fly

Spacex has been scratching his head for 11 weeks to relaunch Starship. Now he finally has green light to fly again

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After two consecutive explosions At the beginning of the year, Spacex has received permission from the US government for the ninth Starship test flight, which has just been announced for the night of Tuesday, May 27. The company has detailed the changes in the ship and the causes of the previous failure. To the third is the defeated? Starbase technicians have been working frantically to implement improvements in the prototype that will fly in the ninth proof mission of the Starship program. This attempt comes after two consecutive failures of a new version of the ship, known as Starship Block 2. Spacex has completed countless earth tests. After advancing in the investigation of the previous flight and with the authorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in hand, everything is ready for the world’s largest rocket to surf the skies again. If there are no setbacks, the launch window will open on Tuesday, May 27 at 18:30, local time of Texas (01:30 in the morning of Wednesday 28 on Spanish peninsular hours). Problem solved. In the two previous flights, which took place in January and March, Starship had a premature and explosive ending: the upper stage engines went out ahead, the ship lost control and ended up disintegrating itself into the upper atmosphere, spreading their remains near the Bahamas and the Turkish Islands and Caicos. A hard blow for Spacex, which had requested permission for 25 Starship test flights per year. The January flight investigation, supervised by the FAA, determined that the flight failure had originated from a liquid oxygen escape and the consequent fire in the ship’s motor compartment, caused by more intense vibrations than expected. Although Spacex made adjustments for the March flight, the ship failed again, giving rise to endless rumors about a design error In Starship version 2, slightly higher and with a new fuel feed system. The findings of the investigation, newly publishedThey reveal that the second incident was not related to the first, and that the vibrations problem had been solved before flight 8. What failed on the flight. According to the March flight investigation, supervised by the FAA, the most likely cause of the loss of the ship was a hardware failure in one of its three central raptor engines. The ruling caused an accidental mixture and ignition, which caused an explosion. Immediately after the explosion, the other two central engines and a vacuum raptor engine went out, causing Starship to lose control again. Spacex believes that the flight termination system was activated after he lost communications with the ship, ensuring its disintegration. The improvements. Since the vibrations problem had already been solved with the implemented mitigations for flight 8, Spacex has now focused on the upper stage of the upper Starship stage, which have received reinforcements in key joints, a new system of nitrogen purge and improvements in the propellente drainage system. It is a temporary solution that will cease to be necessary after the introduction of the raptor 3 engine, which has a more minimalist design with the integration of several components and includes reliability improvements to address this type of failures. Anyway, the FAA takes for good changes in the Raptor 2, highlighting that Spacex “has satisfactorily approached the causes of the mishap of flight 8”. Tuning. A few days ago, the company successfully completed a long -lasting static ignition of the six starship 35 engines, the prototype that it will use in the ninth flight. This test has been an important stumbling block for flight 9 because the ship needed several attempts to complete it. In a first attempt in early May, one of the engines issued a strong flash and part of its material came out. After the successful ignition, the Ship 35 returned to production facilities for final preparations; Presumably, the load of Starlink satellites and touch -up models in their thermal shield. How will flight 9 be. The flight profile of the next week will be very similar to that of failed attempts, but with several important milestones. The super heavy rocket that will boost the ship, the booster 14, will be The first to be reused After its previous January flight, in which it rose to the edge of the space, separated from the Starship ship and returned to the launch platform to be trapped in the air through its mechanical arms. 29 of the 33 propeller engines are “second -hand”, although they were performed exhaustive inspections and only one -use components were replaced (such as the ablative thermal shield). Of course, this time it will not be recovered: the booster 14 will maneuver directly on the sea to Try a flight profile More risky, with a quick turn after the separation of stages, a more aggressive angle in the descent and a deliberately off motor in the spareness maneuver. As for the Starship 35. The ship, on the other hand, will reach more than 160 kilometers of altitude and will demonstrate for the first time the load deployment, launching eight Starlink simulators with its system inspired by the caramels dispensers of fish. An hour after takeoff, it will resent the Indian Ocean to perform controlled ametering. Beyond overcoming the above problems, one of the pending objectives is to prove the improved thermal shield of the Starship Block 2, which will be crucial to reuse the ship. The previous failures prevented the rocket from reaching the point where this shield comes into play: the reentry. Spacex has eliminated a significant number of thermal tiles to test vulnerable areas. On flight 9 will try new metal tiles (One of them with active refrigeration) and new capture accessories for future landings. The new alerons of the ship will also be tested during the reentry. The planes will be further this time. Despite the vote of confidence in Spacex, FAA has imposed some conditions, as the expansion of aerial exclusion zonesboth in the United States and in other countries. The danger zone for aircraft will be extended … Read more

an old F16 fleet that do not fly

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Last week, what the United States had been chasing since Trump was re -elected president. Washington reached an agreement around access and mineral exploitation Strategic and rare earths of Ukraine. Under the same, the United States obtains preferential rights and investment capacity On the natural resources of the nation (including titanium, zirconium, graphite, gas, oil and manganese) in a framework that aims to boost the reconstruction of the country devastated by war, without imposing any debt to Kyiv. For its part, the United States has reactivated help in the conflict. A new pact. The main instrument will be The so -called Investment Fund for the United States – Ucrania reconstruction, a binational entity with the same representation of both parties that will manage new licenses without affecting pre -existing companies or previously compromised budgets. For the Ukrainian authorities, the agreement represents a Investment -based alliancetechnology and shared autonomy, not in economic subordination. The logic of the agreement. One of the most striking elements of the pact is the explicit elimination of any type of Debt obligation from Ukraine to the United States. This gesture dissipates, a priori, Trump’s recurring criticisms about the “lack of compensation” for US military assistance, encrypted by the president in 350 billion dollars (figure “something” different from other levels). Ukrainian Minister of Economy, Yulia Svydenko, stressed that the agreement The legal status does not change of public or private companies of the extractive sector and that the income of the fund will be nourished only from new licenses, ensuring that current public funds will not be touched. Technology and deterrence. Although the agreement did not detail explicit commitments on military aid, both the official narrative and political statements They already pointed to a renewed willingness to support by the Trump administration. For Zelenski, the agreement opens the door to sustained flows of investment and technological transfer not only for economic development but also For defensive purposes. Svydenko indicated that the United States will help attract Key technologies that support the fight against Russia, with possibilities open to projects such as air defense systems. From Washington, the message is unequivocal: the agreement is also an instrument of strategic pressure and firm alignment in front of Moscow. Treasury Secretary Scott Besent declared that the firm represents A clear sign to the Kremlin that the United States bets in the long term for a free, sovereign and prosperous Ukraine. Trump, meanwhile, defended the pact as a way to protect US investment and reinforce the Ukrainian position in front of a “much larger and more powerful” Russia. The first “package”, in fact, It is on its way. F-16 unusable. Yes, the United States has begun to send to Ukraine F-16 fighters retired and non -operational, stored in his famous “Boneyard” of Arizona. The underlying idea is that these are used as a source of crucial spare parts for the growing F-16 fleet donated by European countries. The gesture, confirmed by the American Air Force after the appearance of images that showed involved and partially dismantled fuselages being loaded in a AN-124 Ukrainian In Tucson, it marks a new stage in the complex maintenance logistics that requires the use of these veteran Western fighters in active combat against Russia. The sent aircraft lack essential components such as engines, radars or wings, which makes them unusable in flight, but their value resides in the pieces they do, many of which are scarce in Europe. Transportation, destined for Rzesów-Jjaka, the Key Logistics Center In southeastern Poland for the transit of military aid to Ukraine, it reinforces the hypothesis that these F-16 will be integrated into the support system and not into the operational inventory. An international fleet. It is estimated that Ukraine will receive up to 85 F-16 in flight conditions: 24 from Netherlands, 19 of Denmark, 12 of Norway (which will also donate 10 additional exclusively for spare parts) and 30 promised by Belgium. However, part of these aircraft will go to pilot training at the F-16 formation center in Romania, which further reduces direct availability for combat. Before the loss of units in the front (two fighters They have already been shot downwith the death of their pilots In defensive missions) and the logistics difficulty involved in maintaining an old aircraft fleet, the supply of fuselages dismantled from the United States represents a strategic relief in terms of maintenance, although it does not expand direct offensive capacity. Configuration and tactical capacity. The F-16 Ukrainians have been deployed both in Air-Aire and Aire-Fetierra missions, using missiles AIM-9X and AIM-120 AMRAAM for air defense, in addition to GBU-39/B guided bombs mounted in Racks Bru-61which allows them a capacity Surgical of in -depth attack. Configurations have also been seen with three external fuel tanks, necessary to maximize autonomy in the absence of aerial refueling, and electronic warfare systems such as The AN/ALQ-131that reinforce survival in hostile environments. Units include internal electronic improvements specialized in threat detection and display of countermeasures. Cemetery of fighters as a vital source. The Base Davis-Monthanwhere the official “Boneyard” Air Force is located, still retains hundreds of F-16 fuselages in a variable state. Namely: 150 of model A, 27 of B, 143 of C and 22 of the D, although much of them are not suitable for flying again. Many of the reusable specimens have been diverted to functions such as aggressive airplanes for the Navy and the Air Force or converted into aerial targets QF-16 For training. Moreover, this progressive exhaustion of useful stocks has caused even the United States to extend the useful life of active service, while resisting, for now, the idea of ​​delivering blasting units to Ukraine. Limited supplies. Plus: the slowness in the delivery of F-16 by European allies, such as He has recognized Belgiumis due in large part to the shortage of spare parts. The technical demand that involves putting these fighters (even more so in a previously structured Air Force around Soviet platforms) converts the arrival of parts into an urgent need. … Read more

The five essential accessories to travel comfortably by plane (although they fly with Ryanair)

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Traveling cheap has already become a hobby for many and social networks have been filled with traveler profiles and users sharing their experiences in different countries. If you are one of those who usually travel a lot in low cost companies like Ryanair or Vueling Or you have the purpose of traveling more, these are the five accessories that I recommend and that you can not miss in your adventures. Cabin backpack Cabin Metz by 34.95 euros: with 24 -liter capacity and suitcase type opening. Bluetooth headphones Anker P40i Soundcore by 45.99 euros: With autonomy of up to 60 hours and noise cancellation. Electronic book Amazon Kindle by 99 euros: With 16 GB of memory and 6 -inch screen. Mini External battery Veektomx by 19.20 euros: 10,000 mAh and USB-A and USB-C ports. Two pack Bluetooth locators by 15.99 euros: Compatible with iOS and Android devices. Two pack Anti -theft belts For trips by 13.99 euros: Adjustable and with hidden pocket. Three pack Coleteros To save money for 6.39 euros: With zipper pocket. Cabin Metz cabin backpack It is increasingly common to travel without billing, especially due to the high costs of including a suitcase in the plane ticket. For some time, cabin backpacks have been popularized and this Cabin Metz It is one of the ones I recommend. You can buy it for 34.95 euros. Tiktok has been the social network in which this type of backpacks have been popularized, but be careful because not all of them comply with the measures required by the airlines. This does measures 40x30x20 cm and has 24 liters of capacity. Only weighs 600 grams and its Suitcase type opening It allows maximizing space. It also has a large number of pockets. Cabin Max Metz Backpack 40x30x20 * Some price may have changed from the last review Aker P40I Bluetooth Soundcore Sound headphones Imagine that on your flight there are many children or that it even touches you a very talkative passenger to the side and you do not feel like talking to anyone. So, some bluetooth headphones are the solution. These Anker P40i Soundcore They are a good option and now they cost 45.99 euros. These Wireless headphones Anker offers an autonomy of up to 60 hours (more than enough time for any flight. They come with cancellation of adaptive noise and its Load case you can use as support for mobile; Something perfect in case you plan to watch movies or series on the plane. ANKER P40I SOUNDCORE Bluetooth wireless headphones with adaptive noise cancellation * Some price may have changed from the last review Electronic Book Amazon Kindle Many people take advantage of their trips by plane to read. With luggage weight restrictions, an electronic book such as the Kindle It is one of those devices that should not be missing in your suitcase or backpack. Now, at Amazon, you can buy for 99 euros. This Kindle It is the most basic model of Amazon. It has a 6 -inch screen with integrated reading light. Only weighs 158 grams and comes with 16 GB of internal memory. Its battery also offers autonomy for weeks. New Amazon Kindle (16 GB) * Some price may have changed from the last review Mini External Battery Veektomx Another essential gadget that cannot be missing in your trips, especially if you are to take many photos, is a External battery. This veektomx is ultra compact, so it will fit, without problem in your luggage. Now you can buy it for 19.20 euros. This mini portable battery It has a capacity of 10,000 mAh and only weighs 169 grams. It has a USB-A port compatible with QC 3.0 of 18 W and another UB-C that works with PD/QC 3.0 of 20 W. In addition, this USB-C port It works as entrance and exit. Veektomx mini external battery fast charging 10000mah * Some price may have changed from the last review Bluetooth locator pack Bluetooth locators are that type of gadgets that do not know their usefulness until the tests. When traveling, they are perfect for have your luggage under control At all times. Now, at Amazon, it has this pack of two of the Amoron firm is a bar 15.99 euros. These Bluetooth locators They are compatible with iOS and Android devices. With just pressing the alert button in the app, you will know where your backpack or suitcase is, since it emits a strong sound of 100 dB. Amorom Smart Air Tracker Tag 2 Pack * Some price may have changed from the last review TWO TRAVEL Belt for travel Traveling with money to a country where tourists are the white of scams, it can be something that worries. But, today, there are solutions to carry money in a totally safe way, like this Antirrobos belt. The Back of Two Cuesta now 13.99 euros In Amazon. This belt has a hidden pocketin which you can save your money and documents and be safe from the portero. It is a 120 cm long and totally adjustable belt. It is made of resistant nylon and has robust plastic buckle. Rafiyu 2 pieces hidden portfolio and anti -theft belt * Some price may have changed from the last review Three colleagues pack to save money Yes, you are not reading badly but there are coleteros in which you can keep money and avoid stealing the porterists During your trips. Now, at Amazon, you can get the pack of three units by 6.39 euros. Each of these colleagues has a zipper pocket in which you can save your money or other small objects. Not only can it be used in your hair, but you can also put it on your wrist. 3 pcs for velvet hair with zipper * Some price may have changed from the last review Some of the links of this article are affiliated and can report a benefit to Xataka. In case of non -availability, offers may vary. Images | Freepik, Cabin Metz, Anker, … Read more

Choosing seat to fly has become a luxury. Now Ryanair has his own subscription to assure you

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Offer the basics to travel. A seat and (for the moment) a hand suitcase. This is how operators have done business Low Cost When it comes to flying. Eliminate everything that the client can consider accessory to lower the basic prices of tickets. For the rest, you have to go through the box. But if you are fed up with all this, Ryanair proposes another option: Subscribe to his flights. A subscription to Ryanair. Ryanair Prime. This is the name of the new service that The company is offering on its website. For 79 euros a year, the Low Cost airline offers you a series of exclusive advantages within its membership: Priority sale on selected flights Exclusive discounts for some flights Free selection for the member and a companion According to the company, if we want to choose a seat every time we travel this subscription, it is profitable from three flights since we would stop paying 105 euros. That is, in case of flying three times the traveler would be saving 26 euros in total. If we fly twelve times, savings can reach 420 euros. The 12 flights. The mention of savings of those 12 flights is not accidental. As read in the Subscription terms and conditionsthe client can choose a seat up to twelve occasions for him and the companion. That is, it is understood that this benefit in the subscription only reaches the first 12 trips of the year. (Lot) small print. When promoting this service, the company has emphasized advantages such as travel insurance to cancel a flight as a result of an injury or disease (excluding COVID-19), the theft of the luggage or the delay of other flights. Of course, it is specified that those over 70 are excluded from disease coverage. It is not the only aspect that attention must be paid since the reserve of seats has its own peculiarities. Yes, it is true that the member can choose free seat for him and the companion but always and when they opt for seats that do not imply an extra cost in their selection. Ryanair points out that, therefore, it is not guaranteed that the member of the subscription and the traveler can travel accompanied by each other since it will depend on the available seats that allow a free change or the random assignment by the company. The seat business. When it comes to eliminating all the accessory of a flight, one of the first spotlights in which Ryanair attention was in the selection of seats. The company, like so many other low cost, knows that the client is willing to pay for them to travel accompanied, to have more leg space or to leave before the plane (choosing the front seats) once he has landed. In 2023, The Telegraph It echoed a study in which the airlines of the seat choice service were specified. According to him, Ryanair was the fifth company that took the most benefit, with 3,280 million pounds a year. But it was the Low Costa company that made the most money in this regard. Keep in mind that Delta (6,550 million pounds), United Airlines ((6,460 million pounds), American Airlines (6,320 million pounds) and Southwest Airlines (4,870 million pounds) offer much longer flights and the cost of choosing a seat is also superior. A seat and nothing more. As you can see in the superior image, Ryanair takes into account various services that are gradually more than the price of the ticket. With the basic rate it is possible to travel for 15 euros in a Madrid-Cagliari, for example, but you will not have the right to choose a seat and will have to adapt to the suitcase for the smallest possible hand luggage. In addition, rates play to offer and remove services to propose the most expensive alternative as the most interesting. Thus, the option Regular It allows to carry a larger cabin in the cabin (up to 10 kg) but this is not available if we want to bill a 20 kg suitc Plus. Nor is the priority shipment available in the latter used by the Regular. The controversy of the suitcase. As we see, the subscription service completely omits the possibility of carrying a hand suitcase on board which, without a doubt, is the company’s last great controversy. In Spain, Low cost have been fined For not allowing the passage with hand suitcases, Ryanair being with a fine of more than 107 million euros the most punished. The company defends itself by ensuring that it does allow access to the aircraft with hand luggage but that this It must be a maximum 40 centimeters high, 20 centimeters wide and 25 centimeters deep. These measures are equivalent to a bag or backpack but the typical troley used on trips is usually larger. In that case, if this last suitcase has not been added when making the reservation and does not enter the measures, The company charges a 46 euros supplement. However, the Ministry of Consumer does not consider that the basic rate contemplates the obligation to allow access to the plane with a hand suitc Insults answered Pablo BustinduyMinister of Consumption, by Michael O’Leary, CEO of Ryanair. But, above all, applying pressure with The exit of airports with lower traffic of the country. Photo | Markus Winkler In Xataka | Spain has tired of Ryanair’s practices. And the airline is going to hit where it hurts the most: the provinces airports

This fly larva turned his ass into the head of a little one. The big question we have now is how it will be adult

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When we think of camouflage in nature, images of Octopos that melt with the seabed, of SEPIAS or chameleons. There are other tactics to confuse possible predators, such as Butterflies that mimic patterns in the wings to confuse birds or Palo insects. But there is an even more committed case to go unnoticed: that of a flip larva that has turned its butt into the head of a termite. And it works so well that the termites until they feed. Fluke. What seems an adorable creature in the main image is, in reality, the rear of a blue fly larva. It has false antennas, but also false eyes, an impressive morphology adopted with a single objective: to confuse the termites. And the finding has been made … by chance. Researchers from the Institute of Evolutionary Biology, the CSIC and the Pompeu Fabra University were studying butterflies and ants in the Anti-Atlas mountain range, south of Morocco. However, like They explain In the publication of the IBE, as the butterflies did not fly due to the heavy rains, they began to look for ants. “When we lift a stone, we found a termiter with three fly larvae that we had not seen before.” Shut mask. They themselves affirm that it was a “casual finding”, but really special because, after it, they made three more expeditions in the area and, “despite lifting hundreds of stones, we only find two others, together in another termitter.” In it study Published in Current Biology, researchers develop their surprise with these larvae that have developed “a unique costume”. Located on the back of the body, the bluefly larva shows a “termite mask” with a non -functional head that has an antennas, palps and eyes extremely similar to those with a great trine harvesting. Those eyes have a function, but very different from what we might think: they are the holes for which the larva simply breathes. Twin. As they explain, most termites live in extremely dark environments on termiters at meters deep, so they do not need eyes at all. The harvesting termites, however, go to the surface to collect grass and have functional eyes, something that these larvae mimic with their spiracles. 3D camouflage. The specimens are curious, but they would really have to define them as fascinating due to two extremely unique details. One is that they not only have antennas in that false head, but throughout their body, as if they were tentacles. Researchers estimate that it is something that facilitates simultaneous communication with several termites inside the termiter. As you don’t see there, the termite that rubs to the “narrow” larva the tentacle of the false termite and thinks “ok, is mine.” But … do they only use touch? The truth is that not because, apart from being felt, the termites have a unique aroma that allows them to identify themselves as the same colony in the galleries of their home. And here comes the other fascinating detail: the larvae imitate that aroma and smell exactly the same as the rest of the termites. Each colony has a distinctive aroma, something that these larvae also have and that researchers have described as a “chemical costume.” They even give it porridge. “The larva is not only tolerated, but constantly communicates with the termites,” says Roger Vila, one of those responsible for the finding. He also speculates the possibility that the termites themselves feed the larva (through their functional head, yes), but it is something they are testing. In one of his photographs you can see that possible mouth -to -mouth food. Accelerated evolution. Vila comments that it is not so weird that there are flies that are made by other insects to carry out forms of social parasitism. For example, humpback flies also imitate the termites, but in that case they are adults, and not the larvae, the protagonists. It also indicates that the common ancestor between both flies dates back to more than 150 million years ago, “much more than what separates human beings from mice, so we could affirm that we have discovered a new case of evolution of social integration,” he says. In addition, he points out that the blue fly larva would have evolved very quickly to adopt these forms. Complications. Vila emphasizes that discoveries like this help to be aware of everything we do not know about the diversity and specialization of insects, but also comments that studying these laboratory larvae is something that seems extremely complicated. The larvae studied ended up dying without reaching metamorphosis in the laboratory, which indicates that, either recreate the conditions they have in the termiter in the desert is crucial – something very difficult – or there is some other element of the nest and the symbiotic relationship between species that is crucial for the survival of the specimens. We will see what they end up discovering, since now the mystery is not only to know if it is a unique larva, but how it will be in its adult form. Images Ibe, Roger VilaCurrent Biology In Xataka | It turns out that there is another terrestrial species that cures its injured and performs surgical amputations: ants

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