by Laurent BANGUET AUSTIN, United States (AFP) — We’ve all dreamed while stuck in traffic jams of being able to just lift off and fly over the gridlock. According to experts gathered this week at the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, that is likely to happen sooner than later, with flying taxis expected to take to the skies by 2025. “People have been dreaming about it for decades on paper, and now the […]
Sci-Tech
Astronauts on aborted Soyuz launch blast off successfully for ISS
by Kirill KUDRYAVTSEV BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan (AFP) — NASA astronaut Nick Hague and his Russian colleague Alexey Ovchinin, who survived a dramatically aborted Soyuz launch last year, blasted off successfully for the International Space Station on Thursday. The two men, joined by US astronaut Christina Koch, lifted off from Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at the expected time 1914 GMT. “The Soyuz is now in orbit and the crew are on their way to the International […]
NASA chief acknowledges more trouble with SLS rocket
by Ivan Couronne WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The US space agency NASA on Wednesday cast a shadow on the future of its new heavy-lift rocket, the SLS — acknowledging development delays on a project that is already years behind. The Space Launch System program is being run much as the Apollo and space shuttle mission were handled in the days of old. But Wednesday’s announcement illustrates how quickly NASA has embraced a new era […]
Winterfest event opens facility doors to car enthusiasts, showcases modified vehicles
FREMONT, California (Eagle News) — On a brisk Saturday in the bay area city of Fremont, California, car enthusiasts had the opportunity to tour the facilities of one of the most well known Euro car tuners, 034 Motorsports. 034 is most known for its ability to unlock power and speed potential from vehicles under the Audi/ Volkswagen platform through performance modifications. During this annual event called Winterfest, visitors showcased their vehicles at the 034 Motorsports […]
NASA captures unprecedented images of supersonic shockwaves
WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — NASA has captured unprecedented photos of the interaction of shockwaves from two supersonic aircraft, part of its research into developing planes that can fly faster than sound without thunderous “sonic booms”. When an aircraft crosses that threshold — around 1,225 kilometers (760 miles) per hour at sea level — it produces waves from the pressure it puts on the air around it, which merge to cause the ear-splitting sound. […]
SpaceX Dragon’s final test: making it to Earth in one piece
by Ivan Couronne WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Crew Dragon, the new vessel built by SpaceX for NASA is set to return Friday off the coast of Florida — the most perilous part of a mission to prove it can take US astronauts to the International Space Station. Dragon will undock from the ISS Friday at 0731 GMT. Five hours later, the capsule will leave Earth orbit and re-enter the atmosphere, testing its heat shield. […]
Scientists solve weighty matter of Milky Way mass
PARIS, France (AFP) — Astronomers said Thursday they had accurately calculated the mass of the Milky Way for the first time, using new data sets that include the weight of dark matter. In a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency’s Gaia observation craft, a team of experts calculated our galaxy to be around 1.5 trillion solar masses. Previous estimates put the mass of the Milky Way ranging between 500 billion and 3 trillion […]
Waymo to sell its self-driving tech to outside firms
SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — The sudden death last year of millions of Iraqi carp, used in the country’s signature dish, was caused by a strain of herpes harmless to humans, the United Nations said Wednesday. Iraqi fish farmers south of Baghdad were left reeling in late 2018 after piles of dead carp were found washed up on the banks of the Euphrates River or floating in their cages. Rumours swirled over whether the […]
Volvo unveils driverless electric bus in Singapore
SINGAPORE, Singapore (AFP) — Volvo and a Singapore university unveiled a driverless electric bus Tuesday that will soon undergo tests in the city-state, the latest move towards rolling out autonomous vehicles for public transport. High-tech Singapore has become a testbed for self-driving technology and the world’s first driverless taxis went into operation in a limited public trial in the country in 2016. Swedish automaker Volvo Buses and its local partner Nanyang Technological University (NTU) unveiled […]
Israel’s first spacecraft to moon sends selfie
JERUSALEM, Undefined (AFP) — An Israeli spacecraft on its maiden mission to the moon has sent its first selfie back to Earth, mission chiefs said on Tuesday. The image showing part of the Beresheet spacecraft with Earth in the background was beamed to mission control in Yehud, Israel — 37,600 kilometres (23,360 miles) away, the project’s lead partners said in a statement. The partners, NGO SpaceIL and state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, launched the unmanned Beresheet […]
Google fights European copyright overhaul
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) — Internet giant Google on Monday urged the European Parliament to resist approving a planned overhaul of the bloc’s online copyright law that the company said would hurt Europe for “decades to come”. European lawmakers could vote as soon as next week on the landmark legislation that is intended to modernise copyright for the digital age but has set off a furious lobbying war in Brussels. Tech giants, artistic creators and […]
SpaceX Dragon capsule successfully docks with ISS
by Ivan Couronne Agence France Presse WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — The demonstration mission of SpaceX’s new Crew Dragon capsule successfully docked Sunday on the International Space Station, passing a key test before it can begin taking US astronauts into space. The docking of the capsule, which has only a dummy on board, was concluded at 1051 GMT, nearly 250 miles (400 kilometers) over the surface of the Earth, NASA and SpaceX confirmed during a […]