Month: June 2024

Targeted Genome Editor Delivery Challenge

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Gene editing holds the promise to treat genetic diseases at the source by correcting the faulty genetic patterns within our cells. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched the TARGETED (Targeted Genome Editor Delivery) Challenge to advance genome editing technology by sourcing innovative solutions for delivering genome editors to somatic cells. The Challenge is open to qualified groups or teams from organizations or institutions, particularly those in the genome editing or vehicle delivery fields, and will take place in three phases: Proposal, Preliminary Data, and Final Data, Independent Testing,…

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Water Supply Forecast Rodeo

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Accurate seasonal water supply forecasts are crucial for effective water resources management. Help the Bureau of Reclamation develop models to forecast the cumulative streamflow volume for sites across the Western United States. Government Agency: Bureau of Reclamation Award: $500,000 Open Date: October 2023 Close Date: July 2024 For more information, visit: https://www.drivendata.org/competitions/group/reclamation-water-supply-forecast/

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Starliner to the Stars

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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft aboard launches from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Florida. NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test is the first launch with astronauts of the Boeing CFT-100 spacecraft and United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. The flight test, which launched at 10:52 a.m. EDT, serves as an end-to-end demonstration of Boeing’s crew transportation system and will carry NASA…

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LIFTOFF! NASA Astronauts Pilot First Starliner Crewed Test to Station

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A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft aboard launches from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Wednesday, June 5, 2024, in Florida. NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test is the first launch with astronauts of the Boeing spacecraft and United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program. Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky Editor’s note: This release was updated June 5, 2024, to include instructions on how to attend the post-docking briefing on Thursday, June…

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Terrifying new ‘Alien: Romulus’ trailer unleashes the facehuggers (video)

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Following a stunning teaser trailer released back in March, Alien: Romulus is kicking things up a notch with its second trailer, which is full of facehuggers, acid blood and zero-gravity thrills. The Alien movie series has been a fun one to follow over the decades, with the quality going up and down, the mythology being expanded in often contradictory ways, and the fearsome xenomorphs clashing against the extraterrestrials from the Predator franchise outside of comic books and video games. After Ridley Scott’s planned prequel trilogy was denied a conclusion and…

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Save $400 on Unistellar smart binoculars: Early bird deal

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Unistellar’s new smart binoculars, called Envision, are currently $400 off on an early bird sale. That’s a saving of 40% on a pair of binoculars that integrate augmented reality to enhance both nighttime and day-time viewing. Save $400 on the Unistellar Envision smart binoculars on pre-sale from their website.  These binoculars work in tandem with their Companion app which helps and enhances the stargazing experience for astronomers, just like when using the eQuinox 2, eVscope 2 and Odyssey smart telescopes. It overlays contextual information in the user’s field of view,…

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Midnight sun: What it is and how to see it

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The midnight sun is a natural summertime phenomenon in which the sun never sets below the horizon, not even at midnight. While this may sound like an otherworldly scenario, for those living in the polar regions, it’s just another summer’s day, albeit one that never ends.  Here, we explore the midnight sun — also known as the “polar day,” “white night” and “nightless night” — in more detail. Learn what causes the strange phenomenon, as well as where and when you can see the midnight sun for yourself.  Related: Goodbye…

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NASA Launches Second Small Climate Satellite to Study Earth’s Poles

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Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 1 in Māhia, New Zealand at 11:15 p.m. NZST, June 5, 2024, carrying a small satellite for NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) mission.  RocketLab The second of NASA’s PREFIRE (Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment) two satellites is communicating with ground controllers after launching at 3:15 p.m. NZST, Wednesday (11:15 p.m. EDT, June 4). Data from these two shoebox-size cube satellites, or CubeSats, will better predict how Earth’s ice, seas, and weather will change in a…

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Our First Transformer of the Month: Matt Dosberg

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It is impossible to pinpoint a single, static definition of what makes a “Digital Transformer.” Although Matt Dosberg’s official title is Digital Transformation and IT Innovation Lead for Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), his full contributions to NASA require a lengthier description. He is the nexus for everything under the Digital Transformation (DT) umbrella at GSFC, including digital engineering, AI, data-driven programmatics, data strategy, and more. He serves as liaison to the agency-level DT team and other centers, coordinating across directorates to drive cultural change within the organization, and has…

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NASA to Change How It Points Hubble Space Telescope

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3 min read NASA to Change How It Points Hubble Space Telescope This image of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope was taken on May 19, 2009 after deployment during Servicing Mission 4. NASA After completing a series of tests and carefully considering the options, NASA announced Tuesday work is underway to transition its Hubble Space Telescope to operate using only one gyroscope (gyro). While the telescope went into safe mode May 24, where it now remains until work is complete, this change will enable Hubble to continue exploring the secrets of…

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