Month: July 2021

It’s no secret that the commercial space industry (aka NewSpace) has become immensely lucrative in recent years, and it has also made it highly competitive. To illustrate this, just look at the top three NewSpace companies in the world: SpaceX, Blue Origin, and Virgin Galactic. A new space race has begun between these three companies, all started by billionaires with similar visions.

The race has intensified in recent months when Jeff Bezos announced that the New Shepard rocket would make the maiden flight into space. In response, Virgin Galactic’s founder and CEO Richard Branson announced earlier this week that he would fly aboard the VSS Unity when it makes its latest test flight. If successful, Branson will be the first billionaire to fly into space on this mission – scheduled for Sunday, July 11th (weather permitting).

In the past, Branson said he would fly aboard his spacecraft once the company began operating crewed flights. Until recently, company spokesmen said Branson’s flight would take place later that year after another manned test flight took place. But when Bezos announced his plans early last month, there were rumors that Branson was considering speeding up the schedule.

According to their latest updates, Virgin Galactic plans to launch the Unity 22 mission early on Sunday, July 11th. The space probe will take off with its carrier aircraft (WhiteKnightTwo) from Spaceport America in the Jornada del Muerto desert basin in New Mexico. This event will also be shared via a global livestream that can be viewed on Virgin Galactic.com and the company’s Twitter, YouTube and Facebook channels.

Famed comedian Stephen Colbert, who interviewed Branson several times on his late night shows, was confirmed as the host. The event will also be attended by Grammy-nominated singer Khalid, who will debut a new song of her after the test flight at the landing pad. According to the official Virgin Galactic press release, the flight will have a triple purpose:

• The evaluation of the commercial customer cabin with a full crew, including cabin environment, seating comfort, weightless experience, and the view of the earth offered by the spaceship – all to ensure that every moment of the astronaut’s journey is amazed and awe, which space travel generates, maximized
• Demonstration of the conditions for conducting human-friendly research experiments
• Confirmation of the training program at Spaceport America supports the space experience

Chief Pilot Dave Mackay and Pilot Michael Masucci will fly the VSS Unity and its crew for this historic mission. As Virgin Galactic has also indicated, Branson is also accompanied by three mission specialists who perform specific tasks during the flight. First there is space engineer Beth Moses (Astronaut 002), Virgin Galactic’s lead astronaut instructor, who flew aboard VSS Unity during a test flight in 2019.

Next up is Colin Bennett (Astronaut 003), the company’s senior operations engineer who will be on site to oversee cabin equipment and help assess the overall experience. Then there is Sirisha Bandla (Astronaut 004), Vice President of Government Affairs and Research for Virgin Galactic, who will be on board to oversee the mission’s scientific payload. This will consist of a research project from the University of Florida to evaluate hand-held fixation tubes – vessels commonly used in microgravity experiments.

Richard Branson (Astronaut 001) is tasked with evaluating the “private astronaut experience” and receives the same training and preparation that all future “Virgin Galactic Astronauts” (also known as customers) will go through. The Virgin Mothership (VMS) Eve, the WhiteKnightTwo aircraft that will bring the VSS Unity to its take-off altitude, is piloted by Viring pilots CJ Sturckow and Kelly Latimer. As Branson said of the historic flight, it will be part of:

“I really believe that space is ours all. After more than 16 years of research, development and testing, Virgin Galactic is at the forefront of a new commercial space industry that will open space to mankind and change the world forever. “

“It is one thing to dream of making space more accessible to all; It’s another thing for an incredible team to work together to make that dream a reality. As part of a remarkable crew of mission specialists, I am honored to confirm the journey of our future astronauts and to ensure that we deliver the unique customer experience that people have come to expect from Virgin. “

In the video accompanying the press release, Branson also hinted that Virgin Galactic had something big going on that he wouldn’t talk about until after the test flight was completed. “When we get back,” he said, “I’m going to announce something very exciting to give more people the chance to become astronauts. Because the room belongs to all of us. So take care of this room! “

While it’s not entirely clear what that “something” might be, it is a safe bet that Branson will announce a schedule for the start of commercial flights. For years, wealthy customers have booked tickets to fly Virgin Galactic as soon as they are operational. Alternatively, Branson may announce some kind of giveaway that will allow a lucky few to fly into space as part of the next test flight before commercial flights begin.

It’s like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but with up to 4 minutes of weightlessness as a prize! Personally, I am willing to bet that this latter possibility is it. Regardless of the company’s fanfare and preparations, it is clear that Richard Branson is taking this test flight very seriously. This should come as no surprise considering the extent to which Blue Origin has conveyed the importance of the New Shepard test flight.

Obviously, the race is on to see which billionaire can put their money (their huge, huge, VERSATILE money) where their mouth is. For Virgin Galactic, the window will open tomorrow to beat Bezos, but it could very well happen sometime next week. As long as it happens before Tuesday, July 20, when Bezos and his crewmates take their flight, Branson can assert some bragging rights.

This new space race is not just about what you do and when you do it. It’s about getting noticed while you are too!

Further reading: CNN, Virgin Galactic

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Claim: Bill Gates just gave a climate lecture to billionaires who traveled by private jet – is that clear? Skip to content UK Development Secretary Justine Greening meets with Bill Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, during his visit to London today. Image: Russell Watkins / DFID, source Wikimedia

Guest contribution by Eric Worrall

h / t Breitbart; With so many private jets, the FAA reportedly had to delay arrivals to avoid overcrowding local airspace.

Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos photographed “Billionaire Summer Camp” at Sun Valley

Isobel Asher Hamilton

• Bill Gates was photographed Thursday at the Sun Valley conference.
• Gates has faced numerous unflattering media reports since his divorce announcement in May.
• Jeff Bezos was also spotted at the Sun Valley conference with girlfriend Lauren Sanchez.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos were spotted in Sun Valley on Thursday.

Every year billionaires flock to Sun Valley, Idaho for a conference hosted by private investment bank Allen & Co – the event is also known as the “Billionaires Summer Camp.” So many showed up in their private jets that year that the Federal Aviation Authority had to postpone arriving aircraft.

Bill Gates is a regular attendee, but his Thursday appearance marks the first time he has come to the conference since he announced his divorce from Melinda French Gates in May.

…

Read more: https://www.businessinsider.com/bill-gates-sun-valley-jeff-bezos-lauren-sanchez-summer-camp-2021-7

It seems even funnier that Bill Gates was there to give a lecture on “Climate Change”.

…

Conference sources have stated that Gates was due to deliver a speech on climate change at Friday’s event, but whether that speech will still take place remains to be seen.

…

Read more: https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2021/07/09/bill-gates-visits-sun-valley-for-climate-change-lecture-to-jet-owning-billionaires/

What can I say – totally outrageous. People who demand that the common people go back to save the planet and display their utter disdain for the idea of ​​practicing what they preach.

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Every day, there are more indications that show how anthropogenic factors are causing uncomfortable changes in our climate. Here in beautiful British Columbia, this means that wildfires are once again threatening countless acres of forests, communities, and wildlife. By the end of June 2021, more than 40 wildfires were raging across the province, including a rather substantial cluster around the town of Lytton.

Located just 150 km (about 93 mi) northeast of the city of Vancouver, Lytton, had to be evacuated on June 30th after an extreme heatwave led to wildfire sweeping through the area. These wildfires and the impact they were having at the time was being monitored by some of NASA’s Earth Observatory satellites. In a series of images recently shared on their website, they show the fires that were raging near Lytton just hours before the evacuation.

The satellites included the NOAA-20 satellite, which was launched as part of the Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) program mounted by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Using its Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), the NOAA-20 acquired an image (shown below) of three fires that were burning around Lytoon at the time – 02:00 PM PDT (05:00 PM EDT) on June 30th.

NOAA-20 VIIRS image of fires in interior BC on June 30th. Credit: NASA EO

These include the McKay Creek fire (left) and the Sparks Lake fire (right) that burned an estimated 150 – 200 km (60 – 75 mi) about 25 km (15.5 mi) north of Lillooett and 45 km (28 mi) northeast of Kamloops. The image also shows a smaller fire burning just 5 km (3 mi) south of Lytton, located in the vicinity of George Road. The images also show the different types of clouds that accompany these sorts of wildfires that occur in wooded areas.

The second image (shown below) was acquired by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 satellite, which was developed jointly by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). This image was taken at 12:00 PM PDT (03:00 PM EDT) and provides a more detailed look at the McKay Creek Fire and the contrast between pyroCbs clouds and dry smoke, as well as the fires driving them.

Whereas the clouds were imaged in natural color by the OLI, the flames were overlaid using shortwave infrared light data provided by the satellite’s Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS). The fires south of Lytton would eventually move north, prompting mayor Jan Polderman sign an official evacuation order at 06:00 PM PDT (09:00 PM EDT). The residents only received 15 minutes of advanced warning because the flames were being driven by winds of up to 71 km/h (44 mph).

About an hour later, the fires reached town and inflicted significant property damage and several injuries among the evacuating residents. The image captured by the NOAA-20 satellites also shows the different types of smoke produced by the wildfires. The bright white plumes, for example, are known as pyrocumulonimbus (pyroCb) clouds, which are caused by dry smoke and sublimated ice which then ascends due to convection and heat rising from the fires.

Image taken by the Landsat 8 OLI on June 30th, 2021. Credit: NASA EO

The darker plumes, visible to the west in the image, appear the way they do because they are composed of dry smoke created by dry burning foliage. While wildfires are a natural occurrence in the Pacific Northwest during the summer, their extent and intensity has been increasing. Michael Fromm, a meteorologist with the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), indicates that this is a direct result of the recent heatwave that hit interior BC.

“The forests are vulnerable each summer, and big fires and pyroCbs have been seen there repeatedly,” he said, in a NASA EO press statement. “But there’s no doubt the extreme heat and substantial wind exacerbate the fire danger.”

The spate of fires occurred during a record-setting heatwave that was felt all across the Pacific Northwest and western Canada. A week before Lytton was evacuated, the town recorded the highest temperatures ever seen in Canada for three consecutive days. On Tuesday, June 22nd, temperatures peaked at 49.6 C (121 °F), the highest temperature ever recorded in Canada to date.

To illustrate this heatwave, NASA’s Earth Observatory also provided a map derived from the Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) model. The map depicts air temperature anomalies at 2 m (~6.5 ft) above the ground all across western Canada and the United States on June 29th, 2021. The darkest red areas correspond to regions where air temperatures were 20 °C (36 °F) higher than the average temperature recorded on June 29th every year between 2014 and 2020.

GEOS model-based temperature map of North America during the heatwave in late June. Credit: NASA EO

These wildfires and the temperature anomalies that preceded them illustrate the danger that anthropogenic climate change poses. As temperatures continue to rise, interior regions will continue to experience hotter, drier summers, resulting in increased drought and wildfires. Aside from making wildfires more likely, the loss of groundwater also makes the job of fighting and containing these fires more difficult.

At present, atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have reached 409.8 parts per million (ppm) and will continue to climb for the foreseeable future. This will mean that the current trend of hotter, drier summers and wetter, more extreme winters will continue. As the former threatens people’s lives and livelihoods with fires, droughts, and loss of arable land, the latter will do the same with floods, increased storm activity, and heavy rains that lead to topsoil erosion.

Earth Observation is vital to all of this, and not only because it allows scientists and climatologists to observe where and how our climate is changing. It’s also a crucial part of crisis management, where satellite imagery and data can provide advance warning and up-to-date monitoring of hazards. In these and many other ways, going to space helps us to be better caretakers of Earth.

Further Reading: NASA Earth Observatory

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