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NASA Decides to Bring Starliner Spacecraft Back to Earth Without Crew 

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Boeing Starliner
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and leadership participate in a live news conference on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston where they provided an update about NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test. Credit: NASA

Bringing Starliner Home

NASA will return Boeing’s Starliner to Earth without astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams aboard the spacecraft, the agency announced Saturday. The uncrewed return allows NASA and Boeing to continue gathering testing data on Starliner during its upcoming flight home, while also not accepting more risk than necessary for its crew.

Wilmore and Williams, who flew to the International Space Station in June aboard NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, have been busy supporting station research, maintenance, and Starliner system testing and data analysis, among other activities.

“Spaceflight is risky, even at its safest and most routine. A test flight, by nature, is neither safe, nor routine. The decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring Boeing’s Starliner home uncrewed is the result of our commitment to safety: our core value and our North Star,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “I’m grateful to both the NASA and Boeing teams for all their incredible and detailed work.”

Wilmore and Williams will continue their work formally as part of the Expedition 71/72 crew through February 2025. They will fly home aboard a Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members assigned to the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission. Starliner is expected to depart from the space station and make a safe, controlled autonomous re-entry and landing in early September.

NASA and Boeing identified helium leaks and experienced issues with the spacecraft reaction control thrusters on June 6 as Starliner approached the space station. Since then, engineering teams have completed a significant amount of work, including reviewing a collection of data, conducting flight and ground testing, hosting independent reviews with agency propulsion experts, and developing various return contingency plans. The uncertainty and lack of expert concurrence does not meet the agency’s safety and performance requirements for human spaceflight, thus prompting NASA leadership to move the astronauts to the Crew-9 mission.

“Decisions like this are never easy, but I want to commend our NASA and Boeing teams for their thorough analysis, transparent discussions, and focus on safety during the Crew Flight Test,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate. “We’ve learned a lot about the spacecraft during its journey to the station and its docked operations. We also will continue to gather more data about Starliner during the uncrewed return and improve the system for future flights to the space station.”

Boeing Starliner
NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts (from top) Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams pose on June 13, 2024 for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station’s Harmony module and Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft. Credit: NASA

Starliner is designed to operate autonomously and previously completed two uncrewed flights. NASA and Boeing will work together to adjust end-of-mission planning and Starliner’s systems to set up for the uncrewed return in the coming weeks. Starliner must return to Earth before the Crew-9 mission launches to ensure a docking port is available on station.

“Starliner is a very capable spacecraft and, ultimately, this comes down to needing a higher level of certainty to perform a crewed return,” said Steve Stich, manager of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. “The NASA and Boeing teams have completed a tremendous amount of testing and analysis, and this flight test is providing critical information on Starliner’s performance in space. Our efforts will help prepare for the uncrewed return and will greatly benefit future corrective actions for the spacecraft.”

NASA’s Commercial Crew Program requires spacecraft fly a crewed test flight to prove the system is ready for regular flights to and from the space station. Following Starliner’s return, the agency will review all mission-related data to inform what additional actions are required to meet NASA’s certification requirements.

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The agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, originally slated with four crew members, will launch no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 24. The agency will share more information about the Crew-9 complement when details are finalized. 

NASA and SpaceX currently are working several items before launch, including reconfiguring seats on the Crew-9 Dragon, and adjusting the manifest to carry additional cargo, personal effects, and Dragon-specific spacesuits for Wilmore and Williams. In addition, NASA and SpaceX now will use new facilities at Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida to launch Crew-9, which provides increased operational flexibility around NASA’s planned Europa Clipper launch.

The Crew-9 mission will be the ninth rotational mission to the space station under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, which works with the American aerospace industry to meet the goal of safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the orbital outpost on American-made rockets and spacecraft launching from American soil.

For more than two decades, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust low Earth orbit economy, NASA’s Artemis campaign is underway at the Moon where the agency is preparing for future human exploration of Mars.

Find more information on NASA’s Commercial Crew Program at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

Source: NASA

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The science section of our news blog STM Daily News provides readers with captivating and up-to-date information on the latest scientific discoveries, breakthroughs, and innovations across various fields. We offer engaging and accessible content, ensuring that readers with different levels of scientific knowledge can stay informed. Whether it’s exploring advancements in medicine, astronomy, technology, or environmental sciences, our science section strives to shed light on the intriguing world of scientific exploration and its profound impact on our daily lives. From thought-provoking articles to informative interviews with experts in the field, STM Daily News Science offers a harmonious blend of factual reporting, analysis, and exploration, making it a go-to source for science enthusiasts and curious minds alike. https://stmdailynews.com/category/science/

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Senior Pickleball Report

Latest People of Pickleball Podcast Episode: Daniel Gold’s Journey from Wimbledon Courts to Pickleball Stardom

The latest “People of Pickleball” podcast features Daniel Gold, a former pro tennis player turned pickleball star. He shares his transition, entrepreneurial ventures, and personal stories.

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The world of pickleball never ceases to amaze, offering up transformative stories that span cultures, continents, and competitive spirits. “People of Pickleball,” the popular podcast hosted by Michael “Sleeves” Sliwa, gives listeners an insider’s peek into the lives and adventures of pickleball personalities. In the latest episode, Sleeves sits down with Daniel Gold, a player who shines bright in the National Pickleball League with the Austin Ignite.

From Wimbledon to Pickleball Glory

Daniel Gold might currently be lighting up the pickleball courts, but his journey began on the lush, iconic grass of Wimbledon. A former pro tennis player from the ’80s, Daniel didn’t just play any tennis; he had a stint as what he modestly refers to as “bad pro tennis.” However, his post-tennis career is anything but ordinary, having spent 35 years building entrepreneurial businesses across Europe and the USA.

A Life Lived Full and Fast

Daniel’s conversation with Sleeves explores more than just pickleball tactics. It delves into a life filled with ventures and adventures, highlighting his prolonged entrepreneurial career. This episode doesn’t just skim the surface but dives deep into what it means to transition completely from one competitive arena to another later in life, and what drives someone to keep pursuing new peaks.

Family, Fun Facts, and Elton John?

Aside from business and sports, Daniel Gold gives listeners a glimpse into his personal life. Married to his teenage sweetheart, Stephanie, and a father to three daughters, Daniel’s life off the court is as full and fascinating as his athletic endeavors. And if you’re in for a bit of a quirky twist, get a load of this—Elton John once dedicated the song “Daniel” to him in front of a crowd of 100,000 at the British National Stadium, a fun fact that makes for an amusing and delightful tidbit in this engaging conversation.

Pickleball and Beyond

In this episode, Daniel shares his experience with the Austin Ignite and what it’s like playing in the thriving National Pickleball League. The discussion also veers into the growing popularity of pickleball, how the sport is evolving, and why it appeals to former athletes like him. As pickleball continues to ascend in the sports world, stories like Daniel’s provide a personal touch to the broader narrative of this fast-growing sport.

An Episode Not to Miss

“People of Pickleball” is known for bringing forward stories that inspire, entertain, and inform. Michael Sleeves Sliwa, with his engaging style and insightful questions, makes sure that every episode, including this latest with Daniel Gold, is not just about pickleball but about the people who give the sport its heartbeat. Whether you’re a longtime fan, a pickleball player, or just someone who loves good storytelling, this episode is a must-listen.

Tune into the People of Pickleball Podcast to catch this fascinating episode with Daniel Gold. Discover the intersections of sports, entrepreneurship, and personal growth—all through the lens of pickleball.

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https://sleeves-spr-people-of-pickleball.castos.com/episodes/from-wimbledon-to-pickleball-daniel-golds-journey-audio-podcast?_gl=11frkh4w_gcl_au*MTk1NTU0NjE5MS4xNzI0MDE3Nzcw

You can also watch it on YouTube: https://youtu.be/xnodFePyS1E

For more stories and episodes, visit the People of Pickleball Podcast website or find the podcast on your favorite streaming platform. Don’t forget to subscribe for more engaging content from the ever-expanding universe of pickleball.

Get the latest updates and information on the rapidly growing sport of pickleball, specifically designed for the senior community aged 50+. Check out Sleeve’s Senior Pickleball Report on YouTube to stay informed and up-to-date with the ever-changing world of pickleball. Join the community and stay ahead of the game. https://stmdailynews.com/sleeves-senior-pickleball-report/

Sign up for the SPR Newsletter and get news and episode release info right into your inbox: https://stmdailynews.com/sleeves-senior-pickleball-report/sleeves-spr-newsletter-sign-up/

Hey, “People of Pickleball” fans! Looking for some great deals on the latest pickleball gear and services? We’ve got you covered! Just head over to this link for exclusive discounts crafted just for our listeners. Don’t miss out on elevating your game with top-notch pickleball essentials at amazing prices!

Sleeve’s SPR on the web: https://stmdailynews.com/sleeves-senior-pickleball-report/

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  • Rod Washington

    Rod: A creative force, blending words, images, and flavors. Blogger, writer, filmmaker, and photographer. Cooking enthusiast with a sci-fi vision. Passionate about his upcoming series and dedicated to TNC Network. Partnered with Rebecca Washington for a shared journey of love and art. View all posts

  • Michael J Sliwa

    Over the past few years, Mike has become an insane pickleballer (pickler), fortunately for the senior 50+ crowd he started his show, Sleeve’s Senior Pickleball Report. He spends the rest of his time speaking on social justice and spending time with his beautiful wife, Karen, and enjoying simple living in his ger/yurt. View all posts


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Lifestyle

A college course that’s a history of the future

The course “Science Fiction as Intellectual History” explores how sci-fi reflects cultural thoughts and anxieties, using stories to analyze technology, future predictions, and evolving societal ideas.

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Sources of culture and thought can be found in literature and art that was considered lowbrow. Forrest J. Ackerman Collection/Corbis via Getty Images

Adam Jortner, Auburn University

Text saying: Uncommon Courses, from The Conversation

Uncommon Courses is an occasional series from The Conversation U.S. highlighting unconventional approaches to teaching.

Title of course:

Science Fiction as Intellectual History

What prompted the idea for the course?

For most of its history, science fiction was a disreputable, throwaway genre. But sources of culture and thought aren’t just found in classic literature or in the writings of the great thinkers. They’re also in popular entertainment: movies, comics, pulp magazines, TV.

Big thoughts often come in chunks with labels like “The Future” or “Technology” or “Freedom.” And most ideas about these things are shaped by science fiction.

So in this class, my students explore how the theories of Charles Darwin, for example, are reflected in science fiction like “Jurassic Park,” “The Island of Dr. Moreau,” “X-Men” and “The Wrath of Khan.”

I’m lucky to be the third generation of professors teaching this course at Auburn. It’s an old staple here that I inherited.

What does the course explore?

I usually pick three big plot ideas from sci-fi: alien encounters, time travel and superhuman abilities. Then we trace the development of those ideas, primarily through American fiction.

Movie poster featuring a distressed young woman and a young man holding a torch trying to fight off approaching humanoids.
A movie poster for the 1960 film ‘The Time Machine,’ based on H.G. Wells’ 1895 dystopian novel of the same name. Pierce Archive LLC/Buyenlarge via Getty Images

Students might read H.G. Wells’ “The Time Machine,” which was written in the 1890s and tells the story of the Eloi and Morlocks, post-human races from 800,000 years in the future; C.L. Moore’s secret visitors from the future in the 1953 novella “Vintage Season”; and Steven Spielberg’s 1985 escape to an idealized 1950s in “Back to the Future.”

These works all include mind-bending theories about what time travel might look like. But students also see how each of them tells a different story about the anxieties and obsessions of the times in which they were created.

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For example, Wells’ novel is a vision of how thousands of years of Victorian class divisions lead to the evolution of a group of cannibalistic underground humans. In “Back to the Future,” Marty McFly leaves the dingy, broken-down 1980s for a clean and shiny version of the 1950s, one that looks much more promising than 1985. The film taps into the 1980s political and cultural nostalgia for so-called “simpler” times. (Of course, in their version of 1955, Biff and Marty never deal with segregation or Cold War nuclear panic.)

Science fiction offers a kind of film negative of history – a back door into what made people worried or scared rather than what was heroic. Sci-fi captures that fear and anxiety.

Rod Serling’s 1960 “Twilight Zone” episode “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” is the story of how neighbors turn on each other when they suspect an alien invasion is taking place. It parallels the American crisis over desegregation and communist subversion.

As Serling concluded, “For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy, and a thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout of its own – for the children, and the children unborn. And the pity of it is that such things cannot be confined to the Twilight Zone.”

Why is this course relevant now?

New technology, along with endless predictions and prophecies about the future, bombard students.

It’s important to take a moment to step back. How is the way we talk about and use technology influenced by the way we’re trained to think about technology and the future? And how much do past visions of the future dictate the choices of the present?

What’s a critical lesson from the course?

Students often think technology has rules and it will follow those rules. But technology doesn’t work like that.

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That’s both terrifying and uplifting, because it means that we can still create and imagine our future as we see fit.

What materials does the course feature?

I anchor the course with a series of novels; the list changes, but it always includes “The Time Machine” and Ursula K. Le Guin’s 1971 novel “The Lathe of Heaven.”

Beyond that, I try to pepper in a mix of pulp stories, TV shows, radio dramas, comic books and films. I assign the 1970s avant-garde sci-fi stories of Brian Aldiss and Joanna Russ, and underground literature from the 1980s, such as the graphic novel “Ed the Happy Clown.”

Smiling elderly woman with gray hair and a bowl haircut sits on steps surrounded by red flowers.
Writer Ursula K. Le Guin at her home in Portland, Ore., in 2001. Beth Gwinn/Getty Images

I shape the course like a traditional “great books” course – those that feature the works of intellectual and literary giants – by assigning a different work every week. I just have a different idea about what makes a great book.

We also spend a delightful week examining the economic and cultural history of “so-bad-its-good” B movies and late-night features, where I have them watch an episode of the Canadian sci-fi show “The Starlost,” considered one of the worst shows in television history. Sometimes you have to learn what not to do.

What will the course prepare students to do?

They learn to read and think. They learn that all stories have ideas and philosophies, whether simple or complex, wise or foolish.

I hope they learn to watch for nonsense in public debates about technology and the future – like how some people assume computer modeling for human language is the same thing as language – and keep an eye out for ideologies masquerading as action films.

I hope they learn to love an author they’ve never read before – and learn to appreciate how much reading and stories make life worth living.

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Adam Jortner, Goodwin Philpott Eminent Professor of Religion, Auburn University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Our Lifestyle section on STM Daily News is a hub of inspiration and practical information, offering a range of articles that touch on various aspects of daily life. From tips on family finances to guides for maintaining health and wellness, we strive to empower our readers with knowledge and resources to enhance their lifestyles. Whether you’re seeking outdoor activity ideas, fashion trends, or travel recommendations, our lifestyle section has got you covered. Visit us today at https://stmdailynews.com/category/lifestyle/ and embark on a journey of discovery and self-improvement.

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For graffiti artists, abandoned skyscrapers in Miami and Los Angeles become a canvas for regular people to be seen and heard

In 2023-2024, graffiti artists tagged abandoned skyscrapers in Los Angeles and Miami, highlighting financial and political issues through their large, visible artworks.

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Miami and Los Angeles
Construction of Oceanwide Plaza in downtown Los Angeles stalled in 2019 after the China-based developer ran out of funding. Mario Tama/Getty Images

Colette Gaiter, University of Delaware

The three qualities that matter most in real estate also matter the most to graffiti artists: location, location, location.

In Miami and Los Angeles, cities that contain some of the most expensive real estate in the U.S., graffiti artists have recently made sure their voices can be heard and seen, even from the sky.

In what’s known as “graffiti bombing,” artists in both cities swiftly and extensively tagged downtown skyscrapers that had been abandoned. The efforts took place over the course of a few nights in December 2023 and late January 2024, with the results generating a mix of admiration and condemnation.

KTLA 5 news highlights public outrage over a graffitied skyscraper in Los Angeles on Jan. 31, 2024.

As someone who has researched the intersection of graffiti and activism, I see these works as major milestones – and not just because the artists’ tags are perhaps more prominent than they’ve ever been, high above street level and visible from blocks away.

They also get to the heart of how money and politics can make individuals feel powerless – and how art can reclaim some of that power.

https://stmdailynews.com/title-lapd-pledges-enhanced-security-measures-after-graffiti-incident-near-iconic-la-landmarks/

Two cities, two graffiti bombings

Since late 2019, Los Angeles’ billion-dollar Oceanwide Plaza – a mixed-use residential and retail complex consisting of three towers – has stood unfinished. The Beijing-based developer was unable to pay contractors, and ongoing financing challenges forced the company to put the project on pause. It’s located in one of the priciest parts of the city, right across the street from Crypto.com Arena, where the 2024 Grammy Awards were held.

Hundreds of taggers were involved in the Los Angeles graffiti bombing. It may never be publicly known how the idea was formed and by whom. But it seemed to have been inspired by a similar project that took place in Miami during Art Basel, the city’s annual international art fair.

In November 2023, the city of Miami announced that a permit to demolish One Bayfront Plaza site, an abandoned former VITAS Healthcare building, had been filed.

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Miami is known for its elaborate spray-painted murals. There’s also a rich tradition of graffiti in the city. So Miami was a natural gathering place for graffiti artists during Art Basel in December 2023, and One Bayfront Plaza became the canvas for taggers from around the world.

Over the course of a few days, graffiti artists – some of whom rappelled down the side of the building – tagged the brutalist, concrete structure with colorful bubble letters spelling their graffiti names: “EDBOX,” “SAUTE” and “1UP,” and hundreds more.

The response to the Miami bombing was more awe than outrage, perhaps because the building will soon be torn down. It elicited comparisons to 5Pointz, a collection of former factory buildings in the Queens borough of New York City that was covered with graffiti and became a landmark before being demolished in 2014.

Meaning and motivation

In the early 2000s, when I started researching street graffiti, I learned that there are different names for different graffiti types.

“Tags” are pseudonyms written in marker, sometimes with flourishes. “Fill-ins” or “throw-ups” are quickly painted fat letters or bubble letters, usually outlined. “Pieces” involve more colorful, complicated and stylized spray-painted letters.

The tradition of painting ornate graffiti names made me think of Paul Cézanne, who painted the same bowl of fruit over and over. The carefully chosen names and their letters become the subject that writers use to practice their craft.

But I also wanted to know why people graffitied.

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Many graffiti writers tagged spaces to declare their existence, especially in a place like New York City, where it is easy to feel invisible. Some writers who became well known in the early 1970s, like Taki 183, scrawled their names and street numbers all over the city.

During my research, I spoke with one New York graffiti artist whose work had garnered a lot of attention in the 1980s. He explained that his writing had no concrete political messages.

“But,” he added, “the act of writing graffiti is always political.”

Another graffiti artist I interviewed, “PEN1,” stood with me on a street in lower Manhattan, pointing out one of his many works. It was a fill-in – huge letters near the top of a three- or four-story building, very visible from the street.

“Those people have paid so much money to put their message up there,” he said, pointing to nearby billboards, “and I get to put my name up there for free.”

Through my project, which I ended up titling “Unofficial Communication,” I came to understand that writing graffiti on walls, billboards and subway cars was a way of disrupting ideas of private ownership in public, outdoor spaces.

It involved three different sets of players. There were the taggers, who represented people defying the status quo. There were the public and private owners of the spaces. And there was the municipal government, which regularly cleaned graffiti from outdoor surfaces and tried to arrest taggers.

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In cities across the U.S., then and now, it’s easy to see whose interests are the priority, whose mistakes governments are willing to overlook, and which people they aggressively police and penalize.

Loud and clear

The names painted on the Los Angeles skyscrapers are the faster and easier-to-complete fill-ins, since time is at a premium and the artists risk arrest.

These vertical graffiti bombing projects on failed skyscrapers, deliberately or not, call attention to the millions of dollars that are absorbed by taxpayers when private developers make bad investments.

Because the names painted on the buildings are fill-ins, they’re not especially artistic. But they did, in fact, make a political statement.

A former graffiti artist who goes by “ACTUAL” told The Washington Post that he’d come out of retirement to contribute to the Los Angeles project.

“The money invested in [the buildings] could have done so much for this city,” he added.

Some of the graffiti artists in Los Angeles were arrested, and the Los Angeles City Council is demanding that the owners of Oceanwide Plaza remove the graffiti, described as the work of “criminals” acting “recklessly.”

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Meanwhile, the developers of buildings that have sat, unfinished, for years, in the middle of a housing crisis, have broken no laws.

Some reckless acts, apparently, are more criminal than others.

Colette Gaiter, Professor of Art and Design, University of Delaware

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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