News

NASA Decides To Keep 2 Astronauts In Space Until February, Nixes Return On Troubled Boeing Capsule

Published

3 months ago

2024-08-27

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – NASA concluded on Saturday that returning two astronauts to Earth in Boeing’s problematic new capsule is too risky, and they will have to wait until next year to go home with SpaceX. The pair’s test flight, which was supposed to last a week, will now span more than eight months.

The experienced pilots have been detained aboard the International Space Station since the beginning of June. A series of perplexing thruster failures and helium leaks in the new capsule hampered their journey to the space station, and they ended up in a holding pattern while engineers ran tests and debated what to do about the return mission.

After nearly three months, NASA’s highest officials made the decision on Saturday. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams will return aboard a SpaceX capsule in February. Their empty Starliner capsule will undock in early September and attempt a return on autopilot, landing in the New Mexico desert.

As Starliner’s test pilots, the two should have overseen this important final part of the mission.

“A test flight by nature is neither safe nor routine,” remarked NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. The decision “is the result of a commitment to safety.”

Nelson stated that learning from NASA’s two space shuttle tragedies played an impact. This time, he added, open conversation was encouraged rather than suppressed.

“This has not been an easy decision, but it is absolutely the right one,” said Jim Free, NASA’s Associate Administrator.

NASA Decides To Keep 2 Astronauts In Space Until February, Nixes Return On Troubled Boeing Capsule

It was a setback to Boeing, compounding the company’s safety issues on the airplane side. Boeing had hoped that Starliner’s first crew mission would revitalize the faltering spacecraft program after years of delays and rising costs. The business asserted that Starliner was safe based on the recent thruster tests in space and on the ground.

Boeing did not attend NASA’s news conference on Saturday but said, “Boeing continues to focus, first and foremost, on the safety of the crew and the spacecraft.” The corporation said it prepares the spacecraft “for a safe and successful return.”

Jan Osburg, a senior engineer at Rand Corp. specializing in aerospace and defense, believes NASA made the right decision. “But the U.S. is still left with egg on its face due to the Starliner design issues that should have been caught earlier.”

Wilmore, 61, and Williams, 58, are retired Navy captains with prior long-duration spaceflight experience. Before their June 5 launch from Cape Canaveral, Wilmore and Williams said their families had accepted the uncertainty and stress of their professional careers decades ago.

During their lone orbital news conference last month, the astronauts expressed confidence in the thruster testing being undertaken. They had no complaints, and they liked helping with space station tasks.

Wilmore’s wife, Deanna, stated via text that she and their daughters, along with relatives and friends, “were praying for a safe return on whatever spacecraft that may be.” While they are disappointed that Dad will be gone for longer, “we know that it’s the Lord’s plan,” she stated.

Flight operations director Norm Knight said he spoke with the astronauts on Saturday, and they completely support the decision to postpone their return.

There needed to be more choices.

The SpaceX spacecraft currently parked at the space station is intended for the four inhabitants who have been there since March. They will return in late September, having prolonged their usual six-month stay by one month due to the Starliner issue. NASA stated that cramming two additional people into the capsule would be dangerous unless necessary.

The docked Russian Soyuz capsule is much smaller and capable of carrying only three people, two Russians closing up a year-long mission.

So Wilmore and Williams will wait for SpaceX’s next taxi flight. It is scheduled to launch in late September, with two astronauts instead of the normal four. NASA is removing two to create a way for Wilmore and Williams on their return voyage in late February.

NASA stated that no real consideration was given to asking SpaceX for a rapid stand-alone rescue. Last year, the Russian Space Agency had to hurry up a replacement Soyuz capsule for three crew when their previous vehicle was damaged by space trash. The switch extended their six-month expedition to a little over a year.

Former Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield praised the decision via X, saying, “It’s Good to err on the side of caution for astronaut lives. Astronauts devote their entire careers to long missions. I would gladly take it!”

Starliner’s problems began even before its recent flight.

Bad software ruined the first test flight without a crew in 2019, necessitating a redo in 2022. Then, parachute and other concerns arose, including a helium leak in the capsule’s fuel system, which prevented a launch attempt in May. The leak was eventually determined to be isolated and tiny enough to cause no worry. However, more leaks appeared after liftoff, and five thrusters also failed.

All except one of the small thrusters resumed during flight. However, engineers were perplexed when ground testing revealed that a thruster seal had swollen and obstructed a propellant line. They hypothesized that the seals in orbit may have enlarged and returned to their regular size. Officials claimed the results signaled a tipping point as their fears intensified.

With so much uncertainty about how the thrusters would function, “there was too much risk for the crew,” NASA’s commercial crew program manager, Steve Stich, told reporters.

NASA Decides To Keep 2 Astronauts In Space Until February, Nixes Return On Troubled Boeing Capsule

These 28 thrusters are crucial. They are required for space station rendezvous and also maintain the capsule orientated in the correct direction at the end of the mission when larger engines manoeuvre the vessel out of orbit. Coming in crooked might be a disaster.

With the Columbia accident still fresh in many people’s minds (the shuttle broke apart during reentry in 2003, killing all seven aboard), NASA made an extra effort to encourage open debate over Starliner’s return potential.

Despite Saturday’s decision, NASA has not given up on Boeing. Nelson stated that he is “100%” positive that Starliner will fly again.

NASA launched its commercial crew program a decade ago to establish two competing U.S. companies to transport astronauts in the post-shuttle future. Boeing secured the larger deal, worth more than $4 billion, compared to SpaceX’s $2.6 billion.

With station supply missions now under its belt, SpaceX nailed its first of nine astronaut flights in 2020, while Boeing was mired down by design problems that cost the firm more than $1 billion. NASA officials are hopeful that the Starliner’s issues can be resolved in time for another crew journey in the next year or so.

SOURCE | AP

News

PayPal’s Technical Challenges Are Affecting Thousands Of Customers Globally.

Published

14 hours ago

2024-11-21

Salman Ahmad

(VOR News) – PayPal is a software program that enables the sending and receiving of monetary orders and transactions.

According to the corporation, which has taken responsibility for the incident that was mentioned before, PayPal is apparently experiencing problems in every region of the world in which it conducts business. This information was provided by the company.

In addition, PayPal noted on its service status website that it was experiencing “a system issue” which may affect a variety of PayPal Products, such as the ability to withdraw money from an account and the ability to complete an express checkout. This issue may even hurt the ability to complete an express checkout.

This problem may also affect other PayPal products.

In light of the fact that this vulnerability is present, there are further PayPal products that have the potential to be affected by it.

One of the remarks that was made was that “Our technical teams are actively working towards resolving the issue,” which was stated in the email that was distributed. This was one of the comments that individuals made. A number of assertions were made, and this was one of them all.

Several customers from various regions of the world have stated that they are unable to access their accounts or that they are having difficulty when it comes to making payments. These customers have also mentioned that they are encountering difficulties making payments.

These clients have informed us that they are experiencing difficulties obtaining their orders by communicating their concerns. As an additional point of interest, a number of customers have reported that they are currently having trouble processing payments. This is something that should be taken into consideration.

Up to the moment that the clock struck twelve twelve Central European Time (GMT), the platform outage monitor known as Downdetector had already received more than seven thousand alerts from users. When the clock reached twelve o’clock, this was the situation that existed.

As indicated by a dashboard that provides an overview of the current state of the services that are being offered by the organization, the crisis started at roughly 10:53 UTC.

PayPal gathered this information via the dashboard.

Among the services that were impacted by the outage, the business asserts that its bitcoin services and the peer-to-peer payment platform Venmo were among those that were affected. Venmo is a form of cryptocurrency that enables users to send and receive payments from one another.

This information suggests that these services were among those that were impacted by the circumstances. This information has been provided.

There are consumers who have voiced their frustration on social media over the fact that they are unable to access their accounts, and some of these customers have expressed their frustration over this issue. A number of users have stated their frustration about this issue.

The discontentment that users are experiencing has been communicated through posts that have been published on various social media platforms as of late.

Users of X, which was once known as Twitter, have submitted screenshots of a notification that flashed when they attempted to log into the platform.

The notification appeared after logging in.

The message was flashed on the screen whenever they attempted to log in by entering their credentials. For those individuals who were fortunate enough to receive the notification, it was strongly recommended that they “please check your entries and try again.”

Since its beginning in 1998, PayPal has developed into a global financial institution that is associated with a significance level that is significant enough to be considered noteworthy. The occurrence of this evolution took place virtually immediately following the establishment of PayPal.

Investors were informed that the total number of active accounts across all of the company’s companies had increased to $432 million for the month that ended on September 30th.

This information was provided to investors. Following the conclusion of the month, this information was made available to the public.

During the course of the month of October, investors were provided with this information for the purpose of their consideration. For those individuals who were interested in investing, the material in question was made available to them.

SOURCE: BBC

News

Thousands of Asylum Seekers in Canada Get Free Housing

Published

1 day ago

2024-11-21

Geoff Brown

With a large increase in the number of asylum seekers in Canada, several communities have begun to create free accommodations for new immigrants, while many Canadians remain homeless.

The city of Ottawa is attempting to build a sprung building, which will function as both a temporary shelter and a center for settlement services such as language training and job placement.

These facilities are intended to host refugees in the city for the first few weeks before transitioning to more suitable housing in Ottawa’s settlement infrastructure.

The city has identified two possible sites for these centers, both in the city’s west end. Planning records refer to them as “modular tension fabric buildings.”

The proposed placements for these structures have caused concern in the local areas. The city’s first proposed location was canceled due to strong community opposition. Subsequently, it proposed two alternative options and rallies for and against constructing the structures, which took place last weekend in both locations.

Many people protested that they had not been fully consulted on the location, while others grumbled that nothing was being done to assist Canadian citizens.

Canadian authorities opened a temporary housing center for migrants with 1,050 beds in the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.

According to city data, one planned location is a federally owned tract of property near the Nepean Sportsplex, which serves around 1.5 million people annually. The other is near a public transport park-and-ride lot in Kanata’s western suburb.

City Councillor Sean Devine, whose constituency includes the Sportsplex site, stated that citizens have much to say about the problem.

“A lot of it is coming from the fact that it would have been preferable if the city of Ottawa had communicated the information sooner, perhaps in advance of the recommendations,” he told Global News during a telephone interview.

According to Devine, the number of migrants arriving in Ottawa has increased significantly in the last two years. This is consistent with national trends in refugee and asylum seeker rates.

Under Trudeua’s leadership, Canada had approximately 250,000 asylum petitions pending as of September 30, 2024, with more than 33,000 approved between January and the end of September.

International students in Canada filed nearly 14,000 asylum petitions in the first nine months of 2024, a roughly 14% increase over the same period last year. Compared to the present figures, approximately 12,000 asylum applications were lodged by international students in 2023—a tremendous surge from a mere 1,810 claims in 2018.

Devine stated that the city has been using two community center gymnasiums outfitted with bunk beds to temporarily lodge certain claimants before transitioning to other sorts of accommodation.

Asylum seekers get free housing in Quebec and Ontario.

According to a September release, the Ottawa Mission noticed a considerable increase in refugees filling its shelter beds in the summer of 2023. By October, asylum seekers were using 61% of the beds, a record high under Trudeau’s leadership.

The new structures will be funded under the federal interim housing aid program, which allows municipalities and provinces to reimburse the federal Government for expenditures incurred while temporarily hosting asylum seekers.

Since 2017, well over $1 billion has been distributed, largely in Ontario and Quebec, with the city of Ottawa getting $105 million to date.

Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development, who represents the Ottawa riding of Kanata-Nepean, expressed disappointment with how the plans were presented to people.

Louisa Taylor, executive director of Settlement Service Organization 613 Asylum Seekers, has collaborated with the city to coordinate resources for settlement assistance at future centers.

Taylor explained that many asylum seekers in an Ottawa homeless shelter prompted her and 613 refugees to organize a recent rally supporting the structure.

“For several years, hundreds of refugee claimants have been living and sleeping on bunk beds and cots in community centers and arenas throughout the city.”

Nobody has gone out protesting about it. “What they’re protesting is the concept of having a facility in their community that they don’t know much about,” she explained.

Homeless Canadians

Homelessness is not a problem that most people connect with within Canada, but it is becoming a growing one. The projected number of homeless persons in Canada fluctuates from 150,000 to 300,000, which is increasing.

According to the 2016 State of Homelessness study, Canada had at least 235,000 homeless people. According to the Homeless Hub, the number of homeless people in Canada varies each year, ranging from 150,000 to 300,000.

However, many more people may be without a permanent home in Canada. The actual number is impossible to determine because many homeless people live in concealed places.

They are so named because they temporarily reside in squats or with friends and relatives. An estimated 1.3 million Canadians have experienced insecure housing or homelessness.

Homelessness Statistics for Canadians

Between 25,000 and 35,000 people are homeless on any given night in Canada.
Toronto has the most homeless people in Canada.
62% of homeless people in Canada are males.
30% of Canadian homeless come from Indigenous communities.
90% of homeless shelters in Canada are in Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, and Alberta, and 44% of them are in Ontario alone.
22% of shelters are aimed at young homeless in Canada, while 20% of people experiencing homelessness are 13-24 years old.
The annual cost of homelessness is over $7 billion.
The Canadian Government has invested $2.2 billion over ten years to expand funding for the homeless.

Canada Sees Over13,000 Foreign Students Claim Asylum

Canada Sees Over13,000 Foreign Students Claim Asylum

News

Donald Trump Appoints Former WWE Executive Linda McMahon As Secretary Of Education.

Published

2 days ago

2024-11-20

Salman Ahmad

(VOR News) – Linda McMahon, Donald Trump’s former Chief Executive Officer of World Wrestling Entertainment, was nominated for the role of Director of the Department of Education, which Donald Trump, the future President of the United States, has pledged to abolish.

The nomination was submitted by Trump on Tuesday. McMahon held an executive position with World Wrestling Entertainment.

“We will return education to the states, and Linda will lead that initiative,” Donald Trump declared in a statement, thereafter describing McMahon as a “staunch proponent of Parents’ Rights.”

McMahon was designated as the director of the Education Department. The National Education Association sometimes recognized McMahon as a member. During this timeframe, McMahon served as a member of the organization’s board of directors.

In anticipation of President Donald Trump’s return to the White House in January, McMahon is presently functioning as a co-chair of the transition team for the presidential administration.

Donald Trump is considering this as part of his preparations.

It oversees approximately 4,000 government positions and is tasked with filling vacancies in those roles.

Donald Trump highlighted McMahon’s qualifications in education, noting her two-year tenure on the Connecticut Board of Education and her sixteen years on the board of trustees of Sacred Heart University, a private Catholic institution. Trump emphasized McMahon’s expertise in the realm of education.

Donald Trump highlighted McMahon’s prior service on the board of trustees at Sacred Heart University.

Following McMahon’s departure from WWE in 2009 to pursue a Senate candidacy in the United States, he has been a notable supporter of Trump’s campaign. He has been notably active in this respect.

Since 2021, she has served as the chairperson of the Center for the American Worker at the America First Policy Institute, an organization associated with President Trump. Both groups are associated with the president.

Throughout his presidential campaign, Donald Trump pledged to abolish the United States Department of Education immediately upon his election and return to the White House.

I have said this multiple times already. I eagerly anticipate completing this activity at the earliest opportunity.

Donald Trump said this at an assembly in Wisconsin in September.

According to his prediction, “We will eventually abolish the federal Department of Education,” he asserted.

During her speech at the Republican convention in Milwaukee, she expressed that she felt “privileged to call Donald Trump a colleague and a boss,” and also described him as “a friend.” Furthermore, she designated him as “a friend.”

At that time, she served as the chief executive officer of WWE and revealed that she was the individual who first acquainted her with Donald Trump. She facilitated their introduction.

Throughout her tenure in the professional wrestling industry, all events transpired. An event occurred in which Donald Trump shaved Vince McMahon’s head in the center of a wrestling ring during a live televised match.

This episode ultimately transpired after Trump had previously body-slammed her husband, a prominent wrestling promoter. Their contrived dispute persisted for a considerable duration, ultimately culminating in resolution at this juncture.

In 2017, she was officially appointed as the head of the Small Business Administration, the government agency responsible for assisting millions of small businesses across the United States. The predominant share of private sector employment in the country is attributed to these enterprises, which also account for the recruitment of about fifty percent of the workforce.

Trump referenced her prior business acumen and her contributions to the expansion of WWE when announcing his presidential candidacy. Her contributions were significant to the expansion of WWE.

Subsequent to her exit from the administration, she took up the position of chairperson of the America First Action Super PAC, a political action committee (PAC) in colloquial terms. This organization has previously demonstrated its support for Donald Trump.

SOURCE: GN