As the four amateur astronauts head into space, the voice of Sarah Gillis will guide them into orbit. Ms. Gillis is the lead space operations engineer for SpaceX, and her job includes training the astronauts on all safety aspects and operations of the flight. Before takeoff, Ms. Gillis wished the crew good luck and a […]
The launch could occur as early as 8:02 p.m. But the action will begin hours before that. If the schedule is similar to SpaceX’s earlier NASA astronaut flights, then about three and a half hours before the launch, the crew will begin donning their customized SpaceX spacesuits. Once technicians have confirmed the suits are properly […]
NEW DELHI — The forecast was mathematically based, government-approved and deeply, tragically wrong. In September 2020, eight months before a deadly Covid-19 second wave struck India, government-appointed scientists downplayed the possibility of a new outbreak. Previous infections and early lockdown efforts had tamed the spread, the scientists wrote in a study that was widely covered […]
NEW DELHI — John Kerry, the United States envoy for climate change, said Monday that postponing a major United Nations summit on global warming set for November in Scotland would be a “huge, huge mistake.” “The show must go on,” Mr. Kerry said. The summit has already been delayed once because of the coronavirus pandemic. […]
I was dangling from a thin nylon rope, some 250 feet from the bottom of an icy shaft. Looking up, I noted the spindrift — blinding snow whipped into a frenzy by howling winds — that was sandblasting the entrance, some 20 feet above me. I was glad to be out of the weather, hanging […]
Dr. Gulick also noted that the study highlighted the hazards that asteroids pose across time, including risks faced by our planet-bound civilization. The Chicxulub impact and the fate of the dinosaurs are frequently invoked as the ultimate argument both for investing in planetary defense research, and for expanding our species beyond Earth. (Although it’s worth […]
When asked for comment, both the E.P.A. and Department of Energy referred questions to the White House, which did not respond. The concerns underscore the difficulty of cleaning up an industry that has come under increasing pressure to tackle its emissions. Aviation currently makes up about 3 to 4 percent of total U.S. greenhouse gas […]
“It’s terrible timing that this would happen, when right now we’re faced with a situation where humanitarian needs are escalating,” said Dr. Richard Brennan, the regional emergency director for the World Health Organization’s Eastern Mediterranean region. Cesarean sections, immunizations for polio, tuberculosis, tetanus and measles, diagnoses and treatment of TB, malaria, H.I.V., childhood nutrition, surgeries […]
It would be reasonable to hear the term “volcanic bomb” and presuppose that such an object tends to explode. But a specific type of volcanic bomb rarely lives up to the second half of its name: These objects get blasted into the air, crash into the ground and disappointingly fail to detonate. These volcanic bombs […]
Many animals are known to use tools, but a bird named Bruce may be one of the most ingenious nonhuman tool inventors of all: He is a disabled parrot who has designed and uses his own prosthetic beak. Bruce is a kea, a species of parrot found only in New Zealand. He is about 9 […]
