Science

SpaceX has been placing satellites in orbit to grow its constellation of Starlink satellites for a while now, and the service is available in beta for users in many areas. Early Sunday morning, May 9, 2021, SpaceX launched another Falcon 9 rocket into orbit packed with 60 Starlink satellites. The launch went off without a hitch, and SpaceX successfully recovered the first stage rocket on its drone ship at sea.

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One common irritation for car shoppers in the automotive world is price increases with each new model year. Typically, those price increases only happen with the introduction of new year models of cars, but sometimes prices go up during the model year. Recently Tesla has increased the price of its Model 3 and Model Y electric vehicles twice over the last month or so.

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It's a long road to getting a spacecraft certified to carry cargo and astronauts to and from the ISS in orbit above the Earth. NASA and Boeing have announced they have completed an integrated mission dress rehearsal using a simulation for the Starliner Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2). OFT-2 will see the Starliner fly to the space station as part of the NASA Commercial Crew Program.

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A group of scientists has a plan to help radio astronomers see further into the universe's past. The plan involves placing a radio telescope on the moon's far side to help them learn more about the beginnings of the universe. The concept is known as the Lunar Crater Radio Telescope (LCRT). The program has raised $500,000 and has entered the second phase of NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts program.

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A group of researchers has discovered something very interesting about sharks. The scientists discovered the first solid evidence that sharks rely on magnetic fields in their long-distance journeys across the ocean. Sharks aren't unique in this capability; sea turtles have been long known to rely on magnetic signatures to navigate thousands of miles to the beaches where they were hatched. Until now, the team says it has been unknown how sharks manage to navigate during migration to their target locations successfully.

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A couple of days ago, SpaceX hit a milestone with its Starship SN15 prototype rocket that had a test flight that ended in a successful landing without an explosion. It appears SpaceX is very pleased with itself, and CEO Elon Musk recently stated that the prototype might fly again very soon. That statement came less than 48 hours after the prototype successfully landed without exploding for the first time.

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Yesterday NASA spent some time explaining how the fifth test flight for the Ingenuity helicopter would differ from other flights that have occurred so far. The difference boiled down to rather than turning around and returning to the same location where Ingenuity took off, it landed at a new location. NASA has now confirmed that Ingenuity landed successfully at its new airfield after its fifth test flight.

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NASA's Perseverance hasn't just been working as camera-rover for the Insight Mars helicopter, but also capturing audio of the historic aircraft as it flies above the red planet's surface, the space agency has revealed. During Ingenuity's fourth flight, which took place at the end of April, Perseverance was both capturing video and audio, which NASA has released today.

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Researchers at Johns Hopkins have published the results of a study where they simulated the conditions necessary to create Saturn's unique magnetic field. The team believes a thick layer of helium rain influences the magnetic field of Saturn. Their models also suggest that the interior of Saturn may be at a higher temperature in equatorial areas.

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Back in 2016, Apple added a new feature to iOS called Night Shift. The mode was to help reduce blue light, and it claimed to help improve sleep quality for those who use their iPhone right before bed. It's believed that blue light emitted from phones disrupts melatonin secretion and impacts the sleep cycle.

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Ford has confirmed that the two and four-door Bronco SUVs are prewired from the factory with an electrical harness that allows easy customization. The Bronco has six prewired overhead upfitter switches in the main fuse box, allowing the configuration of fuses for each of the switches. Ford has also installed five factory harness connections for simplifying the routing of power around the vehicle.

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One of the materials being investigated for use in making new types of solar cells is perovskite. The are several drawbacks to the material that researchers are working to overcome, and one of those drawbacks is reliability. A study conducted at Brown University has brought the perovskite solar cell one step closer to commercial use after the team found a way to strengthen one of the main weak points in this type of cell.

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