Senate Questions Viability of NASA's Ambitious Mars Mission
Video Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories - Duration: 01:30s - Published
Senate Questions Viability of NASA's Ambitious Mars Mission
Senate Questions , Viability of NASA's , Ambitious Mars Mission.
'The Hill' reports that the Senate has
signaled deep concerns about NASA's plan
to gather soil samples from Mars.
'The Hill' reports that the Senate has
signaled deep concerns about NASA's plan
to gather soil samples from Mars.
The mission's cost is one of
those concerns, 'The Hill' reports.
The Mars mission has been offered
just $300 million in funding for
fiscal 2024 by Senate appropriators.
.
That's less than a third of the , $949 million that NASA , requested for the mission.
The Committee has significant concerns
about the technical challenges facing
MSR and potential further impacts on
confirmed missions, even before MSR has
completed preliminary design review, Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
subcommittee, 2024 appropriations bill, via 'The Hill'.
The Committee has significant concerns
about the technical challenges facing
MSR and potential further impacts on
confirmed missions, even before MSR has
completed preliminary design review, Appropriations Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies
subcommittee, 2024 appropriations bill, via 'The Hill'.
NASA's estimates for
the mission's development costs have
soared from $4.4 billion to over $9 billion.
The Senate said that it would rescind the allocated
$300 million if the space agency cannot guarantee the
overall cost of the mission will not exceed $5.3 billion.
'The Hill' reports that NASA's estimated price tag does not
include launch costs, operating costs or the construction
of a sample-receiving facility to house Martian soil.
The Senate subcommittee also noted that
NASA's aggressive 2028 launch date is likely
to slip, which would increase costs as well.
'The Hill' reports that NASA's Artemis lunar program has also
gone way over its planned budget and is expected to cost
$93 billion by the time astronauts make it to the lunar surface.
.
'The Hill' reports that NASA's Artemis lunar program has also
gone way over its planned budget and is expected to cost
$93 billion by the time astronauts make it to the lunar surface.
The third time was the charm for Boeing's long-delayed Starliner crewed mission ... which finally blasted off into orbit for its first piloted test flight to the.. TMZ.com
Boeing's Starliner , Set to Make Third Attempt at , First-Ever Human Spaceflight.
On June 5, a pair of NASA astronauts will take
part in Boeing's CST-100 Starliner's third attempt
at accomplishing its first human spaceflight. .
'Orlando Sentinel' reports that NASA's
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have twice
climbed on board the Starliner in the last month. .
'Orlando Sentinel' reports that NASA's
Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have twice
climbed on board the Starliner in the last month. .
However, both of those launch attempts
were scrapped at the last minute. .
The most recent failed attempt came on June 1,
and was abandoned within four minutes of liftoff
after an issue with ULA's computer system
forced the mission to be scrubbed.
The most recent failed attempt came on June 1,
and was abandoned within four minutes of liftoff
after an issue with ULA's computer system
forced the mission to be scrubbed.
The next attempt is scheduled for
10:52 a.m. from Cape Canaveral Space
Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41.
According to Space Launch Delta 45's weather
squadron forecast, there is a 90% chance of favorable
weather conditions for the highly anticipated launch.
The first launch attempt on May 6, was scrubbed
due to a faulty valve on the ULA rocket's upper
Centaur stage, which has since been replaced.
'Orlando Sentinel' reports that both Boeing and NASA
also signed off on a small helium leak on Starliner’s
propulsion module that was ultimately not addressed.
'Orlando Sentinel' reports that both Boeing and NASA
also signed off on a small helium leak on Starliner’s
propulsion module that was ultimately not addressed.
Following a successful launch, the crew will spend just
over 24 hours traveling to the International Space
Station where they will stay for about eight days.
The crew is then scheduled to return
to Earth via a landing in the desert
in the southwestern United States
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Astronomers Witness , Merger of 2 Black Holes, From the 'Cosmic Dawn'.
'The Independent' reports that NASA's
Webb Space Telescope has made the most
distant detection of merging black holes. .
Two gigantic black holes and the galaxies that they stood
at the center of merged together just 740 million years
after the universe was formed in the Big Bang.
One of the black holes is a staggering 50 million
times larger than our Sun, and the other
is believed to be a similar gigantic size. .
Astronomers have long wondered how supermassive black holes are so big. .
Lead author Hannah Ubler of the University of Cambridge
says the findings suggest that mergers like this ancient
example show how black holes are able to grow so rapidly.
According to Ubler, the latest Webb
discovery also suggests that black holes
have been merging since the "cosmic dawn.".
Massive black holes
have been shaping
the evolution of galaxies
from the very beginning, Hannah Ubler, lead author from the University
of Cambridge, via 'The Independent'.
In 2021, NASA launched Webb, intended
to replace the Hubble Space Telescope.
Webb is the largest and most powerful
observatory ever launched into space. .
The joint U.S.-European project surveys
the universe from a vantage point located
about 1 million miles away from Earth.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Contractor Warns of , Potential Catastrophe if NASA , Goes Ahead With Scheduled Launch.
IEN reports that a NASA contractor has publicly
urged the space agency to reconsider an
upcoming launch, warning it could end in disaster.
The news comes after the initial launch
of Boeing's Starliner was scrapped as
the result of a leaky valve just last week. .
The news comes after the initial launch
of Boeing's Starliner was scrapped as
the result of a leaky valve just last week. .
NASA has plans to attempt
another launch later this week. .
ValveTech produces valves
and other components for both
aerospace and military applications.
ValveTech produces valves
and other components for both
aerospace and military applications.
The company issued a press release
warning that a second launch
attempt could end in catastrophe. .
The statement from ValveTech
President Erin Faville called for NASA
to re-double safety checks and protocols. .
The failed launch last week would have been
the first human space flight for Boeing but was
scrubbed after a faulty valve was discovered. .
The Associated Press reported that the fluttering oxygen
pressure-relief valve on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas
rocket may have exceeded its 200,000 lifetime cycles. .
The ValveTech statement questions how
NASA, Aerojet and Boeing could have... .
... "qualified this valve for the mission
without proper supporting data or
previous history or legacy information.".
According to ValveTech, this , "goes against aerospace-industry
qualification protocols established by NASA."
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
‘New York Times’ Poll , Indicates Trouble for Biden.
Donald Trump was found to be "leading in
five out of six swing states," 'The Hill' reports. .
Wisconsin is the only swing
state where Biden is leading.
In 2020, Biden won all six swing states.
The May 13 poll also indicated that support for Biden is dwindling among young voters,
as well as Black and Hispanic voters.
What’s so impressive about this is
polls have historically underestimated
Trump’s support, not overestimated
Trump’s support, Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist, via 'The Hill'.
And then if you couple this poll
with nearly 100,000 people
showing up in Arctic blue New
Jersey, this is a disaster for Biden, Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist, via 'The Hill'.
And then if you couple this poll
with nearly 100,000 people
showing up in Arctic blue New
Jersey, this is a disaster for Biden, Ford O’Connell, a Republican strategist, via 'The Hill'.
Biden supporters, however, say that polling conducted this far away from election day should be taken with a grain of salt.
The only consistency in recent
public polls is inconsistency. , Geoff Garin, Biden campaign pollster, via 'The Hill'.
These results need to be weighed against
the 30-plus polls that show Biden up and
gaining — which is exactly why drawing
broad conclusions about the race based
on results from one poll is a mistake. , Geoff Garin, Biden campaign pollster, via 'The Hill'.
The reality is that many voters are not paying
close attention to the election and have not
started making up their minds — a dynamic
also reflected in today’s poll. , Geoff Garin, Biden campaign pollster, via 'The Hill'.
These voters will decide this election,
and only the Biden campaign is doing
the work to win them over, Geoff Garin, Biden campaign pollster, via 'The Hill'
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Title IX Regulations Add Protections , for Transgender Students.
Title IX prohibits "sex-based discrimination at government-funded schools," 'The Hill' reports. .
On April 19, the Biden administration revealed the last of its changes to the federal civil rights law. .
The new regulations expand how sex discrimination is defined, now including
sexual orientation and gender identity. .
These final regulations build on the
legacy of Title IX by clarifying that
all our nation’s students can access
schools that are safe, welcoming,
and respect their rights. , Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, via statement.
The update also reinstates "protections for student survivors of sexual assault and harassment" which were changed under President Trump, 'The Hill' reports.
Catherine Lhamon, the Education Department’s assistant secretary for civil rights, .
says the new rules will help schools
respond to "all sex discrimination,
not limited to sexual harassment.".
Biden's final changes to Title IX
are sure to be condemned by Republicans
who view transgender protections as failing
to protect cisgender women and girls.
The new changes will take effect Aug. 1.
The Biden administration has not yet finalized an additional rule pertaining to sports eligibility. .
Since 2021, 24 states have passed laws prohibiting transgender student-athletes from playing on
sports teams that align with their gender identity
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
March Retail Sales , Exceeded Expectations.
New Commerce Department data surprised
some analysts on April 15, 'The Hill' reports. .
The agency's latest estimates indicate
that March retail sales increased by 0.7%.
They were only expected
to rise 0.3% last month.
While sales exceeded estimates for March, the jump
was still below the 0.9% increase in February.
Compared to the same time last year, total sales
for the first three months of 2024 were up 2.1%.
On April 10, the Labor Department released data showing that inflation rose last month. .
The consumer price index (CPI)
increased 0.4% in March and 3.5% annually.
In February, consumer prices
increased 3.2% year-over-year. .
Still, the newest Commerce Department data suggests that Americans continue to spend despite prolonged inflation, 'The Hill' reports.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
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