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We thought that Voyager 1 had already given everything it could. NASA continues to turn off parts to keep it alive

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to some 25,000 million kilometers from Earth, Voyager 1 continues to send us data from interstellar space, Farther than any other ship built by humanity. The probe was launched in 1977 and, almost half a century later, it remains operational with an increasingly delicate condition: to keep it alive, the mission team is shutting down parts of the ship itself. That is exactly what has just happened with one of its scientific instruments, in a maneuver that reveals the delicate moment the mission is going through. The maneuver. On April 17, engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California they sent the order to turn off the experiment Low-energy Charged Particlesbetter known as LECP. It is an instrument dedicated to measuring low-energy charged particles, including ions, electrons and cosmic rays from both our solar system and the galaxy. The decision was not improvised. According to NASA, this instrument was next in the order agreed upon years ago by the scientific and engineering teams to cut consumption without terminating the mission. There are no solar panels. To understand why NASA has reached this point, we have to look at how Voyager 1 is powered. The probe does not work with solar panels, but with a radioisotope thermoelectric generator that converts the heat generated by the decay of plutonium into electricity. This system has allowed the mission to be sustained for decades, but its capacity is not infinite. According to NASA, both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 They lose about 4 watts of power per yeara small loss on paper, but decisive when you have been managing each watt with extreme care for almost half a century. The scare that accelerated the decision. Although the shutdown of the LECP was part of a previously defined roadmap, there was a recent episode that forced the team to move more carefully. During a routine turn maneuver on February 27, Voyager 1’s power levels dropped unexpectedly. The US agency explains that any additional descent could activate the ship’s undervoltage protection system, designed to disconnect components on its own and protect it. A calculated “pruning”. The shutdown sequence was decided a long time ago, in joint conversations between those who design the scientific part of the mission and those who technically keep it alive. Of the 10 instruments each Voyager had, seven have already been turned off. In addition, the LECP will not be completely disconnected: the small motor that allows the sensor to rotate to scan in all directions will remain on, because it barely consumes 0.5 watts and keeps a remote option open to reactivate it later. The plan that comes now. With this shutdown, NASA does not consider the issue closed, but rather gains time to attempt a deeper intervention. According to the agency, switching off the LECP should give Voyager 1 about a year of respite. During that time, engineers want to complete a more ambitious energy adjustment for the two probes, dubbed “big Bang“The idea is to change several energy-consuming devices at once, turning off some and replacing others with lower consumption alternatives, to conserve the necessary heat and continue operating scientific instruments for as long as possible. When will the maneuver be attempted?. NASA will first test this setting on Voyager 2, which is closer to Earth and has slightly more power. The tests are planned for May and June 2026 and, if they go well, the team will try to apply the same maneuver on Voyager 1 no earlier than July. Images | POT In Xataka | The paradox of artificial gravity: Einstein told us how to do it, engineering tells us it is almost impossible

“Divide each difficulty into as many parts as necessary to solve it”

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Honesty above all. What I had in my hands last Sunday afternoon while reading on the balcony of my house was not the ‘Discourse on method’ of Rene Descartesbut ‘Jotadé’a (highly recommended) novel by Santiago Díaz. At a given moment in the story, however, one of its characters quotes one of the French philosopher’s maxims. He does not do so by sticking to literality or with the high epistemological purpose that his author wanted to give him in the 17th century, but there were Descartes’ words with all their burden of common sense: “Divide each difficulty into as many parts as necessary to solve it”. In the novel, the protagonist’s father, a troubled police officer, shares this reflection with his son at a time when everything seems to be going uphill for him. It is unlikely that when Descartes he wrote itfour centuries ago, did it thinking about life advice or bestsellers police, but the truth is that it fits into the novel just as well as it does into his philosophical treatise. Doubting everything Back in 1637, Descartes asked himself one of those impossible questions that seem condemned to dead ends: How can I be sure of the certainty of what I consider ‘true’? Are we humans doomed surrounded by doubts, without reliable handholds to lean on? How do I know that what I judge ‘real’ is not a deception of my senses, an erroneous idea that I have assumed to be true? To get out of such epistemological quagmire the philosopher made a curious movement. He used doubt against doubt itself. He assumed that he only had access to his own mind and confirmed the obvious: that he was in doubt. Then he pulled the thread to formulate what is probably his most famous phrase: “Cogito ergo sum”which is usually translated as “I think, therefore I am” or “I am because I think.” Another way of putting it is that if there is anything undoubtable, it is the act of doubting itself. In words from Descartes himself: “Considering that the same thoughts that we have when awake can come to us when we sleep, without there being any true ones in that state, I pretended that all the things that had entered my spirit were no truer than the illusions of my dreams.” “But I realized that, while I wanted to think in this way that everything is false, it was necessary that I, who thought it, be something. And observing that this truth ‘I think, therefore I am’ was so firm and so certain that the most extravagant assumptions of the skeptics were not capable of undermining it, I judged that I could admit it as the first principle of the philosophy I sought.” At that point, how to move forward? How to continue collecting valid knowledge? To get out of this new quagmire, Descartes, philosopher, mathematician and physicist, had a bigger idea: he developed the so-called ‘Cartesian method’. His system encourages us to carry skepticism as our flag and proposes a series of steps that are as valid for working in a laboratory as they are for facing personal problems such as those that concern Jotadé in Díaz’s novel. What steps are those? We quote back to Descartes. “The first consisted of not admitting anything as true without having known with evidence that it was so. That is to say, to avoid haste and to admit nothing more than what presented itself so clearly and distinctly to my mind that I had no reason to doubt it.“. “The second, to divide each of the difficulties to be examined into as many parts as possible and necessary for its best solution.“. “The third, in conducting my thoughts in order, starting with the simplest and easiest to know objects, to ascend little by little, gradually, to the knowledge of the most complex and even assuming an order among those that do not precede each other.” “And the last, to make in everything such complete enumerations and such extensive revisions, that one would be sure of not having omitted anything.“. Descartes basically encourages relying only on logical analysis or (even worse) relying on authority as an infallible source. What it invites us to do is to resort to observation and experimentation, to cultivate the methodical doubt and be thorough in pursuing knowledge. Its four rules are a valuable guide to develop critical thinking, but its application is not limited there. This was claimed a few years ago by the writer and professor Shaunta Grimes in an article published in Mediumin which he focuses precisely on the second step of Descartes’ method, the one that encourages us to divide problems. “The phrase alludes to his method of evaluating the logic of a statement, but its applications are much broader,” clarify Grimes. In his opinion, Descartes also offers a guide for facing problems that seem unsolvable. The tactic is very simple: think of a problem that worries you. Then think about how you can solve it. Complicated, right? But… What if you cut it apart? The challenge as a whole may seem insurmountable, but it is likely that it is actually a sum of smaller problems. If we can divide it into as many parts as possible, just like a big puzzlewe will surely find a first piece that will no longer seem so complicated. We exchange a seemingly unsolvable whole for manageable parts. Grimes illustrates it with an example. Imagine that a friend confesses to you that he is not feeling well. The logical thing would be to ask: “Why?” He may respond that he misses a family member, that he hasn’t played sports for a while, that he hasn’t slept much in recent weeks, or that he feels frustrated at work. Among these ‘pieces’ there are some that are relatively easy to deal with (if you sleep little you can go to bed earlier), others may not be so easy, but even in those cases they can break … Read more

A Japanese toilet company has been manufacturing key parts in the chip industry for years. And now it is going to be key in AI

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Toto, world famous for their toilets with a trickle that we usually miss so much when we return from Japan, has been quietly manufacturing key components for the semiconductor industry for decades. Just like account Financial Times, an activist fund has focused on that part of its business, and the market is starting to pay attention. What has happened. Palliser Capital, a UK-based activist fund, has sent a letter to Toto’s board of directors arguing that the advanced ceramics the company works on are being ignored and underestimated by the market. The fund, which owns a stake among the 20 largest in the company, according to share from FT, calls Toto “the most underrated and overlooked AI memory beneficiary.” What is important. Toto is not just a bathroom company. Since 1988 it has been manufacturing the so-called ‘electrostatic chucks’ in series.‘ (electrostatic jaws), high-precision ceramic components used in the manufacture of NAND memory chips to hold silicon wafers during the production process, controlling temperature and avoiding contamination. This business, which they fit within their “advanced ceramics” division, already represents around 42% of the company’s total operating profit, according to data from Bloomberg. The connection with AI. He data center boom for artificial intelligence has skyrocketed the demand for memory chips. Companies like Meta, Amazon or large memory manufacturers (SK Hynix, Samsung, Kioxia) are accelerating their production to face a widespread shortage. That translates into more demand for the components that Toto manufactures. The company’s ceramic technology is also specially adapted for cryogenic etching, a process that is expected to gain popularity as memory chips become more complex and layered. Business tips. According to share The fund also criticizes that Toto is not explaining well to investors the importance of this segment and that the allocation of internal capital is not prioritizing this lucrative sector. The fund proposes that the company expand its ceramics business, sell cross-stakes in other companies and make better use of its 76 billion yen in cash (about $496 million). If Toto did all that, Palliser estimates the stock could rise more than 55%. The market had already started to move. Toto shares have accumulated a revaluation of more than 60% in the last year. Just like share Bloomberg, at the end of January, after the support of Goldman Sachs, which raised the value to buy pointing to the memory shortage as a tailwind, the stock rose 11% in a single day, its biggest rise in five years. Be careful with the warnings. The idea that Toto would have that competitive advantage before other competitors can be at that level comes from Palliser himself, who has an obvious interest in making that narrative credible. Tom’s Hardware points out that while electrostatic jaws play a real role in advanced manufacturing processes, whether that translates into sustained growth still depends in part on large memory manufacturers committing to expanding production and, for now, they are being cautious faced with the risk of oversupply if the AI ​​market cools. The phenomenon is not exclusive to Toto. Japan has a long history in chip production, which has led companies with very different profiles to develop businesses related to semiconductors almost without anyone noticing. Just like share Bloomberg, Ajinomoto, known for its broths and its mastery of umami, makes insulating films for chips based on its expertise with amino acids. Kao, a cosmetics company, has a silicon wafer cleaning business. The AI ​​business is revaluing companies that, a priori, had nothing to do with it. And Toto is the latest example of this. Cover image | Taylor Vick and Upgraded Points In Xataka | What future awaits artists with the rise of AI? In Ireland they see it so black that they are already preparing a basic income

reduce the production of laser weapons and parts for electric cars to one second

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A team of researchers from China has achieved a technological leap that could alter the energy base of sectors as diverse as electric vehicles, advanced radars or even new generation defense systems. At a time when speed, thermal stability and on-chip integration have become strategic priorities for industry and militaries alike, China claims to have found an unexpectedly fast path to producing one of the most critical components in modern electronics. An industrial leap. China has presented an advance that fundamentally disrupts the production of dielectric storage capacitors, a critical component for hybrid electric vehicles, radar systems, advanced electronics and, especially, directed energy weapons. Two teams from the Metal Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have achieved reduce the manufacturing process of these devices just one second thanks to a technique flash annealing capable of heating and cooling materials at 1,000 ºC per second, forming crystalline films on silicon wafers in a single step. In other words, what previously required between three minutes and an hour now happens literally in the blink of an eye, without loss of energy density or thermal stability, and maintaining stable performance. up to 250 ºCa range that covers, for example, from the inside of a hybrid vehicle to the depths of oil exploration. The advance also offers a scalable industrial path towards on-chip storage devices, a goal long pursued by the electronics industry. A new class of capacitors. Dielectric capacitors stand out because they can charge and discharge energy with extreme suddenness, generating current peaks essential for systems that depend on instantaneous reactions. The new crystalline films created by the Chinese team not only achieve energy densities comparable to those of much slower methods, but they maintain less than 3% degradation even at 250 ºC. This guarantees its operation in severe conditions, from automotive electronics subjected to constant heat to sensors and energy exploitation equipment underground. Researchers say in your work that the rapid solidification obtained by heating by electromagnetic induction and immediately cooling in liquid nitrogen fixes the crystalline structure in a high energy state that multiplies the capacity storage, reaching 63.5 J/cm³, values ​​higher than traditional techniques such as firing in a muffle furnace or rapid thermal tempering. This combination of extreme speed, stability and density opens the door to design leaps in multiple industrial sectors. Strategic implications. As we said, the most delicate, and potentially transformative, impact is found in the military terrain: Emerging technology offers a direct solution to one of the bottlenecks of directed energy weapons, such as high-powered lasers, which require fast, stable flows of electricity to maintain sustained fire, repeated pulses, and minimal reload times. The ability to generate intense electrical pulses from denser, more heat-resistant, mass-produced capacitors with faster times drastically reduced makes this technology a key enabler for ship-borne lasers, anti-drone systems, energy saturation weapons or ground-based air defense platforms. In a scenario where thermal autonomy, stress resistance and the ability to withstand repeated thermal cycles are essential, these new dielectric films offer a decisive advantage compared to previous generations of materials. Although they still depend on improvements to close the gap with lithium batteries in total capacity, their superiority in instantaneous power is exactly what modern laser systems require. World projection. The promise of producing advanced capacitors in a second It represents a disruptive change for industries that, until now, assumed long and expensive processes to achieve similar levels of quality. The ability to extend the procedure to other ferroelectric materials and to apply the method on wafer-scale pellets makes this development in a milestone with direct implications for defense microelectronics, aeronautics and the energy sector. China thus obtains a path towards strategic components that are difficult to replicate in the short term in other countries, consolidating an industrial advantage in dual technologies whose relevance will only grow in the coming decades. For the directed energy weapons (considered the next big leap in anti-missile defense, anti-drone and anti-hypersonic platforms) this evolution in capacitors could be equivalent to missing link– Fast, robust, compact and, for the first time, truly scalable storage. Image | CCTV (via X) In Xataka | It is called Crazy Li and it is capable of cutting metal or causing blindness: China has developed an unprecedented combat laser In Xataka | China has made a science fiction dream come true: an electromagnetic cannon capable of reaching 3,000 shots per minute

a company limited in equal parts and various real estate investments

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The reunion of La Oreja de Van Gogh with its original vocalist is raising a lot of comments, perhaps not all as positive as the band itself expected. The terms in which it was done not all fans liked thembut the truth is that if we look at the group’s accounts, it makes all the sense in the world: this is the underground economy that beats behind Van Gogh’s Ear. A controversial return. Why so much conflict? The long-awaited return of Amaia Montero, the group’s original singer between 1996 and 2007, has emerged after a separation with vocalist Leire Martínezwho left the band after 17 years, in a context marked by constant rumors. The official confirmation of the reunion has also brought with it another announcement: the departure of the composer of most of the group’s hitsguitarist Pablo Benegas, which implies a significant change in the group’s historical formation. The return of Amaia Montero has been accompanied by the announcement of a tour for 2026, which at the moment is resulting in considerable success. The economic background. One of the main factors behind Amaia Montero’s return to La Oreja de Van Gogh are reasons that are not necessarily economic, since the singer has very healthy accounts, according to it has been possible to go away knowing in the last few days. Amaia, in fact, has been away from live music for approximately seven years and without new record releases, precisely because she doesn’t need it. However, the economic attraction of this return is very juicy. Limited Company. The truth is that La Oreja de Van Gogh is a company, not a typical pop band. La Oreja de Van Gogh SL, established by the five original members and still active, has a 20% stake for each one, and assets valued at around 2.9 million euros in 2022. The band’s return promises to substantially increase income derived from sales, concerts and advertising contracts, but the truth is that the company has allowed its partners to receive income even in seasons without tours or releases. Amaia too. But there is more. Amaia Montero has her own personal business company Poquito a Poco SL, which has a turnover of several million euros annually (more than 2.3 in 2023, and total assets valued at 3.7 million). Esya will see notable growth thanks to new activities linked to the band, although the singer has maintained a solid financial capital even during her periods away from live music. As? With real estate investments. The singer has: An apartment in San Sebastián valued at around 400,000 euros, acquired in 1999, when the success of La Oreja de Van Gogh was starting. A luxury apartment in the Salamanca neighborhood in Madrid, purchased in 2009 for 1 million euros and currently valued at approximately 3 million. It has about 289 square meters. An exclusive land in Guipúzcoa with a tennis court, swimming pool and fronton. A whole rosary of investments that allow us to discuss the reasons for a return to the band’s stages. But the economic ones do not seem to be among them. In Xataka | Rosalía, from virgin to martyr: the artist has embraced Catholic iconography in ‘Lux’ and controversy is served

A Norwegian man wanted a Lamborghini Aventado but he was not a millionaire. So one was made with Ikea parts

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Steinar Thyhold, a 57-year-old Norwegian, he is not a millionaire. However, that has not prevented fulfill your dream of having a “Lamborghini” in his garage. The most striking thing is that he has not achieved it with your life savings. It has achieved this in a much more impressive way: it has built your own Lamborghini Aventador at home and from scratch, recycling some parts from other cars and buying others in places as unexpected as Ikea. There’s nothing like a homemade Lamborghini According to published the Norwegian middle NRKThyhold took seven years to build his homemade supercar and put in more than 7,000 hours of work to create this fully functional replica of the Lamborghini Aventador that he has even driven on the open road. Far from the 400,000 euros that a original aventador At the dealership, the Norwegian “only” spent almost a million Norwegian crowns, which is equivalent to about 97,357 euros at the exchange rate. The whole process began in the garage of his home in Malvik (Norway), where he first manufactured a wooden chassis as a base and then built a tubular steel one. For the engine he chose a BMW block M73, a 5.4-liter, 326-horsepower V12, which he took from a third-generation BMW 750i E38. Choosing this engine was no coincidence. Thyhold wanted to maintain the spirit of the Aventador, which carries a V12 engineand that is why he opted for this second-hand German engine. The search for parts for his supercar forced Thyhold to travel halfway around the world. He bought the engine in Germany, but he also had to look for parts in Bulgaria, Thailand, the US and even Mexico. A “Frankenstein” on wheels As a good home project, the Aventador replica It is built by joining and adapting parts from different manufacturers. The Tiptronic sequential gearbox was taken from a Audi A8the window regulator is from a Volvo V70 and the different moldings of various Volkswagen models. In reality, from Lamborghini, it only has two original parts: the headlights and the windshield. According to published Business Insiderthese were the most expensive pieces of the project. The most curious thing of all is that to build the exhaust system for his homemade Aventador, the ingenious Norwegian turned to an unexpected supplier: Ikea. “The exhaust system was a challenge and, among other things, the pipes had to be covered. To achieve this, I bought a sink at Ikea and another at a second-hand store in Stjørdal. I screwed them together and installed them over all the pipes,” Thyholdt told NRK. Tap on the photo to go to the original message The dimensions of the car almost perfectly replicate those of the original model: it measures 4.8 meters long, 2.36 meters wide and 1.13 meters high. Although it has not revealed the final power, it is known that its BMW engine delivers more than 326 horsepower, since it included an ECU (Engine Control Unit) to improve performance. Despite being a completely homemade replica and artisanalThyhold’s Lamborghini can legally ride on the roads of the country since it complies with Norwegian regulations for amateur built vehicles and has been approved and registered. The authorities of the Public Highway Administration have visited his garage on several occasions to check the work, granting official approval to his project. Thyhold has shared its creation step by step through your Instagram profileto which he has added the description “Do it yourself”. For obvious legal reasons, Thyhold’s supercar couldn’t sport the Fighting Bull badge, so the Norwegian baptized his replica “Stethy”, a name he even silk-screened on the BMW engine. Steinar Thyhold’s work has been so methodical and precise that it has generated admiration among others Lamborghini enthusiasts. Harald Skjøldt, president of Lamborghini Klubb Norge in Norway, and owner of several supercars from Sant’Agata Bolognesepraised Thyhold’s retort. “I am very impressed with the work he has done. The Lamborghini is a very advanced supercar, so it is not an easy task.” The president of the Norwegian club expressed deep respect for Thyhold and his initiative and invited him to participate in the events organized by his club to roll with them as if it were one morealthough in reality he is the only one who can boast of having built his own Lamborghini. In Xataka | Lamborghini will only manufacture 29 units of its latest supercar but don’t be in a hurry: they were already sold before being presented Image | Wikimedia Commons (via.tt.se) Lamborghini

China’s government is discovering that selling cheap cars is not enough in Europe: spare parts will be insured

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China has proposed an objective: to become the New energy cars supplier of the world. HE esteem that the country exported about 4.3 million cars in 2024, of which 1.6 million were electric and almost 750,000 ‘They parked‘In some country in the European Union. Within China’s expansion policies, companies have made the decision of flood Europe with its cars. For this they are associating with already consolidated groups In our territory, but they have also opted for the most direct way: bring your cars directly in large ships and open dealers. It is what is allowing the expansion of brands like byd, Xpeng or Jaeco/omoda (and Those who are coming, like Xiaomi), But there is a problem: spare parts. We already told it a few days ago: the mechanics were Starting to see Chinese cars with good eyes. Even Euro NCAP, the agency responsible for giving a security score to cars in our territory, Consider that they are safer than many other brands. They are not the only ones: the CEO of Riviain has already said that Chinese cars were better And even Jim Farley, CEO of Ford, commented that He didn’t want to get off his Xiaomi Su7. The problem is when something fails And it’s time to ask for the replacement piece: you have to wait because you have to ask and, sometimes, that piece is easy for you to come … from China. Now it is the Chinese government itself who wants to settle that problem with a goal in mind: take care of the client. And for this they will regulate sales abroad through the ‘export licenses’. Export licenses, China’s weapon to improve the image of their cars In September 2012, China implemented a regulation called ‘Shang Chan Fa N318’ regulations. With it, a series of qualification requirements for national manufacturers were established that requested both cars and motorcycles. It was something that applied to both hybrid and combustion vehicles, but the electric were exempt. If companies could export everything they wanted without any regulation, Isn’t that good for expansion? Yes … and no. On the one hand, the aforementioned expansion is achieved, but irregularities could also be committed, a poor after -sales service and an absence of official guarantee were offered. Basically, “anyone” could bring the car, sell it and disregard. And there is the negative part, since if a user buys a car, fails or does not update and does not have any attention after the sale, that experience will not only do not return to Buy a Chinese carbut recommends not doing it. With the new export license that It will be implemented As of January 1, 2026 for cars that leave China, the government seeks to combat all that. And be careful, not only to Chinese manufacturers, but to companies that manufacture in China, regardless of its origin. In fact, four ministries are those who have jointly announced the measure (trade, industry and information technology, customs administration and the state administration for market regulation) and what companies that manufacture in China will have to do in China and want to sell their vehicles in other countries It will be to request a license that will be renewed annually.

Airtificial will manufacture parts of the first Spanish rocket at its Jerez plant

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Two of the most popular names of the Spanish high -tech industry have joined their paths. Airtificial, whose factory we visited a few years ago for the presentation of The first hyperloop capsulewill manufacture from now on reusable components for the first Spanish rocket, Miura 5 of PLD Space. Jerez composite. From the dream of magnetic levitation in vacuum tubes to the much more tangible reality of access to space. Aerospace & Defense Airtificial has agreed manufacture at its headquarters A series of composite material panels for PLD Space. They are, specifically, shields for the nozzles of the new Treprel-C engines. Critical elements that serve as a structural support, channeling the thrust of the engines to avoid vibrations that deformed the nozzles, and at the same time of thermal insulation, acting as a barrier that protects the rest of the systems of the lock of the heat of combustion. Why anestificial. The new PLD Space provider has 30 years of composite experience, a more light material than the metal that will reduce the weight of the Miura 5. In the space industry, less weight means greater efficiency and more load to orbit with the same fuel. In 2018, Airtificial acquired international fame after the presentation of Quintero One, a 30 -meter capsule made in carbon fiber compound material. It was a Hyperlooptt design, one of the companies that tried to materialize high -speed transportation promoted by Elon Musk. Today Hyperloop is considered One of the great technological failures of the last decade. Although Hyperlooptt continues to try, Virgin Hyperloop One closed, forcing the Spanish Zelleros to make adjustments. Years later, Airtificial has made the leap to the space industry. Miura 5 is not a promise. PLD Space has A detailed plan to become the European rocket factoryand the pieces begin to fit. After the debut flight of Miura 1, the Miura 5 of 34 meters high and five engines in its first stage is taking shape. Although your body is made of aluminum, it uses composed materials in areas such as cofia or the covers of the engines, which will be key For your future reusable version: PLD Space will try to recover the first stage of Miura 5 after the shock, and on this depends on the resistance of the components. The company is immersed in the qualification of the new Treprel-C engines, which will burn bioqueroseno and liquid oxygen. It is the first time they develop Rocket engines with turbobombs in Spain. The confidence in the project is such that there is already a date marked in red on the calendar to see the first Miura 5. The CEO Raúl Torres It is optimistic: “December 15 of this year. That is day D”. Images | Hyperlooptt, PLD Space In Xataka | This is the Spanish rocket Miura 5: Pld Space has presented it in images and hints that version 1.2 can land

Four astronauts were chosen in 2023 to see parts never seen from the moon. The wait is coming to an end

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After A long delayNASA’s Orion ship is practically ready for the first human flight to lunar orbit in more than half a century. American astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian Jeremy Hansen are the four chosen to see the moon from an unprecedented perspective. What they don’t have yet: a definitive date. The Artemis II mission flight plan The first Crewing Mission of the Artemis program It is the equivalent of Apollo 8 in the new lunar race. Artemis II is not a mission of alunage, but an overflow of the moon with the crew as a novelty of the system. His main objective It is validating that the Orion ship and its rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), are safe to transport astronauts to deep space. The flight plan of about 10 days begins with a takeoff from Florida and two laps to the earth. The first orbit will last just 90 minutes. The second, much more elliptical, will be extended for almost 24 hours, leading to the crew at an altitude of more than 74,000 km to test the life support systems before flying to the moon. With all verified systems, the Orion Ship Service Module, a Contribution of the European Space Agencywill turn on its engine for a translunar injection that will drive the crew on a four -day trajectory to the moon. The four astronauts will pass about 7,400 km from the hidden face of the moon, traveling farther from the earth than any human being before them. From that point, they will see the moon in the foreground and our planet as a small blue marble to almost 400,000 km away. Thanks to a “free return” trajectory, the severity of the earth and the moon will be responsible for attracting the Orion ship back home without the need for large motor lit, a trip of another four days that will culminate with a meritorious with parachute in the Pacific Ocean. Along the way, They will beat the highest speed that has ever reached The human being. Four astronauts waiting since 2023 In April 2023, NASA He presented the world The four astronauts selected for the Artemis II mission. On the part of NASA, a veteran trio will travel that includes Commander Reid Wiseman and the pilot Victor Glover (both with experience at the International Space Station), as well as the Mission Specialist Christina Koch (the woman who holds the longest space flight record). On the part of the Canadian space agency, which is NASA’s first partner to participate in a manned mission of the Artemis program, the Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen will go, for whom Artemis II supposes his first trip to space. When these four astronauts were selected, Artemis II was scheduled by the end of 2024. The objective date is not before April 2026. The main reason for the delay is the Thermal shield of the Orion shipthat he did not behave in the expected way in his debut mission. While Artemis I was declared a success, the inspection of the Orion capsule after his return in 2022 revealed something disturbing: the thermal shield had lost great pieces of its protective material. After months of research, NASA identified the cause in December 2024: During the reentry, the gases generated within the ablative material of the shield could not escape correctly, accumulating pressure and causing some parts to detach. Artemis I was a mission without crew, but the phenomenon was not foreseen in the models of their engineers. This problem, together with other technical challenges in the battery and circuits of the life support, led NASA to Read the calendar a couple of timesdelaying Artemis II as of September 2025 and, subsequently, to the current date of April 2026. Everything is already perfectly rehearsed Far from being bored at home, the last days have been a frenzy of trials for the four astronauts. In early August, their costumes entered and entered together in its Orion capsule. Within the ship, already loaded with fuel, they connected to the life support systems and communications, simulating the conditions of the launch day. A few days later, the Orion capsule was transferred to the assembly building Where on August 27 they finished installing the launch abortion system, an escape tower designed to move away the rocket crew in case of emergency. That type of emergencies is also rehearsed. In June 2025, NASA and the United States Department of Defense They made large -scale rescue drills On the Florida coast. Helicopters, rescue paratroopers and recovery equipment practiced how to extract the crew of the capsule in the sea in the worst stage. In Houston, the mission control center has also released facilities. On August 15, the New Orion Mission Evaluation Rooma space where dozens of NASA engineers and its international partners will monitor each data of the ship during the flight. A few days later, they were already doing complete simulations from the new room. Although the main objective is technical, Artemis II will also be a scientific mission. The crew can see the moon from a unique perspective that no one has seen before with their own eyes. And for that reason he has received Intensive geological formation To make the most of the overflow. Although they will not step on the moon, they could be the first humans to see with their own eyes certain regions of the hidden face, such as the Eastern basin. And they have the important task of photographing impact craters and old lava flows, describing textures and colors to help scientists on land to plan the Artemis III mission, the first one that will step on the moon since 1972. If China He doesn’t get it before. Images | POT In Xataka | When the first human being stepped on the moon we all believed that he had abandoned the “earth.” We were wrong

It is a direct bullet to the blue links that restless and excites equal parts

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This year’s google has left us with very interesting pearlsespecially as far as artificial intelligence is concerned. It is clear that Gemini It has been the most important tourist attraction of this year and makes all the meaning of the world. It has been so that the company has completely set aside Android In your most important event. Although of course, for this we already had A separate event With all the news. In addition to all the tests with Project Moohan and the Google glasses with GeminiI have also had the opportunity to try Ai modethe new and revolutionary function with which Google intends to completely transform your search engine. We are no longer facing simple results with some of the above; This is a radical change in the way of looking for information, and it was all that we expected from Google from the AI ​​boom. Finally, the company has decided to take the step and under these lines I tell you what it seemed so far. Google Search makes the leap and transforms completely into a search engine with AI To access AI Mode I had to change my region to the United States through Search Labs, since it is not yet available in Europe. Once the change is made, on the main page of Google, where the “I will be lucky” (may rest), now “ai mode” is now. It will also arrive for mobiles, but I still couldn’t try this aspect. Here instead of typing keywords and get a list of links, now You convers with the search engine as if you’s talking to a person. Image: Xataka During my first searches I tried to determine if Gemini would guess the name of a place I went without me saying anything, but describing what was in the menu. “I don’t remember the name of a restaurant I went in Jaén, but I know there were tacos in the letter. Could you tell me what it was?” I asked him in English (the only language available for now). What I got was not a simple list of establishments, but a complete, contextualized response and with all the relevant information On several restaurants that fit my request. I also tried “I am looking for an economic gym for Madrid that does not exceed 35 euros.” The answer was instantaneous and, most importantly, exactly what I needed: concrete options with details about prices, schedules and valuations, all perfectly organized. Main tab of AI Mode in Search | Image: Xataka Here, logically there is still room for hallucination, so we must be attentive and make a double check. However, for practically all my searches, I found what I was looking for an instantaneous waydetailed and precise. Ai mode is not simply gemini integrated into the search engine. As explained to me on Google, the system uses a technique called “Query Fan-Out”, which Divide your consultation into multiple sub -themes and performs hundreds of simultaneous searches. It is as if you had a researcher working for you at full speed. Image: Xataka This approach allows the search engine deepen the web much more than a traditional searchdiscovering hyperrelevant content for your specific question. The function uses a personalized version of Gemini 2.5which is now integrated into both AI Mode and AI Overviews in the United States. Not only seeks: it also goes to action Image: Xataka The most impressive thing about AI Mode is that it is not limited to informing you, but that It can help you complete tasks from beginning to end. The example of the entries of the reds explained by Google In his blog It is good, because the search engine guides you step by step from options to buy them, including the possibility of filling forms and making payment through Google Pay. This function will be initially available for events, reservations in local restaurants and appointments, with the collaboration of platforms such as ticketmaster, Stubhub or Resy. The control, yes, is still in the user’s hands at all times. Although of course, we still have no details about his arrival in Spain. Search Live: Google Lens’s definitive evolution I also had the opportunity to try Search Live, one of the most surprising novelties. This function allows to interact in real time with the search engine Using the mobile camera, turning Google into a true visual partner. I described it as having a “todologist” at any time to help us in any task. During the demo, I simply pointed to the camera to a shelf full of board games and books, and I could ask directly about what I was seeing. The system identified the objects and offered me detailed information about each one, answering my questions in real time as if I had an expert by my side. Search Live is what Google Lens should have been for years. With the integration of AI, it now makes much more sense and its use is tremendously intuitive. It’s like having a personal assistant who sees what you see And you solve any questions instantly. Deep Search: a group of scientists at your disposal Another promising function that will soon arrive at AI Mode is Deep Search. Is designed for when you need an exhaustive investigation on a topic. It really is something similar to the models of the “deep research”, with the ability to reflect, but available in Search, which combines the search concept in a product with more packaging. As they could explain, Deep Search carries Query Fan-Out technique to the next level, doing hundreds of searches, crossing information from different sources and preparing a full report with references in minutes. It’s like having a team of researchers working for you. The searches will change from here to very little, and there is nothing to stop this train Ai Mode is all we expected from Google when he took a certain traction with the generative AI, something that, so we have seen in the Google … Read more

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