission in 1983, the first of his four spaceflights. Among a long list of women who have travelled to space is Mae C Jemison. On the STS-47 mission of the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992, she became the first African-American female in space. The first woman in space was Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova who flew on Vostok 6 on June 16, 1963; the first American woman in space, Sally Ride, flew aboard the Space Shuttle STS-7 in June of 1983. Other notable firsts: Roscosmos cosmonaut Svetlana Savitskaya participated in a spacewalk in July, 1984; NASA astronaut Susan Helms was the first female crew member aboard the space station, a member of Expedition 2 from March to August 2001. The 2013 astronaut class was the first with equal numbers of women and men. Kalpana Chawla also became the first woman of Indian origin in 1997 to travel in space as the mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator aboard the US space shuttle Columbia. In December 2006, Sunita Williams became the second woman of Indian origin to venture into space on a 12-day repair mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

But the 2024 Artemis III mission will be humanitys return to the surface of the moon. After launching on SLS, the astronauts will travel about 240,000 miles to lunar orbit aboard Orion, at which point they will directly board one of the new commercial human landing systems, or dock to the Gateway to inspect it and gather supplies before boarding the landing system for their expedition to the surface, states the agency website.

Whats important here is that Artemis moonwalkers will wear revolutionary spacesuits that stand up to the Moons harsh environment and keep them safe. Spacesuits include life support, pressure garments, informatics, and avionics, tools and equipment, vehicle interfaces, flight and ground support hardware.

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A space for all: Adventures beyond the planet are now open to all, even if its a name on a microchip - The Financial Express

Here is the full list of titles coming to the platform in the first two weeks of April

Here is the full list of titles coming to the platform in the first two weeks of April

Avail on 4/1/2022

Trivia Quest

Test your knowledge of history, art, science and more across varying levels of difficulty in this interactive trivia series.

Battle: Freestyle

Amalie is elated when her and Mikaels dance crew is selected to compete in Paris, but becomes distracted when she reunites with her estranged mother.

Forever Out of My League

Life hangs in the balance after Martas operation, with true love just within reach. But can the heart prevail against old secrets and fickle fate?

Celeb Five: Behind the Curtain

Jokes and improv take center stage as comedian girl group Celeb Five brainstorms material for a comedy special in this behind-the-scenes mockumentary.

The Last Bus

After embarking on a life-changing field trip, a group of whip-smart students fight to save humanity from an army of ruthless drones.

Avail on 4/5/2022

Ronny Chieng: Speakeasy

In this stylish follow up to his highly acclaimed debut Netflix stand-up comedy special, Ronny Chieng performs live in New York City in the intimate setting of the Chinese Tuxedo bar and restaurant.

Ronny Chieng: Speakeasy. c. Marcus Russell Price/ Netflix 2022| Photo Credit: Photo Credit: Marcus Russell Price

With a unique blend of intelligence, rage and physicality, Ronny shares his take on the pandemic, race relations, cancel culture and stories from his experiences as an international touring comic.

Directed by Sebastian DiNatale and produced by All Things Comedy, Ronny Chieng: Speakeasy premieres globally on Netflix on April 5.

Avail on 4/6/2022

Furioza

A policewoman makes her ex-boyfriend an offer he cant refuse: Either he infiltrates and informs on a gang of hooligans, or his brother goes to jail.

Furioza. (L to R)Mateusz Damiecki as Golden, Wojciech Zielinskias 'Kaszub' and Mateusz Banasiuk as Dawid in Furioza. Cr. Courtesy of Netflix | Photo Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Michela Giraud: the Truth, I Swear!

Career success. Fames shortcomings. The cringeworthy label of curvy and tough ballet days during her youth. Michela Giraud has a whole lot to unpack.

Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story

TV star Jimmy Savile charmed a nation with his eccentricity and philanthropy. But sexual abuse allegations expose a shocking unseen side of his persona.

Avail on 4/7/2022

Return to Space

Elon Musk and SpaceX engineers embark on a historic mission to return NASA astronauts to the International Space Station and revolutionize space travel.

Dasvi

A politician finds out the hard way that being good with people doesnt make you good with the syllabus of class 10th.

Avail on 4/8/2022

Yaksha: Ruthless Operations

On assignment in a perilous city to inspect a Black Ops team and its notorious leader, an upstanding prosecutor steps into a deadly war between spies.

Yaksha: Ruthless Operations (L to R) Sul Kyung-gu as Ji Gang-in in Yaksha: Ruthless Operations. Cr. Jeong Kyung-hwa/Netflix 2022| Photo Credit: Jeong Kyung-hwa/Netflix

Green Eggs and Ham: Season 2

A secret story, an unsolved mystery, a new beginning and spies! Settle in for a second helping of Seuss-inspired fun and epic adventure.

Avail on 4/12/2022

Hard Cell

Events planner-turned-womens prison governor Laura Willis documents the thrills and spills of life behind bars in this delightfully dry comedy series.

The Creature Cases

Special agents Sam and Kit hop the globe with their sleuthing skills, science facts and cool gadgets to solve the animal kingdoms many mysteries.

Avail on 4/13/2022

Smother-in-Law

Living with her family since the pandemic struck, the meddling Isadir does her best to disrupt the lives of her bumbling son and rival daughter-in-law.

Our Great National Parks

An epic five-part series narrated by President Barack Obama that invites viewers to celebrate and discover the power of our planets greatest national parks and wild spaces.

Avail on 4/14/2022

Ultraman: Season 2

Ultraman is joined by Seven, Ace, Zoffy, Jack and Taro and together, the united Ultraman brotherhood takes on a new alien threat.

The rest is here:

New on Netflix: Dasvi, Hard Cell and more - The Hindu

Microsoft is working with partners to develop innovative solutions and democratize access to space. ... [+] (Photo by Heritage Space/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

Space. I dont know if its the final frontier, but it is a very compelling one for sure. While billionaires like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Sir Richard Branson capture headlines and imaginations as they strive to modernize and commercialize space travel, hundreds of lesser-known companies around the world are pursuing projects to explore and leverage space for a wider range of objectives. Microsoft is not pursuing its own agenda for space exploration, but the company has its sights set on being the platform and ecosystem of choice for organizations engaging in space missions through Azure Space.

Microsofts effort with Intelsat is one example. Commerce is increasingly global and organizations need to stay connected. In developed nations and populated areas, that is generally not a problem, but much of the world still lacks network infrastructure. Intelsat recently demonstrated the ability to deploy a secure, high-performance private LTE and 5G network by combining Intelsats network of satellites and Microsofts Azure cloud platform.

A blog post from Intelsat explains, Via the private cellular network, users can access local enterprise resources via SIM-authenticated connections to the Azure Stack Edge and access remote resources through the FlexEnterprise connection, the IntelsatOne global network, and Azure.

I spoke with Jean-Philippe Gillet, SVP Global Sales Media, and Networks for Intelsat, about the collaboration with Microsoft. He told me that combining satellite communications with Microsoft Azure allows them to provide enterprise customers anywhere in the world with fast, reliable, and cost-effective network connectivity.

Gillet said that Intelsat satellites deliver global coverageincluding both land and sea. He shared that not only can customers provide access to applications and network resources from remote sites and offices, but this solution also enables seamless networking with moving fleetslike trucks or shipsto allow access and connectivity for communications, telemetry tracking, and other applications and analysis on the go.

As impressive as that is, it is just one facet of what Microsoft is doing to enable companies to leverage and benefit from space. Microsoft wants Azure Space to be the platform and ecosystem of choice for the mission needs of companies venturing into space or customers that want to take advantage of unique perspectives and data from space.

I spent some time a few months ago with Steve Kitay, Senior Director of Azure Space at Microsoft. He talked about how space exploration historically has been driven by government and scientific objectives, but we are now in a new era where commercial interests and commercial innovation are lowering the barrier to entry and expanding opportunities.

Kitay came to Microsoft from a career in the government sectorfilling positions from active-duty military service to Capitol Hill and working for Congress. Prior to joining Microsoft, he worked in the Pentagon as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for space policy.

There's tremendous investment going into space right now, proclaimed Kitay. Because I think that companies recognize the importance of this domain and really the opportunity that presents itself. So, Microsoft did as well and you know, our mission is to empower our customers to achieve more.

Edge computing is already a thing, but Microsoft is taking that to an extreme. For Microsoft Azure, the edge is outer space.

Kitay clarified that Microsoft is not jumping in to compete with SpaceX or Blue Origin. Microsoft does not even have plans to build or launch its own satellites. He explained that Microsoft views its role as partnering with others to facilitate and enable innovation. Essentially, Microsoft is focused on streamlining and accelerating value for commercial innovation in space.

Azure Space works with startups, midsize companies, and established players that are reinventing themselves and developing new technologies by bringing Microsoft technology into the equation to accomplish two things. One is to help space operators and space developers innovate much faster, said Kitay. And then the second area we're working on is how do we democratize space, or make space more accessible to more people in more industries?

He told me that Microsoft is expanding on its already-impressive ground infrastructure to be able to connect customers anywhere on the globe to the cloudto enable customers to bring geospatial data and analytics into the cloud to then perform artificial intelligence. Ultimately, we bring through enterprise capabilities to support different industries and objectives, whether it's agriculture, sustainability, emissions, government, weather. That gets to the issue of how we make space capabilities more accessible to these industries, and that's where Microsoft provides a great platform because we have these enterprise capabilities already and are already servicing these customers.

I also had a conversation with Tom Keane, Corporate Vice President of Azure at Microsoft, about why Microsoft is investing in this area and how space fits into the broader cloud journey.

We're trying to combine what we've been doing in Azure with our cloud as well as with the rest of the Microsoft Cloud with the potential of space and we sort of distill our strategy down into a multi-orbit, multi-vendor, multi-frequency approach, explained Keane. And really what that's about is bringing data from satellites and different orbits and insights into our cloud and to use our cloud to transform industries and create new paradigms.

Keane told me about Azure Orbitalan effort by Microsoft to expand beyond its own ground stations and integrate third-party ground stations natively into Azure as well. In addition, Microsoft has engaged in a variety of key partnerships to democratize access to space to reduce cost, accelerate time to market, and enable important research.

For example, Microsoft Research has developed methods for removing cloud cover from satellite images. Keane told me, When you look at satellite images, often two-thirds of them have cloud cover, making them much harder to use and SpaceEye and some of the work that we've been doing with Planetary Computer are about removing clouds through AI and completing that picture to give you more usable images.

Keane stated, What technology is ultimately doing is democratizing access. In our strategy to partner, were bringing together a whole bunch of capabilities, and then we're also building tools for space developers, so that you can write applications and make use of space infrastructure, and even emulate and simulate that infrastructure before you go on orbit.

We talked about using geospatial data to understand ocean and weather patterns. Microsoft was able to demonstrate the use of satellite technology to monitor large-scale bodies of water over time to see how global warming is affecting and changing them. One example is the ability to analyze the level of a lake over a 10-year period using geospatial data.

That data is interesting for sustainability reasons. It's interesting for insurance companies. It's interesting for supply chain monitoring and tracking. The possibilities are pretty endless. And weve got customers across a whole variety of industries that are really interested in leveraging it, shared Keane.

We are still at a very early stage when it comes to space, and we have barely begun to even scratch the surface of what is possible when it comes to commercial innovation. Partnerships like the one between Microsoft and Intelsat demonstrate what can be achieved when companies collaborate to push the envelope. Microsoft seems very focused on driving innovation and democratizing access to space for companies of all sizes around the world.

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Microsoft And Intelsat Combine Space And Cloud To Deliver Seamless 5G Networks Virtually Anywhere - Forbes

About two-thirds of U.S. adults (65%) say science has had a mostly positive effect on society, while 28% say it has had an equal mix of positive and negative effects and just 7% say it has had a mostly negative effect, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. Over the past few years, around two-thirds or more of Americans have seen sciences effect on society as mostly positive.

Of course, science encompasses a wide swath of disparate fields and developments. What exactly do Americans have in mind when they think about science?

A few common themes arise when U.S. adults are asked to talk about sciences effects on society in their own words or when they discuss areas of science they follow or find interesting. Most prominent among these are developments in health and medicine, such as new treatments for disease. Other, less commonly mentioned areas include references to computer and digital technology, the environment and advances in space exploration. Heres a closer look at what Americans mean when they think about science, based on a new analysis of open-ended survey data and focus group discussions from the past several years.

Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to look at how Americans describe science in their own words. Analysis of survey data comes from a Center survey of 10,260 U.S. adults conducted from Nov. 1 to 7, 2021. Open-ended responses come from an earlier survey conducted in January 2019, with focus group discussions from a series of focus groups held in July 2021.

Everyone who took part in the survey is a member of the Centers American Trends Panel (ATP), an online survey panel that is recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses. This way, nearly all U.S. adults have a chance of selection. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other categories. Read more about the ATPs methodology.

Here are the questions used for this report, along with responses, and its methodology.

Focus group discussions were part of a broader Center research effort to better understand opinion about science and scientists among Black and Hispanic Americans. Six groups were held with Black adults (28 individuals in total) and six groups with Hispanic adults (29 individuals in all) between July 13 and July 22, 2021. All focus group discussions were held virtually for 90 minutes with three to six participants in each group. Groups with Hispanic adults were conducted in English or Spanish. Group discussions were conducted by professional moderators using a guide developed by Pew Research Center. Center researchers systematically coded interview transcripts for thematic responses using qualitative data analysis software. Here are the questions from the moderator guide and the focus group methodology.

In a January 2019 survey, the Center asked Americans who said science has had a mostly positive effect on society to explain, in their own words, what they had in mind. The most common answer given by 56% of those asked referred to health and medical advancements, such as disease eradication, medical devices and new medications, and cancer research leading to longer lifespans and improved public health.

Medical science was also top of mind for some of those who said science has had a mostly negative effect on society. Some in this group lamented the wait for cures of serious diseases while others cited concerns about developments in biotechnology, such as cloning and designer babies.

These responses are generally in line with some of the themes that came up during a series of virtual focus groups the Center conducted in July 2021. The 12 focus groups consisted of 28 Black and 29 Hispanic adults and were part of a broader effort to better understand opinion about science and scientists among these racial and ethnic groups. The topics that were mentioned in these discussions offer another window into what the public sees as science.

Asked to elaborate on the areas of science they find interesting or exciting or to discuss the science topic areas they follow in the news several focus group participants referenced health and medicine. One Hispanic man in the 25-39 age group said he paid attention to anything that has been developed in the medicine world or just for different treatments.

Others mentioned progress in treatment for specific diseases such as cancer, sickle cell disease, diabetes or HIV, or the development of coronavirus vaccines. For example, one Black woman in the 40-65 age range said she was excited to hear about medical breakthroughs, such as stuff with heart patients that theyve done. Stuff with blood treatments and just going back to blood transfusions and cancer treatments, things of that sort.

Another Black woman in the 40-65 age group said, Its more about the treatments that they are finding for diseases and for the vaccines and things theyre coming up with, especially for COVID and just the different types of treatments that are helping people, the different types of diseases. Thats what interests me most.

Its more about the treatments that they are finding for diseases and for the vaccines and things theyre coming up with, especially for COVID and just the different types of treatments that are helping people, the different types of diseases. Thats what interests me most.

In the Centers 2019 survey, a smaller but still sizable segment of the public described the effects of science in terms of technology, computerization, workplace automation, GPS tools or social media platforms.

Participants in the Centers 2021 focus group discussions also pointed to developments in technology, as well as the so-called internet of things from GPS navigation to voice-activated assistants as sources of interest and excitement for them. A Black man in the 40-65 age group said, I find all the new products they are coming out with exciting. I can say, Alexa, play music, and shell play my music.

Others talked about developments in robotics and artificial intelligence as an area that catches their attention. A Black woman in the 25-39 age group said, The improvements, we have drones flying in the air. Now youre talking about drones delivering our packages.

Some participants said they were interested in the ways digital technology connects people. One Hispanic woman in the 40-65 age range said, I think technology has taken us to a third dimension, the fact that we can communicate with people in other parts of the world is something we never thought we could do.

I think technology has taken us to a third dimension, the fact that we can communicate with people in other parts of the world is something we never thought we could do.

A number of other areas come to mind when people think about the effects of science on society. Some respondents to the 2019 survey gave a broad answer, such as the idea that science provides a better understanding of our world. Others mentioned a range of specifics, including improvements in food safety and crop yields, weather forecasting and air travel. Among the ideas that came up repeatedly were references to climate, energy and the environment, as well as the world of space exploration.

Focus group discussions in 2021 also touched on a range of topics, including some related to space. One Black woman in the 25-39 age group described what she found interesting as the commercial travel of people into outer space, and then the research behind the different planets and finding out whats beyond our galaxy.

While this analysis is limited to the United States, there is some evidence that people in other countries may think of similar things when they think about science.

In the United Kingdom, government surveys have asked respondents to explain, in their own words, what comes to mind when they think of science. In the most recent of these, the 2019 UK Public Attitudes to Science survey, 24% of UK adults ages 16 and older associated science with fields of study such as biology, chemistry or physics. Another 16% referred to health, drugs, medicine and doctors.

As was the case in the U.S., some UK adults in the 2019 survey referred to technology (mentioned by 13%) or to space, rockets and astronomy (mentioned by 15%).

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When Americans think about science, what do they have in mind? - Pew Research Center

This weeks new entertainment releases include albums from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Thomas Rhett, a look back at Whitney Houston's life and legacy and the musical comedy Better Nate Than Ever.

By The Associated Press

March 28, 2022, 6:20 PM

5 min read

Heres a collection curated by The Associated Press entertainment journalists of whats arriving on TV, streaming services and music platforms this week.

MOVIES

Richard Linklater returns to animation with Apollo 10, which comes to Netflix on Friday. But this is no Waking Life or A Scanner Darkly, though parts do use the rotoscoping technology he used in those films. Its about being a kid in Houston during the summer of the Apollo 11 Moon landing and is loosely based on Linklaters own childhood. Glen Powell and Zachary Levi voice men of NASA, while newcomer Milo Coy takes on the leading role as Stanley, with Jack Black voicing the adult version. Critics called it sweetly nostalgic after its well-received debut at the South by Southwest Film Festival.

Space travel is big on streaming this week, apparently, as HBO Max has its own sci-fi rom com, Moonshot available starting Thursday. Produced by Greg Berlanti and directed by Chris Winterbauer, Moonshot stars Cole Sprouse as a barista who sneaks on a shuttle to colonize Mars and teams up with To All the Boys Ive Loved Before star Lana Condor to avoid getting caught. Zach Braff also co-stars.

And for the family set, Disney+ will start streaming Better Nate Than Ever on Friday. The musical comedy based on Tim Federles 2013 novel follows an unpopular 13-year-old in Pittsburgh (Nate, played by Rueby Wood), who dreams of being a Broadway star and decides to take matters into his own hands and go to New York City with a fellow theater kid, Libby. Lisa Kudrow co-stars as Nates Aunt Heidi. Federle wrote and directed the film, too.

AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr

MUSIC

The Red Hot Chili Peppers return on April Fool's Day with a new album and some old friends. Unlimited Love marks their first recording with guitarist John Frusciante since 2006's Stadium Arcadium and first with producer and longtime collaborator Rick Rubin since 2011. Black Summer is the slow-building, arena-ready first single and it features Fleas energetic bass work and multiple solos from Frusciante. The second is a delicious slice of funk called Poster Child that celebrates music itself: The 70s were such a win/Singing the Led Zeppelin/Lizzy looking mighty Thin/The Thomsons had another Twin.

Thomas Rhett will release Where We Started, with Katy Perry as the guest on the albums title song and closing track. Riley Green, Florida Georgia Lines Tyler Hubbard, and Russell Dickerson will also be featured as album collaborators. Everyone including Rhett expected him to follow Country Again: Side A with Country Again: Side B" but it was just pushed back in favor of Where We Stand. Of the new album, he says: There are songs that'll make you cry on this record, there are songs that make you kiss the person you love, there are songs that'll make you want to dance and there are songs that'll make you want to party.

AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy

TELEVISION

A decade after the loss of Whitney Houston, CBS remembers the music greats life and final days with Whitney, A Look Back, airing Saturday, on the broadcast network (and streaming on its Paramount+ sibling). The hour-long special produced by Entertainment Tonight promises lost performances and rare moments with Houston, as well as new interviews including with Dionne Warwick, Clive Davis and CeCe Winans. Houston, 48, died by accidental drowning in her hotel room bathtub in Beverly Hills, California in 2012. Coroners officials ruled that heart disease and drug use were contributing factors.

Jane Seymour stars as a literature professor opening a new chapter in Harry Wild, which debuts with two episodes April 4, on the Acorn TV streaming service. A mugging has sent Harriet Harry Wild to recover with her police detective-son Charlie (Kevin Ryan), whos immersed in an intriguing murder case. Turns out it has parallels to a little-known, Elizabethan-era play and who better to join the hunt than the well-read Harry? Fergus (Rohan Nedd), her troubled teenage attacker, joins her for further sleuthing on the eight-episode series set in Ireland.

Adam McKay, the Oscar-winning writer-director of Big Short and a nominee this year for Dont Look Up, turns to nonfiction TV as executive producer of the HBO docuseries The invisible Pilot. Filmmakers Phil Lott and Ari Mark explore the life of a small-town Arkansas family man and pilot who, in 1977, appears to have met a tragic end, leaving his family and friends bewildered. Years passed before a tangled story of a double life and drug smuggling came into focus and that, HBO promises, is just the beginning. The three-part series, including interviews with Betzners intimates, law officers and journalists, will be released in weekly installments beginning April 4.

AP Television Writer Lynn Elber

Catch up on APs entertainment coverage here: https://apnews.com/apf-entertainment.

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New this week: Red Hot Chili Peppers and 'Apollo 10' - ABC News

During a panel at The Future of Food @ SXSW, panelists argued that innovation in the food system can help drive space exploration and address challenges of food security and sustainability.

Everyone whos an explorer has to consider their food supply, says Dane Gobel, Co-founder of the Methuselah Foundation, supporting NASA Deep Space Food Challenge.

According to Gobel, the shelf-stable foods that exist today are not viable for space missions that spans three to five years. The NASA Deep Space Food Challenge seeks innovative ideas for food production technologies or systems that require minimal resources and produce minimal waste, while providing safe, nutritious, and tasty food for long-term travel.

But the panelists also believe that the technologies developed for the challenge will also have applications for those on Earth.

In order for humans to do anything in space, we have to take our biology with us, says Mackenze McAleer, CEO for FreshProduce.Supply. Were taking that technology to space and studying how to make it resilient and build it into ecologies that support life.

This will be important,Chef Joseph Yoon, because at the rate were using the worlds resources, we are a tipping point where we will need to address how we will sustainably produce enough food for the burgeoning global population. A culinary advisor to the Deep Space Challenge, Yoon goes on to say that the initiative poses the question: How can we apply this technology to address food security and sustainability?

Everything has to be hyper-engineered [for space], Gobel says. Its the perfect place to test out new technologies.

Watch the full conversation here:

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"Everyone Who's an Explorer Has to Consider their Food Supply" Says Dane Gobel Food Tank - Food Tank