flight

On February 5, 2021, the China Academy of Space Technology relayed details of Tianwen-1 and its journey to Mars. Per the Fifth Academy of the Aerospace Science and Technology Group noted that the engine ignition of Tianwen-1 "successfully completed the fourth midway correction of the ground fire transfer section to ensure that Mars capture was implemented as planned." This craft also took a lovely photo of the red planet with its grayscale navigation camera.

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Today Axiom revealed the first private ISS crew in the history of the world. According to the company, this Axiom Mission 1 (Ax-1) will be "the start of a new era." In the mix are two Mission Specialists, one Mission Pilot, and one Commander.

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The update the game was destined for was released today: Microsoft Flight Simulator now works in virtual reality. This update brings the game out a brand new door, allowing users to transport not just a rectangle of their reality into flight, but their entire audio/visual experience. This update works with a wide variety of VR headsets, starting with (but not limited to) Windows Mixed Reality headsets.

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This week Microsoft released an ad spot video with a daydreaming dog. The dog dreams, and the dreams are a delight. The dog's name is Rufus - his owners are all about the Microsoft products, and the dog (like any good dog) dreams of living the life his human lives. That means living inside Minecraft, flying an airplane, and talking on Microsoft Teams.

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This week the first commercial spacecraft system in history was officially certified by NASA. This certification is a monumental point of reference in the Commercial Crew Program with SpaceX and their SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Crew Dragon Resilience.

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As Boom Supersonic continues efforts to build the world's fastest airliner, they've revealed a sort of proof-of-concept. The Boom Supersonic XB-1 is a "supersonic demonstrator" aircraft. It's also the first independently developed supersonic jet ever made. Boom CEO and founder Blake Scholl reminded us that the company remains steadfast in their aim of "making the world dramatically more accessible."

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If you're looking to the Crysis Remastered release to allow the game to continue to be the go-to for jokes about gaming hardware power, get ready for a change. According to one analyst group, the new Microsoft Flight Simulator (2020) will be a catalyst for "billions" in sales of new hardware, gaming gear, and upgrades for home gaming PC builds. Could it be? Did Microsoft actually make the new go-to game of games?

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Virgin Galactic revealed the interior of their SpaceShip Two vehicle VSS Unity today at a streaming event hosted virtually on YouTube. This spaceship is what Virgin Galactic says is the way of the future, with a cabin design "driven by astronaut experience." That means comfort and usability at the space vehicle's core.

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If you've been waiting for Microsoft's latest Flight Simulator release, the time is close at hand. Today the folks that run the development of Microsoft Flight Simulator revealed that they'd reached an important milestone. Alpha 5 was was released this week, on the 9th of July, 2020, and Closed Beta was moved into final testing!

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Coronavirus has cut US air travel to a fraction of what it was, with COVID-19 guidelines including stay-at-home orders reducing flyers to a bare trickle, the TSA has confirmed. With many US states on lockdown by governor order, and the general advice being to maintain social distance and avoid unnecessary travel, the knock-on impact to how many people are passing through airports has been huge.

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NASA announced the SpaceX Demo-2 flight test date and additional details on how they'll be running a world's first since the final "space shuttle" mission on July 8, 2011. This will be the "return of human spaceflight launch capabilities to the United States" in full effect. It'll also be the first launch of American astronauts aboard an American rocket and spacecraft since that 2011 date, the date of NASA's final space shuttle mission.

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Today Delta CEO Ed Bastian sent an internal letter with a list of actions that'll be taken to "protect the financial position of the company". This set of actions includes an "overall capacity reduction in the next few months of 40 percent - the largest capacity reduction in Delta's history, including 2001." While the company will maintain service to London, England, they're also complying with the 30-day ban on travel to and from continental Europe announced the night of March 12th (Wednesday).

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