Blue Origin pulls off a successful launch
Plus: A virtual tour of the Orion capsule that’s going to the moon.
While I wonder what it would be like to go to space, let’s get you caught up on four essential science stories on this Monday morning.
I’m Nick Lucchesi, and this is Inverse Daily. Tell a friend to subscribe using this link.
This is an adapted version of the Inverse Daily newsletter for Monday, August 30, 2021. Subscribe for free and earn rewards for reading every day in your inbox. ✉️
Blue Origin’s reusable New Shepard booster touches down in West Texas on August 26, 2021.
Watch: Blue Origin completes launch — Jon Kelvey reports on the successful launch of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin aerospace firm, which took place last week:
Blue Origin launched its 17th New Shepard mission Thursday morning, sending a payload of experiments and an art installation on a sub-orbital trip from the space company’s Launch Site One in West Texas.
The uncrewed payload mission was the fourth flight for the reusable New Shepard rocket so far this year — including the July 20 flight that took Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos to space.
It was a clean launch, with an easy landing made by both booster and capsule. This New Shepard mission also served as an opportunity to test technology that may prove to be crucial for future trips to the Moon — even though Blue Origin rival SpaceX is helping NASA get there first.
Go deeper:
- Blue Origin: The scientific reason rockets look like dicks
- Blue Origin New Glenn: specs, power, and launch date for ambitious rocket
- Blue Origin vs. SpaceX: Why the NASA lawsuit is the latest in a bitter feud
6 lessons from a weird, horny summer — As “Hot Vaxx Summer” comes to an end with variants on the rise, what lessons can we take away so we can go into a Safe Vax Winter that's better than last year's? Elana Spivack has put together your guide:
Well, Hot Vaxx Summer has come and gone. Maybe not the way we dreamed it would... but it was a needed respite from months of quarantine. Between the rise of Covid-19 variants and the anti-vaccination movement, we’re not out of the woods quite yet.
Go deeper:
- 13 questions to get through the horny weirdness of Summer 2021
- Psychologists reveal the biggest misperception about women and sex
- Ready for a Hot Vax Summer? Here are 3 things to keep in mind before you get the PARTY STARTED
This is a shot of the crew module on Orion, which at the time was undergoing acoustics testing in May 2019.
A virtual tour of Orion — At the heart of NASA's Artemis mission, which aims to land humans on the lunar surface by 2024, is the spacecraft Orion. Jenn Walter shows how engineers are preparing for its maiden voyage:
November 2021 will be a big month for NASA. The Artemis I team is gearing up to launch the spacecraft Orion to the Moon and back for an uncrewed test flight. Artemis I lays the groundwork for NASA’s first crewed mission to the Moon since the Apollo days — with the ultimate goal of using Orion to land humans on the lunar surface in 2024.
Go deeper:
- Artemis 1: NASA SLS megarocket hits another milestone
- NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope: Launch date, mission, and the hunt for aliens
- Why NASA may put a telescope on the moon
8. Tanzania’s Lake Natron has an unusual chemical composition, thanks to volcanoes in the region. This image of its stunning color was snapped in March 2017.
10 stunning images show Earth's constant change — Jenn Walter reports on NASA's Landsat 8, the satellite that's taken thousands of incredible Earth images, impending retirement. Here are some of its best photos through the years:
Read the full story and see images.
Go deeper:
- New climate map shows 12 locations that can save the Earth
- What color would Earth look like to aliens?
- Ancient Australian volcanic rock may hold the secret to life on Earth
That’s it for this Monday edition of Inverse Daily.
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