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Since we enjoy discussing general Space-related matters (politics, business, conjecture, etc), I thought it would be appropriate to create a dedicated thread for that very purpose. Now we can express all the hyperbole we want without fear of "getting off-topic", because it is the topic! Let's spin the turbopump, shall we?

TrendForce says industrial metaverse revenue will hit $540 billion by 2025 by Paul Hill The analyst firm TrendForce has stated that industrial metaverse revenue will hit $540 billion by 2025 as companies begin to use Industry 4.0 tools. One of the main applications of the metaverse that TrendForce pointed out was digital twins – where real-life objects are replicated in a metaverse. The technology is already used by some companies but its use is expected to grow. Companies that are already using digital twins include Microsoft, Boeing, Unilever, Siemens Energy, and Ericsson. Microsoft offers digital twins in its multiverse technology stack so users can create digital models that emulate real-life objects. Boeing, for instance, uses digital twins to create engines and Unilever uses the technology to simulate production lines to cut waste. Siemens Energy and Ericsson, meanwhile, use NVIDIA’s Omniverse platform to operate power plants and perform predictive maintenance. They also use the technology to simulate equipment allocations for 5G networks. Commenting on the expected growing use of digital twins, TrendForce said: “Digital twin technologies will progress towards wider deployments and deeper operations in response to the rise of the metaverse and to the growing complexity of digital simulation models used for constructing products. Hence, relevant digital twin technologies will also begin to emerge in the market.” In the short and medium-term, digital twins will likely be restricted to use in human resource training, remote diagnostics, energy monitoring, and predictive maintenance while over the longer term they will be able to replicate entire factories and it’s envisioned that companies will engage with one another in ‘cross-industrial collaborations’. TrendForce said some of the companies in the best position to adopt these new technologies are Bosch, Schneider Electric, Haier, and Foxconn.

NASA and Boeing are targeting March 25 for Starliner's second unmanned orbital flight test by Ather Fawaz Image via NASA Blogs Boeing and NASA have set March 25, 2021, as the date for Starliner's second unmanned flight test. Dubbed Orbital Flight Test- 2 (OFT-2), this will be the second major flight test for the spacecraft and a key developmental milestone for Boeing in its bid for the NASA Commercial Crew program. Previously, the two were targeting March 29, but the date was brought up due to multiple factors including the availability of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, an opening on the Eastern Range, steady progress on hardware and software, and a docking opportunity on the International Space Station. This announcement comes after Boeing completed the formal requalification of the Starliner's flight software for the upcoming mission. This test included a full software review to verify that Starliner’s software meets design specifications. A complete, end-to-end simulation of the OFT-2 test flight using flight hardware and software will be conducted prior to the test day as well. Recently, Boeing also mated the Starliner's reusable crew module on its new service module inside. Engineers are now working to complete outfitting of the vehicle’s interior before loading cargo and conducting final spacecraft checkouts. A series of parachute balloon drop tests were completed last year in December, as well, to gather supplemental performance data on the spacecraft’s parachutes and landing systems before a manned test is conducted sometime in the future. Image via NASA Blogs Starliner's last orbital flight test took place as far back as December 2019. But on that voyage, the spacecraft experienced a mission timing anomaly that caused it to burn too much fuel to reach the International Space Station (ISS). Consequently, it was put into a lower, stable orbit where the Starliner demonstrated effective key systems and capabilities before returning to Earth. When it touched down on December 22, it became the first American orbital space capsule to land on American soil rather than in an ocean.

Major Flight Simulator update finally brings VR support, new locations, and a ton of fixes by Abhay Venkatesh As promised in last week’s development update, Microsoft has released Flight Simulator Sim Update 2, bringing new content, much-awaited support for VR, a ton of bug fixes, and other improvements. The update bears version number 1.12.13.0 and is rolling out to all users now. The first of the content additions are 12 new “iconic landmarks” which feature festive holiday lights that the company wants users to discover. The firm urges users to tweet these locations when they find them, adding that it has added three bonus locations depending on the update served to users. The other significant announcement today is the addition of support for VR. Users with OpenXR-compliant Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) can now play the game in a virtual reality setting by heading into the in-game menus and enabling the feature. As for other in-game additions, there are new Sam and Rufus liveries – from the holiday commercial – for the Aviat Pitts Special S2S, new Airbus A320neo training missions, free Aviators club livery for all airplanes, and much more. Alongside the free content, the firm has fixed a multitude of bugs and performance issues across the simulator. These include overall game performance, UI and audio fixes, improvements to the ATC, and a huge list of fixes for airplanes. There are fixes for issues reported with copilot behavior, avionics, and other optimizations, which apply to all aircraft. There are also aircraft-specific fixes for General Aviation planes and Airliners. Here is everything new that’s been added with Sim Update 2: NEW CONTENT Virtual Reality is now available to all users as a free update for all OpenXR-compliant headsets! Visit the VR options menu in-game to enable the feature. Two new training missions will help you take off and land with the Airbus A320neo. Live Weather is enhanced with Meteo blue data to include snow and ice coverage. Spotlight Event now features an Airbus A320neo Landing Challenge. See how well you do after training! Sam and Rufus liveries for the Aviat Pitts Special S2S Aviators club livery for all 30 planes available in the Marketplace for free! Test pilot livery for all 30 planes will be granted to all Alpha and Beta testers! And here are the complete list of fixes and improvements: PERFORMANCE AND STABILITY Fixed an issue where standard animations on air traffic planes could crash the game. ATC memory footprint has been optimized NAVIGATION/ATC Fix choosing closed runway on the World map Fix ATC pronouncing airport name letter by letter Fix ATC giving wrong altitude if first approach waypoint has no altitude descriptor UI New Content manager menu Reactivity” and “Extremity dead zone” parameters have been added to the device sensitivity screen Copilot is no longer turned on through different play sessions Visual help has been added to highlight instruments during tutorials You can now map buttons / switches numbered higher than 30 using the Search option in the Input box Scroll is now available for camera toolbar panel In Controls Options, the profile description of a newly plugged peripheral is now displayed Performance in the marketplace has been improved Various accessibility issues have been fixed Fixed VFR map becoming transparent when resizing AUDIO Ground SFX improvements on Textron aircrafts Kinematic sounds improvements on aerobatic planes Added seatbelt & no smoking chimes in airliners Bug fix and polish on instruments, buttons and flight control SFX Fixed no audio heard when aircraft flies over Outer marker beacon WORLD Fixed flickering clouds for some specific GPUs Fixed sun flare flickering on certain occasions OR in certain situations Reduced density of lights on secondary roads in the countryside Fixed taxi ribbon displayed inside the cockpit PLANES All aircraft shared fixes and improvements Plane models update and optimization Fixing avionics / FMS validating next waypoint too early when flying Fixed several aircraft going back to departure airport when approach is activated on G1000 Tweaked ground effect Planes can land and roll on ice Fixed warnings and alerts not resetting when instruments reboot Fixed monitor a frequency in COM 2 Copilot behavior has been improved General Aviation fixes and improvements Fixed various plane oscillation and overshoot AP related issues Fixed station ID visible on Garmin displays despite being not received by aircraft Fixed issue in Garmin avionics preventing to fly a “direct to” after deleting the current flight plan Aviat Pitts Special S2S: fixed turn coordinator not working correctly Cessna Citation CJ4: fixed issues with displays not updating or freezing in certain situations Cessna Citation CJ4: fixed right engine ITT red line badly placed Cessna Citation CJ4: fixed missing last leg of a flight plan when finishing at a point of interest Cessna Citation CJ4: fixed aircraft not intercepting and tracking VOR when NAV mode is engaged Cessna Citation CJ4: fixed impossibility to turn yaw damper on Cessna Citation Longitude: fixed incorrect fuel tank capacity Cessna Citation Longitude: tweaked thrust settings Cessna Citation Longitude: fixed aircraft empty weight and center lift Tweaked fuel flow and ITT for Cessna Citation CJ4 and Longitude Zlin Savage Cub: fixed too high oil pressure Zlin Shock Ultra: fixed leading-edge slats incorrectly linked to flaps Zlin Savage cub: fixed copilot not pulling the choke lever during starting engine procedure Flight Design CTLS: fixed issue preventing validation of checklist step during starting engine procedure Cessna 208 B Grand Caravan EX: fixed issue making the plane banking to the right when enabling AP Daher TBM 930: fixed inconsistency between overspeed stripe on PFD and backup display Beechcraft Bonanza G36: tweaked performances Beechcraft Bonanza G36: tweaked manifold efficiency Fixed spoilers too low deflection for Cessna Citation CJ4 and Pipistrel Virus SW121 Diamond DV20: drag and power adjustment Extra 330LT: tweaked handling Airliners shared fixes and improvements Fixed radio frequencies not updating when changing them via the ATC window Fixed old path not disappearing when changing flight plan in a direct-to situation Improved radar altitude value refresh rate Fixed waypoints sometimes appearing twice on PFD or navigation displays Fixed duplicate waypoints in FMC / MCDU Fixed various presentation and flow issues in FMC / MCDU Fixed various graphic glitches in cockpit Added various missing labels and stickers in cockpits Fixed various cockpit model graphic details Fixed various cockpit backlight issues Fixed various issues related to the FMA Fixed autopilot oscillations in certain conditions Fixed multiple “direct to” issues Fixed incorrect speed trend vector behavior Fixed various tooltips issues Fixed various issues with Mach management Boeing airlinersFixed various flow issues when navigating in FMC Fixed yoke obstructing view depending on selected camera Added FMC “PROG” page Fixed seat belt sign switches not working (manual mode only) Fixed radio / minimums / MDA selector not working Fixed delta pressure on EICAS incorrectly displayed Fixed missing altitude target markers on altitude tape when set above or below visible range Fixed autobrake selector jumping to the most left or right positions when changing the setting quickly Fixed LNAV ignoring arrival part of the flight plan in certain conditions Fixed audio landing gear GPWS alert not being played when needed Fixed discrepancies between world map flight plan and FMC/MCDU flight plan Boeing 747-8 IntercontinentalFixed limit markers on N1 gauges Fixed missing ILS frequency set when starting a flight on arrival Removed dashes displayed in the N2 value field when engines are not started Fixed OAT indication in FMC perf INIT page Fixed missing trim numeric value displayed on EICAS Fixed wrong knob controlling FMC brightness Fixed current Mach and target Mach values on speed tape not matching Fixed IAS/MACH speed window on MCP remaining displayed when VNAV mode is engaged Fixed various issues with landing gear model Fixed missing EGT red start limit on EICAS Fixed N2 green bar missing on EICAS during start sequence Fixed incorrect start mode indications on EICAS during start sequence Fixed incorrect stabilizer trim green band placement on EICAS Fixed incorrect spoilers deploying during turns Fixing issues with the plane flying above the glideslope in certain conditions Fixed incorrect climb rate after take-off with VNAV enabled Fixed too high fuel consumption Fixed AP incorrectly tracking knots instead of Mach after Mach switch Fixed missing command N1 indicator bar on EICAS Fixed backup baro knob not switching to standard altitude when pressed Fixed missing heater switch on copilot side Fixed N1 slight oscillations Fixed max rudder values to 10 instead of 35 Fixed compass model not matching reality Fixed EEC switches incorrect default state Fixed plane leveling off too early before reaching target altitude Fixed flaps and slats deployment and retraction logics Fixed switching to descent phase too early and corresponding managed speeds Fixed Gross Weight field in FMC PERF INIT page Fixed impossibility to set Zero Fuel Weight and reserve values in FMC PERF INIT page Tweaked fuel flow when throttle is adjusted Increased suspensions viscosity Boeing 787-10 DreamlinerRemoved info incorrectly displayed when engines are not started Fixed HUD horizon line not aligning with real horizon Fixed APU fault light behavior issues Fixed center tank fuel not going to lateral tanks when conditions are met Fixed spoiler lever incorrect default state Fixed AT button incorrectly lit by default Fixed transition speed after take-off Fixed TOGA mode engaging issue Fixed altitude target possibility to be set to negative values Fixed color and lighting issues on the HUD Fixed various autothrottle issues Fixed missing dividing lines on displays Fixed missing magenta highlight on previous and next page FMC buttons Fixed EXEC button not lighting up when needed Fixed master warning and master caution buttons labeling Fixed wind speed arrow color on ND Fixed vertical speed color not changing according to current value Fixed local time displayed in FMC instead of UTC time Fixed missing wind arrow on PFD Removed red chevrons on the FMC pitch ladder Fixed wind wrongly reported on displays while on ground Fixed airspeed box not highlighted in amber according to current airspeed Fixed AP incorrectly switching to LOC/FAC mode after capturing glideslope Fixed display format issues when pressing L / R switches Fixed VSD button not marked as INOP Fixed issues with cursor selection on navigation display Fixed flaps that can be incorrectly extended above FL200 Fixed autobrake possibility to be set on RTO while airborne Fixed MCP windows going dark in certain conditions during flight Fixed incorrect fuel tank quantities Fixed heading target line on ND frozen when heading hold mode is active Fixed crossfeed valve open by default Fixed issue preventing to change Zero Fuel Weight value in FMC Fixed flickering shadows in certain conditions Fixed aircraft overshooting speed target with VNAV enabled Fixed climb rate too high after take-off with VNAV enabled Fixed auto brake remaining active despite manual braking applied Fixed impossibility to move throttle levers when engines are not running Fixed missing or badly placed screws on various panels Fixed fire panel switches bad default state Fixing bulk switch bad default state Fixed discrepancies between overhead panel switches states and lights Fixed missing VS/FPA not displayed in MCP corresponding window Fixed flaps speed marker issues Fixed compass slightly not aligned with current heading Fixed missing MIC field on PFD Missing mismatch between PFD and MFD wind indications Fixed arrows displayed instead of diamonds on localizer and glideslope scales Fixed descent phase activation issue and corresponding managed speeds Fixed incorrect target speeds during initial climb Fixed too small font size on MCP displays Fixed active VHF frequency on PFD Airbus A320NeoHolding MCDU clear button now deletes entire scratchpad line Fixed predicted time in MCDU Seat belt and no smoking sign selectors now working in manual mode Improved MCDU display logic for cost index page in INIT page Approach altitude transition field is now automatically filled up regarding the destination airport Fixed THR RED / ACC indications in MCDU Init section Fixed “NO TRANS”, “NO STAR”, “NO VIAS” not displayed correctly Fixed constraint on navigation display blinking in certain conditions Fixed waypoints marking incorrect colors on navigation display Fixed wrong transponder code set by default when starting a flight Fixed issues with Alpha and stall speeds Tweaked FLX power settings Improved flight director behavior Fixed missing heading target value on navigation display and PFD Fixed aircraft not flying green dot speed, F speed or S speed when conditions are met Fixed spoilers too low max deflection Fixed FMA AP mode colors Fixed heading bug remaining displayed despite FCU heading window being empty Fixed autobrake LOW decel lights always activated whatever the selected autobrake level Fixed MCDU frozen after multiple flight plan changes Fixed slats indication not aligned with dot on ECAM Fixed issues with spoilers incorrectly deploying / retracting after landing Fixed climb incorrectly resuming on its own instead of remaining to current flight level after leveling off Fixed unrealistic parking brake selector animation Fixed incorrect N1 value in cruise Fixed rudder trim “R” font issue on pedestal display Fixed spoiler surfaces not correctly aligned Fixed engine starters default incorrect positions when spawning on the runway Fixed MCDU not switching to DES phase when it should Fixed managed target speed issues with flaps out FIXED ETA not being updated in MCDU Fixed SRS mode incorrect target speed Fixed intermediate altitude constraints not showing on PFD Fixed incorrect course shown in MCDU RAD/NAV page for LOC/ILS Fixed constraints decimal issues on navigation display Fixed issue with unlimited fuel assistance preventing aircraft shutdown Fixed fuel crossfeed valve switch default states Fixed radio screens going black when camera is close from pedestal Fixed approach speeds Fixed fly by wire error causing insufficient pitching during turns Tweaked thrust performance and fuel consumption Fixed ECAM too small font size Fixed V1 marker on speed tape Fixed various autothrottle issues There is, however, one known issue with the update: Aircraft can crash when landing on frozen water. You can activate the No crash mode in the dev mode menu to avoid crashes in this situation. Overall, the update is a welcome one for users and fans of the simulator, especially during the holidays. The fixes to all the aspects of the game should improve the sim experience for all users. The Redmond firm has also confirmed that it will be bringing Flight Simulator to the Xbox Series X | S next summer, so console gamers will have to wait longer.

Boeing will continue to support the ISS through 2024 under a new contract extension by Ather Fawaz Image via Jim Watson (AFP), Getty Images Back in 1993, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected Boeing as the prime contractor for the International Space Station (ISS). Since then, the two companies have collaborated on advancing scientific research onboard the space station and human spaceflight in general. Now, Boeing announced that it will continue supporting the ISS through September of 2024 under a $916 million contract extension that was awarded today. Valued at about $225 million annually, under the contract, apart from managing the ISS' many stations, Boeing will provide resources, engineering support services, and personnel activities aboard the space station as well. Furthermore, the new contract can be extended beyond 2024. Apropos the contract extension, Boeing Vice President and Program Manager for the ISS, John Mulholland, commented: “As the International Space Station marks its 20th year of human habitation, Boeing continues to enhance the utility and livability of the orbiting lab we built for NASA decades ago. We thank NASA for their confidence in our team and the opportunity to support the agency’s vital work in spaceflight and deep-space exploration for the benefit of all humankind.” Boeing has also been involved in other initiatives in advancing human spaceflight. It is currently one of the two contenders for the NASA Commercial Crew program alongside SpaceX. Its CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is currently in development for the purpose of ferrying astronauts to the ISS. The firm is also building the core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System whereby it hopes to make space travel to lunar orbit and Mars a tangible reality.

Launch America: Your succinct guide to Crew Dragon and SpaceX's ongoing flight to the ISS by Ather Fawaz [Author's note] Updates will be posted at the end of the article as the situation unfolds. The Falcon 9 lifted off at 03:22 PM EDT carrying with it the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Image via SpaceX livestream Wednesday May 27 is slated to be a watershed moment for the United States and the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA). Since the discontinuation of the space shuttle program back in 2011, for the first time in nine years, a crew of astronauts, namely Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, will lift off from American soil onboard the Crew Dragon to embark on a voyage to the International Space Station (ISS). Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken. Image via NASA/SpaceX Wednesday is also set to be a pivotal point for one private company in particular – SpaceX. Founded and headed by Elon Musk, SpaceX with its Crew Dragon spacecraft has been a prime contender for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program that launched a decade back. The overarching theme of the program? To outsource the development of the next generation of space capsules to privately-owned firms. This will help cut corners with taxpayer money and do away with the expense of ferrying astronauts from Kazakhstan inside the Russian Soyuz capsule. Image via NASA/SpaceX Two contenders have been the frontrunners of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, Boeing and SpaceX. For now, odds are in the favor of Crew Dragon and SpaceX at a time when luck has not entirely been on Boeing’s side. The company’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft has run into issues in a background that is marred by an already failing venture with the Boeing 737 MAX – an aircraft that once promised so much. Having said that, Crew Dragon had its fair share of issues as well, particularly in the later stages of development. Image via NASA/SpaceX Impressively, the Crew Dragon is set to be the third spacecraft in history to transport a crew to the ISS. The other two are the phased-out space shuttle and the venerable Soyuz capsule. Compared to the Soyuz, which can only house three astronauts, the Crew Dragon can cater to a maximum of seven astronauts on board. This can significantly cut costs as the net per head expenses of transporting astronauts decreases with increased capacity. Image via Everyday Astronaut Come Wednesday, the maiden, manned test flight dubbed Demo-2, will verify whether Crew Dragon is fit for ferrying astronauts to the ISS. For clarity, the Crew Dragon spacecraft docked at the space station back in 2019, but that was an unmanned journey. If Demo-2 is a success, the Crew Dragon can potentially begin its service as early as September this year. Preparations for Demo-2 are already underway and have picked up pace this week starting with the arrival of Behnken and Hurley to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once settled in, the astronauts underwent a complete launch day rehearsal clad in their spacesuits after the Falcon 9 rocket successfully completed its static fire tests the day before. Image via NASA/SpaceX Image via NASA/SpaceX Earlier today, SpaceX and NASA gave a go-ahead to the launch after the spacecraft successfully passed the Launch Readiness Review. With all preliminary tests successfully complete, Demo-2 is only a waiting game now. Image via NASA/SpaceX With Behnken and Hurley on board, Crew Dragon will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop the Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A, which is a monumental site. It’s the same place the Saturn V launched humanity to the Moon and from where the first and final Space Shuttle missions lifted off as well. Falcon 9's static fire tests complete. Image via NASA/SpaceX Barring any weather hazards or unforeseen circumstances, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon is slated to take flight at 04:33 PM EDT (20:33 GMT). In case of any special circumstances, SpaceX has two alternate launch windows available on May 30 and May 31 as well. You can tune into NASA TV or the official live stream of NASA for Demo-2. Details for that can be found here. Here’s a handy website with which you can convert the official timings to your time zones, should you need it. Demo-2's flight details. Image via NASA/SpaceX Here's a succinct rundown of flight events given by SpaceX's Benji Reed. In summary, Crew Dragon will culminate the first part of Demo-2 by docking at the International Space Station on May 28, meanwhile, Falcon 9 will complete its journey back to the earth via a vertical landing. The firm has uploaded a short video showing the simulated docking of the Crew Dragon to the ISS. This would complete the mission to ferry astronauts from American soil to the space station for the first time in nine years after the space shuttle program was discontinued back in 2011. Demo-2 is called off on Wednesday, May 27 due to unfavorable weather Unfortunately, with under 17 minutes to go to the planned launch at 04:33 PM EDT (20:33 GMT), NASA and SpaceX have decided to call off Demo-2 due to unfavorable weather. The relevant authorities and engineers were already monitoring the weather situation for the last couple of days and the official figures were oscillating between a low 40-60% for a favorable condition. "We are not going to launch today." Due to the weather conditions, the launch is scrubbing. Our next opportunity will be Saturday, May 30 at 3:22pm ET. Live #LaunchAmerica coverage will begin at 11am ET. pic.twitter.com/c7R1AmLLYh — NASA (@NASA) May 27, 2020 Now, SpaceX and NASA will be aiming for a launch on Saturday, May 30 at 03:22 PM EDT (19:22 GMT). This launch window was one of the two alternatives available to Demo-2 in case of any unforeseen circumstances such as this one. The second alternative is Sunday, May 31. Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley waited for all the propellant to be emptied from the Falcon 9 rocket before the hatch opened for them to evacuate the spacecraft. Thankfully, no problems were reported thus far in the Falcon 9 rocket or the Crew Dragon capsule; bad weather seemed to be the only cause for the cancellation. Final preparations for the Saturday launch are underway Image via SpaceX SpaceX and NASA are preparing for the second launch window, which is Saturday 03:22 PM EDT. While all systems and equipment checks have been cleared, the weather is still precarious. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted that there's a 50% chance of a cancellation. With this in mind, there's another launch window available tomorrow, Sunday, May 31. Further down the lane, June 7 and 8 are reserved as well, but NASA is pushing for earlier launch windows as well. Targeting 3:22 p.m. EDT today for Falcon 9’s launch of Crew Dragon with two @NASA astronauts → https://t.co/bJFjLCzWdK pic.twitter.com/EidVkBOTLm — SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 30, 2020 You can tune in to NASA's 24/7 live stream on their official YouTube channel. Prelaunch streaming has begun. NASA and SpaceX officials have held a press conference where Bridenstine reassured that the safety of astronauts of Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley is a top priority despite the importance of the Commercial Crew program in cutting corners with taxpayer money. He also lauded SpaceX founder Elon Musk for bringing vision and commitment to the Commercial Crew program. The Crew Dragon lifts off! The Falcon 9 lifted off at 03:22 PM EDT carrying with it the Crew Dragon spacecraft. Image via SpaceX livestream After finally going through with the launch, Crew Dragon has launched atop the Falcon 9 rocket. The rocket is officially on its way to the International Space Station now. Meanwhile, the Falcon 9 booster has vertically landed back on earth, as expected, after it dropped the Crew Dragon off in orbit about 12 minutes after launch. Now, the astronauts have a 16-hour journey to the space station before them. If things remain on schedule, the spacecraft is expected to dock at the ISS around 10:30 AM EDT on May 31. Falcon 9 booster lands back on earth successfully. The spacepod carrying the astronauts detached and is on its way to the ISS now. You can watch the events below as they unfold live on NASA's live stream of the entire event. How are you preparing for #LaunchAmerica? Feel free to sound off in the comments below.

Virgin Orbit's first end-to-end orbital test flight terminated after an in-flight anomaly by Ather Fawaz Image via Virgin Orbit Virgin Orbit, a firm that focuses primarily on dedicated launches of small satellites, attempted the first full, end-to-end flight of its orbital payload launch system on Monday, May 25. Under the demonstration, a modified 'Cosmic Girl' Boeing 747 air-launched the LauncherOne rocket. But due to an anomaly, the mission had to be aborted. The launch took place around 12:00 PM PT (03:00 PM ET) from Mojave Air and Spaceport in California after the successful completion of the planned procedures. These included the captive carry flight out to the drop site, clean telemetry lock from multiple dishes, terminal count, a smooth pass through the racetrack, and an eventual clean release. The Cosmic Girl. Image via Virgin Orbit Subsequently, the LauncherOne lighted its booster engines on cue, signifying the first time that Virgin Orbit attempted an in-air ignition following a clean release from Cosmic Girl at 12:50 PM PT (3:50 PM ET). However, Virgin Orbit noted just a few minutes later that the mission had been terminated due to an anomaly that "occurred early in first stage flight." We've confirmed a clean release from the aircraft. However, the mission terminated shortly into the flight. Cosmic Girl and our flight crew are safe and returning to base. — Virgin Orbit (@Virgin_Orbit) May 25, 2020 Despite the termination of the mission, Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart lauded the team for performing prelaunch and flight operations with "incredible skill" and said: “Nevertheless, we took a big step forward today. Our engineers are already pouring through the data. Our next rocket is waiting. We will learn, adjust, and begin preparing for our next test, which is coming up soon.” Thankfully, the carrier aircraft Boeing 747 Cosmic Girl and all crew have landed safely at Mojave Air and Space Port in California. Vis-à-vis the situation, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk offered his condolences and reminisced how it took his company four attempts with Falcon 1. To this, Virgin Orbit tweeted stating that the firm is excited about the data it was able to get from the mission.

Boeing's CST-100 Starliner fails to reach the International Space Station by Ather Fawaz Image via NASA (livestream) A few hours back, NASA broadcasted the live stream of Boeing's Orbital Flight Test, which was the maiden, unmanned flight to the International Space Station (ISS) of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner vehicle atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. Source: NASA via Bloomberg But just 50 minutes after liftoff, the space pod was reportedly mispositioned to begin its last boost into an orbit so it could dock at the ISS. According to Jim Bridenstine, the NASA Administrator, the spacecraft burned more fuel than planned for maintaining precise control before it could dock at the space station. Because #Starliner believed it was in an orbital insertion burn (or that the burn was complete), the dead bands were reduced and the spacecraft burned more fuel than anticipated to maintain precise control. This precluded @Space_Station rendezvous. — Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) December 20, 2019 Update: #Starliner had a Mission Elapsed Time (MET) anomaly causing the spacecraft to believe that it was in an orbital insertion burn, when it was not. More information at 9am ET: https://t.co/wwsfqqvLN7 — Jim Bridenstine (@JimBridenstine) December 20, 2019 According to Boeing, the spacecraft is safe and the firm and NASA "are working together to review options for the test and mission opportunities available while the Starliner remains in orbit." Currently, NASA and Boeing have also held a joint press conference on YouTube: This might have sizable repercussions for Boeing's candidacy for NASA's Commercial Crew Program. The other candidate is SpaceX, which successfully completed its similar, unmanned flight test for its Crew Dragon space pod to the ISS back in March. Though SpaceX's run hasn't been perfect either, with the Crew Dragon seeing an explosion with its static fire tests in April. However, the test was finally completed successfully in a re-run last month.

Tune in to watch the live broadcast of Boeing's Orbital Flight Test by Ather Fawaz NASA' Commercial Crew program has picked up the pace in recent months. Back in October, the NASA Administrator, Jim Bridenstine, met with the founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, to discuss Crew Dragon and the subsequent plans ahead for the two companies. After a successful meeting, last month, SpaceX successfully completed its static fire tests on its spacecraft—Crew Dragon. This was after the company had already made a successful unmanned test flight with the Crew Dragon in March. On the other half of the horizon, the other candidate for NASA's Commercial Crew program, Boeing, is also set to launch an unmanned test flight with its CST-100 Starliner vehicle atop the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket shortly. NASA will be broadcasting the complete launch event on a live stream on YouTube. The countdown to the launch is also up on Boeing's Starliner website. The live stream should begin shortly, ahead of the launch window at 6:36:43 AM ET (4:36 PT/11:36 UTC). This test flight, dubbed as Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test, will be the pod's first voyage to the International Space Station. According to NASA, the primary aim of this test is, "an end-to-end demonstration of Boeing’s ability to launch astronauts to the orbiting laboratory and return them home," which is in line with the Commercial Crew program's requirements. Preparations for the launch are already underway and the spacecraft has already been loaded with fuel as well as the anthropometric test humanoid 'Rosie' to gather data on the space flight. Fueling of the #AtlasV has been completed, giving us a 979,223-pound rocket that is getting ready for launch at 6:36amEST (1136 UTC) today from Cape Canaveral. Live countdown blog: https://t.co/1zR8ToeFl6 — ULA (@ulalaunch) December 20, 2019 For more information and the complete, approximate timeline for the entire event, you may read NASA's official announcement.

Boeing’s 737 Max Software Outsourced to $9-an-Hour Engineers Planemaker and suppliers used lower-paid temporary workers Engineers feared the practice meant code wasn’t done right It remains the mystery at the heart of Boeing Co.’s 737 Max crisis: how a company renowned for meticulous design made seemingly basic software mistakes leading to a pair of deadly crashes. Longtime Boeing engineers say the effort was complicated by a push to outsource work to lower-paid contractors. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-06-28/boeing-s-737-max-software-outsourced-to-9-an-hour-engineers I see no mystery there as corporations only care about the profits.

I figured it was time to start one, for good or ill. We discuss ULA and its' parent companies Boeing and Lockheed-Martin a fair bit here in the Science Section. First ULA-specific news item for the thread in-work.

Microsoft and Amazon employees involved in sex trafficking scandal by Hamza Jawad Although tech giants like Google have been in the center of controversy surrounding sexism, this time, Microsoft and Amazon are involved in a somewhat different side of the tech industry. According to a report published recently by Newsweek, hundreds of emails sent from high ranking officials of these companies to trafficked sex workers in the past few years have been uncovered. Among the emails, 67 were sent from Microsoft employee email accounts, in comparison to 63 from Amazon. Quite a few more emails were also sent via employee accounts from various tech companies such as T-Mobile, Oracle, Boeing, and other local Seattle firms. Apparently, initial communications occurred via workplace accounts because Seattle pimps require an employee email or badge to make sure that their is no police involvement. Importantly, the men who sent these emails have not been charged as of yet, and not identified by Newsweek either. Most of the emails were obtained by the publication through a public records request to the King County Prosecutor’s Office. Some were collected by law enforcement authorities back in 2015, amid a sting operation involving several high-level Microsoft and Amazon directors. These emails document the purchase of services from trafficked sex workers, and even the tech industry's control over brothels. According to authorities, trafficked Asian women service hundreds of men each day in Seattle. In a statement emailed to Newsweek, Microsoft has made clear its strict policy against any employees involved in such "unethical" actions, noting: "Microsoft has a long history of cooperating with law enforcement and other agencies on combating sex trafficking and related topics, and we have employees who volunteer their time and money specifically to combat this issue as well. The personal conduct of a tiny fraction of our 125,000 employees does not in any way represent our culture. No organization is immune to the unfortunate situation when employees act unethically or illegally. When that happens, we look into the conduct and take appropriate action. Microsoft makes it clear to our employees they have a responsibility to act with integrity and conduct themselves in a legal and ethical manner at all times. If they don’t, they risk losing their jobs." Amazon made a similar statement to the publication, highlighting its investigations of the matter and referring to the company's Owner's Manual, which states that, "It is against Amazon's policy for any employee or Contingent Worker to engage in any sex buying activities" in the workplace, or any work-related setting. Alex Trouteaud, Director of Policy and Research at Demand Abolition, a national anti-trafficking organization, noted that the tech industry is a “culture that has readily embraced trafficking.” He also felt that the tech sector was surprisingly nonchalant, with regards to this issue. In fact, according to Polaris, another leading anti-human trafficking organization, more than 700 Asian brothels are based in silicon valley. It will be interesting to see what more will be uncovered as in-house investigations are conducted into this matter by tech giants such as Microsoft, and whether or not the matter will eventually fall into the hands of law enforcement agencies. Source: Newsweek via Engadget

Boeing announces a pilotless airliner: tests start next year by Richard Tyr Blewitt It seems we have gone full circle now: driverless cars, flying cars for the Tokyo Olympics, and now a pilotless plane; that is what Boeing has said it is thinking about doing in an announcement ahead of the Paris Airshow. This is a very early statement and we know very little about the aircraft it might design, but it does plan on beginning tests next year. One reason behind the idea is that there is an ever-growing demand for air travel, with some projecting that we will need an additional 1.5 million pilots over the next 20 years to meet the increase in demand. In reality, aircraft are already highly automated, with numerous systems and abilities; in fact, they can already take off, cruise and land using the current onboard computers, and the number of pilots in the cockpit has been reduced from 3 to 2 over the years. On top of that, numerous militaries are already using drones to fly missions all over the world, and Boeing says it would like to explore the use of similar technologies for passenger airliners. There are still lots of hurdles and question marks. There are those who are asking regulatory questions - but also, what about those extreme instances where a pilot might be needed, such as the perfect emergency landing of US Airways flight 1549 on the Hudson river in 2009? Boeing previously revealed that it is 3D printing some of its core parts for the 787, and it would seem the company is keen to utilize all of the latest tech. Perhaps once driverless cars become more commonplace, people might be more comfortable with cruising at hundreds of miles per hour in a pilotless plane. Source: Reuters | Images via Reuters

Mysterious US military spaceplane lands after years-long secret mission by Gabriel Nunes Boeing-built X-37B space plane. Source: U.S. Air Force. It was May 2015 when the Boeing-built X-37B spaceplane took off on an Atlas 5 rocket for its 718-day secret mission that ended this Sunday at the Kennedy Space Center. The unmanned orbiter is equipped with a payload bay, a solar power boom and sophisticated computer control systems, but its exact purpose while on orbit is still unknown outside the US military. It was around 8:00 AM when sonic booms were reported in central Florida, spanning from Tampa to Fort Myers. A few minutes later, the US Air Force released the following tweet acknowledging the X-37B's successful landing: The #AirForce #X37B #OTV4 has returned from orbit and has landed safely @NASAKennedy. Stay tuned for more info. — U.S. Air Force (@usairforce) May 7, 2017 At least two X-37B spaceplanes, which have already flown four secret missions including this one, are known to exist, according to CBS News. They were both built by Boeing for the US Air Force in two former shuttle processing hangars acquired and modified by the company to handle the secret spacecraft. Also, this is the first such mission to land in Florida, while the previous three have landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, in California. The #X37B #OTV4 is the newest and most advanced re-entry spacecraft. Find out more about today's landing here: https://t.co/GUGgOMQiYg pic.twitter.com/HfHHVnWhYc — U.S. Air Force (@usairforce) May 7, 2017 Currently, only two experiments carried out by the spaceplane were acknowledged by the US Air Force: a materials science project for NASA; and an Aerojet Rocketdyne Hall-effect thruster test. According to Lt. Col. Ron Fehlen, the X-37B program manager: This mission once again set an on-orbit endurance record and marks the vehicle's first landing in the state of Florida. We are incredibly pleased with the performance of the space vehicle and are excited about the data gathered to support the scientific and space communities. The next launch of a X-37B spaceplane is expected for later this year. Source: CBS News

Boeing orders 3D printed titanium aircraft parts for 787 by Richard Tyr Blewitt US aircraft manufacturer Boeing has just placed an order for 3D printed titanium parts from the Norwegian company Norsk Titanium. The ordered parts will be used for the 787 Dreamliner. The parts will currently be made in Norway with plans for Boeing to build their own 3D manufacturing facilities in the USA by the end of the year. The procedure being used by Norsk Titanium is called the Rapid Plasma Deposition (RPD) process and its approval is the first of its kind. The two companies have been working closely to obtain approval from the FAA on the usage of four parts manufactured in such an unconventional way. Finally, with the parts ordered, the way is being paved for more parts to be manufactured and used that are 3D printed. In the future, if the FAA approves the overall production process, they will no longer need individual certification of each part that is manufactured using the RPD 3D process, a significant departure from the forging and machining currently used to make parts. Boeing has stated that the order with Norsk Titanium will save between $2-3 million per aircraft. This is a significant step as aircraft fuel nozzles had already begun being 3D printed, but this specific arrangement with Norsk Titanium is the first time that parts that are structurally integral to the aircraft and will bear some of the stresses of flight will be used. Sources: Reuters, Norsk Titanium

Real-world testing begins for Boeing's self-destructing smartphone by Chris Schroeder Image: CNN Boeing is making a smartphone: the Boeing Black. The aerospace giant began designing the device back in 2014 with one very interesting feature: self-destruct mode. If the Black is ever compromised it would automatically begin destroying its internals to protect highly-sensitive data. Now, Boeing is ready for field testing and the company has one of the best people in mind to put the phone through its paces. Michael Rogers, head of the National Security Agency (NSA), is a part of the first wave of testers for Boeing's new Black smartphone. Rogers handles top secret documents on a daily basis, making him the perfect candidate to put the Black through its paces. Boeing's allowance of real-world testing could mean that the Black is nearing its production phase, assuming testers don't reveal any chinks in the armor. The Boeing Black protects data much better than a software kill switch by acting more as a virtual machine when connected to the Top Secret JWICS (Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communications System) network, and by purging all data and software from the device to make it inoperable when tampering is detected. If the Black could fry itself like a Galaxy Note7, it would be the closest thing to a Mission Impossible communications device. Although the handset is intended as a government-use device it also supports dual-SIM technology, so users can switch between government and mainstream cellular networks without swapping phones, all while protecting data on traditional cellular networks. Source: The Huffington Post

Asiana Boeing 777 from Korea broke up on landing at San Francisco International Airport CNN.... https://www.youtube.com/embed/0dFtmSybpuw

WASHINGTON (AP) ? As 21st century technology strains to become ever faster, cleaner and cheaper, an invention from more than 200 years ago keeps holding it back. It's why electric cars aren't clogging the roads and why Boeing's new ultra-efficient 787 Dreamliners aren't flying high. And chances are you have this little invention next to you right now and probably have cursed it recently: the infernal battery. Boeing is the first company to make extensive use in an airliner of technology's most advanced battery ? lithium ion. But a Jan. 7 battery fire aboard a Dreamliner in Boston, followed by a similar meltdown in Japan, led authorities around the world to ground the fleet this month, highlighting a longstanding safety problem that engineers have struggled with. In 2006 and 2007, more than 46 million cellphone batteries and 10 million laptop batteries ? all lithium ion ? were recalled because of the risk of overheating, short-circuiting and exploding. Additional safety features have been installed since then on lithium ion batteries used in consumer electronics. As for the electric car industry, lithium ion batteries have proved to have two major drawbacks: They are costly, and they do not allow automobiles to go far enough between rechargings. A123, a maker of lithium ion batteries for electric cars, went bankrupt last year because of poor demand and high costs after receiving a $249 million federal grant. Lithium ion batteries, which store more energy at a higher voltage and a lighter weight than earlier types, represent the most recent big jump in battery technology. And that took place nearly a quarter of a century ago. "We need to leapfrog the engineering of making of batteries," said Lawrence Berkeley National Lab battery scientist Vince Battaglia. "We've got to find the next big thing." But none of the 10 experts who talked to The Associated Press said they know what that big thing will be yet, or when it will come. "If you crack it ... it'll change the world," said Carnegie Mellon University materials science professor Jay Whitacre. Batteries are so crucial to a greener energy future that the Obama administration has spent more than $2 billion to jump-start the advanced battery industry, including setting up what some experts say is a mini-Manhattan Project for batteries. To make the next breakthrough, researchers will have to master complex chemistry, expensive manufacturing, detailed engineering, a variety of different materials, lengthy testing, stringent safety standards and giant cost problems. It involves dealing with liquids and solids, metals and organic chemicals, and things that are in between, said Glenn Amatucci, director of the Energy Storage Research Group at Rutgers University. "We're dealing with a system that you can imagine is almost alive. It's almost breathing," Amatucci said. "Trying to understand what's happening within these batteries is incredibly complex." One reason the battery is the slowpoke of the high-tech highway is that it has conflicting functions. Its primary job is to store energy. But it's also supposed to discharge power, lots of it, quickly. Those two jobs are at odds with each other. "If you want high storage, you can't get high power," said M. Stanley Whittingham, director of the Northeast Center for Chemical Energy Storage. "People are expecting more than what's possible." On the commercial market, lithium ion batteries are generally ones small enough to fit into cellphones. But to power bigger items ? from a Prius to a 787 ? they get grouped together, increasing the juice they store and provide. That also increases the safety risk, experts say. The lithium ion battery that caught fire in a Boeing 787 weighed 63 pounds and was 19 inches long. "You can't get around the fundamental thing is that lithium ion batteries are stuffed full of flammable liquid," Whitacre said. Even one-in-a-million problems with lithium ion batteries can result in many fires because there are billions of them in use now, with dozens sometimes stacked together in a single device. Experts say lithium ion batteries are more dangerous because their electrolyte, the liquid that allows ions to move between electrodes in the battery, is more flammable than the substance in older type batteries. Those older types include the lead-acid batteries in most cars and the nickel cadmium batteries that are often in video equipment and power tools. Still, MIT materials science and engineering professor Gerbrand Ceder and others said the safety problems can be fixed. Change doesn't come often in the battery field. "The big advances in battery technology happen rarely. It's been more than 200 years and we have maybe five different successful rechargeable batteries," said George Blomgren, a former senior technology researcher at Eveready and now a private battery consultant. "It's frustrating." Alessandro Volta ? for whom the volt is named ? invented the first useful battery in 1800. That was long before other breakthrough inventions like the internal combustion engine, telephone, car, airplane, transistor, computer and Internet. But all of those developments have seemed to evolve faster than the simple battery. The lead-acid car battery "has been around for 150 years more or less," Whitacre said. "This is a remarkable testament to first how robust that chemistry is and how difficult change is." Battery experts are split over what's next. Some think the lithium ion battery can be tinkered with to get major efficiency and storage improvements. Amatucci said he thinks we can get two to three times more energy out of future lithium ion batteries, while others said minor chemical changes can do even more. But just as many engineers say the lithium ion battery has run its course. "With the materials in the current lithium ion battery, we are definitely plateaued," Blomgren said. "We're waiting for something to come along that really does the job." There are all sorts of new type batteries being worked on: lithium-air, lithium-sulfur, magnesium, sodium-ion. "Right now it's a horse race," Blomgren said. "There's deficiencies in every technology that's out there. Each one of them requires a major solution." One of the nation's best hopes for a breakthrough, said Battaglia, is John Goodenough, the man responsible for the 1979 breakthrough that led the first commercial lithium ion battery in 1991. He will receive the National Medal of Science at the White House next month. Goodenough is 90. "I'm working on it," Goodenough, an engineering professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said Tuesday. "I'm optimistic in a sense that I'm willing to keep working on it. I think we can do some interesting things." source

http://www.theverge.com/2012/4/12/2944376/boeing-android-phone-defense-intelligence