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Suborbital space tourism finally arrives | FCC prepares to run public C-band auction | The big four in the U.S. launch industry — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — hope to be one of two providers that will receive five-year contracts later this year to launch national security payloads starting in 2022. | China’s launch rate stays high | The International Space Station is the largest ever crewed object in space.

China-based emissions of three potent climate-warming greenhouse...

When it comes to heating up the planet, not all greenhouse gases are created equal. They vary widely in their global warming potential (GWP), a measure of how much infrared thermal radiation a greenhouse gas would absorb over a given time frame once it enters the atmosphere. For example, measured over a 100-year period, the GWP of methane is about 28 times that of carbon dioxide (CO2), and the GWPs of a class of greenhouse gases known as perfluorocarbons (PFCs) are thousands of times that of……

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Machine learning unlocks secrets to advanced alloys

The concept of short-range order (SRO) — the arrangement of atoms over small distances — in metallic alloys has been underexplored in materials science and engineering. But the past decade has seen renewed interest in quantifying it, since decoding SRO is a crucial step toward developing tailored high-performing alloys, such as stronger or heat-resistant materials. Understanding how atoms arrange themselves is no easy task and must be verified using intensive lab experiments or computer simulations based on imperfect models…….

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Big blossoms in peak bloom in DC...

The Lotus and Water Lilly Festival takes place at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. (Courtesy Tim Ervin/National Park Service) The Lotus and Water Lilly Festival takes place at the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens. (Courtesy Tim Ervin/National Park Service) A three-day celebration of D.C.’s other famous flowers — the lotuses and water lilies that dot the 700 acres of Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens — kicks off Friday. This year, the theme is on the art of the lotus and water lilies. The lotus…

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2024 Election Latest: Biden contracts COVID-19, Vance...

The third day of the Republican National Convention kicked off Wednesday with Republicans — led by the newly nominated Donald Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Ohio — shifting their focus to issues of national security and foreign policy. Republicans are expected to focus on Democratic President Joe Biden’s handling of the ongoing crises in Europe and the Middle East. Former Trump administration officials are also expected to take the stage to outline what foreign…

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Creating and verifying stable AI-controlled systems in...

Neural networks have made a seismic impact on how engineers design controllers for robots, catalyzing more adaptive and efficient machines. Still, these brain-like machine-learning systems are a double-edged sword: Their complexity makes them powerful, but it also makes it difficult to guarantee that a robot powered by a neural network will safely accomplish its task. The traditional way to verify safety and stability is through techniques called Lyapunov functions. If you can find a Lyapunov function whose value consistently……

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Collaborative effort supports an MIT resilient to...

Warmer weather can be a welcome change for many across the MIT community. But as climate impacts intensify, warm days are often becoming hot days with increased severity and frequency. Already this summer, heat waves in June and July brought daily highs of over 90 degrees Fahrenheit. According to the Resilient Cambridge report published in 2021, from the 1970s to 2000, data from the Boston Logan International Airport weather station reported an average of 10 days of 90-plus temperatures each year…….

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Francis Ford Coppola’s ‘Megalopolis’ wrapped at this...

PEACHTREE CITY, Ga. (AP) — Two years ago, Francis Ford Coppola stopped at Georgia Film Academy on the hunt for apprentices for his upcoming film, ” Megalopolis.” Jordan Holifield, then a 23-year-old student, did a double-take when he saw one of the application questions — did he know how to disassemble IKEA furniture? Months later, Holifield, one of four selected apprentices, pulled up to Coppola’s hotel — which was originally a Days Inn motel. But gone was the IKEA…

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Don’t work in bed, and other tips...

There’s a lot to be said for the work/play energy of a nice studio or other small apartment during the day. But how do you bring that energy down to get a good night’s sleep? With electronics, cookery, clothes and books all in one space, it can be a challenge to create a restful refuge. Design and sleep experts have some tips: Prioritize a sleep space, starting with the bed Everyone needs good sleep to stay healthy. “The primary…

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The stepped-up security around Trump is apparent,...

MILWAUKEE (AP) — On the floor of the Republican National Convention Tuesday evening, vice presidential candidate JD Vance greeted and shook hands with excited delegates as he walked toward his seat. It was a marked contrast from former President Donald Trump, who entered the hall a few minutes later and was separated from supporters by a column of Secret Service agents. His ear still bandaged after an attempted assassination, Trump closely hugged the wall. Instead of handshakes or hellos…

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Astronomers spot a highly “eccentric” planet on...

Hot Jupiters are some of the most extreme planets in the galaxy. These scorching worlds are as massive as Jupiter, and they swing wildly close to their star, whirling around in a few days compared to our own gas giant’s leisurely 4,000-day orbit around the sun. Scientists suspect, though, that hot Jupiters weren’t always so hot and in fact may have formed as “cold Jupiters,” in more frigid, distant environs. But how they evolved to be the star-hugging gas……

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Southern California school district sues Gov. Newsom...

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California school district involved in an ongoing legal battle with the state over the district’s gender-identity policy sued Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom Tuesday over a new law banning districts from requiring that parents be notified of their child’s gender identification change. The Chino Valley Unified School District and a handful of parents argued the law violates the rights of parents protected under the U.S. Constitution. “School officials do not have the right to…

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Jarren Duran’s 2-run HR gives AL a...

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Boston’s Jarren Duran, the All-Star MVP, hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the fifth inning and the American League beat the National League 5-3 on Tuesday night for its 10th win in the past 11 All-Star Games. Pittsburgh rookie Paul Skenes pitched a hitless first for the NL, twice hitting 100 mph, and Shohei Ohtani hit a three-run homer in the third for a 3-0 lead. Juan Soto hit a two-run double and scored on…

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Money from Washington’s landmark climate law will...

SEATTLE (AP) — Tens of millions of dollars raised by a landmark climate law in Washington state will go to Native American tribes that are at risk from climate change and rising sea levels to help them move to higher ground, install solar panels, buy electric vehicles and restore wetlands, Gov. Jay Inslee announced Tuesday. The money — $52 million — comes from the 2021 Climate Commitment Act, which auctions off allowances for heavily polluting companies to emit carbon,…

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AI method radically speeds predictions of materials’...

It is estimated that about 70 percent of the energy generated worldwide ends up as waste heat. If scientists could better predict how heat moves through semiconductors and insulators, they could design more efficient power generation systems. However, the thermal properties of materials can be exceedingly difficult to model. The trouble comes from phonons, which are subatomic particles that carry heat. Some of a material’s thermal properties depend on a measurement called the phonon dispersion relation, which can be……

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‘Hellishly hot’ southern Europe bakes under heat...

ROME (AP) — The Italian health ministry placed 12 cities under the most severe heat warning Tuesday as a wave of hot air from Africa baked southern Europe and sent temperatures over 40 degrees Celsius (104F), with the worst still to come. Municipal authorities in several southern European and Balkan cities took measures to look after elderly people in particular as civil protection crews fielded calls for water-drooping aircraft such as Canadairs to douse wildfires that raged in southern…

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