space

having babies in space

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China has just sent a very special shipment to the Tiangong, one that aims to find out the answer to whether humans will be able to reproduce in space. Because the great powers have embarked on adventure to colonize the Moon or Marsbut there is a fundamental question which is whether a human embryo can develop in zero gravity. The Chinese Academy of Sciences hopes the answer “is yes.” And that’s why they have sent a curious ‘Noah’s Ark’ to their space station. In short. This May 11, the State Laboratory of Stem Cells and Reproductive Biology post the ship Tianzhou-10 with a cell with embryos of zebrafish, mice and artificial humans. These human embryos are derived from stem cells that are now on their way to the Chinese Tiangong station. This is a facility that the Asian giant has plans to expand to be the great space laboratory once the International Space Station is dismantled, and this is a first step to see if humans can reproduce and develop in zero gravity. artificial humans. Before entering into the objectives, it is advisable to clarify what “artificial humans” is. As Chinese authorities point out, these human embryos are not complete organisms that can become babies. Simply put, these are structures made from stem cells that mimic the very early phases of human development. What has been sent to the Tiangong corresponds approximately to days 14 to 21 after fertilization, a crucial window because it is during which all organs begin to form and in which any anomaly can have a significant impact on human development. For five days, the station’s astronauts will monitor the status of the embryos. They will then freeze them and send them to Earth for analysis. Aim. It is not the first time that embryos have been sent to space. A few months ago we already said that China had sent a mouse so that it would have babies in the station that would later be analyzed to see if they came with any alteration. Nine were born and six survived, resulting in tremendous success because there were so many things that could go wrong. The goal is to see if we can survive away from the protection of the Earth’s atmosphere, and there are more things outside of zero gravity that could be an evolutionary barrier. For example, cosmic radiation, a shower of high-energy particles passing through us, can cause breaks in DNA, with unexpected and fatal consequences. On Earth, the atmosphere protects us, but without that shield, the exposure is much greater. What was deduced from the mouse research is that the cellular repair mechanisms of mammals are capable of compensating for this damage, at least in short-duration flights. That is why this mission is so special because they will spend a longer time in orbit and, furthermore, it is the first time that such a large sample system has been sent with lower vertebrates up to models of human embryos. Those responsible for the project point out that it is the first attempt in history to answer the question of whether humans can reproduce in space and, thanks to the data, work will be possible to develop technologies that mitigate possible adverse effects. Pawned. China is very focused on studying these effects of microgravity and cosmic radiation on embryonic development and, apart from this experiment or that of the mouse, it already sent 6,000 mouse embryos on the SJ-10 satellite in 2016, demonstrating that mammals can complete the first phases of embryonic development. And in 2023, Japanese scientists They sent frozen mouse embryos to the ISS, where they were thawed and where it was concluded that these conditions did not significantly affect the formation of blastocysts. With foot on board. The Tianzhou-10 carries another load to carry out experiments such as ultra-thin solar cells or greenhouse gas sensors, but evidently the issue of embryos draws much more attention. And what it shows is that China is going full throttle in this new space race. A race in which space is being militarized, but also in which a new playing field is being defined for get unlimited energy that being able to send the Earth through laser ‘cannons’ and even the possibility of turn the moon into a mine space. In Xataka | Europe has grown tired of being NASA’s “supporting actor.” And that is why it is starting to work with China

Two companies have teamed up to put their own space garbage truck into orbit

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As the space race advancesso does the generation of debris, which includes everything from fragments of parts to discarded phases of rockets or complete ships that lost their orbit. This space debris accumulates, generating more and more risks. It is clear that it must be managed in some way, but all the hypotheses proposed have been left in the air. Now, however, two private companies have proposed the development of a kind of space garbage truck, which can lead the process to become operational and repeatable. Just like that truck that passes by your window every morning, they also hope to achieve frequency and efficiency with their waste removal service. The truck and the garbage can. The two companies that have proposed this service are the American Portal Space System and the Australian Paladin Space. The first has developed Starbust, a maneuverable and resupply ship that works like a garbage truck. The operator or garbage dump would be Paladin’s contribution, a payload called Triton. This is responsible for both obtaining images of space debris and classifying and collecting the debris. While the experimental proposals that have been made so far would collect one or very few objects, this combo would collect many more in a single mission. A regular service. Both companies have assured that they are working at a good pace, so they hope to make a first launch at the end of 2026. If all goes well, they would begin doing more regular missions from 2027. It would be a repeatable and well-organized service, which would try to keep at bay the space debris debris that, logically, will continue to be generated. More and more space junk. It is currently estimated that there are more than 130 million pieces of space debris in low Earth orbit. It is a figure that may possibly increase, due to something known as Kessler syndrome. The term refers to a kind of domino effect whereby, if a piece of space debris hits a satellite, for example, even more debris will be generated, which will continue to collide with each other, increasing in number more and more rapidly. The risks. Space debris is dangerous for many reasons, all of them largely related to impacts. To begin with, they can affect artificial objects that are also in orbit, such as satellites. Furthermore, if the impact occurs on manned facilities, such as the International Space Station, or spacecraft, the lives of the astronauts would be put at risk. And we cannot leave aside the risk posed by space debris when it deorbits and returns to Earth. Normally, most of the pieces disintegrate when crossing the atmosphere and do not even reach the Earth’s surface. However, debris may remain capable of causing material or personal damage. In fact, in 2022 a study was published which pointed out that, in the subsequent 10 years, the risk of a piece of space debris falling on a human being is 10%. It is worth launching as many cosmic garbage trucks into space as possible. We will avoid many problems if they work as expected. Cover image | Paladin Space In Xataka | SpaceX has made sending things to space very cheap. The problem is that now space is full of things

The success of Artemis II has lit China’s space fire. Now, your space station will be twice as big

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All powers have embarked on the new space race and Artemis II It has been the lighthouse that demonstrates the interest that continues to arouse in sending humans outside our borders. Aside from rockets, in low orbit humanity has one of the most exclusive laboratories in the universe: the International Space Station. While the long-standing facility awaits dismantling, China has just sent a message with its Tiangong space station. Soon, it will be twice as big. Ambition. When China was left out of the International Space Station project, it got to work on its own facility. The Tiangong It began to take shape in the 2000s and launched its central module into low orbit in 2021. Other modules have been added designed for Chinese astronauts to investigate in an environment that, until now, was forbidden to them. Since then, it has become a symbol of the ambition of the Chinese space program. Also of the speed at which they are completing goalswith round trip rocket tests and plans for build, together with Russia, a lunar station. Despite everything, he has a problem. It is considerably smaller than the ISS and has a mass of just 100 tons, a pressurized volume of 340 m3 with the capacity to house a crew of three astronauts. Expanding the Tiangong. The ISS can support a crew of seven astronauts, has triple the pressurized volume capacity and a mass of more than 420 tons. If China wants to get involved in space research, it had to do something, and its response has come in the form of a project to expand the Tiangong. How has informed state television CCTV, the station will go from being a ‘T’-shaped structure with three modules to a cross-shaped one with six modules. Its mass will be approximately 180 tons and, although it will remain smaller than the ISS, it will have the capacity to equal the astronauts on a permanent mission: six. If the plans are fulfilled, the three current modules will be joined by a fourth that will have multiple docking ports that will give rise to future laboratory units, increasing the potential to six modules. At the moment, there is no date for this expansion, but it is estimated that work will begin around 2027 and will be a Long March 5B the rocket that will transport what is necessary. Since its T-shaped module was completed, astronauts have performed more than 260 experiments and 26 spacewalks. Exclusiveness. China spent 2025 launching rockets, culminating in a month of December in which they broke all their launch records in a stress test for your multiple mission points. With plans to expand their space station, they show that they are committed to this new era of research and exploration, being something that arrives just when the International Space Station remains in question. Tiangong has remained an exclusive laboratory for Chinese researchers, but if it suddenly becomes the only station in low orbit, China is the one that has the access key so that foreign astronauts can carry out their work in those special conditions. On April 22, the Chinese Manned Space Flight Agency already commented that two Pakistan Air Force pilots would be trained as reserve astronauts and one would travel to Tiangong. He will be the first non-Chinese astronaut to do so, although there are already other astronauts from Hong Kong and Macau who will perform the same process. It is something that responds to China’s intention to promote cooperation projects with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, but without forgetting that the Tiangong is Chinese and, as we say, they have the keys to the doors… and the right of admission. Scrap. While the Asian giant announces the good news around its station, on the other side of the world a dismantling process of the ISS is still scheduled for 2031. The plan is that NASA use a vehicle exclusive to SpaceX to guide the ISS to a space cemetery somewhere in the Pacific. In recent months there has been a lot of discussion about whether it is a better idea to dismantle it, turn it into scrap metal or use it as a portbut at this point, the plan continues its course and it is possible that, sooner rather than later, Tiangong will remain the only manned space station in low Earth orbit. In Xataka | Europe has grown tired of being NASA’s “supporting actor.” And that is why it is starting to work with China

The three hantavirus deaths on a cruise ship suggest something problematic for something else: the colonization of space

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What happened on the Argentine cruise ship in which three people died from hantavirus is very sad and, of course, must be investigated. However, many news stories are being read in which it is used to bring to mind bitter pandemic memories and generate an unnecessary stir. The risk for the general population is extremely low, as many experts have been quick to assure. However, it does show how dangerous it can be to let a pathogen circulate in a closed, moving place, like a boat. We can even go a step further now that the space race is in fashion: what would happen if something like this happened on a spaceship? It couldn’t happen. Typically, hantavirus It is transmitted by rodentslike rats and mice. Generally, infection in humans occurs through inhalation of contaminated particles (usually dust) with their feces or urine. This means that, in most cases, the contagion is a zoonosis. The virus passes from an animal to a human. That in space would be impossible. Spaceships are monitored under a magnifying glass, it would be impossible for a mouse to enter without being seen. It is true that there is a specific type of hantavirus, the Andes virus, in which cases have been documented due to human-to-human contact. However, according to has explained to Science Media Center the researcher at the MRC-University of Glasgow Viral Research Center Liam Brierley, contact must be very very close. Contact on spaceships, where a few people must spend a lot of time together in a very small space, would be very close. But don’t panic. Sterility and quarantines. Each of the modules that make up the spacecraft are assembled in white roomsunder strict sterile conditions. Thus, microorganisms, pathogenic or not, are prevented from traveling into space attached to their surfaces. Regarding astronauts, they undergo all kinds of medical examinations to verify that they are not infected with any pathogen. Also, before traveling to space They must spend time in quarantine. This prevents the incubation of something that cannot be detected in medical examinations at the time of starting the journey. It wasn’t always like this. In reality, quarantines began to be implemented after the astronauts of the Apollo 7, 8 and 9 missions had to deal with a cold in space. Although none of them became seriously ill, they did report that the symptoms were especially bothersome in this very different environment. Therefore, it was decided to take even more measures to prevent something like this from happening. The Apollo 7 crew had to deal with a cold. Not all microorganisms stay on land. It is impossible to strip a human being of all the microorganisms that live in his body. The microbiota is the set of microorganisms that are naturally found in our body. Many of them are beneficial for us, as they protect us from pathogens or help us carry out processes such as digestion. All these microorganisms always travel with us, so it is impossible to separate ourselves from them. And even if you could, it would be dangerous to do so. Others that cannot be avoided. Nor can latent viruses be avoided, like shingles. Once a person passes the infection, these remain asleep in the organism. They may never come forward again or they may do so, usually at a time when the immune system is weakened. It has been seen that reactivations of this type of virus are quite common in space and the truth is that it is not rare, since it affects the immune system at many levels. Three basic pillars. Microgravity, cosmic radiation and the stress of being in such an inhospitable place are the three main reasons why the immune system is affected by space travel. Everything in its place. Microorganisms that are completely harmless in a person’s microbiota can be harmful to another individual, either because they are immunosuppressed or because their defenses are not well trained against that organism. enemy. It is something that, for example, happens with many microorganisms on the skin. It should also be taken into account that there are microorganisms that are harmless in some organs, but harmful in others. It occurs, for example, when bacteria from the digestive system pass into the urinary system. Be careful which direction you wipe when going to the bathroom. We cannot get rid of our microbiota. And thank goodness. Malted pathogens. We have already seen that it is very difficult for pathogenic microorganisms to travel to space. But it may be the case that an apparently innocuous microorganism appears where it should not. Or it may no longer be harmless due to spatial conditions. It is known that cosmic radiation, extreme temperature conditions or microgravity can influence the genes expressed by a microorganism. For example, in pathogenic bacteria, such as Salmonella typhimuriumit has been observed that in space They express a genetic pattern very different from the one they use on Earth. Besides, they become more virulent when they are off the planet. We do not know if some apparently innocuous microorganisms could also develop certain virulence due to this change of environment. An eye on the future. For something like this to happen today would be very strange. However, there are two scenarios in the future in which, perhaps, one of these situations could occur. On the one hand, microorganisms are deliberately introduced into the ships. For example, there could be microorganisms that transform lunar regolith into arable soil. It would be necessary to see if it is worth taking the risk of putting them on a spaceship. On the other hand, in the future space travel will be much more the order of the day. Then there may not be as many controls as there are now or, out of so many, some may fail. Just as globalization has led some pathogens to travel faster around the world, it would not be unusual for something similar to happen in space. We’re speculating, but it’s worth thinking … Read more

A Falcon 9 has been roaming through space for more than a year. An astronomer believes it will crash into the Moon in summer

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An upper stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 has been orbiting uncontrollably for more than a year and astronomers indicate that it will end up crashing on the Moon next August. Although at first it may seem serious, the truth is that it does not represent any danger to us. However, that does not mean that the event has once again revived the debate on the space junk and what may happen in the future if the Moon ends up being inhabited. What is going to happen and when. On August 5, at 8:44 a.m. (Spanish peninsular time), an upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket will collide with the lunar surface at approximately 8,700 km/h, which is equivalent to about seven times the speed of sound. The prediction It was published by Bill Grayprofessional astronomer and developer of Project Pluto software, a widely used tool for tracking near-Earth objects. According to Gray, the impact will occur in the surroundings of Einstein crater, on the edge of the visible side of the Moon from Earth. Where does this piece of rocket come from? The stage in question, cataloged as 2025-010D, is the upper part of the Falcon 9 that launched two private lunar landers on January 15, 2025: the Blue Ghost from Firefly Aerospace and the Hakuto-R from the Japanese company ispace. The first achieved the first completely successful commercial lunar landing in history, touching down at Mare Crisium on March 2, 2025. The second lost contact with Earth during the descent maneuver and crashed. Meanwhile, the rocket’s upper stage continued to orbit. With more than 1,000 observations accumulated since launch, Gray assures There is no doubt: it is this piece of the Falcon 9. Why can’t it be seen from Earth. Although the Moon will be visible to much of the Western Hemisphere at the time of impact, Gray warns that the flash will almost certainly be too faint to detect with ground-based telescopes. The researcher himself remembers what happened with the LCROSS mission from NASA in 2009, when a Centaur stage deliberately impacted the lunar south pole to study the ground and yet no flash could be observed from Earth. The scientific value, if any, will come from further study of the fresh crater left by the impact. No danger, but with a warning. The stage measures 13.8 meters long and 3.7 meters in diameter. Since the Moon does not have an atmosphere, the device will reach the surface intact. There is no risk to lunar infrastructure, rovers or ships in orbit. Still, Gray account which “does highlight a certain lack of care in the way in which remnants of space hardware are disposed of,” he writes in his report. There is a relatively simple technical solution, and that is that with a little more planning and some extra fuel, companies that launch rockets could send these stages to heliocentric orbits (around the Sun), where they would pose no threat to either the Earth or the Moon. Now it matters more. Both the US and China plan to multiply the pace of their lunar missions during the second half of this decade, with the aim of installing semi-permanent bases near the south pole of the Moon. The United States aims for annual missions with Artemis IV and V from 2028; China wants have your own taikonauts stepping on lunar soil before 2030. More missions means more rockets, more unreused upper stages, and therefore more space junk orbiting near the Moon. If there were people or infrastructure on the surface then, things would get serious. It’s not the first time it happens. Gray stumbled upon another rocket stage a few years ago. In 2022, he predicted that a piece of rocket would hit the Moon on March 4 of that year, getting the time right within seconds and the location within just a few kilometers. Gray had initially identified the object as another stage from a Falcon 9, but it turned out to be a booster from the Chinese Chang’e 5-T1 rocket. This time, however, continuous monitoring since launch rules out any doubts. Cover image | SpaceX and NASA In Xataka | We have found something that astronomers have been searching for decades: the precise edge of the Milky Way

Metajets, the luminous ‘Wingardium Leviosa’ that promises to take ships into space without the need for fuel

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A team of scientists from Texas A&M University has managed to lift and direct tiny objects without touching them. And no, he didn’t do it with a spell. Wingardium leviosabut with laser technology that could power the spaceships of the future. Metajets to fly without fuel. The new propulsion tool designed by these scientists uses something known as metajetswhich is based on the combination of laser beams and metasurfaces. The latter are surfaces that contain small nanoscale irregularities that direct light in many possible directions. When light hits the smooth surface of a mirror, it just bounces back. On metasurfaces, when encountering all those little mountains invisible to the human eye, it can deviate in multiple ways. On the other hand, when light hits a surface, the photons push it slightly. The authors of this study they compare it with tennis balls bouncing on a wall. When using a lot of balls, that push can be tangible. Therefore, by shining a laser on a surface, a movement can be produced that is also directed in the desired direction thanks to those tiny pillars. The more light the better. Something interesting about metajets is that to obtain greater thrust you do not necessarily need a larger device. It would be enough to increase the power of the light. Therefore, although at the moment the experiments have been carried out with devices the size of a human hair, these researchers consider that in the future they could be scaled enough to send ships into space without the need for fuel. Climb and turn. With these experiments it has been possible to both raise the device and make it rotate in the desired direction. It is a good start for that dreamed space future. Much shorter trips. With current technologies, If we wanted to travel to the Alpha Centauri star systemthe closest to our solar system, it would take hundreds of thousands of years. Instead, these scientists calculate that, using metajets, the figure would be reduced to only a couple of decades. In astronomical terms, that’s pretty little. Beyond space. In reality, the ability to move objects without contact or fuel could have many applications here on Earth as well. For example, metajets would be useful in precision manufacturing, microrobotics and advanced detection systems. There is still much to do. Logically, having demonstrated the effectiveness of metajets in a tiny device is only a first step. There is a lot of science and a lot of time left before we can scale enough to reach space. However, as Machado said, the path is made by walking, and this has already begun to be drawn. The next step will be to test the metajets in a laboratory under microgravity conditions. Thus, we would see how they will work in space. If this goes well, little by little we would try to scale it to a larger size. Other technologies that are also being investigated may possibly arrive sooner, such as the use of engines based on nuclear energy. However, metajets are also a very interesting option for future space travel. I’m sure we’ll hear about them again in the future. Image | Harry Potter, skateboarder (Wikimedia Commons) In Xataka | How many times have we gone to the Moon and why have only 11 military aviators and one geologist set foot on it in all of history?

Meta has signed an agreement to search for it in space

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Back in 1941, Isaac Asimov already played with an idea that for decades sounded more like literature than infrastructure: capture solar energy in space and send her back to Earth. It was not a minor occurrence. Basically, it posed a question that today no longer belongs only to science fiction: what do we do when the energy available down here is not enough to sustain what we want to build. More than eighty years later, that question has found a new protagonist: artificial intelligence. What we have seen in recent years is a race to build AI infrastructure at enormous speed. More models, more servers, more data centers and, as a direct consequence, more need for stable electricity. Meta places the problem there: current clean sources help, but have obvious limitations when looking for continuous supply. Solar doesn’t produce at night, the wind doesn’t always blow, and the grid needs storage to turn that intermittent energy into a more reliable basis for its operations. The energy that AI is pushing beyond Earth The Meta movement arrives in the form of two agreements who attack the problem from different sides. The first is with Overview Energy, a startup with which Meta has reserved until 1 GW capacity of orbital solar power to support the company’s data center operations. The second is with Noon Energy, with whom Meta has reserved up to 1 GW/100 GWh of very long duration storage capacity. The idea is not to replace one technology with another, but to combine generation and storage to get closer to a more continuous supply. Overview Energy’s proposal is based on a premise that is simple to tell, although difficult to execute. Its satellites would be in geostationary orbit above the Earth’s equator, where sunlight is constant. From there they would capture energy and send it to existing solar installations on Earth as low-intensity near-infrared light. According to Meta, these plants would convert the beam into electricity and inject it into the grid just as they do today with direct sunlight, also during the hours in which they now remain inactive. Capture of a video about the project shared by Meta It’s a good idea to put things in perspective. The company itself places this technology in an early phase: Overview plans a orbital demonstration in 2028when your system should try to send power wirelessly from space to a solar plant on Earth for the first time. If successful, commercial delivery to the US grid could begin, at the earliest, in 2030. In between, the most difficult part remains: proving that the system works, that it scales, and that it can do so in an economic sense. Noon Energy Energy Storage System The second alliance looks at a less striking, but equally important problem: what happens when clean energy has already been generated and needs to be conserved for longer. Noon Energy works with reversible solid oxide fuel cells and carbon-based storage to offer more than 100 hours of storage, well above what Meta says lithium-ion batteries can offer today. These two alliances fit into a much broader energy strategy. Meta assures that it has already contracted more than 30 GW of clean and renewable energyand places these agreements alongside its next-generation geothermal projects with Sage Geosystems and XGS Energy, in addition to 7.7 GW of nuclear energy linked to Vistra, TerraPower, Oklo and Constellation Energy. What remains is a fairly clear snapshot of the moment: AI is not only pushing technology companies to buy more chips, it is also forcing them to look for electricity in increasingly unconventional places. Images | Xataka with Grok In Xataka | Kimi Code is eight times cheaper than Claude Code and does 75% of your work. The question is whether it is enough

the space spider that assembles structures

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When we say that China steps on NASA’s heels In your space race we are not kidding. It is not just about the missions to the Moon or the launch of your own space station. The Asian country has been able to recover one of NASA’s frustrated dreams: creating a robot that assembles large constructions directly in space. A space spider. China has replicated and improved the SpiderFaba robot designed by NASA to weave structures with carbon fiber thread, directly under microgravity conditions. In very rough terms, it is a kind of spatial 3D printer that behaves like a spider. At the moment an antenna has been woven in a terrestrial laboratory, so it would be necessary to check if it is equally viable in space. However, the results have been very promising and have also overcome several of the obstacles that NASA encountered at the time. Obstacles overcome. The idea for SpiderFab came from NASA, although the project was launched together with the company Tethers Unlimited. Although at the beginning everything seemed to be going well, during the process they encountered two obstacles so big that the project ended up being archived. These were related to the fit of the pieces in space and the resistance of the structures. Therefore, China has added some changes to the process. For starters, they use carbon fiber composite reels, rather than pure carbon fiber. These more complex compounds are stronger, but also lighter. Ideal for spatial structures. On the other hand, the robot makes assembly joints so that the pieces can fit together without the need for screws or glue. In the most extreme cases, if necessary, fusion using laser rays could be used. A much needed robot. In reality, the use of a robot like SpiderFab is very necessary to continue advancing in the space race. Spaceships have a load limit that cannot be exceeded, both for a simple matter of space and for the necessary investment in fuel. With respect to space, sometimes we resort to placing the necessary structures very well folded into orbit, and then opening them at their destination or even along the way. This is precisely what was done with the mirrors of the James Webb Space Telescope. However, this is not always feasible. That is why it is so useful to resort to strategies like this robot, capable of weaving antennas or solar panels as if it were a spider manipulating silk. Challenges still remain. At the moment, China has already gone further than NASA with its own SpiderFab. However, there are still other challenges to overcome. For example, the assembly of the robot itself must be tested in microgravity conditions. It will also be necessary to check that it adequately resists other spatial elements, such as cosmic radiation. They are on the right track, but the bells cannot yet be launched into the air. Also, thinking about it, instead of throwing the bells into the air, it would be better to weave them directly into place. Images | Tethers Unlimited In Xataka | Astronauts’ food is not appetizing at first, especially in China

Athletics has just experienced its own “moon landing.” And Adidas has defeated Nike in its particular space race

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May 6, 2017. Eliud Kipchoge appears on the finish line of the Monza circuit, northern Italy. This time the sound of the engines is provided by the crash against the asphalt of the athletes who accompany the Kenyan in the breaking 2the first attempt to go under two hours in marathon distance. But it is the tires that attract attention. The feet fit the Nike Vaporfly Elite. A very high profile, a foam with an absorption capacity unlike anything seen before. And the most striking thing: a carbon plate. The promise is that the shoe saves energy when running. That is, fatigue comes later and/or the athlete can run faster with the same feeling of effort. Almost a decade ago, Eliud Kipchoge was a handful of seconds away from breaking the two-hour marathon distance. He breaking 2 It did not break the desired 120-minute barrier, but Nike had just opened a new page in the history of athletics. A space race began that has ended almost nine years after that challenge. On April 26, 2026, the moon was reached. But Adidas has put the flag. A photo for history Since 2017 we have been wondering who would be the first man to break under two hours in a conventional marathon. Eliud Kipchoge himself achieved it the following year, becoming the first to complete the 42,195 meters in less than 120 minutes. But the event, surrounded by hares, with a car making a screen to block the wind and with mobile supplies, could not be validated as a world record. In 2018, in the Berlin marathon, considered one of the circuits faster of the world, Eliud Kipchoge amazed by stopping the clock at 2:01’39”. The following year, the legendary Kenenisa Bekele was just two seconds away from that same record in one of the cruelest final stretches in history. At that time, records were already falling in pairs with the new Nike carbon plate. Athletes were breaking records at the same rate as complaints of technological doping were rising. Some, in fact, They broke contracts when they understood that they were playing at a disadvantage. With the world’s fastest man in the long distance 99 seconds away from breaking the two-hour barrier, the question of whether we would ever see this milestone was more than repeated. In 2022, Kipchoge managed to get closer and made us dream. He finally exceeded it by one minute and nine seconds. On April 26, 2026, Sabastian Sawe put the flag on the Moon. And Yomif Kejelcha propped it up. Adidas had won the space race with a photo that will go down in history. Since Nike revolutionized the market with the launch of the first Vaporfly, athletics brands went into combustion. Sneakers with carbon plates multiplied, foams softened and became more reactive. The competition arrived and Nike seemed to have fallen behind. Kelvin Kiptum in 2023 proved that we were wrong, that he was the main candidate to break the mythical barrier. He was 35 seconds away from achieving it in the Chicago Marathon but a car accident ended his life a few months later. A few months earlier, Tigst Assefa stopped the clock in a historic 2:11’53” in the Berlin Marathon. He had just shaved almost two minutes off the world record. On his feet, the Adidas Adizero Adios Pro EVO 1. The Nike-Adidas battle is on fire and in 2024 Ruth Chepngetich, dressed by Nike, becomes the first woman in history to beat 2 hours and 10 minutes. The following year, Chepngetich is sanctioned for doping but it does not affect this record. This same year in Barcelona, Fotyen Tesfay manages to go under two hours and 11 minutes and Adidas also already has the second fastest mark in the history of the women’s marathon. But the final blow was given yesterday. Only two men have gone under two hours in a conventional marathon. They both wear Adidas. From the Vaporfly to the Adizero Adios Pro EVO 3 When Nike first released the Vaporfly, all hell broke loose. Not only among the more or less amateur public, athletes verified on the spot that their shoes were not up to par with those of the Oregon brand. Until its arrival, competition shoes had been standardized in minimal profiles and low drop (the difference in height between the front and rear area). The Vaporfly blew up what was known until then. Impossible heights for the time, very soft foams and zero “feel” of the asphalt for feet accustomed to always being close to the ground. However, for some reason, they worked. The improvement was quickly attributed to the carbon plate but the plate is only one of the pieces that make the whole work. Although it was directly attributed to the plate, the truth is that that sensation of “catapult” and extreme rebound of the foot was the result of using a supercritical foam with a lot of return. In fact, the carbon served to structure the shoe and give stability to the foot. Javi Moro, head of material at the magazine Corridorexplains that these foams “are very light and have a great capacity to retain and return energy” but emphasizes that they really have not changed much in general. “They have changed the curvatures of the plate and the midsoles to generate more rocker effect,” he explains, although he emphasizes that it is more as a means to adapt to all types of audiences “because not all runners tolerate the same type of plate in the same way.” This swing is more pronounced as brands have sought the limits of the regulations. World Athletic, which organizes major events and certifies the tests and the validity of the results, prevents competition with shoes whose height between the ground and the support of the insole exceeds 40 mm. But brands play with “where” those measurements are taken (at two specific points, heel and midfoot) to play with the geometries and try to put more foam … Read more

This space company has designed the suit for astronauts that you would also want to wear on the street

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The private space company Vast has presented at the 46th Space Symposium the suits that its team will wear both in training on Earth and in missions in space. These are aesthetically appealing clothes, but above all they have been manufactured with careful consideration of the needs of astronauts. on the International Space Station. Thus, the aim is to facilitate both their movements and their ability to work. Both with and without gravity. As explained in a Vast statement former astronaut and company advisor Megan McArthur, in space the body takes on positions that it does not take on Earth. Additionally, when working in microgravity, it is necessary to always have your hands free and tools within reach. They may be necessary at any time. For this reason, spacesuits must put comfort and operability above all things. Pockets, zippers and hooks. Vast’s spacesuit consists of two pieces, which can be worn separately or as a jumpsuit, joining both parts with a zipper. It has a multitude of pockets, like cargo pants. The main difference with any garment with pockets that can be worn on Earth is that each of them is intentionally placed to squeeze out their use in microgravity. They are right where they are needed. On the other hand, astronauts may need to access tools quickly, so opening and closing the zipper of the pocket takes up too much of their time. That’s why spacesuits also have hook-and-loop closures on the pants legs. Mobility comes first. The suits are made from a lightweight, breathable and flexible material with rear vents and shoulder gussets, allowing full range of motion. In addition, it is tailored to each astronaut, so that the fit is completely personalized. Many tests ahead. Vast has just signed its first contract with NASA to take its astronauts to the International Space Station in 2027. During all that time, just as the hardware necessary for the mission is thoroughly tested, the relevant tests will be carried out on the spacesuit. Above all, it must be confirmed that the materials are safe, durable and compatible with the space station environment. There is no washing machine in space. Both the Vast suit and the rest of the uniforms used by astronauts on the International Space Station, They must be dirt resistant and quick drying. Thus, crew members can wear the same clothes for several days without problem. Clothes that get dirty faster, such as underwear, are changed more often. They are placed in airtight bags and, when enough accumulates, they are added along with other waste in a cargo vehicle that is sent to Earth, so that all of these waste products are burned as they pass through the atmosphere. Not to be confused with the extravehicular suit. What Vast has just presented is the uniform of its astronauts. This should not be confused with the extravehicular suit, which is used on flights and spacewalks to protect astronauts from radiation, fire, or extreme temperatures. The uniforms They are something much simplerwhich can even be worn on Earth to attend events. Still, these are not random garments. There is also a lot of technology behind it. Vast Seasons. Vast’s goal is to support continued human presence in space in the future, with an eye toward space research, industry and tourism. To this end, this company has several space station projects, both single module and multimodular. They also plan to build a station with artificial gravity in the future, something that has not yet been achieved. But first they must gain experience and hours in space. Therefore, the first step will be to take its astronauts to the International Space Station. Now, thanks to NASAhave their first private mission in these facilities on the horizon. If all goes well, the launch window will open in summer 2027. Images | Vast In Xataka | This woman has been accused for years of committing the only crime that has taken place in space. It was all a lie

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